"Firstly, the letter. We received this yesterday morning in the early hours of the day. CCTV showed a shady individual post it, and we didn't get a clear picture of their face, but it was signed by... Well we'll get to that. It reads as follows: Bone Collector's quirk enhancement drug lasts exactly ten minutes, signed Kirakiri." That name again... It sent shivers down my spine. Miruko asked, "Why would we even begin to think about what a villain says? He's probably lying, or trying to trap up somehow."
Sansa continued, "It could be, but the fact that we don't know its authenticity is a problem. Kaiyo and the Underdogs do indeed have quirk enhancement drugs, they were stolen after the Overhaul raid where they intercepted the League of Villains, and they have used several to this date. The UA kids can attest to that." He nodded towards us before continuing, "It corroborates the notion that the Underdogs have several, given their fight with Gigantomachia recently also, where rumours began circulating that Kaiyo herself did indeed use one of the drugs.
Considering this is signed by Kirakiri, who is a vigilante that claims to detest villainy, it isn't far fetched to assume that it is the truth. However, it could also have been forged to make us believe it was by Kirakiri, therefore it may not be wise to heed its words. I mentioned it because it's something to keep in mind just in case the worst happens."
The lights went off, and a projector was turned on, the wall being lit up with a slide. There were three pictures on the wall: A warehouse, a white palace, and a shopping mall. Tamakawa spoke, saying, "These are the three locations of the Underdogs bases. There is a warehouse at the far end of the city, a large white structure at the other end of the city near Mount Aino, and the Kiyashi Ward shopping mall."
The tabby officer then went on to show pictures of various members of the Underdogs, all of whom I had met personally... Some of them twice. One of them even three times. "The three bases are guarded at all times. Tendon Spring and Spike guard the Kiyashi Ward shopping mall, Blizzard, Midas, and Power Fist guard the warehouse at the end of the city, and their palace is defended by Ribbon Dancer and the Bone Collector.
We ran background checks on all of the Underdogs, but nothing too substantial showed up. Seems to be your run of the mill average nobodies who couldn't take the pressures of society, so turned to villainy. Their quirks are as follows: Iwamoto Michio, also know as Spike, appears to have an enhancer type quirk, as he is unnaturally strong. We're unsure if there's more to his quirk than what we've seen, it appears to be a rudimentary form of super strength basically.
Juba Akihiko, also known as Tendon Spring, has a mutant type quirk, while although he looks like a regular human, his entire body, or at least his skin, is made of an extremely elastic substance reminiscent of rubber. Despite the hits he has taken in battle, no physical attacks seem to be able to harm him whatsoever, so we will need an emitter quirk holder to take him out, and since he is paired with Spike, there will be numerous emitters in the party going against those two.
Kuramoto Takahiro, also know as Midas, has an emitter type quirk, allowing him to transmutate anything he touches with the underside of his hands into iron pyrite, also know as Fool's Gold. He was originally one of the weakest members of the Underdogs, but after a recent quirk awakening, it appears he can transform the very air he touches, meaning he can create weapons and armour out of thin air, making him an excellent support for his teammates.
Hayashida Torvald, also known as Power Fist, may have an enhancer type quirk as well, though it could be argued he has an emitter type, as his quirk allows him to super charge a melee attack, generally in the form of a punch. He is immobile during his charge up period, rendering him virtually defenceless, but if he is allowed to charge up his attack, the results can be devastating. At around sixty seconds of charging, he is able to topple entire buildings with ease, so his group will likely defend him while he charges, be wary.
Yokoyama Yuki, also know as Blizzard, has an emitter type quirk which allows him to produce ice with his breath. He has trained his lungs to allow him to exhale for around thirty seconds per breath. His attacks cover a very wide range, and depending on how quickly he exhales, can cause the ice to be thicker. We don't have any other information on the types of attacks he can use unfortunately, though it is apparent he is the main attacker in his group.
Bryan Fang, also known as Ribbon Dancer, has a mutant type quirk which allows him to peel back thin strands of his skin which solidify and act as extremely tough cheese wire. He then turns himself into a spinning top, as he used to perform ballet, meaning he is virtually untouchable unless an emitter attacks him. Get too close and you will be sliced to pieces, do not engage him unless you can attack from a range.
Kaiyo Ashikaga, also known as Bone Collector, has an emitter type quirk which allows her to manipulate the bones in her body freely. She can cause them to make any shape she desires, and if she can come into contact with the bones of others, absorb them. She can condense the mass to make them several times stronger, but if they break off from her main body, they are no longer usable. Kaiyo is ruthless and extremely dangerous, but she is also very clever, so keep your wits about you and don't take your eyes off her.
So, are there any questions so far, or is it alright to move on to the party formations?"
Endeavour spoke up to ask the question most of us were likely thinking. "How exactly do you have all this information? Don't the Underdogs kill anyone who gets too close?"
"Edgeshot kept an eye on them, and as a ninja as well as the fact he has the Foldabody quirk, he was able to easily sneak around and gather the intel we needed. Our background checks did the rest. Anything else?" Tamakawa offered a chance to the others to ask questions. And one person did...
