Zero Hero || MHA ||

32. Something To Protect

The vigilantes and I dashed through the halls with Corvade leading. She had to be in front since she was the one with the radio. Nearing the staircase, a group of Crimson Eclipse villains were waiting behind a corner. There was a fair amount of them even for us. It didn't matter though, because we were grabbing that serum no matter what.

"Don't let any of them pass!" a villain ordered.

They all charged. Masterbaiter stretched his fishing line across the floor and to the other side. Following its trajectory, Strawberry Shades leaped and slammed his foot on it, making the line tighten. Before they could even attack, hoards of them trip. As they began to tumble like dominos, Static used her Quirk to paralyze the fallen grunts.

"Me and Static will take care of these scrubs!" Masterbaiter said.

Static began to protest but stopped when more grunts approached. Their comrades realized what was happening and simply jumped over the tripwire. Meanwhile, Corvade, Strawberry Shades, and I pushed our way through the crowd with the seed shield Strawberry Shades made. It was so enormous that it covered the three of us, who were side-by-side. As we inched closer and closer, more and more villains popped out. It was getting more difficult to move and evade all their attacks; Corvade and I were using our Quirks to dodge them but with so many Quirks flying at once, it was hard.

"Um, this isn't going so hot. There's too many of them!" I remarked.

Turning to Strawberry Shades, Corvade asked if he could lead us towards the windows. With a nod, he spit a seed into his hand. Within seconds, it grew as large as a bowling ball. He sent it rolling. As it rolled, it grew bigger and bigger to the point it was as huge as a vending machine. Any grunt in its path was mowed down. They began to jump away and seeing the path cleared, the three of us hurried behind. The seed burst through the window with villains falling out after it.

"We three got this! Go find the serum!" Strawberry Shades exclaimed. He gave us that iconic dazzling grin that blinded my eyes. He turned around and began forming another seed. Corvade and I continued running.

Corvade pulled out her grappling hook with one hand and placed the other around my waist. Pulling me close, she told me we were gonna jump. I gave her a firm nod and clutched her cloak. Our feet leaped off the ground at the same time and soon the lake was under them. I heard the spur of her hook fly and latch onto the building. Spinning in the air and nearing the window, we crashed through. Unlike last time, I was able to stick my landing, clumsily.

"Where are we?" I asked as Corvade sprinted away. I followed after her, trying to match her pace but she was pretty fast.

"The 1st floor. The serum's hidden in the basement," she replied.

She suddenly turned the corner, and I nearly crashed into the wall trying to make that sharp turn. I noticed that we were at a dead end. Seeing this, I informed her about our situation. She ignored me and began running her hands on the wall. It only took me a few moments to realize what was happening and joined in. Of course, something so important is hidden in a secret passage. It's basic knowledge for somebody like me who's always getting into trouble.

My hands ran along the wall when I felt something warm. Informing Corvade, she scurried over to inspect. Then pulling out her baton, it flickered with electricity and she stabbed the wall. Doing so caused the lights to flicker and after a moment, the wall opened to reveal an elevator. Through the radio, I could hear Mitsume talking.

"Smart thinking! Why didn't I think of doing that? Last time I busted in, I used a passcode," he chirped.

We went inside and descended to the basement, listening to some groovy elevator tunes. We were able to catch our breaths. As we did, I peeked over at Corvade whose purple eyes were staring ahead. My mind flashed to the night when everything was revealed. I remembered seeing her whole face, the shape of her nose and lips. The familiarity of it was like Dad's. And then, the scar on her mouth. She told me she got it from battle.