"Fear not, citizens!"
Hercules burst into the lecture hall just as the hero-slash-teacher Zero finished introducing him. The tall lanky pro hero and head teacher for the hero courses looked completely dead inside as he stared at Hercules's entrance, unkempt black hair obscuring most of his face as he moved to sit off to the side and give Hercules the stage. He looked more pasty then Thomas remembered, maybe he should see if the man is doing okay later.
As he looked around the huge lecture hall Thomas fondly remembered taking his own written test in the first time he stepped onto campus, he watched as the eyes of the entire first year class of Garrick Academy fell on him. Claps abounded as the young students rose and cheered to see the hero in all his glory.
Thomas smiled back as he took them all in, and let his eyes linger on a little girl in the front row, waving energetically at her father as a white teddy bear sat on the desk in front of her.
Friday had come and now Thomas was about to give his speech on hero tactics in major disaster situations to the newest batch of heroes in training. He'd handled a number of various situations in his lifetime ranging from all sorts of heroic work, but disasters seemed to be the ones that people had most questions on. Or rather, the most misconceptions on how it worked, and he has a presentation all whipped up and ready for today.
Alice coming along was a treat for the girl who had spent the time between finding out about the visit and the car ride over to the academy to learn everything she could about the school.
Everything.
"Did you know that the pro hero Wukong broke down the wall separating Classroom 4-A and 4-B during his final year because he got so scared during a Halloween party?"
"Did you know that the academy currently has five practice cities spanning six city-blocks in each direction for training, and has one more under construction?"
"I bet you didn't know Garricks founder, Alexander Garrick, a first generation quirk user, had the power to manipulate metal and had helped construct the academy for the second generation of super-powered students."
"Do you know what Zero's quirk is? There's lots of rumors of what it might be, but no one knows. Do you think it's something like his brothers?"
"Guess what! Headmaster Mirren has an IQ of over 200 and has published seven academic papers spanning from hero society to civil rights!"
…Thomas had to admit that, even for as long as he had known Gabriel Mirren, he hadn't known about the papers. He just knew the former hero Reaper was insanely smart and a huge asset in battle. Maybe he should check out the papers when he had the time, they seemed interesting. Probably very thorough and enlightening knowing his colleague.
And the child had been beyond excited to come, it was her first time inside a hero academy, and not only that but it was where both Adriel and Katherine worked which made it even better for her. She was excited to see the workplace of her two babysitters, and Hercules was hoping to let her visit them both if they weren't too busy.
But he shook that memory and thought out of his head and began his presentation with a clip of a rescue mission a few years back in Germany following a massive earthquake. It was one of his previous overseas trips and it also served to show the students some professional heroes from different nations. He felt it was important to understand how hero society worked in different cultures.
The presentation had taken a good forty-five minutes and the remaining fifteen Hercules had left for his question and answers session.
Most of the students were pretty good about sticking to the actual topic at hand, but there had been a few curious teenagers who strayed to ask a few more personal or ridiculous things. He grinned a little when a scrawny looking kid asked him how well he did on the tests when he was a student at the academy and made a joke about being more brawns than brains.
Another student, a spiky blonde with black highlights had asked about heroes how who didn't have quirks useful in combative situations could help, which Hercules had to assure the student that heroes don't always fight villains. Search and rescues, support, there were countless positions that didn't require them to be on the front line.
He was almost done and about to wrap it all up when a small hand caught his attention. His eyebrows quirked even as his smile increased. "Yes, Alice?"
Mutters of confusion filled the room and eyes turned to the little girl at the front. It was likely that most hadn't even noticed her until this point, but, in her blue shirt and jeans rather than a school uniform, along with her obvious age, it was clear she wasn't a student.
Alice lowered her hand, fingers tapping against the wood of the desk. "Hi! Yeah, I was wondering how come it took so long for the rubble to be clear?" she asked, gesturing to the collapsed apartment complex that had occurred following a small earthquake. "There were a lot of people trapped down there and they could have been hurt. The hero—the one with that fire quirk?—he was just standing around for most of the time!" she waved her little hand at the screen, gesturing to the German hero who had been on scene with Hercules at the time.
