Issue #29: Close Encounter

‘I was late’ I grimaced as my feet touched the asphalt in the middle of the street. I sped towards the woman who was laying on the floor in front of me, only to stop halfway.

‘Wait… This smell feels familiar,’ I thought, not moving from my position. On instinct I restricted my breathing. ‘And there’s nobody here, no civilians or villains or heroes. It feels like…’

Smiley, get away from there! It’s a-

“A setup.” I muttered as I caught the sound of a person landing on a building to my left. Not just a person but… “It’s been a while hasn’t it, bunny girl?! I was thinking you might have forgotten me ever since you went up in the ranks, Heh-Heh!”

The now top ten hero, Mirko remained silent as she stared at me from her position. I noticed her ear twitch at the same time I heard a rapidly approaching person - they stopped close to the lady on the floor, who was starting to stand up.

“Well, it was worth the effort,” the woman said once she stood up and turned, revealing her identity.

Midnight.

My eyes drifted to the person next to her, a man dressed in armor, his visor reflected my appearance.

Ingenium.

I heard something flapping, it sounded like a huge bird approaching our position, until it stopped at the building to my right. I directed my eyes to that position revealing…

A blond haired person with red wings I didn’t know.

A new hero maybe?

It had been a while since the last time I’d seen the rankings.

I saw the female hero who tried to pass as a civilian move away from her position towards an alleyway, leaving the three of us alone. An annoyed expression marred my face.

“Heh! Guys, guys! It’s not my birthday yet, but I really appreciate the effort!” I said as I heightened my senses in order to scan the place for more heroes. My frown deepened as I heard a voice coming from Ingenium’s helmet, telling him that ‘they were ready’.

“Smiley. A revolutionary who rallied the masses to cause mayhem through the streets in protest against the system… And a suspect of murder after the events of the bombing of the Sky Egg. By the decree of the Hero Public Safety Commission and the police, you’ve been labeled as a public enemy,” the man with wings said, as if he rehearsed his speech multiple times. “A villain that is to be captured and detained on sight. Surrender.”

My frown deepened. I didn’t get it.

‘If that was true, then why did they take this long to release a statement? It’s been a year and a half since my fight with Stain,‘ I thought as I tensed my body for a confrontation. I knew all of them were pushovers, the bunny hero being the only exception. ‘It doesn’t make any sense. Why now?’

And there was another thing. By now, Mirko would’ve said something or attacked me before the winged hero finished speaking, but she remained silent the whole time while she looked at me with a calculating expression.

I saw them in silence, nobody made a move.

Why was I so nervous all of the sudden? 

I’ve dealt with worse situations before. 

What’s so different now?

I heard a shift from my left and immediately used ‘Shave’ to push myself backwards just in time to evade Mirko who landed a kick in the position I was standing, creating a huge crater that reached my feet.

‘I get it now. She wasn’t ignoring me… She was training this entire time,’ I thought as I saw her speed up towards me, her leg raised, directing it towards my torso. ‘She has gotten faster too.’

My hand met her foot. I didn’t put any force into it, I just hardened my body and let it happen. I wanted to see how strong we had gotten since the last time we fought. My hand rattled slightly but I didn’t feel anything else. She on the other hand seemed like she had an unnoticeable discomfort and bared her teeth.

She realized I was stronger than her on the first blow.

That didn’t deter her as she flexed the leg I was holding and then threw her other leg with the intention of caving in my skull. 

I released her leg and used ‘Shave’ once again to propel myself backwards before jumping in the air. I saw her change her position and immediately jump after me.

My eyes widened when she kicked the air four times in a row, increasing her speed and reaching my position faster than I anticipated.

‘She can use Moon Walk too?’ I thought, alarmed.

“Take this! Luna Rush!” She screamed, sending a rush of fast kicks my way which I managed to parry and deflect away. Once I created a small window I made a circular motion and positioned my palm on her stomach and pushed, sending her airborne. “Guh!”

Without saying another word I began to fly away but before I could increase my speed from the corner of my eye I could see Ingenium running on a building with his propulsors at full power.

I raised a brow but before I could say something corny I saw his hand move in my direction. There was a small explosion of sound as his armor fired a small circular container at me.

