My Hero Academia: The Dragon's Quirk

The days following the Aokigahara mission felt like the deceptive calm in the eye of a hurricane. Inside the safe house, the alliance did not rest. They had found the monster in the box, and now, they had to build a bigger cage to trap it. The war room had transformed into the operational center for the most insane plan they had ever conceived.

Hawks was the conductor of this orchestra of chaos. Surrounded by a dozen screens displaying streams of data, he began the first step of his gambit. He didn't just send one message; he created an echo, a whisper coming from multiple directions to convince the enemy it was the truth.

Through a multi-layered proxy server, he sent an anonymous email to an online hero tabloid known for sensationalizing news, containing a vague tip about "unethical experiments at a hidden facility at the foot of Mount Fuji." Simultaneously, he used a compromised PLF communicator to broadcast a distorted, fake message between two fictional commanders, mentioning an "HPSC purification squad" about to be deployed. Finally, through one of Leone's underworld contacts, he spread a rumor among low-level criminals that the heroes were about to conduct a massive raid, putting the entire criminal underworld on edge.

He didn't create one big lie. He created a hundred small whispers that, when heard together, would sound like the roar of an approaching storm.

While Hawks was sowing the wind, Tatsumi and Akame were trying to calm the storms within themselves. They were in the training yard, but the atmosphere of their session this time felt different. Heavier. Sharper.

They sparred, the sound of clashing metal breaking the morning silence. This was no longer training to learn new techniques. This was conditioning for the inevitable battle. Akame pressed Tatsumi with a relentless assault, each move designed to test his reactions under pressure, forcing him to use his wings and armor instinctively.

Tatsumi parried, twisted, and counter-attacked, his movements now more fluid and powerful. But his mind kept returning to the image of Esdeath in the tube. The same face that had once looked at him with burning obsession, now seemed calm and helpless.

During a break, as they were both catching their breath, Tatsumi finally voiced his fear. "If... if we have to fight her again on that island..." he said, his voice low. "I don't know if I can. Last time, I barely survived. And that was with Endeavor's help."

Akame stuck Murasame into the ground and looked at him. There was no sympathy in her eyes, but there was a deep understanding. "You won't be alone this time," she said firmly. "Before, you fought her with power and instinct. This time, we will fight her with a plan. With the weaknesses we know. And..." she paused for a moment, "...with all of us by your side. Me, Leone, Hawks, even Endeavor. You are no longer the only line of defense."

Those words, a simple promise of solidarity, felt more strengthening than any physical training. Tatsumi nodded, his grip on his sword's hilt tightening. He wasn't alone. That was the only truth that mattered right now.

At the PLF headquarters, panic began to spread like wildfire. Skeptic burst into the virtual meeting room where Re-Destro was presiding.

"Grand Commander! Emergency intelligence report!" he exclaimed, his usually cynical face now tense. "Reports have come in from three independent sources in the last hour! Our informant network on the streets, a leak from a minor hero agency, and even our own compromised internal communications! They're all saying the same thing: The HPSC knows about Aokigahara! They're preparing a massive assault within the next 48 hours!"

Re-Destro stood up, his cold composure cracking. The disinformation Hawks had created had worked perfectly, appearing as an undeniable intelligence confirmation.

"They're moving faster than we expected," he growled. "We cannot risk 'Asset E' falling into their hands. Accelerate the I-Island plan! I want that asset moved within 24 hours! Contact the transport team and prepare 'Hercules' for deactivation!"

The order had been given. The enemy's chess pieces were now moving exactly as the puppet master desired.

In her car, Leone burst out laughing. She had just gotten off the phone with one of her most talkative contacts in the underworld.

"Bingo, Winged Hero!" she reported through a secure channel. "The whole underworld is buzzing like a kicked beehive! The PLF is pulling all their freelance agents and calling in all their debts. They're in a major panic. They didn't just take your bait; they swallowed the hook, line, and sinker!"

At the safe house, Hawks observed the sudden spike in PLF logistical movement data. Heavy trucks, armored convoys, all moving towards a single point on the Pacific coast. "They're on the move," he said to Akame and Tatsumi, his voice filled with a mixture of satisfaction and immense pressure. "Faster than I expected. The wheels are in motion. They're going to try to take I-Island."

He turned off all the screens except one: a satellite image of the magnificent I-Island, a technological jewel isolated in the middle of the ocean.

"The PLF will take control of the island in the next 24 to 36 hours," he said, explaining the next phase of their plan. "They will move Esdeath there. Once she is secure inside the research facility in the main tower, the HPSC and every hero in the world will respond. That's when the real chaos begins."

He looked at the serious faces of his team. "And in the midst of that chaos is when we will make our move. Leone and I will operate from a mobile command post off the coast, monitoring and directing. Tatsumi, Akame, you two are our main infiltration team. Your objective: get into the main tower while the three factions are busy destroying each other, use the malware we have, and be prepared for whatever happens next."

The plan now felt real, a giant machine they had turned on and was now moving forward with its own momentum. Tatsumi looked at the image of I-Island on the screen, the shadow of its towering main structure reflected in the visor of the armor he was now wearing. For some reason, he felt calmer now that they had a clear objective.

"Then," he said, his voice steady. "We'll be waiting for her there."