In the hours following Crosshair's betrayal, the Bad Batch arranged a televised press conference to save face. By this point, rumors of Crosshair's betrayal and defection to the League of Villains had already started to resurface. Hunter made the assumption that this was Crosshair's doing in an attempt to further sew distrust of the Bad Batch to the public. With public distrust of Heroes already growing and the already less than favorable reputation in the Hero Community. In the early hours of the day, various news reporters as well as representatives from the Hero Public Safety Commission gathered outside the Bad Batch' base. Wearing their armor, the Bad Batch addressed the crowd and reporters.
Hunter: I'll keep this brief. As many of you have heard, there has been a rumor that Crosshair, one of our founding members have defected from the Bad Batch and joined the Villains.
Upon saying this, the crowd began chattering indistinctly. Despite this, it was clear to Hunter and the rest of the Bad Batch that this press conference could quickly turn against them.
Hunter: But you have my reassurance that Crosshair will be tracked down and apprehended.
???: And how can we trust you to do so?
As the voice called out, Hunter turns his attention to a light skinned man with brown hair and brown eyes wearing a gray tailored suit.
???: Executive Rampart and I'm representing the Hero Public Safety Commission on this matter. Now given your reputation, I'm sure you can understand the skepticism. After all, you and the rest of the Bad Batch and the Hero Public Safety Commission never saw eye to eye.
Hunter: We are all well aware of this.
Rampart: The only reason we never shut you down was because of the results your produced. Now with the news that one of your own has gone rogue, the HPSC is now concerned about your squad's place.
Hunter: The Commission has nothing to worry about. We're working to capture Crosshair and bring him to justice.
Rampart: Under most circumstances, this would be acceptable. However, the Commission is aware that Crosshair was not the first in your organization to go rouge. Tell me, do you know the Villain Swordkil?
Upon hearing this, Hunter remained silent. A smug smirk fell on Rampart's face.
Hunter: Swordkil was a mistake. A mistake we're working to correct.
Rampart: It's bad enough to have one member of your group go rogue, but to have another? And with a founding member no less, well I trust you understand the Commission's concerns. If one of the Bad Batch's founding members went rogue, what's to stop the rest of you from doing the same?
As Rampart said this, Hunter quickly realized that Rampart's words were deliberate in trying to get the Bad Batch to further make themselves look bad. Despite this, Hunter remained calm.
Rampart: And then there's the matter of former members of the Bad Batch.
Hunter: Any former members of the Bad Batch have no involvement in any of our operations. We understand that we don't exactly have public favor at the moment, but we're Heroes just the same as someone like All Might and Endeavor. In the wake of All Might's retirement and when Villain attacks were on the rise, it was me and the 99 who led the charge to stop them.
Rampart: And now one of your own is now a Villain. That's two members of the Bad Batch who have gone rogue. How can the public be reassured of your commitment to maintaining public safety with such a record? Especially when the Bad Batch already maintains little to no oversight.
Hunter: We do our job.
Rampart: It's no longer good enough. In light of these disturbing truths, the Hero Public Safety Commission would like to ensure the public that the matter of Crosshair shall be dealt with. The proud Pro Heroes will hunt down this Villain and bring him to justice. As for the Bad Batch, perhaps it's about time we extend some long overdue oversight onto the Bad Batch. You've long maintained that you can only work independently, but it's fairly obvious that this lack of accountability has led to disaster. Now it's time that the Bad Batch share the same responsibilities and accountability as all Pro Heroes.
As Rampart said this, the crowd expressed support for Rampart's proposal. In that moment, the press conference had turned against the Bad Batch. Inside the Bad Batch's headquarters, Omega and Jiro watched as the crowd turned against the Bad Batch.
Omega: Why are those people angry Hunter and the others? Is it about Crosshair?
Jiro: It's...it's complicated.
Omega: But they're Heroes. They want to help.
As Omega said this, Jiro didn't know how to respond. Before she could say anything, Hunter and the rest of the Bad Batch entered the building. The sound of the crowd was still outside.
Wrecker: Well what's our next move?! We find Crosshair and take him down?
Tech: I'm afraid it won't be that easy. You heard what Executive Rampart said.
Hunter: I knew Crosshair's defection would attract the attention of the Public Safety Commission, but I didn't think they'd make their move this fast.
Jiro: Well what do we do now?
Hunter: There's no telling how long we got until the Public Safety Commission make their move, so we have to find Crosshair now.
With that, the Bad Batch made finding and capturing Crosshair a top priority. But as of now, the Bad Batch were outcasts. They were on their own now more than ever.
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The Bad Batch (Star Wars X My Hero Academia)
ActionThey call themselves the Bad Batch. They are known as an unorthodox group of Pro Heroes that specialize in various high risk tasks. Together, the Bad Batch made a name for themselves as Pro Heroes who get the job done. They're the best at what they...