Murmurs filled the room about Who does this kid think she is? Who's she to complain, there's obviously a reason he wasn't doing anything. What a stupid question! And hearing them, Alice shrunk back a little, face turning pink with embarrassment.
Thomas, however, smiled larger if at all possible. "A wonderful question, how about we turn it on to the class?" he looked to the students, it'd be a good learning exercise for them, and by the expression Zero was making off to the side, he felt like the teacher agreed, "Anyone want to answer my daughter's question? There is a real answer."
Silence fell. Hercules's words reverberated off the walls. Everyone took in what he said, 'my daughter'. He felt a swell of pride at the looks on the students faces as they stared at him and looked to the child.
The students were either too shocked about the daughter comment to think or just outright had no idea what the answer might be. There were a few flustered looks from those who had whispered complaints about her question.
Finally, a hand shot up. Hercules pointed to the student. "Yes! You in the back. You're name…?"
A girl with hair dyed a pastel pink and tied back stood up, eyes fierce but smile kind.
"Shiho Amano, sir," she introduced, and Thomas allowed himself a brief moment to wonder if she was one of the exchange students. "And Alice has a point. Speed is key when trying to save as many people possible. But in this situation; more harm than good would have come if the wrong quirk was used. Too much physical force and the entire building could collapse, and Vulcan, well, his quirk is as forceful as they come with his intense fire blasts. While no doubt a powerful quirk to have in a fight, it would have been dangerous to use here. Honestly, he was probably the most ill-suited hero on the scene, but he gets points for still being there and trying to help even though his quirk made him more a risk."
A few students murmured as she said that, several looking over at her as the girl spoke. Not bothered by the numerous eyes on her, Shiho continued, "Had he recklessly used his flames, what little support the building had left could be destroyed, making the building crumble and kill those inside—if the heat from the flames didn't burn them alive first."
"Thank you for that, Miss Amano," Hercules nodded as the girl sat back down, the red-head beside her whispering something and playfully shoving her shoulder. "She's right. With the quirks we had at the scene, the situation could have become disastrous if we weren't careful or if we tried to rush. So it was necessary to do things the old fashioned way; one brick at a time."
His eyes lingered on Alice, a spark of an idea forming in his mind.
"In fact, if we had a quirk that could slip into the building without disrupting the support the building had, and even offer structural support from inside, it would have minimized the chances of a structural collapse," Thomas said in an offhanded tone, knowing full well what sort of quirk he was referring to, and he hoped Alice caught his meaning, too. "And perhaps if something could slip in to locate all the civilians trapped inside while we try to get in, we could have sped up the process by knowing where to look and what paths to take."
With a quirk like Alice's, manifesting shadows that could slip between cracks without harm so long as it stayed in the darkness, it'd be a tremendous asset to disaster relief. In fact, her quirk would be perfect for rescue work if she ever chose to become a hero and didn't want to be on the combative side of things.
The words sunk in as Alice flopped back into her seat, staring at her hand and then at her shadow. The little girl looked back up at Thomas, smiling so bright she could have lit the world.
"Also, Vulcan doesn't like to do things the old fashioned way, doesn't like chipping his nails and all that," Hercules added in a false hush and the room erupted into laughter, knowing the hero was cracking a joke. He even waved his fingers around. "Doesn't want to ruin his fresh manicure."
It wrapped up from. A few people threw in some more questions and then there were some who wanted autographs and pictures, which Hercules was glad to give. Zero came up and gave a short closing speech with a tired thanks to Thomas and a message to the students to keep in mind what the hero had discussed with them and how it would be crucial in their careers later on. A few students threw in some more questions before they left the room and then there were some who wanted autographs and pictures, which Hercules was glad to give.
When he was done, he collected Alice and perched the girl on his shoulder.
"That was a marvelous question, my girl!" Thomas praised. "I think some of these students forget that a powerful quirk isn't going to solve everything, and your question was just the sort of thing they needed to remember that."
