Faith Lost in Blood
A/N: Alrighty so fair warning to those of you that came to this from To Repel and Attract. This is far from the friendly and heartwarming story that is. This story will earn its M rating. So I fully understand if this isn't your cup of tea.
This story will also be my back burner story. Something to write to give my muse something else to focus on for a bit so I can go back to Repel and Attract with fresh eyes. So don't expect this to update as frequently.
Lastly this story will be drawing heavily from two different sources. Two different video games to be precise. Those would be Prototype and Evolve. Primarily Evolve with Prototype only bringing a few abilities to the story.
Disclaimer: I do not own My Hero Academia
Chapter 1: Hunter
The cheering of the spectators flooded his ears. The thumping of stomping feet pounded from the ceiling above. Sounded like it was a full house tonight. He'd have to put on a good performance. If the betting was good then he might get a decent meal for once. He tilted his head listening; and there it was Hyde's obnoxious voice.
"YEEEESSS! THA'S WHAT I WANT TO HEAR! THE LOT OF YA KNOW WHAT'S ABOUT TO GO DOWN!" The screaming and cheering intensified twice over. Honestly waiting in this damn cage, having to listen to that psychopath and the howls of those beasts above him. It was enough to make his blood boil. He'd hold onto that rage. He'd need it soon.
"Alrigh, ya bunch of animals. We got a great show tonight. For those of you that are joining us for the first time, I'll tell ya how this works. The ring you're looking down at, will soon feature two monsters fighting to the death. Two vicious demons who would like nothing more than to rip all of us up here into tiny pieces. Lucky for us the walls and ceiling are reinforced. On top of that, both are rigged with some of me favorite explosives so if either gets a little too rowdy; BOOM and its game over!" In his prison, he snorted. This collar wouldn't kill him, oh it would hurt. But it wouldn't kill him. He just knew it would be stupid to try and escape. The Arm would put him down before he could even get out of the pit.
"Now considerin that this is our las night here we're pulling out all the stops. So for our challenger, we have a face that's been slicing and dicing the competition for our entire time here. With wicked claws made of bone, standin at five feet, five inches tall, and weighing in at three hundred and seventy three pounds, welcome the horrid little meat processer, RAZOR!" Bestial screams rent the air and he could hear whatever he would be facing thrashing around. Seriously though, Razor? And he thought he'd drawn the short straw. Nope Hyde was just a freaking idiot.
The cage started to raise as the elevator lifted its way to the arena above. It was showtime. Maybe he could make some of the audience go deaf again. That had been funny.
"And now for our champion. Standin at eleven god damn feet tall and weighing in at just over fuckin four thousand pounds, you know him, you love him, you hate him! Give it up for GOOOLLIAATH!" The bars dropped and Goliath burst from cage. Massive, was a good descriptor. An enormous humanoid saurian form, with a thick hide and covered in barbs and spikes. He knew he truly looked like a monster. In the arena that worked to his advantage. Time to make it good.
"RAAAAAAAAAWWWWW!" The walls shook as his roar reverberated throughout the pit. The crowds screamed in response. Whether in cheer or terror was up for interpretation. Though personally Goliath was hoping for the latter. Hyde unfortunately wasn't cowed.
"HAHAHA listen to that righ nasty beast there! God but you gotta love the sheer power in that one don't ya! Looks like even Razor was shook up by that." Goliath looked for the foe he would be facing.
When his burning green eyes locked on his opponent, he was frankly underwhelmed. The creature in front of him might have been human. It wouldn't be the first time that some psychopath was shoved in here with him. But this one was bizarre. It was slim and short. If he had to guess it was female. Grey matter shown from the top of its head like some odd hat. Long pink hair ringed around the disturbing visage bulging from the top of its cranium, hiding its facial features. What looked like a strait jacket garbed much of its form, falling down to its knees. Bone broke through the skin wherever it shown, forming a jagged armor of sorts. From the overly large sleeved bone spiked digits gleamed. It was edging around him looking warily at his massive form and doing its best to stay out of arm's reach.
"Well this is a pleasant surprise. If I'm gonna bleed, there are far more painful methods than getting cut up. I'll probably be healed up by tomorrow morning." His opponent had other plans.
