Chapter 13: Book 1 Chapter 12
Izuku made his way through the Tōu Liè Zhě base, walking through corridors that seemed to stretch on forever.
They took sharp turns often, sometimes converging into each other for no apparent reason, creating a labyrinth for any outsider or intruder.
He had no true idea of where he should go, only that he could find Chima somewhere at the base's bottom levels.
If not for his seismic sense, he would have been caught already as numerous members of the poaching organization were darting about none stop, carrying out their duties.
He was forced to make multiple detours because of that; hiding behind corners and sometimes even being forced to climb to a higher floor, slowing his progress towards his goal.
Currently, he was hiding behind such a corner, listening in on a dull conversation of a few poachers and waiting for them to go on.
He had to will his feet to remain frozen in place, using way more mental constitution than should be necessary to avoid tapping the ground. His hand was covering his mouth, muffling his hard panting.
It was probably late into the night by now, much later than the time he usually went to bed. Despite this, he didn't feel tired at all. The opposite in fact.
He never felt antsier than he did now, his heartbeat drumming against his ribcage and his instincts on overdrive.
Finally, the men moved on and Izuku stopped himself from heaving a big sigh of relief. He moved around the corner and continued, using his seismic sense to determine the way down.
When he finally made it to the lowest floor, his first impression was that it looked different than the other ones. The corridors' walls were still a dirty white, the paint peeling off and the floor was just as dirty; painting his feet black after he walked on it barefooted for so long.
The only real difference he could pick up on was that the lowest floor was probably the smelliest one by far. It reeked of spoiled meat, rotten vegetables, and animal feces, a deadly combination that caused the boy to hide his nose beneath his shirt.
It almost reminded him of the natural odor of the caverns, with one key difference. Unlike the caverns, which were brimming with life, this place smelt almost dead, as if whatever lived here was left suspended on the brink; forced to never cross the border but at the same time being pressed against it.
Izuku gritted his teeth together as he followed the abominable scent. He continued down the hallways, knowing the scent will lead him to what he was looking for.
Something he would've preferred to go his entire life without seeing.
Izuku found himself at the edge of the far most hallway on the floor, gaping at the sight with an expression that could pass as the epitome of revulsion.
The narrow corridor ended in a balcony, looking over an open space that could've acted as a hangar for the largest of planes. Cages were built into the walls on the boy's right and left, appearing no different than prison cells. A massive crane was mounted on the ceiling, more than likely responsible for moving cages and supplies through the underground facility.
Two levels of catwalks had enabled access to the cages on the walls. They were connected to the balcony Izuku stood on with even more metal bridges. Every cage was filled to the brim with different animals, almost all of whom Izuku saw before in the caverns.
On the upper level, he could see Singing Groundhogs, Badgerfrogs, and Lop-eared rabbits held in portable cages as at least ten men were spraying water into the built-in cages with hoses. A bit lower in the middle level, he could spot Catgators and Wolfbats crammed together like sardines, barely having enough room to move.
The boy had to squint to see what was in the third and lowest level, making sure his head was low so that he wasn't spotted. The entire bottom floor was littered with different crates of various sizes, ranging from big to small, and holding things Izuku probably couldn't even name. The largest cages in the facility were also there, embedded into the metal walls. Their cold metallic sheen almost mocking, taunting Izuku about his situation. Through the bars of some of the cages, Izuku could spot the trademark brown and black fur of Shirshu. They were all backed into the wall as much as they could, staying quiet as to not draw the poachers' attention.
He didn't see Chima, but he did find that there were three large metal containers at the far reaches of the lowest floor, just like the one that used to hold him.
'That's where Chima is!' The boy realized, prepared to sneak through the catwalks undetected and making it down.
*WHEEEOOOOOOOOOOOOO! *
'What?' Izuku's heart dropped when suddenly the wail of a siren screamed throughout the entire base, startling many of the poor animals.
"THE KID HAS ESCAPED!" The boy heard the voice of the chubby man who captured him boom out, "HE'S IN THE PENS!"
'How did they find me?' Izuku panicked, darting his head from left to right. 'I kept away from them all! If someone was close, I would've felt it!' The boy looked behind him and suddenly, he knew how.
Aruku was levitating on the other side of the corridor, talking into his communicator and his hand pressing on an alarm lever.
The forest at night was no safe place for a rabbit to be in, quirked, or otherwise. Predators such as snakes and birds of prey wouldn't miss a chance for a potential meal, leaving the poor Lop-eared rabbit on high alert at all times.
After escaping the base, the small rodent ran through the forest as fast as she could, making sure to stay under the shade of trees and away from any burrows.
With her long ears flapping behind her, the rabbit was guided by her nose towards the tunnel system, where she would be safe.
There was only one problem.
To enter the cave and escape she had to go through the clearing, an area under the constant watch of the Tōu Liè Zhě. One wrong move and the humans would capture her again, sending her to their facility.
She hid in one of the bushes at the edge of the clearing, looking at the cave at its edge in longing.
While no human, or anything for that matter, were seen in the clearing itself, the rabbit knew better than to just waltz through. That's what got her captured in the first place; causing her to end up in the sweaty hands of a poacher and shoved forcefully into a reeking cage.
So she circled the clearing, instead. Hiding in a bush before going on to hide in the next one, slowly closing in on the cave's entrance.
She looked at her next hiding place. A large bush, easily capable of hiding her and an ideal place for her to catch her breath before moving on.
Looking around just to make sure, the Lop-eared rabbit bounced from her cover and dove into the hiding place, appearing as just a black & white streak to anyone who might've seen her.
"Huh? What was that?"
The rabbit's small heart sank when she heard a human speaking above her. She shook in place, slowly looking up to see one of the poachers staring her down, both of his eyebrows raised in surprise.
They stayed silent for a couple of seconds, one too surprised to move while the other was paralyzed with fear.
