Taeko wrapped up the villain known as Shocker, after his failed attempt to rob a local bank. The hero's costume was now riddled with rip and tear, which would be his fifth repair this week. Despite the genius, he still had a lack of sewing skills.
"Note to self, bring a better suit for a villain that hits you with sharp soundwaves." Taeko uttered with annoyance, glancing at the various rips and tears on his suit.
After he handed over the defeated villain to police, he left to scene to head somewhere else. Taeko knew that his time as Spider-Man needed to be revamped. So, after carefully considering the proposal he heard while getting his face bashed by metal gloves, he accepted. "Couldn't be that bad." Taeko thought, grabbing onto the edge of the building infront of the Yaoyorozu agency.
It was the largest building in the nearby districts, crowning itself the pinnacle of protection. The agency was a tall white and navy blue industrial office, and it differentiated itself from the other surroundings. The agency's building had the main center at the top, which was a large straight rectangle. There was a round oval that curved ontop of the roof and looped around the top floors.
"Maybe I shouldn't," Taeko said, now suddenly doubting his decision. For all he knew this could be an ambush waiting to happen, with hundreds of heroes ready to arrest him. "I know she's a trustworthy person, but I do I trust her?" He asked, walking on the side of the building towards the street.
Apprehension crowded against all other thoughts, trying to force him to reconsider. Taeko was worried that his luck might be running out, or this was some twisted sense of retribution for taunting death. The words of Nozomi held much more weight, he needed to start working with others. Apart of being Spider-Man meant that he needed to have allies, to show the world he wasn't an isolated individual.
His left foot touched the asphalt, steadily pulling each foot closer towards the building. He hated that he knew this was the best choice to make. "I can just fight my way out if I need too, I'm pretty sure I can take down Watanabe?" Taeko thought, passing by the watching citizens.
"Here we go, time to either fight or get hired." He said, waiting for the group of people exiting the main entrances. Once he stepped inside, all eyes were on him, instantly making him rub his neck. Taeko could feel the burning eyes of the heroes and staff stare at him.
He walked up to the main office, seated behind a large brown desk. She wore a white dress shirt with a bright red hat. She had ash-brown hair, and looked to be within her mid-30s. The desk had a golden plaque that read "Liliste Nomura". The woman looked up at Taeko, and quickly shot a look of disgust, but went back to typing away at her computer.
"Ahem...uh, hey there, I'm here for a meeting with Yaoyorozu. I don't have a Spider-email, so I just dropped by." Taeko cleared his throat, already feeling some sort of intense hatred radiating off the woman. Liliste didn't acknowledge his presence for a few minutes, until she sent her last email.
"Do you assume that I'm the receptionist?" Liliste questioned, scaring more than any other villain he ever faced. Not even that vampire that he fought last week held the same candle of intensity.
"Was I not supposed to? You're just sitting at the front desk... like a receptionist." Taeko replied, starting to whisper at the end of his explanation as she continued to glare at him. "I should probably just try and find her, shouldn't I?"
"No." Interrupted Liliste, displaying a clear tone of vexation. The now upset woman pointed at the holden plaque on her table, bringing Taeko's gaze back onto it. "I am one of the managers at this agency, and I'm making an executive decision. Our foundation thrives on the quality of heroes, not with the ill-favored cognition of vigilantes. Might I add that your "webs" are defecation! You have no place here, I suggest leaving befo-"
"Ah, there he is!" Yelled Yaoyorozu, stepping out of the elevator and approaching the two. Taeko nervously smiled, wondering if his was senses would warn him of Liliste anymore. Yaoyorozu herself wasn't much taller than Taeko, and her long black hair stayed the same since high school. "I'm glad to see that you made it on such short of notice."
Her display of calamity and friendliness was much different than Liliste's. Taeko nervously shook her hand, no wondering if he was deep into the potential trap. "Oh yeah, it's no worries. I was and the neighborhood and figured it couldn't hurt." He replied, partially telling the truth, as he was still debating over joining.
"I promise this won't waste your time, I know how busy you've been as of late." Replied Yaoyorozu, understanding that Spider-Man couldn't be away for too long. "Please, let's discuss inside my office."
Liliste felt her cheeks grow scarlet, and looked back at Taeko. The latter squinted behind his mask, glaring back the tense woman. He waved at her before following Yaoyorozu, now standing inside of smaller room space. The interior closely resembled the main entrance, but the walls were lined with a mixture of white and gold.
"So, the receptionist seems friendly." Taeko joked, still feeling the chill of Liliste's glare through the walls.
