[Location: Manhattan, New York]
The sky above the island was a deep dark blue, almost black, carved by the aggressive glow of buildings and the lights that never slept. Manhattan pulsed. Taxi after taxi, distant sirens, flashing signs… and high above it all, where the wind was cold and the world looked small, a solitary figure stood above the antenna of a skyscraper.
Skycrawler watched everything from above.
Koichi remained still, his blue jumpsuit rippling in the gusts, the purple visor reflecting the mosaic of the city lights. His fingers, once restless, were interlaced; his expression, partially hidden, carried that quiet sadness that had never left him since Christopher's death.
"You keep choosing the most uncomfortable places possible, huh?" a deep voice called from below.
Koichi turned his head. Leaning against the rooftop access door, hands in the pockets of a heavy coat, stood Detective Dave Norton — his friend and FBI contact. A man in his forties, unshaven, with eternal dark circles, as if he slept even less than Aizawa.
Koichi slid down along the side of the antenna.
"So… did you find anything?" he asked, voice low and melancholic.
Dave let out a tired sigh.
"I did, but… it's not much, kid." He pulled a folded folder from the inside pocket of his coat. "The government labs are still reverse-engineering the Omnidroid debris to try to figure out where it came from. But for now? Nothing conclusive. Nothing useful."
Koichi took the paper, opened it, studied the diagrams, the photos of fragments, the partial reports. Lines, numbers, speculations… but no real answers.
His brow fell, his chest tightened.
"…So I'm exactly where I started," he murmured.
Dave stepped closer, crossing his arms.
"I know you want answers, Koichi. I know what that man meant to you. But this…" he tapped the sheet with his finger, "…isn't going to move fast. The government is treating it like alien tech. And honestly? I wouldn't be surprised."
Koichi closed the folder carefully.
"Christopher was trying. He was finally changing… finally becoming someone who wanted to help for real." His voice cracked for just a moment.
Dave swallowed hard and looked away.
Koichi went on:
"If I can't find out who did this… am I just supposed to sit and watch the same thing happen to others? Pretend I'm 'doing my job' while a murderer is out there killing heroes around the world?"
The wind passed.
The detective placed a firm hand on the hero's shoulder.
"Hey. Don't talk like that. You're not alone in this. And you're not pretending anything. You're the most stubborn hero in this city — and probably the most decent one too."
Koichi let out a weak laugh… too sad to be funny.
Then he took a deep breath, looking again at the endless lights below.
"If I'm right…" he began, serious, tightening the folder under his arm, "…I feel like the same person responsible for the Omnidroid is behind those disappearances."
Dave frowned.
"You're sure…? That changes everything."
"It's a hunch," Koichi replied. "But a hunch that won't leave me alone."
The wind blew harder, making the antenna vibrate slightly.
"Alright… then let's try following that hunch," the detective said. "Tomorrow I'll see what I can pull from my contacts. Until then… try to rest, kid."
Koichi looked at him, the scar on his cheek highlighted by the city lights.
"I'll try."
Dave gave his arm a pat and headed toward the rooftop door.
"Have a good night, Skycrawler."
Koichi remained there for a few more seconds, alone once again, while Manhattan stayed alive — indifferent, chaotic, immense — beneath his feet.
"Good night…" he murmured, almost to himself.
Then he leaped, slipping through the air, disappearing into the lights that never went out.
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The Musutafu sun reflected off the glass-covered buildings, painting the street with a warm glow as Helen and Bob walked side by side, both dressed in their hero suits.
Helen adjusted the earpiece clipped to her ear before shooting a sideways glance at her husband.
"Things are getting way too tense around the world, dear," Helen remarked, her eyes narrowing as she followed the movement of the patrol cars. "And that attack at U.A.… I still don't feel like it's really over."
Bob let out a heavy sigh, trying to keep his tone optimistic.
"All Might already handled it, sweetheart. If there's anyone besides me who can protect Dash, it's him."
She held her own arm, uneasy.
