MHA: LAW OF MOTION

CHAPTER FIFTY-THREE

TWO YEARS LATER

The scenery of Hinohararuma was picturesque. Seashells dotted the shore as the waves crashed down on the sandy beaches. The light it cast was golden; this place was a paradise far removed from the worries and sensibilities of Japan's ultra-modern cities.

The scenery was one that would relax the soul—the ancient houses that bore the weight of history, the sound of seagulls chirping, and the quiet musings of nature would be enough to make one ascend into Buddha.

It was not all sunshine and rainbows, though. The sensibilities that everyone with a little exposure to the modern condition had come to extol were far removed from their lives.

Just because the people of this small island lived simple lives did not mean they were pure of heart.

When faced with a situation far from their understanding, they would instinctively regress to a state of extreme self-preservation.

They had grown to reject.

"Damn mutant! It's because of you… it's because of you we have a bad harvest!"

"I said they were cursed—now look at what happened, there's no more fish in the sea."

"Those monsters still get fish! How are they getting fish when there aren't any in the nearby waters? I saw that boy turning into a sea monster and swallowing them all up!"

The angry shouts echoed from a small town square nestled between weathered buildings. Roughly two dozen villagers had gathered in a half-circle around a narrow alley between two old wooden sheds. It was there, cowering against the stone wall at the alley's end, that three children huddled.

The boy, the oldest among them, knelt in front of his two younger sisters. His arms were spread wide, trembling as garbage and stones pelted his back. Their whimpers behind him twisted the pain into something sharper—an ache in his chest far worse than any bruise.

"They're bad luck, I tell you—bad luck!" another old woman, well gone in years, cackled as she tossed a handful of rotting vegetables.

The crowd grew louder. Some were just yelling, others had started to throw things more aggressively. Someone lobbed an empty sake bottle that shattered just a few feet from the children. The boy flinched, blinking away tears as he bled from his forehead. But still, he stayed upright.

They're wrong, he thought bitterly. The oil spill drove the fish away, not me. I only caught some because I swam farther out. That's all.

Then someone in the crowd—tall, wiry, with a shaved head—raised an iron pan above his head.

"Die, you filthy mutants!" he snarled.

The boy's breath caught. His eyes widened as he watched the heavy object leave the man's hand, spinning through the air. Time slowed. He had no strength left, no way to shield his sisters from the blow.

"It's over," he whispered under his breath.

He closed his eyes.

CLANG.

Silence.

The pan didn't land. There was no searing pain. No screams from his sisters.

He opened his eyes to a figure standing directly in front of them, back turned, hand raised.

Rio.

He held the iron pan effortlessly in one hand, as if it weighed nothing. His 5'8" frame was slim, but solid. The crowd collectively stepped back, a confused murmur rising.

"Who the hell…?" someone whispered.

He wore a red hoodie and a black face mask that obscured half his face. His skin was darkened from the sun, and his wild, unruly hair pushed out from under his hood.

Rio didn't say anything to the crowd. He didn't need to. His glare alone was enough to freeze them in place.

Then he turned to the boy. "Hey, you can open your eyes. It's safe now."

The boy looked up, blinking. "Are you… one of those heroes? The ones Mama used to tell me about?"

Rio crouched and ruffled the boy's hair gently. The boy flinched at first but then leaned into the touch.

Right, Rio thought, this is one of those places. Remote, off-grid, and forgotten. No registered hero would ever come here—the cost of dispatch alone would bankrupt the village.

It was a flaw that had festered in Japan's hero system for years. First ignored because "nothing ever happens out in the boonies," and then passed off as All Might's burden, since he used to solve everything on his own.

"No, kid. I'm no hero."

The boy clearly didn't believe him, but Rio let it slide.

Let the kid think what he wants. He deserves that much, for how brave he's been.

The boy had blue-tinted skin. Gills and fins adorned the sides of his neck, with another set along his stomach and forearms. His eyes shimmered like deep water.

A child mutated by nature, condemned by ignorance.

Rio stood and turned to the mob.

He didn't speak to them, didn't warn them, didn't threaten them.

He simply stared.

And somehow, that was far worse.

He looked over to the children the boy had been shielding. One of the girls looked like any other human child, but she had horns growing all over her skin. The other was an even younger girl with rabbit ears and a tail.

"Are these your sisters?" Heteromorph features usually got passed down to offspring; the different traits they displayed showed that they couldn't all have come from the same parents.

"Yes… they are," the boy said with full determination. That was good. A family you chose was still family, after all.

A sake bottle tossed by someone in the crowd broke the solemn moment as it arced toward Rio.

Feeling the wind brushing the back of his neck, Rio tilted his head slightly to the side as the bottle sailed harmlessly past him. It continued on its flight path, headed for the children instead—but Rio swiped it out of the air with ease.

Rio turned to the crowd. The look in his eyes was piercing—the frost in them could freeze over hell.

"Who threw that?"

The crowd began deflecting as their courage seemingly revived. Their features turned fierce.

"If I say I did, what are you going to do, huh? Those three are the ones who brought disaster to the village. They should d—"

Before she could even finish her sentence, the older woman collapsed to the floor in agony, clutching her mouth.

Rio, in a burst of speed, had dislocated her jaw. He already knew she had tossed the bottle—the trajectory was evident.

