Found a meme that captures the energy of the following arc (almost) perfectly.

Try to guess what happens based on nothing but this image.
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][ Previously: Mob goes with Aizawa and Eri to visit his home for New Year's. Meanwhile, Reigen, Serizawa, and Jin beat the ever-living SH#T out of Mahito!, an evil cursed spirit guy. ][

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      As winter break came to a close, Mob spent the last day alone with his family. They didn't do anything super special; just went out for a picnic. And though the winter air was a little chilly, it came with a flood of memories from the boy's youth.

     It was strange. All he wanted to do was stare at the sky and enjoy the peace around him.

     ...If only he could live in this moment forever...

     "Hey bro, let's go exploring like we used to!" Ritsu approached Mob from behind, noticing his elder brother had just been staring at the sky and forest treeline for a while now.

     Mob blinked, as though waking up, and turned his head slowly. "Oh. Okay... Are you sure we can make our way back?"

     Ritsu chuckled. "We have phones now, remember?"

     "Oh... Right." Mob remembered the time when Ritsu guided them out of the forest several years ago using nothing but moss alone.

     The elder let his brother take the lead, allowing his mind to wander as they entered the forest.

     Much of the leaves were gone, now covering the forest floor. Yet, somehow it was still so beautiful. There was something Mob enjoyed about life that he couldn't quite explain. It was moments like this when he felt the deepest level of peace. All other emotions just seemed to...float away...

     "Since we're out here.. just the two of us..." Ritsu started, presently balancing as he walked along a fallen log.

     "Yes?" Mob lifted his steady head.

     "I- I wanted to let you know I've been studying extra hard lately... My goal is to skip a grade..so then I can apply for UA and join you next year." (Since in this AU, apparently the two boys are already up one grade. xP Making Ritsu a second year currently. Just pretend it makes sense, okay?? This was an error from the first chapter, BEFORE I watched MP100 five times over!)

     Mob's eyes dashed to his brother, a smile springing into place. "Really?? That's so cool, Ritsu!"

     "Heh..." The younger brother's attention trailed away. .. He smiled again. "I'm excited to see how far you've come. Do you...really want to become a hero, though?"

     "No."

     "Woah! Fast answer!"

     "At least... I don't want to become a hero or anything as a job. No, not me. That lifestyle just isn't what I want. But..." Mob's eyes wandered over the bare forest trees around them. "Apparently, if someone was ever in danger, it is illegal to try to save them with your quirk... Thankfully, not in our home town. But if I was to one day go on a trip and see someone in danger, I would have to choose between letting them get hurt or spending a few months in prison... I would prefer get my hero license, so, at the very least, I am never forced to make that decision."

     Ritsu kicked a rock, shoved his hands into his coat pockets, and rolled his eyes. "Tff. What a stupid rule..."

     "I'm sure there's a good reason for it. It's just.." Mob recalled Zeya's words from before. As long as he had these powers, he never truly would be "normal." And he remembered that hypothetical situation she had brought up as well. If that ever did happen, he would prefer use his powers than not. He would prefer act "not normally" than not. .. He would prefer risk a sentence than not. Which meant, in some weird twisted way, he needed to get that license if he ever wanted to live normally. "I don't want to be punished for helping people... And I don't want me using my powers to be illegal either. That would just..make me feel worse, I guess."

     Mob's chin dropped a little. Ritsu stared at his brother with a deep understanding. He placed his hand on Shigeo's back and rubbed it in slow circles. "..Your powers don't make you weird... Just remember that, alright, big bro?"

     The elder smiled just a smidge. "..Alright."

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     "Bye, brother!!" Ritsu smiled, waving as he ran alongside the escaping train. Mob stood waving in the window, his teacher and a little girl sitting on a bench across from him. The train sped out of the station, leaving Ritsu in the dust. ... Not only Ritsu.

     "WAIT! ... WAIT!!!" Dimple hurried after the train. He stopped in front of Ritsu, panting despite not needing the oxygen.