*JUMP! *
It was the rabbit who got ahold of her senses first, bolting it out into the clearing in panic and heading towards the cave, kicking off crushed leaves from the ground in her haste.
"I FOUND ONE!" The man she ran away from yelled out, causing multiple heads to perk up from behind cover. "IT'S IN THE CLEARING NOW!"
The area around the rabbit suddenly got illuminated by a white, blinding light. She accelerated even further, trying to shake off the spotlight off her. The men began shooting nets at the rabbit, forcing her to zigzag from left to right to dodge.
"YOU ARE NOT GETTING AWAY!" One of the men yelled out and gave chase to her by foot, tired of missing with the nets. He intercepted the rabbit in her path, tackling her and grasping her small body in his hands.
The small rodent squirmed, trying to free herself but the difference in strength was too much. In an act of desperation, the rabbit clenched the muscles in her ears and slapped the man's face with them, the sound of impact audible from afar.
"Gah! Fuck!"
With his grip now loose, the small rabbit broke free and bolted, passing under the cave's entrance in just a few seconds.
"IT'S NOT GETTING AWAY!" The man who had the rabbit in his hands barked, running after it.
"STOP!" One of the poachers behind him called out, "DON'T GO IN THERE, YOU'LL DIE!"
The man didn't heed the warning and entered the cave. With his flashlight always pointed at the fleeing rabbit, he paid no mind to any of the turns they made, focused solely on the small creature.
"GOTCHA!" The man yelled out, bouncing forward and dropping the flashlight. He caught the rabbit again, this time making sure that her ears were secure and pressed against the ground.
The flashlight flopped to the floor and rolled away, now pointing at a random granite wall. The poacher and rabbit were cast into complete darkness; the weight of the poacher almost crushing her.
The poor rodent shivered in fear, frustrated tears in her eyes.
They got her.
"Hehe… Thought you could get away, did ya?" The poacher chuckled, unaware of the fact he was lost in the tunnels.
Nor of what was in front of him.
*Huff… *
The poacher felt a gust of warm air hit his face. Surprised, he raised a brow. He looked around him, finding the flashlight he dropped pointed at one of the walls. The man took it and pointed it to his front, illumining the space.
He found himself staring into a pair of milky white eyes, surrounded by a patch of white fur in the shape of a domino mask.
"Don't make this hard on yourself, kid. Put your hands in the air and give up." Aruku demanded, his taser aimed directly at Izuku's chest.
Izuku complied, raising his arms above his head with a frown on his face. He turned his head from side to side, assessing his surroundings.
The boy stood at the balcony overlooking the pens, a metal railing behind him, and catwalks starting to his right and left. The metal bridges continued straight until they reached the walls of the hanger-like structure, stretching across them. Ladders were installed into the catwalks that were attached to the walls, leading to the other levels of the pens.
A dozen or so poachers were positioned across the facility, all of whom looked at Izuku. For now, they were quite far from the boy, standing still and watching the scene unfold.
The balcony was connected to a long and wide hallway, many other corridors "flowing" into it. Aruku was currently the only man there, but Izuku could already feel the stampede of poachers coming their way. In less than a minute he would be surrounded, a little boy against hundreds of adult poachers.
'Why was I so stupid?' He berated himself, ' There was no way they wouldn't find me! I can't fight them all by myself!'He looked at all the animals held in cages, silently asking for forgiveness for not rescuing them.
'I… can't fight them… all by myself…' The boy's eyes widened when he got an idea.
"Oi! What are you looking at, brat?!" A new voice called out from the hallway. The boy jumped, startled, before turning towards the voice.
Two poachers made it here already. Tekubi Jū stood at Aruku's side, a frown on his face and wrists already pointed at the boy's stomach, ready to shoot him.
(Song start: My Hero Academia – Iron Battle)
Next to him was another man, one the boy wasn't familiar with. He was a large man with a shaved head and muscles as wide as Izuku's whole body; his skin was unhealthy and was littered in rashes, making Izuku feel his skin itch just by looking at it.
Pants were the only article he wore; as if the poachers didn't have one of their brown jackets for someone his size, exposing even more of his nasty-looking skin. The man stared the boy down with a grin that caused Izuku to shudder, reminding him too much of the Ussuri bear he encountered on the day he met Chima.
"Nowhere to run, brat." Jū told the boy, "Should've escaped when you had the chance, cause we won't make the same mistake again."
Izuku turned to look behind him, looking at the poachers on the catwalks. They were still watching, not moving too close in on him.
.
.
.
With his hands still raised, Izuku stomped the ground as fast as he could, erecting an earth column between himself and the three men.
The sudden action prompted the poachers into gear. Startled, both Aruku and Jū fired at him at once, almost managing to hit Izuku if the column he constructed hadn't saved him in the last second.
"Rrrggghhh! Fucking brat!" Jū cursed when his gaze locked on the onlookers in the pens. "What are you waiting for, fools?! Get up here!"
As if broken out of a trance, the men shook their heads. Those who were on the same level as the boy headed towards the balcony while the others on the lower levels went for the ladders.
Izuku himself hid behind the column he made, his back pressed against it. The boy pressed his hands against the concrete floor, curling his fingers and breaking the earth into pieces; The shards adhered to all four of Izuku's limbs, equipping him with his trademarked Earth Gauntlets as well as a pair of concrete boots.
"Step back, you two." The bald man stepped forward, now standing in front of Aruku and Jū. Jumping forward and with a maniacal smile, the man struck the earth column, shattering it and hitting Izuku in the back.
"Gah!" The boy cried out, sent flying into the railing, his chest hitting it.
Dazed for just a moment, Izuku got a good look at the pens before Jū's voice snapped him back to reality. "Good job! Now move aside so we can hit him!"
The boy bolted it to the right catwalk, where he saw the least poachers. The concrete floor of the balcony gave way to metal, his earthen boots clanking against it.
