Chapter 1: The Clever Start of Mori Daiki
Common sense tells us that before anything can get good it has to be bad first. Surely this was the case for this superhero world we live in. Thanks to the appearance of All Might we now live in a world with a diminished crime rates and a notable lack of large scale villain attacks. As stated before this was not always the case.
In the years when Nana Shimura was searching for a protogé. Japan was suffering. Indeed the world was suffering. A year and a half previous Japan had lost her Number 1 hero, Electrum. Shortly after that the number three hero, Bitter-Sight, was found guilty of several charges of murder and rape. Pro heroes would return home from patrolling to death messages or thorny roses on their beds, and thus no longer did they patrol.
Electrum was a kind enthusiastic man. His power and light gave protection to the innocent and sent the shadows away. He was as accountable as the sun and just as comforting. Also like the sun he gave confidence to the mothers that children were safe to play on the streets and that nothing evil would have the guts step out into the light. The fact he was all these things only deepened the void in the world.
And so the warm fear filled night was perfect for a certain vigilante. Heroes, officers, and citizens alike would be cowering, waiting for the night to fall. Villains and common crooks emboldened by the fear of the people would be stepping out into the moonlight. Their mistake. Thought the porcelain masked vigilante, as he hanged from a perch about 10 meter above them.
The vigilante (that the villain community called "Vigil Mask" or "Mask Bastard" or "Holy Shit! Why are we on the ground?") studied the trio as they made their way to a security company. From his investigations, it would seem that they were planning on stealing a armoured truck for a drug trafficking operation. Key word is "were".
Two of them were regular looking in the least. While the third was a wiry fellow who had too much height and not enough width. The Mask dropped silently to the ground, his pea coat billowing in a satisfying way, and he stalked towards them.
"Oh man, is it quiet or what?" Stated one of the thugs stated as if that wasn't the most obvious thing in the world. Mask singled him out as the least intelligent and thereby the most vulnerable to fear.
"Shut it and get the job done." growled the spindly one. Which would've been threatening had he not had the voice of a young girl. Regardless the stupid one snapped his fingers and created an arc of heat which he used to cut into the metal of the door of .
Mask was right behind the thug he had decided to call Stretch. If Stretch had a normal anatomy he would've simply hit a couple pressure points and the job would be done. Unfortunately for the mutant villain instead of a couple pin pricks he would have to feel 75000 volts of electricity coursing through his body. Stretch's muscles tensed and then went numb. He fell to the ground with a soft grunt and a soft thud.
The other two spun around at the sign of trouble. Unfortunately for welding villain, trouble was in the form of a devastating kick to the stomach. The thug doubled over and spewed out his dinner. In another moment Vigil Mask had rolled right in front of the last crook and prepared a nasty uppercut. A fleshy tentacle shot out forcing Mask to back away from his opportunity.
Had Stretch been a normal human the voltage would've been enough to stun a human for enough of a duration long enough to get the job done. More than likely Stretch's elongated body stopped the electricity short of the spinal column. How unfortunate for him.
Before either of the villains could take advantage of the situation Mask threw the stupor packet at the closest thug and rolled towards Stretch. The magnesium and potassium nitrate mixed and detonated beneath the crook blinding and stunning him. Stretch had no time to look away. His dark accustomed eyes tightened at the sudden appearance of the light. This made him incapable of escaping the light green fog that wafted into his mouth and nose. He then received a powerful elbow to the stomach making him breathe in even more of the pleasant smelling sleeping gas.
Without forgetting his other opponent Mask threw a ball towards the villain he flashbanged. The ball expanded into a net which grappled the thug to the ground. Wonderfully he hit his head on the ground and knocked himself out.
The arc welding villain shakily stood up and felt a hard tug on his collar and was weightless for what felt like a half of a second until he was thrown onto a tarred roof. He then felt 3 pin pricks on the left side of his lower back. His body suddenly felt like a ragdoll.
"So, What comes first information, or your fingers breaking? Came a gravelly voice. Hoshi's eyes strained to look at the mask from where the voice came from. He immediately regretted it. It had been hard to properly see the mask while in the skirmish, but now after seeing it in person he was glad he hadn't. The obscure markings strewn across the mass seemed primal invoking a sense of fear much like a nightmare.
