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Sunlight glares down on the packed streets of Naruhata while people celebrate the festival-like air surrounding the Race for Quirk Equality. Booths have been set up at the race checkpoints, and people gather to cheer on their friends, family, and - of course - the heroes representing the cause.
Outside the IDATEN PIT01 truck, Iida Tensei flexes his calves and stretches his neck in preparation for the run. He and most of his mobility-type sidekicks wear matching blue t-shirts with the IDATEN logo emblazoned across them, all of them having volunteered in order to raise money for quirk discrimination awareness. Tensei grins at the sight, proud of his team in more ways than one.
As much fun as racing my sidekicks is, though, I wish my jogging buddy was here.
It was a shame Koichi hadn’t responded to Tensei’s invite. After all, the vigilante and his oft-laughed-at quirk had been the main inspiration for Tensei to sponsor the event. That, and the fact that Tensei could never turn down a good old-fashioned race.
“Iida-san!” Enigma calls from the truck. “It looks like they’re gonna be lining up the sponsors of the race soon. Better make it up to the front!”
“Will do!” Tensei calls back, waving at his sidekick before jogging toward the massive blow-up gateway marking the starting line.
A couple of other heroes wave at him - some Tensei recognizes, some he doesn’t - and he grins and calls greetings back.
“Don’t make us look too bad, Iida-kun,” Vlad King jokes, punching Tensei in the shoulder. The engine hero grins.
“Couldn’t make a handsome man like you look bad if I tried, Vlad,” he laughs. “But I won’t lie - I hope you came here hungry, because I fully plan to make you eat my dust.”
Laughter echoes around the starting line, and camera crews rush up to catch the tail-end of the merriment, eager to get their stories in before the race begins.
Overhead, an enormous digital clock counts down.
1:00
0:59
0:58
0:57…
----
Much further overhead, Takami Keigo coasts on a lazy current, gazing down at the milling streets below. People are an amorphous blob from this high up, and Keigo cocks his head as he tries to determine what all the hubbub is about, while a fast-paced pop song pounds into his eardrums.
He supposes he could just Google “Naruhata Events Today”, but he’s pretty sure the Commission monitors his search history (a nightmare, really), and he doesn’t want them to know he’s playing semi-hooky.
“Oh?” he murmurs to himself, his sharp eyes catching sight of something interesting down below. A tiny speck chasing another tiny speck through a side alley, heading toward the blob-crowd. Moving pretty damn fast, actually.
Can’t be as fast as me, though, Keigo thinks, stroking his chin as he watches the game of chase below.
Right?
One of them puts on a spurt of speed, and Keigo’s eyes narrow.
One way to find out.
----
Sweat pours down Koichi’s back under his All Might hoodie as he slides through the narrow streets of Naruhata. His fingers tense against his gloves as he takes a tight corner, fighting to keep the dark figure ahead of him in his sights.
“Stop!” he yells at the guy, whose annoying cackle echoes against the dense buildings.
“Make me, skid-mark!” the guy yells back, waving a snatched purse over his head tauntingly while he surges forward on another burst of speed, kicking up dust in his wake like some kind of cartoon.
Gritting his teeth, Koichi ratchets up his own speed, privately wishing he hadn’t sucked down so much bubble tea earlier. His guts squirm as he swerves around another dizzying corner and he squints over his mask against the sensation.
Thief guy seems not to suffer from boba-related bowel issues, and happily hops a couple overturned trash cans in his flight. Koichi takes the wall route and groans as the world tips sideways.
Why did Iida-san pick today of all days to skip our morning jog? He could snatch this guy no problem, Koichi thinks miserably, following the sounds of hysterical laughter up ahead. And why did I choose today of all days to forget my phone??
“Slow down, you thief!” he hollers at the speedy ne’er-do-well, his roiling guts distracting him from the noise up ahead.
At least, until he bursts from the end of the alley into an enormous crowd.
----
Tensei turns sharply when cries of distress swell behind him, only to see people diving out of the way as something rockets through the crowd. Immediately, his engines rev as he braces to intervene.
Before he can move, someone careens through the throng at high speed, jetting by Tensei with only a cackle on the wind to mark his passing.
