My Hero Academia: The Dragon's Quirk

The second night over I-Island felt like a held breath. The open battle had subsided, replaced by a cold war of nerves. The hero fleet formed a steel blockade on the sea, staring at the island that was now an enemy fortress. Inside that fortress, the Paranormal Liberation Front stared back, but their main attention was no longer on the enemy outside, but on the monster sleeping in their own basement. It was in the middle of this fragile stalemate that our shadow alliance prepared to move.

At the command post on the coral island, the atmosphere felt like a rocket launch control room. The four team members gathered around the holographic table, their faces illuminated by the blue light of the I-Island tower's layout. All preparations were complete. All possibilities had been considered.

"It's time," Hawks said, his voice calm yet resonating with the weight of the decision he was about to make. His fingers hovered over the main console. On the screen, he opened a hidden program, a digital virus he called 'Tyrant's Mite'. "I'm activating the malware. This will create a minor energy fluctuation in 'Asset E's' containment system, enough to trigger every high-level internal alarm they have. They'll think the bomb is about to go off."

He looked at Tatsumi and Leone. "That will be your diversion. Their entire elite force will be drawn to the sublevel. That will give you a window of opportunity to go up. Akame," he turned to the communicator, where the dot marking Akame's position glowed on the roof of a tall building on I-Island, "you are our eyes and their safety net. Report any unexpected troop movements."

"Understood," came Akame's cold reply.

Hawks took a deep breath. "Five... four... three... two... one..." He hit the 'enter' key. "The bait is released."

Inside I-Island Tower – Lab Sublevel

For the scientists and technicians on duty, it felt like their hearts stopped beating. After hours of tense quiet, all the consoles before them suddenly lit up red. A shrill internal siren—not an attack siren, but a containment breach siren—filled the laboratory with a deafening sound.

"Critical energy fluctuation!" a Yozakura technician shouted, his hands dancing across a keyboard. "The containment field is losing stability! This isn't a passive release, the pattern is erratic! It's as if something is actively disturbing it from the inside!"

Slither, who had set up a makeshift command post outside the lab, received the report with a pale face. "What do you mean 'disturbing it'?!"

"We don't know, Commander! The system isn't responding to our stabilization commands! It's like there's a ghost in the machine!"

Their greatest fear was becoming a reality. 'Asset E' was unstable. Slither wasted no time. "All elite security teams—Omega and Delta—report to sublevel 4 immediately! Form a layered perimeter! No one is to approach the laboratory without permission! Lock down this entire sector!" he commanded through his communicator. He was now completely focused on this internal crisis, ignoring the threat of the heroes outside.

Outside the Tower – Commercial Sector

On the dark and deserted shopping promenade, Leone grinned, her fangs glinting under the distant blue light of the aurora. She could hear the faint echo of the internal sirens from inside the tower. "Your bait is working very well, Winged Hero," she growled softly. "I can smell their fear from here."

"The stage is set," Tatsumi replied beside her, his Incursio armor fully manifested, its color now darker, blending with the night shadows.

"Remember the plan, Dragon Boy," Leone said, stretching her claws. "I'm in front, you're above. I sniff out trouble, you see it from afar. Tonight, we're thieves, not soldiers. Don't be a hero, be a ghost."

"Stay in the shadows. Move fast. Leave no trace," Tatsumi replied, repeating their creed.

With a simultaneous nod, they began to move.

Their ascent was a symphony of contrasting yet harmonious movements. Leone, in full Lionel form, was the embodiment of terrestrial power and agility. She ran along walls, leaped from one balcony to another, her claws digging into concrete giving her impossible footholds. Her movements were so fluid and fast, she was more like a blonde mist than a living creature. She cleared the path on the lower levels, her predator's instinct guiding her through the shadows.

Meanwhile, Tatsumi was the aerial ghost. He used his dragon wings not for high flight, but for long, silent leaps from roof to roof, crossing wide plazas without ever touching the ground. He was the eye in the sky, his advanced visor scanning every corner, every window, looking for any stray patrols or drones.

They moved up, conquering the giant tower floor by floor. On the 40th floor, they faced their first obstacle: a network of still-active patrol drones.

"Hawks, we need a path," Tatsumi whispered.

"I see them," Hawks replied. "They're moving in a predictable pattern. Wait... there's a gap in thirty seconds on the west side. You'll have to move fast."

They waited. Leone crouched behind a large statue, her muscles tense. Tatsumi hovered silently in the shadow of a sky bridge. When Hawks gave the signal, they shot forward. Leone ran across an open plaza at a blinding speed, while Tatsumi flew low right above her, his wings creating a slight wind disturbance to confuse the drones' sensors. They made it through undetected.

When they reached the more sterile corporate levels in the 60s, they were forced to go inside. This was where Akame, from her distant post, became crucial.

"Tatsumi, Leone, there's a two-man patrol in the corridor ahead, moving your way," Akame's voice came through, as calm as ever. "They'll reach the intersection in twenty seconds. There's a ventilation shaft in the ceiling above you. It's the only way."

Without hesitation, Tatsumi shot up, opened the vent cover, and helped Leone climb into the narrow, dark tunnel. They crawled in silence, hearing the conversation of the PLF guards passing below them, completely unaware of the intruders just a few meters above their heads.

On the 75th Floor

After a tense journey through the ventilation system, they finally arrived at their destination. They emerged into a quiet service corridor on the 75th floor, right next to the Data Center. This corridor was supposed to be guarded by Slither's best troops. But now, because all attention was focused on Esdeath, the place seemed deserted.

But not entirely.

As they stepped out of the shadows, three figures standing in front of the Data Center door turned in unison. Their movements were so synchronized and silent, completely different from the PLF soldiers. They wore tactical Yozakura combat uniforms, their faces covered by masks.

Leone immediately took a defensive stance, a low growl escaping her throat. Tatsumi stood in front of her, his dragon claws extended.

The leader of the Yozakura squad tilted his head, his cold eyes staring at them from behind his mask. He didn't seem surprised.

"I smelled the traitor's scent and her beast's the moment you arrived on this floor," he said, his voice as sharp as broken glass. He was clearly referring to Akame. "So, the traitor sends children and their pets to do her work now? Pathetic."

Leone roared in anger. "Who are you calling a pet, you bastard?!"

But Tatsumi remained calm, his analytical mind working. Three elite guards. In a narrow corridor. This was a trap.

"We don't have time for this," Tatsumi hissed.

The Yozakura leader laughed coldly. "You're right. You have no time at all."

Without warning, he and his two comrades shot forward, their ninjato swords drawn, becoming three shadows of death ready to welcome them. The fight for the enemy's secret heart had begun.