Hawks raised his hand and, with his annoyingly arrogant smug smirk ever plastered on his face, pointed towards me and asked, "Will this little fella be with me? I'm pretty psyched to see whether he'll live up to his name or whether he's still chicken." He stared right at me, seeming rather calm. I couldn't figure this guy out, it seemed as if he was staring into my soul, trying to pull something out of me that would discredit my authenticity as a hero.
Tamakawa shook his head, "No, you will be in the party against the warehouse in order to stop Blizzard, Midas and Power Fist as quickly as possible, we can't allow them to charge up. Alakan will be in the party against the palace. You will not be with each other at any point during this fight. I would also appreciate it if you took something seriously for once, number two hero, you are the leader in your group and I expect you to protect these children if it comes to it."
He closed his eyes and sort of... Batted the words away. "Come on, what kind of person do you take me for? Those who are weaker than me always take priority." Was that meant to make everyone feel better? Whatever, the guy wasn't in my group... But if he was, would I have been considered a liability? Great, he was in my head now, I wasn't going to be able to shake him out any time soon probably.
Tamakawa sighed, "Is there anything else?" He waited a few moments, before Aizawa raised his hand and began speaking, "There aren't many of us here, and you've already invited several of the students from UA here, why not invite the rest of the students that are available?" To which Sansa replied, "Because it's simply too dangerous. The students that are in this room have both offensive and defensive capabilities, so although they're still children, we won't have to spend too much manpower looking out for them."
I decided to speak up and said, "I had the same concerns just recently, actually... But the person I said it to made an excellent point. Everyone in the UA hero course has had the same training, there is nothing we know that they don't, and vice versa. Yes the Underdogs are an extreme threat, but that's all the more reason for us to get as many hands on deck as possible. I don't doubt anyone here's strength, but I also don't doubt the enemy's strength. Mr Aizawa and I know those students, and we both know that they can handle themselves out there."
Izuku chimed in to add, "I completely agree! Just because they might not be able to fly, or run super fast, it doesn't mean they're useless! Momo Yaoyarozu is an incredible strategist, better than anyone here, if you included her, our fight would be far easier! And Ochaco Uraraka can make anyone or anything float, so if Spike is such a big threat on the ground, putting him in the air would completely neutralise the threat!"
Iida continued, "It looks bad from an outside view to have us young ones in such precarious conditions under the supervision of adults who should be protecting us, but it is our duty to do what we can with the abilities we have been gifted and the talent we have honed, we've all put our hearts and souls into becoming heroes, so please, allow them to be the heroes we know they can be!"
Even Bakugou spoke up, "Those morons get on my nerves all damn day, I can't stand half of 'em, but I know they sure as hell can fight. And the more people that are here, the better I'll look when I beat all those stupid villains before anyone else gets the chance!"
Sansa scratched his head at that final comment, but sighed and shrugged his shoulders, "I guess we could do with as much manpower as we can get, but are you sure about this, Shota?" The feline asked, looking over at our beloved teacher, who simply smirked. "I've never been surer of anything in my life." Present Mic was shocked to see his friend's transformation into an absolute unit of a father figure, but couldn't help smiling and adding, "I trust Eraserhead's judgement above all else."
And then Hawks spoke up as well, saying, "I can't wait to see what the next generation can do! Whaddya say, chief, why don't we give them the chance to prove themselves?" After a few moments of thinking the police chief simply said, "Ok, call them, and we will reconvene in half an hour. Everyone, get a drink, something to eat maybe, or put your minds to use to think about how we can go about this. Having some of those kids could be a game changer that I wasn't willing to risk using, but if they're as capable as you all say, I think we have a real good chance of doing this with no casualties."
At that, the group immediately dispersed, several of the heroes began talking to each other, such as Ryukyu and the two remaining Lurkers, others simply lounged around such as Miruko and Hawks, with Endeavour lounging... Upright. He's just standing there, menacingly. Although, maybe not so menacingly, I couldn't quite tell what it was, but it seemed like there was a slight softness beginning to appear behind this burning blue eyes. Mellowing out in his old age perhaps? Or perhaps Todoroki was trying to do better than I did and allow his old man another chance...
Mr Aizawa was immediately on the phone, messaging and calling whatever students he could, and of course, everyone accepted. Shortly thereafter, they all started filing in one by one, and by the end of things, everyone in the mansion was with us. In total, there was Iida, Deku, Bakugou, Kendo, Kodai, Shishida, Pony, Tokage, Monoma, Tsu, Uraraka, Aoyama, Jirou, Sero, Todoroki, Hagakure, Mineta, Momo, Endeavour, Hawks, Miruko, Ryukyu, Present Mic, Edgeshot, Kamui Wood, Shinsou, Misaki, Mr Aizawa, and of course, me. Twenty nine of us in total, not including the police force under Sansa's command.
