CHAPTER FIFTY-FIVE
The skyline of Dekai City looked different in the early dawn, like the whole metropolis was holding its breath.
Rio stood before the tower, its glass surface reflecting the bloated clouds overhead. His boots echoed against the polished stone floors as he made his way to the top floor.
There were no more distractions this time. He'd said his goodbyes to his mum and grandmother. They understood that this was an opportunity to find any clues about their missing child/grandson. He had settled all his affairs and notified all the people he should. What lay ahead was business.
At the top, Re-Destro was waiting — alone this time, arms behind his back, face carved from stone.
Rio gave a short nod as he stepped inside.
"I accept," he said simply.
Re-Destro's eyes flicked toward him, sporting a small smile. "Good. I trust you've made the necessary preparations?"
"Of course. When do we leave?"
"Soon," Re-Destro said. "Your escorts will arrive shortly. I suggest you wait—"
The doors creaked open.
A man stepped in, holding a thick, dog-eared book in one hand. His violet hair flowed past his shoulders, and he moved with the kind of lazy confidence you'd expect from someone who didn't need to prove anything to anyone. He gave both Rio and Re-Destro a courteous nod before gliding silently to one side of the room.
"This is Gideon Kross," Re-Destro said. "He doesn't talk much, but don't mistake that for passivity. He's a seasoned mercenary with an 87% mission success rate."
Rio gave him a once-over. "Is that supposed to be impressive?"
Gideon raised an eyebrow but said nothing. He just flipped a page and kept reading.
Rio turned back to Re-Destro. "That everyone?"
"Not quite," Re-Destro said, a subtle smile curling on his lips. "There's one more person I believe you'll be pleasantly surprised to see."
Rio raised an eyebrow but didn't reply. He waited.
The door opened again.
At first, he didn't recognize the man who entered. He was taller now, broader, with sharp shoulders and well-defined muscle lines beneath his tactical shirt. His face was harder, older — but the wild, flaming hair gave him away in an instant.
Hayato.
Rio's eyes widened in surprise. He hadn't seen him since the funeral. Back then, they were just kids messing around and breaking the rules for fun. Now Hayato looked like a soldier. Like someone who had been baptized in fire and war.
Rio took a step forward. "Hayato?"
Hayato didn't answer. Didn't even look at him. His eyes stayed on Re-Destro, waiting for the briefing.
Rio swallowed and tried again. "How've you been, man? We haven't seen you in—"
Hayato didn't bother to glance at Rio. His only response was silence.
Re-Destro's expression remained unreadable, but his tone dropped an octave. "I didn't want to include him, but Hayato insisted he join the mission. You'll be working together on this assignment. Gideon will brief you once you depart."
The room felt colder.
"We're done here," Re-Destro said, waving them off. "Make your way to the pier. You'll rendezvous with the rest of the team there. Gideon, lead them out."
Without a word, Gideon turned and exited, his boots silent against the metal floors.
Hayato followed wordlessly.
Rio lingered for a second before trailing behind.
Outside, the wind picked up. The skies threatened rain.
They walked through the underbelly of the city as they rode toward the docks. There, according to Gideon, a ship would be waiting for them.
Rio turned to Hayato and tried again to start a conversation.
"You know, Kenji and Daiki were worried sick about you," he said quietly, falling into step beside Hayato. "You just disappeared on us. I didn't know you were with the Liberation."
Hayato's fists clenched at his sides. His jaw was tight.
"Of course you didn't. I personally requested to have my information remain anonymous. I've been making sure something like that day never happens again," he said through gritted teeth.
That was all he offered. No more words. No glance. Just a burning silence that refused to let Rio in.
Rio sighed and gave up. He turned instead to Gideon.
"So. You've got a name?"
"Gideon Kross," the man said without looking back. "I lead the Black Vellum Corps — the Liberation Army's strongest faction in Europe."
"Never heard of you."
Gideon smiled faintly. "Good. That means we're doing our job right."
Rio narrowed his eyes. "What's the mission really about?"
"Investigation," Gideon said as his face set into a hard, foreboding stance. "We don't know what's going on specifically. That's why we're going — to find out."
"Something shady's happening in Italy," Gideon continued. "The local government, the underworld, and the church are neck-deep in it. Normally, we wouldn't care. But one of our branches got hit. Our people were taken. Now it's personal."
Rio frowned. "Why not call in the local heroes?"
That made Gideon laugh — a deep, amused sound that actually stopped him mid-step.
"Heroes? In Italy? Please. Half of them are playing house, and the other half are on someone's payroll. The real rulers of that country are the Mafia and the sects. If you want answers, you talk to them."
They reached the docks — quiet, empty, almost eerie in the early light. A small ship rested near the end, sleek and armored, its crew already prepping it for departure. Workers turned a blind eye as the group approached.
"We paid off the dock workers and the sea patrols," Gideon said. "No one's gonna bother us."
Rio stepped onto the boat, scanning its interior. It was cleaner than expected — compact, tight corridors with minimalist design.
Two people waited inside.
The first was a wiry man with twitchy eyes and a grin too wide for his face. His fingers tapped against a metal case, practically vibrating with anticipation.
"This is Ash," Gideon said. "He's a demolition expert with a penchant for causing untold amounts of destruction. His Quirk? Earthquake. Causes localized seismic vibrations that can topple buildings and crush humans with ease. My deputy — and one of the strongest members of Black Vellum."