Overcoming its fear of him the creature let loose a shriek and charged. Hyde was loving this.
"Looks like Razor is gonna start us off tonight! She's proven herself a right mince maker for the past week but will Goliath prove too much to dice?" Goliath would have rolled his eyes but it was time to smash this pest.
Razor was exceptionally fast. She didn't charge at him, so much as she charged the wall behind him. Bouncing off and flying back between his legs, she left bloody gashes on the inside of calves.
Roaring in pain and anger Goliath struck at Razor. The smaller beast dodged and latched onto his arm. Clawing her way up, she leapt for his face. But Goliath was not risking his eyes.
A massive hand smacked Razor right out of the air; sending her sprawling into the dirt. Goliath roared in challenge, this little upstart would end up much deeper in the dirt by the end of the night. He'd make sure of that.
"Oooh bad show there Razor. Goliath might look like a big dumb brute but he's been in the pit for nearly four years now. He's a clever bastard."
Razor had no intentions of staying down though. Crouched on all fours she hissed before letting loose a wailing shriek. The little fiend sped towards Goliath once more. Goliath leapt forwards to match and met the smaller beast head on.
As he brought his fists to slam down on the spot where Razor was located, she threw herself just underneath and to the other side of him. Recovering quickly Razor ran her way onto Goliath's back, jumping from his tail to the expanse of armored flesh that was the champion's shoulders. Slashing wildly Razor did her best to try and hack her foe to bits.
"A bold move by Razor, but stupid. Goliath's armor is thick as a tank. Cutting through that will take her a while. Long enough for Goliath to smash her flat!"
Goliath's thick hide was tough and the blows Razor was striking were only scratching the surface. But she was beginning to dig through, slowly hacking through inch by inch. Goliath roared before leaping high and turning so as to crush Razor beneath his weight.
Upon impact the dust flew everywhere. The crowd all leaned forward trying to get a better look at the action below. The dust didn't settle so much as it was flung outwards with accompanied by the battle cries of the two monsters. Razor had managed to dig her claws into one of Goliath's underarms. Goliath in turn was trying to loosen the bone fiend from his arm, slamming her into the ground. It only served to sink her spiked digits further in.
"OHOHOHO would you look at that! Razor's dug in like a tick. Tenacious little blighter isn't she? Gotta wonder how Goliath is gonna deal with her. Me? I'd just melt her fuckin face off."
Roaring in pain and frustration, Goliath took a deep breath before flexing his unburdened arm. As he flexed the armored hide around his knuckles grew thicker and jagged. With this brutal mitt made, Goliath slammed his fist into the smaller creature. Razor was sent flying and crashed once more into the dirt.
Razor was finally shaken, a number of her claws broken in the altercation. Breathing raggedly and stumbling in her steps, she lifted her head at the thudding footfalls of her opponent. Goliath made his way slowly towards the tricky little bitch.
"OH SHIT! Tha was brutal! HAHAHA just what you expect from a savage animal like Goliath!"
Upon seeing Goliath closing in, Razor began looking for places to retreat. But the arena was unforgiving. There was nowhere to run, nowhere to hide. Realizing this Razor screamed in panic and madness. Backed into a corner she began to frenzy, a black ooze leaking from her wounds and leaving new flesh behind. Bursting forth at high speeds she sped for the throat of Goliath.
It looked as though Goliath would be too slow. Razor was a blur, zooming in on her intended target. Coming just to Goliath's feet she leapt up, intent on tearing out the larger monster's throat. Screeching at her perceived win, Razor was inches from blood drenching victory.
CRRUUNCH!
Everything stood still for a moment. Razor was now in Goliath's jaws. He had waited, biding his time and striking at the last moment. Even Razor was in a state of shock, though in her case that term was more literal. The sound of breaking bone had rung throughout the pit. But at the moment Goliath's jaw moved once more, reality settled back in.
"SCREEEEEEEEEE!" Razor let loose a panicked cry as she flailed helplessly trying to free herself.
CRACK!
More bones broke and Razor's flailing became more desperate and less accurate. Her claws seeking some place to strike and release her. One lucky swipe saw blood drawn, as three small slashes crossed the softer flesh around Goliath's eye. He'd had enough.
SNAP!
