Chapter Text
It was during Shouta’s break, when he had just wriggled into his sleeping bag in the corner of the Teacher‘s Lounge, that he got the call. It wasn‘t often he got called in for Hero work these days, due to his infamy after the Press Conference. So, when he did, it was always in the event of a Quirk Suppression. This time, it was the department inviting him down for a briefing on a relatively complicated vigilante case. When Shouta arrived, sitting tiredly before a detective he recognized, they dove right in.
„Our first reports on the vigilante place their rise in activity following the USJ Incident.They had some minor infractions—Heroics without a License and such—before that, but there wasn‘t much. Then, all of the sudden, they accomplished a save which a Hero had failed and gained a lot of street notoriety. It seems their unusual costume and tactics earned them the name Scrap.
We‘ve sent squads after them before, but they always escape or beat them without killing or causing major injury. Last week, the Chief finally got annoyed enough to hire a Pro, but Scrap finished the Hero off faster than the cops. As of now, we aren‘t certain what kind of Quirk they have, but based on their talent in avoiding our routes, it might be information-based. This became more of a probability when the Pro reported back. The amount of information Scrap had on the Hero was scarily accurate and wasn‘t released to the public. This is why you‘re the best option we have.“
Explained the Detective, and it was Detective Tsukauchi. If the Department had given this case to one of their best detectives and still hadn‘t found a solution, then Shouta understood why he‘d been chosen. Though honestly the vigilante didn‘t seem all that problematic, however, a villain getting ahold of the information they had would be detrimental.
„Do you have a description of them? Any indications of an attack style? Anything you have would be appreciated.“ Shouta said, and the Detective nodded in understanding.
„Of course.“ He pulled out a small stack of files from within his desk, opening the first one. It contained several images of a blurry figure. Shouta assumed this was Scrap. The only notable thing, was the slight tint of green to the vigilante‘s suit. Other than that, he supposed this mysterious Scrap was also a little on the shorter side.They were relatively new, so maybe they were young? It could be a Quirk mutation though, or the vigilante could in fact be a woman. After all, the witness reports never said anything about facial features. The best description they had was of a quick-footed person with muscles wearing a ski-mask and messy clothes. It was clear to Shouta that Scrap was smart, as he admired the files showing the areas they‘d been sited. The vigilante had clearly done some homework, avoiding police stations and hero patrols all the while somehow hitting areas dense in crime.
„They‘re agility-focused?“ He asked, looking up at Tsukauchi. The man shrugged, peering down at the paperwork with a mixture of what seemed to be admiration and anxiety. Shouta could understand, this vigilante was obviously well-prepared but didn‘t show signs of anything truly nefarious. So, they were dangerous but helpful, and he wondered if the Department might‘ve just buried the case for a while if the threat of Scrap‘s possible information hadn‘t presented itself.
„It seems that way. They‘ve tended to avoid encounters with others as often as possible and rely on mostly ambush or stealth tactics to dispose of villains. All their rescues have been quick, fleeing the scene immediately after any victims are safe. We‘ve came to the conclusion that Scrap is a strategic fighter after their fight with the Pro. Either that or they had an analyst on their side.” Shouta scratched his chin, flipping slowly through the information. He stopped at the description of Scrap’s victims, reports of the injuries they’d left on the criminals they’d bested, as well as the accounts of any cops they’d beaten. It seemed, even when facing a disgusting sort of person like a rapist, the vigilante had never damaged their opponents beyond what was necessary. The Pro they’d captured was a fairly new individual, a Hero named Tellie. His quirk allowed him to jump inside electronic devices and manipulate them. Scrap had disposed of him in under three minutes, using the weakness of the Pro’s Quirk against him, by trapping him inside his own device and using some sort of targeted EMP. Shouta would have to be wary of Scrap.
“Alright,” He said, brushing the papers back into the folder and meeting Tsukauchi’s gaze.
“What’s the plan?”
Shouta adjusted the receiver so that it hung over his ear more comfortably, shifting from one foot to the other as an adrenaline-like wakefulness overcame him.
“Testing,” He said into the comm.
“Is everything coming through alright?” On the other end, he heard a bit of static before Tsukauchi’s voice responded.