Yaoyorozu sat down behind her desk, slightly obscured by the multiple desktops she had. Taeko stood near the door, trying to figure how to keep his arms without showing her awkwardness. "I'll cut to the chase, I would like to enlist your help for an incoming conflict. The threat that Jikshour and his group provides is far greater than we've had since the Shigeraki incident. I've watched your work, and many of us are impressed with your results. If you join us, I ask that you help us in the upcoming conflict. I can offer you support in your status as a vigilante, by providing hero course training that lasts a few months."
Taeko was taken back, but ultimately surprised by her offer. It almost seemed too good to be true, but he believed most of it regardless. "So, you need my help?" Taeko asked, recalling the gruesome murder of Endeavor. His decision was instantly compelled to answer with yes, not wanting to stand by and ignore the help he could provide.
The name Jikshour was too familiar, having already met the villain once before. Taeko clenched his fist as the thought of Jikshour trying to kill Aeon enraged him. However, there were still more questions he had about joining. "I can help with the Jikshour problem, you don't need to ask. I'm just a little curious as to what strings are attached? Would I have to unmask myself?"
"That was a preferred option since the public and hero committee are still concerned about your intentions." Replied Yaoyorozu, earning a quiet sigh from Taeko.
"That... I'm sorry, but I can't do that." Taeko replied, rubbing the back of his neck. "Not to sound rude, but I have a life outside of the whole hero gig. There are people around me who'd be put in even more danger. If the world...if my enemies knew who I was, then I wouldn't be able to keep them safe."
The main concern for Taeko was his secret identity, and whether or not he'd have to give it up. The life was started to build would crumble down, under the weight of his own secrets. He didn't need to put more targets on Nozomi or Aeon, as Taeko built up a lengthy rogues gallery.
Yaoyorozu pressed her hands together and placed it near her chin. She sat pondering how to proceed with her agency offer, and what the best outcome would be. While she didn't concern herself with the controversy, the people would begin to react differently if a vigilante began to join. However, the threat that they'd be facing soon was far too prevalent to ignore help, especially from a hero like Taeko.
"Then what I can allow, is for you to join as a reserve member, you can attend on call when we need you." Explained Yaoyorozu, having figured out a way to allow Taeko to join under the compromises. "You will still need to take a monthly course on hero training, for the next six months."
Taeko thought the proposal given to him, weighing it against other options. The only real alternative he could find was remaining the vigilante with torn suits and an arrest warrant. He looked at Yaoyorozu and offered out a thumbs up. "I can't see why not," He started, bringing a sudden smile of joy onto the hero's face.
"I am glad to have you aboard, Spider-Man." Yaoyorozu nodded, marking down his name with the moat orderly and elegant Hiragana.
"Thanks, kinda feels like finally going to high school." Taeko joked, which only confused Yaoyorozu, with the lack of knowledge or context. "Er, nevermind." He shook his arm, before noticing the tearing red sleeve under his shoulder. "Hey, I don't suppose you can create a sewing kit could you?"
Yaoyorozu tilted her head and looked at Taeko as if he said something odd. The latter didn't say anything as she walked to door, and opened it. "We can provide something better, just follow me."
------------
The two left her office and walked to the very end of the building, now standing in a busier section of the agency. Taeko only spotted people in white lab coats and engineering gear, confirming where they were walking through. The lines had large blue lights sealed behind clear glass, seemingly acting as the energy source.
Taeko felt out of place, as usual, finding his attire too different from the others. Every worker who passed then was either in rush or completely covered in machinery, almost like the Directive. As Taeko cautiously watched where he stepped, Yaoyorozu seemed completely fine.
They finally stopped in front of a large metal door, with the label 'Advanced Development Studio' written in yellow on top of a blue sign. Yaoyorozu pulled out a small key card and swiped it through a small scanner. The large doors flung open and immediately sent Taeko's spider senses flaring.
The next moment he saw a blur of a figure jump towards him, flying too fast for him to react. "Hey-!" Taeko blurted, before being pushed onto the ground by the crashing person. Yaoyorozu sighed, already knowing what just happened.
Taeko's head began to spin after being pushed against the metal floor. He felt someone now laying on top of him, staring close and deep into his eyes. "Hiya! Didn't see you there!" She greeted, shouting with a sweeping smile. The woman had long pink hair that was thickly braided, and wore a navy blue tank-top with baggy cargo pants, with a tight pink jumpsuit covering.
"Hey I know you! You're the Arachnid-Boy!" Shrieked the woman, leaning even closer to the admittedly terrified Taeko. Two large safety goggles covered her eyes, but the various lenses made her green irises seem even larger.