Razor fell limp, never to rise again. The jaws of death had quite literally caught and broken her.
Spitting out the dangling form, Goliath held his fallen prey high for the audience to see.
"RAAAAAAAAAAAWWWWWRRRR!"
"YEEEEEEEES! Just like that ladies and gents we have a winner! Goliath is still undefeated! Razor put up a decent fight but she just couldn't compete with the Titan of the Arena!" The whole crowd was going nuts at this point. Cheers of those to leave in victory and wails from the losers.
Goliath didn't care, this was a decent fight. Hopefully the betting had been good. Hyde always felt more generous if he had a fat wallet. It would be nice to feel some of the itch of hunger lessen.
Looking down to the fallen critter that had cut him up, Goliath turned it over to get a better look. Holding Razor now, she felt so light. Though honestly that was probably because he was so big. Still it was so odd to have something so small put up such a fight. Where had this thing come from?
It looked like it was human. The skin was a little odd, now that he got a closer look. A dark greyish blue made up the skin tone of the fallen beast. Something caught his eye however. One of the sleeves had been torn and he could see a bit of exposed forearm. Manipulating the tear he got a better look at a tattoo. It was hard to see, hidden behind the odd dark skin tone. But as he peered harder it became clearer.
His breath quickened, palms feeling slick as sweat began to rise in fear. The tattoo, it couldn't be. But it was, it was hers. He knew it too well, tracing it between the bars of that cell so long ago.
A phoenix rising from ashes, its beak grinning.
Goliath shook as his eyes lead up to the face hidden beneath the fringe of pink hair. Hair now so familiar. A large clawed digit reached with extreme care to move the fringe. He prayed to whatever god would listen that this wasn't her. That it was someone else. That this was just someone or something that had the same mark.
It wasn't. There she was. Older, gaunter, but still recognizable. Goliath sank to his knees in despair.
"No… no.. no, nonono! SERRA!"
"Rrarararaaaaaaaaaa!" The wail that loosed from Goliath's jaws was one that not even Hyde had heard in the past. Sorrow, rage, despair. To see a beast like that cry was so utterly alien that a number of people left the arena. Disturbed by the very sight.
Goliath looked down at the limp form. He brought her close to his face, rubbing his cheek against her. Hoping that maybe just maybe that he hadn't killed her.
"Please, please don't be dead. I'm sorry, I'm sorry Serra! Please be alive. I didn't mean to hurt you. I didn't know. I never would have hurt you." Tears pooled down dripping to the floor.
"But you did, didn't you?" Goliath's eyes snapped open.
Where once there had been exposed grey matter, now a full set of pink hair tied in pig tails fell upon his gaze. The dark blue skin tone was now that of an average, if not a little pale young woman. Gone were the bone protrusions breaking from the skin. It was Serra whole once more.
"Maybe you didn't mean to but you did. I'm dead now."
"No, no I swear I would never hurt you! I wouldn't have made it without you!" Serra's eyes closed and she smiled at him.
"It doesn't really matter now does it? I'm dead because of you. You killed me. I thought we said we were brother and sister. But what kind of little brother kills their sister! Why would you kill me Izuku?" Gone was the arena, gone were the audiences, gone was Goliath. Now in his place stood Izuku Midoriya reaching out for the taller girl in front of him. Tears pouring down his face.
Serra leapt away from the verdant haired boy. Her voice took a sharp edge and she all but hissed at him.
"Don't touch me with your filthy hands! I don't want blood all over me." Confused Izuku looked down to his palms. Only to see them stained crimson.
"Aah!" Izuku tried to wipe hands on the dirt but there was none to be found. The arena ground was gone and in its place was a dark red floor.
Still he tried to wipe his hands clean. Rubbing them futilely against the floor. Drawing them back, they weren't just stained now. They were positively dripping blood to the ground. A steady plop sound filled the air as the life essence fell.
"See Izuku. You're a monster, you'll never be able to clean that blood off your hands. And it's not just my blood. How many others died to sate your savagery? Shall we count them?"
Izuku almost lost his footing for a moment as he began to sink. The ground beneath him turning viscous. All around him faces and limbs began to rise. He recognized them all. Beasts, madmen, and the occasional unfortunate souls that had all been thrown into the pit with him. Just like him they had been given a choice, fight or die.