     "Dimple?? Where have you been all winter break??" The young teen asked. The spirit scoffed.

     "Tehh! Now don't go around acting like I can't do anything but follow you two around!. I finally took care of the religious group that kept harassing Mob!!" Ritsu stepped back, eyes widened slightly.

     "'Took care..?'"

     "Yeah!! I led them to some missionaries in the area! No doubt they'll direct their faith toward something more positive than stalking a fourteen year old!" Dimple had to pat himself on the back for that one. Ritsu's shoulders fell slack, a smile crawling back into place.

     "Oh... Good to hear.." That actually was good to hear. Those people really were begining to bother him and his parents quite a bit... Not to mention having their personal information leaked by them was also super scary. Maybe it would be better if he and his parents just moved to Mustafa to be with Mob. They sure would be leaving a lot behind, but maybe it was for the best.

     "Well, guess I better get going if I want to reach UA anytime soon!.. Did you know there is a spirit haunting one of the dorm's bathroo--?"

     "Or you could just wait for the next train. It should be here in less than thirty minutes." Checking his watch. Yep, he was right.

     "...Or that..."

     Ritsu turned to leave both the train station and the spirit. "Either way, I'm glad you visited, Dimple.. And thanks for the help." He waved a small, polite wave at the green one. His face fell lax as he at last spun fully around, no longer having to care about how others saw him. He really was just another face in this crowd, wasn't he? Heh, he was alright with that. Being special was overrated anyway.

     The young teen made the journey back home all on his own. He was pretty hungry by the time he arrived at the front porch. Hopefully dinner was already cooked and ready.

     "Mom, Dad, I'm home!" Ritsu called, little enthusiasm or volume added. As he shook off his shoes by the door, no calls answered... Strange... He usually at least received a simple response from his mother. Oh well, maybe they're just in another room. "Mom??" The boy walked into the house. Once he'd passed through the entryway, the teen stuck his head through the door to the kitchen. Nobody was inside. Some food and pans had been set out as if to begin cooking, but no meal was made. In fact, touching the cheese.. it was room temperature! Ritsu's brows furrowed. His mom always got onto her sons for leaving dairy products out for too long. This was no mistake on her part. Something was up!

     Ritsu slid the cheese back into the fridge, then grabbed a kitchen knife to stalk around the house with. The TV was on like usual, but there was no dad there to watch it. Somehow, this background noise only made the quiet house even more eerie. Ritsu sure didn't like it.

     After a while of searching, the boy found no clues. But, that was just the first floor. .. Something was telling him he should probably check the second.

     The teen's steps creaked atop the wooden stairs, the sounds he always just ignored now too present for him. An uneasiness crawled around in his chest. He gripped the knife tighter and tighter.. until his fist turned white.

(*intense violin screeches*)

     He checked the bathroom. He checked his brother's room. Last, he checked his room.

     The setting sun bore down a beam of light through the boy's window, lighting up the dust that floated through the air. Other than that, there was no source of light. Made sense, but Ritsu's fingers froze by the light switch when his eyes caught onto a group of figures there waiting for him.

     The knife instantly dropped from his hand...at the worst possible time.

     Both of his parents lay over each other on their stomachs, bruised and unconscious. Sitting on his bed, feet planted firmly on his parents' backs...was the villain himself, Shimazaki. The setting sun only lit one half of their figures, the other half cast in shadow. Ritsu hadn't even realized he'd been holding his breath until his lungs started to burn, face a deathly pale.

     "Ah, glad to see you finally made it! I've been waiting ages for that brother of yours to leave!" Ryo cracked a smile, staring ahead instead of at the boy. "Why won't you come over and have a seat for me, hm~" The villain pat the open slot on the bed beside him. Ritsu didn't move. He couldn't.

     "A-are my parents alive??" He had to get the facts first if he wanted to continue. It would be pointless to fight over a couple corpses after all...

