Inkopolis Academia #23: The Raid

JJ Plum for the cover image.

Thanks for reading, I hope you enjoy. Sorry if I made spelling mistakes. Constructive is appreciated.

I need to mention a gore warning: this chapter has some blood and violence in it, so please procceed with caution, you have been warned!

The Raid

17:00

Everyone was issued to go to bed at around this hour. The Raid was going to start in exactly twelve hours and a half, so Mika wanted everyone to be in their best shape possible. But before Rose could sleep, she wanted to talk, as a way of clearing her mind. Knocking on the door of the guest room next to hers, it didn't take long before her mother opened, quickly hugging her daughter at first sight before guiding her inside, both sitting on the bed.

Daisy: "I was expecting you my flower. Glad you came."

Rose: "You did?"

Daisy: "Callie kept me up-to-date with everything. How are you feeling towards tomorrow?"

The purplette shrugged a bit.

Rose: "I am a bit in a weird spot of feeling if I am being honest mom."

The eyes of her mother glowed as she used her quirk on Rose, which the latter didn't mind as whenever she did that, she almost always knew how to comfort her daughters.

Daisy: "You're a bit scared, but I see a bigger aura of insecurity. Is it regarding Poppy?"

Rose: "I wish it was, but it's all regarding me."

Daisy: "Is it about what happened yesterday during your training?"

The purplette nodded.

Rose: "I killed my own homeroom teacher ..."

Daisy: "You didn't, Overhaul managed to restore him back to normal. And from what I've heard, he forgives you. It was his responsibility to trigger your quirk, even more so Mika's as it was her idea."

Rose looked at her mother, her face was one painting of gloom.

Rose: "Fixing a mistake won't undo the fact that it happened. Mom, I am ... not sure if I can be a hero like Poppy. Not a hero which she needs right now."

She raised her hands, looking at them. Her eyes got watery.

Rose: "I've seen what my quirk is capable of. If I ever lose control like that again, who will be the next one I hurt? Poppy?"

Her mother softly pulled her into a hug, hushing at the sobs which started to come from the Purple Midoriya sister.

Rose: "How are you so calm about this?"

Daisy: "I will acknowledge that you did something wrong. But you show regret, got forgiveness from the victim and the outcome of your mistake has been undone. Not everyone has those odds in their favour, little flower. You have a golden second chance to improve yourself from this experience, it's up to you to take it."

The purplette's tears ceased, her mother gently stroking the back of her head.

Daisy: "Your quirk was fueled by determination coming from rage back then wasn't it?"

Rose simply nodded, silently enjoying the comfort she had in this moment for a while, until her mother spoke again.

Daisy: "Bending your emotions isn't easy, but it helps to take the subjects and reasons for your determination. Then think of why you hold those dear, why they give you ion, why they give you joy ... then you'll receive a pure, controlled determination. And I am convinced you'll know how to do that when the time comes."

Her daughter got a weak smile on her face.

Rose: "You think I can after one night of sleep?"

Daisy: "If there's anyone who can adapt, improve and overcome, it would be my two daughters. You're both growing up so fast, it honestly makes me feel like an old lady at times."

Now Rose chuckled, she loosened the hug to look at her mother.

Rose: "Old lady? Please mom, you're still a blossoming flower to me!"

Her mother also chuckled, letting go of the hug and softly pinching Rose's cheek, something she used to do when the purplette was a toddler.

Rose: "Do your patients often tell you you're a great psychologist?"

Daisy: "They could mention it more often."

She got a jokingly smug face, causing another laugh from her daughter.

Daisy: "Feeling better?"

Rose: "Yes. Thanks mom, you're the best."

Her mother blushed as she gave a kiss on her daughter's forehead.

Daisy: "Get some rest now, you'll need it."

Rose: "Good night mom!"

Daisy: "Sleep well little flower."

As Rose exitted her mother's room, Sett just got into the corridor, returning from his home visit.

Rose: "How was it?"

Sett: "Really good, I feel more at ease now."

Rose: "Do they know what we're going to do?"

The octoling boy semi-spinned his hand.

Sett: "Fifty-fifty, they know we in on a mission, but I didn't tell them about to subject. I was afraid they wouldn't let me if I did."

Rose: "Hey ... thanks again for that. For going this far with me."

Sett gave a comforting smile.

Sett: "It's a bit of a cheesy line to say, but that's what friends are for."

Rose smirked, as she rushed over to give him a quick hug.

Sett: "What about you actually? Are you feeling better after ... you know."

The purplette sighed.

Rose: "Something like that will be on my mind forever. But my mother is right, it's better to learn from it and carry on stronger than before instead of sulking over it."

Sett: "That's nice to hear."

