Third person pov

Neito knew going alone wasn't an option. If Lillian and Bakugo really were located in Kamino Ward, then that was a pretty clear sign the League would be lurking about, too. His quirk could be powerful, but it sorely depended on who was around him. The seeming inability to die was certainly a plus. So long as they didn't rip out the heart in his chest, he should be all good to go. Not that he wanted his face disintegrated by a man with skin drier than Aizawa's humor. So, it was time to gather his ragtag, volunteer army in need of a shower. Hamilton would be proud.

Todoroki? A must. He'd go in a heartbeat. Apparently nobody had seen Izuku since they'd gotten here, but the rumors going around said that both his arms were pretty much out of commission anyway, and Neito really didn't want to waste time. Hitoshi had just died and was missing an appendage, so he wasn't much of an option either. Aizawa was catatonic, and Mic gave off major snitch vibes, so they sure as shit weren't going to risk that. Chad was preoccupied with also getting Lillian back, but Neito wasn't about to sit back and do jack shit.

That left the entirety of 1-A. Sure, he would go to 1-B, but they didn't really know Lillian, and they definitely weren't about to risk their bacon for Bakugo, who they all despised. He couldn't blame them for that, but the point still stood. They were more likely to tell Vlad King than not, which meant Neito had to hope and pray that some god was on his side, and that whoever agreed to go believed him and his sorry little tale.

That redhead seemed like a good option. He was one of the few who could actually stand Bakugo, and his quirk was good for defense and offense both, so long as he was in close range. It was a good one to copy. Simple and easy to activate, yet extremely useful. He probably wouldn't rat him out, right? With Todoroki and Kirishima both with him, they had a fighting chance. But their little team left something else to be desired. Who else should he ask to go? Who else could he really put his faith in? A smaller group would make them less inconspicuous. 

Most of the heroes who were still fit to fight were no doubt rallying to make a stand. UA had been challenged, and it wouldn't back down. Especially not with children involved. The media were in a frenzy, and a press conference would be starting soon. Neito momentarily wondered if dragging the two sleep deprived teenagers into his little mission was a stellar idea. It's not like they'd sleep even if they didn't come, so he supposed it didn't matter. The sun would be coming up fairly soon. Neito was pretty certain, after some digging around, that there'd be some form of a recon mission to try and get the kidnapped students back. But he was also pretty sure they were going to be looking in the wrong place.

"Alright. You've got this. Be diplomatic but firm. You've got to convince them that this is a good idea." Neito muttered to himself. He was pretty sure Shoto would jump at it, but Kirishima? He could bring their operation that wasn't actually an operation yet crumbling to the ground, and Neito really didn't want that. It wouldn't be very Gucci, Coach, or Chanel for things to be ended that prematurely.

Todoroki had entered a deeply depressed state since the kidnapping of his friends. Not to mention his severely injured boyfriend was missing. For all they knew, the villains could've found a way to get a hold of Izuku Midoriya as well. It was clawing away at him. His mother had tried several times to comfort him to no avail. He was too beaten up by what felt like his own, personal failure. All the times his father called him useless and a waste of space came flooding back like a crushing tidal wave threatening to drown him if he didn't swim. But his clothes felt waterlogged, and he was sinking with remorse and grief.

Neito sashayed into the waiting room like he owned it. It was odd to see him looking so much healthier than everyone present despite him being dead. Shoto looked more like a walking corpse than the blonde did. He sauntered in, looking tired, a little scared, but incredibly determined. It was clear Neito had somehow managed to form some sort of structure to hold himself up in these drastic times. Shoto both envied and admired him for his ability to stand up and look so self-assured.

"You look like someone just ran over your puppy." Neito looked down at him. Shoto gazed back up, mismatched eyes dull. A cool relief to see at least one of his friends untouched by this whole tragedy washed over him. Well, aside from the whole dying thing, but everyone had had ample time to cope with that. This was fresh and raw, and Shoto felt like a wounded animal every time he thought about his incapability to save his friends and offer to them the protection they needed. Hitoshi was missing an appendage, Lillian could be dead somewhere, and Bakugo was in the same boat. And thought Shoto wasn't really friends with the explosive blonde, they'd been getting closer and closer to something like friendship. A friendly acquaintanceship, perhaps.

