Author: Alex Williams & Harley Jameson | Banner: Andrew Sudomerski

Table of Contents:
Chapter 1: The Checklist
Chapter 2: Frostbite
Chapter 3: Mt. Lady Conquers the Mountain
Chapter 4: Run, Chandlar, Run!
Chapter 5: No Holds Barred
Chapter 6: Beaten to the Brink of Death
Chapter 7: Training Day
Chapter 8: Vacation is All I Ever Wanted
Chapter 9: The Eleking Light Orchestra
Chapter 10: First Responders
Chapter 11: Food for Thought
Chapter 12: School of Hard Knocks
Chapter 13: Addressing the People of Earth
Chapter 14: Triumph of Mt. Lady
Epilogue: Towards a Brighter Future

Chapter 1: The Checklist

Vegetables, noodles, some fish, milk, rice, eggs, and basic toiletries and hair care products. Yu Takeyama folded her arms as she stared down at her grocery list longingly as she pulled out her phone to activate the calculator app. Everything had to be budgeted out just right so she could get what she needed at a decent price that wasn’t rock bottom quality. Despite her teammates’ insistence to help her whenever possible, the fact that she was still in such deep debt only made this sort of thing even more necessary. After all, the extra money never went to her. And she had coupons.

She sighed through her nose and cocked her head slightly. At least she was still able to make enough money that she wasn’t completely reliant on the budgeting she was currently doing. Barely enough for a few frivolities, but it was better than a totally spartan lifestyle. Most of those sponsorships she tried to get did wonders for filling up her apartment with a mishmash of products far too expensive to normally think about.

Shaking her head a little, she smoothed out the list and pushed forward deeper into the store. Now wasn’t the time to be moping about her situation. She could do that after buying herself some cheap dinner with her paltry spending money. Thank god for instant ramen.

Yu was happy about one thing though, as she carefully picked through the various pricings and displays to find the best deal on the few fresh vegetables laid out on the table. No one ever recognized her. Oh it frustrated her to no end that she wasn’t actually recognized like some of the more popular heroes, but if she were being honest, the anonymity was nice.

Wryly, she thought about how her fellow Lurkers looked out of costume and chuckled to herself at the idea of seeing either of them attempting to blend in considering how little they were able to blend into a simple grocery store thanks to their quirks.

With her shopping carefully calculated and paid for, Yu busied herself with the long walk back towards her apartment, weaving through the crowded streets with practiced ease and looking around a little to see if any of her fellow heroes were out on patrol. Unless they were her teammates they likely didn’t know her that well, but it was nice seeing friendly faces. It made the city feel a little safer having them around.

High above the city on one of the buildings was the current hero ranking being displayed on one of the gigantic monitors. There, scrolling through the various names was Mt. Lady, blurring past the screen as the top ten were showcased. Pictures of Edgeshot and Kamui Woods were bedazzled with colorful effects as their rankings were proudly put in the forefront. She smiled a little before turning and disappearing into the crowd to head back home.

With a flick of the wrist, she turned the key and opened the door to her quaint apartment. It wasn’t much, but it was home, at least the most she made out of it. Yu sighed before following it up with a small smile, traversing towards the kitchen counter, setting the groceries down.

“Perhaps some TV will be nice to drown everything out,” murmured Yu, pressing play on the nearby remote. She reached her hands into the bags and began moving them to their respective places in the kitchen.

“Stocks for Edwards have plummeted fourteen percent,” the newscaster spoke while Yu rolled her eyes.

“And here I am with five percent of my pay being docked over minor damages,” she muttered, placing the fish in the freezer, before slamming it shut. “It was one little sign I accidentally stepped on to cut off the villain!”

Grabbing a hold of the produce from the bag, she eyed the nearby bowl and aimed for it. Yu threw them one at a time, most landing inside while a few bounced off the counter, spiraling down towards the floor. She gritted her teeth, marching over to pick up the fallen food, noticing the dents from the impact.

“Great…” Yu muttered, brushing off the dust and crumbs missed from her previous attempts at cleaning her apartment. She shuffled over to the sink and washed them, ensuring they’d at least be somewhat sanitary when the time came to eat them. “Can’t do a good job to get in the top ten, can’t do a good job to get everything in.”

She sighed, shaking the water off the produce before turning back towards the bowl.

“I’m happy for Edge and Kamui, it’s just…. I want to be there….. With them.”

Yu continued to wander in her own mind, her thoughts of greatness and being able to live a life, instead of barely scraping by from her meager salary.

“Yeah, that does sound nice.”

The Pro Hero placed the slightly dented bell pepper into the bowl. “A huge check, full course meals and actually being able to go out and do stuff. What girl wouldn’t want that?”

She went over to place the next fruit into the vessel, but suddenly lost her balance when a quake rumbled her whole apartment. The tremor sent her crashing down, however, she quickly caught her balance by placing her hand on the counter while the other was forced to squash the remaining fruit in her hand. Yu held on until the rumbling ceased, as she then took a moment to compose herself, exhaling from the event.

Before Yu could even questioned what had just transpired, she looked at the remains of the tomato squished from her hand. She rolled her eyes, “Thank you, mother nature.”

She wiped the remains of the fruit and walked back into the living to check up on the status of the earthquake. What she saw, however, was static as the field reporter’s voice barely came in.

“This….. is not a…. quake. It’s….. a monster…… I repeat…. a monster!”

“Huh?” Yu cocked her head to the side, perplexed at what the reporter was trying to convey, barely seeing the news crew running through the city terrified.

“The entire block……. frozen….. Cars…. unable …… start….. and civilians are…..” the reporter tried to relay, but the feed was cutting in and out before a roar was heard.

The crew immediately screamed in anguish as bluish-white mist washed over, completely freezing them, forcing Yu’s eyes to widen at the pure horror. The camera the crewmember was holding fell over, turning just right to capture a glimpse at the culprit responsible. It was a grayish, winged creature, with walrus like features for its face. The creature let out a roar, flapping its wings, allowing its mist to spread further into the city. It was then the feed went out, leaving nothing but static on the TV.

“What the hell?” Yu quivered.

Then, her phone rang as she did not hesitate to pick it up, despite the fear she felt in her body.

“Yu,” Woods voice came through the device, elevating her heart rate.

“Woods!” she exclaimed, feeling a sense of relief from hearing his voice. “Did you see the footage?”

“Yes,” her teammate answered. “Edgeshot and I are heading towards its direction, but we need you to engage it here and now!

“Me!?” The Pro Hero yelped out.

“Yes, you! You’re the closest one to it after all.”

Her eyes nearly shot out of her sockets at the revelation as all she could do was mutter, “What?”

“The monster is only a few blocks away from you,” Kamui elaborated.

“Ah, shit….” Yu muttered out.

“Please! You’re the only who has a chance of holding it at bay,” Woods called out as Yu exhaled once more.

“Right, I can do this,” Yu spoke up, slightly composing her.

“I know you,” Woods paused before continuing. “Just be careful.”

Yu simply smiled at the care her friend was eliciting. “Of course, but you owe me.”

“I’ll pay for your next meal,” offered Kamui.

“Make it three and you got a deal,” countered Yu.

“Only if you defeat it on your own.”

“Deal!” Yu declared, before hanging up and quickly changing into her costume. Mt. Lady bolted from the living room and nearly kicked down her door. She needed to make it to the battlefield as soon as she could, but stared at the fork in the road. Downstairs took longer, but guaranteed her exit safely, but going upstairs meant she could get the drop on the beast.

“But that’s only if he doesn’t destroy my home,” Lady nearly snarled at the idea of going homeless from this encounter.

 

Chapter 2: Frostbite

She breathed out before suddenly wrapping her arms around herself, shivering from the sudden drop in temperature. Mt. Lady exhaled to see her breath become visible. Her eyes widened only to realize what was happening as everything around her began to freeze over, turning into the same bluish-white she saw on the TV.

“Upstairs, it is then,” Lady concluded, bolting up to the stairs only to land on her stomach on the hardened steps. She shook her head, feeling an intense headache coming on while her entire frontside was throbbing from the collision.

“Son of a bitch,” the hero muttered, slowly picking herself up. She needed to get to the roof as fast as she could, but couldn’t risk injuring herself by running, much less walking up the steps.

“Time to be a big baby then.”

She reached her arms forward, barely able to grab a hold of the steps and pulled upwards. Mt. Lady went as she could, feeling the decreasing temperature take a hold of her as her skin was tingling. Her breathing became more rapid, almost letting out cries of agonizing pain until she reached the door.

Yu pulled on the handle only to realize it was sealed shut from ice.

“Goddammit!” Mt. Lady screamed out, reeling her fist back as she forced it to the door, breaking it open. Her eyes widened while her mouth quivered, realizing the impressive display of strength.

“I did not realize I had it in me… Edge owes me ten dollars.”

Mt. Lady continued to crawl towards the edge of the frozen roof only to see the winged monster had just made it past her complex.

“Shit…. That walrus… No, it looks more like a penguin, walked past it.”

Mt. Lady slowly got to her feet, composing herself as she got ready to launch her attack onto the kaiju. “Okay… maximum effort for the pen… Peguila. That works for this ugly duckling.”

She didn’t jump off the building, but instead elected to just walk off as she activated her quirk, growing to a full ninety-two meters. The landing alerted Peguila to the new arrival only to be greeted with a fist from the giant woman.

The winged walrus shrieked, feeling himself stumble backwards while Mt. Lady put up her fists, readying herself for what the kaiju threw at her. His wings scraped against the tops of buildings, with pieces of concrete crumbling down onto the now frozen streets. Peguila eyed the gigantic woman, seemingly baffled at how the tiny creatures he was chasing just moments ago could grow to a size that surpassed him.

He nearly backed away as she glared back at him, anxious at what she had in store for him. He gulped, but remained firm. The flying walrus immediately flapped his wings, slamming them repeatedly on top of the ruined buildings while he opened his maw. The same mist several had witnessed before was unleashed, flying directly towards the Pro Hero.

Mt. Lady crossed her arms in front of her face, as they were met with the freezing temperatures of the mist. She chuckled at how the projectile was nowhere near as effective as it was beforehand. She continued to hold her position, the beam starting to die out, allowing her to take a couple steps forward.

Peguila’s mouth grew tired, forcing him to close it while Mt. Lady simply smirked at her tired foe once she lowered her arms. She bolted forwards, intending to strike him square in the face. Mt. Lady reared her arm back and sent it flying towards her target, hoping to turn it into a crater.

“AH!!!!!!” she cried out from the sudden searing pain in her arms. From the outburst, she felt herself losing her balance, as she crashed directly into Peguila’s left wing, eliciting a laugh of pure joy from it. Before she could even question what had just transpired, Peguila smacked her across the face with his wing, sending her stumbling until she collapsed onto her back.

“What the…” Mt. Lady murmured, eyeing the now approaching Peguila while she attempted to reach up before hissing in agony. She glanced at her arms, noticing the huge red marks on her arms. The Pro Hero gritted her teeth, wanting to slam the street with her hand in anger, but couldn’t.

“Okay… I guess I’m not immune to the cold at this height,” she groaned, using her feet to pick herself back up as Peguila roared at her, begging for her to try that maneuver again.

“Guess it couldn’t hurt to try this, then,” Mt. Lady surmised, shrugging her shoulders before placing her right shoulder forward and charging towards Peguila. The kaiju witnessed the display, his eyes immediately widening in shock. He went to open his maw, but it was too late as she slammed her body into his chest, a couple of ribs snapping from the impact. Peguila cried out, falling towards the ground while Mt. Lady stood above him smirking.

“Didn’t like that, huh?” questioned Mt. Lady, but the creature stretched his wings outwards towards her, wrapping her in them. She immediately screamed out, trapped in the kaiju’s grip as his talons scratched at her back, drawing streaks of blood. The superhero continued to cry from the series of cuts, but despite her impressive strength, she was no match for his grip.

Peguila laughed at her feeble attempts to escape as an idea formed in his head. His jaw no longer ached, the mist was now to be fired at full effect. Letting his jaw drop, the Winged Freezing Monster allowed the molecules to hit the inside of his mouth, charging his signature attack.

At that moment, Mt. Lady saw what he was about to do. Her eyes widened with horror, knowing this could very well be the end of her and more importantly, the end of numerous people. Her arms continued to punch at the wings restraining her, but it was like throwing a ball of paper at metal. Nothing worked.

She could barely think with the creature’s talons still scratching her back, painting it blood red. Her arms still suffering from the freezer burn didn’t make matters any better as she felt her punches becoming more and more useless. At this point, anything she could throw at him was merely an act of desperation.

“Unless…..”

Feeling the blood in her body race, her quirk activated. Mt. Lady felt her entire body shrink down to her normal height, dropping down on all fours on the creature’s stomach. All the while Peguila’s eyes widened once more as his beam shot out, completely missing his target, freezing the air around him instead.

Mt. Lady slowly got up and smirked, hearing the mist firing off, “I’ll have you know, I’m not a fan of brain freezes.”

She glanced down at her arms, still seeing the red marks plastered all over them, however, sensation was coming back to them. The Pro Hero breathed out, placing her hands on her hips, “Take two!”

The blood in her body raced once more as she allowed her quirk to reactivate. Her entire body morphed once more, reaching the heights of the many skyscrapers around her, bursting through Peguila’s wings, shredding them like paper.

Peguila cried in agony, watching his wings explode like they were nothing, flesh raining down on him as Mt. Lady simply smiled at him. She stomped down on his chest repeatedly, cracking more of his ribs. Each one earned another cry from the winged beast as he attempted to charge up one last mist to freeze her in place.

However, Mt. Lady winked at him, before reeling her foot back and sending it crashing into his chin. The impact shattered the bone, forcing his jaw to close down. It was then Mt. Lady got to her knees, pressing against his chest while he stared at her, terrified at what she could do to him.

“This is gonna hurt…” Mt. Lady announced, glancing at her bright red arms, pulling her arm back. “But, it’ll be so worth it.”

The last thing Peguila could do was gulp before the Pro Hero struck his face, causing his vision to go completely black. His head dropped to the ground, completely unconscious. Mt. Lady took a moment to breathe before slowly getting back up, assessing the current situation.

She looked around at the frozen city, worried about the state it would be stuck in. Flames shot out, striking the streets and sidewalk around her, melting them. It was then she spotted Endeavour blazing past her, contributing to healing the area from Peguila’s attack.

“Flame on, pal,” Mt. Lady breathed out, wiping the sweat off her forehead. “It’s your turn.”

“Mt. Lady!” Kamui Woods called out as both him and Edgeshot landed in front of her.

The Pro Hero turned around to spot her comrades just below her as her wooden comrade began wrapping Peguila up with his branches, acting as a temporary prison cell for it.

She weakly waved at them. “Hey guys, you’re a bit late.”

“I’m so sorry!” Kamui cried out, tears pouring from his eyes as she simply raised an eyebrow in confusion. “It won’t happen again!”

Mt. Lady scratched the back of her head, chuckling at her teammate’s emotional outburst. “Don’t worry about it. Just make good on your promise.”

“My… my promise?” Woods asked.

“You owe her three meals,” Edgeshot chimed in, elbowing his teammate.

“I’ll buy her six meals at this point!” Kamui retaliated with pure joy, incredibly proud at seeing his friend standing above the defeated monster. A monster she took down herself as he couldn’t help but continue to cry tears of joy. His only regret was that he didn’t see it in person.

“I gladly accept,” Mt. Lady gleefully spoke out, crossing her arms as she then eyed Edgeshot. “By the way, Edge, you owe me ten dollars.”

“You kicked down a door, didn’t you?” the masked hero inquired.

“I punched down a door,” Mt Lady proudly announced while Edgeshot reached into his pocket for the ten dollars he now owed her.

 

Chapter 3: Mt. Lady Conquers the Mountain

“I’m in love with Peguilos!” Yu screamed out, enthusiasm oozing out of her voice, lifting the box of cereal up with Peguila’s face plastered in front of a bowl of cereal.

“Seriously…. Peguilos? Are they that stupid?”

“And cut!” the director’s voice echoed throughout the soundstage, allowing the Pro Hero to set the box of cereal down onto the table. “Amazing work, Mt. Lady! The fine folks of Japan will eat this up in no time!”

“Yeah, I bet they will,” Yu quietly snarked to herself.

“Though, I do wonder what it tastes like?”

“Excuse me, ma’am?” a weak, shriveled up voice called to her, gaining the hero’s attention.

Yu turned around to see a small, elderly heteromorph approaching her. His mole-like body slowly approached her as he held a piece of paper in one hand and a cane in the other. “Oh, um, how can I help you?”

“Are you…” the elderly man paused, looking down at the piece of paper, adjusting his glasses, ensuring he’s reading what it said properly. “Are you Yu Takeyama?”

“I sure am!” she spoke proudly, her voice echoing.