As it reached my vicinity my hand flew forward to send it towards Mirko or the other hero who was flying behind her, but before I could do that my nose managed to catch a familiar smell.

‘Wait, this smell-’ That was as far as I went before the container exploded, creating a huge smoke cloud that enveloped me.

Immediately my feet blurred making me soar through the sky upwards. I took a huge gulp of air as my eyes moved everywhere.

‘That smell is the same from Midnight… They’re not playing around, huh?’ I thought as my eyes locked on every hero in the vicinity. My eyes narrowed when I noticed another armored dude on top of a building, speaking through a transmitter. ‘Not good. If they keep calling for backup they might call All Might and I’m not ready to face him…’

I saw the armored person on top of a building slide on the floor before jumping in the air once and aiming his armored fist towards me. The moment I saw the container fly I used ‘Moonwalk’ to move away. 

Another explosion created a huge cloud of smoke.

My ears perked as the sound of flapping began to increase, just in time for multiple razor sharp red  feathers to pierce through the cloud. My eyes narrowed as I kept jumping backwards but took position regardless. 

I inhaled once I was far enough.

“Water Flow: Catching flies!” I announced as my hands blurred at high speed catching, breaking or outright deflecting the feathers coming my way. But as it went on I noticed that the ones I deflected just changed directions and came from a different position. I grunted in discomfort.

I jumped away one more time, making space from the - admittedly annoying - feathers.

“Eyes here, asshole!” Came from below, just in time for the bunny themed heroine to kick my stomach. In the last second my body contracted and as her leg made contact both of our bodies rattled. Mirko's expression darkened. “Tch.”

But the kick was all the other heroes needed as I was sent upwards once more - just in time to see three feathers holding a container flying directly to my face.

I immediately grabbed the button of my coat and threw it at the container, making it explode before it could reach me. 

I exhaled.

These people were not letting me get a second to breathe. 

Increasing my speed I began to use ‘Razor’ to leave them behind.

I growled when a person with a gigantification quirk appeared out of nowhere holding onto a batch of containers, bigger than the ones they'd been throwing at me this entire time.

‘If one of them can envelop me completely, what could one of that size do?’ I thought as I changed directions, just to see another person in the air, but instead of wings it had a weird flesh/mechanical propeller on her back. She aimed her armored arm at me. ‘Another one?!’

I inhaled. 

The world slowed down as I began to slowly fall. I could see the huge container being held by a frankly ridiculous amount of feathers aimed in my direction. 

Using ‘Razor’ I went towards the street. Hopefully, they would concentrate their attention on the ground level, and I would be able to make a break for the sky again once they thought I had given up on it.

My hand flew forward as I saw Mirko slowly aim a kick to my head and closed said hand around her foot. The moment my feet touched the ground I spun around and threw the bunny girl towards Ingenium who was racing towards my position. Their bodies collided in slow motion as I jumped once more. 

Opportunity.

I threw my remaining button against the large container, making it explode into a large cloud of smoke that obscured the night sky.

I kept jumping away and away from the cloud noticing the heroes falling behind.

Good.

As I kept flying away from the heroes trying to capture me I saw from the corner of my eye an explosion take place a few streets away.

---

“What a fascinating quirk… Self-Manipulation… A quirk that lets the user harden his body as if it was made of iron or expel air from the sole of his feet for propulsion and move his body as if it was made of water,” a scarred man with no eyes connected to different tubes said as he ‘watched’ the screens in front of him, showcasing Smiley’s escape from the heroes. “While not that impressive at first glance… It seems that it was able to evolve under the hands of its user… I wonder…”

A dark smile appeared on his face.

“How would it synergize with the quirks in my possession?”

He let out a small laugh as he saw Smiley frantically trying to escape the heroes' attempts at capture. It seemed they managed to weaponize Midnight’s quirk on a grand scale. 

That could prove a problem for his future plans.

As he kept watching he analyzed every single movement the vigilante took and noticed something interesting as both Smiley and the heroine Mirko engaged in mid air.

“Ah… I see. It’s not air expulsion… He’s kicking the air itself, no wonder that heroine could replicate his movements. I see. I see…” he muttered to himself, plans forming in his head. “Kurogiri.”

A man engulfed in purple mist while dressed in formal clothes walked forward until the monitors illuminated his appearance.