"Spider-Man, I'm sure you've heard our chief engineering and support designer." Yaoyorozu said, helping Taeko stand up from his sudden, non-deadly but completely scary attack. The pink haired woman got off of Taeko, but stood very close to him.
"The name's Mei Hatsume! A pleasure to meet you Anthropod-Male!" Mei interrupted, taking her own volition to introduce herself. The highly energetic support gear designer grabbed Taeko's hand, and aggressively shook it.
"H-Hi, it's nice to meet you too." Taeko puffed, trying to control his arm from snapping off. He had super strength, but Mei easily overpowered that. The latter continued to pull his arm up and down, bringing Taeko to look over at Yaoyorozu for help.
"Ahem, Mei?" Asked Yaoyorozu, clearing her throat to gather the attention of her friend. "Would be able to step inside your workshop?"
"Of course you can! Just mind the fires!" Mei replied, shouting once again into Taeko's face. Once she let go of yanking his arm, the trio entered Mei's lab, where he was introduced to the pure meaning of chaos. The white walls were painted with ash marks, piles of random junk, and hundreds of inventions sprawled around the floor.
Mei Hatsume was the greatest inventor and support designer in all of Japan. She worked as the top engineering student at U.A, and ever since then her work has spoken for her legacy. The Yaoyorozu agency hired her immediately after launching, viewing her as one of the most essential agents.
Within the chaos of her organization standards, Taeko found himself very interested. He quickly walked up to a humanoid armor, that was barely painted and stood against the wall. "Gold titanium-alloy plates... WAIT! Are these prototype reverberation gauntlets?!" He asked, letting his excitement start to show.
"CORRECT!" Mei replied, appearing next to him out of thin air. Both smiling heroes now admired her work, while rambling about how to improve upon it. "Fully digital Intra-cranial neural networks! That's how we make my babies better!"
"With that, you could outmatch an interal prostheses! I can help with the neural web if ever need help." Taeko looked back at Yaoyorozu, who was trying to stifle a giggle at the two's conversation. A red flare on his face mixed with his mask, now growing embarrassed. "Sorry."
"No no, don't apologize," Yaoyorozu said, shutting down his unneeded apology. "Mei, I believe you have a new suit that you've been working on for Spider-Man?"
Taeko quickly glanced between both of the agents, surprised at what he just heard. "A new suit? How'd you even prepare that?" He asked, curious as to how they would have made something for him in a small amount of time.
"Yamomo asked me to start designing you a new suit a few weeks ago when she first considered adding you to this batch!" Mei replied, now holding a tape measurer and inspecting his length and width. "So many muscles!" She yelled, leaning closer to the physic he had underneath the suit.
Taeko took a step back, having never blushed this much in many years. "Ha, um thanks?"
The center of the room contained multiple tables where they held computers and spare parts. Mei ran towards one of them, and crazily dug through each pile. Taeko and Yaoyorozu watched without saying anything, although the former was much more surprised than the agency leader. Mei's wild and energetic nature was a staple of the agency, and everyone got used to it.
"AH THERE YOU ARE!" Mei cheered, grabbing something from within the mound of scraps. Taeko now noticed a bodysuit in her hands, and approached her as she set it down on one of the tables.
The suit was made of red and blue material, but lacked any other forms of details. Small wires are attached onto the wrists and neck, Taeko also noticed the large outline of a spider.
Mei ran back into his view, now holding a small brown notebook. "I've been watching you ever since you came back and I've deduced that your current suit is horrible!" She shouted, nearly tripping over a small toolbox on the ground. Taeko caught her from crashing face first into the table, but she alarmed him by suddenly jumping outbof his hands. "BUT, it can be much better!"
"How so?" Taeko asked, looking back down at the suit. He wasn't skeptical of her claims, but he didn't see much so far. He wanted to be offended by Mei insulting his suit, but he knew it was true.
Mei flipped through the notebook's pages faster than Taeko ever saw someone could. She held her tongue out as her eyes scanned through the writing with inhuman haste. Once he landed on the right page, she tossed the book towards Taeko.
"Hmm...weft carbon fiber weave...silk graphite..." Read Taeko, carefully skimming each paragraph. Hundreds of tiny notes were all written down on one page, accompanied by a few drawings. Taeko's amazement was now peaking as he kept reading, and realized this was exactly what he needed. "A twill pattern would help add to my wind resistance!"
"And check this out!" Mei beamed, grabbing the book and flipping to the next page. A large white spider logo was drawn on the center of the chest of a figure. "A few discussions from Dr. Sayo, and I learned that higher contrast leads to less visual processing at ERPS <20ms!"
