[Bakiri Retsu]

It wasn't the first time Retsu was bleeding out in an alley and with some luck it wouldn't be the last. She'd gotten much, much stronger in the past year but so had she been facing ever greater foes. The latest had once more taken her to the brink before she'd managed to take him out. The Pro Hero Hedgerock possessed the ability to sprout and fire spines made of obsidian from any part of his body. A quirk that she wouldn't have all too much trouble fighting at a distance but within the confines of the restaurant Obaya Takoyaki's kitchen where she'd finally cornered him proved a bit more of a challenge. Not in the least due to her explosions shattering his spines and sending shards of obsidian flying everywhere.

As Retsu took a raspy breath she could swear there was still one cutting into her larynx. Just as problematic was the other spine still buried in her guts. She'd kept it in to stop herself from bleeding out but as the adrenaline faded it was becoming abjectly clear that the point had cracked and splintered sometime during the fighting. If the rest of her injuries didn't get her the internal bleeding certainly might. Gods. She hoped the extraction team got here soon. It hurt her pride to have to rely on them but she wasn't making it all the way to Mummy on her own like this. A wry smile crested her face. This tremble running down her arm, was she afraid? No. That couldn't be it. She simply had too much left to do before she died. She couldn't afford to fall. Not here, not yet. There were still far too many people that had to pay for what they'd done.

---

Tag: Taro Yamada

[Taro Yamada]

GAME ON!

HP: ▰▰▰▰▰▰▰▰▰▰ 95/100

Extractions weren't something Taro was involved in at the best of times. He had no healing ability. No medical experience. His teleporting only worked on himself. The most he could do was act as a distraction so someone more suited for the job could get the person away. You know, since the main draw of his services was the fact he didn't need to worry about his own life.

But now, not only was he tasked on a mission to fetch one Bakuretsu and return to the base with her, he was receiving this task while he wasn't exactly... stable.

Not talking mentally. Depending on who you talked to he'd always had a few screws loose. It was a given with the whole can't-die-or-feel-anything thing going on with him.

But what was strange was he was unstable physically. His form had been flickering nonstop for the past few hours. No cause as far as he knew - he wasn't carrying magnets on his person nor was he constantly getting injured. At least he thought so. If he was getting hurt he shouldn't have lasted the hour. His balance was also fine.

In any case, whoever was giving him this mission didn't see wholly concerned with his state. As long as he could move, he could work. This must be what the working class not being able to afford sick days looked like.

Wack.

The getaway vehicle dropped Taro off not far from the location. He bounded for the wall to lean his ear against it. And, once confirming that something was going on inside with no regard on what that something was, his hammer glowed as he smashed it on the concrete. An explosion rocked the wall and large amounts of debris was sent Hedgerock's way.

When the smoke cleared, Taro poked his head through the newly made hole, not even paying attention to the hero in the room. "Boss? You here?"

Bakiri Retsu

[Bakiri Retsu]

Within the kitchen that barely still resembled one after Retsu's rampage, chunks of obsidian were slowly clattering across the ground. It was a motion that could be mistaken for an aftereffect of the battle had it just been one but almost a dozen larger pieces were shifting. All of them went in one direction, namely towards the cracked obsidian head of what was once the Pro Hero Hedgerock. A Pro that Retsu had assumed dead and that for all intents and purposes should have been. Unfortunately, as Retsu really should know by now, quirks were bullshit.

So long as the head remained intact the rest of him would turn into obsidian -something that was shown by the flat, rounded of shards on the ground where blood had been spilled- and slowly piece itself together again. Had Taro not smashed through the wall the hero would have gotten away scot-free. Now he was entirely at Player One's mercy without even being aware of it, the cracked obsidian head having no brain function until it turned back to normal. 

In the alley behind the kitchen Retsu flinched and then let out a hiss when the shards stuck in her cut deeper as a result. Trying to answer Taro once she vaguely recognized his voice she found naught but a hoarse rasp escaping her throat. That confirmed it then. Definitely still a shard stuck in her larynx. With that option ruled out she went for the second best one instead. Reaching into her pocket she retrieved a thin disk with a button in the middle, clicked it once and then tossed it further into the alley. Roughly a second later it exploded. Not nearly hard enough that the detonation reached her but more than enough to function as a signal. Hopefully Taro would understand it. She didn't have much time left, much as it grated her to admit.