“Yes, Master?”

“It’s time,” the man named All For One said as he watched Smiley successfully get some breathing room to initiate his escape. His smile widened. “Open a portal.”

“As you wish.”

---

Her smile slightly dwindled the moment her boss, the number two hero Endeavor, grumbled a few words to himself as he stood in the middle of the street with his arms crossed.

Moe Kamiji or better known as Burnin’ waited with a small squad of sidekicks from the agency ready to fall into place and detain the vigilante. Though their job was to keep the boss cooled off if he overheated should they meet and exchange attacks.

She had seen the file on the vigilante and she shuddered at the photos of the victim. 

At first she had a positive view on Smiley considering he was someone who would make kids smile and that was something one rarely saw in vigilantes, but after what she saw she was sick to the stomach. She couldn’t believe it. But the blood sample was all they needed, so to her Smiley was now a villain.

‘Those kiddos are going to be so disappointed…’ She thought as she made sure everything was in order. She brought her wrist to her face to look at her wristwatch. ‘By now they should have engaged with him, but nobody has said any-.’

Her thoughts were interrupted by the comms flaring to life.

Mirko, Hawks, Ingenium and Team Idaten have made contact with Smiley.

“About time.” Were the words of Endeavor, the flames coming from him increasing in size at his eagerness to finish the job.

Everyone is in position. We’re ready.

“…” She and the team stood in silence. 

It would be of no good if they gave away their position. Especially because the plan of capture was designed to lead Smiley towards Endeavor should the team of heroes fail their attempt at capturing the vigilante.

Team Idaten in conjunction with a team of support heroes and the heroine Midnight worked together into creating gas bombs containing a chemical quite similar to Midnight’s quirk Sommnambulist. So that was the reason why most of the team of sidekicks involved in the capture plan consisted of female heroines.

As time passed she could hear the sound of the gas bombs going off in the distance. But her brows knitted together as those explosions were going in the opposite direction.

A huge cloud covered a huge part of the sky a few streets away, and as she squinted her eyes she managed to get a glimpse of the vigilante falling, but very much conscious, as he intercepted Mirko before disappearing behind the buildings once more.

Before she could suggest to her boss if they should mobilize, an explosion was heard streets away from their position.

‘Was that Smiley?’ She thought as she looked where the explosion came through. Smoke began to rise to the sky from the west. ‘Or a villain?’

As Endeavor barked orders she and the team started to move.

She just hoped it was a gas leak incident instead.

---

Without giving them a chance to get close I used ‘Razor’ and soared through the sky towards the slow smoke rising from the roof of a building. 

My face hardened as my eyes managed to adjust and picked out the figure of an overly muscled individual on top of the tower.. There was a fire enveloping certain parts of the roof, and it was only going to grow, so there was a bit of a time limit. I let myself fall to the same roof and stood in front of the perso-

I stopped dead cold when I discerned its features.

Dark purple skin, bulging muscles, serrated teeth, yellowish eyes and its brain was exposed. 

In front of me was another experiment made by someone who worked for the man who could steal quirks… 

That speedster wasn’t the only one making them-

My train of thought was interrupted as the experiment or quirk user rushed towards me faster than I anticipated its fist growing in size.

“Water Flow,” I muttered as my palm made contact with the fist and redirected it away from my face. The moment the fist was away from my face I struck the creature’s face. “Water Flow: Smash!”

There was a moment in which the skin of the… thing rippled before it was launched backwards at high speed. As it was in the middle of the air its fist ignited in a huge explosion that obscured my view. 

My eyes widened.

‘Wait… Exploding limbs? But I thought…’ At that moment I saw a crack of lighting and the purple person with an exposed brain was in front of me. My eyes widened once more as everything started to fall into place. ‘That asshole quirk too?!’

It was an experiment, of course it would have the same quirk as the guy from the terrorist attack at the Sky Egg.

I narrowed my eyes as the experiment threw another enlarged fist at my face. Immediately I got under the fist and did a perfect split kicking the purple ‘beast’ in the chin with more strength than I normally would, sending it airborne.

“Iron Stamp,” I grunted. The sky was illuminated by the explosion of my opponent’s fist. Then a large smoke screen obscured its position, making me frown.