Which leaves the hero blinking in astonishment for a moment — it’s been a helluva long time since someone was able to outpace him.
“Stop, thief!” a familiar voice hollers. Tensei blinks once more as a familiar form in an All Might hoodie slides through the crowd in hot pursuit.
“Ko- Crawler?” he says, before the situation registers. His eyes flick to the person who’d just passed him, then to Koichi, sliding his way, and it clicks.
“Iida!!” Koichi yelps, nearly crashing into some lady’s legs as he propels through the last of the crowd. “Stop that guy!”
Tensei nods. “Vlad, delay the race!” he calls to the hero, turning on his heel just as Koichi reaches his side. “Crawler, with me!”
Then the gunshot signaling the beginning of the event goes off, and the announcers bellow over the loudspeakers.
“LOOKS LIKE SOME OF THE RACERS ARE GETTING STARTED EARLY, EVERYONE!”
----
Koichi’s fingers ache and his left calf is threatening to cramp, so it’s with happy-tear-worthy relief that he sees Iida racing alongside him in pursuit of the purse snatcher. It means that if Koichi stumbles, the hero will be able to pick up the baton.
The stampede of heroes and civilians just behind them, though, is concerning.
“What’s going on?!” he shouts over the wind as they fly down the streets, appearing to be cleared for some kind of event.
“Race day!” Iida calls back, his feet blurring against the asphalt. “Tried to text you!”
“I forgot my phone at Pop’s apartment!”
Iida trips, almost eating blacktop, and Koichi, realizing how that sounds, lifts a hand to vigorously deny whatever the engine hero is thinking, promptly sending himself into a tail-spin.
The hero catches him by his hoodie without missing a beat, and drags the slidester behind him while Koichi regains his balance.
“Not like that!” Koichi manages, hoping that the ripping noise he heard was, you know, anything other than his precious jacket, while trying desperately not to lose his boba.
“If you say so!” Iida swerves around a corner, and Koichi slides alongside him like a slippery sidecar, barely catching a glimpse of the thief ahead of them on the makeshift track. “What’s up with this guy?!”
“Purse snatcher!”
“Why is he so fast?!”
“I don’t know!”
“Got any ideas!?”
“No! You?”
Iida’s engines make a coughing noise and spit out a puff of black smoke that looks distinctly Not Good. Koichi sees the engine hero make a face.
An ominous sense of foreboding washes over him.
“Yeah!” Tensei says. “But you’re not gonna like it!”
-----
Watching all of this unfold from above, Keigo can’t help the grin stretching his face. Not only because there’s a race going on, but because he can actually feel the strain in his wings as he follows overhead.
So worth playing hooky for, he thinks as he swoops closer, wind whipping his hair against his cheeks so hard he can feel the sting. Hell, he’s never had the chance to let loose like this outside of training before and it feels great.
Below him, he spies the two pursuers. One of them is definitely Ingenium, and the other - an All Might cosplayer? - is being dragged behind the Engine Hero at high speed toward - toward -
“Oh.” Keigo’s bushy eyebrows fly up into his hairline.
“Oh, shit.”
-----
“IIDAAAAAAAAA!!!!” Koichi yells as Iida rockets them towards a ramp that’s inexplicably paralleling the track. What it’s doing there, he has no idea, but Iida’s barrelling at it and hauling Koichi behind him with terrifying intent, and —
“Don’t worry! Tested it out earlier!!” Tensei hollers back. “Supposed to be for stunts, but if you don’t have any resistance — !”
Koichi understands that. He does. The ground drags at his propulsion and makes him slower than when he’s rebounding through the air. He’ll definitely catch up faster going through the sky than on the ground.
Still!
“You ready?!”
“NO!!”
“Good!”
And then, Koichi is being spun in a tight circle before getting launched full force at, up, and off the ramp, high into the air.
Self-preservation kicks in and Koichi practically jettisons himself skyward with his propulsion, terrified of looking down and seeing the speck that Tensei has become below him. His stomach churns, his palms sweat profusely, and he’s pretty sure he can see his life flashing before his eyes.
Except… except his life had never included a teenage-looking angel-man before.