He could have let her go. But since she didn't have anything better to say with her mouth, then she no longer deserved to speak.

Rio gave her one last look and returned to the kids, the crowd screaming in terror as they dispersed.

"Are you taking us away? Will there be ice cream?" the little girl—the one with horns all over her body—asked hopefully.

Rio ruffled her hair as he gave her a bright smile. It was like he hadn't disabled someone for life just moments before.

"Yeah, you and your sister can try out every flavor.

"Bye, Onii-chan."

Rio waved off the three kids as they walked away with one of the lieutenants of the Liberation Army. They would be given proper accommodations and housed with kids who had suffered similar treatment.

Rio only hoped they'd be able to make a lot of friends.

His smile faded as he turned a corner. There stood Curious—one of the leaders of the Liberation Army.

Upon noting that Rio had spotted her, she gave a look of surprise.

"Rio-chan! What a coincidence!"

What a coincidence indeed.

Rio had noticed her trailing him for a while now. That smile was fooling no one.

"What do you want… Kizuki Chitose?"

This woman was the head of one of the largest news stations in the country, Shoowaysha. She was far too busy to be slinking around with nothing to do.

"Now come on, Rio, don't be so distant," Curious said as she patted his shoulder with a smile.

"You did amazing work today. It was simply marvelous. Do you know what would be even more marvelous? An exclusive interview with the hero of this incident—on my channel. What do you think? Isn't that amazing?" Curious beamed as she invaded his personal space.

Rio pushed the woman away coldly.

"No, I won't. It's not like my input matters anyway. You'll still publish the news regardless."

The woman was obsessed with her job.

She would head into the fiercest battles and the most insane locations just to get a scoop. While that attitude—and Detnerat's silent support—had propelled her to the heights she now occupied, that same attitude would likely get her killed.

Curious placed her hands under her chin as if she were thinking seriously.

"You know what? You're right. I like the way you think, boy."

She laughed out loud, patting his back once more before heading off to god knows where.

She was annoying, but Rio held no ill will toward her. She was pure in her intentions, even if just a tad extreme.

Right. Re-Destro's office.

He had already lost track of the other reason he'd come here.

"Come out. I know you're there."

Rio called out to the shadowy figure hiding in a corner. What was it today with people trying to trail behind me?

"Tch. How did you even find me?" Geten said as he stepped out of the shadows.

"Maybe if you didn't make every room you stepped into as cold as a freezer, you wouldn't be so obvious."

Geten stood in front of Rio tersely, his white hair sticking out from under his hoodie as he glared in annoyance.

"Fight me."

"I refuse."

"Fight me, goddamn it!"

"Don't pretend you forgot how that ended last time. Next time, I won't stop at just your arm."

At that declaration, Geten glared fiercely at Rio—but that couldn't hide the emotion he was trying to mask.

Fear.

Rio just huffed as he walked past him. His back was turned, unguarded, but he remained completely unbothered.

Geten stared at Rio's retreating form with malice—but held back.

"FUCK!"

Rio walked down the streets of Deika City.

It was located in the Aichi Prefecture of Japan. Not very impressive—apart from the landmark building at its center, the place could be described as rural. Just another city tucked away in the mountains.

What made it remarkable was one little detail:

Ninety percent of the city's inhabitants were soldiers of the Liberation Army. The remaining ten percent were either too young to join, or simply chose not to.

Even then, they sympathized with the cause. They were allies.

An army over a hundred thousand strong—

And ever since Rio had joined, the numbers had ballooned. Thanks to his rescue efforts, that number now hovered closer to two hundred thousand.

The city had changed in more ways than just numbers. There were more orphanages now. More schools. More training camps. It was growing into something that could hold its own against the world.

"Good evening, Rio."

Sounds of greeting echoed as he walked past.

Most of the people here knew him. Many of them—or their friends—had been saved by him in the past two years.

Rio greeted them back as he continued on.

Some stopped him to hand over handmade trinkets and lunch boxes. One girl even passed him a letter while her friends watched excitedly from a distance.

Rio smiled and accepted it.

He wouldn't read it. He'd find her later to turn her down—gently. No way he'd embarrass her in front of her friends.

Upon reaching the central tower—the landmark building of Deika City—Rio nodded to the security and made his way past the receptionist at the front desk.

No one stopped him.

No one asked any questions.

He was a familiar face. One of the people with the highest authority here.

Punching in a code, he rode the elevator to the highest floor of the building: Re-Destro's office.

On arrival, he walked past another round of security—two hulking men who looked cold and intimidating.

Rio knew better. They were scarecrows at best, puppets controlled by Skeptic.

No one here was more dangerous than Re-Destro.

"Rio, my boy… what brings you here?" Re-Destro asked warmly as he stood up to greet him with a hug.

Rio stepped back to avoid the interaction.

"Cut the crap, old man. Where's my stuff?"

It was the last piece of the puzzle—the final complement to his abilities.

Re-Destro smiled knowingly.

Rio didn't return the gesture.

"Where's my super suit?"

Author's note: It is I So_indecisive! I want to thank everyone for the support you've been showing this book please continue to support with your comments, power stones and reviews. Also, the new arc is set in Italy. I don't know much about the country, so I'll do my research.

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