Chapter Text
Katsuki hurtled forward over the street, air slamming against his face, making him squint. These days he only needed his left arm to fly, but sometimes his right arm flopped into just the right place and he got a bonus speed boost. It was almost like activating his secondary explosions, but less inherently self-destructive.
Basically, when Katsuki slammed into the villain on the opposite sidewalk, he hadn't even had time to look up.
They both ate concrete, though Katsuki's fall was cushioned by his opponent. Quickly, Katsuki set off another explosion near his face. While the villain was stunned by the light, Katsuki grabbed the cuffs from his belt and restrained him. Then he stood up, grinning. It was a neat capture, maybe ten seconds total.
"Dynamight!" Edgeshot called, finally crossing the street. He was a little over a meter tall these days, and his skin looked almost normal in places, "Be careful—that man has a quirk that requires skin contact!"
Katsuki rolled his eyes. Obviously he'd been careful of potential quirk activation, and he'd report any suspicious effects if he experienced them. Also, his hero name was longer than that. But it was Edgeshot, so he kept his thoughts to himself.
In the distance, sirens sounded. The villain groaned and sat up looking dazed. Katsuki glared, daring him to try anything. Nothing happened, which meant the guy had at least a few braincells still plugged in.
Edgeshot stopped at his side, trying not to breath too heavily. He had to run twice as fast to keep up even in normal circumstances. "That was nicely done."
Katsuki grunted, trying not to look too pleased.
"We're lucky to have spotted him," Edgeshot continued quietly, "Ultimatum habitually sends pawns to do his dirty work. He rarely emerges himself."
Two police cars pulled up to the curb, doors flying open practically before they'd parked. Officers sprung out to apprehend the sitting duck Katsuki had left for them.
"How'd you know this guy?" Katsuki said, pointing outward with his thumb. He'd been interning with Edgeshot for a whole semester, and he didn't remember anything about this villain in the agency case files.
"All heroes in this area have been briefed on Ultimatum's modus operandi," Edgeshot explained, "Even though I am not primarily responsible for his case, I was aware of the danger that he poses."
Katsuki nodded, lips locked in a tight line. It was taking all his focus not to blurt, That guy gave you so much trouble?
One of the officers walked over to them, holding his hat in his hands. Katsuki had to sidestep, crane his neck to see around him. He wasn't about to lose sight of the villain, even if he had been restrained already.
"Thank you Edgeshot," the officer said, "And—it's Dynamight, correct?"
Nearly in the car, the villain dug his heels in and looked over his shoulder. His eyes locked on Katsuki's face, and he mouthed, Kill Deku.
It was silent, but Katsuki heard the voice like he heard his own thoughts. It came with a cloying sensation, dirt in his mouth, cloth around his throat. Then the nearest officer shoved the villain into the car.
"—seamless takedown," hat-holder police guy was saying, "We can't thank you enough."
Katsuki blinked. He hadn't felt the villain touch him. Was this his quirk activating, or just psychological warfare?
Now Edgeshot was staring at him too.
"Couldn't'a done it without help," Katsuki blurted, "Didn't even know the guy."
Hat holder smiled and bowed. "We'll work quickly to determine what command Ultimatum is holding active and how much of the time limit remains. Perhaps we can strike a deal and convince him to release it."
"Unlikely," Edgeshot murmured.
Katsuki was working hard not make any visible reaction. He'd just remembered that he had an entire limb which didn't move how he wanted and had messed up nerve endings. And it was finally warm enough for his summer costume—there was a gap between the top of his right glove and his shoulder. If he'd been touched there, would he have noticed?
One of the cars honked.
"Until next time," hat guy said, hurrying back to join his buddies.
Katsuki watched him go. Normally, he would say something. But he had a bad feeling about this quirk, the way it would play out. He needed to look up the specs for himself, and if it seemed wise, he could fess up later.
"I was expecting you to correct him," Edgeshot said.
"Hah?"
"Your hero name," Edgeshot said, smiling up at him, "He only used part."
"Oh," Katsuki breathed. Right now, that was the least of his worries.
Edgeshot's eyes narrowed, but not in a threatening way. "Bakugou, are you sure you're alright?"