The old man covered his ears, crying out, “Not so loud please.”

“Oh, my apologies,” the hero quietly spoke, tugging on her costume with remorse.

“Anyways, I have your check,” the tiny man announced, bringing the piece of paper towards her as she gently grabbed it.

“It’s probably nothing more than petty cash.”

Her eyes glazed over the check, searching for the amount on it and found something rather peculiar with it. She paused, her mouth dropping slightly as she felt her entire body tense up. Yu’s eyes scanned the check once more to make sure she was reading it right, even tempted to steal the old man’s glasses to triple check, but the piece of paper didn’t lie.

“Ten thousand dollars!” Mt. Lady screamed out, pure excitement coursing through her entire body.

“Ow!” the old man cried out, covering his ears once more.

“That’s more than I made in seven months!” she called out, bouncing up and down from all the money she made. For the first time in these past few years, she felt herself no longer stressed. She knew she wasn’t out of the woods with her financial problems, but she no longer had to live in poverty. Yu could finally live a little.

“That’s more than I made in five years,” the old man sadly pointed out, turning around to walk away, with his head down as Yu gulped, feeling immediate regret from blurting that out.

***

Several pairs of eyes stared her down while lights were cast upon her against the night sky backdrop. Her answer to the mixture of the faces she saw in the crowd, ranging from excitement to judgment, was to smile and wave.

“Now, Mt. Lady,” the host’s voice spoke up, eliciting a head turn from the superhero, placing her hands under her chin, allowing them to rest on the air of the comfy chair she sat on. The host eyed her and paused, ensnarled by her beauty as she winked at him. Immediately his face turned bright red, causing him to fan the flames with the small stack of papers he held in hand.

“Aw!” Mt. Lady called out, swinging her knees onto the couch, keeping her eyes peeled onto the host. “Am I getting you hot and bothered?”

“Yikes!” the host blurted out, continuing to wave the stack of papers to keep himself cool. “I guess Gigantification isn’t your quirk, then!”

The audience chuckled at the host’s comment while Mt. Lady switched her position by sitting back down in her seat, turning her attention towards them. “What can I say, I’m hotter than Endeavour. The numbers just don’t realize it yet.”

“Speaking of that, what would you do if you made it to the number one spot in the leaderboard,” the host inquired, briefly scanning over his papers.

Mt. Lady rested her elbow on the arm of the chair, then planted her head on her fist. She started to hum while she was conjuring up a response, waving at the audience with her freehand. Then, like a lightbulb turning on, the response came to her.

The hero straightened herself up and answered “Finally have enough money to spend on a date.”

“Oh? Is there someone special to you,” the host asked, leaning in with great interest at discovering more of her personal life.

“No, but someone in the audience could be a future partner,” Mt. Lady hummed, snapping her head to the audience as she then winked at them, causing them to erupt with excitement. They were all cheering for her, instantly falling in love with her bubbly, hilarious personality Mt. Lady felt incredible.

She felt happy during other moments in her life, but nothing came close to these past few weeks and how she was just happy to be recognized. People were starting to see her as a person and not just some B-lister hero.

“Life is amazing, and so is having cash”

***

“Ooh! Ooh!” Yu yelped out, slamming her menu down on the table. Her fellow Lurkers, Shinji Nishiya and Shinya Kamihara, nearly jumped from her outburst.

“Not so loud,” Kamihara hushed, keeping his eyes peeled on the menu.

Yu seemingly ignored her friend, pointing everything out on the menu, shouting, “All of that!”

Kamihara sighed, passing his menu off to the waitress. “The Unagi-Don, please.”

The waitress nodded, turning over to Nishiya, who even in civilian attire, chose to keep his appearance concealed. His skin was covered completely by a long purple turtleneck sweater and blue jeans. All the while his puffy red leaf-like hair was barely visible underneath the orange hat that sat comfortably on top of his head.

“And for you, um… Sir?” she inquired, puzzled by the man’s choice of attire as he kept his gaze completely on his menu.

The concealed customer trembled in his seat, his menu shaking like crazy. Kamihara’s eyebrows raised up as Yu inched closer to her friend. “Nishiya, you okay?”

“I’M SO PROUD OF YOU!” the concealed hero cried out, tears pouring from out of his eyes, drenching the inside of his turtleneck. He grabbed a hold of Yu and wrapped her up in a big hug.

“Woah!” Yu yelped out, completely taken by surprise from her friend’s display of affection. She then patted him on the shoulder while her eyes searched the entirety of the restaurant, noticing the rest of the customers eyeing them. She cracked open a nervous smile before turning her attention back to Nishiya. “I appreciate it, Nishiya. Just, uh, best you order now, huh.”

“Of course!” Nishiya spoke up, turning back to the waitress, calming himself down almost instantaneously. “The sashimi salad.”

“It’ll be right out,” the waitress nearly stammered, backing away from the group to avoid witnessing any more theatrics.

“So,” Kamihara paused, taking a sip from his oolong tea, before resuming. “How’s it feel gaining all this recognition?”

Swallowing the sake she drank, she smiled at her brother in arms. “Amazing. I’m getting paid to say stupid crap for their products, talk about random mumble jumbo on talk shows and even get to make smalltalk with the average Joe.”

“Can I get your autograph!?” a high-pitched voice called out, with Yu turning around to see a rainbow colored girl holding a magazine in front of her.

The Pro Hero smiled at the girl, grabbing the magazine and pen from her. “You sure can.”

She inspected the cover of the magazine only to find it to be a photo of her with back facing the cover and her head turned around, smiling. She wasn’t bothered by that, but by the person who took that photo focusing on her rear being front and center.

“Of course you did, Soto. You picked that one.”

Nonetheless, she looked past it and signed her name on the magazine before handing it off to the girl.

“Thank you so much! I hope I can be as awesome as you someday!” the girl enthusiastically voiced out, bouncing up and down after meeting her hero while all sorts of colors were oozing out of her with a variety of unknown effects to the trio.

“Well, considering the amount of colors you’re spilling out, I say you have potential,” Yu chimed in, patting the girl on the shoulder. When, in reality, she had no idea what to say. She was never the inspirational sort or even the most helpful. She just wanted the fame and glory that came with being a hero, and the arrival of Peguila granted her that desire.

Yet, it couldn’t hurt to help someone out every now and then.

“I have potential!?” the rainbow girl cried out, wrapping her magazine tightly against her chest. “I should apply right now!”

The young girl ran off as Yu chuckled with Kamihara rubbing his chin from the display. “Let’s hope she’s actually serious about it.”

Yu waved her hand, dismissing her comrade’s meager concern. “I’m sure nothing bad will happen.”

“Remember, being a hero isn’t just fame and glory, it’s also inspiring and being a role model to those who look up to us,” Nishiya added before taking a drink from his umeshu, carefully placing it between his turtleneck and hat.

“I know, mom,” Yu slightly groaned, taking another swig at the sake. “I’m being careful, but I just can’t help it. I hardly got this amount of attention and even money to where I can be comfortable for once!”

“It’s exciting, and you have every right to feel that way. Don’t get me wrong, just be careful with how you wield your newfound responsibilities. I’ve seen many people crash from all of this,” Nishiya spoke softly, eliciting concern for his dear friend.

Yu cracked open a small smile at her friend. “Of course. I know the two of you are only looking out for me.”

“Naturally,” Kamihara vocalized, before moving his head slightly, signaling to his team members their food was about to arrive.

“Finally! Some good food!” Yu called out, snatching up her chopsticks.

***

Shibuya Crossing

“So, what was it the two of you wanted to show me so badly here?” Yu inquired, searching the countless people passing them on the streets while neon lights from the buildings lit up the entire crossing.

“Just a little arrangement we made with some people for a very special occasion,” Kamihara cryptically spoke, slightly smirking at her.

“Eh?” Yu oozed out, tilting her head slightly. “I don’t like the way you said that, much less smirked at me.”

“It’s good,” Nishiya enthusiastically said, barely keeping his emotions together, feeling his entire body about to explode when the surprise was almost revealed.

“Okay…” Yu trailed off, turning her attention to the people passing by their little group once more.

“Eyes up on the sign, Takeyama,” Kamihara ordered, as Yu did what he instructed.

She kept her eyes on the neon sign like her friend told her to do until it switched over the Pro Hero leaderboard. She scanned through the names, photos and number placement of each hero. She saw where she ranked at number twenty-three.

Yu turned her attention to her two comrades. “I don’t get it. This is just the ranking that shows up occasionally.”

“Wait for it,” Kamihara ordered once more as Nishiya was slowly starting to hop with excitement.

The sign switched again revealing the same image, except something was slightly off. Yu searched the same projection only to find she was no longer at the twenty-third spot. Her heart raced while her eyes widened. Yu’s heart raced as her eyes raced past the twenty-third spot, going all the way to one-hundreth spot.

Nothing.

Her shoulders lowered as she slumped down only for Kamihara to whisper, “Look before twenty-three.”

Yu did so and immediately found her new ranking.

“Seventeen…..” the Pro Hero mouthed, feeling excitement in her body building up while tears poured out of her eyes.

“I ranked up!!!!” Yu cried out with pure joy in her voice, no longer having any doubts about her work of being a hero. Her efforts were finally making a difference to the public, the government and her fellow heroes. She was becoming what she always wanted.

A hero recognized for efforts and a rising star on top of that.

“Yes you did!” Nishiya hollered out, wrapping her friend up in a bear hug, sharing her tears as they both cried out happily.

All the while Kamihara stood there, chuckling at his two friends’ excitement, crossing his arms. He felt pride in his compatriot, knowing she came a long away from her first days of being a hero. It was then he felt two sets of arms wrapping around him, eliciting a gasp from him.

“Get over here!” Yu called out joyfully, wanting both of her friends to be a part of this huge milestone of hers. Kamihara slowly but surely complied as the three of them were proud of this day they were living it.

 

Chapter 4: Run, Chandlar, Run!

A panicked scream raced through the skies of Tokyo as a creature similar to Peguila flapped his wings. The creature felt horror brewing in his stomach as he had barely escaped with his life, having witnessed three of his kind be massacred by his assailant. Their wings ripped off like twigs and their bodies broken like glass. He was fortunate enough to make it this far, but incredibly unlucky the skull-like kaiju kept up at him.

Its roars of pure hatred sent shivers down his spine as he continued flying towards the concrete jungle, hoping to find refuge in it. Chandlar reached the city and breathed a sigh of relief, hoping he’d either lose him or at least have time to buy for him.

The winged creature turned around only to find a massive boulder slamming into his face, earning a shriek of agony. Blood poured from his nose as he lost altitude, sending him careening down the city. The crash shattered three buildings while he flailed around from the rubble scattered around.

Chandlar attempted to get back up, but heard the bones in his back snap from the harsh stomp. His assailant then shrieked out in pure excitement, stomping on the winged creature once more, pounding his chest. The Armored Monster jumped up and down on Chandlar’s back, laughing at his prey’s cries, knowing full well it was the last of the pack.

The predator howled in excitement, wanting to hear more of the winged creature’s screams, wanting it to last as long as he could. He glanced momentarily at the foreign landscape he was in, with curiosity piquing his interest. Perhaps his fun wouldn’t end with Chandlar, but instead continue on with this new endeavor.

The assailant then brought his hands together and slammed them down on the back of Chandlar’s head, earning yet another shriek of pain. The winged creature spat out more blood while the brawler continued striking down on his back repeatedly, almost turning it into mush.

In all of the time he spent beating down the tragic creature, he didn’t hear footsteps approaching him until now. He glanced up and felt compelled to stop. His eyes couldn’t believe it. A creature of colors he wasn’t used to. They were vibrant and beautiful to look at. He couldn’t take his eyes off the woman approaching him. Her body was covered with orange and purple, while yellow covered her entire head. These colors were almost unknown to him, and it made him excited.

Excited to turn them into blood red.

A color he was never bored by.

“I’m going to have to ask you and your friend to get out of my city,” the new arrival barked out, but the Skull Monster waved his arm in dismissal, turning his attention back to the suffering Chandlar.

He looked at his prey, contemplating how he saw this type of creature as exciting to chase down. It was no longer satisfying to him, not when he had her to tear apart. The Skull Monster reached down with his power hands and grabbed the winged creature’s neck.

SNAP!

The Chandlar went limp as the Skull Monster slammed its head down before turning his attention back to the new arrival. He unleashed a roar, stomping his feet down while he reeled his hand back, inviting her to give it everything she’s got.

The new arrival’s eyes widened at the horrific display the Skull Monster just invoked in front of her. Her body slightly trembled at the physicality of the kaiju before her, raising her fists up to match his.

“Shit…” she simply muttered out.

 

Chapter 5: No Holds Barred

“Okay… so what do I call you?” Mt. Lady asked herself, keeping herself at a distance.

The brutish kaiju in front of her laughed maniacally, eagerly awaiting every second that awaited him in pulverizing this colorful creature in front of him. Not wanting to waste another second, he charged straight ahead, ushering out a terrifying roar for all to tremble in fear.

Mt. Lady smirked. “How about King?”

The Pro Hero decided to match his energy and herald her own war cry, charging straight at him. Adrenaline coursed through her entire body, with each footstep leaving a bigger impact than the last. Mt. Lady sent her arm back, readying to strike the Skull Monster and his pitiful tiny head.

The kaiju, on the other hand, was smarter than he let on. He altered the direction of where his fist would strike and sent it crashing into his opponent’s smaller hand.

CRACK!

Her eyes widened, hearing the bones in her fist explode. Seconds passed before the pain surged in as she let out a massive screech of agony. She grabbed her wrist, inspecting the damage only to find her right hand already swelling up, larger than her other. However, it wasn’t the only sign of damage she received on her hand, as blood was pouring out of the bruise, likely from the bone-like surface belonging to the kaiju.

“Motherfucker!” she shrieked out, holding her wrist tightly, as the Skull Monster didn’t waste any time in allowing her to gain the upperhand. With a swift delivery, he struck her in the collarbone, shattering it upon impact, eliciting another cry of pain from her. The devastating blow sent the hero crashing several feet away from him. Mt. Lady felt the asphalt shredding the skin off her legs, hissing at the searing pain she was in, but was interrupted by the rough impact of the building that stopped her flight.

BAM!

Her vision went hazy, barely keeping her eyes open. She saw the Skull Monster approaching her as he bashed his hands together, laughing at the results he was getting so far in this engagement. Mt. Lady spat, feeling anger at the joy the kaiju was getting from this. The Pro Hero slowly lifted her right arm, feeling the intense rush of pain in her hand once more, but tolerated it only to reexamine her wounds.

Her fist was still badly bruised and she could barely lift it. She then looked down at her torso, noticing blood seeping through her costume, as pieces of debris were sticking into her.

“Shit.”

Mt. Lady reached for them with her good hand, but stopped herself. She breathed out, “This might make matters worse.”

The Pro Hero took a couple more breaths before her eyes widened, snapping her head back after realizing what she crashed into. Mt. Lady scanned the impact she made on the building, searching every floor she spotted.

“Please, please, please,” her voice trembling, double checking every bit of the building and to her fortune, she could breathe a sigh of relief. “The government did the right thing for once.”

With newfound optimism brewing in her mind, she found the strength to slowly pull herself together. Mt. Lady rose to meet the approaching kaiju, still bashing his hands together, almost acting like a kid getting ready to destroy a sandcastle. She couldn’t help but glance down at all of her wounds once more.

Her breath oozed out of her lips, inspecting the blood on her body before glancing back up at the kaiju. “Red King. That’s what I’ll call you, you dickhead.”

She pressed her good hand up to her stomach in an attempt to alleviate the pain, limping towards Red King. The brute grinned, watching the giant woman still putting up a fight despite her body being broken. The Skull Monster chuckled, taking a step forward to meet his foe dead on. He couldn’t help but oblige her death wish.

Mt. Lady didn’t have to make the full trek towards Red King, since he expedited the process for her. The brute let out a shriek of laughter before striking her with his powerful fists, however, she was quicker on the draw. With her good fist, she slammed her head against his tiny head, sparking a cry of agony from the headache he now received.

Red King slammed his hands on his head, making an attempt to recover. Seeing the golden opportunity presented to her, Mt. Lady kicked the brute in the stomach, forcing him to stumble back. The Pro Hero followed it up by jumping and launching her feet directly into his throat, forcing him to gag. The goliath spat, slamming his hand on his throat while he attempted to catch his breath.

Mt. Lady smirked ever so slightly and continued her onslaught, repaying the favor by elbowing him in the stomach, earning another gag from Red King. She then slammed her foot down on his, following it up with another strike on his tiny head.

She continued while Red King wailed in agony, furious that this fight wasn’t as fun as he thought it’d be. He roared, feeling every attack slowly break away at his skeletal-like armor, knowing it wouldn’t be long until she finally wore him down. The goliath needed a quick and decisive strike that’s allow him to turn the fight back in his favor. He scanned her entire body, looking for a weak spot she wouldn’t defend until he spotted it.