Alice smiled back. "But, I mean, if I was there, and if I had more control over the shadows…"
"Oh, my sweet girl, you would have been amazing if you were there! Although, you're still a bit young for the heroics."
"Gotta get your licenses first, right Hercules?" The pink haired student from earlier cut in as she approached the two, a lax stride in her walk as she pushed some strands of hair behind her ear.
"Indeed. Amano, was it?" Hercules asked, earning something of a nod in response. "Thank you again for your answer to the question in there. I was starting to worry that your year had forgotten some of the basics to hero and rescue work."
Shiho smiled back at him, laughing a little, "I don't know, a lot of them seem to think heroics focuses only of fighting and forget that there is more to it than a fight," she said with a lazy shrug. "Each situation is going to be different, and sometimes you have to acknowledge that you might not be the hero most suitable for what's going on."
As she said that, the girl patted her arm, and Thomas could see the muscles built up there, "Like you, I've got a strength-type quirk myself. Sevenfold Retribution to be precise, and I've found myself in more spots than I want to admit where brute strength just doesn't cut it,"
Hercules gave a hum, "I completely understand. Superhuman strength doesn't necessarily mean it is an unstoppable quirk that can do anything and everything, just like any other quirk, it has its weaknesses." Muscle damage was the most prominent, but also causing severe, unintentional injuries or damages to others was up high on that list of downfalls, too. "But you seem like a bright girl, so I'm sure you've always figured out another way?"
Her smile grew, "Most of the time. I'm good at thinking on my feet and I know I can rely on my friends and teammates when that happens. I may not be able to do it on my own, but that's why it's best not to try and handle everything yourself. You know?"
What a smart girl, she was only a first year but she seemed to understand crucial details that he felt many first years, some third year students, and even the pros themselves tended to forget. That teamwork was important. Hercules could tell that she was going to make a fine hero.
"And that, my girls," he said referring to the student in front of him and the girl on his shoulders, "is what makes a hero. Not just the quirk you have, but the ability to think things through and rely on your comrades. Working in a team is important and gives us an advantage in the fight, it's the biggest thing I've noticed when it comes to villains, too. Most villains prefer to do things on their own rather than forging alliances, and those that do, the unity is fragile at best. They aren't big on teamwork."
There were a few exceptions to that rule where villains teamed up in a rather dangerous group, he knew that much. Organized crime was still a thing, after all. But, in his experience there were very few genuinely threatening villain alliances that didn't disperse after their one job together.
Alice bounced excitedly on Thomas' shoulders, "Heroes are so much more interesting than I thought they'd be," she said, and even though he couldn't see it, he was sure that she was smiling that wide smile of hers. Her attention turned back to the first year student though and she leaned forward on Thomas. "You said your name is 'Shiho Amano', right? Does that mean you're from Japan? You're Japanese?"
That may not be the most polite thing to ask someone you just met, but Shiho didn't mind. And Thomas realized that this must be the first time she's been in contact with anyone who may even resemble the Yamazaki family in months, even if it was just the possibility of a shared ethnicity. He wondered if that was why Alice was interested in the pink haired hero-in-training or if it was just because of how nice the girl seemed to be.
Regardless of what the intentions may be, Shiho just laughed at the question, "Only half—on my dad's side, my mom's American," she answered with a soft smile. "I haven't been to Japan since I was a kid, younger than you in fact. I moved to America with my parents before I'd even developed my quirk. Why do you ask?"
"It's just that, I," Alice was either too embarrassed or too excited to really figure out what she wanted to say, her fingers gripping Thomas carefully to keep her balance. Then, what she said next wasn't something he understood at all, but the words felt rough, a clear sign that she wasn't perfect at the language, but knew enough to get by.
While Thomas didn't know what she said, Shiho clearly did. Her eyes seemed to widen in interest which turned to amusement, responding to the child in the very same language.