"Thanks." Shoto managed to answer dryly. Neito's lips pulled into a half smile. The kind that told Shoto had the blonde had something that was going to grab his attention in a good way. Neito's mannerisms all spoke loud: shining through and drawing him in despite how muddled his mind felt at the moment. Something about seeing his friend acting like his usual, coy self made him feel a little lighter.

"There's that bland wit we all know and love." Neito bent down so they were almost eye level. The blonde was so close it could've been considered uncomfortable were they not such good friends. They shared a room, after all. It made his heart rate slow to think about those more peaceful times, where they'd fall asleep at three in the morning to the sound of the Walking Dead and Hitoshi's snoring. "Hitoshi is doing great-- you're welcome for that, by the way. He did die but luckily I happen to be a walking life-support machine. Sort of. But the dead version." 

"That doesn't make any sense." Shoto's response came as naturally as the relief did. A deep breath of air left him, like a balloon deflating. It was one more weight off his shoulders to know Hitoshi would be just fine. He wondered how he could ever doubt Hajime. The man was an amazing surgeon, and would no doubt go to any and every length for his son. Clearly, he had, bringing Neito in. It was the assurance he needed to get the cogs in his dazed brain turning again. The gears began back into action as Neito stood back up straight and planted his hands on his hips. The pose he took when he was about to make a proposal-- a proposal for action. Shoto's heart rate increased again along with his hope.

"Keep your negativity out of my bubble, please. It's not good for my chi." Neito flipped his hair, which was more lustrous than it had been when he first died. Not the best, but he'd take the improvements as they came. "Now, get up off your ass. We've got work to do. The dead people organs inside me have spoken and given me a vague location."

This caught Shoto's attention. Hook-line and sinker. He was out of his chair as though he'd never been slumped down in it in the first place, alert and ready to find out what he could do to help. His eagerness made Neito smile. "Is it Lillian and Bakugo? And that other boy?" Shoto asked intently, not removing his eyes from the proud blond. The undead teen looked like a preening bird with its feathers puffed out along with its ego.

"I have literally no idea." Neito said with such confidence and conviction that Shoto couldn't find it in himself to be deterred. "But it's promising, seeing as I asked for help and that's what they gave me. Even if they're not there, it's at least something." 

"You're right. We should go." Shoto looked at the clock on the wall, and was surprised to see it nearing morning rapidly. Had it really been so long? In just a few hours, the sun would be rising.

"Hold your two-toned horses, please. We're not done yet. Two is a party, but we don't need a party, Shoto." Neito's eyes gleamed: two pools of electric blue that looked rather threatening in that moment. "We need a crowd."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"I can't." Shota croaked the answer out for the fourth time. Nezu's ears twitched. The news of the summer camp attack had awoken the whole of Japan. They were outraged, crying out for UA to do something. They had to get ahead of the issue before it became something more. Nezu would not allow his school to fall, or his students to come to harm. The kidnapping of three of their brightest hero course students made his blood rise to a full boil. Nezu kept his rage well-contained. He had control of it and the rest of his emotions. It would be rather foolish of him to lose his cool now.

"Oh, but you must." Nezu sighed pityingly. Humans were so simple minded. Though, he could understand Aizawa's distress. His daughter was missing, after all. "The press conference is going to be on the six o'clock news. We need it to be, to act as a cover for our heroes. So they can retrieve the students that were taken."

This caused Aizawa's gaze to snap to him, as well as Mic's. The blonde man had been sitting quietly to the side, not willing to leave his friend alone, but not butting into their conversation without permission at the same time. It was quite a feat coming from someone as loud as Mic happened to be, but Nezu quite appreciated it. Nezu held up a furry paw before either of them could blurt out any questions. He wasn't finished. When he was, they could make their inquiries.

