Underground Masquerade

'Guess I'm too late.' thought Yuuichi as he looked at the boarded-up shopfront where the ramen restaurant/entrance to the Underground Fighting Ring once was.

'Might as well check to see if they left anything of note behind. I doubt it but you never know.'

Double checking the attire he wore to remain anonymous was in place and not showing anything, Yuuichi then pulled off enough boards to enter.

Before entering, Yuuichi took a quick look around to see if anyone was watching. With the coast clear, he entered the restaurant.

Taking out a flashlight, he turned it on and saw that the restaurant was left pretty much as is. Walking around the restaurant, Yuuichi didn't see anything out of the ordinary so he made his way to the back room which happened to be wide open.

Checking the dust pattern on the door and underneath it showed that the door had not been touched or moved in a long time and had most likely just been left open.

Taking the stairs down, Yuuichi arrived at the Underground Fighting Ring which was abandoned and had become a big empty room with a dilapidated ring.

Ignoring the ring, he made his way to the door that was previously guarded and checked each and every room, finding absolutely nothing.

'Well, it was a long shot. Too bad. I'll have to figure something else out.' he thought as he made his way back up the stairs and out of the restaurant.

'I'll ask Kunio and Kentaro to keep an eye out for Underground Fighting Ring. I doubt that was the only one.' thought Yuuichi before pulling out his phone and texting both of the aforementioned boys.

"Do me a favor. Keep an eye out for any chatter on an Underground Fighting Ring. The one we went to is gone and I ran into the guy I fought there, except he was using a Quirk Booster that's more dangerous than what's on the market right now. Might also be related to the attempted kidnapping of me and my sister."

"Ok. (⌐■_■)" texted Kentaro, who had been obsessed with emoticons as of late.

"Dang, that place had good ramen. I'll keep an eye out though. Be careful." texted Kunio.

"Appreciate it. Stay safe."

Putting his phone away, Yuuichi realized there was one person who had dealings with the shadier parts of the world at his house.

~

"I'm home." said Yuuichi as he entered the Yaoyorozu manor and was greeted by one of the maids under Ayako, who was both the head maid and Momo's personal attendant.

"Welcome home, Young Master."

"Thanks, Hina. Is Nagant still here? I need to talk to her."

"She is with the Young Mistress in her room."

"Appreciate it." he said giving her a smile before he made his way upstairs and to Momo's room.

As he approached the room he could hear Momo talking in a fancy accent and the clinking of ceramic.

Opening the door to her room, Yuuichi saw Momo, Nagant, and Ayako dressed like princesses with teacups in their hands and badly done makeup on their faces.

"Nii-chan, you're here! Join us!" said Momo.

"Okay." said Yuuichi sitting down at the table for a round of tea and crumpets.

~

Under the night sky, out on a balcony, two figures in princess dresses were conversing.

"So what'd you want to talk about?" asked Nagant, still in her badly done makeup, making the vibe of the conversation at hand a lot less serious.

"Have you heard of the Underground Fighting Rings?"

"Which ones? There are a lot of them."

"Ones that use/sell Quirk Boosters."

"Trigger?"

"Something else maybe. A new version, stronger but at the cost of losing control. It might even cause permanent changes to the user."

"Might?"

"The guy I fought recently didn't change permanently, but a while back a CEO's kid got kidnapped. When they found his body, he was permanently changed and he had Quirk Boosters in his system. I think it's the same people. Might even be the same people that tried to kidnap Momo." explained Yuuichi, causing Nagant to get more serious.

"The thing with those types of establishments is that they disappear like rats and pop up somewhere else. Any locations I knew about are probably gone already." she said.

"Anything helps."

"There's a parking garage in Osaka. It's an Underground Fighting Ring. I've heard they sell/use Trigger there but I'm not sure." she said after some thinking.

"You remember the exact location?"

"Yeah. I'll text you the direction."

"Thanks."

"Mm." she as she started to leave before stopping, "Interesting to see you so serious for a change."

"I'm always serious when it comes to my family."

"Seems so. Good luck with your investigation."

~

On a rooftop somewhere in Osaka, Yuuichi and Crust stood overlooking a seemingly normal parking garage.

"This is the place." said Yuuichi.

"Those dastardly villains! To think there would be such a thing in broad daylight! And right under my nose too!" said Crust.

"It's always best to hide in plain sight." said Yuuichi before turning to look at Crust, "You said you knew someone who was investigating Quirk Boosters?"

"Yes, the Hero O'Clock! A friend of mine! Unfortunately, he didn't answer my calls! I just hope he's okay!" said Crust, tearing up at the thought of his friend being in danger.

"Shame, would've loved some info. Too bad. Guess I'll have to go in blind."

"I'm not letting you go in alone, Young Buddha! My body physically will not allow you to do so!" said Crust.

"But you're not really suited for infiltration, Crust." said Yuuichi.

"You're right, but words hurt you know! And I can't let you go on your own as a matter of principle!"

"I'll be fine. You know how strong I am." said Yuuichi, a relaxed smile on his face to show Crust there was no reason to worry.

"Uhhh, fine! But at the slightest sign of danger, you must leave or I'll bust right in, understand?!"

"Understood." said Yuuichi as he walked off, "See you soon."

~

After changing out of his hero costume into something more inconspicuous, Yuuichi put on a ski mask and made his way into the garage. Seeing a group of people in masks making their way down the stairs, Yuuichi followed them.

As he went down the stairs, the familiar noise of cheering entered his ears. And when he reached the bottom, he saw an even bigger crowd and room than the previous Underground Fighting Ring.

