No Reason To Cry Wolf, Right?

Chapter XIX

"Kota? Kota!" Mandalay yelled in the little boy's head.

"Hurry up and come back to camp! It's dangerous right now, and I need you to listen!" With only her mind-Quirk, Mandalay couldn't know that the frightened boy was backing up on the cliff, scared.

"I'm sorry, I don't know where you go!" She called in his head. Another few steps back, then a full stop.

He was at the edge of the cliff.

All alone.

"I'm sorry, Kota! I can't come and get you! Hurry back!" Mandalay said as she signed off.  The scared boy could not do so, however. He couldn't even respond in his head, not that it would do anything.

He wouldn't be able to get back.

A man in a black cloak and a white mask with holes was towering right above him.

"I tried searching somewhere with a nice view," The tall figure laughed,

"And I found a face that's not on our list. Nice hat, kid." Kota's eyes were wide, and he was frozen out of fear, panicking internally.

"Wanna trade with me for this lame mask?" The figure pointed at his covered face.

"They made me wear it because I'm new, saying something about late shipments." The man removed the mask, and Kota couldn't take it anymore. He turned to run, but the guy tossed away his mask and saw. Leaping off of the ground, the man launched through the air and landed heavily down in front of Kota, blocking his one escape path.

"Let me get a shot in to cheer up," The figure grinned, partially visible on his face.

His arm left the cover of the black cloak, revealing its bare self. Muscle-fiber-like strips erupted from his skin, wrapping themselves around the arm protectively and growing in bulk. Kota saw and was deathly afraid.

Something had come up in his mind.

On TV, the local news station had broadcast the tragic story of the WaterHose heroes' death. Kota was curled in front of the screen, empty of all things good. The person charged with the assault and murder of his parents was made known on that show. It was just a suspect, and the police and other heroes had never caught him.

Kota's eyes filled with tears of panic as the figure loomed over him, his other arm powering up with that same Quirky tissue.

The suspect had a power-up type quirk, he was also an Alpha, and he was very dangerous. He was on the run to this day, and they gave a small description of what he looked like. But there was no need for that.

Kota recognized him with a cold dread. The man who had murdered his parents was right in front of him.

All he needed to know it was him... was the cut left eye that he had sustained from the battle with his parents.

As the black cloak flew back from the large man, it revealed a scarred left eye with a seeing device implanted in the ruined skin.

He was right here.

"Papa...Mama....!!" Kota cried, letting loose all pain and fear as the man closed in. The man raised his bulked-up fist, bringing it swiftly down to crush Kota where he stood.

"No!!" Izuku yelled, grabbing the boy and sprinting away from the danger site. The killer's fist collided with empty air and soon met the ground. Wind pressure went everywhere, it and some rubble was created. The murderer looked up, surprised at the interference.

Izuku crashed to the ground, rolling to a stop. He held Kota tightly in his arms. His phone fell out of his pocket, cracking as it fell on the rocky ground, breaking. There would be no calling for help.