Despair Time (Brotherhood)

Chapter 14: Despair Time 

Shota Aizawa was desperate, the investigation he had been working hard on had reached a dead end. No matter how close he got to the truth, more and more inconsistencies kept emerging that discredited his theories and set the entire investigation back.

Even his closest friends, Hizashi and Nemuri, had begun to worry about his physical and mental health. Aizawa was tired and confused, unable to solve the puzzle and realize the terrifying invisible threads that were slowly wrapping more and more around his limbs, as if he were just another puppet.

On the other hand, Nezu had been keeping a low profile these past few days while Detective Naomasa's attention along with much of Japan's police force was focused on the mysterious plane crash and the sudden disappearance of the Shimano brothers.

Aizawa knew that those events might be related to his investigation, but he had no proof beyond his deep-rooted hero instinct. He also knew that Child Emperor was the key to this whole twisted puzzle.

Discovering the true identity of the Child Emperor was a priority for Aizawa and only one person's name constantly resonated in his mind as the prime suspect… Isamu Midoriya.

Therefore, he had no choice but to wait for hours outside a huge, flashy corporate building until nightfall. He knew that building, it was none other than the building that was partially destroyed years ago when Child Emperor first appeared on the heroes' radar. A building that was soon sold and rebuilt by the new owners, becoming years later one of the pillars of modern society… The heart of Cognito Inc.

Aizawa ignored the growing feeling of unease as he carefully observed the employees changing shifts and beginning to return home. Among these people was a woman who immediately caught Aizawa's attention, the reason he was there was that woman.

Inko Midoriya is a very hardworking and talented woman. She is part of Cognito's public relations department and although her workload has increased lately due to recent events, she maintains a positive attitude. After all, she enjoys excellent work benefits and recurring bonuses that other employees only dream of having.

However, once her workday is over, she can't help but think of her children waiting for her at home with a smile on their faces. Inko Midoriya is a good mother and a kind-hearted woman, so when Aizawa approached Inko, she didn't hesitate to take out some coins from her purse.

"I'm sorry to interrupt you at this time of night, Mrs. Mido…" Aizawa was quickly interrupted.

"Here you go." Inko handed Aizawa a few coins, causing him to raise his eyebrow in slight confusion. "If you still need help, there's a homeless shelter sponsored by Cognito just a few blocks away." She said with a kind smile, mistaking him for a homeless man.

"Mrs. Midoriya, my name is Shota Aizawa and I can assure you that I am not a homeless person." Aizawa replied monotonously and simply showed his pro hero license to Inko, accustomed to the fact that some people tend to mistake him for a homeless person due to his appearance. "I would like to ask you a few questions regarding your youngest son."

Those words caused Inko to go from being embarrassed to visibly worried and confused. "Huh? What kind of questions?" She couldn't help but ask with a certain degree of anticipation, activating her overprotective mother instincts and looking suspiciously at Aizawa. "Is my son in trouble?"

Aizawa simply ignored that last question and got straight to the point. "Tell me, Mrs. Midoriya, have you noticed any unusual behavior in your son recently?" He asked calmly, causing Inko to be speechless and unconsciously bite her lips, something that didn't go unnoticed by the hero.

Inko wasn't stupid, she knew that Isamu was much smarter than he let on, she knew that her son sometimes acted strangely or out of place, she knew that he hid things from her, but Inko's unconditional love blinded her. "No, there's nothing strange with my son." She finally answered.

"Are you sure? You didn't find any strange or potentially dangerous objects in his room? What kind of people does your son usually hang out with after school? I need you to take your time and think carefully…" Aizawa insisted, trying to get at least a clue for the investigation, however, he was quickly interrupted.

"What is this all about?" Inko demanded, now visibly angry and indignant. "Because I will not tolerate you talking about my little baby as if he were some kind of juvenile delinquent." She muttered in a deadly serious tone.