     "Yeah.. Just sleeping.." Ryo assured, patting the teen's father with his foot. The dad's back slowly rose and fell, proving his point. "I never really understood why threats worked so well, especially when you involve someone's family, but, what works works I guess.." The adult sighed. Again, he patted the boy's mattress beside him. "Going to join me? We have so much to catch up on! It's been a while since I last fought you. Have you gotten any stronger~?"

     "..No thanks. I- I think I'll stand--"

Click-click

     The barrel of a pistol was pointed at the dad's head, hovering only a few inches away from his chocolate brown hair. Ryo held it so casually as well, which was the truly disturbing part. "You will do as I ask..." The elder Esper's voice was suddenly firm, leaving no questions about what he would do if Ritsu disobeyed.

     Stiffly, the teen shuffled up to the man and sat down at the very edge of his mattress. Nothing about him looked comfortable. The man smirked and curled his unoccupied arm around the teen's shoulders, leaning against him a little. His gun never left the dad's head. ... But of course Ritsu knew he didn't need the gun to threaten him. He already knew how easily the villain could crush their heads. Being quirkless, they were especially weak.

     "So how's it going, man~? It's been a while since I've gotten to just sit and have a chat with anyone! Used to be able to bother the boss or the other Five when I got bored, but now I'm left all alone with nothing but enemies~" Ryo vented into the disturbed child's ear. "The faction I started turned on me the other week too.. Guess that's just what happens when you give people too much power.. But I can't just kill them either, since they're the only ones who can make the drug I need to take out my enemies!.. Hhh, people weren't kidding when they said life could be hard sometimes!" What did this man think Ritsu was?? Some kind of therapist?! Yet, through all of this, the man's playful smile never dropped.

     "Get to the point." Ritsu gritted. He was still stiff as a brick, unmoving, unable to even look the villain in the closed eyes!

     Ryo frowned a little, but he nodded in understanding. His arm slipped away from Ritsu, instead grabbing a book that lay behind him. Ryo opened it to a certain page and set the gun on his lap to pull out his phone instead. Using his phone, the man scanned the page and pressed a button. ""Today I thought I finally saw someone who caught my eye, but no. It was just their dog I really liked."" The phone read. Ryo growled.

     "S###, wrong page.."

     "He-hey! That's my diary!!" Forgetting his previous fears for a second, Ritsu reached out to snatch the diary, but Ryo only grinned and held it in the air above their heads.

     "Aww, how cute!" He tossed the book across the room. Ritsu gave up his pursuit as it hit the opposing wall and fell on the floor. "Well, anyways, I was trying to find that one part where you said something I rather liked... 'I've obtained loss' I believe it was... How poetic~" The villain briefly clasped his hands together by his head. All the while Ritsu scowled him down. He wasn't getting any closer to his reason for being here. "You know.. I think you are a lot more like me than you're willing to admit. All you want to do is have some fun~ All I want to do is have some fun~"

     "If your definition of fun is hurting people then I'd say we're nothing alike!" Ritsu growled.

     "Hey, in my defense," slinging his arm around Ritsu's neck again, "I was thrown into a ring and forced to fight strangers at the age of eight, so hurting others's really all I know how to do!" The villain almost laughed, studying the boy for his response. As expected, the younger Esper's eyes widened a little. Ryo's smile grew.

     "Wait, what??"

     "--Aaaanyways!" Liking to cut it off there. While his smile was at its widest, the man grabbed the gun again and held it to the teen's forehead. Ritsu's entire body froze, realizing now that he was stuck with no way out, since Ryo's arm now caught him in a choke hold, keeping him there. "I'm going to need you to come with me."

----------

     "I'm back.." Mob spoke softly as he smiled. He shut the large dorm-house door behind him and slid his shoes of by the entrance. His eyes landed on the curious gathering of students plus Aizawa...all staring at the TV. "What's going on?" Mob approached the bunch, squeezing his head between enough people so that he could see the TV as well. Shoto sat on the floor closest to the TV, looking like he was on the verge of a breakdown. This really worried Mob. On the screen was the villain known as Dabi, sitting shirtless on what appeared to be a couch among a simple studio setup. The burnt one pulled out a piece of paper and held it up to the camera.

