Chapter 20

The rhythmic sound of an apple being peeled filled the quiet hospital room, each slice falling neatly into the bowl next to Velvet. The television, which had been droning on in the background, cut off with a sharp click. A report had been airing—something about the recent collapse in Shibuya, exposing what seemed to be an underground facility, sparking speculation among the public and sending police into a frenzy. It was only a matter of time before the heroes swarmed the area.

Asphalt, propped up in the hospital bed with his arm heavily bandaged and his remaining stump wrapped in pristine white gauze, sighed deeply, his eyes half-closed in a mix of fatigue and frustration. He had lost an arm, but there was still a sharpness to him, the same old fire in his eyes.

"Man, it's all over the news." His voice was low, filled with that gruff exhaustion only someone like him could pull off. The lines around his mouth deepened as he grimaced, the reality of their situation settling in like an unwanted guest.

Eri, her small figure perched on the edge of the bed next to him, kicked her legs back and forth in an idle rhythm, clutching a unicorn plushie tightly with one arm while nibbling on the apple slice Velvet had cut for her. The child's large, innocent eyes glanced between the adults, unaware of the full gravity of the situation but sensing enough to know it wasn't good.

Velvet, seated beside the bed, focused intently on peeling another apple with precision, her dark eyes flicking up momentarily. "We're going to have to stay low for a while," she murmured, her voice measured and calm. She glanced toward Accelerator, who stood against the wall, arms crossed, his usual air of indifference masking any sign of concern.

He hadn't said much since they'd been patched up. But that was just his style.

"Or at least you are," Velvet continued, her sharp gaze still on Accelerator. "I've been called back to headquarters. New mission, another abandoned laboratory being used by Jason's lackeys, who may have a connection to our leak. Somewhere in France." She sliced another piece of the apple, her blade moving in fluid motions. "What about you?" Her eyes flicked up again, this time focusing on Asphalt.

Asphalt grinned faintly, though there was a bittersweet undertone to it. His fingers flexed instinctively at the place where his arm once was, his body remembering what his mind knew was gone. "Not quite sure yet," he admitted, his voice taking on a thoughtful edge. "This fight… it definitely reminded me that I ain't gettin' any younger." He chuckled, though it was more of a hollow sound, as if he was laughing at some private joke he wasn't ready to share. His gaze drifted, lost in memory, the weight of years showing on his face. "But I can't say I'm quite ready to throw in the towel just yet."

Velvet, sensing the melancholy creeping into his words, raised an eyebrow. "Maybe you should give Madeline a call," she said, her lips curling into a sly smirk.

Asphalt's eyes widened in mock horror. "You nuts!? You trynna finish what Jason started or something!?"

Accelerator, who had been silently observing from his position by the wall, glanced over with a puzzled look. "Madeline?" he asked, his sharp voice cutting through the light banter.

Velvet didn't miss a beat. "His ex-wife," she explained casually, her eyes gleaming with amusement.

Accelerator's lips twisted into a smirk, the edge of his mouth curving upward in a rare display of humor. "So, he's harassing the poor woman too, huh? Shameless."

"OI!" Asphalt interjected, his face flushed with exaggerated indignation. He stared at the two of them in disbelief, but Velvet just shook her head with a grin.

"Truly shameless," she agreed, not even trying to hide her amusement.

Eri, still focused on her apple slice, blinked up innocently. "Really bad," she added absently, her small voice chiming in with her own verdict, though she clearly had no idea what they were talking about.

Asphalt's jaw dropped, and he turned to the small girl sitting beside him, his eyes filled with exaggerated hurt. "Even you, Eri!?" he exclaimed, a comical stream of tears seemingly flowing from his eyes as if she'd betrayed him.

Velvet snorted, shaking her head as she bit back a laugh, while Eri looked up, her wide eyes blinking innocently. "What did I say?"

"You wound me, kid," Asphalt groaned dramatically, clutching his chest with his good arm. "All of you, ganging up on me like this. Disrespectful punks!"