"After him, he's heading for the ladders!" Jū called out, running after the boy with the bald man right behind him. Aruku followed as well, levitating slowly in their direction.
Izuku reached the right wall without anyone getting in his way. He ran on the catwalk that stretched across it. His gaze lingering on the small animals for just a moment before moving on.
He would come for them later.
'Almost there…', the ladder was just a few steps ahead of him now, almost within reach.
"BOO!"
"Ah!" Izuku yelled, backing away from the ladder and the man who was climbing it.
"Hehehe…" The poacher chuckled, standing between Izuku and the ladder. The poachers were closing in on the boy; Jū, Aruku, and the bald man almost upon him from the left.
"Out of the way!" Izuku barked, pouncing on the man and punching him in the face. Sent flying and face caved in, the poacher could do nothing to stop the boy from going down the ladder. The boy went down the ladder as fast as he could, jumping off a few rungs early and landing on the catwalk of the middle level.
He quickly scanned through the different cages, heaving a sigh of relief upon finding what he was looking for.
'There!'
(Song end)
The cage held about a dozen Wolfbats, all of whom were of a relatively healthy state. They look at the boy apprehensively, as if fearing he was one of the poachers.
"Don't worry…" Izuku soothed, "I'm here to help…". He clutched two of the cage's bars with his hands, reaching for the earth within them. Izuku pulled against the bars with all the strength he had, using the new skill he had acquired. It took a few seconds longer than Izuku was comfortable with, but the bars eventually did get bent away from one another, leaving behind a hole large enough for the Wolfbats to escape. "…But I need your help to rescue everyone, can you do it?"
For a moment, the Wolfbats all stayed there in silence, staring at the boy. Then, at once, all twelve of them flew through the hole and into the open air. Shrieking loudly, the Wolfbats cried in the triumph of being set free before they began to dive down, tackling into the poachers.
Every animal in captivity perked up as soon as the first Wolfbat shrieked. They all howled together as the Wolfbats dove to attack, cheering the flying creatures on.
"GGGGAAAAHHHHHH! GET IT OFF ME! GET IT OFF! GET IT OFF!" A poacher yelled as a Wolfbat was busy attacking, clawing, and biting his face.
Another Wolfbat stayed on the ground and attacked from below. He ran between and under the feet of the poachers around him, biting into any poacher unfortunate enough to be in his way, leaving behind ripped clothing and bleeding gashes.
"GGGAAAHHHHH!" A poacher screamed as the Wolfbat bit into his calve, refusing to let go.
Izuku repeated this process four to five times on the second level, releasing more animals to help fight the poachers. He made sure to release only the animals fit to fight, leaving the injured and crippled in relative safety.
It was at this point that the first influx of poachers made it into the corrals, stumbling onto hell on earth once they entered.
Wolfbats were everywhere, flying in a swarm. They had dived onto the sea of poachers, biting and clawing at their heads before flying off to find the next target.
The bravest of those creatures didn't stop there, they clung on the poacher's head once they landed, staying there to inflict pain for as long as possible.
A small battalion of Catgators swarmed the second level of catwalks, protecting Izuku as he opened more and more cages. The trio that was after him from the beginning was currently fending off a group of them, not making any headway in bursting through.
"There! Now go!" Izuku had opened yet another cage, letting loose a flock of Wolfbats into the fight. He stopped for a second to look where things were at the moment, eyes scanning the battlefield.
His efforts weren't enough. While the animals he released thus far were putting up a valiant effort, the sheer number of poachers swarming into the corrals began to overwhelm them.
The Wolfbats could only target one man at a time, leaving them useless against a group that dwarfed them in numbers. The Catgators were also being pushed back, unable to handle all the men.
Izuku peered into the other side of the room, where an identical wall of cages was located. He couldn't get there now. A horde of poachers was blocking his way there, being halted from reaching him only by the small Catgator army.
But the Catgators weren't enough to win, and Izuku knew it.
That left only one option. He had to get the heavy hitters; because if quantity wouldn't win this battle, then he would need to rely on quality.
He peered over the edge of the catwalks towards the third, and lowest, level of the pens. The Shirshu were still in their cages, clawing fruitlessly at their cage's bars. Izuku then looked around himself, there was no ladder in reach.
The boy took a deep breath, knowing what he had to do. Grasping the rails of the catwalk, Izuku vaulted over them, jumping down to the bottom floor.
He landed on a pile of wooden creates feet first, smashing them apart.
"Uggghhhh…" Izuku groaned as he climbed out of the ruins, looking up to see only a few noticed him jump. They were struggling to reach the ladders in the commotion, their shouts muffled by the uproar of the fight.
Wasting no time, he made his way to one of the cages holding the Shirshu, having a first proper look at them. Much like all the other animals here, they were extremely malnourished, appearing much weaker than their healthy and free brethren.
The poachers had also installed muzzles on all of them, not allowing the Shirshu to open their mouths.
Probably so they couldn't whip their toxic tongue at them.
Opening the cage as he did for all the other animals, Izuku then walked slowly into the cell and extended a gentle hand. "I'm going to take that muzzle off of you, hold still…" Using his new skill, Izuku severed the metal chains holding the muzzle together, freeing the Shirshu. The smallest one nuzzled into him in gratitude, enticing a small giggle out. "Think you can help us?"
In response, one of the Shirshu in the cage whipped its tongue in Izuku's direction.
"Whoa!" Acting quick, the boy ducked; dodging the tongue that went on to hit a poacher that was sneaking on them.
"T-thanks!" Izuku stuttered out, hand over his heart.
He released the rest of the Shirshu from their cages easily enough, letting the large beasts deal with the trickle of poachers making it to the third level while he worked.
After he finished, he let his focus shift to the trio of container-like cells at the very back of the room.