"But what if it's not that simple?" she murmured. "We let Dash study there thinking it was the safest place in the country. And in the end, the school was hit by a terrorist attack."
Bob turned to her, placing a large, warm hand on her shoulder.
"The incident is over. And Dash is fine. He likes U.A., he's trying hard, he's making great friends… and that only happens because he feels safe. If we pull him out now, we're going to destroy the boy's peace."
Helen bit her lip, unconvinced.
"Even so… doesn't it bother you that no one has seen All Might since that day?" she insisted, frowning. "Not a statement, not an appearance… nothing. Doesn't that seem strange to you?"
Bob looked away for a moment, uncertain.
"He's probably recovering, love. After handling something like that, anyone would need some time to rest."
"Yeah, a very long rest…" Helen said sarcastically, raising a brow.
A blast ripped through the air, echoing across the city.
BOOOOOM!
Both of them turned instantly, noticing a column of smoke rising a few blocks away. Shattered glass scattered across the street as five masked figures sprinted out of a jewelry store, carrying bags stuffed with jewels.
Bob straightened immediately, his back cracking in the process.
"I guess our conversation will have to wait."
"It definitely will… let's go."
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The reinforced office door shook as something heavy slammed against the inner wall. Inside, piles of documents, folders, and equipment had been swept off the desk as if a storm had torn through the room. Kusabane Itsuo — the director of the Energy Infrastructure Sector — panted at the center of the chaos, his face red, his suit rumpled, his hair disheveled as though he had torn out clumps with his own hands.
"YOU HAVE GOT TO BE KIDDING ME!" he roared, hurling his clipboard to the floor. The wood cracked, but he didn't even notice.
One of his assistants, pale, kept his body hunched near the door.
"D-Director… these are direct orders from the central cabinet… The project has been officially terminated—"
"Silence!" Itsuo jabbed a trembling finger, his eyes nearly bulging out of their sockets. "Terminated my ass! All that investment, all that infrastructure we prepared, all those reports… thrown away! Why? BECAUSE OF THAT MISERABLE RAT!"
He kicked the trash bin, scattering papers and cans across the carpet.
"Nezu! It's always him! Always sticking his nose where it doesn't belong!" he spat with contempt. "It was obvious the government should've taken my side after the incident! I presented the perfect solution! Turning Ryo Tanaka into Japan's new infinite energy source was brilliant! BRILLIANT!"
He thumped his chest, puffing up like a deformed peacock.
"With my quirk and my expertise… heh… the country would be at its peak! Unlimited energy, astronomical profits, all under my supervision! That's what real vision is, that's what real leadership is!"
The assistant tried to mumble something, but Itsuo was already lost to another outburst, knocking over books and shoving chairs aside.
"But no, no! Even after U.A. was LITERALLY attacked, they still chose to hand the boy over to that sewer rat! That overrated little animal who thinks he understands everything!" He slammed his fist on the table hard enough to topple a monitor. "That bastard has always sabotaged everything when it came to the boy!"
He paced around the office, hands trembling, breath quickening.
"Everything was going so well… so well… but there's always someone who has to ruin my path!" he growled, kicking an open cabinet. "I should be at the top! I should be controlling the entire country's energy supply! And now… now I'm supposed to swallow this absurd humiliation!?"
He stopped by the window, panting, staring out at the city below with a toxic mix of frustration and greed.
"This won't end here…" he muttered, almost to himself. "I'll show them all… the government… that rat… and anyone who thinks they can stand in my way. I didn't climb this far just to be pushed aside. Not after everything I've achieved with this wonderful quirk of mine…"
The final sentence slipped out like a whisper bloated with ego, devoid of self-awareness — exactly the kind of thought that always led him straight into disastrous decisions.
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The cold lights of the underground laboratory bathed the metallic floor in bluish tones. At the center of the room, a colossal monitor dominated everything around it — a mosaic of smaller windows, each displaying footage of attacks in different countries.
But only one image truly mattered: the central window, enlarged, standing out from the rest. It showed the final seconds of the Sentinel's transmission in Japan. First, the thermal vision detecting a boy surrounded by a green energy that warped the camera's view; then, the machine's sudden advance… and, moments later, a flash so intense it swallowed the entire screen before everything fell to black.