Something was off.

My attacks, while not at full force,  only seemed to ripple its hard skin and send it away from me. It didn’t look like I was delivering any punishment whatsoever. I knew I should have been dealing far more damage, even if I was holding back.

I jumped away from my position and began to use ‘Moon Walk’ to distance myself from the burning building. If an explosion of his fist connected with the building once more it could crumble, trapping the people who were just starting to evacuate.

As I was about to jump once more I felt two arms close around my body.

“Gu,” it said, but I didn’t give it time to do what he was about to do.

I inhaled.

The world slowed down to a crawl as I saw the purple arms that were engulfing me start to bubble slowly. I relaxed my entire body and slipped away from its grasp as if my body was made of paper.

“Paper Arts,” I muttered while keeping my breath in. Without looking I positioned myself in front of the thing and I delivered an ‘Iron Body’ enhanced kick. “Sorry bud, but I don’t like personal contact!”

I exhaled.

BOOM!

The street was illuminated this time as the experiment’s arms exploded. Windows shattered and cars came to life with their alarms blaring, making my ears hurt from the pressure wave.

I cursed, watching the aftermath of the attack. I didn’t know if something like that could actually kill me but I certainly did not want to test my luck.

Without relaxing I used ‘Razor’ just as I saw the purple mass actually fly towards me at high speed. But it was slower in the sky than on the ground. Before I could think of my next course of action, its hand enlarged once more and stretched towards me.

‘It can stretch too,’ I thought, repositioning myself and without remorse sending a ‘Storm Leg’ that split its hand and arm in half, leaving me in the middle of it.

Acting fast I used ‘Razor’ once more, kicking the air as fast as I could, immediately appearing in front of the purple quirk user and I kicked it upwards with enough strength to shatter a hill. I saw its body morph as a large ripple coursed from the spot my foot made contact with its abdomen, then an explosion of sound was heard as the body of my opponent flew to the sky.

A series of explosions illuminated the night sky.

I made the right decision by kicking it away from any building.

I flew towards the experiment with a sense of determination as it fell from the cloud of smoke. 

It was missing its right arm.

‘So, it can only explode so many times before it can no longer regenerate…’ I thought, but that line of thought died as I saw the arm once more start to reform from the socket. ‘Nevermind. The explosions only make the regeneration slower. And that attack should have destroyed its insides but it doesn’t seem like it had any effect on it. Maybe it can absorb physical trauma? Man, how do I deal with this?’

As it drew closer I heard the thing said

“G-Gu.” 

My eyes narrowed.

I approached the falling person and my hand immediately cut his left arm, held it and threw it upwards. Another explosion illuminated my opponent. I blinked as I noticed the slight swell of my opponent's chest. 

I was fighting a woman who was experimented on.

My blood boiled at the thought of a helpless woman crying as they did this to her. 

That time of indecision almost cost me dearly as the now regrown fist of the female experiment made contact with my torso, but before it could detonate I kicked the air as fast as I could, creating space between us.

Racing forward my hands rushed and began to strike the torso and still regenerating arms of the person still flying in the air. Larger and larger ripples started to appear around its… Her body as my strikes began to go faster and faster until…

“Moon Landing!” I screamed as I punched the same places ten to fifteen times in less than a second. But regardless of my effort it looked like it wasn’t doing any damage at all.

I tsked in annoyance.

I really didn’t want to end this person’s life.

With a final double fist to the stomach I sent her away from me. Her arms grew back and stood there looking at me for a few seconds.

“G-Gu,” she said as she floated in the sky while I used ‘Moon Walk’ to stay in her line of sight.

‘I wonder what she is trying to say,’ I thought before lighting enveloped the female experiment and flew towards me. I did the same. ‘It doesn’t matter. I need to start aiming for her head and brain. That’s the only way to mess with her body functions.’

Both of her arms stretched towards me and she enlarged them at the same time.

I soared forward and kicked her stomach, sending her airborne.

BOOM!

Another explosion. This was getting out of hand…

From the corner of my eye I could see the three heroes who I tried to shake off arrive at the burning building. I gave a sigh of relief when they started to evacuate the people away from the combat zone.