Once again Taeko and Mei broke out into a wild conversation about his new suit. The two inventors quickly got to work, and Yaoyorozu left to give them privacy. For the new few hours both worked in a careful and frenzy environment. It took Taeko a few minutes to find his way around the lab, nearly blowing himself up with a flame thrower that looked like a toaster.
He kept his suit on as they worked, and occasionally removed his gloves to try on new materials. No one else stepped into the lab, but many stopped to watch them outside of the safety glass. Taeko had never really encountered anyone who shared a skill of cybernetic and chemistry before.
"Hey Hatsume? Is that red dot supposed to be glowing?" Taeko asked, squinting through his mask to look at the glaring red light. Mei calmly walked over to him, and looked at where his concerns were pushed towards.
"Hmm, no. We might not want to stand right here in ten seconds."
------------
Three Hours Later
Taeko stood on top of the agency building, holding onto the flagpole with one hand. As the sun slowly started to set he got a better view of the golden rays that shined with fading brilliance. A smile was plastered on his face, and the suit he wore hugged nicely against his body. It was similar to the ones he wore before, only this one was stronger durability and flexibility.
"I'm ready to test it out, Hatsume." Taeko spoke, pressing against his earpiece that was connected to his helmet.
"You got it webhead, how does the new mask work?" She asked, before small system activated inside of Taeko's covering. The young man eyes widened, now staring at the multiple screens. Various monitors displayed suit calibrations and details on his surroundings.
"There's a computer in my mask!" Taeko yelled, shaking his hands behind the blue light of the lenses.
"Nope! What I added was even better. A full cranium interface web, get it! Your biometric scan is waaayyy better, and instead of using that outdated police radio, any alert you want will come directly to you!" Mei explained, prompting Taeko to now read a full police report of nearby suspicious activities. "I installed some multiprocessors to help you look for a villains weak spot."
"This is almost too much' Taeko replied, feeling slightly overwhelmed, but gracious nonetheless. He then glanced over at his wrists, noticing both had a small red box on them. "Hey, Hatsume what are these?" Asked Taeko, tapping one of them with his fingers.
"Those are webshooters!"
"But I already make my own web, and no, it's not defecating on buildings." Taeko replied, remembering Liliste's harsh criticism. His webs were just silk, nothing disgusting, right?
"Oh, my dear Spider-Man these can help you improve that Quirk. I've modified over 576 webshooter combinations!" Hatsume said, now pulling up a visual image of the thousands of web abilities he could utilize. "Here try this one! Try shooting some webs!"
Taeko heard a small whir in the boxes on his wrists, and he followed her orders. He tried shooting a few webs in his right arm, but were blocked inside the box. A small button that said 'release' appeared in his mask, which he followed again. A large ball of webs burst out of the boxes, neatly wrapped together to form a net.
"What was that?" Taeko asked, catching the burst of silk before it fell onto the street below. He placed the net against the building, knowing it'd dissipate in a few hours.
"That's combination #56, Web-Grenade!" Yelled Mei, before cackling into his earpiece. Taeko smiled as he deactivated his webshooters, just wanting to stick with the basic Quirk for the moment.
Taeko jumped off the roof and kicked himself towards other buildings. He leaped towards the a small condo structure, rolling onto the small roof. With a sudden jump and crossed the gap between buildings easily. The new suit fell much sturdier than he latest one.
"Lookin' good Spidey!" One citizen shouted, watching as Taeko swung past a group of people at the park. The latter gave a quick wave to him, before flipping past an incoming truck.
The hero spun near a large slanted railing, and slid down on the new boots. Each boot was covered either a white alloy traction, which made crawling and running more effortless. Taeko pitched a strong strand of silk onto a large chimney, and pulled himself above the city. He could once again look upon and smile at Mustafa, now feeling prepared for his old job.
"New suit, same old me!" Taeko bellowed, dangling above the city with one hand. He looked at himself through the large set of one-sided windows in the building. There was the admiration of pride in his eyes, and he couldn't ignore how fetching his suit looked.
"Sooooo...how does it feel?" Mei asked, after giving him a few moments to test it out for himself.
"Spectacular."
-------------
Mustafa
Inside of Jikshour's home, which served as the Villain Federation hideout, the growing mass of wretches began to increase. Nightscorch (aka Jikshour!) sat upon his makeshift throne. In the corner next to him stood Dabi and Overhaul, who he deemed his most important allies. The group had recently returned from a short battle with the heroes.