These were not whole forms though, these were the aftermaths. The remains of his victories and their defeats. Limbs missing, faces shredded, some even twisted into ghastly shapes. Serra was nowhere to be seen, in her place Razor stood once more. Still that voice that had sung him to sleep what seemed so long ago, now spat from the fiend's lips.
"Few of us had a choice in facing you. Yet that garnered us no mercy did it? We were all prey to you. All cut down for your amusement." Izuku was struggling. The ground was becoming more and more unsolid as he began to try and keep his head above the crimson floor. The smell of it all hit him and he began to panic, blood. All around him. But the words that filtered into his ears cut deep, spewed as they were by the voice of someone that had sung him to sleep with those same lips.
"NO! No that's not true! I only fought to survive! I would have never hurt any of you willingly! When I didn't fight they would hurt us both until we did. I didn't want to die." Razor sneered at him her broken digits stabbing the air.
"Well congratulations, you survived. Now you can sleep soundly can't you? But no; you can't, because we won't let you. Why should you get to rest soundly while none of us can even rest in the afterlife? You want to believe you're innocent, that you had no choice. But you're so soaked in blood you're drowning in it, Izuku."
Izuku was having to tread now to keep his head above the crimson substance. His clothes thoroughly soaked red, his hair had started to take on the sanguine color at their tips. He cried into the void, looking up to Razor and the many victims of Goliath. All stood on the surface, not a ripple to be seen.
"What can I do? What do I do? Tell me how I can help you!" Razor's sneer relented and she stared pityingly at him for a moment before parting her pink fringe with one of her claws. Green gazed straight into green, one pair dead to all but rage and the other desperate for salvation. Her spare hand reached down to cup his chin.
"Don't let them get away with this. Make them suffer! Call it justice if you want but do not let these crimes go unanswered! Until then you will suffer." The hand beneath his chin moved to his cheek caressing it softly. Then in a swift motion it moved to his head and plunged him beneath the red pool.
Flailing he tried to surface once more, but it was gone. He swam kicking towards what he could only hope to be the surface. His legs tired and sore and his chest was already burning. He couldn't make it, involuntarily he gasped and the blood poured into his lungs.
"no … no… I'm sorry.."
Xxx
Waking in a cold sweat, the phantom taste of blood in his mouth, Izuku burst from his bed to head to the bathroom. His hand clasped against his mouth as the bile was already filling his cheeks. Entering his bathroom he made it to the toilet and retched. The tightening of his guts and the vivid nightmare brought tears to his eyes.
"*cough* I'm so sorry Serra." He sniffled a bit but only served to make his situation worse. Groaning he leant back towards the porcelain ring. A voice caught him off guard.
"Izuku, baby are you alright?" Inko stood at the doorway looking down at her son. The years of searching for her missing son had not been kind. She was too thin, her face gaunt, with crow's eyes, and grey hairs spread throughout the green.
One more thing he was responsible for.
"I'm fine mom. I promise. But could I maybe have some tea? I just need something to help settle my stomach." She searched his face for moment before giving a small tired smile.
"Of course. But if you're still not feeling well tomorrow I want you to call out of your lessons alright?" Izuku nodded in response and his mother made her way downstairs towards the kitchen.
Honestly the tea was an excuse. Sure he'd sip at it but Izuku knew his mother craved some way to help him. She felt like she had failed him somehow. Like those seven years of hell were her fault. He never blamed her though. How could he? She was the only one that kept searching. When everyone else wrote him off. When his father arranged for a funeral. When the heroes all told her that she should accept the reality of it. Inko had kept looking. Digging through every video, every crime report, every sighting of green haired children. She was the only true hero he had ever known.
Standing up and wiping his mouth, Izuku made his way over to the sink to rinse out the crud. Looking in the mirror he spied the three small lines that scarred across his left eye. His mother had never asked why he had them. In all honesty he shouldn't have any scars. Any damage done to Goliath would not have transferred to him. But Izuku had refused to let them go. He had forced those injuries from Goliath to himself. He would never forget that night. He would never forget Serra.
Brushing his teeth he recollected on what had brought him here.