     ""This is the result from a DNA test I had done myself using Endeavor's blood from that Nomu fight... You can lie to yourself all you want, but facts are facts. Our DNA matches us at a whopping ninety-nine point nine percent."" As the villain rambled on, other UA students started to comfort Shoto. Mob was just trying to figure out what was going on. Then, Mob's phone rang.

     It was a call from Ritsu! Hm? Just after he returned home? Did he leave something behind?

     Mob stepped away from the rest to accept the call. "Sorry, Ritsu. It looks like something very big is happening... Do you mind calling later?"

    ""Heyy, what's up, Mob?!"" His caller sounded sort of like Reigen. But wait. That was a different voice... It was..his voice...

    That nuisance.

     Mob couldn't even collect the air in his lungs to speak. He was frozen with fear. If this villain has his brother's phone.. then...

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     ""You're able to track your brother down using that handy GPS tracker, right??""

     Mob stiffly nodded. Wait, that wouldn't work! "Mmh.." However speaking wasn't working either apparently.

     ""Great! You have three hours to save your brother before I kill him! Don't leave me hanging~!"" After Ryo hung up, Mob dropped his phone.

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     Mob hugged himself and fell to his knees, desperately holding onto every shred of power exploding inside of him. He was on the edge of losing control. That he felt coming easily!

     'JUST LET ME TAKE CONTROL!!' His powers screamed at him, but he refused! Not now. He needed to think rationally. What if it was a trap?! What if he hurt innocent people in the process??

     Despite a great deal of effort being put into suppressing his emotions, the palpable aura around Mob grew. His hair floated, and the ground under him started to crack.

     A few kids started to gather around, sensing the heightened aura of Mob's power. Most stared wide eyed, a little too shaken by Dabi's revelation to even deduce what could be wrong with Mob. Aizawa quickly canceled the boy's quirk. Mob choked on his own breath, relief washing over him. But dread quickly followed. Aizawa's quirk would only last as long as he could hold his eyes open... Eventually..everyone needs to blink.

     "Hold on, everyone, I'm COMING THROUGH!!" Zeya spilled through the 1A dorm doors, a case of pills in one hand and a bottle of water in the other. She slid on her knees in front of Mob and handed him them both. "Take three of these! That should do the trick! Though.. I usually take four or five." She nervously chuckled.

     Mob didn't even want to ask, but he trusted that Zeya knew how to help. Aizawa demanded the boy only take two, so that's what he did. He swallowed the two pills, which were apparently antidepressants from reading the label.

     Aizawa looked up from the boy, who still sat on his knees on the floor, rocking a little bit to calm himself. "How did you know about this situation?" He asked the new arrival.

     "He frickin' blew up half the campus! I had to rewind a few times just to figure out what was going on!"

  "Wait.." Jiro.
    "WHAT?!" Kirishima.
      "Who is that?" Sero.
        "My girlfriend~" Mineta. ... No one believed him.

     "Mob, are you okay?!" Izuku slid beside Mob as well, rubbing the boy's back. Mob shook his head. He really didn't want to steal everyone's attention away from comforting Shoto, but.. guess his situation was pretty bad too.

     "Ritsu... Ryo Shimazaki took Ritsu!!" Tears sprung into his eyes. Thank goodness Aizawa's quirk was still active! He couldn't think straight with all of this pressure weighing down on him. Several in the room gasped quietly.

     "That B######!!" Bakugo blurted. "Why does that creep keep stealing kids anyways?! If he wants a fight, then why doesn't he just come over here?! I'd be happy to beat his a##!!" Bakugo was pumped already, punching his palm, an explosion poofing from the two colliding forces.

     "Bakugo..." Aizawa growled.

     Everyone began to discuss the situation at once, since they were all there already. Shoto actually liked the changing topic. Something else to get his mind off of family drama. Though, granted, he wished said distraction would have been something a bit more light hearted..