"Please I'll tell ya anything, I'm the biggest coward ya'll ever know! Just please don't hurt me."
"Stealing an armoured van isn't the main crime being perpetrated tonight is it?"
"No, a shipment of Methatill coming into a port near Korahann park."
"You know vehicular burglary seems a little flashy for man as yourself." Noted the mask. "The man who paid you, who is he?"
"It's Dosen, Boss Dosen" The poor crook sobbed out "He has a warehouse that's receiving a thousand kilos of Methatill."
Mask clicked his tongue in annoyance both at the crook who repeated useless information and at the fact that much Methatill would be coming into the area. The drug was what occurred when the common quirk "Stiller" messed around with methamphetamines. Making the already dangerous drug that much more potent.
"When?" cut the voice.
Hoshi flinched "It should be there all night, leaves at dawn in three trucks that a shipping company gave us."
Mask nodded, "Any idea how many men should be guarding this warehouse of yours?"
"Can't be any less than thirty." Hoshi guessed .
"I see, sounds like a half fair matchup." The Mask mused as he stepped away.
"Wait, What about me?" Called Hoshi.
A second later he got the answer of " Opps I forgot." A second after that he felt weightless, as a cord appeared out of nowhere. His weight returned as the elastic of the cord returned to its shape. Said cord was holding him in the air. A card floated by Hoshi grabbed it and read."Thank you for your hard work, the police are on their way, hang in there."
Sincerely, Vigil Mask
Hoshi broke into a sobbing laugh, because the mask had a terrifying sense of humor.
The mask was already halfway to the area. 'Hoshi had been relatively useful.' He thought as he grappled from rooftop to rooftop. He made a mental note to ensure that he'd find a job. His welding quirk would be useful in a manufacturing plant. After all he was more than likely just a desperate man. The best way of getting rid of desperation is a job.
Now it should come as no surprise that all the gadgets that Mask has shown (and the many more in his arsenal) cost a large sum of money to manufacture and maintain. Unknown to all except a select few. The identity of the Vigil Mask was the young Trillionare: Mori Daiki.
'A surprise to every cop, crook, and citizen.' Thought Mask. He could see the harbor now. He scanned the nearby city from a tall building.
Ironically it was possible that Mask would missed the warehouse had they not place sentries. Mask almost wanted retract his previous statement about Hoshi. A warehouse near Torihama park; a needle in a haystack. But obviously it was the one with 4 gangsters with guns pacing around it. It would seem that Boss Dosen wasn't much more intelligent than poor Hoshi.
It was painfully easy to defeat the guards. They mostly walked around the building staring straight forward. Only once a while they would skim the area around them. The first two received a pinch on specific nerves knocking them out. Mask set them amongst the trash bags. The third one was choked by Mask's night stick. The fourth one actually caught him unawares, but the second he saw the Mask he froze up. His mouth agape. Idly, Mask noted that the man had no tongue. (Seriously what's the point of a mute sentry.) The poor man never stood a chance.
There was several windows open, because of course there was. Mask snuck into one of the said windows. Onto a catwalk. Mask quickly scurried to a rafter. Not that he needed to. A quick look through his Omniscope confirmed that all except two were in the middle of the floor celebrating their luck and how they were going to be rich.
A total of thirty eight, not including the two in the office. Five of them were larger life forms. Two more were mutants. Judging by the fire they were belching two flame based fighters. The rest had unidentifiable quirks. A weapon depot thirty meters away. Two had pistols, and there were several crates, perfect for smashing bad guys heads into.
"What do you think Christabelle?" Mask muttered silently into his coat collar.
The Computer responded instantly "Best course of action is to start with two cloud cards at your 10 o'clock and 2 o'clock position a glacier at the 3:30 position to cut off escape. To start off your attack you ought to strike from above amplified by a photonic blast. Then at the area 4 meters from loading area fire another photonic blast. These first moves should incapacitate seventeen including three of the larger figures. Not to mention set up 75% of the area in a smokescreen.