Xxx
Snatched up at five, Izuku had been a guinea pig for a bunch of sickos. His memories of that time were hazy and he refused to dwell on them. The only thing that came close to being pleasant about those months had been Serra. And that was just another reason not to dwell on that year and a half. Constant invasive procedures, pain that broke him time and time again, and no relief was given. No mercy was to be found.
They had been trying to create a monster. Something that could retrieve quirks and bring them back to the man in the suit known only as Master. The doctor that worked on him the most, whom Serra had dubbed Quack, had only ever called his superior that. Adaptive, resilient, and able to recover from immense amounts of damage these were the traits they hoped to instill in Izuku. In that year and a half he had been there Izuku was never made aware of why he had been chosen.
After all that time Izuku had not developed the attributes they had been looking for. His suffering and their painful work, had been for naught. The Quack had thought to terminate him, but the Master had stopped him. Master had made arrangements for Izuku to be gifted to an organization that the man had fostered relations with. Looking back on it, Izuku wondered if the man knew what would happen.
A woman named Val had taken him from that awful place. For a moment he had wondered if this was what an angel looked like. She was undeniably beautiful with her red hair, blue eyes, and full lips. She had looked like a movie star from tv. Izuku had learned an important lesson that day. Beauty was often skin deep.
Val had taken him out of hell and thrown him into Lotus. And Hyde had been there waiting with open arms and that maniacal grin stretched from ear to ear. Lead to a line of other children, Izuku had thought that Hyde was funny at first. Joking about the monsters they would get to play with and the punishment they would face if they disobeyed. Honestly, melting someone's face off? The way he had said it even made some of the children laugh. That was a mistake. As was proven a moment later when Hyde made good on his word and there was one less child standing in line.
There truly were nothing but monsters in Lotus. No humans called this place home. Everything and everyone fell into one of two categories. Predator or prey. They had traveled all over the world. Bringing the show to the underworlds on almost every continent. Each location owned by The Arm featured a large office building located in an urban center. Beneath the building would always be an enormous bunker. It was the bunker that Lotus and its residents called home. The arena brought in people from every sleaze hole imaginable. The fights serving as a no man's land that allowed for individuals to meet on neutral ground for business.
The Arm was a criminal organization that ran Lotus amongst a number other ventures. Val, Hyde, and Jack were all well-established high ranking members. Izuku had rarely seen Val after their initial meeting; and in all his years with Lotus had only heard the names of other members.
The children had a number of duties. Cleaning the arena, the cages, and the beasts. Serving the patrons drinks and meals, or worse. Those that proved intelligent and loyal to the Arm might be allowed to complete tasks outside. Those that proved trouble makers were used as baiters.
In this world of shady deals and madmen, Izuku found himself doing all he could to stay out of trouble. Quiet and polite to a fault, Izuku had managed to become a favorite of Jack and Hyde. Jack had been a weapon's designer for The Arm. He seemed rather young to be doing the work he was and so long as you didn't upset him, he was far more stable than Hyde. The smarter children learned quickly that if you wanted to last in Lotus, that Jack was who you wanted to work for. Unless you pissed him off, then you were better off with Hyde. Hyde might kill you and hell it would be brutal as fuck, but Jack would draw it out. Over days, if not longer. Jack liked living targets for his weapon demonstrations.
Izuku's luck ran out after six months on his first task outside of Lotus. A mix up occurred with the package he was to deliver. The outcome of said mix up ended with the rather bloody demise of several clients, and a big mess inside Lotus itself. Izuku had his suspicions as to how that had come about but couldn't confirm anything. After the following night it would become impossible for Izuku to do anything that involved much outside of his cage.
He had been thrown into the pit as a baiter. Jack had shot him in the leg and he had hobbled as fast as he could. Trying desperately to make it to the small exit allowed to the baiters. But the large beast behind him with its spiked tail and catlike form had caught him. Batting him around, bloodying him for pleasure; Izuku was sure he was going to die.
His salvation had come, as the suffering he had endured as a lab rat paid off. The blood falling from his wounds had coalesced into spikes that had sprung in every direction to pierce the beast's body and brain. Receding back to his shaking form, the blood had shaped itself to his body. A dense, chitinous, carmine armor left behind as it settled. His hands now armed with barbed, clawed, gauntlets. The onlookers, including Jack and Hyde, had been stunned.
