Chapter Text
The sky simmered with unrelenting heat. The kind of weather where you wouldn’t want to be caught dead wearing anything too stifling.
Unfortunately for Kirishima, he was wearing layers . A red turtleneck and maroon jacket with the hood popped up. The turtleneck was pulled up to cover his mouth. With black cargo pants and a pair of sunglasses on despite the darkness of the night. He looked like he was looking for trouble--and he was.
He sat on the corner of rooftop, crouched like a contemporary gargoyle. He kept his eyes peeled for signs of danger on the streets. They’d had a tip that something was going down that night within the four block radius. But so far, nothing had shown up.
Kirishima spoke into an earpiece linking him to a communications line, “CB you got anything down on your end?” His voice was muffled by the cloth covering his mouth, but he got his point across.
“Nope, Red. I’m clear here,” a voice responded to him on the line, “Jack, are you hearing anything in the air?”
“I’m coming up just as empty as you two,” a third voice said through the line.
“Damn,” Kirishima muttered, “Seems like this tip was a dud.”
“This sucks, I had a paper to write too. I mean it was due like 3 days ago, but you know, life keeps you busy. Can’t be tied down by one assignment--”
“Chargebolt, shut up.”
“You always tell me to shut up, I’m just--”
“No, shut up, I’m hearing something. It’s coming from near Red Riot. Do you see something?”
“No, it’s just--wait.” Kirishima caught a glimpse of movement in upper right quadrant of his section. A hooded figure, which in itself wasn’t anymore suspicious than himself. But then he saw the figure reach its hand out and place a large package down near the building, and place something on the wall. Kirishima looked closer to see what it was. A bomb.
“Shit,” Kirishima swore and jumped down from the roof, hardening his feet to brace for the impact. He landed safely, though not silently, on the ground. The figure turned towards him and sent a blast of blue flame towards Kirishima.
He ducked and rolled out of the way of the fire, hardening his whole body as he did. At least his clothes didn’t catch fire, for the first time.
Kirishima scanned the area for the package of explosives. “Guys I’ve got someone over here with a hell of a lot of explosives. The guy’s got a--” Another column of flame was sent his way, “fire quirk.”
“We’re on our way Red Riot!” But that wouldn’t be soon enough.
If the guy kept sending fire, he could potentially activate the bomb with both of them in the alley. It would take down a whole building and a half--probably the end goal. Even if the fire didn’t manage to activate the bomb, who knows how the man planned to set off the detonator, or where he’d kept it.
Maybe, Kirishima thought, if he covered the bomb with his body and activated his quirk, he could keep the guy at bay long enough for his team to provide back up. His body could withstand the explosion. Probably.
He wasn’t sure about his plan, but there wasn’t much other choice. He dodged another blast of flame and leapt onto the explosives. He hardened his whole body, covering the material with his body.
He prepared himself for an onslaught of flame on his back, but instead he heard an explosion. The explosives were secure beneath him, but he felt a more contained blast from behind him. He turned to see another figure, wearing a black motorcycle helmet with an orange X across it standing across from the melting remains of the first guy.
Kirishima sighed a breath of relief, “Well, well, well, if it isn’t my favorite vigilante, GZ.”
The other man just sighed, “Not another melting shithead. Can’t interrogate someone that just melts away.”
“Another one? How many of these guys have you seen running around?”
Ground Zero grunted, “Enough of them to be tired of it. What was he doing here?”
“Looks like planting some bombs, probably trying to blow up these two buildings,” Kirishima grinned behind the collar of his shirt, “which is funny considering you showed up, Blasty .”
Ground Zero stayed silent, but Kirishima imagined he was currently receiving a deadpan glare.
“Get it, because your quirk is explosions, and we had to stop an explosion.” He was met with more silence.
Two figures came rushing down the alley, “Red, you good? Oh, hey Zero, how’s it going? Guess you came to help out, huh?”
“I’ve told you for the last time, Pikachu, it’s Ground Zero,” Ground Zero started to head towards Chargebolt, who was laughing.
Kirishima was almost certain that Ground Zero would start a fist fight, and he was ready to step in, but a flash of green lightning from above caught all of their attention. “Oh, GZ, looks like that’s your cue. Duty calls.”
“Haha more like: Deku calls.”
Ground Zero shook his head and ran out of the alleyway before blasting himself to the top of the buildings.
“You two really need to stop antagonizing Ground Zero, or he’s seriously going to punch you one of these days.”
“Sorry, EJ, he’s just so fun to tease,” Kirishima tried to sound sheepish, but he couldn’t keep the snicker out of his voice.
“Whatever, let’s head home so idiot over here can write that paper.”
“Oh, yikes, I totally forgot about that.”
“Of course you did.”
_____________________________________
News Report: Tokyo Times
Bomb Plot Foiled: Vigilantes at Work
According to a recent police report, a terrorist was stopped in the midst of planting a bomb. The assailant was trying to blow up a building which belongs to a subsidiary of Endeavor Inc. The assailant was not apprehended, but the bomb is now secure in police custody.
Though the police has not made an official statement, eyewitness reports and an anonymous inside source state that the terrorist plot was stopped by vigilantes, not the police.
The eyewitness accounts claim they saw Red Riot fighting the assailant, covering the bomb with his body, and they saw Ground Zero attack the assailant. The assailant was seen as having some kind of quirk relating to blue fire. The eye witnesses did not see how the assailant got away from the two vigilantes.
After the assailant left, Chargebolt and Earphone Jack were seen joining the scene, presumably as back up for Red Riot. Ground Zero departed soon after a Deku sighting.
It is left to be seen whether the police will officially acknowledge this act of vigilante justice or not.
By Yaoyorozu Momo