"Oi, what do you mean by 'deputy,' ant? Don't get carried away just because I indulge you. I find such matters as organizing and planning tedious — that's the only reason you're in charge. Know your place, mortal."
"Hai hai, Kami-sama," Gideon said impassively as he turned back to Rio and Hayato. "And he has a serious god complex to boot. Don't mind him."
Ash turned to Hayato impassively. "Why are you still on your feet? Do humans these days not understand what piety is?"
Hayato just glared at the man defiantly.
"Good. I like that expression. It'll make it all the more interesting when I have you cowing in reverence."
Ash then turned to Rio with a wide grin. "A good seed, Hermes. You're the same, aren't you?" Ash finished with a predatory smile, while Rio just gave a confused, "Huh?" at that statement.
The second was sitting calmly, assembling a pile of scraps into a strange rectangular shape.
"And this is Tobias. Well, that's not his real name, but everyone calls him that — a real genius. He served time in Tartarus for building weapons for villains and black market merchants when he was only fifteen. His quirk — Optimization — lets him find the most efficient output for any mechanical system."
Tobias didn't even look up. "Your boots are inefficient. The ankle support's misaligned by 4.3 millimeters."
Rio blinked, clearly impressed. "Noted."
"These two are my vice-captains," Gideon said, stepping up onto the bridge. "Get used to each other. You're gonna be spending a lot of time together."
The ship roared to life, pulling away from the dock and into open waters as Rio and Hayato stepped inside.
Rio recalled the conversation he had earlier with Re-Destro.
BEFORE GIDEON WALKED IN
"Soon," Re-Destro said, walking slowly toward his desk. "Your escorts will arrive shortly. I suggest you wait. Before they do, I'll brief you on the mission basics. The captain in charge will give you the rest of the details."
Rio didn't sit down. He stood near the window, arms crossed, eyes on the city below. He gave a small hand wave, signaling for Re-Destro to keep going.
"I think the group we have in Italy has been compromised," Re-Destro said.
Rio turned slightly. "I'm just surprised you guys even have real operations outside Japan."
Re-Destro let out a short chuckle, unfazed. "Rio, if we want to reshape the world, we can't expect other countries to cheer us on. America, Russia — all the nations that profit off the quirk suppression laws — they'll fight us tooth and nail."
He stepped around the desk, his voice picking up weight.
"Our revolution won't just be throwing punches until someone falls over. No. We'll have agents in government, in the media, in every key part of society. Politicians. Celebrities. Influencers. Slowly shifting public opinion until the system breaks from the inside. And when the time comes, we'll be ready."
Rio didn't respond right away. He stared out the window again, watching a bird disappear into the clouds.
He makes it sound so easy.
The truth was, even taking control of Japan sounded impossible. All Might alone could wipe them out if he wanted to. And if they somehow, somehow, managed to pull off a win? America would jump in before the dust even settled. Just Star and Stripes showing up would turn the tide. Even Captain Celebrity — who'd been hanging around Naruhata — could clean house.
Their only hope was that the U.S. didn't brand them terrorists on day one.
"So how do I fit into all that?" Rio finally asked.
Re-Destro stepped closer, his gaze sharp. "How fast can you travel now?"
"About Mach 10," Rio said with a shrug. "Give or take."
"Fascinating," Re-Destro murmured. "You're so young, and already topping Mach 15. I know the boots help, but your quirk is… special."
Rio's eyes narrowed. "I never told you I hit Mach 15."
Re-Destro smirked and pointed to the boots. "You didn't have to."
Rio's jaw tightened. He looked down at the Condenium mesh and clicked his tongue.
"Covering a straight line from Japan to Italy… at top speed, it'd take you roughly 32 minutes," Re-Destro said.
"Yeah, well, sprinting nonstop at max speed isn't exactly something I can do every day."
"Then figure something out," Re-Destro said, placing a hand on his shoulder. "I believe in you."
Rio didn't reply. The older man let the silence hang before stepping back behind his desk.
"This captain," Rio said, breaking the silence, "they're your guy in Europe, right? So… why not trust them?"
Re-Destro sighed. "That's the problem. I don't."
He tapped a folder on his desk.
"His name is Gideon. Lazy, but strong. And lately, he's been going off script."
"What do you want me to do?"
"Watch his every move. Listen. And when the mission's done, write me a full report."
Rio blinked. "Sir, with all due respect, it's 21XX. You can just text me."
Re-Destro's face darkened. "Messages from Italy have already been intercepted twice. Gideon says the attacks on our people were accidents. I don't buy it."
Rio exhaled slowly and gave a reluctant nod. "Alright… I get it."
He didn't ask anything else. Whatever the job was, he'd figure it out on the way.
Re-Destro stayed quiet as Rio turned to leave. He watched the boy's back, his thoughts swirling beneath his calm expression.
Arrogant.
The kid hadn't asked about enemy quirks. Didn't request intel. Didn't ask for backup.
He thinks he's untouchable.
Still, Re-Destro couldn't wipe the small smile from his face.
Not like I could stop him either.
Even if he went all out, nothing he had could touch the boy — not at that speed.
But it didn't matter.
In the end, fights weren't just about raw power. They were about something deeper: belief, awareness, willpower.
And Rio — for all his speed and strength — was still drifting. He didn't know what he stood for yet. Didn't understand his own power, or the weight behind it.
His power was great but at the same time hollow, like a building with a shallow foundation.
That was why he would never awaken.
The thought brought Re-Destro a strange kind of comfort.
Author's note: I'm still undecided on what Rio's awakening ability will be. Any suggestions?
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