Red King roared out, raising his fist and with the speed of a guillotine, he struck her in the lower back. The impact caused Mt. Lady to gasp, as if she were being suffocated while her heart ceased to beat. Her ears were ringing like a fire alarm and lastly, her vision went completely black.

Her entire world became a void.

She stood there completely still, observing her surroundings only to find nothing there. She was truly alone in this hell Red King sent her in.

“No. It’s not hell.”

She continued to stare, attempting to search for someone or even something to help with her predicament, but nothing. The Pro Hero tried to speak, to call out for help, but she was too weak. Her lips couldn’t even quiver to express the shock of losing control of one of her most vital parts of her body.

Mt. Lady then tried to move her limbs to get a feel for the area, but much like her lips, they disobeyed her commands. She was frozen in this pitch black world. The Pro Hero may as well be a statue for all to either stare at or walk past.

“Is this purgatory, then?”

The only two things she was sure were functioning were her eyes and her mind. Yet, she wasn’t even sure if she was in the right state of mind when thoughts she normally would never have entered it.

“Perhaps this isn’t so bad afterall. It’s kind of comforting to say the least.”

“No! Why am I thinking like this!? This isn’t where I want to be!”

“I don’t even have to breathe to exist.”

It was then her mind flashed, realizing she wasn’t even breathing the whole time she was in this strange world. And it scared her, sending shivers down her spin.

“I need to get out of here! I can’t die! Not yet!”

“It’s cozy here.”

“NOT YET!”

With every controllable fiber she could reach, Mt. Lady commanded her body to move, to free her from this unknown world. Not just for her sake, but for the sake of everyone. She needed to get out there and save the people of this world from these newfound threats.

“I’m the only one who can do it. Just… Let me go.”

With that passing thought, a light shone down upon her, almost as if someone moved the curtain ever so slightly to the right. Her eyes tilted upwards, noticing the light as it was slowly growing its aura, allowing her to gain a better understanding of what was being shown to her.

She saw the bright blue sky above her with the asphalt right next to her eye. Her ability to feel was slowly coming back to her, but her vision was still incomplete. The Pro Hero couldn’t see past the street as she immediately felt like she was freezing while sweat poured down her entire body.

“How….”

It was then she realized she was starting to have cold sweats, likely from the hit she had just received and the world she exited. Mt. Lady started to breathe, but found it to be hard to manage, stuttering with each attempt.

“Right… Red King,” she managed to speak out, but it only came out as a whisper.

“Great. I don’t even have the strength to speak.”

Mt. Lady eyed her surroundings with her limited vision only to realize her face was much closer to the ground than she realized.

“I don’t even want to know how many times he punched me while I was gone.”

Her thought process came to a grinding halt when she felt her injured arm being pulled on. The pain was unbearable as if it felt like her limb was being torn off as she attempted to scream out, but nothing more than a wheeze oozed out of her lips.

She was completely helpless while Red King roared with laughter, tugging harder and harder. He was eagerly awaiting to hear the bones snap and the blood to shoot out like a sprinkler.

“Goddammit! Why did I ask to leave the void!”

It was fruitless to even try to move as her body was still far too weak to even move more than a couple of inches. She felt resigned to her fate, hoping it’d be quick and painless as with each passing second, her arm felt like it was closer to snapping.

SHOOT!

The pain ceased as her arm dropped to the ground. Mt. Lady gasped, not because it was torn off, but from the sensation of relief she felt as her arm was still present. She took a couple of seconds to compose herself, turning herself around to sit on the street. Her vision was slowly clearing up, tilting her head upwards, she saw what looked like a red razor sharply jabbed into Red King’s right eye, blinding the brute.

Normally, she didn’t care to see a living being suffering, but under the circumstances the goliath put her in, she wasn’t torn up about. Mt. Lady continued to keep breathing, allowing more of her vision to come back to her as her ears stopped ringing.

“Mt. Lady!” a familiar voice called out, slowly getting her attention to the tiny figure down the street. “Mt. Lady!”

“Woods?” she croaked out, making out his unique wooden-like costume, waving his arms up and down towards her.

“Are you okay!?” he cried out.

“Been better,” she weakly answered, slowly getting back up on her feet, following each movement with a series of breaths.

“Um… hold on!” Woods hollered out, turning back to the staggering Red King. “Let me keep this guy preoccupied for a moment!”

The wooden superhero extended his arms forward, right next to Red King’s feet, turning his head upwards at the distant Edgeshot. “Okay, see if you can make him walk forward a tad!”

Edgeshot chuckled. “Of course.”

The masked superhero withdrew his finger just enough within reach of Red King. The goliath eyed the sharp object, intending to crush it with all of his might. He took a monstrous step forward, but found himself losing his balance and falling face first into the rough street.

While she watched her teammates take Red King’s attention away from her, she turned her head around, wanting to get at least a rough idea of her surroundings. To reevaluate her strategy against the Skull Monster, when her eyes widened at a very familiar object. One she noticed before the battle had begun.

The boulder.

She snapped her head back to Woods rushing back towards her.

“Woods!” Mt. Lady finally managed to yell out instead of a wheeze. “See that freakishly large boulder behind me?”

The masked superhero cocked his head past his giant comrade to spot the object she was referring to. “What’s the plan?”

“You think you and Edge can lead Red King over it?” Mt. Lady inquired as Woods nodded.

“Of course, just give us a few,” the Number Seven hero responded, turning around to rush towards the goliath only to stop. “Wait, Red King? He looks more like a di-”

“I know, I know. I’ll explain later,” she hushed out, willing to write a whole novel about it, but not when lives were still at stake.

Woods simply shrugged and raced back towards the battleground while Mt. Lady turned back to the object key to winning this fight. She breathed out, taking a step forward when her entire backside was overwhelmed with the sensation of pain.

“Shit!” Mt. Lady cried out, almost losing her balance, but placed her hand gently on the building, allowing her to recompose herself. “I guess I’m walking, then.”

She inched her way towards the boulder, placing her hand on it, establishing her hold. The Pro Hero couldn’t afford to fall over, not when they were so close to ending this. Her first idea was to lift it and hurl it at his tiny head, but with the damage done to her right hand, it was impossible to lift with one hand.

Instead, she’d have to resort to more drastic measures. As she was preparing, Edgeshot’s razor strings struck Red King’s body. Woods, on the other hand, was backing further and further up, striking the brute with his wooden limbs, aggravating him even more. Red King delivered a volley of kicks at the groundside hero, but Kamui was quicker on the draw, jumping further back and closing in to the rendezvous point.

He eyed Mt. Lady as she nodded at him, making a quick turn around a couple of buildings to get the jump on the kaiju. Woods used his powerful branches on Red King’s stomach, landing small strikes on his skull-like armor. He continued to hit him with everything he had until he felt his back pressed against the boulder. For a second, Woods stopped as he eyed the towering goliath staring down at him. The wooden man simply gulped while Red King grinned, knowing judgment had finally come for him.

With a mighty roar, Red King ushered out a thunderous roar, raising his foot up, intending to squad Woods like the ant he was. With the energy she saved up over those few minutes, Mt. Lady screamed out, ignoring the pain that seared her entire lower body, pushing her legs to move just a few feet. She reared her good fist back and struck Red King in the back of the head, causing him to stumble.

It wasn’t enough and she didn’t intend to stop there. She grabbed a hold of the back of the dazed kaiju’s head and sent it crashing down on the boulder. The resulting impact cracked Red King’s head, his vision going completely black.

The threat was over.

However, she wasn’t satisfied, as hatred brewed in her entire body, still holding him in the palm of her hand. She looked at him before going back to the boulder as she let out another scream. Mt. Lady slammed Red King’s head onto the rock once again, but it didn’t stop there. She slammed it again and again, as more and more blood gushed out of his head. Ichor started to paint the streets while Woods’ eyes went completely wide at the events playing in front of him.

Edgeshot arrived on the scene, just now witnessing the display as he never saw this side of his friend before. Both of their stomachs turned into butterflies as they trembled in horror.

“Mt. Lady!” Edgeshot yelled out, attempting to get her attention, but ignored it, continuing forward with her annihilation of the enemy.

Woods valued his friend greatly, but knew he wasn’t always the best with reaching out to people. He meant well, but his professionalism wasn’t the way to approach the situation, much less save their friend.

He ran towards her, raising his arms out in an attempt to reach her. “Yu! It’s over! ”

To their relief, Mt. Lady paused, turning her head slightly to see Wood’s eyes watering as he and Edgeshot stared up at her. “It’s over! You won! You saved the day! We can go home, relax and have an incredible meal together!”

It was a bunch of words he spurted out in less than thirty seconds, it didn’t make sense the way he said it, but it felt right to her. She breathed out, taking a look at the battered and bloodied Red King, realizing the battle had, indeed, been won.

Mt. Lady relinquished her hold on the bloodied Skull Monster, allowing him to be free from her grasp, following it up with a series of breaths, before chuckling.

Her comrades raised their eyes in confusion as Edgeshot stepped forward. “What’s so funny?”

The gigantic superhero turned back at them, weakly smiling at them. “Red King… it actually makes sense now.”

Her eyes were then sealed shut as her mind powered down, falling on her back, letting sleep take a hold of her.

“I never thought the street would feel so cozy.”

 

Chapter 6: Beaten to the Brink of Death

The gentle beeping of a heart monitor and the low hum of machinery was the first thing Yu heard when she regained consciousness. She laid there for a moment, her eyes feeling tired and heavy. Although her first instinct was to fall back asleep, there was a dull ache running down her arm and down her side, all the way to her leg. She couldn’t ignore it anymore.

She attempted to sit up, only to find herself feeling too heavy and laying back down. At least she didn’t have a breathing mask on, she thought wryly. Reluctantly, she opened her eyes and glanced around her hospital room. There was a little drawer, and on it were flowers and various cards from fans and concerned heroes wishing her well and good health. The sight made her smile a little before she glanced around and found her laptop neatly placed next to her on a tray by the bed. With her good arm she reached over and gently placed it on her legs, ignoring the dull ache in one of them as she leaned back against her bed to open social media.

There were lots of people talking about her fight with Red King. She grimaced a little when she saw the graphic photos that were taken of her fight and she decided it was best not to think about all of that so soon. There was an unease growing somewhere inside of her as she grabbed her phone to text her teammates, but then she put it down suddenly. She wasn’t sure she wanted to see them right now. The pain in her leg was starting to get distracting. Time to call a nurse.

The nurse came in and did a few tests on Yu, changing the bandages on her arm, helping with her cast, and performing a few tests before she could be given her painkillers. There was a soft sigh of relief as she felt the drugs already start to work and the pain beginning to ebb away, just sitting there until her providing doctor walked in. He asked her a few basic questions about her comfort and the cast until he blew out a breath.

“There’s one more thing,” he said, frowning apologetically at her. “It seems that one of the injuries you sustained was some sciatic nerve damage, the nurse had already informed me of the pain you felt running down your leg.” At her unsure nod, he sighed. “I’m afraid that’s going to be something you’ll have to deal with in the future from now on. Sciatic nerve damage often can’t be fixed, even by Recovery Girl or other healing-themed quirks.” He sat down next to her, flipping through her chart. “I’ve prescribed some painkillers to help you with the pain, in addition to your arm, and I would recommend seeing your usual care provider after you’re discharged to get into talks about some kind of physical therapy regime.”

Yu nodded silently, taking in all of the information the doctor had given her and shaking her head when he asked if she had any questions. She was too lost in her own head to really think about questions. Permanent nerve damage. Her arm was considered a miracle. Could she in good faith keep up her hero work with injuries like that? The doctor, oblivious to her concerns, kept speaking. “I’ll go let your teammates know you’re here, they’ve been visiting every day.”

She snapped her gaze at him a little, frowning. “How long was I unconscious?”

He glanced down at the chart for a moment. “At least 3 days, but rest assured there doesn’t appear to be any sign of concussions or any other physical trauma. I think it was just sheer exhaustion. I would recommend you take some time off from your hero work to recover.” He smiled encouragingly at her, then got up to leave, leaving Yu alone with her thoughts again.

There was a polite knock on her door before Shinya and Shinji entered. Yu couldn’t help the amused huff that escaped when they walked in, neither of them looked like they blended in with their civilian outfits. Shinji sat down and scooted over, his eyes laced with concern. Shinji had a small portable cooler draped over his arm. “How are you feeling, Yu?”

She smiled at him wryly. “Better now that I have some painkillers. I’m glad you two aren’t too hurt.”

“We have you to thank for that,” Shinya said simply, taking the seat next to hers and folding his arms. “You took care of the big guy for us.” There was a note of bitterness in his voice as he added, “We were mostly useless.”

“Don’t, Shinya.” Yu frowned at him. “I don’t know what I would do without you two here right now. I.. I don’t think I could do this all on my own.” The idea of fighting these… these kaiju by herself were too much to think about.

Shinji sniffed a bit, tears already threatening to spill down his wooden facemask. “You’ve been really brave lately Yu. You got hurt and everything for all of our sakes…” He sniffed again, dabbing at his eyes a little while his teammate rolled his eyes a bit at his dramatics.

She took an unhappy breath, leaning back against her pillows and nodding. “Yeah, I uh… I actually have some bad news,” she explained to them the nerve damage she had received during her fight with Red King. She looked down at her lap, staring daggers into the fabric. “And… I was told I have to be careful about my arm. If it gets re-injured, it…” Her throat tightened up and she held her hand to her chest to stop it from hurting so badly. “It’s probably going to be permanently damaged too.”

There was a long silence as she let her teammates process the information and Yu felt a storm brewing in her mind. How could she do her job if she was at risk of hurting herself every time something like this happened? What would happen if she was critically injured? The weight of expectation lay heavy on her bruised shoulders and she found it a bitter taste in her mouth after the waves of success she suddenly had.

“It seems to me the only way to be prepared is to take up some proper fight training,” Shinya said at last, leaning back in his chair a little and balancing himself on Yu’s bed with his foot. “I don’t think you have any formal training, do you Yu?” She shook her head and he continued. “Thought so. It can double as your physical rehab as well… sort of.”

She mulled the idea over in her head for a few moments. “Who did you have in mind to train me?” She asked.

“Gunhead,” he said back, letting his chair thump back on all four legs and leaning over. “He’s already trained several heroes and he’s got a dojo on the mainland so we don’t have to travel to the other islands.” He adjusted his facemask a little, gaze flickering at Shinji. “And I think all three of us should go. Not only would we benefit from the extra training…”

His eyes softened a little and Yu knew he was smiling at her. “But it lets us support you too, Yu.”

“I like it, let’s do it,” Shinji said firmly, leaning his hand in and hovering it over Yu’s lap. “We’re in this together.”

Shinya placed his hand over Shinji’s and nodded. Both looked at Yu and she grinned back at her teammates, the Lurkers’ hands joining together as she placed her hand on top of theirs. “Together.” She said firmly. “Once I’m checked out, we’ll go down to Gunhead’s dojo and start training.”

They all locked eyes and nodded to each other before pulling back. Shinji snapped his fingers a bit and reached down to the little cooler, all but forgotten and opened it. “That reminds me, you should see this.” He brought out a few wrapped treats and passed them out.

Unable to use both arms, Shinji’s eyes lit up with delight as he opened Yu’s for her and she gasped out when the crude form of Mt. Lady in ice cream shape was revealed to her. “Congrats on rising up the ranks Yu. They got these things out now. Not bad, ‘cept it’s not plant based.”

She took her ice cream bar and rolled her eyes at him. “Plant based ice cream tastes awful, Shinji.” She shot back, taking a harsh bite out of one of her horns. Her teeth stung slightly but the pleasant taste of vanilla and the chill down her body made her feel miles better than even the painkillers. She smiled gratefully at him and held up her ice cream bar in salute to the others. They raised their ice cream back and started digging in.

 

Chapter 7: Training Day

It was a bit of an odd sight to see the only Pro Hero team standing outside Gunhead’s hero offices and dojo combination. While they weren’t in uniform, to them this had the atmosphere of a mission rather than a personal thing. Mt. Lady held up her injured arm and flexed it a little experimentally. Not a twinge of pain and only some slight scarring. “Recovery Girl really does work miracles,” she remarked to herself. Once her arm had healed enough, Recovery Girl was able to speed up the rest at her request. “Alright, let’s do this boys,” she said to her teammates and with an affirmative nod, the trio walked inside.

Gunhead’s offices were a surprisingly plain place. There were a few memorabilia on the walls but most of it wasn’t covered in anything but a pleasant shade of beige. Kamui Woods hummed thoughtfully. “A lot cleaner than our offices,” he noted idly. Mt. Lady snorted a little and Edgeshot rolled his eyes. “You called ahead, right Edgeshot?” Checking the time, Kamui Woods walked over to the reception desk and started chatting them up.