     Mob noticed the moment those pills kicked in. Suddenly, he felt so distant from the group. Even moreso than usual; like there was a thick plane of glass sitting between himself and them. He couldn't really understand why they were all here; what they were doing. .. Because the answer was pretty clear.

     Mob just needed to barge into wherever Ritsu was being kept and beat some Espers.

     Wait. Where was Ritsu?

     In the background, sitting on the ledge of one of the couches, Mob pulled out his phone and used it to pull up where his brother, or at least his phone, was on the map. He had to squint a couple times, rereading the name of the building to be sure he was right.

     "Um.. Sensei Aizawa... You might want to see this." Mob handed Aizawa his phone. The hero too squinted a couple times at the image. Then his eyes widened.

     "It's a trap."

     "Huh?!" Kaminari in the back.
     "What is??" Izuku.

     "Says here Kageyama's brother is being held in the Hero Public Safety Commission building. No doubt Shimazaki is trying to trick you into attacking the place." Handing the boy back his phone, the man assumed the same thing Mob did.

     But at the same time... Mob clutched his phone tightly. His eyes were glossy and distant, unable to focus on anything.

     "I'll call for help from other heroes.. No doubt Endeavor's going to be hounded by the police, especially if he's seen at the HPSC at this hour..." Rubbing his lower face. "Did they plan this..? I thought Ryo was on bad terms with The League still.." No one had any answers. Everyone was equally confused.

     "My brother has three hours to live." Mob stood up. The rest were equally shocked by this important detail the youngest had so far kept to himself. "I'm going after him, even if that means turning myself in." The boy had that determined look in his eye no one could shake. He left and headed toward the door.

     Zeya was the first to jump up in opposition. She ran to Mob and grabbed him by the shoulders from behind, already in a panic. "W-w-wait, Mob! Don't go like this! I've seen what happens already! You don't want to do this, or YOU'RE going to be the one who suffers in the end!! -- Woah!" The girl jumped away a second before Mob's body flared up with power. "You would have burnt me!!" The girl was shocked. She was just trying to help.

     "Does my brother live if I go ahead with this?" Mob's chin turned over his shoulder. Zeya rubbed her would be burnt hands, staring at the floor.

     "...Yeah..."

     "Then that's all that matters."

     "But-"

     "Does he die if I don't?" Mob pressed again, since he had this handy source of information. Zeya stared ahead, as if through him, for a few seconds.

     "..Maybe..." By now, Zeya had convinced herself not to get involved. Her feet scooted back, bashfully hugging her arms. Mob had his answer, then. Even with this medication, though, his heart raced, knowing his brother's own life was very much on the line now. "Jus-just don't explode, okay?!?.. That's what happened... You exploded.. hurt some people.. and were sent away for it. I don't know where, but it was somewhere where no one would be allowed to contact you..."

     "Wh??"
     "Not Mob??"
     "No way.."
     "..." Bakugo crossed his arms in the back... Sounded about right.

     Mob gasped a little, spinning back to the door to hide his face.

     How was he supposed to.. how was he supposed to save his brother without using his powers?!  His eyes stretched across the room, landing on a clock mounted on the wall.

     It was 11:30. ... Only two hours before his brother was supposed to be killed. He had to think of something, and something fast!

     Aizawa's hand landed on the boy's shoulder, holding him there gently. "Hey.." He mumbled. "...We've got it covered." Patting Mob's shoulder, the teacher passed him, striding toward the door. "Zeya, was it? Your quirk has something to do with foresight, correct?"

     "Yeah? Sort of, I guess."

     "I want you to come with me then. You could be useful in a situation like this."

     "Really?!" Zeya's eyes brightened. "Yess!" She galloped after Aizawa, prancing around until he told her to stop. "Sorry."

     Mob had to move. He couldn't just stand here, right?? Zeya had said that if he did nothing, then-- ...He couldn't risk that.