“Loud and clear, you’re free to begin.” The detective had dropped him off in a quiet district, just behind a suspected gang hangout. Reports placed Scrap as seen scouting the area for the past two nights. Once they had gotten positive ID from Telllie, Eraserhead was briefed on his mission and released. Basic objective: find Scrap and capture them. If he was unable to capture them, then Eraser would need to come up with a longer-winded strategy and find out as much information on the vigilante as possible. For now, all he could focus on was the eerie silence of the streets.
His paranoia was on edge because of everything. The brush of wind past a metal can, the slam of a car door, the sound of a stray’s footsteps scampering through an alley. Even the distant smell of cigarette smoke had him tense, wary of possible interference or casualties. It was always like this for him, since he patrolled alone. Most of the time, it came in handy to see everything as a threat, but right now, it was making him anxious. It was best not to be close to a panic attack when facing a tangible threat like Scrap.
Sighing out in timed breaths, Eraser swung his scarf up onto a fire escape, using it as a pulley to get onto the roof. Once he was there, able to look down at everything, some of the paranoia left him and he calmed. He fell into a familiar pattern as he began to jump and roll, jump and roll, letting the chill of the night air nip at his face. His scarf rippled a little as he came to a stop, hovering over an alleyway.
Down below, he could see a group of rough-looking men all chatting quietly with one another as they shared a smoke. From the noise, Eraser could tell the building next to them belonged to a bar. He shifted so that he’d be able to pounce on them quickly and unexpectedly, fingers massaging over his hips in an attempt to calm his nerves.
The sound of a puddle splattering had his neck snapping to the side so fast he felt it crack, and his eyes narrowed as someone emerged from the shadows to greet the other men. Eraser tensed as his gaze wandered over the stranger, knowing immediately that they were a much bigger threat.
The newcomer was dressed in some sort of black-green body suit that had its sleeves ripped away. The part of their arms which would’ve been exposed were wrapped in well-worn bandages. Dark brown straps were around their thighs, filled with knife holsters and what looked to be a taser. Over their chest, the stranger wore a matching brown harness that supported heavy utility and magazine belts. On their back was a set of swords with night-blue sheaths, and on their face they wore a ski-mask.
Eraser slid a palm over his mouth, muffling any noises of surprise. His body automatically leaned forward in interest, and his eyes sharpened. There was no doubt the stranger was Scrap.
Eraser noted that the vigilante had great tuffs of fluffy green hair, which sprouted out from underneath their mask, the abundance on the right indicating it was probably a side shave. When he stared long enough, he could see the paleness of their skin between their wrist and their gloves.
“Took you long enough.” Growled one of the men, striding forward to stand before Scrap.
“I almost believed you went back on your word.” His voice was gruff, as he’d been the smoker, and he talked with a roughness that Eraser supposed was meant to be intimidating. Scrap didn’t seem intimidated. The vigilante took one step forward, without answering, and offered the man a thin file. Is Scrap working for them? The smoker snatched it out of Scrap’s hand and flipped it open, grunting in displeasure once it fell shut.
“This all you got?” Scrap let out what sounded like a sigh and answered. Their voice came out mildly distorted, and it was clear they used some sort of modulator. This meant, Eraser couldn’t be sure of their age or gender.
“You forgot to check the last page.” Said Scrap, in a prompting tone. Eraser felt a sort-of anticipation well in his gut, and he wondered why this started to feel like an entirely different situation. The smoker huffed in annoyance, but did as asked. And suddenly, it was if the whole world went silent. Eraser realized it only seemed that way because Scrap had stopped moving the same exact moment the smoker stopped breathing.
“What the fuck is this?” Growled the smoker, whole body tense. His breathing had gone unsteady and his partner kept glancing from him to Scrap in confusion.
“ How —“ The smoker’s exclamation went unfinished as something struck his throat. Eraser’s eyes widened as he realized Scrap had just disabled the man with some sort of dart without him even noticing they’d reached for a weapon in the first place. Then, a moment later the other man stiffened and slumped to the ground. Now, nothing could be heard except the smack of the file hitting the gravel. Scrap made not a single noise as they lit it on fire with something from their belt, and began to melt back into the shadows as if they’d never been there. But not before the vigilante looked right at Eraser, stealing his breath from his throat. They left these men for me. They knew I was here the entire time.