Velvet snorted, before placing the last apple slice on the plate and handing it to Eri. Who eagerly placed it on her lap. Accelerator may have just noticed her love for the red treat.

Looking out the window, Accelerator watched how peaceful the world outside was, as if all that had just happened had nothing to do with the world. It was a strange dreamlike sensation. A one he'd grown far too familiar with in his time in Academy City but-

He turned his head to look back at the scene before him. Eri was holding Asphalts scruffy bearded face in her tiny hands, gently patting him, as he faux sobbed, while Velvet was cackling gleefully, relentlessly teasing the older man.

A serene sensation fell over the teen boy. Though similar… there was a stark contrasting scenery before him, so much so, that he unconsciously slipped a light smile on his face.

"WOAH!!"

He opened his eyes, startled by the loud noise.

Before him, Velvet, Eri and Asphalt were staring at him with wide comical eyes.

"Holy Shit!" Asphalt looked like he'd swallowed a lemon and couldn't decide between swallowing it or spitting it out, "You can… SMILE!"

"Yeah", Velvet interjected, "and not one of those arrogant smirks or sadistic, devil-born smiles you usually show!"

"Pretty!", Eri chirped innocently.

Accelerator glowered, "the hell's wrong with you?"

"You look… not psychologically impaired", Velvet chocked out.

Accelerator stared at them plainly, "… I'm getting some coffee".

Aizawa sat with his head lowered, exhaustion seeping into every inch of his body. His eyes, dull and heavy-lidded, barely flicked up as the unmistakable sound of upbeat footsteps approached. His sharp ears caught the familiar voice before his tired eyes could focus.

"Yo! Been a while since we've met, Eraser Head," Ms. Joke's voice rang out with its typical cheer, cutting through the hospital's sterile quiet. She sauntered toward him, her usual broad grin in place, but Aizawa noticed the faint edge of something else in her tone—a weight she rarely let anyone see.

He watched as she plopped down beside him, her cheerful demeanor an odd contrast to the dull surroundings. "Why are you here, Joke?" he asked, his voice as flat as ever. He knew she wasn't one to show up unannounced without reason, especially with the mounting workload they both had.

Ms. Joke's smile wavered, her expression softening in a way that was unsettling to see on her face. "The kidnapped kid from the school," she began, her voice quieter than usual. "They found her. She was unconscious, left right in front of the hospital."

Aizawa turned his head slightly, his dark eyes narrowing as he studied her. He could see the sadness pulling at the corners of her eyes, making her seem tired in a way he wasn't used to seeing.

"There were no visible injuries, and she wasn't in immediate danger, but…" Ms. Joke's voice trailed off as she frowned, her usual humor gone. "Not a single family member made any attempt to contact anyone about her, not even to visit her… Not even her own mother."

Aizawa didn't respond immediately, letting the silence stretch between them. He had seen too many cases like this—cases where people, especially children, were abandoned or left behind. Still, it never got easier.

Ms. Joke, usually so full of life and jokes, looked weary. Her eyes were clouded, lost in thought, as if she couldn't comprehend the cruelty of the world she was witnessing. "Sometimes I wonder what exactly is wrong with people," she muttered, her voice barely above a whisper. "Why I even became a hero in the first place."

Aizawa turned his head to look at her, his expression serious but not unkind. "For her," he said quietly, cutting through her self-doubt. Ms. Joke looked at him, surprised. "For kids like her. For people who need hope—who need someone to give a damn."

Ms. Joke blinked, taken aback by his words. It was rare for Aizawa to speak like this, but when he did, his words carried a weight that cut through the confusion and despair. She stared at him for a moment, letting his words sink in.

"It can mean a lot more than what we think it might," Aizawa continued, his gaze softening just slightly as he turned away, leaning back against the bench. His normally cold and detached demeanor seemed to thaw, just for a moment, as he allowed himself to acknowledge the harsh reality they both faced as heroes.