“Yo!” angel-man says jauntily, red wings flapping vigorously at his back. “You likin’ the weather up here?”
So many questions, so not enough air in lungs to ask them. Koichi kind of gargles at the guy and hopes he gets the message.
Angel-man laughs. “Introductions later, got it. Think that’s your tag buddy down below, by the way.” The guy points, and instinctively, Koichi follows his finger.
Far, far below, he can make out the speck that is the purse snatcher. And though Koichi will never admit to it, he can see that he’s definitely gained on the guy with Iida’s insane move.
Iida, Koichi can see, is speeding down a side street, aiming to head the thief off. His watering eyes widen as he realizes the hero’s plan.
Still insane! But also really smart. Trust a pro to come up with something so wily.
Angel-man seems to understand the plan, too, and his face breaks out into a wide grin.
“Mind if I lend a wing?”
-----
Tensei blasts through alleyway after alleyway, cutting the corner, as it were, of the racetrack. Which doesn’t mean he can’t hear the announcer’s booming voice echoing over this shut-off section of the city.
“WOULD YOU LOOK AT THOSE FOUR GO! THEY’RE REALLY TAKING THIS RACE SERIOUSLY, AND IT LOOKS LIKE THE FANS ARE EATING IT UP! #RACEFOREQUALITY IS TRENDING ALL ACROSS JAPAN! GET YOUR DONATIONS IN NOW, AND THE HERO BILLBOARD ASSOCIATION SAYS THEY’LL MATCH YOU 10X OVER!”
Tensei huffs, kicking off a wall to dodge a dumpster, thinking that at least one good thing has come from this impromptu bit of hero-ing. Then, he promptly stumbles as the first part of the announcement registers.
‘Four’?? What do they mean by ‘four’???
Blinking rapidly, Tensei risks a glance up, but he can’t see Koichi in the narrow strip of sky between the buildings. He’ll just have to hope his friend saw the plan and no new villains have joined the fray.
In the meantime, he can see the intersection coming up ahead that should dump him right in front of the thief, assuming the purse-snatcher stayed on course. If Tensei’s guess is right, it will have been irresistible for someone with a speed quirk to ignore such a conveniently cleared raceway.
Hurdling over a parked car and sliding down the hood, Tensei’s quirk-modified sneakers smack into the pavement with a hard thump as he reaches the mouth of the alley and skids to a stop just before reaching the street. He’s not breathing hard, yet, but his engines smoke with the strain of so much speed.
Cautiously he peers around the corner, anticipating that the thief will be passing by any second now, Koichi hot on his heels.
What he sees, though, has his eyes widening to almost comical levels. Over the loudspeakers, the announcer is just as incredulous.
“WOULD YOU LOOK AT THAT! THIS RACE HAS TURNED INTO A CAVALRY BATTLE!!”
----
In Koichi’s defense, he’s not had much practice with landing. So… his aim is a bit off.
“Geroff me!!” The thief yells, staggering sideways as Koichi clings tightly to his head and shoulders, fingers in a death grip on the man’s face.
“Give me back the purse you stole!” Koichi manages to choke out, trying to ignore his stomach as the criminal lurches from side to side, attempting to throw him off. Incredibly, he’s still sprinting at an insane speed down the raceway.
“Oh, that’s done already,” a bright voice laughs. Koichi glances over to see angel-man flapping alongside them, holding up the little blue bag with a satisfied smile.
“Figured this was what you were after,” the winged man continues, slinging the bag over his shoulder. Under Koichi’s forearms, he feels the thief cursing and struggling to throw him off, while up ahead, he can see the clever trap that Iida had prepared getting closer and closer.
Koichi and the winged guy exchange a look and nod before Koichi lets go of the criminal, who rockets ahead, yelling curses at them as he flees. That’s okay, though. They have the purse; now, they just need the net.
Up ahead, the fifty-foot-long blow-up tunnel stands proud and tall, ready to welcome those who finish the race. The compulsion to run through it would be hard for anyone to resist. So, it would be a shame if the far end of it… collapsed.
“We get this end?” Koichi calls to his erstwhile flying partner just as the thief enters the tunnel. The winged man grins and suddenly lets loose a flurry of feathers. For a hot second, Koichi thinks the man is molting.
