HAV Chapter Teaser you Pirahnas

In a bit of a slump.

When I write an exciting scene, I get burned out from cravings from wanting more. If you know Warhammer, I feel like a victim of Slaanesh, touching perfection only for the burning desire for it to drain me of my will and detach my interest from the fundamentals and my will to live. 

Slowly recovering at least. Working on Stardust of Remnant and HAV at the same time, spent lots more time researching the RWBY side for stoof. Anyways, here is a teaser. 

I am trying to work on the epic confrontations. Spoilers though, I had a fun way to make All Might great again, and it involves using combinations of Quirks that would make Hirokoshi wish he used this earlier lol

“Well…”

Within Manhattan of New York, in a Starbucks diner, Koichi Haimawari, the Skycrawler, sat on a cushion booth with Makoto Tsukauchi. The sweet aroma of coffee was thick in this bustling afternoon where many workers were on break.

The plain-faced, slim young man rubbed his black hair as he looked at his guests.

“How can I help you, Mister… uh…”

The fashionable young woman beside Koichi with long black hair was not showing her bright charismatic smile at the three across them.

“Ranga. Chatu Ranga.” The man in the middle answered.

He had a checkered skin pattern, not unlike the color scheme of a chessboard.

“Mr. Ranga.” Makoto Tsukauchi followed in english. “What business does your…”

“We call him either the Master or Grandmaster.” Ranga smiled at them, answering her in japanese.

“Hmph. Isn't he a bit too young to be called Grandmaster?” Makoto coyly commented back in japanese.

“That is a bit biased. What matters most is skill and wisdom, not age. But back to the matter. I thank you for deciding to take time with us. Oh, but first. Waitress, caramel latte, please.” Chatu called out in English.

“Give us three chocolate doughnuts.” A truckhead mutant ordered in English.

“Blueberry cheesecake and chocolate twist.” The other one ordered.

The waitress trembled when she saw the iconic demon masks of Garou’s Silver Fang worn on the side of their faces. Them speaking Japanese to a known hero worsened her fear..

She nodded as she walked away as fast as she could.

“...There is a chance that they might call the police.” Makoto warned in Japanese.

“There is a chance that they'll do nothing.” Chatu answered with a smirk.

Makoto remained stalwart, yet she grimaced inside. She was aware that Star and Stripes was missing. Did Garou send his men here to exploit that opening? If so, she completely underestimated his intelligence network. His reach must be much wider and dangerous than she expected.

“Let's see… Koichi Haimawari. You have caught the eye of our leader as the prime example of a man that rose from the bottom and reached the skies, a bit literally considering your hero name, Skycrawler.”

Koichi and Makoto stared at them for a moment.

“However, our leader warned us about your lack of intelligence, so I hope that you can answer our questions about your Quirk as lucidly as possible.”

“...My Quirk?” Koichi asked.

“Yes. Your Quirk. Our Master wants to know how you awakened your Quirk.”

All the tension between them immediately deflated.

“...Awaken?” Koichi asked. He did not expect them to confront them in the open just for his Quirk.

“The Quirk Awakening phenomena.” Makoto answered. “He is asking about something tertiary. In rare instances, Quirks can evolve under circumstantial duress. They believe that you awakened your Quirk… which is not implausible.”

“Oh… Did it? I thought I just found new ways to use my Quirk and winged it somehow.”

The three looked as if their opinion of Haimawari degraded.

“Your master… Why is he interested in this?” Makoto asked as the waitress arrived with coffee that Chatu ordered.

Chatu handed the waitress a twenty-dollar tip. She gulped as she accepted the money and left.

“Our leader is planning behind the walls.” Chatu slowly sipped his latte. “You are all scared of a world where every Hero is hunted to the last man, every villain culled, broken… a world of broken dreams and spirit. Our leader chose the mark of the demon to test this world, test every single ideal of both sides of the coin.”

Makoto and Koichi listened with undivided attention.

“...Is your leader planning to move to America?”

“I don't think so.” He shook his head. “But we plan to spread our roots here. Every corner of the globe isn't safe from the Silver Fang.”

Makoto thought as much.

“But back to the subject. We dream of a world where we won't be shackled by the evils of this world. I am not talking about the evil called ‘modern justice’ but the system in place, a cruel callous system that creates the villains it is made to suppress… where those like us must either be a villain by choice or suffer in the dark. Garou gave us another choice, a choice to be something else, something more.”