"Chima…"
Trusting the Shirshu to keep putting up a good fight, Izuku sprinted forward with nothing to hold him back, his friend almost in reach...
*Bbbzzzzzzzzzzzzzz...*
...Only to be stopped by a sound he knew all too well…
He didn't like that buzzing sound. Not at all.
Acting on pure instinct, Izuku raised an earth column to his right with a light stomp of his foot, blocking the projectile aimed at him in the last second.
Looking up, he saw two of his least favorite people in the world.
Tekubi Jū and Aruku Kūki stared him down from the second level, taser, and wrist-gun ready and aimed. They both jumped down to meet him and block his way, the latter of whom levitating gently while the former landing on his feet with a small thud.
"You caused quite the ruckus here, brat." Jū glared, cracking his knuckles.
Shuzumu Honōmuchi was perhaps in the best mood he was ever in.
After sending Jū to the pens to do a commodity counting, he split off from the man. Now, the Japanese leader was walking at a brisk pace towards their main warehouse/loading bay. The place where they currently held the kid prisoner.
'It's all finally coming together!' Shuzumu hummed to himself a playful tune, 'By the time the sun rises, I'll be rid of the kid's disobedience! And then it's straight to work for him!'
Shuzumu had finally completed the journey from his office to the warehouse, something that felt like it took an eternity with how anxious he was to get there. He opened the metal door that led inside, a hint of a smile on his face, "All right, Detarame! Mukankei! You two are free to go for now! I'll take care of the ki-"
Shuzumu stopped talking, a smiling expression frozen on his face.
The warehouse looked like a warzone. Multiple protrusions of earth specked the storing space, toppling some of the crates or even piercing through them. The two guards he left there were currently trapped in mounds of earth, thrashing violently and trying to get free, their mouths gagged.
The muscles in Shuzumu's face twitched and scrunched as his expression morphed into a furious scowl, "What. Happened. Here?"
*WHEEEOOOOOOOOOOOOO! *
Before he got the chance to un-gag the two and demand an explanation, the alarm suddenly went off, the siren echoing throughout the entire compound.
"THE KID HAS ESCAPED!" He heard Aruku boom out, "HE'S IN THE PENS!"
"That fucking brat…!" Both trapped men whimpered in fear as violent sparks began to crackle from Shuzumu's hands, forming miniature versions of his whips.
He didn't even bother to free them; turning around, Shuzumu dashed out of the room and towards the stairs. His face a crimson red and at least 20 of his veins threatening to pop.
"You just had to complicate things, didn't you?" Aruku grumbled, standing next to Jū and facing the boy that had caused them so much trouble, "Couldn't just sit around in the cell and do nothin'…"
Izuku glared at the two men, his body in a perfect stance. Both of his arms were angled like sickles, his knees bent, and legs astride.
The other two showed no such discipline in their stances, one of whom didn't even try. Instead, both aimed their ranged weapons at the boy, their posture unrefined, and fired.
Acting quickly, with rigid and precise movements, he shot a small rock into the air, blocking their attacks.
(Song start: Avatar OST: YuYen)
"Tch!"
Thrusting both of his arms in opposite sides, the poachers yelled out in surprise as two earth columns burst from under their feet, sending them flying in opposite directions.
"Gah!" Jū scrambled in midair, spinning without any control and crashing into the ground.
Aruku fared much better. Having been used to staying airborne; it didn't take much for him to reorient himself. Nor did it take much to re-aim his taser and fire at Izuku.
Shifting the ground from beneath his feet, Izuku slid to the side and dodged the attack, not appearing to have taken a single step. With deadly accuracy, Izuku sent a small cluster of rocks at Aruku, nailing him in the stomach and forcing him into a wall.
The fat man wheezed and held his stomach, flying higher and out of range for a chance to catch his breath.
"Goddamn it, Brat! Just give up already!" Even without the yell, Izuku knew the gun-wristed man got up and was ready to shoot him. He formed a barrier, blocking the multitude of bullets heading his way before sending the block of earth back at his attacker.
"Oh, you have got to be kidding me!" Jū grumbled, ducking to the side to avoid getting squashed. Turning back to face the kid, he widened his eyes when he no longer saw him.
"W-what?!" He gaped, confused, and on guard, "Where did h-?"
*Grab! *
"WHAT THE-?!" Jū hollered when a felt something crawl up his legs. Looking down, he saw two grey concrete-covered hands grasping at his calves, sticking out of the ground like a zombie. Before he got the chance to fight back, the hands pulled him down, pushing his body into the earth as if it was quicksand.
"WHAT. THE. FUCK!?" The grey-haired man screamed; body buried neck-deep into the ground. Just next to his head, a hole was torn open in the floor, and out came Izuku, dusting off his torn and bloody shirt.
(Song end: Avatar OST: YuYen)
The kid ignored the buried man who was cussing at him with fervor, opting to focus on his other opponent.
Aruku came back down and was floating in the air in front of him, assessing his surroundings. The battle with the animals was still ongoing, the mustached crocodiles fighting on the second level; the giant star-shaped nosed quadrupeds fighting on the third, and the bats with the scary faces dive-bombing any target in sight.
Add to that the fact that Jū was trapped and it appeared it was just him against the boy.
'It's a repeat of the fight in the park!' Aruku greeted his teeth, remembering how that fight ended, 'I can't take him from afar, He'll just do what he did last time!'
The fat man looked around him once again, seeing his fellow poachers, most of which held tasers in their hands or tucked in holsters against their waists.
He smirked, 'That'll work.'
He then looked down at the kid that caused so much trouble for them, "Last chance kid, give up and I'll go easy on ya!"
The kid only returned his gaze, his expression unwavering, "I'll only stop once all the animals are free! What you are doing is wrong! You are worse than any villain!"
