[Author: Happy Belated Christmas and New Years, or whatever you celebrate when reading this. In light of the jolly day I give everyone the news of a 1 week break.

*Shock*

Author: Yes, I know you delayed the previous update and are now disappearing for 2 weeks.

Random Background Person: Aren’t you just being lazy.

*Shush*

*Sweatdrop*

Author: ~noooo

*Avert Eyes*

Author: Anyways, I hope you enjoy the day and this chapter. As said before, this will be the last chapter of Book 2 and with things heating up in my life, I will be taking a break.

*WOOOOOO*

Author: I know you're happy, we’ll maybe not be, but I’m happy to be done with this arc and onto the next, Azure met some people and dealt with some problems in this one, that's for sure. 

Author: Now in the next arc, his inner thoughts and resolve will be tested. Who knows, he might even make a new friend while learning more about the big bad-

*Shush!*

Author:-Ops I said too much. Anyway, enjoy this chapter, and expect a break of at most two weeks since your authors are humans too. And get ready to experience another part of Dante's life.]

 

Recap:

Walking up to her, Makoto put on her friendliest face to calm the anxious Kazuho.

"I'll protect your Masked Espades; that's me double-checking my sources so you don't have to."

----- 

"North, East, South, and West.

There are four pivotal corners in this world.

The foundation is held together by essential pieces.

When the clock strikes midnight, the hour and day change.

Upsets occur and changes happen all across the world.

On February 18th, 2125, mark your calendar for Naruhata, Marukane's Festival."

-----

"Do you know about the neighborhood vigilantes, the Crawler and Pop?"

A simple question that anyone should be able to answer, but Dante had already done his research on everyone in his vicinity.

‘Her quirk is bothersome, and I don't have time for this!’

"I-I have to go."

Pulling his hand away, Dante went down the stairs. Meanwhile, Makoto looked at her wrist, which was holding his hand.

"It read truth." 

__________________________________________________________________________________________

[Incoming call from Manager Tsukauchi-]

"Accept."

*Beep*

"Makoto, my favorite publicity manager."

"Your only one considering you scared everyone else away." He heard the passive aggressiveness coming from the other end of the phone.

"Huh, sooo…what did you want with me? I’m kind of in the middle of something."

"Go, Go Chris!"

"Fly, Fly Chirs!"

"Rock On,"

"Rock On,"

*Excessive Cheering*

"Rock On,"

"Rock On,"

"People, Captain Celebrity has done it again, he’s saved Naruhata from yet another villain. It seems that one of America’s top hero with the worst reputation can indeed change, and it’s this little city that's doing just that-"

Hearing the news reported in the background of the phone call, Makoto said, "It appears you're famous."

"What can I say, it’s only natural fo-"

"Ok"

Cutting him off, she put a stop to this ego inflating train before it began.

"You remember that your fights caused damage to Naruhata earlier."

"~Yeah" The hero replied, averting his eyes from the other end of the call.

*Sigh*

'That was the whole point of all of my heroic efforts this week. To do more for the community and build up my reputation again.’

He thought back to the grueling work h'ds been doing. Picking up more hours of overseeing thestreetst, helping people with miniscule task, etc.

Remembering the Crawler, whom he saw frequently around helping civilians and dealing with crime, he thought,

‘How’d that boy do this so much?’ 

Unaware of his thoughts, she continued.

"I have an opportunity to widen your appeal with the residents."

He knew her character, even in the little time they’ve spent together she wasn’t this leading on with him. She is straightforward, as one would expect of a journalist or reporter.

Knowing this, he said, "You want my name or something? It’s fine since you’re my manager, so I'll  trust you, Makoto."

She felt the smile in his voice and couldn’t help but speculate about his words.

‘Was he genuine or just being lazy?’

Regardless of getting what she wanted, she let him off the phone to deal with his current "Issues".

"Surreee…. I'll make the arrangements."

Before she finished up, the chanting over the phone increased.

"I’m Back, Everybody!"

"C.C!"

*Beep*

Once she ended the call, Makoto turned around in her chair.

"Alright I got the permission, we’ll use Capitan Celebrity's name to make the event bigger. More indie than Karaoke, and with the ad’s using his name the cost will be offset."

[Incoming call-]

"Hello-Yes, this is Makoto. Oh, Manager of the Marukane Department Stores, thanks for getting back to me-"

Walking away, Koichi and Kazuho allowed Makoto to have her space.