Chatu continued as the waitress hesitantly placed the other orders down.

“...And how does this lead to you wanting to learn the secrets of Quirk evolution?” Makoto asked while Koichi listened droopily.

“Our leader hates Quirks for a reason.” Chatu answered. “What are Quirks, exactly?”

“Uhhh… awesome superpowers?” Koichi answered.

“No. Power unearned.” Chatu answered.

His answer stunned Koichi and Makoto.

“It is power unearned, given to us by God’s whimsical lottery ticket. Honestly… thinking about it, we never even know what All Might’s quirk is. Being under the master made us think a lot about the world, like what makes All Might’s Quirk so special when there's nothing like it. We will soon learn the master’s secret arts and rise above the false heroes that infest this society.”

Makoto grimaced as she leaked out cold sweat. She had heard many speculations about Garou in Japan, but to hear one confirmation from a member did not bring comfort.

“However, our master has evolved. He wants the best for us, no matter the Quirks we have. He wants us to choose with what we have and cares about our future. So he wants to delve into this, The Quirk Awakening. We would be honored if you would join us to study you thoroughly. We have someone that is capable of healing you from any malicious procedure, any injury whatsoever.”

“...Any injury?” Koichi asked.

“Yes. Any. Even get rid of all forms of cancer and terminal illnesses.” He nodded.

Koichi wondered… his mind wandered to Pop✰Step back in Japan.

“...Are you planning any human experiments?” Makoto asked warily.

“It isn't inhumane if we can repair the patient back to normal. Imagine, any illness or biological inconvenience, even cancer and chronic symptoms, all gone in a blink of an eye.”

“...Hmmmm. It sounds too good to be true, but I'll take your word for it…” Makoto was skeptical. She wanted to use her Quirk, Polygraph, on them, but it would be rude, and doing so would incite retaliation.

“I can already imagine what your leader would do if he unlocks the secret of Quirk evolution.”

“And what would he do?” Chatu asked.

“Empowering his army to the point of conquering Japan. The world.” She said.

It was the standard motivation behind an army like Garou’s, although she admitted that he was the first man to attempt this route.

“That is a good dream. However, Garou alone can already conquer Japan by himself. But one day… he will share the secrets of breaking the Quirk shackles with the rest of the World for the greater good.”

“I don't believe it.” Makoto grimaced.

“Our motto is to always keep our word. I heard about you, Ms. Tsukauchi, sister of the famous detective Tsukauchi. You can use your Quirk on me to confirm the truth if you wish.” He offered her his hand willingly to her surprise.

She was conflicted. His offer and willingness now made it looked more like a trap to lure her into a false sense of security than a gesture of goodwill, enough for her to question the effectiveness of her Quirk in the face of a grander scheme.

“...Well, I don't know.” Koichi pursed his lips. “I mean, I don't know what to say about how I awakened my Quirk. I mean… I just trained a lot and stuff. I just go with the flow like my friends always say.”

“As the master suspected, you are unaware. Thus, the alternative option. Would you offer yourself to be studied under our facility? You will be compensated thoroughly. Name your price. Money? Favors? Women?” Chatu offered.

Makoto grimaced at the mention of women.

“...I have a couple of friends back home. They're not in good shape, and I'm kind of worried about them to be honest.”

“Victims of Queen Bee. They were parasitic hosts of a mutant insect that can puppeteer human bodies. Knuckleduster. His leg is broken, and not even the finest government-operated facilities can fix,” Chatu answered.

“...Yeah.” Koichi answered.

“But I can't go back to Japan due to…”

“We can smuggle you back if you wish. You can have one of your hero associates accompany you for security, like Captain Celebrity.” Chatu answered.

“That's… though I want to know if you can really fix my friends first. I mean, this is still a bit sketchy.”

“Shady, yes, but legit. We can restore them first, but you must follow us to Japan afterwards.”

They were very adamant in unlocking the secrets of Quirk evolution, something no one attempted in decades.

“Koichi… are you sure about this? This is not something a hero would do,” Makoto asked.

“Well, it's a bit scary, but I kinda want to see where this is going. I mean, I don't want to start a scene. And these are the guys under the man that kicked All Might in the crotch and got away with it…” Koichi answered in japanese.