Ms. Joke, her expression still stunned, let out a small, genuine chuckle after a moment. "I knew you weren't as dark and gloomy as you pretend to be," she said, her tone lighter now, a smile tugging at the corner of her lips.

Aizawa gave her a side glance, his lips curling ever so slightly. "Don't let anyone else know. You'll ruin my reputation."

Ms. Joke laughed softly, the heaviness between them lifting slightly as they returned to their usual banter. But even as the moment passed, the underlying seriousness of the situation remained, casting a long shadow over their conversation.

"So," she asked after a moment, her voice returning to its normal cadence, "what are you doing here? Don't tell me you've become a hospital regular."

Aizawa sighed, his expression returning to its usual blankness. "Fat Gum and I are following up on the disappearance of a doctor. We think he's been involved in some shady dealings with an unknown organization, possibly a cult."

"Yikes, cults are the worst," Ms. Joke replied with a grimace, her previous levity gone as quickly as it came. "What kind of cult are we talking about here?"

"Nothing as big as Humarise, but it's still concerning," Aizawa said, his mind drifting back to the recordings he'd seen and the reports he'd combed through. His eyes narrowed as he recalled the odd, eerie details. "There's a possible connection to that cave-in near the abandoned hotel."

"Oh yeah, I heard about that," Ms. Joke said, frowning in thought. "Wasn't there something about a secret base hidden inside a mountain? Pretty creepy stuff if you ask me… Do you think it's connected to what happened at that abandoned factory?"

Aizawa was silent for a moment, his mind working through the connections. The abandoned hotel, the secret bases, the mysterious disappearances—they all felt like pieces of a much larger puzzle. "I don't doubt it," he finally said, his voice low. "Two hidden bases destroyed, no sign of villains or civilians. It's too much of a coincidence."

Ms. Joke nodded, her usual joking demeanor replaced with a deep frown of concentration. "This is starting to sound worse by the minute," she muttered. "What exactly are we dealing with?"

Aizawa leaned forward slightly, his eyes narrowing further. "Joke, remember when I asked you to keep an eye out for a certain kid?"

Her brow furrowed as she thought back, her expression becoming even more serious. "Yeah, about that…"

"He's involved," Aizawa said, cutting her off.

Ms. Joke's eyes widened in shock. "What!? How do you know that?"

"We've got footage from the hospital where the doctor disappeared," Aizawa explained, his voice filled with that unshakable sense of certainty he was known for. "The kid and a woman were the last ones to see him. Whether he's involved as a perpetrator or a victim is unclear, but…" He hesitated for a moment before continuing. "Given what we've gathered, I'm leaning toward the latter."

Ms. Joke sat in stunned silence, absorbing his words. "Eraser," she said slowly, her voice full of uncertainty. "There's a good chance that kid was involved in my own investigation too."

Aizawa's sharp gaze snapped to hers, his full attention on her now. "What do you mean?"

"A few students at the kidnapped girl's school, Yuki Hashimoto, said they saw a boy with white hair and red eyes hanging around before she was taken," Ms. Joke explained, her voice steady but filled with concern. "Some even saw him with her directly. And there was an older man nearby at the same time, acting all… comical, like no one took him seriously."

"As in, no one saw him as enough of a threat to report him?" Aizawa asked, his tone darkening.

"Exactly," Ms. Joke confirmed. "These are too many coincidences for my liking."

Aizawa's jaw tightened as he leaned back, staring at the sterile hospital walls. Something dark was stirring in the shadows—something that was far more dangerous than they had initially realized.

"Something's going on, Joke," Aizawa said quietly, his voice steady but filled with tension. "And it's not going to be easy to uncover."

Ms. Joke nodded, her expression serious as she stared at the same wall. "I think we should work together on this one, Eraser," she said, her voice filled with determination. "Whatever this is, it's too big for either of us to handle alone."

Aizawa glanced at her, his gaze hard. "Agreed."