Aizawa had no evidence, he knew it was unfair and unprofessional to accuse a person based merely on his instincts. Besides, he also knew it would be really risky and reckless to reveal his suspicions and even more so knowing that all the security cameras around are now focused on him.

Aizawa realized too late that he had made a mistake by rushing carelessly into his search for answers. "I'm sorry for the inconvenience caused." He muttered, bowing slightly before turning and starting to walk away from Inko. Aizawa urgently needed to reevaluate his plan of action.

"I don't know what you think my son has done, but I can assure you that you are wrong." Inko muttered loud enough for Aizawa to hear. "So don't you dare come near my son, or I will press charges against you." She threatened subtly before clenching her fists and huffing.

"My son may be much smarter than other kids and have a big imagination, but he is definitely a sweet boy with a big heart." She murmured without thinking, remembering her little son's innocent smile every time she returned home.

"Almost like a little angel."

Those last words had caused Aizawa to stop in his tracks and hold his breath, imagining Isamu's innocent smile slowly warping into a crooked grin as everyone else fell victim to his twisted game.

For the first time in a long time, Aizawa wished he was wrong.

☆☆☆☆☆ 

Meanwhile, back on the main stage.

POV Isamu

"MUAHAHAHA!"

My uncontrolled laughter resounded loudly as I was rapidly propelled backwards thanks to the small but powerful rocket boosters attached to each side of my fantastic backpack.

My heart was beating wildly as I did my best to avoid crashing into the trees or sharp rocks behind me, however, that was the least of my worries. In front of me, a monstrous beast out of control tries to reach me and tear me to pieces.

"MUSCULAR! SMASH!!!"

I may have been a bit hasty in injecting Muscular with that experimental dose of Trigger. As a result, the strength of his Quirk increased exponentially as his cells were corrupted, filling him with energy, but severely affecting his sanity. In conclusion, I need to improve the chemical composition of my formula and try again.

So now, I must take care of this little problem responsibly…

"Unleashing my amazing arsenal!"

I exclaimed passionately with stars in my eyes as small but powerful missiles shot out from inside my backpack towards Muscular. How strong has his quirk become? Are there any other side effects that I don't know about?

I'm curious!

☆☆☆ CLICK HERE TO PLAY IMAGE ☆☆☆

The vast majority of the missiles hit the target, engulfing Muscular in the resulting fierce flames and explosions. However, that didn't seem to slow him down one bit.

In fact, I watched in fascination as his abnormal muscle fibers regenerated at an alarming rate moments before he caught one of the missiles and threw it back in my direction. Awesome!

I quickly extended my right hand forward and activated my hexagonal barrier, protecting myself from the blast but obscuring my vision. It was at that precise moment that everything around me seemed to slow down, noticing that Muscular had leaped into the air right above me, passing through the thick smoke obscuring my vision and hitting my barrier with the force of a titan. "Not bad."

Then the hexagonal barrier protecting me crashed into the ground with me inside it, knocking me off balance and slamming into the damn edges of my own barrier, earning me a few bruises. Stupid gravity!

"That hurt." I smiled cruelly and deactivated my protective barrier before getting back to my feet and thinking about my next plan of action. Meanwhile, Muscular had landed against the rocks not far from me, now roaring like an abominable beast.

So cool! He will definitely be a great addition to my collection!

But first I must take care of him, cut through those monstrous muscle fibers in one fell swoop, and tame the beast. "And I think I have just the gadget for it." I whispered, unable to contain my growing curiosity as I unsheathed a small cylindrical object from my belt.

"Thanks for keeping me entertained, now let's finish this… Come here." I flexed my arms and legs, staring intently at Muscular before taking a deep breath. It's time for a special move!

☆ TOTAL CONCENTRATION ☆

☆

☆

☆

And then everything happened from one moment to the next as if it were an incredible cinematic sequence!

