Location: Oita Prefecture – Kuju Mountains
THWACK.
"I swear this mat is rigged," Makoto said, leaning on the metal putter.
Kaito sat in a canvas camping chair a few feet away, holding a cold soda. "The mat is flat, Makoto. You just swing like you have two left arms."
"The ground underneath it isn't flat," she argued. She pointed at the grass under the green felt. "There's a rock right there. It messed up my angle."
CLACK.
"That was the sound of you missing the hole by two feet," Kaito smiled. "Just admit it. You suck at golf."
Makoto groaned and picked up the plastic golf ball.
She dropped it back on the starting line and adjusted her stance, biting her lip in concentration.
Saki walked over from the foldable camping table. She wiped her hands on a small towel.
"You're holding the grip too tight," Saki said.
Makoto looked up. "Grandma, I watched three tutorial videos on the drive up here. I know what I'm doing."
Saki held out her hand. "Give me that."
Makoto sighed and handed over the putter.
Saki didn't even widen her stance or measure the distance.
She just held the club with one hand, looked at the hole, and tapped the ball.
PLOP.
The ball dropped right into the plastic cup.
Cough.
Kaito choked on his soda, laughing out loud.
"Grandma you know how to play golf?"
Saki handed the putter back to a stunned Makoto. "Food is ready. Wash your hands. Both of you. Yes, golfing is your Grandpa's hobby in the past."
"How come I didn't see any pictures of you then?"
"What do you mean? It's on the family album in my room."
Thump.
"I quit," Makoto muttered. She threw the putter on the grass.
They moved to the table under the RV's large side awning.
Saki had a smokeless camping grill running.
She piled hot meat skewers and sweet green tea dango onto a large ceramic plate in the middle of the table.
Kaito grabbed a skewer right away. "This is really good."
"Don't talk with your mouth full," Grandma Saki told him.
She sat down in the third chair. "Deal the cards."
Kaito wiped his hand with a napkin and grabbed the deck of Uno cards. He dealt seven to each of them.
Makoto chewed on a piece of dango. "I'm going to destroy you this time."
"Sure you are," Kaito said. He dropped a red five on the table.
They played fast, eating while they threw down cards.
Makoto actually had a good streak going. She was down to one card.
"Uno," Makoto grinned. She looked right at Kaito. "Read it and weep."
Kaito didn't even blink. He dropped a Draw Four Wild card on the pile.
"Blue. Pick up four, Makoto."
Makoto's jaw dropped. "You saved that on purpose."
"Obviously."
"You're so annoying."
"Pick them up," Kaito pointed at the deck.
Makoto grabbed her four cards, glaring at him.
Saki quietly placed her last card on the pile. It was a blue skip card.
"I win," Grandma Saki said, taking another bite of her dango.
Kaito and Makoto just stared at her.
"How do you keep doing that? You're so competitive rigjt now Grandma." Kaito asked.
"Because you two are always too busy fighting to pay attention to the table," Saki laughed. "And besides isn't this because of you?"
"What does Grandma mean Kaito?" Makoto leaned back in her chair and stretched her arms over her head.
"Haha. Nothing."
Grandma Saki grabbed the black thermos Kaito had bought for her and unscrewed the lid.
HISS.
Steam floated up into the air. Makoto took a careful sip and smiled.
"Still burning hot," she said. "This thermos is crazy. The wind out here is cold, but the coffee is perfect."
"Told you," Kaito said. He opened another soda.
Makoto looked around at the tall pine trees and the empty mountain ridge.
The Overland Mammoth was parked on a flat clearing, miles away from the main roads.
"I really needed this," Makoto said softly. She took another sip of coffee. "My phone hasn't rung once."
"No HPSC paperwork?" Kaito asked.
"None. No paperwork. No boss yelling about public relations. And best of all, no Koichi complaining about his patrol routes."
Kaito laughed. "He's still doing that?"