They looked out the window of her agency and admired the scenic view. Children are running around, and people from all walks of life are traversing.

"She’s amazing." Koichi said.

"Y-Yeah."

"What's wrong?"

"I-It’s nothing, just…What if I fail. I’m not sure I can live up to everyone's expectations. I started being an Idol as a joke when I was a kid but now? Performing in front of thousands of live people."

*Sigh*

"That's totally different when compared to my usual amount that takes up a corner of a street."

Koichi scratched his head as he thought of the right words.

"I don’t know the right words since I’ve never been in a situation like this, but…You have a great voice. And if hundreds like it, then what's the difference with thousands. So…don’t worry, and just have fun."

Kazuho looked at Koichi with surprise in her eyes. She never took him to be the reliable type since he was so clumsy.

Meanwhile, Makoto finished her call.

"Great, thank you. All right, guys, we got the venue for a longer period of time at a lower price; now onto publicity."

*Somewhere in a garage.

A girl walked into the dark place while talking to herself.

"Looks like that new hero will be at the concert. We can't have things too peaceful now, can we?A surprise hero requires a surprise villain, right?

*Growl*

The eel like creature currently chained up growled.

Smiling like the devil, the girl said, "Yesss.We'll be there to support sweet little miss pop.""

*4 days pass*

"What am I doing here."

"Don’t worry, you look fine."

"AND THE FEATHER HATS WILL BE UP IN 30 MINUTES."

Koichi continued to try and calm her nerves as the others prepared for the performance of a lifetime.

While they were excited, the area around the performance wasn’t as peaceful.

"AHHHHH!"

"HELP!"

"Yamada said this would be an easy patrol night."

A lethargic man with odd goggles swung into the scene with his scarf while talking to himself." 

He pulled civilians away from the frog-eel like creature, which towered over buildings. It rambled around, destroying everything in its path.

"I’ve heard about people being forcefully transformed and not having control over their bodies, using their quirks to cause damage." 

The man said this while tying up the creature in his scarf, he looked through the big eyes and saw a sliver of sanity within them.

"I’ll need to restrain you until someone more specialized in these matters can come over." While I was saying that to calm the assailant, his eyes glowed red for a second. 

‘He’s not changing back, so he should hold a mutant quirk. I guess I'll have to wait until they arrive.'

Though he thought that, the sliver of sanity within its mind slipped back into darkness, and the creature struggled again.

"Hey calm down, buddy." 

It wasn't listening though, as even though it was restrained by the scarf, its tail moved and knocked over a fire hydrant, and after the water touched it, electricity flew through its whole body, making the water become electrified.

The man jumped back as he pulled a bystander who wanted to watch from the side. Unfortunately, the weight slowed him down.

The water was over his head, and he didn’t know how potent that electricity was. He could either get a sting like a static shock or go into cardiac arrest.

He pulled the civilian into himself and closed his eyes, but was swiftly swept up after that. The wind caused him to keep his eyes closed for a few seconds, and after being put down, he could see the famous hero Captain Celebrity.

 "Thanks."

He let the person he had saved go, but he was on guard because the creature was no longer bound up, and he paid attention to pro.

"It’s fine, Eraserhead."

Pointing to their foe, he spoke.

"What's up with him?"

Eraserhead spoke while crouching down, preparing to run.

"Mutant quirk holder, whose quirk is being amplified by some drug, I’m guessing. He’s not willingly doing this and possesses the ability to electrify things."

The civilians went a safe distance away, though they were still watching and recording with their phones. 

The pro sprinted to the creature, and once he was close enough, he dodged an oversized hand by going through the gaps in between its fingers. He threw his scarf around the thing's neck before hoisting himself into the air.

The creature's hands tried to grab him once again, but weren't nimble enough as the scarf wrapped itself around it loosely enough for it to not notice yet.

"Can’t be outdone now, can I?"

The other hero also flew into the fray and occupied the position of "bait" while the other bound up the foe.

Meanwhile, two lone figures faced each other on a roof.

"While the subordinates go and work, the queen comes out to play."

Said Knuckleduster donned his navy green jacket with an odd concoction on his fist, different from his signature brass knuckles.

"You're here for this worker?"

"Shut your face, bee bee user. I’m here for Tamao Oguro."

Another battle was about to start, and as everyone was facing problems, Dante himself wasn't any different.

He had arrived at his fourth location of the night, another empty building.