It dawned on him only a few words in that the two were now having a full blown conversation in Japanese and that Thomas had no idea what they were even talking about. He should have known that Alice would be to some degree fluent in the language, but it still caught him by surprise listening to the two talk. She stumbled over her words a few times, and was probably butchering some words, though Shiho didn't seem to mind if that was the case.
The two seemed to be enjoying themselves, though, and he figured that was what mattered, and it was clear that Shiho was greatly enjoying the conversation, he wondered if it was because of what they were talking about, or just that she was happy to be speaking her first language with someone.
They must have been standing in the halls for a good few minutes before the conversation between the girls came to an end by the approach of a few other students.
"Oi! Shiho! We got algebra up next and if you don't hurry it up over there, we're going to be late!" yelled the red haired girl who Thomas had noticed sitting beside Shiho during the guest lecture. Beside her was a lanky looking boy with pasty skin and a mess of brown hair, and a mean looking blonde who—oh wasn't that the boy who asked about non-combative quirks?
Shiho sighed but didn't look annoyed at all, "Yeah, yeah. Relax, Kiera, I'm coming," Shiho yelled over to them and then smiled back at Hercules and Alice. "Thank you for the talk, I look forward to working with you as a fellow hero in the future," she said and then turned to the girl on his shoulders, "and you better behave, got it? Don't forget about what I said."
With that, Shiho rejoined her friends and the group departed down the hall, with Thomas heading the opposite way with Alice.
"So, what did you two talk about?" he asked as he nodded to a couple of teachers they passed.
But instead of answering, Alice just giggled and shook her head. "Secret!" and that seemed to be it, so Thomas just smiled. Probably girl talk, or as much 'girl talk' one can have with a seven-year-old. But Alice seemed to be in a good mood, practically vibrating on his shoulder, "Where to next, dad?"
"Well, I was thinking we'd stop by the nurses office to visit Adriel, as I'm sure you want to see what his workplace is like, and then we can get some lunch, then…" Thomas stopped talking as he craned his neck to look over, eyes wide. "Alice, did you call me… dad?"
Her eyes widened, "I… uh… I mean, if we're making it official… I can call you that… right?"
Alice's world flipped as she was picked up and thrown into the air, caught, and then spun around by a thrilled Thomas. "Oh, my dear girl, of course you can!" he swore his eyes were getting misty. "I don't know how to express how happy I am to hear you call me that."
She didn't say anything but smiled as Hercules hugged her and placed her back on his shoulder, talking avidly about the plans, and walking with such a giddy step that he seemed more like the child. She held on to him with her one arm, smiling the whole time.
Dad.
Alice smiled as she thought of it. Before Thomas, the only person she had that she had ever even considered to be a father figure had always been Mr. Crow, and even now, she still thought of the man as a father, and not just as a father, but as a friend and teacher. But, Thomas felt like a father, too.
Dad. She'd never gotten to call Mr. Crow that before, even though that's what she had thought of him as. It was one of those unsaid things that she wasn't supposed to do. But Thomas was okay with her calling him dad.
And yet, the term didn't feel right. It felt like there was something awful attached to the term 'dad', like something she didn't want. She felt shadows creeping up her body, under her clothes, holding her tight, painfully tight, as though ready to tear her from this dream.
Eventually they moved on, stopping by Adriels office on the first floor. The other two nurses gushed over seeing Alice a little, and Adriel seemed appreciative of being pulled away from the students hovering over him like a celebrity. He even snuck her some candy when Thomas wasn't looking, asking how the presentation went and complimenting Alice on not causing any problems.
They only got to talk for a few minutes before a second year student wobbled into the room with his arm at an awkward angle and the two went on their way to let Adriel work.
Their next stop was Katherines homeroom class over in the Tech Course, the students of which were busy on their projects, allowing Katherine the joy of coddling and doting over Alice in her own way, which earned a few glances from the busy students, whom she snapped at to get back to work, switching quickly after back to the affectionate 'mom-like' figure that Alice was used to.
A few students stopped to say hi to them and even showed off their quirks to Alice, and Alice even got to watch one of the Hero classes out practicing and training with Zero while she and Thomas ate lunch.