"Every single day," Makoto rolled her eyes. "He wants an action zone. It's driving him crazy."
Saki smiled, watching the two of them talk. "It is nice to see you both just sit down and breathe. You work too hard."
Kaito leaned back, resting his feet on the edge of the blue cooler.
"That's the whole point of this trip," Kaito said. "Just eat, sleep, and do absolutely nothing."
*-*-*-*
Location: Town Square – Base of the Mountains
Time: 02:45 PM
CHATTER.
The afternoon sun hit the wooden food stalls.
The mountain wind kept the square cool. Locals and a few hikers walked across the cobblestones.
Old Man Tatsuzo wiped his hands on his white apron. He leaned over the counter of his stall and handed two paper plates of hot taiyaki to Yui.
"Four years old," Tatsuzo shook his head, looking past Yui. "I still remember when you two rented my inn's best room. You were hiding that baby bump under a massive winter coat."
Yui laughed and took the plates. "Don't remind me. Daiki almost crashed the rental car on the way up the mountain."
Daiki stood next to her. He crossed his arms and frowned. "There was a deer in the middle of the road. I had to swerve."
Mrs. Yonemoto ran the toy stand right next to Tatsuzo's grill.
She leaned over her plastic displays and smirked at Daiki.
"Sure, sure," Mrs. Yonemoto teased. "The tough Pro Heroes. You guys fight villains in the city every day. One little mountain deer almost takes you out."
Daiki rubbed the back of his neck. "Mountain deer are crazy, Mrs. Yonemoto. You know that."
Tatsuzo chuckled. He pointed a pair of metal tongs at Daiki. "You two better relax this weekend. Leave the hero work in the city. Nobody cares about Water Hose up here. To us, you're just the kids who eat too much of my grilled fish."
"That's exactly why we keep coming back," Yui smiled.
Daiki turned his attention to Mrs. Yonemoto's stall.
He picked up a plastic All Might action figure. He showed it to the older woman.
"How much for this?" Daiki asked quietly.
"For the birthday boy?" Mrs. Yonemoto smiled. "Five hundred yen. Put it in your pocket before he sees you."
Daiki handed her the coins. He slipped the small paper bag into his jacket.
THUMP.
THUMP.
Small shoes hit the cobblestones. Kota ran up to them.
He wore a bright red cap with two tiny white horns sticking out of the front. He grabbed Daiki's pant leg and looked up.
"What did you buy?" Kota asked. He tried to reach for Daiki's jacket pockets.
"Nothing," Daiki lied. He stepped back and held his hands up. "Just talking to Mrs. Yonemoto."
Kota narrowed his eyes. He didn't believe it.
Yui knelt down.
She held out a warm, fish-shaped cake. "Eat this first. We go back to Tatsuzo's inn for your cake later. Then you get your presents."
Kota looked at the pastry. He grabbed it with both hands and took a huge bite. Sweet red bean paste got on his cheek.
"Slow down," Yui wiped his face with her thumb.
They walked away from the stalls and found an empty wooden bench under a large pine tree.
Kota sat right in the middle. He kicked his short legs back and forth while he chewed.
Yui sat on his left. She leaned her head back against the wood and closed her eyes.
"Tatsuzo is right," Yui said. "It feels good to just be Yui and Daiki today."
Daiki sat on Kota's right. He stretched his arms over the back of the bench. He looked around the quiet, shaded plaza.
"No tight costumes," Daiki said. "No press conferences. Just regular clothes and bad mountain drivers."
Yui bumped her shoulder against his. "You were the bad driver."
Daiki laughed. He looked down at Kota. His son was totally focused on finishing his snack, ignoring everything else around him.
"This is why we do it," Daiki said softly. He pointed at Kota. "We deal with the crazy stuff down in the city so he gets to have quiet afternoons up here."
Yui opened her eyes and looked at Kota. She smiled. "Yeah. It's worth it."