Ms. Joke's initial cheerfulness burst forth with her usual exuberance, her hands flying up in excitement as she twirled in place. "YAY!" she squealed, her eyes twinkling with the same playful mischief that had always set her apart from her peers. Her enthusiasm filled the air, her voice echoing through the quiet room, in stark contrast to the solemn tone that had filled their conversation moments before. She smiled at Aizawa, stars practically dancing in her eyes as if she'd just been handed the opportunity of a lifetime.

Aizawa, however, remained unmoved by her outburst, his expression as unflinching as ever. He crossed his arms over his chest, leaning his head back slightly with a small, exasperated sigh. "Already a few other heroes are working on this case alongside me," he continued, his tone flat as though her excitement had simply bounced off him like a rubber ball.

"Fat Gum being one of them… I might not be involved in this case for long," Aizawa said, his gaze shifting to the side, his mind already moving to the responsibilities that lay ahead. "You already know why."

Ms. Joke cocked her head to the side, thinking for a brief second before realization struck. "Right!" she chimed, "You'll be greeting your new students soon!" Her voice was filled with the kind of bubbly excitement that seemed at odds with the seriousness of the situation, but it was just her way of balancing things, lightening the load, if only for a moment.

Aizawa's lips twitched at the corners in a subtle, almost invisible gesture—a ghost of a smile. "Right," he confirmed, his tone still subdued. "But I'll do what I can with the time I have left on this case." His voice was steady, though there was an underlying sense of urgency in his words.

Ms. Joke gave him a mock pout. "Aww! You're worried about me, aren't you, Eraser?"

Aizawa rolled his eyes, though there was a hint of fondness in his expression—subtle, but there. "Fat Gum's got a personal interest in this case," he said, choosing to bypass her teasing as usual. "So the two of you might be able to do more together than apart."

His tone became sharper, more serious, as his brows furrowed, and he leaned forward slightly, eyes narrowing as if to emphasize the gravity of what he was about to say next. "Also," he continued, "I have a feeling we're going to have to rely on trusted comrades a bit more than usual."

Ms. Joke's lighthearted grin vanished completely as she caught the intensity in his gaze. She leaned forward in her seat, her back straightening as she mirrored his seriousness. She wasn't just the class clown or a hero who used humor to put others at ease—she was sharp, perceptive, and experienced. And if Aizawa was this unsettled, she knew something bigger was at play.

"Something's just… unsettling about all of this," he muttered, more to himself than to her, but she caught it. He'd been ruminating on it for days now—ever since the cave-in near the abandoned hotel. The secret bases, the disappearances, the kid with white hair—none of it added up, and the more pieces he gathered, the more the picture in his mind grew darker, more foreboding.

Ms. Joke's usual joking manner had evaporated entirely. She stared at him, her own thoughts racing. "You think this goes deeper than we initially thought?"

Aizawa gave a slow, deliberate nod. His eyes met hers, and for a moment, neither of them spoke. The air between them was thick with unspoken understanding. "I do," he finally said, his voice carrying the weight of his experience. "It's not just about a missing doctor or a couple of hidden bases. There's a pattern here, something we're not fully seeing yet."

Ms. Joke shifted in her seat, leaning forward, her hands resting on her knees as she mulled over his words. Her mind flashed back to the peculiar details she'd come across in her own investigation—the whispers of a boy with red eyes and white hair, a man lurking in the shadows, acting too comical to be taken seriously. And now, those same figures were reappearing in Aizawa's case. The connections were undeniable.

"I've dealt with some shady stuff before," she said quietly, her eyes narrowing as she stared at the floor in front of her, "but this feels… different. Bigger."

Aizawa's lips pressed into a thin line. "That's what worries me. We're not dealing with random incidents here. Someone—or something—is pulling strings."

Ms. Joke sat back, letting his words sink in. Her usual playful demeanor was gone, replaced with the cool, calculated gaze of a hero who had seen her fair share of darkness. "Then we'll need more than just Fat and a few other heroes to untangle this mess," she said, her voice low but resolute. "We'll need to lean on each other."