---

Tag: Bakiri Retsu

[Taro Yamada]

GAME ON!

HP: ▰▰▰▰▰▰▰▰▰▰ 95/100

The noise died down significantly. Strange, when he was pretty sure a fight was going on moments ago. Was the blast so big that it killed everyone? A commendation to his boss' efforts with the hammer, but RIP her if he blew her up when he was supposed to rescue her. Whoops. Human life really was too fragile.

Taro stepped into the room, eyes drawn to the body that lay within. He stared at the noticeable crack on the man's head, tilting his own. Well. It wasn't Retsu. Must be the guy she was up against then.

He turned his head to the subtle shuffling on the ground. Little crystals, drawn to the stranger as if magnetized. Meaning there was a non-zero chance the man was still alive. But where was his boss?

An explosion then. Not knowing whether it was caused by friend for foe - Retsu liked her bombs but explosions were surprisingly commonplace in the underworld (sorry boss) - Taro drew himself to full height and held his hammer in both hands before making his way to the door. He peeked out into the alley towards the cause of the sound, and not too far away was-

Oh. His boss.

Taro made no attempt at quieting his stride as he ran towards her "Boss-" Only slowing once he was close enough and could take in her condition. "Damn. You look like shit." Crouching down, he offered a hand. "I got the guy I think you were fighting, but he's not gonna be down for long. Think you can stand? The van's not too far from here."

Unknown to him was what would happen if she touched his flickering form, its sturdiness only proven with the hammer still held in his other hand.

Bakiri Retsu

[Bakiri Retsu]

BLOW UP!

HP: ▰▰▰▰▰▰▰▰▰▰ 100/100

Retsu put the dead in deadpan as she blankly stared up at Taro after his comment. She'd be tempted to shove a foot up his ass if that one foot wasn't already firmly in the grave. Whatever. She didn't have the capacity to care about his disrespect right now. It'd be paid back in full later. "Hmm- ghh."

Her attempt to let out an acknowledging hum were cut off when the vibration of her vocal cords agitated the shard of obsidian stuck in her throat. Retsu's next breath came out a little raspier as a result while she reached out to take his hand. She was in no condition to stand up but she'd walked off worse, she could do so again. 

Her fingers brushed up against his forearm and her entire world changed. Romantic as the phrase might sound it was anything but for her. She'd had some revelations recently, some clearer than others, which made what she saw in front of her stand out even more. Especially given that staring at the box made of light didn't seem to hurt her left eye.

[Join Party?]

She didn't trust it at all. It sounded like some kind of deal with the devil, yes, there was no w-

For a brief moment Retsu's form flickered like Taro's own just before all of her injuries vanished along with the pain. She blinked in surprise. What the fook had just happened? Her eyes darted around to spot anything else out of the norm but externally everything seemed the same. Only she herself had changed. Looking around didn't agitate her left eye no matter how much light hit it and tactile feedback seemed different in an entirely unfamiliar way. Her hand jerked back while she shot an absolutely venomous look at Taro.

"What the fook did you do?!"

Taro Yamada

[Taro Yamada]

GAME ON!

HP: ▰▰▰▰▰▰▰▱▱▱ 65/100

Hmm, yep. Boss sure looked upset. Being on the verge of death usually did that to a person he noticed. It made sense though. Most people had only one life, so naturally they would rather not part with it any time soon. Which made his job of returning her to the base even more important.

Taro's brow rose though when her body flickered not unlike his own, his surprise minute yet there. That certainly hadn't happened before.

And Retsu seemed to not like it either. He distanced his hand away from her, brow furrowing at her sudden eloquence when she only let out air moments before. "Dunno," he said truthfully. "You seem better already though." He glanced around Retsu's form to confirm her lack of injury before looking around. Was Mummy here after all? She was the only one who could heal someone that fast as far as he knew.

When he saw that no devil horns were present, his eyes landed on his hand instead. Huh. The static stopped. "Whatever you did fixed me though. Thanks."

A door slammed into the opposing wall, prompting Taro to turn his head. Ah. Right. "Oop, he's ba-" He couldn't even finish his sentence before he was blasted back with shards, the force pushing him deeper into the alley and away from Retsu. Not the best rescuer this one.