When offered seats, Mt. Lady politely declined to sit down. The idea was already making her leg start to ache and she started to bounce it a bit as she leaned against the wall to wait for Gunhead when a surprisingly happy and jovial voice called out. “Sorry for keeping you three waiting!”

Gunhead strode in at that moment, hands on his hips happily. “Just making sure the dojo is extra clean for our special students!” he explained a little. Mt. Lady had to resist chuckling, she had forgotten that Gunhead was such a bright guy when he wasn’t working. “Is there anything you three need before we get started? Snacks, water, that sort of thing?” he asked, and even though he was wearing a mask it was easy to tell he was more concerned with Mt. Lady than the other two.

She shook her head, smiling gratefully at him. “No, no, I think we’ll be fine. I’m actually rather eager to get started.” She pushed herself off of the wall while her teammates stood up. “Thanks again for agreeing to do this, I know this is kinda short notice.”

He waved her thanks off as he led them into the dojo. “No, no, no need to thank me. I’m more than happy to help train the country’s favorite hero team. Especially since you need it more than anyone else.” Gunhead rolled one of his shoulders as he handed them each a gi. “I can’t thank you enough for putting your body on the line, Mt. Lady,” he said sincerely, placing a hand on her shoulder. “Can’t even imagine what it must’ve been like for you. That’s why I’m going to make sure you get the best damn training I can muster. Go get changed and I’ll wait for you here.”

Once his new students had changed into their gis, Gunhead had started them with some basic stretches and warm-ups. “Gotta get the blood flowing and your muscles loose,” he explained for Mt. Lady’s benefit more than the others. “Especially since we’ve got to work around your injuries, Mt. Lady.”

“I was wondering about that,” Kamui Woods piped up as he began to do cossack stretches. “Most martial arts require the use of your arms right? How’s that gonna work since Mt. Lady’s arm…” He trailed off a little awkwardly, giving her an apologetic look.

She shook her head at him, it wasn’t shameful to her.

“Ah, I’m glad you asked. I’ll be teaching you three how to kickbox and tae-kwon do. Now, there are still arm movements and the like associated with these two martial arts, but both kickboxing and tae-kwon focus more on legwork and kicking. I’m not gonna lie to you all either, I’m not gonna go easy. Can’t afford to, seeing as the next big monster could come crawling out of god knows where any moment.”

He let them sink the information in and clapped his hands together. “Alright, that should do it for stretches. You guys are doing great so far!” He shot the Lurkers two delighted thumbs up at that. “I’m going to show you some basic forms first. Hopefully we have enough time for you to start learning some more advanced combat techniques. Now, follow my lead and watch carefully…”

Hours had turned into days, which had then turned into weeks. Yu’s arm had managed to fully recover by then, but the pains in her leg still persisted. Yu grit her teeth as she kicked aggressively at a sandbag, stepping back and raising her leg as she kicked out at the sandbag to make it swing up and then back to mimic an attack. She shifted herself to the side and brought up her knee to viciously drive it into the training dummy. Gunhead had overseen their training every step of the way, and he couldn’t be prouder at the progress his three students were making.

“It makes me wanna cry…” He sniffed one day, hand over his mask-like face and shoulders trembling a little before he was able to pull himself together. “Actually, there was something I wanted to bring up to you three.” He airlifted them a link on their phones, waiting for them to open it.

It was a link to a sauna somewhere in Beast Forest, the Wild Wild Pussycats in various attire promoting the health benefits of the resort in luxurious detail. When he received a set of eyebrows raised at him, he shrugged. “I think you guys could do with a break. Not only have you all been working hard in addition to your hero duty, but the Pussycats can set up a special training program to put your newfound skills to the test without worrying about the city or anything like that.”

That caused Yu to stiffen a bit, eying the link more seriously. She pursed her lips, looking at her two teammates then at her trainer with a small gleam in her eye. “Thanks, I think this’ll be really useful. Maybe we should take it, we could all do with a break.”

Edgeshot shrugged a bit, slipping his phone back into his pocket. “Let’s talk about it over dinner, my treat tonight.” He closed his eyes a little and huffed in amusement at the joyous shouts of his comrades as they all walked back to the locker room together to get changed, talking to one another about their training. “We’ll consider it a celebration.” He cut in, watching with satisfaction as they both looked at him in confusion. He pulled up his phone, a little smile underneath his mask. “A celebration for Yu climbing the ranks yet again. She’s gaining on us. Broke into the single digits.” His eyes narrowed a little. “Wait, Shinji, what’s your rank again?”

“Seven.”

“Not anymore.” He held out his phone and both of them stared at the current results. Kamui Woods: 8th Pro Hero. Mt. Lady: 7th pro hero. She had overtaken her teammate. Unable to contain himself, Shinji burst into loud, happy tears and hoisted up a stunned Yu into the air. He wailed inconsolably as Edgeshot patted them both on the shoulder and led them outside to celebrate.

Hands on his hips, Gunhead watched them go. “Those three are really something else,” he said to himself. Looking around, he clapped his hands together in delight when he saw the new photograph had been hung in the office.

It was the Lurkers, posing dramatically for the camera. Another one for the collection, he decided.

 

Chapter 8: Vacation is All I Ever Wanted

“Goooooooooood afternoon, meowsters!” the blue costumed hero proudly spoke out while her long blonde hair moved with the breeze. “I’m Pixie-Bob!”

The Lurkers simply stared at her eccentric personality while she waved her arms. Shinya turned slightly to his comrades and raised an eyebrow in confusion.

“I think we need to go,” he mouthed, taking a step backwards, keeping his hands firm on his luggage.

“It can’t be that bad,” Shinji reasoned, taking a deep breath the great forest had to offer to them. “We’re surrounded by nature and…”

“And us!” a green haired woman hollered out, wrapping her arm around the emotional hero as two others did the same to his friends.

All of them let out a collective yelp as Shinji shivered in pure horror from the literal jumpscare. He dropped to his knees, weeping from the enthusiasm their hosts were displaying as the woman who held her grasp on him kneeled down beside him.

“Ah, don’t be shy now. I’m Ragdoll and you’re going to have so much fun here at The Beast’s Forest,” she declared, slowly getting him back on his feet, as she then smiled softly at him. “We have a state of the art garden that you’ll be able to contribute to.”

Then, as if all of his worries vanished, his eyes sparkled brightly as he almost bounced up and down from the excitement. Meanwhile, Yu glanced up at the muscular member of the Pussycats and gave him a wink, admiring his bulky figure.

“The name is Tiger! And I am ready for all of you to have an amazing week here!” the hulking hero announced, eliciting a giggle from Yu.

Yu elbowed Shinya, as she couldn’t help but continue to stare at his abs while her teammate rolled his eyes. He then glanced over at the final member of the Wild, Wild Pussycats, wanting to forget about the predicament he was in.

“Edgeshot,” he muttered.

“Mandalay,” she calmly spoke, earning an eye raise from the hero, completely floored by her mild enthusiasm compared to the others.

The hosts of Beast’s Forest went over the different activities and commodities it had to offer as each of the Lurkers had excitement fill their bodies in their own ways. Days turned into nights, with each of them improving on their skills in the variety of the training courses and even found new passions for the activities they discovered.

The moon shone brightly on the night before their departure for Tokyo as the trio met just outside of the hot springs. Yu hummed in delight, keeping her towel firmly wrapped around her body, making her way to the artesian well. She spotted a note on the small table next to the small body of water.

Grabbing the piece of paper, she inspected the message drawn on it.

“Clap once to dim the lights. Clap twice to turn them off. Clap again to turn the lights back on.”

“Hmm…” Yu hummed, following it up with a clap as the lights dimmed down as instructed. “Now this is more like it.”

She removed her towel from her body and submerged herself into the hot spring, letting herself be submerged in the body of water. Yu let out a moan, as it felt incredibly relaxing on the wounds she acquired in the past, almost as if someone had cast a healing spell on her. She closed her eyes, allowing the Japanese zen music to almost put her to sleep, as she continued to let the spa do its magic.

“Is the music good enough for you?” Shinji calmly spoke, with a long object in his hand.

“Hmmmm…” Yu purred, feeling the warm water still doing its magic on her.

“It’s Cherry Blossom music,” he pointed out, laying down a mat before placing himself on it. “It’s supposed to keep you relaxed and at peace.”

“Oh…” she murmured, smirking ever so slightly at her friend, finding solace in him talking. More so than usual, she realized. Perhaps it was the music and the spa doing the trick, but she wanted to hear more. “You should get in with me.”

Shinji chuckled, taking a glance at her submerged form, nearly blushing behind his orange scarf. He covered his face, his purple hat shrouding his eyes in shadow. The offer was extremely tempting, as he couldn’t deny her beauty, but water hadn’t exactly always been kind to him.

“I’m not exactly built for bodies of water, even if the offer is very generous,” explained Shinji, taking another glance at Yu, finding her even more breathtaking, seeing her crack a smile.

“That’s a shame,” Yu pointed out, blowing air through her nose, allowing her to sink her shoulders into the spring. “It’d be nice to have you in here, but I suppose you being near me is better than nothing.”

The concealed hero chuckled, closing his eyes for a moment. “So, how were the meditation courses today?”

“Good,” she replied, only giving a one word answer. Not out of anger or trying to cut the conversation short with her close friend, but due to how relaxing the warm, bubbly water was on her body. “Gardening?”

“Fantastic. Those girls and Tiger really know their stuff. Especially knowing when each and every individual crop is ready to be harvested,” answered an enthusiastic Shinji, flinging his arms upwards, with Yu catching a glimpse of his excitement from the course.

She quietly giggled in response, watching him go on about how amazing it was and how he was able to become a more competent gardener, in his words at least. The size-changing hero scooted over slightly in the tub, towards him and smiled.

“It’s really cute when you get enthusiastic,” Yu vocalized, before resting her head on the pillow behind her. “And those weirdos aren’t so bad once you find something they can distract you with.”

His eyes widened, almost as if they popped out from the dark abyss of where his face lay. He was barely keeping his composure, his face was turning red. He breathed quietly, taking a moment to figure out what to say to his best friend, his beautiful friend.

“You’re amazing,” Shinji whispered.

“Hmmm….” Yu murmured, tilting her head up slightly.

Shinji slammed his hands on his mouth, realizing he said it louder than he wanted, as he snapped his head over to this teammate. To his relief, he saw Yu was still in her current state, eyes closed and fully relaxed. He breathed a sigh of relief and decided to say something else.

“I said you’re great,” Shinji spoke out, before slamming his hands on his scarf once more.

“Dammit!”

“Oh, you’re amazing too, Shinji,” Yu replied sleepily.

“You heard me saying amazing, didn’t you?” the wooden hero sheepishly inquired, twiddling his hands together.

“Mhm…” murmured the new Number seven hero.

“Oh boy…” Shinji nearly cried out, slamming his hands on his face, almost letting his hat fall off before reattaching it to his head.

“It’s okay, though, I know you’re shy,” Yu hushed, swinging her body to the other side of the hot spring, placing her wet hand on his. “I’m fine with being discreet.”

“I’ll hold you to that, Peguilos,” joked Shinji, keeping his hand wrapped around hers.

She chuckled at his joke, with the warm water still overtaking her senses to really break down in a fit of laughter. Still, Yu understood what he meant by that, knowing he was far more introverted than she was, even by taking a lot of his clothing. He’d rather not be seen in most cases while she’d want her face plastered everywhere.

“They’ll be too busy asking me to star in silly shows than to ever think about my relationship status,” she quietly countered.

“I thought you were caught up on Celebrity Catchup, No Mustard,” the wooden teammate inquired, raising one eye up.

“I’m behind three seasons;” Yu joked. “Don’t spoil them for me.”

“Yu,” Shinji spoke more directly, allowing his voice to become louder. “Please.”

“I’m being serious. You matter a lot to me and I want you to feel comfortable,” Yu answered, taking a moment to pause, feeling herself lose that moment of zen for just a few seconds as she finished the rest of response. “So, whenever you’re ready. I’m right here.”

The concealed hero smiled softly, appreciating every word she relayed towards him. “Thank you, Yu. Just give me time, so we can make it work.”

“Of course,” she murmured as Shinji placed his hand softly onto hers. Her soft palm felt relaxing against his bark-like skin, before snapping him away when she giggled from the gesture.

“Softy.”

“You figured me out,” he chuckled, caressing her hand softly, taking extreme care not to give her any splinters.

“I can’t wait for the both of you to retire,” a monotone voice spoke, causing them to snap out of their daze and to see their teammate, Shinya, eyeing them with annoyance. He was in swim trunks while holding a towel, as he made his way towards them.

“Hiya Shinya!” Yu enthusiastically greeted, waving her hands at him while she flashed him a huge grin, excited to have the whole team together. “And you’ll miss this when we retire.”

“Uh-huh,” he simply muttered, stopping just in front of the whirlpool. “We have-”

Shinji quickly interrupted his good friend by speaking up, raising himself . “Any ideas on what you guys are gonna do when you retire?”

“Get as far away from most people as I can and live off the royalties,” Shinya plainly answered.

“Bah! That sounds boring!” Yu moaned, slamming her hand into the water, splashing it on Shinya’s bare feet. “You should live it up a bit! Travel at least!”

“Nope. Done enough of that for a lifetime,” Shinya replied, standing firm in his goal of living a quiet life after being a hero for the next thirty years. “By then I’ll have bought a nice cabin.”

“At least invite us to it!” Yu countered.

“We’ll see,” answered the leader of the Lurkers, before turning to Shinji. “What about you? You may as well answer, since you brought it up.”

The concealed hero put his hands together and put them against his chest. “Hard to say really, I don’t know where the future will lead me, since there’s so many roads I can choose from. But…” he trailed off, looking at Yu. “I hope I can work well with someone in the future and if she’ll have me in.”

Yu’s face blushed at what Shinji had just spoken before winking at him. “I think you’ll get it, you just have to make the leap.”

Shinji chuckled before Shinya interjected. “Neither of you are being subtle!”

“Yeesh! Settle down,” Yu nearly spat, slightly annoyed by her friend’s lack of enthusiasm.

The masked hero, noticing tensions beginning to rise, cut in. “So, Yu! How about you? I’m sure you have plenty of ideas on what to do?”

“Ohoho,” Yu laughed out loud, placing her hand on her chest and smiling at him. “Get ready to spend the entire evening-“

The lights went out momentarily before coming back on.

“Uh… what the hell was that?” Yu inquired.

“The WWPC have said they’ve been experiencing power outages these fast few days,” Shinya answered.

“Odd, why didn’t they, or well, you, tell us about them,” Yu asked, perplexed by them hiding incidents.

“You were too busy flirting with each other and talking about retirement before I could say anything,” groaned Shinya, offering Yu the towel in his hands, so she could get up and help investigate.

“Right…” Yu murmured, wrapping the towel around her body, before winking at Shinji again. “I suppose a nightly walk couldn’t hurt. Who knows, maybe we’ll run into some trouble.”

“Better than your cheap theatrics,” Shinya jabbed, before turning to take his leave for the proper equipment needed for the expedition.

“What is with you today!?” Yu cried out.

 

Chapter 9: The Eleking Light Orchestra

The ground crunched underneath the Lurkers’ feet as they explored the grounds and the full moon hung over their heads. Yu took a deep, cool breath of the night air and looked up. There was a giant smattering of stars and stardust above their heads, stretching onwards as far as the eye can see. “You know, I can kinda see why the Pussycats like it out here so much,” she admitted to her teammates. She placed her hands behind her head as they walked. “It’s pretty beautiful out here.”

“Agreed,” Shinya said simply. Only Yu was wearing her hero outfit in case something happened, and even then she had a jacket over her outfit. The other two were wearing more loose clothing. “I admit it has a certain charm to it all. Although the Pussycats‘… interesting personalities seem to clash with the aesthetics a little.” And aside from the noise the three of them were making, there wasn’t a single soul to be seen. “The Pussycats mentioned there was nothing wrong with the generators. There’s talk of some underground cables at the lake, but none of us are really equipped to go scuba diving.”

“We should go down to the lake anyways,” Yu insisted, grinning happily and idly kicking at a stray rock. “I mean, there’s probably nothing down there but imagine how beautiful it would be. We could go for a midnight dip too.” She waggled her eyebrows a little at the boys, who both rolled their eyes.

“As much as I appreciate the enthusiasm, I’ll stay on dry land.” Shinji said dryly. “And as I said before, wood doesn’t mesh that well with water after all. But since I assume you didn’t bring a spare set of clothes with you, if you wanna go swimming you’ll have to take your costume off.”