A silence fell in between the two hero students until Sett broke it again.

Sett: "It has gotten better, but I still feel a bit nervous for tomorrow."

Rose: "That's only natural. But again, you know what that makes us."

She grabbed his hand, raising it in a triumph-like way to give him some confidence, which didn't miss its effect as he gave her a determined smile.

Sett: "Heroes!"

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Inside Agent 3's room, the green inkling was fast asleep. Or more so her body, as inside Mika's head, more than one mind was active. The Vestige World, the incomprehensible mind realm containing the consiousnesses of all One For All s, was accessed once again by the number 1 hero.

Ivy: "How are you feeling about it?"

An inkling woman of middle age was sitting in a one-person couch. She was dressed similar to Melany with a white vest. Her hairstyle was the basic girl hairstyle, with shorter tentacles, colored dark green.

Mika: "Still somewhat insecure. Everything has been falling into place up until now, but that doesn't mean that tomorrow will go flawless. It's not just me facing your sister which worries me, it's also about the raid."

She covered her face with her left hand, letting herself fall back into her own chair.

Mika: "I shouldn't have accepted Rose and Sett on this, I should have just taken actual heroes with me and-"

Cuttlefish: "That's not the Agent 3 I know."

Walking towards the duo was the famous old inkling man, using a bamboozler-like cannister to himself.

Cuttlefish: "Do you , when Iris was holding Marina hostage after her betrayal? You, my cousins, Nejire, ... the entire Splatoon rescued her. If that wouldn't have happen, I couldn't have faced All For One."

Mika: "As if I'd ever forget that."

Cuttlefish: "How old were you yourself then?"

The green inkling girl blushed a bit.

Mika: "Sixteen-"

Cuttlefish: "I get that you're worried about those two kiddos, but they've been working so hard for this and have powerful quirks to boot."

Mika: "I know, but still ..."

Ivy: "The captain's right. When One For All was formed in me, it was miniscule in power compared to the likes of my sister. But that didn't stop me, or any of the other successors."

En: "You're talking ? We can in on the talk, it's nicer than playing cards."

Coming from a circle of seats was a male inkling who was wearing a jacket from which the collar covered the lower half of his face. He was soon followed by 5 others: a black inked woman, floating over the floor. A bald inkling man dressed with a black, open jacket and goggles resting on his forehead. An octoling with short tentacles in a spike-like style, his face covered in a x-formed scar together with an inkling man with tentacles tied up in a short bun and at last, another male octoling whose tentacles were hang loose around his entired head. His face showed two scars running next to each other over his left eye all the way to his chin, forming some sort of lightning-like symbol. None of them said a word, as they were waiting for Mika's response to En.

Mika: "Heh. Honestly, I still want to thank all of you again. I wouldn't have been able to get through these past weeks without you."

En: "Not a problem."

The black inked woman also spoke, while giving a reassuring smile.

Nana: "That's why we're here. We'll always be, and eventually, you too."

The number 1 hero managed to muster up a smile as well.

Ivy: "How are you feeling now?"

Mika: "It's a lot to say that I'm not worrying, but I feel better now."

Cuttlefish: "You should go now, give your mind some rest as well."

Mika gave a firm nod. Closing her eyes, she slipt away in her seat, fading away as the Vestiges were looking at her.

Ivy: "Good luck Mika, you'll need it."

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05:00 - Inside the Dojo.

Rose and Sett were stretching themselves a bit to warm up and kill some of the waiting, which at this point seemed an eternity. Yet time was going so fast as well. It was a feeling as if they were about to fight a war, which in a way, was one way to describe their part of the mission. The other raid team , Agent 4, Mimic and Blackmist were discussing how they would go through this one more time, as they were the ones the two hero students still had to obey after all. The sight of it was rather funny: you saw Mika, but heard Mimic's voice. The puppet he was possessing with his Mimicry quirk was pretty much identical to the actual Agent 3, only their voices making a real difference.

Rose took a look at her Squidphone, reading a reassuring message her mom had sent yesterday evening and also one from Melany. The latter made her smile. After Melany had given her the tracker for this mission, the two of them had been in through a Squidstagram chat. Melany had frequently asked how Rose was feeling during her training and they often ended up talking about trivial things, which made the purplette surprised as to how well some of their interests alligned. With a determined smile, she laid her Squidphone her locker.

Rose: (I'll show you Melany! I'll get my sis back no matter what!)

As the hero trio was done going over the strategy, the actual Mika entered.

Mika: "Okay everyone, this is it! Blackmist, do your thing."

Kurogiri nodded, as he formed two portals, one for Mika and the other for the raid .

Kurogiri: "Be careful out there!"