Mask nodded he had however come up with a much different plan before asking Christabelle. "Any notable characters in the crowd."
"I recognize Barry and Jerry Dobi also known as the 'Burnstein Brothers' wanted for grand arsonsy and the murder of forty-two." Unseen one of Mask's eyebrows twitched at the "Witty" name. "Quirks: Flaming Side. A simple fire quirk. Priority: Medium."
"Then Ludi Kris, a serial killer, self proclaimed prophet of Scientology, and an offender of public exposure. Quirk: Insane Steel. Enables the user to control blades. Priority: High."
"Thank you, Christabelle."
"Absolutely sir, If I may remind you that your day tomorrow is scheduled to be moderately busy. You are already incapable of receiving the recommended seven and and half hours of sleep necessary for optimal health."
"Dearly noted and half ignored." The Mask muttered. Then in a louder voice called."This is Vigil Mask, drop to the ground, surrender now,and face the jurisdiction of the law. Otherwise prepare for a world of hurt." With that he tossed his smokescreen.
It may seem a detriment to get rid of a element of surprise so quickly, but for a name like Vigil Mask these words can clear the opposition faster than any other strike. The heat based lenses in his mask indicated that two thirds of the group laid down like they were told.
However this was just the beginning. The phantom like character swung to some scaffolding. He then tossed another ball into the fog. This ball contained a hundred darts, each one with a toxin that locked ligaments and dulled nerves. The toxin had a weak aspect to it; it had to spread quickly and evenly making it quite useless against standing opponents. But say a person was sitting or even laying down that was a different deal altogether.
So at this point the Mask had a foggy field filled with human rocks. While the thugs had each other I suppose.
A good start. Now business as usual.
A couple of the thugs had done the relatively smart move of grouping up. Unfortunately the vigilante that they were against thought that the man in the middle looked a little too safe. Thus that same man felt a hard tug and was pulled into devil knows where. Needless to say the group didn't feel safe anymore.
Mask pulled out his nightstick and quickly jabbed two nearby thugs stomachs and dislocated the the shoulder of a third. A giant fist swerved over him. That same fist and the arm attached became a lever for Mask to use against the body attached to the arm. The pathetic giant who had hoped to take off the head of the man who had ruined his celebration instead found himself on the floor dazed. Perhaps that was for the best.
An immense heat began to form behind Mask. One of the brothers of the heat saw a crate hurtled at a him. He in a very quick fashion hugged the floor very very hard.
The other brother was not so fortunate receiving and inevitable kick to the solar plexus. A hardened leather boot to the side of the head loosened Barry's grip on the ground but gravity kept him there nonetheless.
The wiser two of the group made the correct decision of running away from the dreadful fog where kicks and punches were abundant. However as soon as they touched the exit light and sound exploded into existence. The two now blind and deaf people staggered into each other.
When the flashbang detonated those who were conscious looked at the source and thus were also blinded. Excluding the one that expected it of course.
Due to the distraction Mask was capable of dropping five more in rapid succession. One with a uppercut, four with a series of jabs, and a final one with a well placed.
In the wide majority of the fights that Mask had been in he had always expected things to go wrong: a foot slipping, being detected early, a tricky quirk, a lucky strike, a undetected enemy, anything. 'But this, this was a slaughter' thought Mask disgusted. Judging by the fact that the lean figure was the only standing it was an agent of chaos versus an agent of order.
"Mr. Kris, you are alone and out gunned by an impossible margin. I'll only state this once. Surrender or face the consequences."
Ludi let out an insane cackle at least he started to. Unfortunately for his madman persona he inhaled some the fog and went into a coughing fit . " I think we both know the answer to that." He called out in German.
A blade shot out of the mist several meters away from the vigilante. A cry rang out nearby. This time the knife came much more close. Undeterred the small quiet brawler stalked towards the madman.
A strangled sound came from his right. Mask stopped to check on the murder victim. Two defined intestinal wounds, people had died from less and he'd bled out quite abit. Regardless it hardly took 15 seconds for the hero to whip out a blood congestion pill and a compression bandage.
The wounded man groaned in a way only a wounded man can. Like clockwork a killer blade shot out. At least it would've been a killer blade had Mask not blocked it with a metal arm resounding in a clang.