[Read Aviacc98 MHA: Nightfall- Explosive Strategy!]
The rest of the growing army lined up in order of importance, and waited patiently for their next orders. Most were marginally bruised from the brawl, but none carried wounds too deep to quit. Aeon and a few heroes from the Yaoyorozu agency were fighting them, while Taeko was retrieving his new suit.
"As you all know, we have to be prepared for a fight from the heroes, which could lead to casualties on both sides. I do not personally fear death, but if you do, I can't say that I care. You all signed up for this willingly, and I am pleased that everyone is still here," Spoke Nightscorch.
The gash in his lip opened a bit as he smiled, exposing his Orbicularis Oris muscle to the air. The coming finale of their plans was soon to arrive, only exciting the supposed leader further.
Nucleus stepped away from Kurogiri and Stain, confused about why Nightscorch was telling everyone this. "We're invading U.A three days from now, why are you telling us this stuff?"
Nucleus was a fairly new member of the Federation, being hired for his explosive Quirk. He had a large cigar in his mouth, and a black pair of overalls that loosely hung on his shoulders. He had a long, black stem attached to his head, which resembled a bomb wire.
"Ah, maybe I didn't inform everyone about our true plan. My father and I used that fake scheme to trick the heroes, we're not targeting U.A. There is nothing at U.A worth destroying, but that's not the case with the central plaza. It's right in the middle of the city and thousands of people live in that area. That means the heroes will have to evacuate more people, and leaves more time for Nucleus to...uh...explode."
The rest of the room began to realize the rouse they all fell for. Most of the villains eerily smiled at the true plan, finding more enjoyment in that rather than an old hero school. There were a few quiet thoughts of hesitation, but they all chose to trust in their leader.
"But that still doesn't explain why we're going in three days," Added Shinso, still a bit confused about the whole situation.
"That's just it. We're going tomorrow."
Inside the room next to the cheering group of villains, sat Benjamin Phoenix. Maelstrom himself. The sinister villain was recently revived from the dead with the aid of Xev Shexor, a man with a necromancy Quirk.
Within his private room, the decayed man grinned at the chants of his son's followers. He didn't concern himself with Jikshour's plans, placing confidence that he could figure everything out with his own space. The faded navy blue suit he wore contained endless wrinkles, sported by a black tie and black pants.
His brown hair had grey patches and was horribly unkempt. Maelstrom's yellow eyes were still as bright as the day he died.
[The death of Maelstrom- in Aviacc98 MHA: Assimilation!]
The dark quarters of his room didn't affect him, still being able to see perfectly. He took a quick sip of his Soju, but the taste was non-existent in his current new revitalized form. Despite the few days that had passed since reopening his eyes to the new world, Ben's body was still repairing itself.
"Quite a commotion outside, I'm always delighted to see my son enjoying his time." Maelstrom spoke, staring at an individual across the room. The person inside his room didn't respond and the only sign of their presence came from heavy, rough breathing.
The darkness concealed the person but from the small illumination of his lamp, small slime-like tentacles could be seen on the floor. Maelstrom tossed his cup into the silver trashcan behind him, using his telekinesis to move it. The thud of the cup falling nearly alerted the figure, but Maelstrom calmed them with a wave.
"I apologize for dragging you here with force, but you acted like a wounded animal. But I do assure you that what I have to offer is worth your time."
Maelstrom opened a small compartment in his desk, and pulled out a folder. He placed it on the desk, revealing two pictures, one of Aeon and one of Taeko. The figure quietly gasped when they noticed the image of Taeko. They could barely remember where they'd seen it before, but they felt pure hatred looking at him.
"Tomorrow these two will be present at the plaza, undoubtedly separated from each other. You might have a clue as to what you're feeling when looking at this hero. Started Maelstrom, waving the image of Taeko in front of the mysterious guest. "That is vengeance clawing at your mind, etching away at the corners of your emotions. This "hero" stole the lives of your mother and father, Etsuko and Daiki Kon."
A small shriek came out of the figure's mouth, as they revealed sharp teeth and a long red tongue. The oozing goo from their hands attached to the picture, yanking it away from Maelstrom's grip. Their white eyes stared deep into the spider mask that Taeko wore, growing anguish at every thought.
"If you want your revenge on that murderer, then I implore you to join us." Maelstrom continued, grinning as the figure slowly approached the desk closer. They were much taller than the 5'7 villain, as the black symbiote only fascinated him. "Akemi Kon, I promise that Spider-Man will feel the sting of your venom."
"Yessssss.... he will...."
[Next Chapter: Call of Corruption P.2]