But no - the feathers are zipping toward the opening of the inflatable tunnel and puncturing the big blow-up mouth, dragging the deflating plastic to the ground and practically bolting it there. Koichi is pretty sure his mouth drops open. He barely even registers Iida doing something high-octane and crazy at the other end of the tunnel, effectively trapping the speedy thief inside.
“Aha,” the vigilante says as the winged man lands next to him, raking a sheepish hand down the back of his neck when he sees that his helper is definitely a teenager. “Thanks for the assist! I’m Ko- The Crawler.”
Inside the middle of the tunnel, loud cursing can be heard along with thumping against the tough plastic. Along the sidelines, reporters, fans, and event managers are yelling questions at them, but none have approached, unsure of the full situation. Taking advantage of the temporary reprieve, the winged guy offers a hand.
“Call me Hawks. That was a neat trap you and Ingenium set up. Are you one of his sidekicks?”
“Nah - just a friend,” Koichi says lightly, shaking Hawks’ hand. Then, he looks toward the far end of the tunnel to see Iida jogging their way. He waves, hoping that Hawks won’t pry into what agency he’s from.
“Iida!” he yells. “What the heck?!?”
“It worked, didn’t it??” Iida calls back, laughing. “Got sidekicks on the way to come take this guy in, but he’s not going anywhere anytime soon. Who’s this?”
“Hawks,” Koichi introduces. “He got the purse back and helped close this end of the tunnel.” He turns to the winged guy. “Are you a hero?”
“In training,” Hawks confirms, reaching out to shake Iida’s offered hand before gesturing at the signage and the crowds. “What’s all this about anyway?”
Before Iida can answer, the announcer pipes up over the speakers.
“WHAT A RACE! LOOKS LIKE ONE OF THE SPEEDSTERS HAS BEEN CAUGHT IN THE TUNNEL AND AN IDATEN TRUCK IS ON THE WAY TO HELP HIM OUT! MEANWHILE, DONATIONS FOR THE RACE FOR QUIRK EQUALITY HAVE JUST TOPPED OVER HALF A MILLION DOLLARS! THAT’S A NEW RECORD, FOLKS!”
“Guess that answers that question,” Hawks muses, wings flapping lightly behind him. “I suppose that was all caught on TV?” Koichi tugs at his mask, securing it in place over his nose. Iida laughs.
“Probably why the donation was so large.” He tilts his head. “Though, I guess we weren’t being really ‘equal’ just now, racing out ahead of everyone.”
Iida turns to Koichi. “This is actually what I was texting you about earlier! We’re raising money to help get kids in school the quirk support they need.”
‘The support you didn’t get’, goes unsaid, but Koichi hears it anyway. A warm feeling spreads throughout his chest.
“Sounds like maybe we should do this race properly, then,” Hawks says in an almost quiet voice. Koichi glances at him and sees a thoughtful look on the teen’s face. Iida grins in response.
“Definitely! And look, that’s the sidekicks showing up!”
With the thief taken into custody, the purse on its way back to its owner, and the collapsed tunnel removed from the racetrack, the heroes and vigilante line up at the finish line, preparing to get back to the racers still making their way through the course.
Hawks adjusts his visor and flexes his wings lightly behind him, and Iida rolls his ankles to loosen them, gulping down the last of his orange juice before tossing his bottle back to a sidekick. Koichi just accepts an antacid with a happy wave to the medic station before coming back to join the other two.
“Now, I know I just met you guys,” Hawks says amiably. “So, I just want you to know there’s no hard feelings when I leave ya behind.”
“Oho?” Iida laughs. “I was about to ask if it was hard to get dust out of your feathers, since that’s where you’re gonna be left.”
“Guys,” Koichi says, activating his quirk on the soles of his feet and on one palm. “Are we really racing back to the race?”
“Oh, most definitely.”
“Yup.”
Shaking his head, Koichi braces as Iida begins a countdown for them.
“3..”
“2..”
“1..”
“GO!”
And they’re off to the races.
Collab Art by KickingShoes (please do not trace, repost, or upload to other sites!)