‘Below strikes the thing to spread despair across the lands. "The desire to rectify, can only be fulfilled by the creator of this device.’

"DAMMIT!"

He cast away another letter and ran outside the unfinished building, which had no windows, leaving open holes in their place.

Transforming fully into his flying form, he started away until he heard something that shook his mind.

"DANTE. TANAKA DANTE!"

A voice on the ground called his name, and Dante recognized him as one of the most persistent detectives who had been pursuing him for the longest time.

Back in Musutafu he would show up moments after he finished his ‘business’ and he even saw him a few days ago at the bus chase scene.

He appears to have cracked his identity!

Not taking any chances, Dante dashed out of there, ignoring his calls and hoping no one heard the detective's initial shout.

"Dammit I gotta follow that boy."

The detective got in his car and pressed the gas, speeding through the empty streets, trying to follow the blue dot that ascended higher and higher for fear of losing visibility.

{Detective Tanuma, we’ve got a situation with a Trigger victim and require your presence at **** Street.}

‘Damn it!’

Changing directions with a hard turn, he spoke into the radio.

{On my way, all officers listen, keep your eyes out for a blue dot within the sky. I have reason to believe that the masked Vigilante Azure could be around.}

‘Sorry Chief, but I’ll need their help in capturing him.’

He sped up, hoping to finish this quickly, so he was the first to make contact with Azure again.

As Eraser Head and Captain Celebrity were battling the creature, it suddenly started getting smaller while slowing down its thrashing. 

They were confused but on guard while observing. Unbeknownst to them, a bee extracted some liquid into a container and carried it somewhere unknown.

"I know how light your feet are-"

Her back was facing the wall.

"-How fast and  hold long you can run-"

The chill of the wind crept up on her as she involuntarily shuddered.

"-What I know even better is these streets. Leading you into that corner was as easy as baking."

Lashing out, she screamed,

"DO YOU BELIEVE THIS CAN CHECKMATE ME?"

Her worker drones flew towards him for the umpteenth time during their fight. Though he just swatted them away yet again and punched one of them with his fist.

*Pop* 

A mini explosion occurred, though it just barely picked up dust that he walked through immediately after.

"You’ve used all your strong bees before."

He chuckled, looking up at the banged up face of his "enemy" in front of him. She possessed the face of one he recognized and the mind of another.

"I've noticed that whenever I jumped back, you retreated instead of attacking, so I'd say you're running low on stock."

Her face scrunched up, and the street lamp in the distance was barely shining close enough to lighten it up.

"You only have fireworks left, and-"

Picking the bee and the needle out of his arm, 

"-Toys you are reluctant to use. I guess a queen hates to lose her worker drones."

His voice was dripping with disappointment and some hidden resentment.

She was backed into a corner, and he slowly walked until his body was towering over hers.

"You're Done."

*Hic*

‘Cryin-’

*Crackle*

His body spasmed and convulsed before plopping to the ground. 

"Freak, I’m sure you know about my quirk. But I guess you didn’t count on me dosing myself full of Trigger, did’ja." A bee buzzed around her, carrying the same bottle that had been injected into and then removed from the villain's head while he and Eraserhead were fighting.

He lay on the ground, barely breathing, trying not to die, though he spoke what he could.

"A bee’s… persoanlity is the combination of the swarm and its needs….take some trigger and their control weakens meaning the swarms and the Host’s needs are gonna be met."

Flashbacks appeared in her mind. 

"Don’t hand out with troublesome folks."

"I just care for you."

"Listen to your mother, Tamao."

Putting her hand to her head, she clutched it as if she were in pain.

"QUIT IT, DAD!"

*Wheze* 

"Good to know... that she’s still in there."

"SHUT UP!"

Walking away, the bee user gained control over the body, despite Trigger currently running through her veins.

"Stay there to rot, old man."

Her arms were busted up for not being suitable with the electricity quirk, and her nails were longer from Trigger, but it was useful. She pulled out her phone and called someone at the same time as Dante showed up. 

"You're here."

Dante, in all his... diminutive... stature, stood in front of her. Blocking the exit with her in the middle and the old man's body behind.

‘She defeated him?’

His expression hardened as he got even more on guard.

"You're the one to place the bombs."

Confirmation was all he needed. Although he wasn’t the strongest, not many could survive with him in the alleyway if he really wanted to kill.

"What are you-Oooohhhh those things-"

*Buzz*

"Wait one second." 