Aruku merely shook his head at the boy's naïve and cliched speech, "Well, I did give you an out." The fat man fired his taser at the boy, smirking in victory when Izuku raised an arm and a slab of earth blocked the attack, 'Hook…'
The fat man dove down towards the boy, letting gravity accelerate him past his quirk's limit, '…line…'
Izuku was still behind his barrier, having no reference to Aruku's position in the air. So when he peered around the slab of earth, only to find himself face to face with Aruku, he was completely caught off guard, '…And sinker…'
The fat man outstretched his hand forward, grasping Izuku's foot. The boy's eyes widened, surprised by the attack. He tried to jump back and gain distance, but that only worsened his situation. Aruku did not let go of him, and Izuku found himself falling to the ground, his back hitting it and almost losing his hold on the earth-appendages he wore, "Oooooofff!"
Smirking in victory, Aruku began ascending into the air, still holding onto the boy.
Izuku found himself suspended in midair, held upside-down by his foot. "Let me go!" He yelled at the grown man, his fists flailing futilely; trying to hit the man who held him.
"NOW!" Aruku yelled out, garnering the attention of multiple poachers, "SHOOT THE BRAT!"
The poachers didn't need to be told twice. All at once, at least a dozen poachers left their fight with the animals. Perked on the various catwalks of the pens, they all aimed their tasers at the forest-haired kid.
'Crap!' Gravity pulled down blood to Izuku's head as he overlooked the sight below him, 'We're too high up! I can't reach for enough earth from here fast enough!' He was almost ready to accept his fate, earth-covered fists already shielding his face when he got an idea.
"FIRE!"
All at once, at least a dozen metallic cables sailed through the air, all aimed at one target. But before any got to hit their marks, the target, alongside the man who held him, suddenly jerked to the side, narrowly dodging.
"Hey, what's the deal, man?" One of the poachers yelled, "I thought we were supposed to shoot him, right?!"
"It wasn't me!" Aruku yelled back, "What in the world happ-?" The fat man looked down at the boy, seeing him grinning in triumph despite his beet-red face. With a flick from Izuku's wrist, Aruku found himself and the boy hurtling uncontrollably through the air, now an unhittable target for his allies.
'It's the kid!' Aruku realized, looking at his earth-covered foot, 'He's using his quirk to push us both in the air!'
"STOP IT BRAT!"
"NO!"
The two continued to jolt in the air, one trying desperately to keep them afloat and remain in control while the other pushing for the opposite. Refusing to let go, Aruku had to suffer as they both went around each other in circles, left and right, up and down, spinning like a merry-go-round.
"WILL YOU STOP THIS ALREEEAAADY?!" Aruku cried out as they both span around each other, struggling not to puke with how queasy he felt.
Izuku ignored his pleas. Instead, the boy was trying his hardest to get a hit on the fat man, only adding to the jumble of flailing limbs in the air that was comprised of himself and Aruku. The decisive moment in their struggle came not long after. Now somehow face to face in midair, Izuku wasted no time and delivered a palm strike to Aruku's face, gripping it when his hand made contact.
"Mmmmmffffff!" Aruku's voice could not be deciphered behind the gag, his mouth forced shut. Startled, the man grasped at the appendage with his free hand, losing his focus and beginning to fall to the ground.
Capitalizing on Aruku's loss of focus, Izuku freed his leg from the man's hold and dislodged his arm from the armor he had created. Both now fell to the ground as separate bodies, Izuku directly above the fat man.
*BOOM! *
Aruku crashed into the hard ground, his back aching from the impact and the earth-appendage on his face shattering into rubble.
Izuku, on the other hand, landed much more gently.
As in 'on Aruku's soft stomach' gently.
"Graaaahhh!" The fat man gasped out, clutching his belly in pain as the boy jumped off his stomach like a trampoline. He didn't even register the fact the light around him was fading, a result of Izuku trapping his body in a prison made of blocks of earth.
*Huff…*
*…Puff…*
*…Huff…*
*…Puff…*
*…Huff…*
*…Puff…*
Izuku panted, leaning on his knees.
The boy waited just one second to appraise his work. Now both poachers were trapped, cussing at him from their prisons. And while normally an overly-innocent eight-year-old like him would gasp in horror for the use of such language, he couldn't bring himself to care about it at the moment.
Without even looking back, the boy bolted towards the far reaches of the pens, where the cell that held Chima was located.
He reached the closest cell, digging his hands into it and tearing the door open, looking inside and hoping to see his friend.
Chima wasn't there.
Instead, Izuku found another Badgermole.
The female Badgermole was at least twice as large as Chima was, with a unique black outline wrapped around the white fur surrounding her eyes. She has clearly seen better days. The poor beast was severely malnourished, her muscles deteriorated from years of inactivity and lack of proper food. Scars riddled her body. Her paws were a mess of dark gashes and calloused skin, the tissue having suffered through intense trauma. Her fur was a mess; It was short and hard like the stubbles of a drunk man, some patches of it much longer or shorter than the others.
Cuffs were locked around her legs, connected via chains much like how the boy was restrained earlier.
Izuku felt something within him break when he saw this sight.
Badgermoles were his ideal for years, ever since he met Chima. They were strong, proud, caring, ferocious, and unwavering. They were everything he aspired to be, both in spirit and power.
But looking at this Badgermole, so defeated and broken, shattered that perfect image.
The Badgermole bared her teeth and growled at the boy, warning him to not come any closer as she backed herself into the cell's wall. Unlike the rest of the animals, she did not witness Izuku's effort in freeing them, the metal not allowing her to 'see' at all.
To her, Izuku was an enemy.
The boy tried to extend a gentle hand forward, to signal he meant no harm. But the Badgermole wasn't having any of it. Her growling only got loader, her scowl deepening and her muscles twitching in apprehension.
The boy was stumped. He couldn't get near the Badgermole and rescue her as she was now. He had no food, and he doubted that showing her his quirk would work in this situation.