Both Shinya and Shinji watched with a certain degree of satisfaction at seeing Yu’s face go cherry red and start backpedaling immensely. Shinya winked at her, subtly steering them towards the lakefront. “What’s the matter Yu, I thought you loved the idea of being admired?”

“Not like that!” She hissed a little, feeling the heat radiating from her face. “I’m not Midnight! C’mon, let’s go down to the lake and NOT go in the water,” she said pointedly, marching ahead of the snickering men and throwing her hair back. By the time they reached the lake, the teasing had died down and they settled themselves on the shoreline. Yu and Shinya were sitting next to each other while Shinji was at the water’s edge, throwing stones across the water. The moon and stars were reflected in the still water, glittering in their mirrored image. Yu hugged her knees to her chest. “Hey… Shinya, do you think I’ll ever be the Number One hero?”

Shinya leaned back a little, folding his arms. “That’s always been your dream, right? To be Number One. I think at this rate you’ll get there. A few more monsters to beat and you’ll be someone even All Might and Endeavor won’t be able to reach.” He watched as her face grew troubled and she frowned at the water. “You don’t seem to like the idea?” He asked.

“It’s not that, it’s just… it feels almost wrong. Like I’m cheating somehow. I mean, I’m the only one who can really fight these monsters. Even the big leagues like Endeavor have said they couldn’t really do it without a lot of help.” She reached down and grabbed a rock, lazily throwing it into the water. “Do I really deserve to be number one if I’m the only qualified person to do it?”

The gravel shifted, and Yu felt Shinji’s arms wrap around her in a comforting hug. “You deserve that and more,” he said quietly and firmly against her. “You’ve been putting your body on the line before this monster thing started, and now you’re proving to everyone else that your quirk isn’t as destructive and bad as people say it is.”

Yu’s breath hitched when he mentioned that. “I-I’m… I’m still in debt though…” she murmured. “Even with all of this newfound fame… the merchandising, the sponsorships. I can’t escape the shadow my quirk’s cast over me. I’m just popular because my quirk is useful for this, not because of anything I’m doing.”

“No, Yu,” Shinji said more seriously, hugging her tighter. “You’re being too hard on yourself. How many people would see a giant monster rampaging around the city and go to stop it? Who would let themself get hurt in the line of duty and train herself to get stronger for the next one? What you’re doing right now? That’s what a real hero does. Next time we see those rankings, you’re gonna be passing even me and I’m going to cheer you on. Got that?”

She sat there in his arms for a moment, cuddling closer and sighing a little. “…Thanks Shinji, really.” She leaned back against him, smiling at him a little. The way the moon framed his face…

“Guys? Come here for a moment.” Broken from their moment, both of them looked at each other and laughed a little as they got up and joined Shinya at the lakefront. He was crouching down, eyes narrowed and staring at the water. “Watch the water,” he said, holding up a hand to quiet them both.

The water was still. The waves washed up against the shore and then receded back down gently. The three of them stood there in total silence, staring out at the water. Then, just for a brief moment the water rippled. Shinya pointed outwards, eyes narrowed. “There. Something moved there.”

Yu unfortunately couldn’t see anything. The moon could only provide so much light and she squinted to see through the darkness. “Shinya, I don’t see anything. Are you sure it wasn’t just some fish that came too close to the surface?”

“Fish wouldn’t make the water move like that, Yu,” Shinji said grimly. “I’m positive there’s something out there.”

Shinya folded his arms, keeping his steely gaze trained on the water. “Even if there is, there’s not a lot the three of us can do about it. As I said earlier, none of us are equipped for aquatic combat. That’s more Silky’s territory. What we should do is-”

He never got the chance to finish his thought as a giant worm-like shape suddenly burst out of the water and flailed around for a few moments before slapping back down. The three stared in total shock as the water stilled itself after a few moments. “Well.” Shinya said plainly. “It looks like you were right, Shinji. There is something in that lake. As I was about to say, we should fetch the Pussycats and let them handle it.”

Shinji shifted a bit, sighing. “I dunno Shinya, what if that thing exits the lake? It’s probably what’s causing the power outages and if it decides that this area isn’t tasty enough…” The nearest city was quite a distance away. But that distance for a kaiju would be much, much shorter.

Throwing her jacket to the ground, Yu took a few steps back. “Move,” she commanded, and standing tall at the lakeshore was none other than Mt. Lady. She ignored the inquisitive looks her teammates were giving her and instead surveyed the lake. Even with her new height, there was still nothing to indicate what was underneath there. As much as she wanted to leave it alone, something inside of her told her that she had to do this now before it was too late.

Looking around, she walked over towards the edge of the forest and with a grunt uprooted one of the trees. Walking back, she closed one eye and aimed carefully with her good arm, throwing the tree hard into the air like a javelin as it soared through the air and smashed into the calm waters where the worm-like appendage or creature had breached.

The Lurkers stood there. Waiting. Finally, the waves began to recede and heave more rapidly. The water at the lake swelled slightly and a loud, shrieking roar pierced the night air. It was a spotted white and black creature with two radar-like appendages on its grilled face. It waved its arms around, elongated tail slapping against the water as it looked around for the source of the disturbance.

“Shinya, go get the Pussycats,” Mt. Lady said calmly. “Let them know we’ve found the source of the outages and we might need their help. Shinji, I want you to stay near the trees and wait.”

“What about you?” Shinya asked uncertainty.

Her eyes narrowed dangerously. “I’m going fishing.” Taking slow, heavy footsteps to alert the creature to her presence, Mt. Lady began trudging inside the lake. The cold slimy mud against her feet had her shiver in disgust, but right now the only thing she had to focus on was the monster. “HEY!” She shouted loudly. “OVER HERE BIG BOY!” She shifted into her tae-kwon-do stance, raising one knee.

Eleking turned slowly towards the unwelcome intruder onto its lake. Twin antennae spun slightly as the noises and sounds made their way inside and pinpointed her location. Raising its arms into the sky, Eleking roared angrily in an attempt to get Mt. Lady to back down. As far as Mt. Lady was concerned, that was the ringing bell to start the fight.

With a loud kiai, Mt. Lady moved as fast as she could through the churling waters and kicked out viciously towards Eleking’s side, catching the sea monster completely off guard with a squeal of pain. Immediately, she moved forward to swing her good arm at the monster’s face, only for the creature to duck away and move forward, grappling at her with its hands and digging her heels into the lakebed.

Gritting her teeth, she let Eleking push her along for a moment before grabbing onto its arm and twisting her body with the momentum. Hoisting the creature over her body, she sent it crashing back down into the water. She made to take a few steps back to distance herself, only to feel something wrap around her legs and yank upwards. With a loud cry of shock, Mt. Lady was plunged into the cold water beneath her.

She looked around, vision obscured by the mud and debris kicked up by their fight until Eleking surged through the murk and tackled Mt. Lady, pushing her deeper into the water and away from the shoreline. Her throat tightened in an attempt to keep the water from entering her mouth, and with a desperate grunt she cupped her hands together and jackhammered downwards onto the creature’s head to force it to let go of her.

Breaking the surface of the water, she coughed some of it up and wiped her mouth, before rising to her full height. The water was around her waist now, she noted unhappily. If she wanted to finish this, she had to figure out how to lure it closer to the forest where Shinji was waiting.

Slowly, she began to inch away from the center of the lake and towards the edge. Her eyes scanned the water for her opponent when something wrapped around her ankle again. This time she resisted the urge to pull and instead reared up her other leg and stomped down on it viciously. Eleking’s shrieks of agony could be heard even through the density of the water, and it rose back up on the surface to soothe its bruised tail.

Seeing the advantage, Mt. Lady ran as fast as she could through the water and grabbed onto Eleking’s head, bringing it down and her knee up to brutally slam the two together. Eleking stumbled back from the vicious attack and Mt. Lady tried to press the advantage, grabbing its tail to start dragging him to the shoreline.

That’s when the sharp crack of electricity filled the air and she released Eleking in surprise, staring at her smoking hands in shock before its tail wrapped around her throat. She gasped out, clawing at the pale flesh in an attempt to pry it off before Eleking’s whole body lit up. There was a giant surge of electricity and Mt. Lady’s vision went white.

She was screaming, she had to have been screaming because it was the worst and most agonizing experience she had ever felt in her whole life. Yu had been under the impression that her arm nearly being ripped off would be the worst experience but this was something entirely. Her nerves felt like they were on fire, her blood felt like it was boiling. Her senses were dulled, the only thing she felt was the foam starting to pour out of her mouth as Eleking pumped more electricity through her body.

Instinctively, she was still fighting. She had pushed its tail up from her throat and it was now wrapped around her mouth and face. She couldn’t feel herself open her mouth and sink her teeth into Eleking’s flesh, only tasting the metallic tang of blood as she ripped into it, tearing and biting until Eleking let her go with another squeal of pain.

The world suddenly snapped back into focus again. The feeling of the water around her knees, the nasty taste of flesh and blood in her mouth and dripping down her chin. The pain she was in. She spit out part of Eleking’s tail, grabbing the creature by the shoulders and roughly shoving it more to the forest’s edge. All the while, she ducked underneath a swinging and bloody tail.

Yu saw red.

With a loud scream of anger and rage, Mt. Lady moved forward and used her powerful legs to kick out at Eleking like a giant punching bag. The lake monster squealed in pain as the sharp CRACK of bones breaking sounded throughout the forest. Eleking scrambled away from Mt. Lady and clutched at its side. Like a shark with blood in the water, Mt. Lady moved forward with silent intent until Eleking’s mouth flashed and a crescent shaped beam of energy was fired out and slammed into Mt. Lady’s chest. She stumbled backwards, teetering a little.

Then with a loud shout, she pushed herself forward and forced herself to remain upright, stamping on the ground angrily. She pushed forward, forcing her body to ignore the searing pain it was in and instead run forwards to make a short leap. The heroine dropkicked Eleking hard in the chest and forced the thing to practically fall over itself. Eleking reared itself back up, raising its hands as its mouth flashed, before the forest suddenly came alive. Branches and vines twisted around Eleking’s legs and pulled. Eleking fell backwards, firing its crescent attack wildly into the air as Kamui Woods called out. “NOW YU!”

Moving forward, Yu grabbed the writhing Eleking’s tail and grunted with pain as the electricity sparked against her hands a little. Despite that, she grabbed a hefty portion of it and managed to wrap it around Eleking’s throat, squeezing and pulling tightly to suffocate the creature with its own tail.

Eleking gurgled, clawing at its own appendage and trying desperately to get Yu off, shaking and thrashing violently as electricity sparked around the two combatants. Yu dug her fingers hard into the tail’s flesh, holding on for dear life as she kept choking the life out of Eleking.

The monster’s movements were starting to slow down and become more sluggish. Yu howled like a demon into the night, rearing back with the creature’s tail in her hands as she pulled and squeezed with all of her strength and willpower. She kept choking and screaming long after the creature went limp and Kamui Woods landed on her shoulder. “Yu, YU!”

Branches immediately wrapped around Mt. Lady’s hands and jerked them away. She sat there, panting roughly and staring wildly at her constrained hands. “Yu, snap out of it!” Shinji called out. “It’s over! You won!”

She… won? She won. Yu’s breathing was starting to slow down, her body aching all over as she stared at the corpse underneath her. Kamui Woods’ branches faded away and she stared at her bloody and charred hands. They were trembling. Her vision got blurry and something wet and hot was on her cheeks. It took Yu a few more moments to realize she was crying.

Yu rolled off of the creature and shrunk back down to her normal height. Everything hurt, her leg and arm felt like they were going to explode. She left the painkillers back at the cabin and instead she found herself falling into Shinji’s arms and sobbing her eyes out. “I can’t keep doing this Shinji,” she hiccupped. “I can’t keep getting hurt…”

Shinji couldn’t give her an answer right away, instead he held her close and soothed her as Shinya finally came back with the Wild Wild Pussycats hot behind him. Shinji waved him over, cradling their crying and shivering teammates. “Get her back to the cabin and draw up a bath for her,”he asked quietly, handing Yu into his teammate’s arms. “I’ll let the Pussycats know what happened and join you in a bit.” He looked down at Yu, concerned and somewhat afraid. “We… we need to have a talk when she’s calmed down.”

Thankfully, once Yu had taken a nice hot bath, gotten some sleep, and some hot cocoa in her system she felt better. The painkillers were helping numb the pain, but it seemed for once she had managed to escape the fight without any permanent or lasting damage to her body. Her costume likely needed to be repaired again, there were black scorch marks in a few areas, but that was manageable.

She sipped on her drink, staring out into the forest. Shinya and Shinji hovered around her nervously, waiting for her to say something. “…I can’t keep doing this anymore.” She pressed her forehead against the window. “I… it hurts so much…” She closed her eyes, trying to ignore the way her leg was twitching and moving on its own. “Everytime I fight, I just end up getting hurt or something. And if you two try to help, you’ll get hurt too.”

A deep, shuddering breath escaped the pro hero and she pulled her shirt down a little to look at herself in the glass’s reflection. To see the bruising and burn marks around her neck. “I can’t keep being the only one who’s fighting these creatures, guys…” She said shakily. “We… I need more help or I think I’m really gonna die fighting these things.”

Shinya and Shinji walked over, placing a comforting hand on her shoulders. “When we get back to the city, we’ll gather up the rest of the pro-heroes and a few government workers. We’ll make them listen to you,” Shinya said.

Shinji rubbed at her aching shoulder with his hand. “Yeah Yu, and if they won’t listen then… then Shinya and I gotta figure out how to pick up the slack. We have to protect you after all. We’re teammates, that’s what we do.”

Peeling herself away from the window, Yu pulled the both of them in for a tight and warm hug. “Thank you both,” she whispered to them. They hugged her back just as tightly and the Lurkers stayed like that for a moment until Yu pushed herself away. “I think we should eat and then go see about taking a tour of the garden the Pussycats mentioned? I’d like to stay here for a few more days.”

They both nodded resolutely. Come hell or high water, Yu would get a well earned break.

 

Chapter 10: First Responders

“How do I look?” Yu wasn’t facing either of her teammates as she adjusted the somewhat low cut top she was wearing and looked at herself in the mirror. It was technically inappropriate for the specific meeting she was going to be attending, but it was to drive her point home. Her arms were exposed, showcasing the numerous scars from her fights with the various kaiju. She craned her head, showing the burn scars on her neck from her fight with Eleking. The burn scars that were just creeping up from behind the fabric.

“I’m not sure how to answer that,” Shinya replied honestly. “I understand what you’re going for but… do you think it’s wise?”

Yu’s gaze focused on him through the mirror. Her expression dark and grim. “Yes.” She grabbed a jacket that matched the top and shrugged it on, turning to the side to look at her. “They’re going to see what this is doing to me. They’re going to see how this is killing me.”

“You won’t die, I won’t let you,” Shinji piped up from the other side of the room. “Also pick the blue one, it goes better.”

“As strong and durable as the mountains,” Shinya agreed, folding his arms while Yu swapped jackets. “We won’t let you die, Yu. Mt. Lady will stand tall no matter what.” He walked over to the large stack of documents they had spent the past few days working on and tapped them. “This will make sure of it.”

Yu thought to herself as she felt a twinge of pain run down her leg, Mt. Lady could stand at all anymore. She wanted to take one of her painkillers to help alleviate the tension and pain but she needed a clear head for what was going to happen. Calling a few government big shots and some key figures in the hero community together like this hadn’t happened… in a while. She didn’t really know if the government was attempting to do anything about the kaiju, but she knew one thing:

She was going to die if something wasn’t done.

Turning to Shinya and Shinji, Yu adjusted her jacket again. “Ready to go boys?” When they nodded, she walked out of her apartment and down to her car with the other two behind her and together they headed off towards the Diet Building.

It was funny how despite everything that had happened over the past few years, Yu had never really stepped foot inside Japan’s famous political meeting ground. She knew she looked out of place with her revealing outfit amongst the suits and ties of the various officials and workers of the building, but she kept her head held high as she weaved towards the meeting room.

Of course, Endeavor and Best Jeanist were there. Other than the Lurkers and a few other heroes, they were the number one and number two respectively. Yu would be more surprised if they didn’t show up for this meeting. Hawks had only declined due to his own workload. Then there was All Might. Although retired from hero service and the fact Yu hadn’t actually asked him to be here, she suspected that his many years of hero work gave him enough insight into the matter that his presence was justified. Then there was Principal Nezu, who didn’t strictly need to be there either, but considering Yu’s proposal could result in a whole new avenue of work, having the smartest person on the planet and the leader of the best school in the world wouldn’t hurt. Besides, it made her feel better to have him there.