That had marked the day that would define the rest of his time with Lotus. No longer was he prey. That day Izuku became the predator. He would be forced to participate in battle after battle. His abilities tending to end in rather brutal victories, quickly made him into a fan favorite and that had been before his first chrysalis.
Two years into his time in the pit Izuku had grown so much armor on himself that it was beginning to become difficult to maneuver. Then the hunger had settled in, gnawing deep into his gut. He had consumed all that been provided to him and left still starving. Then after his next fight he had gone mad. A large bipedal reptilian animal met its doom, beaten to a bloody pulp. The chitinous armor had then dissolved into a black ooze and absorbed the downed beast whole. Adding the creature's mass to its own, the ooze had enveloped Izuku. Falling into its embrace, the boy slept soundly for the first time in weeks. Left in his place on the arena floor was a large black egg.
One week later and Goliath was born to the world. The creature was rage incarnate. Nothing could get close without being torn apart and devoured. For near a month the creature was inconsolable. Every fight a massacre, growing larger after each consumed prey, and every day filled with its roars. Jack and Hyde had to intervene a number of times to put the creature in its place.
After that month Izuku had awoken to see the world with new eyes. At first panic had seeped into his veins. He could not fathom what had happened. Trapped as he was inside this alien form. The memories trickling into his head from the past month were quickly cut off as his brutal actions filled him with disgust. With a little practice the boy found that he and the monster could separate. The odd sensation of slipping through viscous flesh, dark tendrils snapping off his body, was disconcerting to say the least.
Merging back had been just as disturbing, but Izuku found he was more comfortable hidden behind the thick hide and slabs of muscles. The power that Goliath held was addictive and Izuku fought with all he had. It was wonderful to have some semblance of control back in his life.
A year without change filled Izuku with some semblance of pride in his continued victories, even as the guilt of his actions weighed on his soul. A great many discoveries were made during that time in regards to the various abilities he held. Everything the Quack had been hoping to accomplish had come to pass and more.
The quirk wasn't just adaptive it was positively rampant in its need to evolve. Any damage sustained left Izuku that much more resilient to that particular type of injury in the future. On top of this Izuku and Goliath both recovered from any wounds at a prodigious rate.
Izuku's most delightful find had been made when he had decided to sleep outside of Goliath. He had been awoken the following morning by an enormous snout nudging his head. Scrambling like a madman Izuku had slammed into the wall hard enough to dent the concrete. Separated from Goliath for long enough the shell would take on a life of its own. Fiercely protective of Izuku, the shell acted like a faithful hound.
The last discovery had not been a pleasant one. The true purpose for which Izuku had been afflicted with this power, had been to bring new quirks to the Master. Izuku had never quite understood how that would work. Not until the first time he had breathed fire as Goliath. It had shocked him afterwards and it took some serious consideration to recollect exactly where that had come from. A large canine beast had been consumed by Goliath during the month Izuku had slept. The same flames had spewed from its maw. Any thoughts about having any quirk he wished were quickly abandoned. The full consumption of anything in that manner was just too grisly for him to consider. On top of that only Goliath could use the ability. Jack had taken great delight in laughing at him when he caught Izuku huffing and puffing at a wall.
Rage and ruin, Goliath was king of the arena. If this was to be his life then so be it. He'd do his best to make peace with it. Then Razor had come and Izuku was left a wreck.
Goliath would continue to reign in the arena. But no longer was there any pride in his actions. Once there was flair in his fights, now all combat in the arena was clinical to an extreme. Similar creatures to the fiend that Razor had been; appeared intermittently, grey matter exposed to the world. With every one, Izuku had tried to reason with them. To make them see he didn't want to fight them. But it always proved futile. The beings were too strong to take lightly and Izuku was unable to hold back for long.
Two years of displeasing the spectators later, a miracle occurred. A bust, in which the Lotus den Izuku was located in saw the whole place brought down by an extraordinarily lucky hero agency. Jack and Hyde both escaped but many of the criminals there that night were put behind bars.
The children had all been rounded up and were set to be returned to their families or placed within foster homes. Izuku meanwhile had been something of a quandary for the heroes. Izuku was one thing but the large beast was terrifying. To let something like that just walk through the city was bound to cause a ruckus.