     "Hey, Mob, wh-where are you going!?" Izuku jumped from the chair he'd been tensely sitting in. He chased after the youngest, who was currently making his leave through the door. "I'm going with you- ow!" Trying to follow Mob through the door, Izuku ran into an invisible barrier the boy had put up. "HEY! LET ME HELP!!"

     But Mob already had a plan. A plan that was so simple he wondered why he hadn't thought of before!

     One that would solve all their problems... Especially his.

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     He had to be quick. Still, he felt like meandering. The streets were dark and empty. Only the passing car lit up Mob's steadily approaching body.

     He would save time by making the deal while on the way to fulfill it.

     It was his quirk that was the problem, right?

     Ritsu wouldn't be in danger right now if Ryo didn't see his power as a threat. He would be able to think of better ways to save him if only his powers hadn't narrowed down his options so much. And HE wouldn't be the main threat on this mission if only his powers weren't a problem. That, and many many more reasons...

     In short, Mob had to cut his problem at its source.

     The boy pulled out his phone and checked the time. 11:59. He had less than two hours to sort this all out. His thumb hovered over the call button..before finally pressing it.

     It took Shimazaki a while to pick up.

     ""Heyy! What's this about? You're going to be running a little late at this rate!"" The villain said, sounding a little warn out, like he'd just been fighting or something.

     "Is Ritsu alright?" That was Mob's first and only concern. He held the phone closely to his ear.

     ""Uhhh... He's..been better.. but yeah! He's still alive!"
          ""You can't come here, brother!! It's a TRAP!!!""
     ""Shhh! Quit it!!""

      As Ritsu's cry sounded from a little further off from the phone, Mob's walking completely ceased, his body shaking.. It sounded like his little brother was hurt.

     "What did you do to him??!" His emotions rushed back to him like a rolling thunder. Mob was real angry now! Most of all, scared.

     ""Oh, just.. You know.. Killing time. ... You're taking forever! I thought you'd be here in only like five minutes!"" Shigeo's powers nearly surged into his phone and broke it, but of course that wouldn't help anything.

     "Will you let Ritsu go if I get my quirk erased?!" Mob asked, beginning to speed walk.

     ""You what??!.. Well I.. Well Dabi and I had this whole thing planned...but yeah!"" The villain's big smile was clear through his voice. ""I'll even extend the deadline by a few hours! Just bring me the paperwork and a way to prove that you're quirkless, alright?! And make sure it's the permanent stuff!!"" Ryo hung up. Someone was excited.

     Oh..

     Well, the only local place that allowed Mob to have his quirk removed right away probably wasn't the kind to hand out paperwork... Oh well. Guess he could find a way to get proof of some kind.

     Whatever it took to save his brother without endangering any more lives.

     He was done with that.

     Even if it meant having to give up on all of his friends back at UA, all the people, places, and memories he had there... It would all be worth it in the end.

     ...He would finally be normal...

     'Don't..' He heard a warning growl in the back of his head. Mob ignored it. As long as he was under the influence of this much medication, his powers shouldn't be able to spiral out of control.

     Eventually, Mob came up on a shady alleyway, where a dim neon sign alerted to the world that it was open. However, there was no other sign or phrase declaring what was open exactly. Looking down at the text he'd received from the person who ran the place, this was the spot.

     The boy entered, immediately hit with a strong mix of odors that did not blend well. Shigeo plugged his nose, having a look around the dimly lit place, which contained rows upon rows of boxes.

     "Ahh! So you're the kid who wanted his quirk removed so late in the night, eh??" A large, tattooed man entered from a door from another room in the back. He was really tired by the looks of it, but still put on a friendly smile for his customer. His gray tank top was a little dirty, unequally cut black hair messily thrown up into a ponytail, and even his teeth were a little yellowish. But, for the moment at least, he seemed friendly enough.

     "Sorry to bother you so late at night..." Mob fidgeted with his coat. "But this is urgent."

     "Oh, I bet it is, kid! Who am I to turn a customer down anyways?. So what'll it be? We've got stuff that'll last ya a day ALL the way up to the deluxe permanent kind!"