Flying forward I immediately located the purple experiment and kicked her armless body upwards and upwards and upwards. I just kept going until…

“Gur-” she tried to say but I punched her face, closing her mouth. Then I held her between my arms and began to descend towards the ground while my feet blurred to increase our speed.

“I’m so sorry,” I muttered before I threw her towards the pavement and changed my course of action to stop my momentum.

A huge explosion of pavement and dirt resonated through the night as the purple experiment collided with the ground, shattering it until it reached the buildings, some of them formed cracks from the intensity of the impact.

I landed a few meters away and a look of regret marred my face. Slowly I made my way to my opponent who was shaking as it - she - tried to compose herself but fell down. Her arms were gone and they were no longer regenerating.

The blow to the head seemed to be enough to stop the signals for the regeneration to activate.

As I took rope from my suit and lowered down to begin the process of binding her I heard something that made my blood run cold.

“Gurē…” she uttered from the ground looking at me right in the eye, bits of her brain scattered around where I left her. “G-Gurē…”

‘H-How does she know my…’ I thought as my mind raced for answers. Then my nose flared as a familiar smell assaulted my nostrils. A chill ran down my spine. ‘No… No no no no… It c-can’t be.’

“Emiko?” my voice came but a whisper as my eyes widened in terror at what I was seeing in front of me.

The girl… I couldn’t save…

My girl…

Was turned into this… This…

I fell to my knees in defeat, shaking uncontrollably. Tears formed on the corner of my eyes.

“How could they do this to you…?” I murmured as a sense of shock, sadness, fear and rage bubbled inside my heart. I choked a sob. “W-Why?”

…

As  I kept staring at what they did to my poor girl I felt a hand grasp my head.

In an instant I moved away and made a motion with my hand.

Fingers flew in the air as blood splattered from the hand that I cut clean through with my own.

My eyes widened as in mid air was a bloodied fingerless hand retreating from what I could only describe as a hole in space surrounded in purple mist

‘A portal?!’ Without leaving it time to retreat, I sent a wave with my hand and a razor sharp wind blade made its way towards the portal before it closed.

I hyperventilated as I looked in every direction, trying to decipher where the person who tried to touch me came from but to no avail.

It was him.

That bastard tried to take ‘my quirk’.

He was watching the fight.

He prepared this exact scenario to take ‘my quirk’.

He did this to Emiko…

Rage and sorrow marred my entire being as my attention went back to Emiko’s shaking body, who tried to get up but to no avail.

I got close and without thinking I hugged Emiko and I openly cried.

---

“Master, is your arm okay?” came the preoccupied voice from Kurogiri as he calmly stood a few steps away from him.

Smiley was sharper than he gave him credit for. He moved faster than he anticipated and escaped his grasp.

But as he watched his arm, which was cut by that stray wind blade Smiley launched at him slowly and painfully, regenerate… His thoughts were elsewhere.

In fact.

He was at a loss for words here.

It was… Impossible.

But when he made contact with the vigilante’s head he could feel it. Or the lack of therefore.

Nothing.

Smiley was…

Smiley was Quirkless.

“I can’t believe it,” he rasped, feeling shocked for the first time in many, many years. “No… There should be a better explanation for it… A quirk imperceptible to my touch… Maybe I didn’t hold him for enough time to… ”

“Sir?” Kyudai Garaki asked as he nervously watched the aftermath of the wind blade that came from Kurogiri’s portal. It cut not only through All For One’s arm but also through his chair and decapitated the second Nomu he had prepared for once the fight was getting to its conclusion.

“If he doesn’t have a quirk, then how?” he kept muttering to himself as he ‘watched’ the vigilante look in each direction trying to find him to no avail. “A strength that could rival the previous holder of One For All… How did you get here without a quirk?”

He gritted his teeth as anger began to bubble inside his heart.

Then he saw the vigilante approach the downed Nomu and embrace it.

His anger evaporated as he saw an opportunity.

“Kyudai” he suddenly said, getting the attention of the man in medical garb who looked rather pale considering he was too close to getting his head removed from his shoulders like his other… project. “Activate the failsafe. It seems that Smiley turned out to be more cumbersome than I anticipated.”

“As you wish,” he replied.

---

I hiccuped as I held the little girl tighter to my body. I knew the other heroes were around and getting close to me, but I didn’t care.