He didn’t mind waiting one bit, assessing the old man's injuries and the situation around him was more important. Plus, he had confidence in winning when it came to a death battle. 

Meanwhile, she was on the phone, communicating with an unknown man.

"He's here."

"He passed all the test, impressive continue on to plan-"

*Beep*

Turning off the phone, she threw it to the ground before stomping it into pieces.

"Don’t you just hate it when people nag."

He remained silent.

"I read up on you, Dante Tanka, child of two parents, one even a hero, sorry, former hero." With a smirk, she added.

"Death about 10 months ago, a boy became an orphan and went missing. You and this girl have many things in common. Maybe when he croaks over him and your parents can chat in hell-" Pointing behind him at the currently slumped old man, Dante spoke.

"I’ve had enough."

His hand was pointed in her direction, and not restraining his fire to normal levels, he let it blast off.

*Sizzle*

Stopping it for a moment a bunch of ash laid at her feat.

"MY BEES."

‘Again.’ 

Perhaps his rage took over, but thinking about the old man's death and her impending death caused Dante to lose interest in this alleyway.

So he decided to remove most of his limiters on the next one. Though he’ll need to escape right after.

He prepared his hand and was ready to fire.

*Punch*

"Wait."

Speak of the devil, the old man was walking just fine while punching his daughter in the head. After he grabbed his device from where he was slumped and put it back in his hand.

"HOW-"

"Next time, sweetie, try and shock me to death while leaving a socket in my hand."

"YOU WANT HER SO BADLY. I heard she’s allergic to bees."

Next up was a hilarious confrontation, though none of the participants would agree. She sent her bees to attack her, and Dante burned them as fast as he could despite his control over his quirk being janky.

And Knuckleduster having a duke out with her dodging her fingers. Her control slipped for a brief moment, allowing Dante to kick her back because apparently lethal damage was not permitted.

Though it wasn’t powerful, her balance was messed up, allowing the old man to get into a bear hug position and charge at her.

"NO MATTER WHAT."

She realized what was about to happen.

"GOOD OR EVIL."

Position herself upright.

"THIS TIME FOR SURE."

She reached out her hand, trying to copy him and see who could incapacitate the other first.

"I. WILL. GET. THROUGH. TO. YOU!" His arm, which was longer than her, was dead in the chest, stopping her heart.

*Thump*

The old man sat down and grabbed his kit before almost seeing Dante burn her for the third time today.

"STOP!"

"She’s connected to the bombs if it blow, Pop, Koichi, Makoto, the city blows."

‘Look at me being on a hero's job.’

"d-dante."

"Tch. 5 minutes." 

‘Why did I cave in?’

"I only need 1."

He plopped down in front of her and picked up some tweezers. Her eyes were plucked out by him along with the whole organ, which was the bee quirk.

"Dante," he said, gesturing towards the thing.

"Don't mind if I do." Dante would prefer getting information out of it but this was also an option.

And alas, the thing lit itself into flames, which continuously poured from his hands for 2 straight minutes.

"Come on."

Once he was sure it was dead, he turned around and went to find the old man using electricity to shock her heart into working again.

‘Maybe.’ He stretched his hand, thinking about his quirks and his healing ability. But the last time that happened... the scene entered his mind.

His left hand grabbed his right hand hard enough to leave bruises.

‘Not again.’

Though it worked, as she was breathing after he came back to the real world. He sat down next to his daughter, happy to hear her breathing even though she wasn’t awake.

"She sings well." 

Dante walked up next to him, due to the height difference Knuckleduster sitting down was comparable to Dante’s shoulder.

"You're going." He stated it as a fact not a question.

Though Dante answered it like one. "Police."

"Hmm, well, I guess she does." 

He sat up and picked up his daughter, ready to finish his day with the ambulance that's was nearing its arrival. Eraserhead sat next to the trigger victim, who shrank mysteriously during their fight.

The eel was in quirk and strength-suppressing cuffs, despite his innocence in being forced. A cop walked up to the hero,

"You want us to take him?"

He looked at the lights radiating off the building in front of them. The actor couldn't be seen, but the music could be heard just barely.

"That sounds nice, right." He turned to the captive.

"Y-Yeah." As his idol sang in her first concert, he exchanged a silent thank you.

Though the day was crazy, a new one would begin with the disappearance of an individual. Letters had been sent, but Dante’s disappearance would surprise everyone later on…