*-*-*-*
Location: Outskirts of Town – Mountain Overlook
HISS.
Gray smoke poured out from the hood of the stolen sedan. The engine was completely dead.
Inside the car, Goto Imasuji pushed against the driver's side door. The metal frame was bent. The handle was jammed.
Goto grabbed the armrest. He shoved his heavy boot against the door frame and pushed.
CRASH.
The entire door snapped off its hinges and flew into the dirt.
Step. Step.
Goto stepped out onto the gravel.
He wore a dirty white tank top and ripped cargo pants.
Scratch. Scratch .
He scratched the side of his neck, digging his fingernails into his scarred skin. He breathed in the cool mountain air. He hated it.
HUUF-PUFF.
"Hey! You alright over there?"
Goto stopped scratching.
He turned around.
A young local in a green hiking vest was walking up the dirt road.
He had a walkie-talkie clipped to his belt and a plastic water bottle in his hand.
He looked at the smoking car, then at the ripped-off door on the ground.
"That looks like a bad crash," the hiker said. He stopped a few feet away. "You need me to call someone? There's a local garage down in the valley."
Goto looked down at the town below them. He could see the tiny food stalls.
He could hear the faint music playing from the town square.
"Lots of people down there today," Goto said. His voice was rough.
"Yeah, it's the summer festival," the hiker smiled a little, trying to be friendly. "Mostly families and tourists. Seriously though, man, your car is wrecked. Let me just call the tow truck."
The hiker reached for his walkie-talkie.
Goto stepped forward and grabbed the guy's wrist. He squeezed.
"Ow! Hey, what are you doing?" The hiker tried to pull back. His eyes got wide.
"I hate the city right now," Goto said. He didn't let go. "It's annoying. Endeavor is just burning people alive in the alleys. And that weirdo Hero X? He just makes guys disappear. No blood. No screaming. It's boring."
"Let go of me!" The hiker hit Goto's arm. It was like hitting a brick wall.
"I spent four months sleeping in crappy motels," Goto continued. He grinned.
A huge, ugly smile stretched across his scarred face. "Eating stale rice balls. Hiding. I haven't crushed a skull in four months."
Goto reached over with his free hand and grabbed the walkie-talkie.
CRUNCH.
He squeezed his fist. The hard plastic shattered into tiny pieces. He dropped the broken electronics onto the dirt.
The hiker started shaking. He finally realized who he was talking to. "Please. Just take my wallet."
Goto laughed. It was a loud, crazy sound.
"I don't want your money," Goto said. He dropped the hiker's wrist.
The hiker scrambled backward and fell into the dirt.
He pushed himself up and started running away down the mountain path as fast as he could.
Goto didn't care. He cracked his neck.
POP.
POP.
Dark red muscle fibers tore through the skin on Goto's arms.
The thick muscles expanded and wrapped around his bones.
His chest grew massive. His shoulders doubled in size. The physical pain made his grin even wider.
He looked past the running hiker. He stared straight down at the peaceful town square in the valley.
"Nobody to stop me down there," Goto whispered to himself.
"Hehe... HAHAHAHA!"
He crouched low to the ground. The exposed muscles in his legs pulsed and tightened.
BOOM.
Goto launched himself off the edge of the cliff.
The force of his jump cratered the dirt road and sent the stolen car sliding backward.
He fell through the air, laughing as he hea ded straight for the festival.
*-*-*-*
Location: Town Square – Plaza Center
Daiki wiped the blood from his mouth. He didn't stay down.
He pushed off the broken stone fountain.
He blasted a quick burst of water from his boots and launched himself back into the middle of the street.
Yui was already back on her feet. She flipped backward, putting distance between her and Goto.
She tapped the dials on her metal gauntlets, narrowing the nozzles.
"Don't lose focus!" Daiki yelled.
"I'm on his right!" Yui called back.
FWOOSH.
Yui rode a fast wave of water, sliding smoothly across the pavement.