It was so cool seeing them all in action, all the different quirks and different. This was so different compared to what she went through with Mr. Crow. No one was as happy or as carefree. They didn't have the same passion she saw in the students.
Maybe… maybe she could be a hero, too? No. That would be too much. There's no way she could ever be a hero. Didn't matter what Thomas might have said about her quirk being useful and being suitable for hero work or for rescue work.
She could never be a hero.
Cain crossed one leg over the other as he sat on the stool, one elbow resting on the cool wooden counter as he laid his scarred cheek in his palm. In the dim light of the dingy bar, the air was thick with the stench of alcohol, sweat and blood.
On the other side of the bar counter, Alfonse—the owner of the bar and legal landlord of the apartments above it in the building that served as one of their bases, as well as Cain's second-in-command—was cleaning some glasses. The former hero didn't say a single word as he went from glass to glass, but his golden eyes were locked on their uninvited guests.
How had they even found the hole in the wall bar that had been hidden away, unnoticed by most. He knew that it wasn't the most original villains hideout, but it was hardly their only one and it was the one 'lair' that was easiest for members to get to. But more important and moving back on track, Cain had to wonder how these people not only knew to come to this bar, but knew that Abyss would be here?
Those were the questions plaguing Cains mind right now and he was sure that concern was shared by the other members who were spread out across the bar in conveniently advantageous points in case a fight broke out.
Summer, an early-thirties woman was leaned against the wall by the back door which led to the stairs to the apartments, arms crossed, looking irritated and ready for a fight. At one of the tables Zack, a guy roughly the same age as Cain, leaned back in a chair, his feet kicked up on the table. Were there not guests at the moment, Alfonse would have scolded him by now for putting his feet on the table. He was playing with the lighter in his hand, watching lazily as the color shifted from a clear orange to a bright white and finally into a sharp blue as the flames grew hotter and hotter, only to fade back to orange before flipping the lid in the zippo and then pushing the lid off and repeating the cycle.
At another table was Anne, who was idly playing with the pocket knife Cain had recently gotten her so she'd stop using the kitchen knives when she stabbed people. For the simple reason that they used those knives to prepare food and she had a tendency not to properly wash them afterwards, and no one wanted to use blood stained knives for food prep. Her smile was as innocent and playful as ever, like she didn't have a care in the world, but her eyes were dangerously narrowed at the outsiders who had entered their domain, a silent threat that she was ready to and would happily slice them to pieces if needed.
There weren't too many people on his side at the moment, especially compared to their guests, but this was hardly the entirety of Abyss. The ones here now were a few of the core members, the ones who lived in the apartments, who were always here unless there was a job to do. Some of the most dangerous unknown villains out there who had joined the ranks of his group, powerful quirk users that weren't even registered anywhere. Even with the numbers not in his favor, Cain had complete faith that if a fight broke out, his teammates here could easily win.
He didn't let his expression change as who he could only assume to be the leader of the intruders walked towards him. He was a man wearing a mask that obscured his face, something like a steampunk bird mask but Cain noticed the dark hair sticking out from between the mask and the hood of his jacket. It was probably to keep his identity a secret from Abyss. Not a bad idea, who could say that Cain might not have him shanked in the middle of the street if he knew his face. Though the mask reminded him of that 'Eight Precepts of Death' group, what was it the Shie Hassaikai? Though the mask didn't seem exact, either. Didn't that group use plague masks? He might have to brush up a little on his information later.
Cain let a few moments pass, staring at the man before he raised his arms out in a sort of greeting. "Well, well, congrats on stumbling upon an Abyss hideout. What do we owe this visit?" he asked his voice, rough, raspy and gravely, like he'd swallowed a cup full of gravel, but his tone was mocking at the intruders. He wasn't afraid of them and he wanted them to know.
