Heroics and Other Things

Chapter 1: The Trouble With Quirks, Or Lack Thereof

Authors Note: ok heads up because the the USJ attack happens on, like, the third day of school in canon i'm pushing it way back and saying that UA actually gives their students some breathing room. the sports festival does not occur like two weeks into the school year like wtf who decided that. events are going to occur between now and the USJ attack and then we're going to continue with the canon plot just significantly less squished.

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Hizashi stared up at the illuminated billboard, wondering what the hell he was even doing here. Beside him he knew Shouta was wondering the same thing. Neither of them had quirks particularly suited to rescue scenarios, and certainly wouldn't do any good to the ten or so people currently shuffling about dazedly on the catwalk that ran just beneath the bottom of the billboard. All attempts to call them down had been fruitless, clearly they were still under the effects of whatever quirk had possessed them to climb up there in the first place, and it was obvious they would need to be gotten down all at once or some of them might fall in the confusion. Hizashi knew he couldn't be of any help in that department, but as a hero it was his duty to help in any way he could.

A few dozen yards away, behind the police line, a news crew was setting up, and Shouta was eyeing them with distaste. They had missed the better part of the attack, including the long chase down the dark but still moderately busy street in which the villain's quirk-activation power had caused several people to lose control of their quirks, creating a great deal of chaos for the heroes to deal with before they could catch the perpetrator. The ten victims still under the effect of one of those haywire quirks was the best spectacle they could hope for, and they weren't about to miss what was left of the story. Hizashi knew the hero Eraserhead would stay as long as it took to get the victims to safety, but he also knew his friend Shouta wouldn't like being on camera.

"I could just scoop them up in my arms," argued Mount Lady, currently at her smaller size as she talked strategy with the five other heroes present, including Eraserhead and Present Mic.

"Too risky," countered Kamui Woods, shaking his head, "you'd be lucky if you didn't knock any of them off, they're not exactly going to be working with you."

He offered no alternative solution, and Hizashi privately thought he might have been stalling until the cameras were set up.

"Maybe we should just get the police to set up an air pad," Shouta said, sounding rather convincingly bored and disaffected. It would have taken someone who knew him well to see how anxious he was to have this over with.

Hizashi opened his mouth to second that idea, despite how long it would take, when suddenly a flash of movement at the police line drew his eye. He turned, just in time to see a young boy straightening from where he'd ducked under the police tape. He was short, with a mop of messy, curly green hair, and he wore a UA uniform and a look of intense determination.

"Hey kid!" called one of the cops, lunging for him, but the boy dodged nimbly between the policeman's arms and continued on toward the base of the billboard.

All of the assembled heroes were busy arguing with one another, so none of them besides Hizashi noticed the kid march quickly up to the large electrical box at the base of the billboard, beside the covered ladder that gave access to the catwalk, and pull the enormous switch that controlled the main power supply. Abruptly the bright lights that illuminated the billboard from below shut down with a loud noise of deep finality, leaving the catwalk in darkness. The attention of the rest of the heroes was caught at once, and one of them actually swore when he saw who had turned out the lights, but before any of them could move the kid pulled out a flashlight, clicked it on, and shone the beam up the covered ladder.