Zero Hero ||MHA||

16. Stimulate

The tip of the needle dug into Kiyoshi's arm. Before it could pierce, a layer of white bone formed over his skin. Upon making impact, the needle chipped in half. At the same time, an explosion erupted from Bakugo's palms. A cloud of smoke blew in my face as everything around me turned gray. I stuffed the syringe into my sweatshirt pocket, and I felt someone's hands shove me out of the smokescreen. As the air cleared, I saw Kiyoshi standing over Bakugo.

"I thought I told you to stop," Kiyoshi sighed. 

An armor of bone formed on his arms. Ragged bone protruded from his shoulders, traveling down to his elbow and ending at his fists. A small blotch of orange liquid trickled off his right arm.

Bakugo spat on his shoe. Shortly after, it flew into his lower abdomen. Bakugo clutched his stomach from impact and gasped for air. While he clutched his stomach, Kiyoshi turned to me. The look he wore sent chills down my spine. He was angry, enraged, but it was the silent kind of rage. It was kind that whatever he did next, it would be out of pure, cold, unadulterated, calculation. At that moment, realization set in: he's not like the other villains.  

"I say, you look just like your father. A carbon copy. It must hurt her to see you," he said, walking over. 

Giving him a long hard glare, I told him to leave us alone. He didn't react. Not a single muscle on his stony expression moved.

"Calm down. I'll let you go, but under one condition..."

I didn't think it was possible, but I felt his anger intensify. I did my best to plaster a stoic face, but my hands suddenly grew sweaty and it was hard to swallow.

"You have to come with me."

This guy's using the oldest trick in the book. It's so cliché but it works too well. I knew that the minute I go with him, the minute he's gonna grab Bakugo and haul us both away.

My eyes darted to Bakugo who was still on the ground. Just a few minutes earlier, I would've felt happy if I saw him like that. In fact, I wanted to be the one pummeling him to the knees. But now... It doesn't matter how much I hate him right now. I need to get us away.

A couple of feet away from him was the silhouette of my phone. The screen was off. It must've shut off while he and I had our fight. If I turn it on, then my conversation with Hiro will automatically pop up on the screen.

【 ɪ'ʟʟ ᴄᴏᴍᴇ ᴀꜱᴀᴘ! 】

Hiro suggested buying a phone with a feature that could send others my location, since I get caught up in so many villain attacks. All I have to do is press the icon near his name, and it'd send him an alert showing my current location. It'd be quicker than calling the police. The thing is, can I do it in time? This Kiyoshi guy is fast. I could reach the phone first, but there's no way I could send the alert in time. I could try evading his attacks for a bit, but I don't know how long I'd last.

Although Bakugo just got a beating, he was still able to move. He slowly inched his way toward my phone, possibly having the same idea of calling for help. There was smoke practically rising out of his ears...and his hands. The image of him zooming toward me with his blasts replayed in my head.

I'll need Bakugo's help if we're gonna get out of here. He'll have to be the one to send the text. I need a chance to tell him somehow.

I looked back at Kiyoshi, my heart thumping. "...Okay. I'll come with you. Just... Don't do anything to him."

The smoke around Bakugo's palms accumulated. Kiyoshi reached for me when I punched him. He easily swiped my hand away. Despite the tremor in my legs, I managed to move and kick him in the crotch. He gripped my arm, his fingers stabbing into my skin.