My Hero Academia: The Dragon's Quirk

The night on the outskirts of Hosu was heavy with the smell of wet asphalt and desperation. The drizzling rain from a few hours ago had stopped, leaving behind puddles that reflected the neon light from a blinking noodle shop sign at the end of the street. Inside the dark, narrow alley, Kageyama stepped cautiously, every sense on high alert.

As a former PLF commander with a sensory Quirk, paranoia was his normal state. He could smell the distinct aroma of everything around him: the scent of rotting garbage, the oil from the noodle shop's fryer, and the metallic tang of rust from the fire escape. But tonight, he smelled something else. Something that shouldn't be here. A scent that was barely there—a sterile, clean scent, like the air inside an operating room, the scent of someone who left no trail. His gut screamed at him.

He stopped, his hand ready to fully activate his Quirk, an ability that could release disorienting pheromones in a small radius. "Who's there?! Show yourself!"

Just as he turned towards the source of the strange scent, a small pebble fell from a roof in the opposite direction, making a soft plink sound in a puddle.

It was a classic, but effective, distraction. Kageyama instinctively glanced towards the sound for a split second.

And a split second was all Akame needed.

She didn't emerge from where Kageyama suspected. She dropped down from the shadows of the fire escape above him, her movement utterly silent. She didn't aim for his neck with Murasame. The objective was capture, not a kill. As she landed, she used the heavy pommel of her sword to strike a pressure point at the junction of Kageyama's neck and shoulder.

THWACK!

A sharp pain and an electric jolt shot through Kageyama's entire right arm, instantly paralyzing it. He roared in shock and anger, trying to turn while releasing a wave of confusing pheromones from his body.

The air around Akame blurred, her senses beginning to feel dizzy. But before the disorientation could fully take hold, a giant shadow descended from the sky.

Tatsumi landed at the mouth of the alley with a muffled THUD, his dragon wings folded against his back. He said nothing. He just stood there, a giant, armored figure blocking the only exit, his glowing eyes behind his helmet staring straight at Kageyama. His sudden and intimidating presence was a far more effective psychological blow than any punch.

At the end of the street, inside a sedan, Leone saw two curious local thugs start walking towards the alley. Without hesitation, she started her car's engine and deliberately crashed into a row of metal trash cans on the sidewalk with a deafening noise.

CRASH!!

The thugs—and several other pedestrians—immediately turned towards the new commotion. Leone got out of the car shouting, "Damn it! The brakes failed!" She had successfully diverted all attention.

"Team, nice work," Hawks' voice came through their earpieces. "You have less than a minute before someone actually comes to investigate that alley. Get out of there. Now."

Kageyama, now trapped between Akame and Tatsumi, knew he was hopeless. With a desperate cry, he charged at Akame, hoping to disable her and run. Akame easily sidestepped, letting the off-balance Kageyama stumble forward. That's when Akame pressed a small capsule against Kageyama's face. A fast-acting sleeping gas instantly spread. Kageyama's eyes rolled back, and he collapsed onto the wet ground, unconscious.

Capture complete.

Tatsumi immediately retracted his helmet, revealing his teenage face—a precaution in case anyone caught a glance. He lifted Kageyama's limp body and threw him over his shoulder as if he weighed nothing. Akame, meanwhile, had already disappeared back into the shadows, moving through their planned ground escape route.

With a powerful flap of his wings, Tatsumi leaped into the air, ascending quickly to the dark rooftops. He ran across them, a nocturnal silhouette carrying a precious package, heading for the pickup point where the black van was waiting.

In the quiet U.A. faculty room, Aizawa sipped his cold coffee. Across from him, Toshinori Yagi, in his skinny form, stared out the window with a worried expression.

"Still no word from Hawks regarding young Tatsumi?" Toshinori asked.

"Just the standard encrypted message every few days," Aizawa replied, his voice tired. "'Training is progressing smoothly. Subject shows exceptional progress.' I don't like this, Toshinori. Hawks is playing a very dangerous game, and he's using one of my students as his main piece."

"I trust Hawks' judgment," Toshinori said, though there was doubt in his voice. "But I share your concern. The burden that boy carries... the responsibility he bears in a world that isn't even his... it's too much for a young boy's shoulders."

They both fell silent, thinking about the fate of their student who was fighting a war they couldn't see.

The black van sped silently away from Hosu. Inside, the atmosphere was a mix of relief and tense anticipation. Leone, who was already inside, grinned as Tatsumi and Akame entered with their "package."

"Now, that was a fun party," Leone said, patting Tatsumi on the back. "Sniffy bastard won't know what hit him."

Akame remained silent, her eyes fixed on the unconscious Kageyama. Her mind had already moved on to the next phase: the interrogation.

A few hours later, they arrived back at the safe house. They wasted no time. The still-unconscious Kageyama was dragged out of the van and taken down a flight of stairs to a basement that Hawks had prepared. The room was cold, empty, and soundproof, with only a single metal chair in the center.

Tatsumi and Leone tied Kageyama to the chair, while Hawks prepared his equipment. This chapter was about the capture. The next chapter would be about getting answers.

Akame stepped into the room, closing the door behind her. In her hand, she held a syringe filled with a clear liquid—a powerful truth serum. Her cold, determined eyes stared at Kageyama's unconscious face.

The hunt was over. The interrogation was about to begin.