"Had a palpitation just then," Katsuki lied. He rubbed at his chest, trying to sell it.
"Do you need a ride back to school?"
Katsuki shook his head. "What, are you gonna drive?" Edgeshot was still way too short. "It's settled already. It doesn't mean anything."
Edgeshot's gremlin face narrowed, lips pressing into a line.
The taxi back turned out to be a blessing—an entire fourty minutes where no one who knew him could watch his face. Between the hero network and the quirk registry, Katsuki got a pretty comprehensive description of Ultimatum's quirk.
When he arrived back at U.A., Katsuki headed straight for Heights Alliance. Aizawa Sensei had his location shared with the entire class. Katsuki found him in the common room, watching through the windows as Eri played in the atrium.
"Sensei," Katsuki said, "I'm going to train in Ground Beta."
Aizawa Sensei waved his hand lethargically. "No. Class 2-B destroyed it this morning, and Cementos hasn't had time to rebuild it. Rest for now."
"Sensei," Katsuki grit out, hand closing into a fist, "I'm going to blow up something."
Aizawa Sensei looked up. He considered Katsuki a moment, then grunted. "Fine. Don't make me regret it."
Katsuki set his left palm against the one remaining wall of a faux building and let loose. The whole thing buckled inward, breaking into chunks that in turn broke smaller, crumbling into dust. He took a few careful steps back to avoid the growing pile of debris.
After contact, Ultimatum could verbally impose a command on a subject. He could sustain one command at a time, for up to a week. Unlike dead-eyes' quirk, subjects weren't forced to obey. Instead, if they didn't comply within the set time limit, he could impose a consequence.
Ultimatum always picked death.
When the rubble settled, Katsuki clambered over it and down onto the square foundation, now open on every side. There were more crack-riddled buildings behind it, across the fake street. Katsuki trudged forward toward them, good arm up to block the sun.
The police were already working with Ultimatum, trying to convince him to give them information or drop his quirk. There was nothing Katsuki could speed along there by reporting his predicament. If anything, Ultimatum might tell on him—though Edgeshot hadn't thought it likely.
There was a slight ridge at the edge of the destroyed building, the remnant of a wall. Katsuki hopped over, and his bad arm flapped with the motion. It'd been getting better over these last two years, would continue to improve with time.
Time was no longer something Katsuki had.
If the heroes knew what had happened, they would try to find a way to wheedle him out. Surgeons could stop a heart with relative safety. They'd get Deku's permission and run him through all kinds of experiments, nothing too horrible, though they wouldn't work. Ultimatum had said kill. That meant Katsuki had to cause it.
Still, it would be worth a shot—if it weren't for what Deku would do after.
The sidewalk was too far. Katsuki crouched in the middle of the road and exploded the asphalt. It cracked into sections like hard candy, flying up and clattering down around him.
Yeah, that was the crux, the bond that held his tongue from the start. Deku finding out was the worst case scenerio. And the only way to make certain that didn't happen was for Katsuki to keep his mouth shut.
Katsuki held his left arm out and curled his fingers into a fist with a gap, the shape of an ice cream cone. He couldn't make an AP shot the old way, but this method was better than nothing. The wall ahead of him spintered, windows screeching as they shattered.
He was overcomplicating this. There were only two options—him or Deku. Win or save.
Katsuki threw his arm down and blasted himself into the air. He could see better from here, move faster. There was a section of rooftops to the left that looked more or less intact. Katsuki dropped toward it, directing his fall.
It was a trick question. All Might had said it—winning came by saving. Ultimatum had a gun to his head, trying to tell him what to do. But Katsuki never took orders.
"Die!" Katsuki shouted, smashing through the roof as he landed. He dropped floor after floor, blasting holes through each. The process slowed his fall, so it was easy to catch himself by the time he reached ground level.
He landed in a crouch. Around him, tiny pieces of debris tinkled, breaking off from the edges of the ceiling, but the building didn't totter. That hadn't been enough to destabilize it.
Katsuki took a deep breath and let it out slow. The police wouldn't let Ultimatum touch anyone. He'd never get leverage like this again, so he'd string it out as long as possible.
One week. Katsuki'd have to make it count.