Then there were the few people from god knows what division of the government. She recognized at least one of them was a member of the self defense force judging from the uniform. She put on her most charming smile as she sat down gingerly and shrugged her jacket off to hang on her chair. “Good afternoon everyone, thanks for taking the time to come to this.” She said politely, motioning for Shinji to hand out the documents. “I’ll just cut right to the chase: The more kaiju that show up, the less effective I’ll be able to handle them. I don’t mean to disrespect any of my colleagues by saying this, but…”

“But none of us have been any help with the kaiju,” Endeavor put bluntly as everyone began thumbing through the files provided. “There’s only so much we can do without someone like you or Ryukyu, and judging at the state you’re in, you’re reaching your limits.”

She nodded, and All Might chimed in at that moment. “I doubt even if I was at full health I would fare much better than you Miss Takeyama.” He turned his head to cough into his hand, idly wiping a bit of blood away from it. “This is an unprecedented occurrence we’re dealing with.”

“Exactly,” Yu said, leaning over a little and tapping the folder in her hand. “That’s why I want to propose a special organization or branch of the SDF to be set up for future events. Considering the handful of kaiju already encountered, I think all of us here know that there will be more in the future. With this organization, we’ll be at the forefront of kaiju research and countermeasures.”

“The Science Special Search Party,” Jeanist read off, glancing up at Yu curiously. “It’s not a strictly military organization, based on what I’m reading.”

Yu nodded again, leaning back in her chair and bouncing her leg to help alleviate the pain. “Correct. While they obviously would need weaponry and equipment, I believe the main goal of this organization should be the investigation of mysterious anomalies, kaiju, or any other various forms that Pro Heros or regular authorities aren’t able to. Research into the unknown, which can help humanity as a whole.”

The SDF member coughed politely. “It sounds like based on this proposal, it will be an intermixed organization? Those with or without quirks would be able to qualify.”

“Correct, I believe that would yield the best results. I’d like to remind you that my quirk merely allows me to grow to a certain size. I’m still a regular human in every sense of the word beyond that. That way this won’t turn into a situation where it’s only Heroes who join up. Regular people need to have the means to defend themselves and understand what’s happening just as much as we heroes do, if not more so.”

“I think it’s a wonderful idea,” Nezu piped up, and Yu found herself flushing happily at the principal’s praise. “Not only would it provide an excellent opportunity for those with and without quirks to work together better, but it will provide individuals who possess quirks another career path if the Pro Hero course isn’t right for them. Many children have slipped through the cracks because their gifts and abilities don’t match the strict requirements a Pro Hero must have. I’m glad to see that drive you had when you were a student has only gotten stronger, Miss Takeyama.”

“I agree with the Principal,” All Might said at that moment, taking a few sips of water. “As a teacher at U.A., I find myself worrying about the futures of my precious students in a world full of giant monsters. Having an organization to pave a new road of understanding would be a massive boon for not only myself and my co-workers, but my students as well.”

“Plus, having an organization like this would, as Yu said, help the workload,” Shinya said at that moment, folding his arms thoughtfully. “Most Pro Heroes or even regular authorities would likely scoff at ‘strange happenings’ but this organization would provide the means to see if there’s truth to that statement. While I’m unaware of how research for the dead kaiju is progressing, I wouldn’t be surprised if there were local legends or superstitions attached to them.” Soon the room was abuzz with chatter from the gathered about ideas and such that could be implemented into the SSSP and Yu felt herself glow with pride at how well it was going.

The government member cleared his throat and everyone quieted down. “I think the benefits for this project are obvious for all of us to see,” he said, holding up his folder and nodding at the SDF member. “I’ll do some talking around and see if my SDF colleague and I can help get the ball rolling. Knowing that the top Heroes and Nezu are approving of this is a massive boon. And, considering your status Mr. Principal, your future help if needed would be most appreciated.”

“And you shall have it fully,” Nezu said brightly, keeping his paws held together politely. “I’ll reiterate what I said: This is a wonderful idea.” He turned his smile towards Yu. “And you should be very proud of yourself Yu. You’ve been doing a tremendous job and I have no doubts that you’ll continue to do so in the future. Now then, if you must excuse me.”

Everyone began dismissing themselves from the meeting and Yu was on cloud nine. This had gone over better than she could have ever dreamed of! She found herself grinning like an idiot as she got up and shrugged her jacket back on. “Ah, Miss Takeyama?” She paused as All Might spoke to her, handing her a piece of paper and turning his head to cough again. “Take this. One is the number of a doctor I highly recommend.” His eyes pointedly went to the various scars she had been showcasing all the while. “She was able to help me during my time of need, and I have no doubt she’ll be as helpful to you.”

“What’s the second one?” she asked curiously, taking out her phone to type the numbers in.

“My personal number. Feel free to call me if you want. I understand more than anyone what it’s like…” He paused for a moment to find the right words. “To work at less than 100%.” Yu simply stared at the paper in her hand in shock as he left with that.

All Might had given her his phone number. It was almost surreal to think that merely a year ago she would’ve died the happy fangirl she once was. Knowing there was some kind of solidarity made it… sad, in a way that this was how she could potentially connect with such an icon of society. Sighing through her nose, she slipped the paper away and smiled at her teammates.

“That went well,” Shinya said as they left the Diet Building.

Shinji was practically bouncing along, finally hoisting Yu up for a hug when they were off the premises. “That went great! I’m so proud of you Yu! You even impressed Principal Nezu and got All Might’s number!” He started to sniffle a little, tears watering up at his eyes.

She laughed a little and patted his head gently to let him know to put her down. “Yeah, I didn’t really expect that. But still… it’s nice to know something will be done.”

Shinya hummed in agreement. “I suspect it will take time to organize however. This is a rather new field to train people in, heaven knows what they would even need.”

“Oh don’t spoil it Shinya,” Shinji said, nudging his teammate as they got in the car. “That won’t be our problem. We just have to keep doing our best. Say Yu, think you’ll actually call All Might?”

She hummed a little as she settled in the backseat, staring at her phone’s blank screen. “I dunno. It’s a nice gesture… but I don’t think I need it. I have you two, after all.” She smiled at them warmly. “Now then, I think this is cause for celebration boys! Driver,” She patted Shinya on the arm. “Take us to our favorite spot if you please!”

There was a cheer from Shinji as Shinya rolled his eyes and drove them to their favorite diner in town.

 

Chapter 11: Food For Thought

Grilliam Shakespeares was the only overseas fast food brand that the Lurkers genuinely enjoyed. There was something cozy about the warm diner atmosphere and the greasy american food that won all three of them over. It had been a few months since the SSSP’s concept meeting and by then Yu was already in physical therapy.

Yu was usually the only one who actually bought food, seeing as neither Shinya or Shinji actually wanted to take off their masks…

And, if she thought about it, Yu wasn’t entirely sure if Shinji could take his mask off.

“So, how’s physical therapy going, Yu?” Shinya asked, leaning back in his seat and sipping at his milkshake idly after putting it inside his mask. “That doctor that All Might recommended working out?”

She hummed a little and nodded happily, munching on a few more fries she had ordered and smiled widely. “Yeah, it’s great actually. Progress is a little slow, but my legs felt better than ever. I’ve had to tone down how much I exercise, but they said at this rate we can start working on my arm.” She flexed her stiff digits a little. “I’m glad the agency agreed to let me have some vacation time.”

“Yu, they’d be crazy not to give you the vacation time. You’re technically on medical leave,” Shinji pointed out a little, leaning back in the booth. “And I mean, after everything you’ve been through, and the marketing deals and the like… you can actually afford too, right?”

Her face flushed with pride at the question. “Actually boys… that was the reason I called you two here. Other than just wanting to hang out.” She pulled out a few sheets of paper and placed them down on the table. “Read these.”

They each took some of the papers, mulling them over and leaning over each other to read what the other had. “These look like payment documentation,” Shinya noted, raising an eyebrow at her in confusion. She nodded encouragingly, bouncing her foot underneath the table. He returned his gaze to them. “Aren’t these insurance companies…?” He trailed off, his eyes widening a little.

“Oh my god.” Shinji said flatly. “Oh. My god. Yu.”

Her face split into the widest grin they’d ever seen. She flipped some of her hair back, positively glowing with delight. “As of today, Mt. Lady is officially debt free. The insurance companies recently implemented kaiju policies and the agency was able to successfully argue I retroactively qualified for all of the incidents. And with the influx of cash from my new deals and positions..”

The table scraped as the two men got up and pulled her up in a happy and proud hug. “Oh Yu…” Shinji said, squeezing her tightly. “Yu I’m so happy for you.”

“Oh, stop it boys, you’re gonna make me cry…” Yu said, shoving them off gently. “Although when I made the final payment I bawled my eyes out anyways. I just… I really got there guys.” She sat down, a soft smile on her face. “I got there. I’m not at the top yet but?.. I mean what more could I ask for?” She sat back, twirling a lock of her hair and staring out the window. “I never really thought I’d be where I am now, y’know?”

They nodded enthusiastically, Shinya leaning over on the table a little. “I understand… but save it for your Number 1 speech when the ceremony starts later this year. If I know you, you’re not stopping till you reach the top.”

“I already feel like I’m on the top, I dunno what I’d have to do to prove it otherwise,” she admitted, taking a bite of her food. She sighed a little. “Progress with the SSSP is slow though.”

“Something we anticipated,” Shinji chimed in happily, scrolling through his phone lazily. “We should just be lucky they decided it was a good idea. I hear that the principal is putting his personal funds to help them get the tech they need to sort it out.”

“Ah, so they’ll be better equipped and funded than most other people,” Shinya joked lightly, pulling down his mask for just a brief moment to take a bite of his food. “Speaking of the school, you see that press announcement they made? Some new robot to replace the one that kid broke during the entrance exam.”

“Ohhh yeah, what was it called again?” Yu asked, lazily taking a bite of her burger.

“King Joe or something,” Shinji snorted in amusement. “Apparently it’s meant to be made out of some real strong stuff, but you know what the guy is like, the damn thing probably costs a whole country with its net worth.”

Yu, out of curiosity, had also turned on her phone and was watching the news broadcast that was set to demonstrate this “King Joe’s” abilities. It looked intimidating in her mind, and the damn thing was massive apparently. “Geez, I think this thing is taller than I am,” she commented.

“Guess they took some inspiration from your recent exploits. Gotta get the kids used to the idea of kaiju somehow I suppose,” Shinya agreed, then all of a sudden there was a distant noise like thunder and the ground shook slightly.

Delayed only by seconds on the news feed, suddenly King Joe roared to life and began attacking everything and everyone in sight. They all stared in shock as the broadcast abruptly cut out before moments later the news was back on and reporting live at the biggest disaster in the school’s history.

Pandemonium had broken out at U.A. Academy. Whether it was incompetence, sabotage, or sheer bad luck, a critical malfunction at the worst possible time sent King Joe on a rampage. The school’s extensive fake city was being demolished and the walls had already been breached and put the school in actual danger.

“Holy shit,” Shinji said, looking up and blinking in shock when he saw Yu pulling on her mask. “What are you doing?” he asked incredulously. “You can’t seriously go out there, you’ll end up undoing all of that progress with the doctor. Yu, for god’s sake you’re on medical leave.”

“I’m going,” Yu said grimly, taking off her jacket and slamming it down on the table and wormed off the rest of her clothes to reveal she had worn her hero suit underneath it. “I’m the only one who can stop this,” she said to herself, although to the boys it sounded more like she was trying to convince herself rather than she meant it.

“I think you mean, we are the only ones who can stop it. Don’t think you’ll be going there alone Yu,” Shinya cut in, placing a firm hand on her shoulder. “Remember that promise we made? You’re not going to die if we have any say in the matter. Right, Shinji?”

“Right.” Shinji was already in his hero outfit. He slapped the payment for the food on the table (plus a generous tip) and nodded at the other two. “Let’s go guys.”

The Lurkers walked out of the diner and Mt. Lady grew to full size and in an instant they were pelting across the city towards U.A. for yet another battle. Already they could see smoke curling up from the fires lit by King Joe. “This won’t be easy, considering the principal’s spending habits this thing’ll be one of the most advanced war machines ever.”

“Then I hope the principal doesn’t mind that we break his toys.” Yu said before growing silent as she sprinted towards the school.

 

Chapter 12: School of Hard Knocks

Swinging the massive cannon around, the robot monster shot out several rounds of glowing bullets. The projectiles soared through air, colliding with the structures in front of the haywire machine, detonating upon impact. The erupting flames’ glow cast its light against the machine’s visor, turning it into a bright orange, as it took a moment to look at its handiwork.

King Joe raised its arms up, eliciting several different noises, far too alien for any human being to comprehend. It turned its attention towards the next set of structures in its path, raising its cannon upwards while its hand reached over and began configuring the weapon.

Pressing its fingers onto the many panels and flicking the switches, King Joe aimed the pendanium launcher at its next set of targets. The grip on the cannon tightened as energy started building up inside. The robot monster stood completely still, awaiting the inevitable.

BOOM!

The shimmering shells raced outwards with explosive force, striking the building and vaporizing it, alongside everyone inside. Whatever and whomever the unfortunate souls trapped inside were, they were wiped from existence. To the robot, however, they were nothing but target practice and playthings.

The processors in its head imitated a vocalization of glee, admiring its handiwork, as it witnessed several broken bodies in the surrounding debris. The mechanical menace marched forward, blasting everything it could, registering the screams that elicited with each explosion.

It wanted more.

It beeped, calculating its next target to cause the most amount of damage, taking note of an H-shaped building appearing several meters away. The object piqued its interest compared to the other buildings, taking note of its unique form. The mechanical menace scanned the entire structure, taking note of several people taking refuge, cowering in terror from it.

King Joe beeped, marching forward as it fiddled with its cannon, eagerly awaiting the imminent destruction. It primed its cannon, aiming it at the large structure ahead, completely at its mercy.

The cannon lit up, bullets raced out of the chamber, however, a sudden push knocked the projectiles off course. They raced off into the blue sky as opposed to their intended target while King Joe stumbled into the rubble, completely tripping over the mess it had created.

“Not today, Robby!” Mt. Lady declared, raising her shaking fists up while her legs were planted firmly to the ground. The mechanical menace struck its hand into the ground and fired the cannon on the other arm, eliciting a yelp from the superhero. Despite the pain racing through her body, she immediately leaped to the side, the sudden motion putting strain on her body as she crashed into the asphalt. Shells whizzed through the air where she had just stood.

Mt. Lady gritted her teeth from the muscle aches while she turned to her side, taking note of the robot marching towards her, configuring the settings on its cannon. King Joe took aim once more, but the gigantic hero was quicker on the draw, swinging her right foot as hard as she could. The impact knocked the robot crashing down onto its chest, but Mt. Lady’s scream soon followed.

The material composing the robot was incredibly durable, far more than any steel she knew, as it felt like her foot shattered. Tears welled up in her eyes, bringing her foot closer for inspection. She yanked off her purple boot and was horrified by the damage done to it. Her foot was beginning to swell up as purple and red took over.

“Shit! Shit!” she cried out, feeling her chest going completely heavy, realizing her newfound fighting strategy was no longer viable.

“It hasn’t even been two fights! This isn’t fair!”

Her head immediately shifted over to the recovering King Joe, picking itself up. As much as she wanted to scream at the heavens, scream at everyone, even scream in an empty room, now wasn’t the time.

She had to fight.

Not for glory, but for survival.

“This is no longer worth it.”

She slammed her hands on the rubble, earning a hiss of pain from the impact, but endured it to put herself on her feet as best as she could. Mt. Lady rested her elbow on a still standing building, allowing her wounded foot to rest. She breathed heavily, watching the mecha slowly recover, acknowledging she had a few seconds of time.

“After today, they can get someone else for this.”

Mt. Lady scanned her surroundings, taking note of a few buildings she could use for cover. She knew it’d give her bad press, but she scoffed at the idea. Her life was more important, but the media or even the Hero Public Safe Commission wouldn’t care. They’d just want the situation taken care of regardless of what happened to the hero.

King Joe stood once more, eyeing its opponent, aiming its cannon at her. Mt. Lady squinted at it, readying to take off to the nearest source of cover when the time called for it. A tiny projectile raced past the robot’s visor, giving it momentary pause inspecting the flying object. Mt. Lady glanced over to see Edgeshot on a nearby roof, giving her the thumbs up.

“Took you long enough, Edge!” Mt. Lady breathed out, smiling at him, continuing to grip the building to support herself.

The amusement was brief as King Joe raised its cannon at the arrow, but several tendrils of wood raced out at the mechanical menace. Before it even knew it, the wood jammed itself into the barrel of the cannon, powering the weapon down.

King Joe inspected its cannon and ripped a piece of wood from it, taking note that several pieces were still lodged in. It growled with anger, identifying the culprit to be a human standing on the other side of the street, with tendrils protruding from him. The robot rushed over, intending to squash him like a bug before it could resume with its cleanup.

“Lady, now!” Edgeshot screamed out, but she didn’t need her friend to tell her. The gigantic hero launched herself at the robot, knocking it down on its back while Kamui Woods kept his footing; albeit barely.