I only cared for Emiko who kept repeating my name over and over again as if she tried to communicate with me the entire fight.

And while I didn’t do this to her… I hurt her.

I growled.

The next time I saw that purple mist, I would not hesitate.

Then suddenly Emiko struggled in my grasp and somehow pushed me away as she began to grow.

My eyes widened.

I inhaled.

My feet blurred, propelling me backwards.

I saw her body expand and expand until finally…

It ignited. 

I exhaled.

The shock of the explosion threw me away from my position. Cars imploded, windows shattered and my back hit the ground.

Then I stood up and looked where Emiko’s body was. Only to see a large crater in flames.

“No…” I whispered as I looked at the spot where my little girl was with horror. I gritted my teeth as rage bubbled inside my entire body. “NO!!!”

I stood there. Looking at the fire.

I didn’t even notice the fire trucks or the heroes approaching my position until they were in my direct line of vision. Ingenium and Mirko were on the other side of the crater. The other hero was probably still helping the people evacuate.

“Smiley!” my ears perked up as behind me I heard a few steps. I turned around just to see the number two hero, Endeavor, enveloped in flames while looking at me with a furious expression. “You won’t be getting away this time.”

I opened my mouth but nothing came out, I couldn’t articulate. Tears flew freely through my cheeks.

‘I need to run away,’ I thought as I took a step towards the hero who began to power up as flames enveloped his body. ‘But if his attack misses it could hurt the people behind me I need to deflect it and run…’

“Vanishing Fist!” “Water Flow: Spiral!”

Concrete exploded as my feet blurred, sending me towards the slow moving hero whose entire fist was covered by red hot fire. I closed my eyes, preparing for what’s to come.

My hand moved like water between the rocks in the form of a spiral and parried the blow upwards letting the fire rise to the sky.

But.

“Hngh!” Came from Endeavor as I dislocated his shoulder with my move.

“AAARGHHHH!!!” I screamed in pain as my entire left arm was enveloped in searing hot flames that burned not only my suit but my skin as well.

Without giving anyone time for retaliation I jumped away and began to use ‘Razor’ to get away from them.

“Smiley!!” Called Ingenium. Through the tears I could see him running in the same direction as me through the empty street. “Please surrender!! You need medical aid!! It’s for your own good!!”

The buildings became smears as my feet blurred, increasing my speed until…

I couldn’t see the city anymore.

‘The forest… I needed to go to the stream…’ I thought through tears. I gritted my teeth, trying to retain my breathing but I was unable to. ‘It hurts… It hurts so much.’

---

The heroine known as Mirko looked where Smiley disappeared from with a look of bewilderment. 

She knew Smiley was faster than Endeavor. 

She knew he could easily clown on the guy without a problem.

Because that’s what he has been doing with her all this time.

But today Smiley sacrificed his arm just to redirect Endeavor’s attack away. 

Was he protecting the people who were still on the street?

She frowned as she let out a growl. The vigilante was now hurt because of the number two hero - who was looking pissed beyond belief as he held his dislocated left arm.

If he was hurt that meant he won’t be able to go out as a hero.

That meant she wouldn't be able to see him until he licked his wounds clean.

Her foot met the ground, cracking the asphalt.

‘What’s more… You were holding back more than I anticipated…’ She said as her frown deepened. ‘I need to train more. I need to reach you and then… I’ll kick your face in.’

“You better get well soon,” muttered Rumi, before an annoying voice came right next to her.

“Say something, Mirko?” Asked the hero Hawks with a raised brow while holding a teasing grin.

“I said you better shut the fuck up!” she exclaimed before jumping away.

---

A/N: (20, Jan 2026) Well well well. You wanted the capture arc to begin, well, you get it all wrapped up in one chapter. Or at least the first half, because it doesn’t end until Smiley is captured. By who? Who knows… (I know though lol).

(23, Jan 2026) Oh man, I managed to write all this in less than three days? HOW? Anyway, I’m sorry but here comes a bit of angst because AFO opened old wounds. What did you think? Did you appreciate the fight scenes I concocted for you guys?

Anyway here’s my plug:

: https://www..com/c/QtaroCujoh

Discord: https://discord.gg/6bE7gbKFbc