“We are not here to start trouble.” Chatu assured.

His truthfulness irked Makoto.

“If we repair your designated persons, will you follow us to Hosu?” Chatu asked in Japanese.

Koichi looked at the ceiling absent-mindedly.

“It might be a good time to see how the others are doing back home…” Koichi said. “What do you think, Makoto?”

Makoto hummed as she tapped on the table in thought while the other two alongside Chatu started to eat their orders with their plastic forks.

“I don't have the right to choose for you, but this is dangerous territory. This is like giving the villains-”

“We are not villains.” Chatu warned in an aggressive tone.

Makoto paused, taking note of Chatu’s sensitivity.

“...Alright. However, if you want a chance for us to consider this option, there will be conditions.”

“...Name them.” He sipped his latte as he eyed Makoto.

“One. I want to have an interview with your Master.”

The other two stopped eating, Chatu no longer sipping his latte.

“...Excuse me?” Chatu asked.

“If you want Koichi to become one of your… test subjects, you will have to negotiate terms with me.” Makoto crossed her arms with a daring smile shot at them.

“...Hahaha.” Chatu’s lips grew into a widening smile. “Aren't you a brave woman? Are you sure you are ready to face the dragon in his lair? Do you want to drag America into Japan’s problems?”

“You did say that you're planning to spread your roots around the world, so America is already dragged into Japan’s problem. Or Japan dragging everyone into its problem in this case.”

Chatu did not argue back against her clever wordplay.

“Perhaps. But it is not good to be too preemptive.”

“We are all curious.” Makoto smiled confidently at the man. “We all want to know what kind of man lies behind that mask. I am curious what kind of man that dominated Japan so thoroughly with his presence that it grabbed the world’s attention. It would be an honor if America is the first country to sneak a peek behind that mask.”

The three squinted at her.

“...Chisaki warned us about you.” Chatu grimaced.

“That is not within our power.”

“Then ask your boss.” She smirked.

She could feel them scowling behind their outer expressions.

She would not just let the Hero Hunter get what he wants without consequences.

"...and your other conditions?"

"Hmmm. All data you receive from your experiments will be shared with the government if we do decide to agree with your request. Especially I-island."

Their scowls were leaking out of their masks.

“Koichi isn't the only candidate we can turn to.”

“Hmmm. True, but I know enough that finding someone with an evolving Quirk like Koichi is like a golden needle in an ocean. Your resources are already surprisingly vast in these hectic weeks, but I can imagine you won't get another person that would let themselves be used as a guinea pig for the sake of power. I mean, how many of those on your list are willing to let themselves be studied like a lab rat? Don't you want to impress Garou on your first job?”

They narrowed their eyes at Makoto’s taking advantage of their need to acquire a suitable subject.

She was a devious one. She knew of the fanatical devotion of Garou’s followers and saw the video of his speech. They wouldn't want to fail the man that was changing the world so thoroughly and effortlessly.

However, even someone as great as Garou would face challenges sooner or later. He could only stave off the media for so long with the threat of death and violence.

“...I did not take you for a gambler.” Chatu noted with a bit of respect.

Koichi wordlessly stammered, unsure how to defuse the tension from escalating into a brawl. He didn't want to trouble Captain Celebrity with the bill for the damages.

“Oh, how do you think I brought Captain Celebrity’s image back into the spotlight when he was in Japan?” Makoto giggled.

The three shared and exchanged brief glances, their eyes asking each other what they should do. There was an obstinate woman in their way, and their list of candidates and their Quirks were lackluster compared to the one in front of them.

So far, Koichi’s growth was the most infamous comparer to the other examples.

The world was big, but the number of people able to achieve Quirk Awakening was in the tens.

The list of candidates they have couldn't reach the number nine.

"...We'll update you on our decision, Ms. Tsukauchi."

Chatu solemnly ended the conversation.

"Thank you for your time. Be sure to give him my regards." She winked.

Makoto grabbed Koichi’s arm and dragged him out of the seat, the man blinking confused as the woman dragged him out the door with a victorious giggle.

“...Ummm… Is it really okay for you to antagonize them like that?” Koichi asked.