She circled around Goto's blind spot.
Goto laughed. He swung his massive arm at her head.
WHOOSH.
He missed.
Yui ducked under his fist. She planted her feet and aimed both palms right at his exposed ribs.
"Pressure Slice!" she yelled.
SLASH.
A thin, ultra-compressed blade of water shot from her gauntlet.
It cut straight through the thick red muscle fibers on Goto's side. Blood sprayed onto the cobblestones.
Goto stumbled back a step. He looked down at the deep cut on his ribs.
His crazy smile just got wider.
"Now we're talking," Goto growled. "Come on! Make me bleed more!"
Daiki didn't hesitate. He used the distraction.
He jumped off a broken vendor stall, dropping down right above Goto.
BAM.
Daiki slammed both of his heavy boots into Goto's shoulders.
At the exact same time, he fired his water gauntlets point-blank into Goto's face.
SPLASH.
Goto roared, but he didn't fall. He reached up blindly and grabbed Daiki by the ankle.
"Got you."
CRASH.
Goto slammed Daiki into the dirt.
Daiki grunted hard, losing his breath.
But he was a Pro.
He immediately twisted his body, kicked Goto in the knee, and rolled away before Goto could stomp on his head.
Yui covered him. She fired two continuous, high-pressure streams of water directly at Goto's eyes.
Goto raised his thick arms to block his face.
The water pressure was intense. It actually pushed him back.
His heavy boots dug deep trenches into the dirt road as he slid backward.
"Keep him pinned!" Daiki yelled.
Daiki scrambled to Yui's side. He aimed both his gauntlets forward and added his water pressure to hers.
The combined blast was massive. It tore up the street and slammed into Goto like a freight train.
Crack. Crack.
Goto crossed his arms tighter. More red muscle fibers ripped through his skin.
They wrapped around his forearms like thick, fleshy armor.
He leaned forward, forcing himself to walk into the heavy water stream.
He was taking real damage.
The pressurized water was slicing dozens of small cuts all over his arms and chest. Blood dripped down his cargo pants.
But Goto just kept laughing. The pain was making him excited.
"Hahaha! Is that all?!" Goto yelled over the roaring water. "Push harder! You're Pros, aren't you?!"
Huff-puff.
Daiki breathed heavily. His arms were shaking from the intense kickback of the gauntlets.
They were hitting Goto with everything they had.
They were working perfectly together. They had him stuck in one spot, away from the running civilians.
But Daiki felt a cold sweat on his neck. Goto wasn't even trying to dodge. He was just taking their best attacks and treating it like a fun game.
They were locked in a pure power struggle, and Daiki knew their stamina wouldn't last forever.
But.
KACHA. KRING.
[Hello? Can you hear me? I'm Kaito.]
*-*-*-*
Overland Mammoth
Time: Two Minutes Ago
BEEP. BEEP. BEEP.
Makoto jumped.
She dropped her dango on the plate and grabbed her laptop. The screen flashed bright yellow and red.
"A-Class alert," Makoto said. She looked closely at the screen. "Right down the mountain. The town square."
Saki stood up. "A villain?"
"Yeah. Muscular," Makoto answered.
She pulled up a shaky video from a civilian live stream.
The massive villain was slamming one of the Water Hose duo into a stone fountain.
Kaito stayed on the couch. He just looked at the wall.
His eyes glowed a faint gold for a second. He looked straight through the metal, through the trees, and down into the valley. He saw Water Hose pros bleeding and struggling.
"Water Hose is getting destroyed," Kaito said.
Makoto looked over at him. "Why don't you just snap him away? Just use your powers. Nobody will even know."
Kaito scoffed.
"I folded All For One into a paper ball and stopped tsunamis," Kaito said. "Using Hero X for a random street thug gives a brute like him way too much face. I am not wasting that on Muscular."
Kaito stood up and cracked his knuckles.
