ROLL CALL!!!
YOU KNOW THE DRILL, EVERY 250 PS = 1 EXTRA CHAPTER!
I DONT HAVE A PATREON SO IF YOU WANT TO SUPPORT READ MY OTHER STORY: MY SCUMBAG SYSTEM
***
Rain slicked the asphalt of a dark Musutafu alley, turning everything into glossy reflections of neon and moonlight. Isaiah stood over a gray-skinned thug curled into a fetal position on the wet ground, baseball bat resting casually on his shoulder. The man whimpered, hands clutching his shattered kneecap, raindrops mixing with tears on his face.
A salaryman pressed against the brick wall, clutching his briefcase like a shield. His glasses had slipped down his nose, and his expensive suit was torn at the shoulder where the thug had grabbed him minutes earlier.
Isaiah didn't look at the victim. He kept his eyes fixed on the defeated criminal, watching for any sudden movements. This was his seventh takedown of the night, and the pattern had become almost boring in its predictability.
"Call the police," Isaiah said, lowering his voice into a theatrical growl. The surgical mask covering his face made the words sound muffled and ominous. "Tell them the Super Stylish Thug Slayer sends his regards."
The salaryman nodded frantically, fumbling for his phone.
Isaiah turned and sprinted away, his footfalls eerily silent on the wet pavement. The darkness between buildings swallowed him whole, leaving no trace he'd ever been there. He climbed a fire escape like someone who'd spent a week making the city's rooftops his personal highway system.
A notification pinged in his vision as he crouched on the rooftop ledge.
[Foe Defeated! +50 AP Earned!]
"Fifty points?" Isaiah spat, pulling off his surgical mask to breathe the rain-washed air. "That's it? That's half what I was getting two weeks ago."
『Basic economics,』 Arcan replied, her mental voice dripping with smug satisfaction. 『You've outleveled these low-tier mobs. Of course they're worth less now.』
Isaiah scowled, watching police lights approach the alley below. "Four hours of prowling for pocket change. I've beaten up seven losers tonight and barely cleared 400 AP."
He pulled the hood lower over his face and began running across the rooftops, heading northeast. The city sprawled beneath him like a circuit board of lights and shadows.
『Perhaps this is a lesson about squeezing every last drop of AP from an F-Rank lemon before upgrading to E-Rank?』
"Yeah yeah, you were right." Isaiah stopped on a gargoyle-adorned ledge overlooking a four-way intersection. "Happy now?"
Rain pattered against his All Might hoodie, darkening the bright blue fabric to a deeper navy. He watched cars pass below, headlights cutting yellow paths through the darkness.
"The Super Stylish Thug Slayer is officially too cool for this town," Isaiah sighed dramatically, spreading his arms wide. "I guess it's time to hang up the bat."
He pulled off his soaked beanie and ran a hand through his damp green hair. The night had been a waste. He'd burned calories for minimal gain, and Inko would notice if he stayed out much later. Tomorrow was Sunday – his last free day before returning to Aldera. He needed to make it count.
"Let's head home," Isaiah said, turning away from the edge. "Maybe I can clear some more beach trash tomorrow. At least that pays—"
The air pressure shifted.
Something sliced through the night with a high-pitched whine. His instincts screamed danger before his brain could process why.
Isaiah's body moved on its own, enhanced reflexes propelling him into a forward roll. Two crackling prongs slammed into the concrete gargoyle where his head had been a split second earlier. The stone exploded, fragments raining down onto the street below.
His heart hammered against his ribs as he came up into a crouch, scanning for the source of the attack. "What the fuck?"
On the adjacent rooftop, silhouetted against the full moon, stood a figure. Female, athletic build, standard police uniform with one significant difference – she had wolf ears perked attentively on her head, and a bushy tail lashed behind her. She held what looked like an advanced taser pistol, aimed directly at his chest.
"FREEZE, SCUMBAG!" Her voice carried across the gap between buildings, clear and authoritative.
A massive, blood-red notification slammed into his vision, pulsing urgently:
[EMERGENCY QUEST ISSUED: THE PREDATOR BECOMES THE PREY]
You've been sloppy. You've been loud. You've been stylish. And you've finally attracted the attention of a predator who is better at this game than you are. Don't get caught.
[Objectives]
ESCAPE the perimeter of the pursuing officer.
DO NOT reveal your identity.
[Rewards for Success]
+1000 AP
Unique Title: [Elusive]
[Penalty for Failure]
Status Effect: [Identity Exposed]
[Hero Path Permanently Locked]
Possible Game Over.
Isaiah's mouth went dry. One thousand AP was a fortune, but the penalties... they were absolute. Failure wasn't an option.
The wolf-eared officer took a step forward. "Hands where I can see them, vigilante. You're done."
Isaiah didn't panic. Instead, he straightened up slowly, brushing dust off his hoodie. With deliberate nonchalance, he reached into his pocket and pulled out his Charismatic Sunglasses. He slid them on with a flourish, despite it being 1 AM in the pouring rain.