Izuku was completely unwilling to leave without his faithful shell. Going so far as to merge with Goliath and obstinately stay in his cage. The heroes had been at a loss of what to do. Izuku had thought the lot of them idiots. But eventually they caved and Izuku and Goliath had been ushered into the sun for the first time.
Heroes, what a joke. The first few years of his captivity, Izuku knew, just knew that a hero would come to save him. Every day he'd known that All Might would come to save him. Throughout all the torturous experiments, and all his time with the Master and the Quack, Izuku had held out hope. Then Lotus had worn him down. Izuku had spent so much time dealing with the dregs of society, seeing the depths of human cruelty, and being subjected to horrors that no one, much less a child should endure. Seeing corrupt officials, law enforcement, and even heroes walk Lotus' den had been the nail in the coffin. Any faith in the goodness of mankind had been completely eroded.
That had been the first thing that Izuku had revealed upon his questioning. Sitting in Goliath's lap the twelve year old; had at the time been vindictively amused at the heroes horror struck expressions when he had gone over the details of his captivity. At least they had the decency to look aggrieved at the mention of corruption amongst the hero ranks.
Perhaps most shocking had been the revelation of the two heads of Lotus. Jack Arthur Lennox and Henry Edward Hyde were both established and popular sidekicks of big name agencies. Hyde had actually been a part of the international branch of Japan's number two hero Endeavor's agency. To think that people so well respected could be criminals in disguise filled the whole team questioning Izuku with dread. The only thing Izuku had left out was his time before Lotus, allowing the team to make their own assumptions.
After the initial interviews had been completed Izuku and Goliath had been shipped back to Japan. He had been interested to learn that his current location had actually been Italy. The trip was uneventful and only Izuku's anxious thoughts gave him any concern. He had no idea what would be awaiting him there.
His fears were not completely unfounded. When he arrived it had been disheartening, but unsurprising, to learn that he had been declared dead years ago. What had stunned him was his mother waiting for him at the docks. She had changed, her appearance looking worse for wear. But it was still her, rushing up manically to sweep him up in her arms, tears pouring down her face as she smothered him. Momentarily stunned for a moment, Izuku broke down and squeezed his mother close. The feeling of being held, almost forgotten, completely overwhelmed him.
Goliath had unfortunately come up behind them and scared the poor woman so bad that Izuku had to keep her from falling into the water. The big shell had seemed curious about everything on their way to Japan and was very docile. Unless it felt as though Izuku was in danger, the lumbering oaf was merely inquisitive about the world around it.
They had barely made it into the city before they were stopped by an unexpected source. Endeavor stood before them, arms crossed and asked a moment of their time. The wording may have been a request but the tone made it clear the man was not going to accept a no. The way he eyed Goliath was making Izuku uncomfortable. But this man was one of the most powerful heroes in the world. Turning him down would probably not be in Izuku's best interests.
Endeavor had taken the lot of them to his home. There he had gone over his imposed silence of the team that had caught Lotus. Despite the Midoriyas' outrage Endeavor had covered his reasoning thoroughly. Citing a party in the government that would love nothing more than to emplace to new policies and regulations in order to restrict the movements of heroes further. The panic and distrust that might spread amongst the populace if the knowledge of rogue heroes was released would only serve to help villains like those in Lotus stay free. What was left unsaid were the repercussions that Endeavor and his agency might face if word of one of his sidekicks going rogue managed to leak to the press.
A contract had been placed before the Midoriyas. If Izuku signed it, he would face heavy penalties for telling anyone about Hyde or his involvement with Lotus. Izuku had been all set to have Goliath torch the thing, until Endeavor pointed out the compensations he was prepared to make. Inko had driven everyone in her life away with her hunt for Izuku and had managed to rack up some serious debt in her pursuit. Endeavor had pointed out that with his resources he could see all of that vanish.
Pointing to a house nearby to his own estate the man made it clear that they would want for nothing. Izuku hadn't thought hard about the offer, having his mother's situation laid out like that had made it clear for him. It was hush money plain and simple but his time in Lotus had taught him to take any advantage he could get.