The man in the mask took another step forward, "I am hoping that we can forge a bit of an alliance," he said, his voice was somewhat soothing and calm. It annoyed Cain. "As I understand, Abyss has yet to make a name for itself, heroes don't even know of your existence—"
"Which is intended. There's a thing call an 'advantage' and our crimes not being linked to us so far is giving us that," Summer cut in from her spot on the wall. Cain raised a hand to quiet the older woman and she did, reluctantly, and glared at the 'guests'.
She was right, though. Cain had gone through painful lengths to ensure that the name Abyss remained anonymous. He didn't want the public to know of them too early. When they made themselves known, it was going to be with a bang, it was going to cause a panic, fear, and confusion. He wasn't going to let the organization reveal itself until the right moment. For the time being, the small time crimes they did were just to stir up trouble, the real fun hadn't even begun yet.
"Be that as it may be. You do have an end goal, an ideology that you're following—some kind of social reform, correct?" The man continued. Social reform? Cain scoffed, that was a very vague summary of their intention while leaving out the crucial details and reasons. But sure, just call it a 'social reform'. "You want heroes gone, and so do I. And right now, a hero is in possession of something very important to me."
Cain sighed and got up from the chair, sauntering over to the man. Even though the other was probably a good few years older than Cain, they were roughly the same height. His red eyes, hidden behind the mess of pale blue hair, remained locked on the mask as he got closer and closer until only an inch or two remained between him and the masked man. "I'm not a patient man, ask any one of the people in this room," he gestured to the Abyss members behind him. "So, get to the point."
"Right now the hero Hercules has in his care a girl named Alice. She belongs to me. She possesses a very powerful and dangerous quirk that can be used to our benefit. His acquisition of her has posed a problem for my group and our own plans, and the longer she is in his care, the more danger she is in," the masked man said. "I'm sure you know how persuasive heroes can be with their propaganda and brainwashing. I'd hate to see her manipulated into believing their lies."
Cain wasn't impressed, "Let me guess, you want to hire Abyss to kill Hercules and get this brat back for you?" he asked and didn't give the man time to answer. "Trust me, if I get the chance to kill the man, I'll take it. But why should I go out of my way, throw away years of planning, for you just to get some little kid back?"
The amount of calmness the masked man emitted would have unnerved most men, but Cain wasn't most men. He didn't flinch at the amused laugh or the way the glass eyes seemed to stare into his soul—or lack of in his case—he just stared him down.
"No, where she is now, though she may not know it, is very important. I never intended for her to end up in a pro hero's care, but this ended up being the perfect accident," the masked man said and Cain was sure he'd be smiling under his mask. Hadn't he just been saying how bad it was that she was with the hulking giant? "What I want is for Abyss to provide me a chance to make contact with the girl again. I've let her know that I'm still watching her, but I need to come into direct contact, I need an opportunity to remind her of who her family is and who she belongs to. To make sure she doesn't fall prey to the heroes lies and tricks. More than that, I have a job only she can complete now."
Cain let that sink in.
So, he meant to use this child as some kind of weapon against Hercules if he understood his plan. Perhaps use her to assassinate the hero in the middle of the night, or to provide intel that could cripple the hero. If this girl was in the America's Number One hero's care, then that was a golden opportunity for this masked man.
"What's in it for us?" Cain asked, crossing his arms over his chest.
There was a soft laugh and the man didn't back off even with how close Cain was, or how easily Cain could kill him right here and right now. He wasn't afraid. Cain had to respect him for that much. This absence of fear didn't come from stupidity, but from experience.
"Of course I don't expect you to do this for free," the man answered. "Whatever you need, weapons, equipment, any resources you want I can supply you with."
Still, Cain was unimpressed. Everything about this man seemed untrustworthy, he seemed the kind of man who would ditch his men under a bus to save his own skin, who didn't know the first thing about loyalty. "And why should I trust you? What do I have that can be a guarantee that you're not just all talk? I don't even know who you are."
It was hard to gauge what this man was thinking, with his face hidden behind that obnoxious mask.
But the man reached into his coat and pulled out a simple business card, which he held out to Cain.
"My name is Chihiro Yamazaki, Patriarch of the Yamazaki family," the masked man answered, "and you can trust that whatever you need, my family can acquire and bring to you."