"Besides, it has been months since I actually used my brain and my real body," Kaito said. "I want to stretch my muscles."
Grandma Saki looked at him, completely puzzled. "So you are going to fight him without your reality powers?"
"Yeah," Kaito smiled. He walked over to Makoto. "Scoot over."
He pulled the keyboard closer.
CLICK. CLACK. CLICK.
"What are you doing?" Makoto asked.
"Getting in their comms," Kaito said.
CLICK.
He hit the enter key.
A green audio wave popped up. Kaito reached over and grabbed the keys to the Overland Mammoth.
"Grandma, grab onto something," Kaito said.
VROOM.
Kaito slammed the gas pedal. The heavy RV rumbled down the dirt road toward the town.
*-*-*-*
[Present Time - Town Plaza]
Huff-puff.
Daiki breathed heavily. His arms were shaking from the intense kickback of the gauntlets.
They were hitting Goto with everything they had.
They were working perfectly together. They had him stuck in one spot, away from the running civilians.
But Daiki felt a cold sweat on his neck. Goto wasn't even trying to dodge.
He just took their best attacks and treated it like a fun game.
They were locked in a pure power struggle, and Daiki knew their stamina wouldn't last forever.
But.
KACHA. KRING.
[Hello? Can you hear me? I'm Kaito.]
Daiki flinched. He tapped his earpiece.
"Dispatch? Who is this?" Daiki asked, panting hard.
[Kaito Arisaka. Calm down. I am watching you right now.]
Yui's eyes widened. She snapped her head toward Daiki.
They both remembered the man from the Pussycats lodge two years ago.
"Arisaka-san?" Yui gasped out. "The Golden Manager?"
[Yeah, it's me. Listen closely,] Kaito's voice came through the comms. [You are wasting your water. Stop blasting him head-on. He absorbs the kinetic force because his feet are planted perfectly on the dirt.]
Daiki dodged a heavy swing from Goto.
"We can't get past his fibers!" Daiki yelled back.
[You don't need to,] Kaito commanded. [A tank is useless if it sinks in the mud. Daiki, aim at the dirt right under his boots. Wash out his footing. Spin the water into a vortex.]
Daiki didn't hesitate. He trusted the Golden Manager completely.
Daiki dropped to one knee. He aimed both his heavy gauntlets straight at the cobblestones under Goto.
"Water Vortex!" Daiki shouted.
FWOOSH.
A massive, spinning whirlpool of water exploded under Goto's boots.
The dirt instantly turned into a deep, violently spinning mud pit.
Goto slipped. He lost all his traction. He threw his arms out to balance himself.
"What the—" Goto grunted. His knees buckled as he sank into the spinning mud.
[Good. Keep him slipping,] Kaito ordered. [Yui. Dial your nozzles down to zero-point-five millimeters. Look at his red muscle fibers. They don't cover everything. Aim for the skin behind his knees and under his armpits.]
Yui quickly tapped the dials on her gauntlets. The wide nozzles clicked into microscopic pinholes.
"Pressure Scalpel," Yui said.
SCREEEE.
Two incredibly thin streams of water shot out. They vibrated intensely. Yui whipped her arms forward.
The thin water blades bypassed the thick armor on his chest.
They sliced directly into the exposed skin behind his knees and under his arms.
SLASH. SLASH.
Blood sprayed out over the mud.
"AHHH!" Goto roared in actual pain.
He dropped to his hands and knees in the vortex. He tried to stand up.
He bulked up his muscles, getting even bigger, but the mud kept dragging his feet away.
"You little rats!" Goto screamed.
He glared at them.
'What the gell is going on?!' He was completely thrown off. A minute ago, he was playing with them.
Now, they were predicting his moves and hitting weaknesses he didn't even know he had. They suddenly had perfect synchronization.
[He is panicking. Lock him down right now,] Kaito said calmly over the radio.
He steered the vehicle down the winding mountain road.
