A Tarnished Hero

Chapter 10: Carpe Diem

Tenya's legs felt like they were being roughshod over hot coals, his chest heaving up and down as he tried to get his breathing back in order.

"Yo, little listener, you feelin' alright?" Beside Tenya, Present Mic gazed at him with a slight frown. You can stay in the truck while we go rescue your other classmates."

"Thank you, Mic-sensei, but I have to help..." Tenya felt like he was going to collapse at any moment, the exhaustion he felt from running non-stop for the better half of an hour taking its toll on him. "My classmates..."

"Iida, leave it to the pros." Another hero voiced her concern, the tight spandex costume showing off her curves. "You can take a rest. Even pros have to leave the work to others when they're completely spent."

"But still..." Tenya really struggled to keep his eyes open, the corners of his vision swimming from black to dark the longer he continued to stay awake.

"It's fine, Iida." A high-pitched voice squeaked, the tone light and jovial but there was no hiding the palpable rage radiating underneath the facade. "Rest your head. As principal of U.A. High School, I promise you to safely deliver your classmates from harm."

The reassurance coming from the mouse-bear-rat hybrid was the last straw and Tenya felt himself give away, eyes closing as he embraced the darkness.

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Nezu eyed the sleeping teen, his eyes furrowed as he felt the desire to mutilate those who had dared to invade HIS school.

"Poor kid." Snipe muttered from underneath his mask, hands fiddling with the twin revolvers to prepare for the inevitable shootout. "How long until we get there?"

"Not long now." Vlad King, the man who was driving the truck carrying them along growled with a fury in his eyes.

"Can't this thing go any faster? Who knows what might happen to the students while we aren't there!?" Midnight, the ever-loving mother hen of the group bit her lip. She may dress like a stripper, as far as his intellect goes, but she was no doubt the most caring of the bunch.

"Relax, Kayama. All Might is there." Present Mic tried to reassure the woman, but no doubt he was feeling just as antsy as Midnight was. "He should be kicking the asses of the villains right about now."

Now that statement right there was unacceptable. To heap on the hopes and expectations on a single man wasn't a feasible solution to their detrimental society. He was sure to cut it out of the bud when the teachers here started their job, but humans will be humans, emotional creatures that they are.

"Even if All Might is currently holding back the villain menace, never forget to provide aid to those affected." Nezu grin knew it brought chills down their spines. Oh, how he loved tormenting them so. Sadly, his hobby of messing with his employees must be put to the wayside now in favor of reminding them of the harrowing truth. "All Might is just a man. You've all seen his injury. Do not prop him on a pedestal like the others in our society do."

His piece said, the heroes within the truck went silent. Good thing their student was asleep, otherwise there would be a chance of an information leak. Something Nezu wasn't too keen on, what with the HPSC nibbling at his coattails for any kind of vulnerability.

The rest of the drive was bathed in silence as the heroes prepared themselves for the worst-case scenario. Nezu, meanwhile, was simulating scenarios upon scenarios on the possible outcomes this villain invasion may come to bring.

Did one his students die? Did multiple of them die? What about the other side? Did a villain die? How about injuries? Grievous or minimal?

So many scenarios, not enough time to think. Even with his quirk that made him into the intellectual powerhouse that he was, time was an ever-present constant that always hindered his calculations.