Rose: "GO GET HER NUMBER ONE!"

The purplette made a fist as an encouraging sign, making Mika nod back in determination before she went through her portal leading to Moray Alleyway.

As Rose went through her portal along with Sett, following in the trail of Mimic and Agent 4, the feeling gave her a little chill. The purple-lined black mist felt like floating cold water, but it was over again before she knew it. She was now standing into a rather cramped room, with only a bed and a sink. The metal door leading to it was wide open. No trace of Poppy could be find. The portal reshaped into Kurogiri's mist-covered body, who observed the room they were in.

Rose: "Damn it, where's my sis?"

Kurogiri: "I'm afraid I know what's up."

Sett: "Me too. Melany must have been placed in another room than Poppy-"

Agent 4: "I'm afraid we'll have to get moving, NOW!"

She pointed to a camera hanging into an upper corner. Her words weren't cold, or an alarm sounded throughout the base. Taking initiative, four ran into the tunnel leading to the room, soon followed by the rest of the raid team. To make Sett feel more at ease, Rose pat his shoulder, as her own tentacles started to glow brightly.

Rose: "Let's do this!"

Suddenly, the lights giving them vision turned off. Four looked at the digital watch she was wearing.

Agent 4: "Non-functional, this place has been EMP-blasted."

Mimic: "Alright, all according to plan."

Sett: "Blackmist, can you warp in the flashlights then? We can't-"

The octoling boy was once again interrupted, this time because the darkness got wiped away by the sudden glow of lines on the ceiling and walls. Kurogiri looked closer at one of them, seeing it were plastic tubes containing fluids which were reacting to cause chemoluminiscence.

Kurogiri: "Won't be needed Thermo. Looks like this base had its own failsafe in case things got dark."

Agent 4: "Enough talking, let's get going again."

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Inside the cams room, Octavio was getting himself armed. He planned on fleeing by himself, but he wanted to be ready to face possible opponents just in case.

AFO: "Thanks for everything DJ."

The white inkling woman laid some emotion in her voice, which didn't go unnoticed.

Octavio: "It's been an honour to work for you, milady."

He said the last word to joke a bit, causing a little chuckle from his leader, before she got back to her calm and stoic demeanor.

AFO: "I'll be going to get Poppy. Until we meet again, Octavio."

She exitted the room, making the big Octopus wonder why she didn't just warp Poppy to herself.

Octavio: (Either you're really saving stamina, or you have another reason. A personal reason ...)

He ended up brushing of these thoughts, getting up and moving outside the room as well.

Poppy was nervously pacing around in her room. The alarm had abruptly awaken her, the sudden dissapear of electricity and now the illuminating tubes over the walls and ceiling made her mind race with thoughts of what was going on. She jumped when her door suddenly got opened, but as she saw it was Toga, she got relieved. She noticed how Toga was equipped with knife holders and a weird mask connected through tubes to little containers, to which also syringes were attached. The redlette assumed this was Toga's complete villain outfit.

Poppy: "What's going on?"

Himiko: "Long story short, peeps are here to save you!"

Poppy: "WHA-"

Toga covered Poppy's mouth by pushing her hand on it.

Himiko: "Shhhh, don't yell like that! Be cool! I'll help you get to them, but you'll need to follow my lead, quickly."

Now the red Midoriya sister was dumbfounded, asking a loaded question as her mouth got uncovered again.

Poppy: "You're turning tables on VenomUs?"

The golden inkling nodded.

Toga: "Well, more so on Iris. She's just leaving us here to get arrested. Or worse-"

She grabbed Poppy's arm, pulling her along outside the cell, running through the underground tunnels of the complex. Toga specifically navigated through it, having planned the exact route which Iris wouldn't take to get to Poppy's cell.

Himiko: (She didn't warp Pop. So she's probably looking for me-)

Poppy: "What about you when we get to them?"

Himiko: "A less severe sentence and the opportunity to see you while I'm sitting out in prison. That's all I want."

The redlette blushed at this straightforward answer. She now realized this girl truly cared for her, and that this was mutual.

Poppy: "I'll do everything in my power to make sure you can, perhaps even no punishment at all-"

Toga quickly looked at her with a smile, before focussing on the route again.

Himiko: "I'll have to undergo at least something for my misdeeds ... but thank you Poppy, thank you so much!"

But the spark of joy and hope both were feeling, got extinguished when Toga took a turn to the right into the next corridor and hit the inkling standing there, causing her to fall back. It was All For One.

AFO: "I'm always one step ahead. Thought at least you would know that of all people."

She folded her arms, looking down on the golden inkling who crawled back, starting to tremble, not saying anything.

AFO: "Not even an attempt at lying? I'll say that's irable honesty."