Finally Endeavor had added a deal breaker. Goliath would have to go. He had arranged for him to be contained in a nearby facility where he could be studied to better help Izuku control his quirk. But keeping Goliath with him would be a clear violation of the law. Quirks were not to be displayed in public and there was no hiding Goliath.
Izuku had not taken this ultimatum well. His feelings towards any sort of lab work were strong to say the least. No he wouldn't let Goliath be prodded and dissected. With sorrow in his eyes and working on instinct he walked up to his faithful shield and only friend for the past five years. Placing his hand on the beast's chest, Goliath sensed what was coming and crooned sadly, lowering its great head. Izuku reached for the essence of Goliath and pulled, tendrils of black and red ooze veined their way up his hand and into his arm. He felt that core, the blueprints of what made Goliath, enter back into himself.
Then with head bowed to its creator, Goliath fell to dust.
Endeavor had looked exasperated with the whole thing. Izuku was pretty sure if the man had been anyone else he would have rolled his eyes. But with that problem solved Izuku had signed the contract and plans were made.
Xxx
Now a year later Izuku stared into the mirror and sighed.
"Gods, but I am really messed up."
Rinsing his mouth once more for good measure Izuku went to the window overlooking their backyard. This past year had been a doozy. Izuku wasn't a lost cause academically. He was quite intelligent and was desperate to catch up to peers his own age. Occasionally Endeavor would call over Izuku and his mother to hear a progress report on their goings on.
"As if he's checking on some show animal."
At one point the man had asked what Izuku planned to do with his life. To which Izuku had not even pretended to deliberate. The nightmares would not leave him and the crimes that Lotus and The Arm committed still haunted him. He would hunt them and put all of them down. Left unsaid was that when he was finished with them, Izuku meant to find the Quack and his Master. What they'd done to him was monstrous but for Serra, Izuku would stain his hands once more.
Endeavor had apparently been anticipating such a response. He informed Izuku that his agency had taken over that case. That hunting them down on his own would make Izuku a vigilante and interfering with an investigation being conducted by a recognized hero agency would see Izuku behind bars. With that nasty smug grin, Endeavor informed Izuku that in order to hunt down his past captors he would have to become a hero and join his agency.
Izuku realized he'd been played. But there wasn't much he could do. Endeavor held all the cards. So he would just have to play along.
At least he had company in the misery that was Endeavor's machinations. Shoto was a quiet boy but that suited Izuku just fine. His own social skills weren't exactly stellar. But the two were on good terms and often spent time helping each other improve their skills.
Fuyumi was exceptionally kind to him, always asking if he needed anything when he came over. She had formed some strange obsession with his hair and would often run her hands through his curls.
Izuku chuckled thinking about the older girl's antics. This past year had been a dream come true. There were times Izuku was worried he'd wake up and be right back in his cage.
Staring at the backyard Izuku was reminded of the nightmares that plagued him. He was still a ways off from being able to accomplish his goals but he had begun his efforts in order to reach that point. And not just in his studies.
Under the soil in the yard below, five chrysalis lay growing. Drawing in nutrients from the soil, vegetation, and sun above. This method would take far more time than what he had accomplished with his original Goliath in the pit. He had been planting various flowers and vegetables on top of them. They didn't last long but they provided proper nutrients to the beasts within so that they might grow to enormous size.
Imbued with forms and quirks gained during the month of free reign Goliath had so long ago. Izuku could not wait to see what they would be like when they hatched.
Someday they would help him wreak vengeance on all who had wronged him. All who had seen him forced into staining himself crimson. Flexing his arm, Izuku watched the chitinous armor and claws overtake his flesh.
"The Quack, The Master, Val, Hyde, Jack, and all the rest of The Arm. I'm coming for you. Soon I won't be the only one to drown in his sins."
A/N: So there you have it. I wanted to do something darker than what I'm doing with Repel and Attract. There will be a number of flashbacks in this fic to give more depth and context to the suffering that Izuku faced. But this is the first chapter and I wanted you to have some idea of what you're dealing with.
It's not quite villain Deku but it could have easily gone down that route. Also no one on here is an OC. They're all either characters from My Hero Academia or Evolve.
Just to reiterate, I have not abandoned nor am I placing Repel and Attract on hold. So don't worry about it.
Hope y'all enjoyed the chapter and I'll see you next time.