"A few heroes, an ex-villain, and one of our most esteemed detectives have all stepped forth saying the same thing. Lillian is located in a bar. Now, I won't be telling you where this bar is. I know you'll only go scampering off to rescue them yourselves." The scowl on Aizawa's face and the way Mic averted his eyes told Nezu he'd been exactly correct, as per the usual. "I assure you that we have assembled the best, most efficient team to handle this dilemma. Your daughter will be brought home safely, and so will Mr. Bakugo and Mr. Awase." 

"I want to join the team." Aizawa said immediately. Nezu sighed. Again, so simple minded! Couldn't he see it was handled? Had he no trust in Nezu and his capabilities? Perhaps it was a familial thing. Humans did tend to care for one another, and he could understand that to an extent. He'd never really had any family. None he could remember, anyway. He had things he valued. His reputation was one of them, and so was his school. His students were a part of that, so by extension, he cared about them too. Maybe not on an emotional level, but their safety was one of his top priorities. 

"We need you to participate in the press conference. As one of the teachers present during the attack, it's required." Nezu firmly stated, his beady black eyes gleaming beneath the florescent lights. "The public is outraged, and rightfully so. Vlad King will also be making a statement. The fan base Lillian has collected over her time at UA, in your terms I suppose, pissed. People are accusing Bakugo of being a villain. They're all assuming that Lillian and Awase are dead." 

His words were blunt, but what was needed. Aizawa's eyes, weary, full of grief, and bloodshot from crying and quirk overuse, regained some of their composure. It wasn't much, but it was enough to make Nezu release a breath of relief. Mic had been oddly silent. The rodent-like principal had expected him to be a bit more vocal, considering his personality and emotional investment in this all. The voice hero worked three jobs and juggled a social life on top of all that. In all the time Nezu had known him, he'd never seen him look this drained.

"Yamada? What's your stance on this?" Nezu decided to ask. Aizawa was deep in thought, and clearly needed a moment.

Mic was heartbroken, in all honesty. He knew Lillian was Aizawa's daughter and not his, but he loved Shota, and he loved Lillian too. He'd been mentoring her and watching her come out of her shell. Her anxiety was melting away drop by drop. Like a dusty rock with a shining crystal buried deep inside. Her outer shell was slowly being chipped away to show the world who she really was, and Mic had fallen in love with the little girl he'd grown to know and care for over the past few weeks. 

"What can I do to help?" Mic asked. His voice was raspy. He'd almost deafened those around him when he found out, and had been trying to hold it together for Shota, who'd had some sort of mental break. He hadn't seen him like this in a very, very long time. Not since high school, when he had a sort of mental break his second year. It hadn't been this bad, however, and it hadn't lasted long. It was nothing like this. Mic was a little afraid, but trying not to show it. "Anything I can do to help, I'll do."

"I'm glad you said that." Nezu gave a smile, wishing he had some tea with him at the moment. "You see, while this bar lead is our top one, there's also been one that arose in Kamino. We're sending a smaller team to check it out. Better safe than sorry, yes?"

Mic nodded, eyes becoming distant with thought as well. The team would surely be moving out in a few hours. And if that were the case, Mic was going to need to make a run back to his apartment. He wanted to say he could do this without hair gel, but in all honesty, he wasn't sure he could.

"Aizawa, can I count on you to be presentable by six AM?" Nezu rose an eyebrow. The erasure hero broke from his daze. Something steely had taken place of the pain that had previously overtaken his face. It relaxed Nezu. A reassurance that Aizawa was someone who could still be relied on. Of all the humans Nezu had met, Shota Aizawa was one of the strongest, he was sure.

"Yes, sir." Aizawa said. It came out bland, as his voice usually did. It made things feel almost normal for a moment. "I'll be ready."

Aizawa sounded surer than he felt.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"You shithead. I'm telling you she's in this bar!" Chad pointed to the map. He was technically a hero, so he was allowed to sit in with the good word of his own brother and the rather esteemed Naomasa Tsukauchi. All the other pros were highly suspicious of him, along with the Nomu and eight year old with him. The two were playing poker in the corner and earning several odd and heavily suspicious looks. Vlad in particular, but everyone was wary of the massive knife Eri seemed to have sheathed in her lap. No one had the ball to mention it. Chad was glad. He loved Eri, but Eri loved her knife. He regretted giving her the thing. She'd named it Tracy and was too attached to go anywhere without it now.