Poppy: "LEAVE HER ALONE!"

Poppy rushed over in between Iris and Toga, punching at the white inkling while activating her quirk just before the hit on 50%. But All For One reacted just as quickly, raising her arm to catch the enormous fist with her hand. Upon this , Poppy's arm immediately received a massive force blast coming from AFO's hand, sending the redlette flying backwards against the wall.

AFO: "Recoil. Didn't get to introduce that quirk to you yet, did I?"

Poppy could still move the affected arm as it reverted back to its original size, but it was looking a bit bruised. The rest of her body, which didn't get augmented during her attack, had received a massive hit from crashing into the wall however. She felt semi-stunned and had trouble getting upright.

Poppy: "Ugh, carp-"

AFO: "Your courage is pathetic. Haven't you seen yet that I-"

She got silenced as a sharp knife penetrated her left eye. Blood and ink started to slowly drip out in absurdly small amounts, as AFO's augmented durability due to her Protection quirk and her Super Regeneration collectively reduced any harm she'd receive. The white inkling quickly got over her surprise, simply taking the knife out with an emotionless stare. Within seconds, the wound already healed, her left eye being back to normal.

She dropped the knife next to her, looking at Toga again who was now sitting upright, her arm stretched in the throwing motion. Iris sighed, loaded with dissapointment and even a hint of sadness.

AFO: "Goodbye, Himiko Toga."

Now everything went fast, too fast for Poppy. Iris raised her hand towards Toga, as the Knife Nails rapidly formed and got ejected onto the black red-striped tendrils from Rivet Stab, piercing through Himiko's gut. As soon as All For One retracted them, Toga fell on her back again, as a pool of blood and ink started to form around her. She coughed up some blood as well, lining her lips. Poppy rapidly moved towards the golden inkling, ignoring the pain. She got onto her knees next to Toga, resting the girl's head on one hand and placing the other one against her cheek, slowly tapping it.

Poppy: (OH MY, OH MY, OH MY!!!)

"Toga, stay with me, it's going to be- I'll apply a bandage with your clothes, you'll-"

Himiko: "It's ... no ... use Poppy-"

She looked the redlette into the eyes. Her yellow eyes were half-closed. Slowly, she mustered up a smile.

Himiko: "I've b-been ... grateful ... to have had you in my life ... even if it wasn't for long, I got to know what a true friend is."

With her remaining strength, she forced herself upward to hug Poppy.

Himiko: "That's you ... Pop-"

Tears started to run from Poppy's eyes before she knew it, softly returning the hug.

Poppy: "I was happy too. I really was, but please, I might be able to find a way to help, I-"

Toga released the hug, laying down again.

Himiko: "You know ... that's n-not going to work ... I think you know her q-quirks ... better than I do now ..."

Defeated, Poppy closed her eyes and nodded, accepting the truth Toga made her face. She couldn't save her friend. The golden inkling pointed at her neck.

Himiko: "Take my s-scarf ... with you ... something to me ... and ... it'll look good on you ..."

She gave one last smile before she closed her eyes. Poppy fulfilled the last request, taking the red scarf from Toga, hiding it under her Octarian Armor. Turning back, she saw Iris, just watching them. The redlette could hardly bring out words, completely distressed by what just happened.

Poppy: "You were like a mother for her ... how-"

AFO: "Quit your berating Poppy, do you think this is what I wanted?!"

The greyish white eyes looking at Poppy were flaming with anger.

AFO: "I hoped it didn't have to come this far, but if it means that I'll have to dispose of everyone you care about to make you mine, than I'll do that. Do you want Daisy or Rose to die because of your selfish behaviour, POPPY?!"

The red Midoriya sister started to tremble. Like when she first got into this underground, it was all suddenly too much, but now there was fearful agony added in the mix.

Poppy: "I'll listen ... please don't hurt my family."

It felt like the best decision she could make. The desperate inkling didn't see any way left now. All For One nodded.

AFO: "Finally ..."

She walked towards Toga's body, which hadn't start dissolving yet. She placed her hand onto the girl's arm. A flow of seemingly golden energy got absorbed from Toga into Iris. Poppy was about to ask, but Iris answered preventively, letting go when the transfer ended.

AFO: "It would be a waste of a quirk. And this is my way of ing her."

For a short moment again, her eyes showed sadness, which didn't go unnoticed by Poppy. But the white inkling was back to her usual collected demeanor right away.

AFO: "Take this moment as the most important lesson for becoming my successor. Power doesn't come to those who were born strongest. It comes to those ..."

The black warping liquid started to form around the white inkling and Poppy. Just as Iris finished her sentence, the two got warped away.

AFO: " ... who would do anything to achieve it!"

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