The room we were all in was getting a little crowded at this rate, with Kamui Woods asking the question, "Wouldn't Rock Lock simply put an end to Kaiyo's abilities immediately?" Before Ryukyu, who knew the guy better than most of us here, said, "Maybe earlier when she wasn't as powerful, but considering she has an entire building of bone, Rock Lock's range wouldn't be enough to stop her simply taking another section of the building to use against us instead, and she would likely target him immediately. Unfortunately, not only would he not be of much use in this fight unless he managed to lock close to Kaiyo, he would probably die if he tried."
"What about Best Jeanist?" Miruko asked, to which Edgeshot answered, "No one has heard from him for a while, it seems he requires more recuperation after his injuries in Kamino Ward." Of course, this was before his return during the war against Shigaraki, the groomed adolescent of All For One currently in a stasis chamber being upgraded. "Now that you mention it, I ain't seen him anywhere recently! Oh well, more villain ass for me to kick!"
Clearing his throat, the tabby officer walked back to the projector screen and dimmed the lights, causing the hubbub to calm down before switching the projector on again and showing the locations. "Before we continue, I would like to thank you personally and on behalf of all of us in Japan for you coming here, young ones. I will give you one more opportunity to go home before locking you in with this operation, this will be the most dangerous thing you have ever done, and you could die.
Obviously we will do our best to protect you if it looks like you're in danger, but I can't promise you that you will walk out of this unscathed. There is never, ever, any shame in walking out of something to maintain your own health. It won't lessen our views of you, and it won't stop you from being a hero. I will give you all a few moments to think." After ten seconds of silence, and resolved looks on our faces, Sansa continued. It almost seemed as if it were for his sake that he gave them the offer to walk, as opposed to ours.
"There are thirty of us here, and Eraserhead has specified that the Shinsou family are to remain with him in his team. We will divide everyone into three teams, with Eraserhead's containing two extra as his group is against Kaiyo in the Underdogs HQ. Endeavour's team is going to be against the shopping mall duo of Spike and Tendon Spring. Hawks' team will be against the warehouse trio of Power Fist, Midas, and Blizzard."
Endeavour then asked, "Wouldn't it be better if Shoto and I were to be against Blizzard, the ice breather? We would melt his ice instantly and take out the other two before anything even had a chance to happen." That seemed like reasonable logic, right? "Technically, yes, but there are only seven of us here that will be able to deal with Tendon Spring, that includes you and your son, Bakugou who is needed on Eraserhead's team and has the Explosion quirk, Kodai, who has the Size quirk, Uraraka, who has the Zero Gravity quirk, Aoyama, who has the Navel Laser quirk, Jirou, who has the Sound Wave quirk, and Present Mic, who has the Voice quirk.
It would be overkill to send both you and Shoto to deal with Blizzard while there could be complications if the others were to deal with Spike and Tendon Spring. And no, you can't simply finish a fight quickly and make your way to the next location, there is too much distance between them, the fight would already be over by the time you reached their location. It's better to be safe than to be sorry. If hero work were still legalised, we would have a lot more leniency on the matter, but considering there's only us few here, we have to make do with who we have."
Endeavour closed his eyes for a moment and nodded, "We will follow your lead, chief. Please, continue." At that, the teams were divvied up as follows.
Team Endeavour will consist of: Shoto, Iida, Can't Stop Twinkling (He groaned), Rocketti, Lizardy, Battle Fist, Froppy, and Invisible Girl
Team Hawks will consist of: Present Mic, Gevaudan, Uravity, Creati, Chargebolt, Cellophane, Rule, Edgeshot, and Kamui Woods
Team Eraserhead will consist of: Deku, Bakugou, Alakan, Phantom Thief, Ryukyu, Grape Juice, Earphone Jack, Miruko, Shinsou, and Misaki
This will pitch Team Endeavour against Tendon Spring and Spike, allowing for quick defusal of both targets. Team Hawks will be against Power Fist, Midas, and Blizzard, with enough versatility to dodge Blizzard's attacks before taking him down. And finally Team Aizawa will be fighting against Ribbon Dancer and Kaiyo, with enough powerhouses in the group to withstand and deflect the Bone Collector's attacks before erasing their quirks and apprehending them."
"And you're not concerned with Endeavour being the only pro in his team?" Miruko asked, before Sansa shook his head. "Eraserhead trusts these kids, so do I. Let them prove themselves. Just look how determined they are, they have as much resolve as the rest of us here. I believe in them."
"So it's really about to happen, huh? I'm not scared, we're gonna totally win!" Kaminari said with a concerned look on his face. "That's the spirit, kid! I bet I won't even have to do anything in this battle, you guys are gonna end it before I even get there, right?" Hawks teased Kaminari somewhat. Though was it teasing, or encouragement? I couldn't actually tell. But this really was happening, our fight against the Underdogs would likely change the tides of the societal battle in our favour.
We were going to take back what we lost.
[A/N: I'm still trying, don't think for a second that I gave up on this story! I'm going to finish it, and I am going to work on Saving the Underworld! Just you see!]