[Combine your quirks. Shoot straight up into the air and let gravity do the work. Drop the whole weight directly on his spine.]
Daiki and Yui stood side by side. They aimed their gauntlets at the sky.
"Twin Waterfall!" they yelled together.
ROAR.
A massive, heavy wave of water blasted straight up.
It coiled in the air and then crashed straight down on Goto's back.
BAM.
The heavy weight of the water slammed Goto face-first into the mud crater.
The continuous waterfall pinned him to the ground.
Goto smashed his fists into the dirt. He tried to push himself up.
The mud spun under him. The cuts bled on his joints. The water pressure crushed him from above.
"Damn!" His crazy smile disappeared. He was completely stuck, fighting just to breathe.
[Hold him there,] Kaito said. [I am almost there.]
"....."
"Huh? What do you mean?" Daiki asked in confused expression while looking at the villain infront of him.
*-*-*-*
VRMMMMM.
A heavy engine roared down the street.
The massive silver Overland Mammoth rolled past the ruined vendor stalls and parked right behind a row of abandoned cars.
Inside the cabin, Kaito stood up.
"Stay here," Kaito told Makoto and Saki.
Snap.
He silently snapped his fingers against the vehicle.
A tiny, invisible ripple washed over the vehicle, locking the molecules together. The RV was now completely indestructible.
Kaito grabbed his black canvas duffel bag from the floor. He pushed the door open and stepped outside.
Step. Step. Step.
He wore dark shorts, a loose white t-shirt, and thick camping flip-flops.
He looked like a guy going down to the beach to buy a drink.
He walked straight into the plaza.
"Damn it all!" Muscular was still face-down in the mud, roaring and thrashing around.
Kaito completely ignored him. He walked right past the struggling villain and went straight to Daiki and Yui.
Thud.
Kaito dropped his bag.
He reached out his hands and pulled the exhausted heroes up from the dirt.
"Are you guys ok? Follow my lead," Kaito said.
"...."
Daiki and Yui just stared at him. They were completely confused.
A civilian manager in flip-flops was standing in the middle of a warzone.
"What are you doing here Mr. Arisaka?"
RRAAAARRGH!
Muscular roared.
He bulked up his muscles, tearing through his own skin, and forced his way out of the mud trap using pure, raw strength.
Huff-puff.
He stood up, dripping with wet dirt and blood, panting heavily. He looked ready to kill someone.
"Hmm?" Kaito stopped. He looked down at the ground.
There was a large, jagged chunk of stone sitting near his foot.
He looked at a bent metal lamppost standing a few feet away from the villain.
He pulled his right leg back.
KICK.
His flip-flop smacked the concrete rock.
SWISH.
The rock shot forward like a cannonball.
CLANG.
It hit the bent metal lamppost dead center. The rock ricocheted sharply to the right.
SQUELCH.
"ARGHHH!"
Muscular screamed.
He dropped to his knees and grabbed the left side of his face. T
he rock hit him directly in the left eye. Blood poured through his fingers and dripped onto the street.
"...."
The entire plaza went completely quiet.
Muscular slowly stood up.
His left eye was a ruined, bloody mess. He glared at Kaito with his good eye. He wiped the blood from his cheek.
HUFF-PUFF.
"You..." Muscular breathed heavily. He recognized the face.
He saw him on the news. "You're that Golden Manager guy. Oh, I get it now... You're the one whispering in their ears."
Muscular's anger vanished. A massive, sick smile stretched across his scarred face.
"Hahaha... Oh man. I hit the jackpot! Killing you puts me in the history books!"
"Give it a try," Kaito said. He stood completely relaxed, letting his arms hang loose.
BOOM.
Muscular kicked off the ground. He moved incredibly fast.
He threw a massive right hook aimed straight at Kaito's head. The wind howled around his giant fist.
Kaito didn't blink. He just tilted his head an inch to the left.