     "I'll take the permanent one, please."

     The man blinked, leaning over the desk, genuinely shocked. "...You serious??"

     "Yes, and.. can I have paperwork of some kind to prove it is the right one?.. I have the money to pay for it if you're wondering." Mob revealed from his pockets the stacks of cash he'd earned from Mineta for an exorcism job a while back.

     ... "Now I may not be the pinnacle of morality, but even I would recommend starting small. You said this is for you, right?"

     "Yes, but- i-it's urgent! My little brother.. he..." Mob trailed off, staring down now. The dealer stared down at the kid with sorry eyes.

     "..Listen, if it's gang violence the two of you have got caught up in, you're welcome to invite your brother over to stay 'round here... Me and my bois know how to handle their type."

     Looking up again, "That is very kind of you, but really... I've been wanting to get rid of my quirk for a while anyways... It isn't the most useful.. and it only puts other people in danger."

     The man stared a little longer, then sighed, slapping the table as a way to signal his moving on from he topic. "Alright then!.. Sounds like your mind's already made up!.. Don't wanna be the one to get in your way! .. The quality stuff's in the back, so it might be a minute!..." The man stopped in the door, one hand of his gracing its frame. "Take care, okay..?" Mob nodded at the man. He smiled faintly, then vanished.

     Just as Mob was finally starting to gain some sense of adjustment to all the foul/sweet smells in the shop that was giving him a headache, the man returned with a narrow, shiny black box.

     "Now if you want paperwork, you're going to have to sign her that I didn't inject you with the stuff, alright?? That, you have to do on your own for legal reasons!" The man slid Mob a piece of paper over the desk along with the box, keeping his hand on the box.

     "Thank you.." Mob grabbed all the money he had and shoved it over the desk. As the man counted, the kid signed his name on the paper, folded it, and tucked the documentation into his coat pocket. "Is it enough?"

     "Eh, you're a couple hundred yen short... But I'll just tell my coworkers I spent that money on drinks tonight." The man shot Mob a wink.

     At last, the forbidden formula, the very same one Mob himself had witnessed being created..was now in the palm of his hands. He opened up the box quickly, revealing some hybrid between a bullet and a syringe.

     "It's an EpiPen; kinda like the things people shoot themselves with for allergy outbreaks." The man at the desk explained. Mob's squinting ceased, holding the thing out before him now with understanding.

     "Oh!.. Thanks..." Needles were still needles... Mob shivered. But he grabbed the EoiPen anyways and prepared to inject himself in the arm.

     This was probably the safest place to inject himself, but still...

     He remembered Reigen's words that fateful day he tried to do this same thing in the past.. ' "You don't need it. .. You especially don't need to use it on yourself... You're a good kid, alright? Whatever is going on, I believe you can get through this...without having to remove your powers... Alright?" ' He remembered all of it. All the times he'd been told how useful, helpful, wonderful his powers were! He could do just about anything with them!

     ..Except being normal...which just so happened to be the one thing he always wanted... The whole world could probably tell him his powers were fine, but at this point, it just didn't matter to him anymore.

     He would never be normal as long as he had these powers...

     A rattling beat against his chest. The teen hadn't even realized his arms were shaking until his eyes unfogged.

     "Kid..? I can...give you a refund..."

     "-No. I got it. ... It's alright if I do this in here, right?"

     The man gave a tired, sad smile. "..Sure, kid."

     'Don't!' The insides of Shigeo screamed. Mob ignored it, reeling his right arm above his head, aimed to stab the other. He gritted his teeth, preparing for the pain he knew would follow. 'DON'T!' He ignored himself.

     "Gah!" Mob injected himself with the serum made from Eri's blood. He dropped the EpiPen and clutched his aching arm. To his astonishment and up most horror...the power inside him jolted alive, taking hold of his panicking body and mind.

     This was Shigeo's last fighting chance.

     He would ensure that he and his powers survived!

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-#     ???%   @+*
° / &+ * :'_ #_

     It was do or die.

     Mob had given him no choice.