"How would you know that?" Edgeshot asked coolly. Chad groaned, throwing his head back. Hawks sipped his coffee, not really wanting to get involved but knowing he'd probably have to if this kept going. This same exact question had been asked around fifteen times by fifteen different heroes, all of which were standing in the same room and had heard Chad's rather justified reasons.

"I'm telling you, I have a guy on the inside. Scars, really hot, cool quirk. Black hair." Chad wove his hands around, the begs on his eyes feeling deeper and heavier by the second. All these heroes were too self-entitled. They didn't want to listen to the word of a newbie who looked like a weed smoker. Which was somewhat valid, but also obnoxious at the moment. Now wasn't the time for dilly dallying! It was time to get groovy and kick some ass.

"Yes, the villain, Dabi. You've said this several times." Kamui Woods had a lot more sass than they'd thought, to be honest. Chad wanted to be impressed, but couldn't help but feel like taking an ax to the guy's face instead. It would probably cut right through, too. "We need something more solid than the word of a villain. He could be luring us into a trap."

"Dabi isn't a villain, I assure you." Tsukauchi noted nonchalantly as he entered the room, eyes glued to his phone and a coffee in his other hand. He looked exhausted. He'd been stuck speeding between the hospital and police station, to support Rei and Shoto, and to do the work he needed to. He was lead on the League of Villains case, and thus a key player in the efforts to find Lillian, Bakugo, and Awase. 

"How do you know? Have you met him?" Best Jeanist rose an eyebrow. He'd be scouting out Kamino with Mount Lady, but he still needed all the details of the operation. His said partner was smacking her gum next to him, arms crossed over her chest and looking uninterested. To be honest, he didn't have the highest opinion of the female hero, but was trying to keep his hopes up. Present Mic was on the way, and Best Jeanist had always liked working with him. While denim was his thing, he could always appreciate a good pair of leather pants.

Tsukauchi looked up curiously, raising an eyebrow.

"Of course I've met him. He's my girlfriend's oldest son." He said as though just tossing out a simple fact. Everyone stared.

"...See, he's solid." Chad wove a hand. "Anyway, he's helping me take out the mafia, and I don't let just anyone help me with that. So let's get this shit moving, yeah? We've got some kiddos to collect."

Hawks could see the exact moment all the heroes lost faith in Chad, and snorted. That wouldn't last long. Once they saw him in action, they'd change their minds. Everyone did.

~~~

It's been too long let's get this ball rollin

ART

This is Lillian by purple-blue-berrie! I really love it. I like how you colored her eyes red, and I love the hair. The coloring is also really smooth? And it's??? In the lines??? Mine always ends up outside no matter what I do lmao. I looks super good, so thank you so much for this! It's super awesome!

Plopplop171 on Discord didn't leave her username, but she did tag me and leave this amazing drawing of Lillian. I absolutely adore it, and your note is so nice. I'm so glad you like it. You're an amazing artist, and I love your art style. I'm in love with how you illustrated it too. The colors just work so well together. Thank you so much for that, and definitely drop a comment so I can tag your wattpad!

Elfkindeath123 drew some amazing Lillian art. She has a seriously awesome style, and I really adore the ways she's portrayed her. The style and the way she draws hair, especially, is amazing. I seriously love these. Thank you so much for the time and effort you put into these stunning pieces! You're super talented. 

Xx_Azz_xX drew some absolutely amazing art for this book that is long, long overdue. The way she sketched and colored these is just-- UGH it's so good. I'm so glad you like the book enough to make art for it, and I cannot thank you enough for taking time out of your day to make these pieces of art!

I may have already posted this one, but I'm not 100% sure, so we're here again! c-candy485 drew and illustrated this stunning Lillian. I absolutely adore how you did the hair. It's seriously so good, and I love her eyes. The whole thing is just so detailed! Thank you so much for this!!!

Tired_Everyday drew the iconic meme three! I really like how she illustrated them, and the poses she put them in. She did such a good job on the anatomy and on the folds of the clothing. It looks awesome, and so does the hair. Thank you so, so much for this!