Bakiri Retsu

[Bakiri Retsu]

BLOW UP!

HP: ▰▰▰▰▰▰▰▰▰▰ 99/100

Without the accompanying pain Retsu's anger lacked its usual staying power and faded like snow before the sun. Instead it was replaced by confusion.

"Ya don't know?" 

Pinching herself as hard as she could only static showed instead of blood. That was... She didn't know what to think about that. Furious rage of course, but other than that Retsu wasn't sure how to handle it. An absent-minded grunt answered Taro's thanks as she wracked her brain to figure out what the hells she should do about this. Interruption arrived and Taro left before she could think of a solution. Well, there was nothing quite like an immediate problem to push an existential crisis aside. 

"Guess y'r as fookin' dense as ya look. Should'a run, all outta chances now."

As if to emphasize her statement Retsu tossed a high explosive right at Hedgerock's torso while avoiding a retaliatory spine. 

Taro Yamada

[Taro Yamada]

GAME ON!

HP: ▰▰▰▰▱▱▱▱▱▱ 40/100

Taro rolled on the floor before eventually landing on his feet again to skid to a stop. The rocks were a direct hit, spikes protruding off his shoulder as he slowly stood.

He grasped at one. "Nah." His form glitched when he pulled the spear out, and he dropped it on the ground as his body solidified. He did the same with the second. "How's it treating you, whatever it is?" Her having his Quirk seemed more likely with her second bout of static but he still couldn't believe it. His power didn't seem the type that could be shared with others. Yet here his boss was, speaking normally and glitching out.

It was a fleeting thought but Taro wondered what death would look like for her.

Speaking off- "Oh right. We got a car parked some blocks away. I'm supposed to be extracting you." But they had the rock guy to contend with now. Not good to lead him to the base probably. Taro steadied his hold on his hammer as Retsu threw her explosive at the hero. "But if we're killing this guy, I'm game."

Hedgerock seemed to have other ideas. He raised an arm as he was caught in the explosion. Yet when the smoke dispersed, the hero was still standing, down an arm from having take the brunt of the blast. He grit his teeth. "As if I'll let you escape, villain." As shards migrated to the broken appendage, Hedgerock stomped his foot down, summoning spires from the ground that travelled towards the duo.

Taro acted first. Setting his boots and hammer alight, he took two aerial steps above the stalagmites to swing his weapon at the hero. Aimed at his head of course.

It didn't bring him down permanently the first time but it was always a solid start.

Bakiri Retsu

[Bakiri Retsu]

BLOW UP!

HP: ▰▰▰▰▰▰▱▱▱▱ 60/100

Clicking her tongue at Taro's casual admission of his ignorance Retsu wondered just how truthful he was being. He didn't strike her as someone particularly capable of subterfuge but looks could be deceiving. Regardlessly, that was a worry for later. They had a far more immediate problem to deal with now.

"Only one way ta foind out," Retsu quipped back noncommittally. No way was she giving up any information on her current state either way. Had she still had her normal physique perhaps she'd have had a chill run through her at his next thought but as it was she remained wholly ignorant to it.

"Moite as well." A nonchalant shrug showed exactly how much she cared about whether or not Hedgerock died. It was feigned nonchalance of course, the Pro Hero had nearly put her down permanently and Retsu was out for blood. Being calm in situation where one really shouldn't be, especially if said person was known for their anger, always had a way of unnerving people however. With her emotions hitting her far less hard than usual right now Retsu fell into the act almost naturally.

When the stalagmites struck Retsu leaned away just a bit too slowly, one tearing through her side in a manner far more painless and bloodless than she'd imagined. Instead, there was simply static. She scowled. What the fook was up with that?

Her struggles were small compared to those of Hedgerock. He too wasn't quite fast enough to avoid the hammer entirely, part of how face quite literally crumbling under the assault before it continued on to smash his shoulder into bits. It rendered him armless but not harmless.

"You believe the air shall guard you, villain?" He asked while launching his own counterattack. The blow that shattered his shoulder had caused him to hunch forward aiming his spine covered back right at the right in the air. A dozen fired off in multiple directions as he strained his quirk hard enough the effort caused his facial muscles to clench and his eyes to squint.

Even while squinting however he could see the object that clicked down at his feet. A grenade, to no one's surprise.

Taro Yamada