WHOOSH.
The massive fist missed his ear.
SWOOSH.
Muscular threw a heavy left cross.
Kaito shifted his weight back a half-step. The knuckles missed his nose by a millimeter.
Muscular went completely crazy.
SWISH. SWOOSH. SWIISH.
He threw punches non-stop. Left hook. Right cross. Uppercut. Overhead smash.
Ten punches. Twenty. Fifty.
He swung with everything he had. The wind pressure from his giant fists was cracking the pavement around them.
Kaito didn't even use his hands to block. He just swayed. He ducked slightly. He stepped sideways.
"DAMN!"
"The Golden Manager dodged all of it"
"Amazing!"
"How was he be able to do that?"
"Come on Golden Manager!!"
To the civilians recording on their phones from the alleys, it looked like Kaito could see the future.
He read the shoulders, the hips, the footwork. Muscular was just punching empty air.
"Did you skip breakfast?" Kaito asked. He casually side-stepped a massive uppercut. "You're swinging way too wide. Too slow."
Swish.
"Shut up! Stop moving!" Muscular screamed.
Muscular pulled both arms back. He threw a massive, double-handed slam down at Kaito to crush him flat.
Fwoop.
Kaito sidestepped smoothly.
He kicked his right foot up and caught his flip-flop in his hand.
He stepped right past Muscular's swinging arms.
SLAP.
Kaito smacked Muscular directly across the side of the neck with the heavy rubber slipper.
He hit the exact vagus nerve pressure point sitting right under the jawline.
SMACK.
The sound echoed loud in the quiet plaza.
Muscular froze completely. His good eye rolled back in his head.
His brain scrambled from the sudden nerve shock. He swayed on his feet, totally dizzy and cross-eyed.
"What the hell..." a teenager whispered from behind a car. "He just slapped a villain with his slipper."
Kaito didn't try to finish the fight himself. He took a step back to keep his cover.
"Daiki! Yui! Take the shot!" Kaito yelled.
Water Hose snapped out of their shock. They raised their heavy gauntlets and aimed right at the villain's chest.
FWOOSH.
A massive, combined blast of high-pressure water slammed into Muscular.
The villain was already dizzy and off-balance.
He flew backward and crashed hard into the mud crater.
He groaned loudly and went completely limp. He didn't get back up.
Kaito walked over to the crater. He pulled a roll of high-strength carbon-fiber capture tape from his pocket.
ZRRRT. ZRRRT. ZRRRT.
In five seconds, Kaito had Muscular's arms and legs completely hogtied together.
He pulled the tape tight, dropped the roll on the ground, and slipped his flip-flop back onto his foot.
"Done," Kaito sighed.
The civilians slowly came out of the alleys.
They stared at Kaito with wide eyes.
Daiki and Yui walked over. They were both holding their bruised ribs and panting hard.
"Arisaka-san," Daiki said. He looked at the tied-up A-Rank villain, then back at Kaito. "How did you do that? You don't even have a combat Quirk."
"I just read his movements," Kaito smiled. "He relies entirely on brute strength. He telegraphs everything before he swings."
"Mom! Dad!"
UWAAAAH
Kota came running across the plaza crying. He slammed into Daiki's legs and buried his face in his pants.
Yui dropped to her knees and hugged both of them tight.
Kaito watched the family hold each other and smiled warmly.
*-*-*-*
[10 Minutes Ago - Midair]
BZZZT.
Hawks casually rode the cold air currents above the mountain range. He tapped his earpiece.
"Hawks listening."
[Dispatch here. We have an A-Rank villain alert. Muscular just crashed into a local plaza in the valley. You are the closest pro. Get there now.]
"Got it. Be there in a bit."
Hawks didn't stress. It was just another villain throwing a tantrum. He adjusted his yellow goggles and banked left.
[3 Minutes Ago]
KRRZK.
The radio channel suddenly switched. A sharp, frantic voice cut through the static.