Desperate, he searched his memories for something he could do, anything…
1 year ago:
The Matsuri, or Summer Festival, was in full swing in Musutafu. Little kids played different festival games, fighting with each other for who would get to go next. Fussing mothers took pictures of their sons and daughters in yukatas, whilst fathers were busy raiding the various food stalls.
Amongst the various festivalgoers were also the class 1-1 from Aldera Elementary, invited to go with their homeroom teacher. But not long after they all made it, it became apparent each wanted to do his/her own thing.
And so, naturally, they split up.
Izuku himself wasted no time and charged at the food stalls, spending every yen his mother had given him for the festival when she dropped him off.
Dango, Karaage, Yakitori, Taiyaki, and even a rare mini-Watermelon were quickly wrapped up and stuffed into the bag he had with him, garnering him a lot of odd looks from the other festivalgoers.
Not that he really cared.
With the bag held over his shoulder, he slipped away into the nearby park, finding Chima in their usual meeting spot.
And so, while the rest of his class spent their time playing festival games with each other and talking, Izuku hung out with his best friend. They shared the food Izuku brought, leaning against each other, and enjoying the other's company.
Izuku was quite glad, not even caring his green yukata was splattered with dirt and crumbles. He initially thought that the loud noise the festival made would frighten Chima, for never so many humans were so close to him. But the youngling took to it rather well. He almost appeared docile, in fact.
Especially when the music of the festival took over the sounds of the people.
'Guess Chima's a music lover…' Izuku smiled, looking at said Badgermole who purred to the music's beat.
Present:
"…Leaves from the vine… Falling so slow…"
This was a long shot, and Izuku knew it.
The boy uttered the words of a long-forgotten song in a soft voice, each line recalled from the memory of a distant dream.
The language he spoke in was foreign and unrecognizable, even to him. And while it sounded similar to Japanese, no word could be attributed to Izuku's mother tongue.
Unlike in his dreams, he had no exact idea of what he was saying, his seemingly magical translator ability gone.
But it didn't matter in the end.
All that did was the fact the Badgermole began to relax her tense muscles by the tiniest bit, her scowl weakening.
"…Like fragile, tiny shells… Drifting in the foam…"
So he continued to sing the song, taking a step closer with every verse. The Badgermole appeared more serene as he went on, losing her scowl completely by the time the song had reached its end.
"Brave soilder boy… Comes marching home…"
Now face to face with the beast, Izuku placed a gentle hand on one of her paws, asking for permission to continue. Receiving no negative answer, he gripped at the cuffs around her leg, the metal creaking as it got bent.
It only took a minute and now the Badgermole was free. Satisfied with his work, the boy stepped back giving himself room to spare just in case something unexpected happens.
*LLLIIIIIIIIIIIICCCCCCCKKKKKKKKKKKK*
Though that something certainly wasn't getting licked by her massive tongue out of the blue.
Wiping his face of her drool, Izuku wasted not a second longer and went out the cell, making sure to widen the gap in it so the Badgermole could walk out.
He then went to the next cell, opening it and finding another Badgermole there.
It wasn't Chima either.
It was a male Badgermole, larger than the female that was currently exiting her prison. Much like her, he too growled in warning at the boy, his bared teeth promising an agonizing end should he come too close.
He repeated the process he did with the female Badgermole, singing the song again and eventually freeing him as well.
Getting another gratitude-orial lick, the boy stepped out from the compartment, followed quickly by the escapee Badgermole.
It was in the light of the facility's fluorescent bulbs that he finally got a good look at the two Badgermoles he rescued, noting how familiar they looked as they nuzzled into each other like a married couple.
The female's head was in the same shape as Chima's, from the frame of her nose to the way her ears curved. The white fur on her chest was the only real difference that Izuku could spot, but then again, that was the only Badgermole he ever saw with this attribute.
The male shared some features with Chima as well; The white fur dots around the male's snout were identical to Chima, the black stripes on his back the same unique midnight black, and the chest an identical walnut brown.
"You're Chima's parents…" Izuku murmured, his mouth agape in both awe and realization. The two beasts stopped nuzzling each other for just a moment, humming at the boy as if they understood what he said.
Izuku was sure of it, the resemblance was too uncanny for it to be a coincidence.
Chima was basically a carbon copy of the two of them!
It had made way too much sense. From his time in the cavern, Izuku knew Badgermoles lived in small communities as a collective, but as individuals, they lived as small families. They mated for life, their offsprings staying with them until they reached adulthood; something he knew Chima was nowhere near. Not once nor twice had he wondered about it, but only now had he got an answer.
And that answer only made his rage against the Tōu Liè Zhě burn hotter and brighter.
"They separated you…" Izuku whispered as he patted Chima's father on the nose with his un-gloved hand, the Badgermole purring at his hand's warmth. "… No more!" He declared.
Izuku ran towards the last cell, his bloody knuckles turning white from the force. He ripped open the cell as if it was made from aluminum foil, creating a massive gap in the metal wall.
Large enough for a certain someone.
*THWOMP! *
Chima burst through the hole, tackling Izuku and wrapping his legs around the boy's body in a hug.
"Chima! "
The two fell to earth, Chima on top of Izuku.
Izuku pressed his cheek against Chima's snout, shedding tears on his fur, "I-I *sniff* I was s-so scared that they hurt you…". Chima purred in content, leaning on Izuku as much as the boy did him, sighing in the relief of seeing him again. Chima's parents joined in as well, nuzzling into the youngling's sides.
*Hmmmmm? *
Chima's heart skipped a beat when he felt his parents pressed against him. He let out a confused hum, refusing to believe what he felt until he confirmed it.
In response the two adults rested their heads on Chima's, confirming to him that they were there.
Izuku was the first to notice the tears that spilled from Chima's milky white eyes, the water dripping down his snout, joining his own, before dripping to the ground.
