Once Again From Better Days

"Human cells."

No one says a word. The silence presses against his ears. Katsuki  doesn't want to ask how. Or why. Or who the cells belong to, but his mind offers him an image of Eri's bandaged arms, and he thinks he knows. Katsuki feels sick. Bile rises in the back of his throat. A kind of tension radiates from Izuku in the seat next to him, hands curled into fists under the table, knuckles are turning white. Katsuki's fingers twitch, instinctively longing to reach out to offer comfort. Izuku has always been so compassionate, so willing to save others.

Nighteye clears his throat, and all eyes turn to him. His face is grim, but his voice is steady, and Katsuki can't help the small feeling of admiration that bubbles up inside him. The pro hero tells them about the man named Chisaki Kai. He tells them about Overhaul , the name he goes by, and his quirk. It's a powerful quirk–the ability to disassemble and reassemble things with a brush of his hand. It has a strong potential for either good or evil, and plagueface definitely isn't using it for good.

Katsuki thinks of Eri with her small arms wrapped in bandages. He thinks of the other girl with her, too scared to stray for more than a couple minutes. He thinks of the other children . He thinks of the quirk that could destroy a human body and piece it back together.

Nighteye doesn't quite finish his explanation, but he doesn't need to. The horrible truth is one that can be felt before it can be put into words. Katsuki knows, feels , the disgust at what was done, even though his mind is still struggling to put it into words.

The drug must be a combination of cells from the children. Its power must come from the quirks of the children. But how exactly it works is anyone's guess.

After Katsuki recovers from the initial shock, he looks up, scanning the faces of everyone around the room. The face of each and every one of the other students and pro heroes bears varying degrees of horror and shock. His eyes come to a stop when they reach Izuku. This knowledge hits him hard, but it hits Izuku harder. Izuku has always been more compassionate, and Katsuki can tell from the look on his face that he's blaming himself. He watches silently for a second before trying to tune back into the conversation.

"Taking action then would have put the other children in danger," Nighteye says in answer to someone's complaint. "The way it is now…Overhaul needs this children alive so his…supplies don't run out," he adds distastefully. "Our mission is to save the children and confiscate the drug. If it has been dispersed, we need to trace it down before it causes further harm."

The pro heroes begin to strategize, with Nighteye leading the discussion. Nighteye's ability to look into the future is indispensable, although its range is limited to one person and a small area around them. Katsuki remains quiet along with the other first-years. At this point, they are little more than deadweight.

The meeting lasts for several hours. When it finally comes to a close, he feels like he can't absorb another word of information. It has also been made clear that they aren't allowed to fight. Whether he's more frustrated that he can't do anything or more glad that Izuku has to stay out of danger this time, he doesn't know. Togata comes to find them as everyone gets out of their seats and steps away from the table. He walks them as far as the train station. As he turns to head home, even he has a grim look on his face.

The train ride is nearly silent. Izuku is back on his phone, checking for updates. There's no real news, though, just needless speculation and some panicked interviews. Izuku puts his phone away about halfway through the ride.

"I want to save the children," Izuku says. "But I want to fight, too. That Chisaki guy just really…needs to be punched in the face." The vehemence in his words is surprising. Izuku gets a slightly abashed look on his face after a moment. "I mean…the priority is obviously–"

"Nah, I agree. That asshole deserves a lot more than just a punch to the face."

Izuku catches his eye, and Katsuki sees the hint of a smile on his lips.

"You're right, we can absolutely save the kids and give Chisaki his comeuppance," he says. "We just need to figure out how to get permission to fight…"