[Hawks! Listen to me very carefully!]
Hawks blinked. It was the Madam President of the HPSC. She never jumped on active field comms.
"President? What's going—"
[Kaito Arisaka is in that place! Do not let anything happen to him! That is a priority zero order!]
Hawks' stomach dropped completely.
Kaito.
The guy who bought him food, gave him advice, and treated him like a real little brother.
Kaito was a total genius, but as far as Hawks knew, he was still just a normal guy behind a desk.
An A-Rank villain would snap him in half.
Hawks pulled his wings in tight.
"Damn!"
He folded his feathers perfectly flat and dove straight down.
He pushed his speed way past his normal limits. His lungs burned.
WHOOSH.
[Present Time - Town Plaza]
BOOOOOOM.
A massive sonic boom shattered the sky above the town.
A blur of red shot down from the clouds and slammed hard into the street right next to Kaito.
CRASH.
Dust and broken asphalt exploded outward.
Hawks stood in the crater. His red wings were fully spread out.
HUUF-PUFF.
He panted heavily, his golden eyes wide and terrified. He held two long, sharp feathers in his hands like swords.
"Kaito! Where are you?" Hawks yelled. He spun around, looking left and right frantically. "Where is he?! Where is the A-Rank?!"
Kaito in the distance looked at him.
"You're late, Keigo."
"....."
"....."
Hawks froze.
He looked down at the ground.
Muscular was hogtied in a mud pit. He was missing an eye, covered in blood, and groaning in pain.
He wasn't going anywhere.
Hawks slowly lowered his feather swords. He stared at the massive serial killer. Then he stared at Kaito.
Kaito was wearing a white t-shirt, shorts, and camping flip-flops. He didn't have a single scratch on him.
Crunch. Crunch.
Makoto and Grandma Saki walked over the broken gravel from the RV. Makoto held her laptop under one arm.
"Hey, Hawks," Makoto said casually.
Hawks stared at her. "Tsukauchi Makoto?"
Hawks knew exactly who she was.
He was Rank 13 right now and climbing fast.
He made it his business to know the big players in the industry.
She was the manager for the O'Clock Agency, the number four hero agency in the country.
What was a top-tier manager doing hanging out with Kaito in a random mountain town?
"What... what happened here?" Hawks breathed out.
He pointed a shaking finger at the crater. "Dispatch said Water Hose was losing. Who took him down?"
Before Makoto could answer, the civilians hiding in the alleys started coming out.
They saw the red wings and immediately started laughing.
"Hey! The top ranking hero finally showed up!" an older man yelled.
"You missed the whole thing, bird boy!" a teenager laughed, holding up his phone. "The manager and the Water Hose duo already handled it!"
"Yeah! Golden Manager knocked the big guy silly with a slipper!"
Hawks whipped his head around to look at the crowd. "A slipper?"
Makoto smiled and crossed her arms. "A flip-flop, actually."
Hawks stared at Makoto. His brain stopped working.
He looked back down at Muscular.
"...."
"...."
"...."
...
[Author's Thoughts / Health Update]
Hey everyone, just giving you a quick heads-up on what's been going on.
Yesterday, was enough for me to think normally again, which is how I was able to write and get this chapter published for you guys today.
I really wanted to drop an update to let you know I'm still doing okay and fighting through it.
However, the test results came back positive. I was officially diagnosed with a 1.8 cm gallbladder stone.
Because of the size and the situation, the necessary condition right now is surgery, which is scheduled for tonight, about 12 hours from now.
Please wish me luck and a speedy recovery! If the surgery goes well and my head is clear, I'm hoping to be back to writing by Tuesday or Wednesday.
Also, a quick warning to all of you reading this; please watch your diet and take care of yourselves. I am still young, but I still ended up getting a gallstone anyway. It's no joke.
Eat well, stay healthy, and I'll see you guys in the next chapter!
...
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