'Looks like the fights haven't started yet.' thought Yuuichi as he noticed that the MC was setting things up, 'Gives me a chance to sign-up.'

Walking up to the MC, Yuuichi told him he wanted to fight.

"Name?"

"Monk."

"Oh, it's the guy who busted Kuma's balls. Thought you were dead." said the MC.

"Nah, still alive and kicking. Just had to lay low for a while, you know how it is."

"Boy do I. Anyway, I'll slot you in. Good luck." said the MC before going back to whatever he was doing while Yuuichi began to wait.

~

While Yuuichi waited for the fighting to begin, Crust was talking to an unexpected friend.

"So, what are you doing here, Crust?" asked O'Clock, who wore a full-body red suit and a mask that covered his eyes and half of his face, which was covered in a 5 o'clock shadow.

"Young Buddha is investigating the potential selling/usage of Quirk Boosters in that parking garage! I'm here to help him out!" said Crust.

"What?!" said O'Clock.

"What's wrong, friend?!" asked Crust, surprised at his usually calm friend's outburst.

"You said one of your sidekicks is in there?"

"Not a sidekick, a Work Study student! But he might as well be a Pro!" said Crust.

"This makes things more complicated." said O'Clock scratching his stubble.

"What's wrong?!"

"I've also been investigating a lead on a distributor for Uppers and Quirk Boosting Drugs."

"Oh! Talk about a coincidence!" said Crust.

"Right, but I was going to infiltrate the place and secure some evidence. I was also going to have the police on standby so I can have a secure escape route."

"Truly a stroke of fate! Don't worry! I'm here to help! And Young Buddha too!" said Crust, giving him a big thumbs up and a smile that made his teeth shine with the sun.

"Well this definitely changes my plan but it should still work. How strong is the kid?"

"Strong." said Crust seriously surprising O'Clock.

"Okay then. I'll still ask the police to be on standby just in case. I'll see you soon, Crust." said O'Clock before disappearing.

~

'Finally, I was getting sleepy.' thought Yuuichi as he saw the MC go up to the ring and tap his microphone to get the crowd's attention.

"Ladies and gentlemen!" said the MC to the cheering crowd, "I thank you all again for joining us on this lovely day for a night of fun!"

"Whoo!"

"The dress code? Masks for everyone! Because we're nobody at all! And nobody is really here! This is the no man's land that dreams are made of!"

"Whoo!"

"Now, please welcome to the stage Drunk Lee and Master Beast!" said the MC as a man with two gourds in his hands dressed in marital arts clothing walked up to the ring followed by a werewolf with an eye mask and shoulder armor before they started fighting.

'Does he think that little eye mask actually hides his identity?' thought Yuuichi with a smile as he looked at Master Beast.

"It doesn't, does it?" said a man with a paintball mask next to Yuuichi.

"Are you talking to me?" asked Yuuichi.

"Yeah. You were thinking about how Master Beast's mask doesn't really hide his identity." said the man.

"Are you a psychic? What am I thinking right now?" said Yuuichi.

"Not a psychic." he said before leaning in and whispering, "I met with Crust outside. It's O'Clock."

"ID." said Yuuichi which the man showed him before quickly putting it away.

"Fancy meeting you here. I heard you were investigating this too but didn't answer Crust's call."

"Been busy. You're up next to fight. Take a dive and make it seem like you're really hurt. They'll take you to the back and offer you the drugs. You know what to do from there." said O'Clock.

"And you'll be my backup out here?"

"Yeah."

"Okay then." said Yuuichi.

"It's over! The winner - Drunk Lee! But even our winner is feeling the pain! This was a close match, to be sure! Both fighters will now receive medical attention! Can I get a round of applause for those two, who risked life and limb?" said the MC as the crowd clapped.

"And now, ladies and gentlemen! Including those of you watching the stream at home! Please check the app to confirm your new point total! Fame, fortune, and life itself are on the line in more blistering battles just ahead!

The masquerade goes on!"

"Whoo!"

"Monk?" said a man.

"Yeah."

"You're up next. Follow me." he said as Yuuichi followed him through a door and led him to wait near the fighter's exit.

"They'll call you and you go out. Good luck."

"Thanks. Bet on me if you want to make some money." said Yuuichi as the employee left.

"Put your hands together for our next mighty warrior!" said the MC as the exit opened and smoke machines started to go off, signaling Yuuichi to go.

Walking out the door, he made his way to the ring.

"This man is a mystery, but make no mistake he is a ruthless fighter! His only fight was finished in one swift move to his opponent's jewels! A dirty, ruthless fighter give it up for Monk!" said the MC introducing Yuuichi, who just stood there.

"And in the opposite corner, if he meets god, he punches god. If he meets the Buddha, he punches the Buddha. If he meets you? I'll give you one guess what you're getting!" said the MC, causing Yuuichi to smile hearing him say he'll punch Buddha.

"Like an unstoppable locomotive and with 20 wins and no losses, he's The Rapper!" said the MC as a hulking figure of a man with giant arms and hands entered the ring.

"Yawn."

"Eh?" said the MC as everyone turned to look at Yuuichi who was yawning and scratching his chin.

"Did you yawn?" asked The Rapper.

"Oh, sorry. I just got bored. Let's get this over with." said Yuuichi, still just standing there.

"You're dead meat." said The Rapper.

CLANG

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AN

Double upload today just because I'm in a good writing flow at the moment. ༼ つ ◕_◕ ༽つ