“Don't tell me you're chickening out after considering being the Silver Fang’s guinea pig?” Makoto pouted at him in japanese.

“Yeah, it's because I don't think I can beat someone that can beat All Might. And I've seen the trouble he caused in Japan.” Koichi argued. “I mean, it's brave and all, but… I don't think the usual hero stuff works on that guy.”

Koichi would usually stand up against villains and stuff, but Garou was a different monster. All of the heroes he knew in Japan tried to stop him and failed when he was just one man.

Now that one man had a massive growing following behind him, and that following had reached Japan. He wasn't sure if he should say ‘no’ to their faces when they reached out to him.

“Okay, that is a fair reason. But why did you entertain their offer? Are you actually considering it or are you hoodwinking them?” Makoto playfully asked.

“A bit of both.” Koichi admitted. “They got me curious though… When I think about it, I always wondered how my Quirk became like this. Makes me want to go to I-Island and have the scientists check me out. I mean…”

“You want to share the gift with the people that need them more?” Makoto asked.

“Yeah. I don't know if they really mean it when they say that they want to spread the gift to people. I mean, it's the first time I heard someone call Quirks something like ‘power unearned.’ I… kind of get it. I mean, not everyone is lucky with their Quirks. My Quirk wasn't something special, yet… Well, it explains a lot of stuff now that I think about it. So I thought it would be nice if people could turn their Quirks into something better with the right amount of effort and stuff.”

Makoto was surprised by Koichi’s development after chatting with Chatu. She didn't think he would take heed of a random Villain’s rant.

“And… I am not sure if I can turn myself to I-Island at this point. What if Garou gets offended if I go there after promising to consider his offer?”

“Ah.” Makoto didn't put that into consideration.

It would definitely be bad if Garou decided to terrorize America because of this.

“...Yeah, it might be better if we discuss this with Captain Celebrity.” Makoto admitted.

“Yeah.”

The school Izuku was in was in chaos.

Students divided by increasing friction, those that still follow All Might and those that gave up on the Number One Hero.

The classrooms lost their usual cheer, a somber air hanging over every head, school staff and students alike. The volatile spark of tension gnawed at every classroom as debates and arguments slowly escalated between the loyal fanbase and those that turned to nihilism.

However, the escalation swiftly reached the boiling point.

The sun shone through the windows on the left side of the classroom, three wide green chalkboards on the other sides, front, back, and right, with a entrance and exit on the right side beside the chalkboard on the wall.

There were thirty students there, and the students were there early before the start of class.

“Say that again in my face, you little shit!” Bakugo shouted at Mehaji Tomiru, one of his classmates.

His Quirk was nothing special, he could pull his eyes out of his sockets and stretch it like taffy, a useless Quirk.

Normally, he was one of the people that got along with the ordinary atmosphere.

He was one of the students that would usually praise Bakugo for his talents and got along with everyone without a second thought. The only noticeable feature other than his Quirk was his bald head.

“All Might is over. Plain and simple.” Mehaji said it right in his face without a second thought.

“H-Hey, Mehaji.” Gorem Atsumarishi, a student with rock-grey hair styled as a cluster of rocks called out. “I know it looks bad seeing All Might like that on TV, but…”

“That's why All Might is over.” Mehaji spat back. “Believe it or not, I think I see why Garou is doing this now. Everything is about All Might, we all love All Might, but what about when he is gone? Did anyone ever consider that every other hero sucks other than him?”

Izuku was holding Bakugo’s collar, trying to stop him from doing something stupidly reckless and downright suicidal.

“What are you trying to say, you asshole!” Bakugo stomped towards his classmate and grabbed his collar, dragging Izuku with him as Bakugo grabbed Mehaji’s collar and yanked him until they were face to face.

“So what if All Might is about to retire, huh?! It doesn't matter if he retires or not! You're looking at the next Number One Hero right here!” He grabbed Mehaji’s eyeball and yanked it. “But if you think you can get away with dissing All Might, I'm gonna split your skull open, you eyeball freak?!”

Mehaji stared right into Bakugo’s eyes with defiance with his remaining eyeball unstretched.

“...Does everyone know how much of a terrible person you are, Bakugo?” Mehaji unknowingly stepped into onto a taboo landmine - Bakugo’s ego.

“...what was that?”

His question caught Bakugo off guard, enough that he couldn't react with anger.