The Yamazaki family? Now, this was interesting. Of course he knew the name, most people in the crime world that paid any bit of attention knew that name, they were one of the few surviving Yakuza clans out in Japan after the rise of heroes wiped out most of the criminal organizations like that. They weren't big enough, or flashy enough that everyone knew of them, but they were some smallfry either. Cain found himself smiling as he read the card, not even bothering to acknowledge the way some of the Yakuza men flinched at the sight, while his own comrades remained unfazed at the twisted expression. He toyed with the card between his fingers and looked back up at the masked man—at Yamazaki.
"Well, I suppose we have ourselves a deal."
Of course this didn't mean he was going to derail from the plan he already had laid out. He just had to tweak it a little to involve the Yamazaki Yakuza family and the little brat this man wanted. It would take time. But it wasn't impossible. And this might even be more fun.
He could always kidnap the kid, but that wouldn't be as enjoyable. What they needed was for this girl, who was probably already brainwashed by the toxic hero society, to feel cornered, pressured. They needed a way to remind this brat where she came from and where she would return to.
His smile grew wider and he found himself laughing, a raspy, vile laugh that send shudders through the Yakuza ranks. It was an unnatural sound he'd been told. "I think this will be a wonderful partnership, we'll be in touch, Chihiro, you can count on that," he said looking at the Yakuza boss with his twisted smile that fueled nightmares. "Do you need a lift home? I'm sure Alfonse wouldn't mind providing you with a ride."
"I appreciate the gesture, but we'll pass on that," Yamazaki said, bowing slightly. Good, he wasn't blindly trusting. It wouldn't be hard to use that offer to get rid of them easily. The man turned and said something to his men in their own language and one by one the group filtered out of the bar.
Before long they were gone, leaving only Abyss in the shabby old bar with the dim lighting and alcohol stench.
"Sure this is a good idea, boss?" Zack asked as he closed his lighter and stuffed it in his leather jackets pocket, his expression sour. "I don't trust them, they give off a real bad vibe."
Summer scratched the back of her head, "They're Yakuza. I don't trust Yakuza, they like to think they're better than others just because they have tradition and all that bullshit," the older woman grumbled as she pushed herself off from the wall, "Because tradition and tattoos make you top dog or something. Ugh, just thinking about it pisses me off, and it bugs me even more that they want to use some little kid or some shit."
"We're not any better, you know," Anne giggled as she tried balancing the knife on one finger, "we'd use that kid without hesitation if we thought she was useful. We've done worse, too."
She had a point. None of them were clean, each one of them had done something terrible, unforgivable even. There wasn't a single member in their organization that had the right to complain about the crimes of another, and Cain had made sure that every member knew that not a single one of them was better than the other. Society was going to look at them all as the scum of the earth, what right did they have to judge others?
Even so, the concerns they raised were valid, but Cain was not deterred. He smiled and shrugged off their complaints as he fished a phone out of his pocket. "Doesn't matter if we trust them or not. Right now, they're giving us an advantage and we'll squeeze them for all their worth," he told them easily, chuckling a little as he scrolled through his contacts. "After all, using people is a talent in and of itself, being able to manipulate and use others is more valuable than what kind of quirk you have. I suggest you all learn how to do it if you want a sharper edge in conflicts."
The others didn't respond, leaving it at that as Cain found the right contact and tapped on it.
He waited patiently as he listened to the phone ringing on the other end before after a few long rings it was answered and a familiar, cheerful voice greeted him on the other end. His smile grew, the scarred tissue over his face making the expression even more discomforting. Yamazaki wanted an opportunity to confront this Alice kid, right? Well, he had the perfect little tool to provide just the right sort of opportunity without causing any problems to Abyss' current plans.
"I have a job for you, I hope you're ready."
Authors Note
We finally get to be introduced to the rest of the main cast, only took six chapters. From the villains, some of the main heroes, and the elusive 'Mr. Crow' we got a whole bunch of new characters introduced today.