She let out a cry, launching her elbow into the machine’s visor, cracking it only slightly, but causing her elbow to nearly shatter. Mt. Lady groaned in agony, allowing Joe to strike her in the face before shoving her off. The robot glanced down at her briefly, computing every thought it could to subject her to the torture she was already inflicting on it. However, it had one person to contend with before it could get back to her.

King Joe spotted the wooden hero and marched over to him, making every step he took more and more unstable for the hero to keep his footing. Edgeshot, keeping his eye on the mechanical terror, shot his arrow forward, hitting the cracked visor, allowing it to get larger, obscuring its vision.

Mt. Lady breathed heavily, placing her hands on the ground, but her recently injured elbow could barely tolerate the weight. She nearly collapsed to the ground, only saving herself at the last second by allowing herself to rest her back on a building.

“They really think we, or anyone for that matter, could handle this.”

She continued to watch as her friends barely kept the giant at bay with Woods filling the cannon with more and more branches, and Edgeshot obscuring its vision with his arrow. It wouldn’t be long until they’re gone, and the mech will either be destroyed here or when other heroes arrive.

“It doesn’t matter either way. The damage is done.”

King Joe let out a series of beeps, frustrated by how much of an annoyance the bug with an arrow was. It snapped its attention towards the masked hero, as he continued striking its face with an arrow, damaging it further and further. Edgeshot backed away, keeping his focus on his stretched out limbs, knowing well this action could cost him his very life. He glanced over at Kamui holding his position to ensure it doesn’t fire its cannon once more, as he smiled behind his mask. Completely proud of his friend for holding his own.

He then turned over to the beaten Mt. Lady and frowned at her broken state. The hero wasn’t mad at her not doing her job adequately, in fact, she exceeded everyone’s expectations. The world was proud of her, Kamui was proud of her, he was proud of her. Being a hero was more than fame and glory, it’s about being there for your fellow man, and that’s what she was doing.

There until the end.

“It’s your show again, Yu.”

King Joe grabbed a hold of the masked hero and without any hesitation, threw him into a building, forcing him to go through several walls, badly damaging his body.

“Edge!” Mt. Lady screamed out in horror, reaching her arm out for her friend as he disappeared from the battlefield. She slowly found strength building back up in her, using the building as a crutch to pick herself up, taking note of the robot turning its attention to her remaining teammate.

“We’re done.”

Mt. Lady gritted her teeth, allowing herself to take a couple of steps in an effort to reach Woods. All the while, King Joe chuckled, taking note of the raging fire nearby and eyeing the hero effectively disabling his primary weapon. The robot monster whipped its cannon upwards and then down, testing its plan. Kamui Woods screamed out as his body crashed into the asphalt, cracking his wooden body. However, his hold was stronger, glancing at Mt. Lady inching her way closer to them.

He smiled behind his mask. “You can do this, Yu. You can do it.”

King Joe moved its cannon to the left, lifting Woods into the air before swinging the hero straight into the raging inferno. The hero never took his eyes off her, as she would be the last thing he’d want to see in this world. He could rest in peace knowing that wish could be granted.

His body disappeared into the flames, with his tendrils following suit, being reduced to ash raining down on the street below. Mt. Lady watched the entire thing and wanted to drop to her knees in despair. She wanted to cry, to scream at the world for being so careless with these titans, but it wouldn’t change a damn thing. Mt. Lady raised her fists up, watching King Joe prime its cannon once more and turn its attention back to its greatest threat.

“You’re done!”

Mt. Lady unleashed a blood curled shriek, launching herself with her good leg and aiming her broken foot straight at the robot’s head. King Joe fired its cannon, with several projectiles ripping into her stomach, blood pouring down onto the street, washing away the ash.

She continued to scream, striking the robot with her injured foot, shattering its visor while the bones in her foot exploded. King Joe elicited a series of screams, falling over onto its back with its organic foe collapsing on top of it.

Mt. Lady struggled to breathe as blood shot out of her mouth. Her eyes wanted to roll into the back of her head, but her barely conscious mind struck the motion down. She didn’t even waste time attempting to mend the wound on her stomach, knowing full well her time was short. The hero, in another attempt to buy herself more time, continued screaming out, not caring if it shattered her vocal cords, but it was enough to keep her awake for a few more minutes.

She didn’t care how the media perceived her, she wanted to end this. All of it.

The blinded King Joe swung its cannon right at her face, but in the midst of her rage, a sudden surge of energy shot out, Mt. Lady grabbed the cannon and rammed it under its head. The gigantic hero took note of the control and slammed her fist down on it, allowing the energy to build up.

Within seconds, the cannon erupted and pieces of the robot’s head were blasted off. It weakly beeped, attempting to grab Mt. Lady with its hand, but she slammed her fist into the control panel, allowing the cannon to go off yet again, completely eviscerating the vast majority of its head.

In an instance, the robot shut off, its arm going completely limp as Mt. Lady breathed. She couldn’t take note of her surroundings or even the remains of the robot before her eyes rolled backwards and she collapsed on top of her destroyed foe.

No matter how the world saw this fight, the Lurkers were now a broken, burned, bloody mess.

 

Chapter 13: Addressing the People of Earth

GASP!

Yu jolted upwards, her heart beating faster than a drum while her breathing was rapid. Her eyes scanned the entire room, finding it to be a nearly sterile white room aside from the two paintings hanging on opposite walls.

She continued to exhale quickly, attempting to bring herself back to reality. Her mind raced over the fight with the automaton, remembering every little bit of it.

BOOM!

Her ears rang from the echo of the bullet erupting from the mech’s cannon as it raced towards her, blasting her in the stomach. Yu let out a ghastly gasp, almost as if she were suffocating. The Pro Hero immediately slammed her hand on her stomach, attempting to keep the blood in only to discover no liquid coating it.

She took a moment to compose herself, allowing her to breathe more slowly as she carefully lifted her shirt up, discovering the wound was patched up. Yu closed her eyes in relief, but in the back of her mind, she only told herself it’d be temporary. That dreaded memory of her almost dying from a bullet wound and crawling as a bloodied, tattered mess would haunt the hero for the rest of her life.

Yu lifted the covers ever so slightly, discovering a metallic cast over her foot, prompting her to mutter in annoyance. All her scrapes, burns, and bullet holes were really convincing the injured hero to put it up. She had her thoughts these past few months, but largely dismissed them. Now, being number one no longer mattered, if she even made it.

She lightly let her head fall back on her pillow, staring upwards at the ceiling. Turning on the TV to drown out her thoughts was tempting, however, she wanted to explore her options once it was time to be discharged.

“I hate this,” she muttered, lifting up her middle finger and glaring at the surface above her. She wasn’t one for religion, but if a higher power existed, then she wanted to let them know she despised them for allowing this to happen.

She allowed her hand to rest on her chest, contemplating her future as the thoughts raced. Yu prepared to close her eyes, only imagining hours had passed until a certain thought infiltrated her mind.

“Nurse!”

***

Yu stood in the adjacent room, with crutches supporting her, almost bringing herself to tears at the display she witnessed. Her two dearest friends barely holding onto dear life, with the wounds they received during the battle being catastrophic.

Shinji’s once wooden brown body was now burnt, completely covered in an ashy black while Shinya’s body was covered in casts and bandages. IVs were connected to him, keeping the Pro Hero stabilized, as she was told the vast majority of his bones were shattered upon impact and would likely take months on end in physical therapy to recover.

“If he ever wakes up…. dammit!”

Yu gripped her wrist, letting the crutches rest under her armpits, feeling her eyes well up at the horrendous sight in front of her. “I’m sorry, you guys… I’m so sorry.”

She placed her hand on Shinya’s shoulder, taking a moment to compose herself as she closed her eyes. Tears rolled down her cheeks, “I think I have a good idea on how much you hate me for not stopping the threat in time and when you wake up, you can tell me all about it. I just… I’m so, so sorry.”

Yu rubbed her dear friend’s shoulder, forming a solemn smile.

The injured hero limped over to Shinji, taking note of his burnt state once more, hating how the fires had completely vanquished all color from his body. What horrified her the most was the doctors telling her the fires welded parts of his mask to face, forcing him to bear its pieces almost indefinitely. He had already covered his face before, but now, it was a prison. One he could never be free from, and it was all thanks to her.

“Shinji…” she murmured, rubbing her hand on his rough face, feeling the burnt bark rubbing against her soft palm. “No matter what happens now, I care about you so much. No matter your feelings towards me, I will do everything I can to make it up to you. I just…”

She paused, feeling herself choke as the tears poured down her face, giving herself a moment to compose herself. “I just need you… so badly. I don’t know what to do!”

Yu felt her knees buckle, forcing herself to lower herself down to his bedside and place her head next to his. She looked up and placed her lips next to his ear, whispering into it, completely unknown to everyone but her.

The Pro Hero lifted herself back up, taking another look at both of her dear friends. “Until the next time around.”

***

She sat on a bench, taking it all in. Yu rested her chin on her fist while she watched a flock of birds soaring through the bright blue sky. The trees provided her with adequate shade and the nearby flower gardens provided an amazing look to the eye. However, the Pro Hero couldn’t even smile at the sight of it all.

Yu thought a day in the park would be helpful to clear her head, but all it did was give her a lot more to think about. How she could have done things differently with each battle, how she could have tackled each situation differently.

“Mind if I sit here?” a gruff yet kind voice spoke.

Yu turned her head to the left and saw the former number 1, Toshinori Yagi. Had it been any time before her fight with King Joe, she’d be ecstatic about the former Pro Hero talking to her, but instead kept her frown.

“Of course not,” she murmured, as the thin man took his seat next to her.

“I’d offer to take you out for a drink, but…” Toshinori spoke, taking a brief glance at her state of health, noting a metallic brace over her foot and the massive amount of scars and burns plastered over her entire body. “It seems like you might not be able to do that.”

“You must be some sort of psychic,” Yu surmised sarcastically, reaching into her pocket for a pill bottle, showing it to Yagi. “The first of five and this is just to help with my migraines nowadays.”

“Well, at least you’re not doing ten per day,” Toshinori commented good naturedly, earning himself a glare from Yu, as he slightly raised his hands in defense. “Right, I realize jokes might not be the best remedy for your situation right now.”

“How thoughtful,” she muttered, taking her attention back to the sky, watching a plane fly above them. “Why are you here?”

“Visiting a friend,” Toshinori answered, smiling at her while he kept his hands together, as he decided to follow her lead, looking up at the sky.

“We barely talked before,” countered Yu.

“I’d like us to be friends,” spoke the former Number 1 hero, eliciting a head turn from Yu.

“I wouldn’t want that if I were you. You might end up in hospital,” Yu spat out, still feeling the sense of guilt over her friends’ current state.

“Been there, done that,” Toshinori laughed softly, before bringing it back down, constantly having to remind himself the Pro Hero was in no mood to joke around. He took a deep breath, knowing what he was about to say would anger her to no end, but it’s something she needed to hear. “You know you don’t have to keep going like this. To keep destroying your body like I did.”

Yu listened to his words and let out a sigh, giving the former hero a blank expression, completely blindsiding him with her lack of emotion. “Had it been after my fight with Red King or even Eleking, I’d throw you in that nearby pond, but now I just don’t know.”

Toshinori let out an amused huff at her remark, as he kept his eyes on her, listening to what she had to say. “The fame, the money, and even being needed were all great at first, but now, it’s just… more trouble than it’s worth.” She took a moment to compose herself, grabbing her second pill bottle and slipped a pill in her mouth, following it up with a drink of water. “And you might be right, I’m thinking of hanging it up before I’m bound to a wheelchair, or worse, paralyzed from the neck below.”

Yu lifted her covered foot up, allowing Yoshinori to inspect it. “I was told by the doctors I’d have to wear this five days out of the week and it’s all thanks to the scientists reverse engineering it from that goddamn robot. At least the upside is that it’s been adapted to my quirk I suppose.”

Yagi gritted his teeth while tugging on his collar slightly, feeling a sense of guilt about the injuries plaguing her, yet also relating to her. He was trying to find the words, any really that would help bring her comfort as he heard on the news regarding her placement after the conflict with King Joe.

“At the very least, second place on the leaderboard isn’t bad, no one deserves to be that high more than you,” Toshinori almost stammered out, hoping the consolation would bring her comfort, yet she kept the same solemn look plaguing her these past couple of weeks.

“And that’s the thing,” Yu spoke up, preparing to spill her guts to someone she barely knew about her whole predicament of being a hero, rubbing her wrist, attempting to stabilize it. “Back then, I’d be overjoyed and doing everything in my power to get to the very top. To show I’m not just some person who can grow giant, but who can actually save the day. Now, I don’t even want that anymore.”

She lowered her head down, completely in disarray on how she wanted to handle things from here on out. Toshinori looked at the down hero and sighed, placing his hand on her shoulder. “Look to the future.”

“Huh?” she stammered out, lifting her head slowly back up at him.

“There’s a boy in U.A. Someone I entrusted the future with and he’s already becoming a far greater hero than I can ever hope to be. One who’s not only the best of us, but not concerned about being the number one hero… just wanting everyone to carry on with a smile,” Toshinori delivered, smiling at all the great things Izuku had already done and would do in the coming years.

“This boy… Izuku. Would he be willing to do the same when the time comes?” inquired Yu, twiddling her fingers together.

Toshinori brought his hand up to his chin, pondering the question for a moment, before answering. “Without even hesitating.”

“I… suppose you’re right, but at the same time, I just don’t know who can handle these kaiju right now….” Yu nearly trailed off. “I would, but I just can’t, you know?”

“It’s the burden hardest to bear,” the former number one hero replied. “I don’t want to see you broken down like me, but at the same time, I understand why you can’t run from this job.”

Yu went to speak, but heard a booming voice, forcing her to slam her hands on her ears while Toshinori let out a yelp.

“People of Earth! Fear us!” the booming voice echoed throughout the planet. “We are the Zettonians and desire this planet as our own. If you do not cooperate, we will be forced to exterminate your entire race with our greatest weapon: Zetton.”

The brief transmission ceased, as the two were accompanied with nothing but silence. Without even hesitating, Yu slammed her uninjured foot on the ground, standing up from the bench.

Toshinori’s eyes widened, before getting up as well. “Wait, what are you doing!? You’re in no condition to fight an entire invasion!”

Yu began making her way out of the park, before turning back to him and winking. “Look to the future.”

 

Chapter 14: The Triumph of Mt. Lady

The city was in absolute mayhem. Lasers, fire, bullets, any and all forms of quirks by the legions of pro heroes and civilian quirk users alike were in a fierce war against the invading Zettonian fleet. A fleshy dragon roared through the air as she was being chased down by one of the UFOs, before erupting into a giant pillar of fire that streaked back down to the city.

In the middle of the chaos was Zetton, silent as he waded through the city and left a trail of fire and death behind him. His face briefly lit up and a gigantic fireball erupted out to detonate a whole city block. He swung his hands, smashing them into a skyscraper and causing the whole thing to collapse through sheer strength alone.

The alien kaiju only paused when he sensed another’s presence and turned to see Mt. Lady standing there with a dark look on her face.

She raised her fists and clenched them. “I’m giving you one chance to surrender and leave peacefully,” she said calmly. Could she really take on an alien? No, she couldn’t think of it like that. Despite all of the destruction and death around her… she had to think of this like any other opponent.

There was a long silence as the two giants stared each other down. She raised her voice a little to be heard over the noise. “Well?”

There was a soft whirring noise and the alien made no movements. “Zetton.”

“Alright then. I’ll take that as a no.” Mt. Lady took a breath, tapped her brace against the ground and grimaced a little. “Well, I doubt I was gonna survive this intact anyways…” With a loud war cry, she sprinted forward and ignored the pain that flared up and swung her whole body around, using her brace like an anchor to give herself some more weight as she fiercely roundhouse kicked Zetton hard on the side of the head.

The monster stumbled slightly at the impact and she kept up the assault, jabbing precisely with her good leg all over his body. The legs, the sides, the stomach, anything to gain the advantage until he finally thrust his hands up and caught her leg mid-kick. Immediately, Mt. Lady was pulled off her feet as Zetton dragged her leg up and with a great heave threw her down a few blocks like a ragdoll.

She smashed into the concrete hard, unable to stop her groan of pain as the broken concrete dug into her skin. She shook her head a little and pulled herself up on her feet and then dove aside when another fireball barreled down the street and barely missed her. She pursed her lips when she heard it explode off in the distance.

“Zetton.” She scrambled back when the alien monster teleported right in front of her, swinging his arm. As she reflexively raised her arm to block the attack, she let out a grunt of pain. Zetton was strong enough that even something like that felt like her arm might break if he had swung just a bit more dangerously.