☆ CHAOTIC BREATHING   ☆

☆☆☆☆☆

☆☆☆ CLICK HERE TO PLAY VIDEO1 ☆☆☆

https://youtu.be/M4UJZ5jc738

☆☆☆☆☆

☆

☆

☆

☆

☆

☆

☆

☆

☆

☆

☆☆☆ CLICK HERE TO PLAY IMAGE ☆☆☆

POV Third person.

"I always wanted to do that." Isamu whispered in disbelief, trying to catch his breath as the adrenaline still coursed through his veins. "I won." He smiled victoriously, staring with morbid fascination at the fantastic lightsaber in his hands.

However, his celebration was interrupted by the sound of two huge chunks of meat falling to the ground right behind him, making him wince a little. "Shit, I got carried away."

Not far away, Kota was desperately running in search of his parents, tightly holding the strange phone that Isamu had given him and realizing that Muscular's terrifying roars had ceased.

Kota still distrusted Isamu, but even so, he knew that this mysterious boy was the only hope for him and his parents, therefore, once Kota finally found his parents lying motionless on the ground, the horrible memories of his recurring nightmares began to flood his fragile mind. "Mom… Dad… Don't abandon me…"

Heroes, villains, none of it matters if everything he loves disappears forever.

"I won't let you die so easily." Isamu hummed, now holding a pair of powerful defibrillators in his hands as Muscular's ​​pulse stopped again. "Your work has only just begun! My new toy!" He shouted with determination, thinking of all the new possibilities at his fingertips as the sound of a pair of helicopters echoed ever closer.

"Maximum charge! HAHAHA!"

⚡️⚡️⚡️⚡️⚡️

Meanwhile, thousands of miles away and orbiting the Earth, a technologically advanced satellite closely monitored the movements of Isamu and Kota.

*** Data collection successful, running secondary commands. ***

Immediately after, the sound of loud static resonated through the phone Kota was holding, snapping him out of the horrible thoughts tormenting him and bringing him back to reality.

The prediction on the strange phone had suddenly changed, causing him to fall to his knees next to his unconscious and badly injured parents as tears began to stain his cheeks.

📱 22:17 > Muscular has been defeated, the hero duo Water Hose survives. HAPPY END. 📱

"My hero."

It was all Kota could manage to utter, not realizing that he had made a deal with the devil moments before a helicopter landed not far from him. The helicopter belonged to none other than Cognito's medical branch... Umbrella.

☆☆☆ CLICK HERE TO PLAY IMAGE ☆☆☆

Some time later.

POV Goto Imasuji (Muscular)

How long has it been since I've been trapped in this twisted nightmare? I don't remember...

"Hey, wake up."

It's that damn voice again... He's here to torment me mercilessly, I have no doubt about that...

"You have a cockroach on your face, I thought you should know that."

Child Emperor… Or at least that's what he calls himself.

☆☆☆ CLICK HERE TO PLAY IMAGE ☆☆☆

"Leaving that aside, Kota's parents are now working for me. Well, I actually had to threaten them and make them understand that they had no other choice. The love of a mother and father for their child far outweighs the pathetic values ​​of a hero."

Shut up…

"I wouldn't have done it without you."

Shut up once and for all!

"My fantastic toy collection grows bigger every day, it's only a matter of time before the whole world knows my name and the strongest heroes of Japan and the world face the true force of Hydra."

He's trying to get into my head again...

"I can return you to normal, my little Eri~Chan can reverse any kind of injury while my little Katsuma~Kun can accelerate and regulate cellular regeneration, it is an infallible combination along with Umbrella's advanced medical technology."

If only I could move… If only I could utter a single word…

"I can make you stronger, I can make you more resistant and the only thing I ask is your absolute obedience. JOIN ME AND SMASH WHOEVER DARE TO STAND IN MY WAY!"

That thing in front of me is not a child… That thing is…

"Of course, you can resist all you want, but I wonder how long you can last before despair consumes you completely. Heheh."

… A MONSTER!!!

☆☆☆ CLICK HERE TO PLAY IMAGE ☆☆☆

☆☆☆☆☆

To Be Continued...