"Wow," he called across the gap. "A girl with a gun and cute ears? Don't you know it's rude to shoot at a guy before at least buying him dinner first?"
The officer's professional expression cracked. Her eyes narrowed, and her wolf ears flattened against her head. "You think this is a joke?"
"Depends." Isaiah leaned against what remained of the gargoyle. "Is that tail wagging because you're happy to see me, or is it just good at catching criminals?"
Her lips curled back in a snarl, revealing slightly pointed canines. "I've been tracking you for days, 'Super Stylish Thug Slayer.' You're not a hero. You're a criminal with a baseball bat and a bad fashion sense."
"Fashion sense?" Isaiah placed a hand over his heart in mock offense. "This hoodie is vintage All Might merch, show some respect to the number one hero!"
He was buying time, assessing his options. The gap between buildings was too wide for a normal jump. The fire escape was three meters to his right. The streets below were empty enough that a controlled descent might work.
The officer must have sensed his mental calculations. She holstered her taser and crouched slightly. "Don't even think about it."
Then she leaped.
The distance between buildings was nearly seven meters, but she crossed it in a single bound, her body arcing through the rain. She landed just two meters from Isaiah, her knees bending to absorb the impact.
Isaiah didn't wait. He bolted.
His feet pounded across the rooftop, heading east. Behind him, he heard the officer give chase, her footsteps unnaturally quick. He pushed his body to its limits, drawing on every point of his enhanced Agility.
『She's faster than you expected,』 Arcan warned. 『Her Quirk gives her animal-level speed!』
Isaiah vaulted over an air conditioning unit, rolled, and kept running. The officer cleared it with a single leap, gaining ground.
"Stop running!" she shouted. "You're only making this worse!"
Isaiah reached the edge of the building and jumped to the next rooftop without breaking stride.
They raced across the Musutafu skyline, a bizarre chase illuminated by moonlight. Isaiah was faster in a straight line, but the wolf-officer was more agile, using pipes and ledges to maintain her pursuit. Her Quirk gave her an almost supernatural awareness of her surroundings, allowing her to navigate obstacles without slowing.
Isaiah slid under a clothesline, wet sheets slapping his face. "What's your name, Officer Fuzzy?" he called over his shoulder. "I like to know who's trying to arrest me!"
"Detective Kaori Hoga," she replied, slicing through the clothesline with a swipe of her clawed hand. "And you can tell me your name at the station!"
Isaiah spotted his opportunity three buildings ahead – a water tower with a maintenance ladder. He changed direction sharply, sprinting toward it.
Kaori anticipated the move, cutting diagonally to intercept him. She was learning his patterns too quickly.
Isaiah reached the water tower first, but only by seconds. He scrambled up the ladder, reaching the circular platform that surrounded the tank. Kaori followed, her claws giving her better purchase on the slippery metal rungs.
When she pulled herself onto the platform, Isaiah was waiting on the opposite side, cornered against the edge. Beyond him was a ten-meter gap to the next building – an impossible jump.
Kaori smiled, her tail swishing behind her. "Nowhere to run, Slayer."
Rain plastered her dark hair to her forehead, running in rivulets down her face. Her red eyes gleamed in the darkness, fixed on him. She advanced slowly, one hand extended.
"Take off the mask and the hood," she ordered. "Let's see who's been terrorizing my city."
Isaiah glanced behind him at the yawning gap, then back at Kaori. He gave a theatrical bow, water dripping from his hood.
"It's been a pleasure, Detective. The cardio was great." He winked. "Let's do this again sometime."
Before she could react, he turned and took a running leap off the platform. From the water tower, he saw her rush to the edge, her silhouette framed against the city lights.
At the apex of his jump, Isaiah ripped his medical mas off, opened his mouth and unleashed a gout of orange flame. The fire shot behind him like a rocket, propelling him forward that crucial extra distance.
He hit the opposite rooftop with his feet, rolling to absorb the impact, and came up in a crouch. The flames died as quickly as they'd appeared.
Isaiah rose to his feet, turned, and gave her a lazy two-fingered salute. His footsteps made no sound as he backed away, maintaining eye contact until the last possible moment. Then he melted into the shadows between a rooftop greenhouse, vanishing completely.
Kaori stood alone on the water tower, rain soaking through her uniform. Her eyes narrowed, tracking the last place she'd seen the vigilante. Her tail lashed behind her in agitation.
"Fire Quirk, teenage build, green hair visible under the hood," she muttered, committing the details to memory.
She pulled out her phone, dialing her partner. "Tsukauchi? It's Hoga. I just had contact with our vigilante." She paused, watching lightning flash across the sky. "No, he got away. But I got something better – a Quirk reading. We're looking for a fire-breather with green hair."
Lightning illuminated her face, revealing a smile that was anything but friendly.
"Don't worry, sir. I'll find him." Her clawed hand tightened around the phone. "The hunt is just beginning."