NOVEL NEXT The Raid Begins
Outside the gates to the yakuza compound stand a sizable police force, as well as a number of heroes. Scattered among them are my cats, some alone with a group and others a group themselves. And of course there’s me, possessing a brawler for a total of sixteen cats present.
A bunch of the people here are shooting glares or wary looks towards me, but I suppose I can get where they’re coming from given who I’m standing with.
“I dare say, Miss Cat, being surrounded like this does unsettle me quite a bit. And I am worried as to La Brava’s safety as well.”
I nod understandingly at Gentle Criminal’s worry as well as how he didn’t use my vigilante name. That’s something I have no intention of getting out. “Don’t worry. I contacted the Cult to keep an eye on her in case the heroes make a meowve. And, quite frankly, you’re a vital part of the raid. You’re basically the purrfect counter for most of our opponents.”
Given that they have access to Trigger, it’s safe to say that all of their quirks are going to be supersized. That’s why Gentle is such a boon here. When he turned to a life of crime he tested his quirk even more than when he was applying for hero schools, given the fact that he’d been expecting them to help him learn more about his quirk. Even without getting formal training though, one thing he’s discovered is that when he rubberizes the air, nothing can break or move it. Which means that his effectiveness against the Bullets, or even bullets, can’t be underestimated.
That’s why he’s going to be with the main team going after Eri, along with Eraserhead. Though the other heroes have their own targets.
Lemillion, AKA Togata, is the one who’s supposed to take care of Mimic, given that he can just phase through anything that gets thrown at him. Mirko, obviously, is meant to go after Rappa as payment for not standing against us. Something that she was all too happy to hear since she’s apparently been visiting the Underground Masquerade looking for him.
Pretty sure she wasn’t supposed to let that slip, but it does tell me that the rumors of some of the underground rings being government sanctioned are true. Because, despite her battle-junkie mindset, Mirko is a hero. And she wouldn’t not tell the Commission that she found the biggest fighting ring in Japan. Right?
Nejire-chan, AKA…Nejire, calling her by her first name should be fine since it’s literally her hero name. Anyways, she has the opposite of a target, instead she’s meant to avoid Rikiya Katsukame at all costs. Since her quirk shoots out her energy as attacks, and he absorbs energy to make himself stronger… Yeah, self explanatory. Which is why it was surprising that it did have to be explained to her, though I’m pretty sure she was just messing with us.
There’s no one else that requires a direct counter, though having Eraserhead take out Hekiji Tengai would be ideal given how strong his barriers are reported to be. Not necessary though since he’s entirely defensive and nothing can pass through the barriers from either side.
The kickoff of the raid is…lackluster. A pair of policemen knock on the front gate to the old-styled house, asking to be let in while brandishing a warrant.
Only to be blown backwards as a large man charges through the closed gate and throws the doors off their hinges.
…
Guess this is off to an interesting start after all!
Ryukyu launches herself at Katsukame while swiftly transitioning into her dragon form, yelling at the rest of us to break through the swarm of yakuza pouring out from the demolished entrance.
She’s in the top ten, she should be able to handle him without too much trouble, even if he is on Trigger. Still, Eraserhead doesn’t take any chances. I see him activating his quirk as we pass by, Katsukame making a confused noise after grabbing onto Ryukyu and his quirk not working, providing an opening that she takes advantage of by slamming his head into the ground for an instant knockout.
Meanwhile the main group rushes through the lower ranking members, almost casually taking them down however we can as we focus on getting to the secret entrance we know about. It doesn’t take long with the powerhouses with us. Mirko alone is taking out tens with each attack as she kicks one of them hard enough that they bowl over the rest.
And then we’re there, and I’m pushing in bricks to unseal the entrance. Bubble Girl sends out a stream of bubbles to check for an ambush, which the lack of yells assures us that there isn’t.
“Bubble Girl, stay here and guard the entrance. We’ll likely be coming out the same way.” Nighteye orders her, getting confirmation and a little salute in return.
We go down the stairs, watching our steps due to the popped bubbles coating the floor in a thin coating of water. Or whatever her bubbles are made of. It would be gross if they’re made of her sweat.
We exit the stairs into pristine white hallways, and I lead us down the left path, towards Eri’s room. But it doesn’t take long for us to hit a snag.
“This wall isn’t supposed to be here.” I say, glaring at said wall.
“Trying to delay us?” Eraserhead throws out, the answer obvious. Mirko scowls at it.
“I came for a fight, and this wall isn’t good enough to stop that from happening!” She jumps forward with one leg extended, her foot blasting the wall to pieces. “Hurry the hell up! We have a job to do and fights to enjoy!” Without waiting for us to respond she darts down the hall in long loping strides, half jumping in her rush.
“My, she is quite, ah, exuberant, in her desires, is she not.” Gentle chuckles nervously as he idly wonders how a fight between them would go. A shiver goes down his spine and I chuckle.
“Yeah, she’s a fun one. Hopefully I get my own chance at her some day.” Not in a hunting way, she’s a good hero who doesn’t let her love of fighting get in the way of safeguarding civilians. And the fact that she doesn’t rely on support equipment to cover for her weakness at long range means she always knows the aftereffects of her attacks, and can pull back if it might endanger someone.
Not to mention that, as a rabbit mutation, she shares certain…issues…with me, having a cat mutation. Actually, now that I think of it, that will start in about a month. Living in the dorms will make that awkward…
My musings are forcefully dismissed by the presence of a huge pillar of stone shooting out of the wall aimed at Mirko. Smart. If they manage to take out Mirko ahead of us, then as far as they know we won’t be able to break through any new obstacles we come across. Not to mention the fact that the slab itself works as its own obstacle.
Too bad for them Gentle Criminal shows off just why exactly nobody has been able to catch him before. He launches himself forward using his quirk with pinpoint precision to only make the floor directly under his feet rubber, giving himself enough speed to shoot ahead without disrupting our own footing.
Even as he manages to get beside Mirko, rubberizing the air to shield them, Eraserhead is yelling for Lemillion to start hunting for Mimic, saying that he’ll need to be close to the surface so he can see what he’s manipulating. He drops through the floor with a shout of confirmation, and soon enough he’s shooting from floor to ceiling and wall to wall.
We ignore him as we reach the pillar, seeing that, while it was stopped halfway thanks to Gentle, it still had enough force to cause a rebound in the rubber that shot them through a hole in the opposite wall. A brief moment of discussion has one brawler and mage going down the hole after them with orders to listen and aid them, leaving one brawler, two mages, and two defenders with us.
Hope they’ll be ok, but we need to focus on getting to Eri.
And if I get the opportunity, killing Overhaul.
`~`
Mirko lands in a crouch, legs tensed and ready. Behind her Gentle Criminal pushes off the rubberized floor with one hand and does a somersault to land upright, adjusting his coat with a casual air. “Rather rude of them, don’t you think?”
Mirko ignores him, a savage grin stretching across her face as she sees who’s across from her.
“Well then, you must be who Blue said could give me a good fight.” Kendo Rappa cracks his knuckles as he gets into his stance. “Let’s see if you stand up to my standards.”