Izuku smiled, gently wiping off Chima's tears. "It alright now, we're here" He soothed, looking up at the Chima's parents 'I need to name them after we get out of here.' he decided.
For just a moment not a thing in the world mattered to any of them. The small family of Badgermoles stayed huddled there together, finally reunited after three long years, their newest and unorthodox addition with them.
If only it could last...
*Sniff...*
Izuku smelt it before he saw it. The sour stench of ash and smoke wafted in the air, causing the quartet to scrunch up their noses.
They all needed not to look deep into their memories to know what that smell reminded them of.
Izuku looked up, a worried expression on his face, bordering on frightful.
Two scorching tongues of flames danced across the catwalks on the second level of the pens, warping around the neck of a poor Catgator like a python before extending further and moving on to the next.
"RRRROOOOOAAAAAAHHHHH!"
The reptiles roared in pain, the whips around their neck growing in brightness for just a moment before fading back to a dull red, eventually disappearing completely.
As one, almost every single Catgator on the second floor dropped to the ground, not able to lift a single limb in both exhaustion and pain.
Standing tall on one of the catwalks was the perpetrator. He was dressed in the same fiery clothes Izuku saw from their first encounter a couple of hours ago, but everything else about him seemed different.
The man's muscles, that before were developed but lean, seemingly bulked in size two-fold, arteries pulsing from within them.
His face was the worst change by a long shot. It was a sick red, veins sticking out like sore thumbs all over his forehead. His eyes were burning like two miniature suns; not the warm and gentle kind, but the kind that burned whoever dared look at it.
The men's soft musk from their first encounter had evolved into a full-blown miasma, coalescing with the stench of the corrals into an unholy and malodorous abomination.
"You fucking varmint!"
Shuzumu Honōmuchi, quirk: Whips of Fthaggua
Shuzumu can form two large flame-like whips fueled by his vitality. The whips hold an almost impossible level of dexterity, capable of precise movements even when stretched to an incredible length. Should the whips come in contact with a living organism, they will start to feed on its vitality, glowing brighter as they do so and transferring some of it back to Shuzumu.
The man glared down at Izuku with the fury of a mad predator, violent wisps of flame escaping from the whips he wielded.
Under that gaze, Izuku and the Badgermoles felt tiny, like mice cowering before a cat.
The boy held his nose beneath his forearm, desperate to not breathe in the suffocating scent of smoke that filled the air.
He tried to avert his gaze away from Shuzumu; instead, getting a better look at what was happening on the second level.
The Catgators now laid defeated on the catwalks, the poachers tying them all with ropes and throwing them back into cages. Taser shots sailed through the air, hitting the Wolfbats and knocking them out, leaving them to crash to the ground.
By this point, almost all the poachers had made it to the pens. About a couple hundred men stared Izuku down, perched on the various metal bridges and balconies.
"WHAT ARE YOU ALL WAITING FOR?!" Shuzmu barked, "GET DOWN THERE AND CAPTURE THEM!"
The boy had to his name only himself, Chima and his parents, the Shirshu, and a dozen or so Wolfbats left in this fight. The poachers were coming down towards them, climbing down ladders, or simply jumping down without a care for the consequences.
"FUCK'EM UP!"
The poachers began to surround the Shirshu, at least a dozen on one. Even with their toxic tongues, there was little they could do against so many humans.
The criminals blocked the tongue's strikes with the hardened sleeves of their brown jackets, throwing metal cables over their bodies and trying to subdue them.
The Wolfbats dove in on them, trying to help the struggling Shirshu. They aimed their strikes on the Shirshus' attackers, trying to ease the pressure off them; but they too had worries to be addressed. The flying mammals couldn't afford to stay on one target for too long, they had to keep on a constant move, for not for even a second were they not shot at.
This resulted in them being a mere annoyance, getting shot down one by one at the hands of irked poachers.
"Get ready guys!" Izuku and the Badgermole stood at the pens' edge, the boy taking a stance while the beasts lowered themselves to the ground and growled. They were prepared to fight the horde of poachers making its way, the unwavering glare of an Earthbender in their eyes.
They all stomped on the ground at once, sending a hail of boulders at the approaching poachers.
The earthen projectile struck true and rammed into the poachers, pushing them back and causing major damage to those without a defensive quirk. It was just their first attack, but already a dozen villains laid on their backs. All having been unfortunate enough to be hit in the head or by a particularly large boulder.
"Hurry!" Someone yelled, understanding how dangerous was their situation "Don't let them attack again!"
They attacked again.
"RRROOOOOAAAARRRRRR! "
Chima's parents roared and slammed their paws against the ground. Numerous pillars of rocks shot from the floor like geysers, smashing into any poacher unfortunate enough to be in the way.
"You need to separate them!" Jū yelled at them from his prison, silently praying that no poacher that was sent flying would crash onto him. "There's no way you can take them when they work together!"
"R-right!" A poacher, who had the head of a Chameleon, jumped into the front of the group and shot out his tongue.
"Huh?" Izuku widened his eyes when felt something sticky and wet hit his chest. Looking down he saw the tongue of a Chameleon stuck to it. He gripped the slimy appendage with disgust evident on his face, trying to pull it off with little success.
The Chameleon-headed poacher yanked his head back, using his tongue to send the boy hurtling through the air.
"Whooooaaaaa!" Izuku cried out, dragged through the air like a rag doll. The poacher let go of the boy when he built enough momentum, letting him fall back to earth.
"Gah!"
Izuku landed on his back in the middle of the pens, his body rolling on the ground until he came to a stop. He groaned in pain as he struggled to get up, one of his knees noticeably bloodier and more bruised than before.
"Hehehe… look who's here boys!"
Izuku gulped, darting his head from left to right frantically. He crash-landed in the middle of a group of poachers, not a friendly face visible between all the smiling criminals.