Syndrome sat in his swivel chair, fingers interlaced before his face, a slow, dangerous smile forming.
"A truly… fascinating result," he murmured. "And in Japan, of all places… where I honestly didn't expect much. Especially after sending such an upgraded version of the Sentinel—one capable of copying and storing four powers… quite the leap compared to the models I sent to other countries, which only had two slots."
Beside him, Mirage stood with her arms crossed, posture straight, gaze sharp.
"Even more impressive, sir…" she said, "...is the fact that it was defeated by a boy. The same one who eliminated the Nomu, according to the Omnidroid's data."
Syndrome let out an irritated sigh, sinking into the chair.
"Ah, yes… the 'Anti–All Might' weapon. To think we were so close to wiping that stupid grin off All Might's face for good." He spun the chair slightly, eyeing another screen that showed the hero kneeling, one arm completely severed. "At least we managed to break him a little with that stunt. I admit, I was surprised to see the so-called 'Symbol of Peace' missing an arm."
He chuckled softly, savoring the memory.
"And all thanks to our… friend. I truly didn't expect All Might to be that weakened when I deployed Sentinel V4."
Mirage tilted her head.
"Even so, the data collected by the units across all countries was extensive. Especially the Japanese ones. And that boy… surely he caught your attention."
"He did." Syndrome smiled, eyes gleaming with predatory interest. "And every cent invested in this global experiment was worth it. Heh… a boy capable of wiping out the S-V4 in the blink of an eye… intriguing."
Mirage stepped forward, checking the tablet in her hands.
"Since you mentioned 'costs'… there's something I need to inform you of, sir. The 'battery' is nearing its limit."
Syndrome raised an eyebrow.
"Near its limit? Already?"
"Unfortunately, yes." She showed him several charts. "Ever since we began development on the S-V5 and S-V6, energy consumption has tripled. That initial estimate of a few decades of stable operation… it's dropped to a year and four months. After that… it will be impossible to keep him alive."
Syndrome huffed, resting his chin on his hand.
"A shame… truly a shame." His smile returned, cold. "That man has been extremely useful ever since the day we captured him. He's accelerating our plans beautifully. At the very least… he's doing one decent favor before he flickers out."
He pressed a button on the back of his chair. The screens shifted automatically, now showing an isolated room lit only by surgical lamps.
At the center, restrained by a device locked around his arms and torso, a thin, exhausted blond man breathed in ragged intervals. Tubes were connected to his chest, while energy cables pulsed with light into the surrounding machines.
The man's worn-out face lifted slightly as he noticed the camera. His once-bright eyes were now hollow.
Syndrome tilted his head, smiling with mock sympathy.
"Thanks for helping us out… Jack."
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(A/N: In the last few days, I was a bit unsure about how to handle the main cast investigating the Syndrome. After thinking it through, I decided to use Koichi to carry out that part of the story. So you can expect a few chapters from his point of view and his operations. It won't be constant, but it will show up occasionally.
I also noticed that some readers weren't very fond of the original name of the Brazilian Nº1 hero. Because of that, I decided to change it to Igneel, inspired by the fire dragon Igneel from Fairy Tail, known for turning even water into ash.
Another thing I need to clarify is the true extent of the MC's power. I've seen some people still thinking he only deals with radiation or nuclear energy, but that's not the case. He manipulates the strong and weak nuclear forces — and consequently, the electroweak force. I even put this in the synopsis, but it seems almost no one reads it.
Lastly, about the Sentinels being so strong: that was entirely intentional. And I plan to follow that direction with other villains as well. In MHA, I often see heroes being much stronger than villains even with just one quirk. When a powerful villain appears, they often don't have much impact — even with multiple quirks. I always found it strange that only Shigaraki and AFO were treated as true "heavyweights" among the villains. That's why you can expect upgrades to the villains, especially those who play important roles in major arcs and in the movies.)