Just as the Apostles were working on their infallible, nonlethal plan, and just as Shie Hassaikai Yakuza members were preparing for the arrival of the Compound Monocle's shipment, a head appeared on the far side of the dock.
The head slowly lifted out of the floor as if it had no substance.
It had blond hair and bright blue eyes.
This head belonged to none other than the Sidekick of Sir Nighteye and a Pro Hero of the Nighteye Agency — Comedy Hero: Lemillion, Mirio Togata!
Slowly, noticing no activity around him and guessing that the Villains must be behind the well-placed row of large containers acting as barricades in the distance, Lemillion fully canceled his Permeation Quirk's effect.
Softly, he landed on his feet and sat down, the red cape of his Hero Costume moving with the light wind.
Then, Lemillion lifted his right hand and gave a thumbs up.
The wind picked up, making his cape flutter a touch more strongly.
A suffused golden glow briefly brightened the surroundings before vanishing altogether.
The moment the golden glow vanished, another pair of feet, even more softly than his own, landed next to him.
Lemillion looked to his left and saw the figure that had arrived at his signal.
The figure belonged to a girl with extremely long, curly blue hair. Her Hero Costume was a dark royal blue skin-tight bodysuit with a high collar. Over her yellow-gloved hands and around her wrists, she had two heavy wrist guards, with her ankles donning a thinner, lighter version of the same.
She was the Sidekick of Dragoon Hero: Ryuku and a Pro Hero of the Ryuku Agency — Wonder Hero: Nejire Chan, Nejire Hado!
The moment their eyes met, they heard a splashing sound from the seaside.
A massive tentacle, as thick as a full-grown man, slithered up the dock's cliff and grabbed the railing, pulling itself up.
However, what appeared from the dark waters wasn't a monster at all.
It was a dark, human-like figure, with a tentacle serving as its left arm.
The moment this figure crossed the railing, its bare, wet feet landing on the ground, the tentacle arm transformed, becoming human again.
Then, softly, much more softly than either Mirio or Nejire, the figure approached the two, becoming barely discernible.
It was a man, wearing a black bodysuit, over which he wore a purple carrier vest.
He also had a white tunic as pants, a white cape, and a white hood covering his face.
The man grabbed the edges of his hood and threw it back, revealing his face and the transparent, purple-lens mask covering his eyes.
He was the Sidekick of BMI Hero: Fat Gum and a Pro Hero of the Fat Gum Agency — Omnivore Hero: Suneater, Tamaki Amajiki!
And together, the trio of Mirio, Nejire, and Tamaki were UA's Big 3!
Well… they were the Big 3 right until they had graduated UA this year, joining their individual Hero Agencies.
Today, circumstances had led the formidable trio of UA High School to work together once again, for the first time since graduating.
Suddenly, Nejire threw her hand over her mouth and made a gagging sound as if she would vomit in the next moment.
"I… $#$#$"
"You can speak, Hado," Mirio said, smiling wryly.
"Blehhhhhhhh…" Nejire made an exaggerated vomiting noise, letting out all the held-up air from her lungs. "Oh… my… god! I thought I was going to die if I hadn't said something very soon! How do you two do that? Believe me, if there's a rule at Ryuku Agency, then it is no-no-speaking. Got it? And Mirio-o… what's up with you contacting us through the Hero Network? Couldn't you just drop a text? Also, Tamaki-kun… Nice to meet you. Hehe…"
Silence.
Together, Mirio and Tamaki smiled, nostalgia overwhelming the two of them.
"It was because of Sir Nighteye," Lemillion said, smiling broadly, feeling like a student again. "He insists on following all the proper channels."
"That's reasonable." Tamaki flatly nodded in agreement.
Nejire looked between the two boys and let out a sigh. "Seriously…" she said, rolling her eyes. "… I told you not to keep up that kittenish, quiet attitude after becoming a Pro Hero, Tamaki-kun. People are going to take advantage of you!"
Suneater dropped his head with a blush.
Then, taking a deep breath, he looked at Mirio.
"Alright, listen…" Lemillion said, feeling both Tamaki and Nejire's eyes on him.
Then, he told them about Shie Hassaikai, the two drugs the organization already had, and about the shipment they were going to receive, adding another drug to their arsenal, effectively becoming lords of the underworld.
When Mirio was done, Tamaki's brows pressed together.
Nejire gasped. "Trigger, Erasure, and now this Compound Monocle…" she repeated, shocked. "Tell me again why we aren't gathering all the Pros and storming Shie Hassaikai's Headquarters already?"
"Because…" Tamaki said, ruminating, "… we lack proof?"
Mirio nodded. "We have no proof that it is indeed the Shie Hassaikai behind Trigger and Erasure," he admitted. "We were close when things went quiet on their side. Then, Sir Nighteye got this call.
"With only a day or two of lead, we couldn't even put Snappy's Quirk to use to know the exact location of this shipment, leaving us no choice but to split up. So, seeing the first signs of activity here, I contacted Sir Nighteye and got his permission to ask you two for backup as you were close."
"So you are prioritizing stealth," Nejire analyzed, narrowing her eyes.
Mirio and Tamaki smiled.
That was the biggest boon of having Nejire in the group.
She only seemed like an airhead sometimes, but, between the three of them, she was the smartest.
Mirio nodded. "We must keep the matter of these drugs a secret," he told them. "Our mission is simple — Confiscate the shipment and arrest at least one member of the Shie Hassaikai."
"To get a warrant?" Nejire asked, pointing toward the second part of the mission.
Mirio nodded.
Then, taking a step back, he looked at the two Pros and smiled.
"Let's show them that even after we have graduated…" Lemillion said, his smile getting broader, "… we are still the Big 3! Hahaha!"