He was surrounded.
"GET HIM!"
The poachers all pounced on him at once, intent on subduing the boy. Thinking quickly, Izuku raised his arms and formed a pillar underneath himself, boosting himself up and away from their range.
"ARE YOU KIDDING ME?!"
Now safe, Izuku didn't waste a second and began to attack. He slammed columns of earth against the poachers with arm thrusts and kicked those who tried to climb up on his pillar with his earthen boots.
"Take this!" Izuku yelled as he nailed a tall poacher in the face, knocking a tooth out.
"Gya!" The criminal yowled, a hand over his bleeding mouth.
"We aren't getting anywhere like this! Get him off that pillar!" Someone yelled.
"That's easier said than done!" Another criminal replied, "He's too high up and he's also out of the range of the tasers!"
"No worries..." A nonchalant voice came from the back of the poacher group. The man who spoke was the largest man out of them all, 2.3 meters of muscles upon muscles. He only wore tight leather pants to cover himself and his bald head shined ominously in the fluorescent light.
"I'll take care of that…"
Izuku's eyes narrowed, the man's pink and rash ridden skin hitting a cord within his mind, 'Him again…'
"GRAAAHHH!" With a mighty battle cry, the large man punched the pillar with his fist, smashing it to pieces.
The pillar began to break off. Izuku scrambled from his perch on top, his footing on it lessening. Gasping and disoriented, Izuku found himself falling off the pillar, landing harshly on the floor.
"Ooooff!"
"We got the kid!" The bald man exclaimed, hand around the boy's neck and lifting him off the ground.
"*Cough* Ack- *Cough*" Izuku choked and thrashed in the air, trying to escape the man's grasp.
"Give it up squirt! You're not breaking free!"
He was right. Even if Izuku wasn't currently being choked, the difference in strength between them was too vast. The boy gripped the bald man's arms in a futile fight for air, unable to even call out for help.
With lungs burning with the need for oxygen, shriveling up in his chest, Izuku was left to stare helplessly at the scene around him, his eyes watery.
Things were at their worst. The Shirshu were defeated, held down by multiple men as they were being tied up and muzzled; the Wolfbats flew no more, laying unconscious on the ground. Metal cables draped over the Badgermole's bodies, pushing them down to the ground. Chima thrashed against his restraints, trying to break free. His parents were already done in, their weakened muscles giving in on them.
"Chi-*cough*-ma…" Izuku coughed, eyes locked on his best friend even when his peripheral vision started to go black.
"*Kehehe* Looks like you finally gave up…" The man who held Izuku chuckled, watching the armor that covered the boy's limbs beginning to crumble and fall off, exposing bare skin.
It was over.
"KEhAhAHaHa!" Shuzumu laughed manically; having made it to the bottom level himself. "You gave me quite thescare! For a moment, I thought you ran away on us!"
The tall man now stood face to face with Izuku, the world's largest scowl on his face as he glared at the kid.
*SLAP! *
"WHAT THE HELL WERE YOU THINKING?! YOU LITTLESHIT! YOU ALMOST RUINED EVERYTHING! " Shuzumu screamed at the boy, his nose mere centimeters away from the spot where he slapped Izuku, the skin on his cheek an aggressive red.
The boy only let out a choked sniffle, whether it was from despair or pain Shuzumu couldn't care less.
"
*HuFf*
*PUFf*
* hU F F*
*PUfF*
*HufF*
*puFf*
"
Shuzumu panted, his voice hoarse from yelling so loud. "To think you managed to pull all of this off…" The man gestured to the battle-torn pens, almost sounding impressed.
Like a box of matches, Shuzumu's hand lit aflame, the fire in it hissing in a low voice as it got ignited. He held out that hand in front of Izuku's sweaty face, the heat painting his skin a sick orange. "You won't get to do that again, brat. I'll make sure you don't even THINK about doing this again!"
The man's flaming hand got closer to Izuku's face, the dry heat forcing his eyes shut.
The pain never came.
The ground began to shake.
Shuzumu stopped, the fire in his hand sizzling out.
"Huh?"
"An Earthquake?"
The entire underground facility shook and rumbled. The catwalks clanked, the animals howled, and the men lost their footing as the sound of the Earthquake dominated the space.
"Wohohooaaaa!"
In his panic, the bald man who held Izuku dropped the boy. Landing on the shaking ground with a small thud, Izuku immediately breathed in precious oxygen, coughing, and caressing his sore neck.
That was when he felt it with his seismic sense, joining Chima in smirking in victory.
Why?
The back wall of the facility exploded out abruptly; A cloud of dust was released into the air and shrapnel of earth were shot in every direction.
"WHAT THE HELL?!"
"ARE WE UNDER ATTACK?!"
The poachers watched with mouths agape as the dust cloud cleared, revealing what it was that broke into their base.
Badgermoles burst forth from the wall in a horde, stomping on the concrete floor and trampling unassuming poachers as they went.
A battalion of Shirshu and Catgators followed soon after, baring out their teeth.
Up above their heads was a large flock of Wolfbats, wailing out their unique cries which echoed in the large space.
"WHAT THE FUCK?!" One of the poachers yelled out their collective thought, staring at the small army with wide eyes.
Izuku face broke into a gleaming smile at the sight of reinforcements, looking at them and coming across someone familiar.
Sitting perched on the head of a Badgermole was a small black & white Lop-eared rabbit, squeaking out in fervor that matched that of an army commander.
'It's her!' The boy realized, getting up and running in Chima's direction while the poachers gaped at the invading force.
"RRRRRRRRRRRRRRROOOOOOOOOOOOOOAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAARRRRRRR!"
The animals all roared together, creating the world's mightiest battle cry. The poachers all backed away in horror, the thundering roar ringing in their ears as the beasts charged at them with bloody murder in their eyes.