Aizawa gave her a curt nod, his sharp eyes meeting hers once again. "Exactly. And we can't afford to underestimate whatever—or whoever—is behind all of this."

For a long moment, neither of them spoke. The gravity of the situation hung in the air like a heavy fog, wrapping around them as they considered the next steps. It wasn't just about saving a kidnapped girl or finding a missing doctor anymore. It was about uncovering something much darker, much more dangerous. And whatever it was, it was lurking just beneath the surface, waiting to strike.

Ms. Joke broke the silence first, her smile returning, though it was softer, more subdued. "Guess that means I'm stuck working with you for a while, huh?" she teased, though her tone was more affectionate than mocking.

Aizawa's expression softened ever so slightly. "Guess so."

Ms. Joke stood up, stretching her arms over her head with a dramatic sigh. "Well, if we're in for a long ride, I better start preparing my best material. You know, gotta keep you on your toes, Eraser!" She winked, her usual playfulness returning, though the seriousness of their conversation still lingered in her gaze.

Aizawa gave her a tired look, though he didn't object. "Just don't get in the way."

Ms. Joke laughed softly, but beneath her lighthearted tone, there was a shared understanding between them—a mutual agreement that whatever was coming, they would face it together. And as she walked away, Aizawa remained seated, his mind already working through the tangled threads of the mystery they were now unraveling.

Accelerator scoffed, his lips curling in irritation as the coins clattered into the vending machine. The hum of the machine echoed through the quiet street, but it barely registered in his mind. His thoughts were a chaotic mess, swirling with unanswered questions and frustration.

The factory. That damned factory had been plastered across the news for days, but there was one glaring absence in all the reports—Jason. There wasn't a single mention of the pompous bastard, and it gnawed at Accelerator. How had things spiraled out of control like that? One moment, he was ready to tear Jason apart, and the next... the man had started glowing. Not the typical, annoying quirk-induced glow either. This was different—unnatural.

It was a light so bright, so all-consuming, that it had turned everything around him black and white. The very air had shifted, like the world itself had been momentarily erased, leaving only that overwhelming glow in its place. And the vectors… there had been none. For the first time in as long as he could remember, he couldn't feel the vectors. It was unsettling in a way he hadn't expected, like his power—his very identity—had been ripped away in an instant.

That was the part that truly bothered him. Accelerator could handle powerlessness if it was due to something logical, something he could explain away, like magic or quirks outside his domain. But this? This had been something else entirely. It defied reason, and that pissed him off more than anything.

He never saw Jason's body. Never had any proof the man was dead or alive, and that was what gnawed at him the most. Was it possible Jason had survived? Had he somehow escaped? The thought twisted in his gut, filling him with equal parts rage and confusion.

Letting out a frustrated sigh, Accelerator shoved the thoughts aside. Dwelling on it wasn't going to help, and he wasn't one to waste time on endless "what-ifs." I'll deal with it later, he told himself as he cracked open the can of coffee. Right now, I've got to get the kid home, figure out what her deal is, and maybe look into where she came from.

He took a sip, the bitter liquid doing little to calm his nerves, but it was something. Just as he turned to leave, ready to focus on the next task, his body froze.

Standing in front of him, as if he had appeared out of thin air, was a man. He was staring at Accelerator with wide, shocked eyes, his face a mixture of surprise and wariness.

The man had scruffy black hair, unruly and falling over his face in messy strands. Half of his face was obscured by a white scarf, wrapped loosely around his neck, and a pair of yellow goggles hung just beneath his chin. There was something about him—an air of tiredness mixed with a sharp, calculating presence.

"You!" The man's voice cut through the silence, laced with a mix of disbelief and accusation.

Accelerator narrowed his eyes, tilting his head slightly as he sized the man up. He had no idea who this guy was, but the way he spoke made it clear that he knew who Accelerator was. And that didn't sit well with him.

"Who the fuck are you?" Accelerator's voice was cold, sharp. He wasn't in the mood for games, and the stranger's appearance only irritated him further.