" You want to know why I kill?" Called the serial killer in a serial killer way
"Not particularly, no." The vigilante muttered..Clang! Clang! Two blades were deflected by a nightstick.
"Because of those damn masks" the words we practically spat out.
'Oh my is this a monologue.' Thought the Mask behind the serial killer. "Masks? What are a fan?"He threw his voice behind a crate. The two blades chopped the wood to match sticks.
"The fact you have to act like you enjoy being around people"
'Wow what a loser.' thought the man behind the mask.
"That's why I'll have bring forth a new wor-gah!" He would've without a doubt gone on for another two pages, but we have better things to write about than that one shot character.
Now as the smoke cleared a thought ran through the mind of our protagonist 'Who the hell puts a serial killer in a drug arc?'
Some of the thoughts going through you the readers mind might be 'You name dropped back there.' And you're right but the better question is ; Where are the final two fighters?
Even before he found out that Dosen was flat out drunk. Mask was under the assumption that Dosen wasn't a capable leader. After all sending three guys To steal a van when two brothers who could and would distract much better is enough to prove him an idiot counting his drugs before they ship that was .
So when the Mask opened the door to see a fat bull man and a skinny bookkeeper both drunk out of their minds he simply called in the police, and grappled off.
That's until he was promptly kicked by the jet hero Grand Torino.
Vigil Mask crashed onto the gravel roof. Torino and a tall female landing softly. The girl looked familiar maybe a B-list hero or something like that.
"Vigil Mask, I presume." Called the B- list.
"Nah, I was just at a costume party" groaned the vigilante. He felt handcuffs click into position around his wrist.
"You are under arrest for charges: of disturbing the peace,"
"Oh, is that what they call keeping the peace. I was so confused."
"Illegal quirk usage,"
"Check that. I don't use my quirk when out and about, makes me glow and such."
"Causing bodily harm to other citizens"
"I prefer to think of it as boosting the number of health care employees."
"Vigilantism"
"What! Me, a vigilante!" Mocked the vigilante.
"And finally violence in the eyes of the public." The two looked at him.
"I actually don't have anything for that. It's pretty accurate."
The jet hero broke the silence "Point is, that we're willing to let you go. In exchan-"
"Let me stop you right there. I don't do exchange, because it reminds me of the B-word. And I don't like the B-word."
"Mister Mask, please understand we're hunting down the man behind all of the corruption, and we need your help." The woman pleaded
The masked man chuckled darkly. " The man behind it all. Well that's ambitious, now let's say that you do defeat this big bad how long until another takes his place."
"Are you saying that everything we do is for not."
"No, the fact is that right now the world has nothing to have hope in, and so it's only natural that man gives into fear and thus evil."
The speedy hero took a moment to stare."That's a depressing way to look at our situation."
"Well actually what I'm saying is that I am more than willing to hunt down this monster, but now's not the time." Nana wouldn't have admitted it but I saw it in their eyes. Hope. "But you know,the real depressing thing is that you obviously thought that I couldn't get out of these handcuffs."
They looked up in time to see a figure swinging into the night.
Grand Torino looked to the All for One user " That kid you've been training you think he's ready."
She allowed a smile. "He already has talent and the true heart of a hero. He'll do fine tomorrow I know it."
A large looming figure sat in a huge looming chair in a dark office. Thanks to Dosen the heist had gone off without a problem.
"This Vigil Mask he's an endangerment." A deep voice came from a equally deep chest.
"What's this the Arbitrator afraid of a criminal." Malice came from the phone on the teakwood desk.
"As if, I just hate that a variant has been inserted." His mighty hands made the armrests groan. "Calculations must be made to keep order."
"Calm, there are ways to take care of this vigilante."Came the unsettling voice. "Are the preparations ready for tomorrow."
"Yes, master."
"Excellent, tomorrow starts a year that the world will never forget."
Vigil Mask landed on the the rooftop of a simple red brick apartment building-This is the story of how a surprisingly law abiding vigilante took the world by storm.
Christabelle: Next time master Mori will one up Nero by playing Dvorak. Look forward to it.