‘Gotta be careful’, Mt. Lady thought to herself as she swayed back from another swipe from Zetton and responded with a few jabs to the face. ‘I’m not gonna last if I take too many hits.’

Mt. Lady tried to move back, only to yelp in pain when Zetton managed to grab her hair. He yanked at it hard, ripping a decent sized chunk out as he tossed her over a building. She smashed through it with a sickening crash of glass and plaster. Gritting her teeth, she used the dust and smoke as a mask to set herself up before football tackling Zetton through the debris and smashing them both into the side of another building.

Pulling back before the alien could get his powerful grip on her again, she instead moved forward and drove her knee hard into his gut, taking a few steps back to do it again. Over and over, she continued to push her weight against Zetton until a giant diamond-like hue of energy washed over the alien.

Zetton immediately dropped the Zetton Barrier when his opponent moved back and fired some of his star-shells to pelt Mt. Lady’s chest and stomach, sending her reeling back in agony. “Zetton,” he said slowly, face glowing as he moved lazily back upright. The human was putting up more resistance than expected, time to stop playing around.

Teleporting behind Mt. Lady, the behemoth began teleporting rapidly around the ruined city, Mt. Lady whirling around this way and that to try and pinpoint his location. His target thoroughly disoriented, Zetton appeared behind Mt. Lady and fired a point blank fireball at her back.

The fire exploded violently and coated her entire upper half, sending her flying and leaving a smoldering wreck of a woman laying there on the ground. Satisfied that his target was either dead or too injured to continue fighting, Zetton turned to continue his rampage across the city.

There was pain everywhere Mt. Lady felt it. She took ragged gasps as she lay there on the ground for a few moments in shock. It was the most painful experience of her life, and she knew somewhere that she was going to have horrific burn scars. She was confident that the upper half of her costume was scorched off or barely clinging on. At least the fabric couldn’t melt into her skin. She could hear the thundering footsteps of Zetton walking away and she clenched her fists. No, it couldn’t end like this! Not as long as she drew breath.

Shakily, Mt. Lady got to her feet and ran full tilt at Zetton. The monster only had time to jerk in surprise as Mt. Lady leaped up, grabbing his horns and slamming him down onto the ground. She lifted up her foot and stomped viciously down on his head, stomping over and over until he once again grabbed her foot and threw her backwards.

This time, she was able to catch herself and not fall down. She watched cautiously as Zetton got back up, and to her dismay it didn’t even look like he had been hurt. ‘I can’t tell if this thing is even injured or not…’ she noted unhappily, but that just meant she had to keep going until she knew he was dead.

Zetton’s face lit up and she took off, a trail of smaller fireballs exploding the ground behind her. She jumped up once to avoid getting hit as buildings and cars detonated all around her. Up above, one of the Zettonian craft swooped down, and she leaped up in the air to grab it.

Whirling around, she threw the UFO at Zetton. He quickly thrust his hands up to erect his barrier, the spacecraft detonating harmlessly against it. ‘I need a distraction’ A shadow flew overhead, and when she looked up, she saw Ryukyu soaring through the sky.

‘That’ll do.’ She put her fingers to her mouth and whistled sharply to get the dragon hero’s attention. When she turned to look, Mt. Lady jerked her thumb at Zetton and mouthed ‘distract’.

With an affirmative roar, the dragon tore off down towards the ground while Mt. Lady began her ascent of the skyscraper.

Ryukyu shrieked angrily as a barrage of fireballs soared towards her. Swiftly twirling through the air, the dragon hero swooped down low and tackled Zetton to ensure he stayed on the ground, scratching wildly with her claws as the alien monster struggled to throw the pro hero off.

Zetton let out a deep ”Zetton” and finally threw Ryukyu off and onto the ground. He lurched over, grabbing one of her wings and giving a sharp yank. There was a squeal of pain as her wing was broken, and the superweapon continued to pull until the ground suddenly gave out underneath his feet and erupted upwards to throw him off balance.

‘I don’t fucking believe it.’ Mt. Lady noted, gritting her teeth in agony as the glass dug into her skin and stained her blue costume red.

‘Mew better believe it!’ Madalay’s chipper voice resonated in her mind. ‘You didn’t think you were doing this solo were you? Don’t worry, we’re all here to help you out! Now keep climbing, we’ve got someone coming up to help you out!’

On the ground, the Pro Heroes were swarming Zetton all over. Pixie Bob was in her element, throwing around rocks and dirt to keep the alien kaiju off balance while Tiger stretched his body around the colossus’ legs. A giant flock of feathers from Hawks suddenly added to the pandemonium, stabbing and pushing all over in the attempt to finally push Zetton off of his feet. Endeavor then roared in from the ground, a giant pillar of fire that screamed towards the alien kaiju. On the ground, a huge wave of ice stabbed out at the same time from his son.

Zetton raised his barrier to block Endeavor’s attack and throw the other heroes off. Mt. Lady panted to herself as she climbed and her blood ran down the building. “Just a little more…”

“Hiya!” A chipper voice called out. She jerked in surprise when she saw an unfamiliar girl sitting on her shoulder. “I’m Uravity, technically I’m not supposed to do this since I’m still a student, buuutt…” She pressed a finger to her lips playfully and slapped Mt. Lady gently on the shoulder.

Immediately, she felt herself begin to rise up. Mt. Lady squawked a little as Uravity gave her a firm push upwards towards the skyscraper. “Go get ’em Mt. Lady! We’re all with you!” She waved and as the weightlessness took her the rest of the way, Mt. Lady swore she could’ve heard the sound of the girl retching.

Finally reaching the top, Mt. Lady scanned the battlefield for her target. She saw explosions litter the kaiju from the distance and she took a slow, reinforcing breath. ‘Mandalay, tell them to clear off.’ She mentally asked. She only had one shot to make this work.

‘On it on it!’

“Here goes nothing…” Yu took as much space as she could and leaped off the building down at Zetton. She angled herself as best she could, foot outstretched as gravity overtook her.

“CANYON CANNON!!!” She shouted as all 29,000 tons of her smashed down on Zetton with a deafening crash as finally the alien kaiju was forced onto the ground. Mt. Lady let out a cry as she felt her leg protest, but hopefully she hadn’t broken it during the attack.

Zetton was down, though, and she pulled herself off of the wreckage. She felt a little light-headed – probably because of blood loss – and watched her foe intently. “Don’t go near it!” she called out. She had to make sure he was dead first. She took a few shaky steps towards the downed creature and leaned over him, giving the body a small kick.

She gasped out when Zetton suddenly thrust his hand out and began squeezing her throat. Her eyes rolled up as it felt like her neck was being crushed under his iron grip. She flailed her limbs in a desperate attempt to free herself, her vision darkening. All she could hear was the lone, deep cry of ”Zetton”.

And then she felt the sweet taste of air, her vision returning as she coughed violently. She looked around, gasping in horror as she saw a still injured Shinya being carried off by a few heroes. He looked back at her and winked knowingly. Looking at Zetton, she saw that the hand that was choking her had been mutilated beyond repair, unusually colored alien blood seeping out of the wounds.

‘Now’s my chance!’ She thought and swung back into action with a renewed vigor. “COME ON, EVERYONE!” she shouted, and there was a roar as the remaining heroes joined behind her and charged at the injured kaiju. She swung low, catching the creature in the gut with a furious punch and forcing him to bend over. Sliding back, she lifted her braced leg high into the air and axe-kicked Zetton right on the head, a loud CLANG! echoing out as reinforced King Joe metal met alien skin. Zetton was thrown head over heels in a frontflip and slammed back down onto the ground.

Raising her boot, she was thrown off when the creature suddenly teleported away. ‘To the left! Big fireball!’ one of the Pussycats called out, and she swung her leg just in time to catch a fireball by the heel and send it spiraling away. She sucked on her teeth as she felt her poor aching feet get singed by the flames.

Zetton raised his hands, only to buckle dangerously when one of his legs suddenly was thrown out from underneath him. Looking down, she saw a very wide, All-Might-like grin from a young hero with scars all up his arms. He shot her a thumbs up.

Returning the gesture, Mt. Lady moved forward and reared her head back for a massive Titanic Cliff, headbutting Zetton hard and sending both of them staggering back. Blinking away the stars in her eyes, she swung hard and decked Zetton right in what she hoped was his face, sending him careening back with a surprised cry.

Zetton righted himself instantly and fired a barrage of fireballs at Mt. Lady, only to rear back when a giant column of flames sprung up in front of her to absorb the fires. He threw up his barrier as Endeavor crashed against it, throwing the hero back by using the reflective properties of the barrier.

He began charging up for the biggest fireball he could muster. The humans were much stronger than its masters had given them credit for. They needed to die now.

Teleporting away to get some distance, Zetton slowly rose into the air to aim downwards at the assembled group of heroes. “Zet…ton…”

A fireball the size of his head was unleashed, rocketing down towards the pro heroes. Those who had the ability to do so erected shields of all sizes in an attempt to block the explosion, but when Zetton’s fireball connected, it erupted in a giant plume of smoke and fire, dwarfing everything in the immediate vicinity and making the very ground tremble with its power.

When it finally died down, Zetton touched down on the ground. He was breathing heavily, but was now certain that the resistance was dead.

Mt. Lady stepped through the smoke. Her hair was black and red with ash and blood. Her costume was wrecked beyond recognition, blood was seeping from several points of her body. The thing that scared Zetton the most in that single moment was the burning, unyielding fire in her eyes. Burnt and bloody, but still alive as she moved forward with a feral cry and headbutted a shocked Zetton again. “I won’t let you win!” she yelled, uncaring as her body screamed in protest, and tackled Zetton to the ground, punching his face over and over and over again viciously. “You won’t take my home!”

Zetton attempted to throw her off, but instead she caught his arm and locked it into an armbreaker and began pulling. The bones began to crack in his arm and a panicked Zetton teleported out of her arms and a few meters away. She stood back up, wiping some of the blood that had trickled down into her eyes, and raised her fists.

The two warriors looked at each other for a long moment before they began their final charge. ‘I’m going to win… I’m going to win no matter what!’ Yu thought to herself, and the two collided as they both punched each other in the face. Unwilling to yield and despite several teeth flying out, Yu forced her knee up and rammed it into Zetton’s bruised guts.

Zetton swung with his other hand as Yu ducked it and fiercely uppercutted her foe. Alien blood flew from the wounds he had accumulated during the fight, but not to be outdone, Zetton swung a kick at her injured leg. She gasped out in pain and immediately buckled under the pressure before headbutting its chest in an attempt to get some breathing room.

Ready to break her leg and cripple her once and for all, Zetton stalked forward and only stopped when all of a sudden wood and roots sprung up out of the earth, catching his legs and holding the alien menace in place. Yu stood back, looking around and seeing Kamui Woods, still laying on a hospital bed with his burnt arm stretched out. He was shaking violently, clinging onto dear life and barely holding it together to keep Zetton in place. He nodded at Yu.

Yu nodded back and took a slow breath. The world seemed to move in slow motion for Yu in that moment. ‘This is it.’ She thought to herself. ‘They promised me they’d keep me alive.. but now I have to promise them that I’ll do the same.’

Taking a few steps back, she tapped her leg as she got ready for one last run. ‘Shinya…. Shinji… you two have been everything to me… and so much more’

Zetton was still struggling to free himself from Kamui Woods’ vines and branches. Too exhausted to teleport, the alien kaiju began thrashing in a panic as Mt. Lady began sprinting towards him.

‘I love you both so much… maybe if I make it out alive I’ll be able to tell you…’

“CANYON!”

‘Thank you for helping me get here.’

“CANNON!!!!!”

With one final kick, Mt. Lady had completely twisted Zetton’s head around and broke his neck. Immediately, the alien beast slumped over and lay dead on the ground. In doing so, Mt. Lady had broken her leg beyond repair, wobbling as she tried to stand on one good leg.

Broken, bloody, burnt, and bruised, Mt. Lady stood triumphant and thrust her fist into the sky. “PLUS! ULTRA!!!” With her final cry, Yu felt herself teetering down and collapsing where she stood, shrinking down to her human size. With a victorious smile on her lips, she closed her eyes and let herself drift into unconsciousness.

 

Epilogue: Towards A Brighter Future

The annual hero awards and ceremony had been understandably delayed in the face of suddenly being aware there was alien life out in the stars and that the city had been completely wrecked. Despite that, there was very clearly going to be only one true No. 1 hero after everything was said and done.

And much like the last time, it was also going to be her last appearance thanks to injuries sustained during her tenure.

The award ceremony was going to be the first time the general public would be able to see their new number one for the first time since the Zetton fight. Yu was resplendent in a brand new hero costume, sitting in her wheelchair and talking with some of the other heroes.

“Yeah, the wheelchair’s only for long walks or when I have to go out. I can usually stay on my feet at home or if I just need to go somewhere quick with some crutches,” she said to Endeavor, who nodded solemnly at her words. “I had to completely remodel our new apartment though to be disabled friendly,” she grumbled to herself, idly rolling back and forth.

“So you all moved into one place?” Endeavor asked curiously, folding his arms. “I had heard some of my interns talking about how the Lurkers were seen apartment scouting.”

She laughed at that, nodding enthusiastically. “Yeah, after my doctor and Recovery Girl forced me to retire and told me that I needed all of this stuff, the boys practically turned into live-in nurses for a while.” She scoffed a bit at that, shaking her head. “Even though they should’ve been taking care of themselves.” There was a loud roar from the crowd and she saw herself. A much younger and healthier Mt. Lady posing provocatively for the camera as she was being hailed as the number one hero. “That’s my cue. Sorry that the All Might thing happened again.”

He snorted a little, shaking his head. “I’m not worried about being Number One anymore. Knock ’em dead.”

With a grateful smile, she wheeled herself up to the stairs and stood up shakily, only to have some roots and vines lift her and her crutches up to the stage itself. She smiled gratefully as she saw Shinya and Shinji standing there and giving her big thumbs up. Hobbling herself to the podium, she waved to the crowd and smiled widely.

“Hello everyone!” she called out, laughing a little at the cheering and the murmuring at seeing her wheelchair and crutches. She waited until the noise died down before adjusting the mic and speaking. “First of all… I’d like to say thank you. Thank you to each and every single one of you out there who was able to let me fulfill a dream I never thought possible.”

“When I first became a hero, I was told to be careful of everything because of my quirk. And I tried to be, but when you live in a world where you’re a giant.. and everyone else is so small, you break things. Cars, buildings… so I tried to play up my looks and gain approval that way. I ran into debt, I… I wasn’t the hero I wanted to be.”

She took a breath a little, feeling the emotions start to well up. “But this past year has made that more than possible. I’ll spare the rest of my life story, you can read that in my autobiography.” She winked flirtatiously one last time and was pleased to hear the chuckles from the crowd. “But I can say this: No matter what your Quirk is, no matter what others think of it.. or what you think of it, you have the potential to stand where I stand right now. To not only be a hero, but be the hero.”

Taking another deep breath, she sniffed a bit. “And that’s why while I’m honored to accept this position, I think you can all see I’m not physically able to continue on. I must retire from active duty thanks to the injuries sustained over the past year.” She sniffed again, tears welling in her eyes. “That’s why I had to thank you all, for letting a girl like me live out her dream…” She choked out a little sob, covering her eyes a bit.

“I couldn’t have done this alone,” she said after a moment to recover herself. “Without Kamui Woods and Edgeshot… without my dearest and most trusted friends in the world, I would still be that vain and selfish Mt. Lady who you all knew and maybe loved. Because of them and their support, I was able to take the first step forward into being a hero I could be proud of,” she hiccupped a little, wiping her eyes. “That’s why, even though I’m sad to say goodbye I leave you all with a parting gift.”

She waved her hand a little and six individuals joined her on the stage. All were wearing striking orange uniforms and standing rigidly to attention. “These fine men and women are the first of an organization that has been in the works for months. To research, study, and deal with various alien and kaiju activity that happen not only in Japan, but around the world. Please, give a warm welcome to the newly formed Science Special Search Party!” With one final wave goodbye to the crowd and the audience at home, Mt. Lady walked proudly away as the SSSP took the stage to explain everything.

After being lowered back into her chair by Shinji’s powers, she wheeled towards the back entrance with the boys walking behind her. “So, what now Yu?” Shinya asked curiously. “Shinji and I are probably going to go back to work once the ceremony concludes. Will you be okay by yourself?”

She sighed, pulling both of them down to kiss their cheeks. “You two worry about me too much. I’m actually going out to visit a friend. If I need you, I’ll call you. Okay?” They nodded and she smiled at them, letting Shinji open the door and letting the sunlight spill into the dark corridor.

“Who are you going to meet?” Shinji asked curiously.

Yu gave him a wide, All-Might like grin. “His name is Toshinori. I’ll introduce you someday.” With that, she wheeled out into the sunlight, back into the city and into a new chapter of her life.

Winner: Mt. Lady