Lightning Serenade

Chapter 80: Tartarus IV

"What do you mean they haven't given you a single dose?" Denki asked. "You still have your quirk intact?"

"Yeah," Full Throttle admitted, but seemed to almost shrink in on himself. "They made a game out of it to try to tempt me to use it. Every guard they put me with and every prisoner I come into contact with has a quirk that would backfire against me if I used my quirk on them or it wouldn't do much of anything at all."

Denki paled. "They really are trying to kill us."

"Yeah," Full Throttle agreed, his eyes scanning over Denki. "And if I was still dead set on killing you and didn't care that I'd bring myself down with you, I could finally finish the job."

Denki's eyes locked on Full Throttle's as he sat up pin straight against the wall. "You said earlier that you quirk bypasses quirk-canceling technology..."

Full Throttle sighed and leaned back against the wall, nodding at Denki's unspoken question. "It cuts through quirk-nullifying drugs like they aren't even there. Burns right through them within seconds and then you're blasting at full force once again."

When Full Throttle met Denki's eyes, he didn't expect to see awe, but yet there it was, plain as day. He should have been scared. He should have been up, pounding at the door, demanding they get him out of there, name-dropping and throwing around any threats he could think of to just get the hell out of reach.

Endeavor will have a field day with this! Having the face of his agency shoved in this room with a villain like some common criminal! Phantom Thief will have your head! And so will the goddamn League of Villains, apparently!

That's what Denki should have been saying. That's what Full Throttle would have tried in his position anyway, and yet...

"You're amazing!" Denki praised, just in case Full Throttle might have missed the look in his eyes or mistaken it for something else. "Everyone here is underestimating you! What do you say we get out of here?"

Full Throttle's face contorted into a skeptical sneer. "What part about what I just said made you think that was a good idea?"

Denki laughed. "So, I have this ability to turn into lightning, right? And I have this theory that—"

"Wait," Full Throttle called out. When Denki stopped, Full Throttle sighed, slouched like he was at least sixty years older than he actually was, and rubbed at his temples. He moved his hand in a circular motion in front of him as he asked, "can we start with the lightning thing?"

Denki beamed. "Sure! It's how I lasted so long the first time I got to experience your quirk."

Full Throttle looked at Denki closely and strangely at 'first time' like there was ever going to be another and 'experience your quirk' because that was a hell of a mild way of putting it, but he allowed Denki to continue on without interrupting.

"I got as far away as I could from everyone else." Denki watched Full Throttle's fingers idly trace the scar that started at his neck, travel over his collar bone, and disappear under the collar of his faded mauve uniform shirt.

Full Throttle remembered that well. Denki had leaped forward, and Full Throttle swore his life flashed before his eyes, ready for Denki to grab him and take a villain down with him, because that would at least be a heroic death. But no, he ran right past him, his goal to get as isolated as possible as to cause the least amount of damage. A truly heroic reaction.

If Full Throttle had been in that position, he would have thrown one hell of a tantrum in the 90 seconds he might have lasted (and that's being generous). He would have made national, or maybe global news. He would have at least lived on that way instead of having his young life putter out insignificantly on a mountain by himself.