“The others…” He gestured to the other classmates looking at them in worry. “They want to get along with you because you're cool. You have a great Quirk and you have a good head on your shoulders. Me?”

Mehaji let out a condescending laugh.

“Do you know how the other people treat me back in Middle School? They would just call me the useless eyeball freak. I mean, look at me, I'm almost no different from Izuku.”

Mehaji scoffed at Bakugo as he continued to rant.

“I got along with the sheep showering you praises just so you won't treat me like shit. So what if you're great with a good Quirk? You think you can be a hero just like that? You just want to be worshipped like All Might, you don't give a damn about being a hero.”

“And you think you know about heroes more than I do, huh!?”

“HEROES DON'T TELL PEOPLE TO KILL THEMSELVES!” Mehaji shouted at Bakugo so loud that he stunned even Bakugo into silence.

The teacher just got into the room to hear the commotion, his hand on the opened door and staring at the confrontation.

“HEROES DON'T TREAT OTHERS LIKE SHIT! Villains are an exception, but you keep treating the only Quirkless here like your punching bag! You think YOU know what it means to be a hero?! Heroes don't step over people that don't deserve it! I know that much! But you!”

Mehaji grabbed Bakugo’s collar and pulled Bakugo towards him with a glare that choked any retort the most talented person in the classroom had in his throat.

“I went along with the others because you have the makings of a Villain! You're the worst kind of person that should ever have the Number One spot! And you want to know what else?! I support Garou! You know why?! Because I know what it's like to be treated like shit by people for unfair reasons! You think you can get whatever you wanted because everyone keeps pampering you like you're some sort of God?! Huh?!”

Mehaji shouted at Bakugo with such emotion unheard of.

“...Mehaji…” A female student with a fire Quirk uttered.

Everyone didn't know that Mehaji thought like this.

“...I kept quiet because I don't want to force everyone to fight against each other. But you… The school year is about to end in about a month. I at least want to say this to you before we part ways. You want to go to UA High and follow in All Might’s footsteps? Go ahead. The amount of heroes are dropping by the day, you know? Unless All Might makes some kind of comeback, they're gonna send you to the front lines early. Garou might not kill, but he won't hesitate to break you like an egg.”

“...And what makes you think he will break me?” Bakugo asked with a threatening scowl as he released the eyeball, letting it sling back into his socket.

“You grew up thinking you're the best because you're the best in one school.” Mehaji talked back. “If you really wanted to be the best, you should've looked out for the best in other schools. But no, you stayed here. You just want to get drunk off the feeling of superiority over us. We’re to blame for that, I admit… but there's no way I can tell everyone that and expect them to listen, now can I? In short, you may be strong with your Quirk and smarts, but you're still weak up here.”

Mehaji pointed at his head.

“And in here.” He pointed at his heart.

“That's why you can't be a hero. You're too fragile like the nitroglycerin in your palms. You can't handle anyone being better than you. You can't even talk back against me, someone who can only stretch out his eyeballs.”

Bakugo glared at the only classmate in the room that defeated Bakugo in a verbal debate.

Bakugo can only clench his fists as he grimaced, his teeth ground against each other so tightly that they threaten to break.

“...Don't count me out just yet.” Bakugo seethed as he stomped towards his seat. “And don't you dare count All Might out just yet! When we show you that how wrong you are, I will see the day that you eat your words with interest!”

Mehaji stared at Bakugo in silence.

“...Whatever.” Mehaji walked towards his table and took his seat.

Izuku sighed with relief, though he couldn't help but take into Mehaji’s words into account as he took his seat.

“...Well… Class… please, take your seats and get started.” The teacher sighed as he went to the chalkboard at the front side.

Izuku took out his notebook as his thoughts were elsewhere.

All Might would need a major comeback soon as possible. Everyone was breaking down, the bleakness of nihilism was starting to take hold.

Garou might have foresaw this and decided to play along to stabilize the spirit of the world for his goals…

To save those that were not saved and build a future for them when no one else would… while criticizing the world with his actions and words.

At least, that was what Izuku understood so far. Still, he should resume his studies for the UA exams while training under Ghin since Garou was too busy.

He needed to further his training even more. Iida was being more attentive lately after Garou announced himself as Lord of Hosu.