Chapter Fifty-One: Desperation

Izuku got Himiko's text that Monday morning and immediately reported it to Nighteye and Tsukauchi. The meeting to discuss the upcoming raid on the Eight Precepts wouldn't take place until later that afternoon, so they opted to check in with her before it took place. The meeting had, initially, been intended for Sunday, but with the information from Himiko that the League of Villains was planning something with an unfamiliar group, they'd put it off just a day to see what developed.

Nighteye got permission to take Izuku from his classes that morning for the internship work, picking up Tsukauchi along with him at U.A to recover what Himiko had described via text as "vital information". Something had clearly happened, and it was of the utmost importance that they discover what it was before the meeting that afternoon.

As soon as they arrived at the apartment, Izuku led the way and knocked on the door to Himiko's residence. After a brief pause, it opened and she let them inside.

Himiko was uncharacteristically silent as she let them into the apartment, closing the door behind them and leading the group into the kitchen. She quietly told them to wait a second and retreated to her room, then returned with an object in her hand—a computer hard drive—which she placed on the table across from the heroes.

Tsukauchi raised an eyebrow. "What's this?"

"The main hard drive from the Eight Precepts' computer system."

Izuku's heart froze. "You went into the compound?"

"It wasn't hard," she mumbled, crossing her arms and avoiding eye contact with him. Izuku frowned at the unusual behavior. "Their security sucks. Tomura got in touch with a group of villains specializing in heists and I broke in to give them an open door for a hack. As of last night, the Yakuza are broke. Completely."

Nighteye sucked in a sharp breath. "That's going to make them even more desperate…"

"While I was at it, I stole the hard drive," Himiko jerked her head sharply towards the object. "It should have everything on it. I didn't get to check, but it was the only major computer system they had in the compound. I thought it might have something about Eri."

Izuku's gaze fell back to the hard drive, simultaneously dreading and hungering to know what was on the piece of tech.

"Who was involved in the hack?" Tsukauchi asked, frowning. "How did you break into the compound?"

"It's a group Tomura said was involved with All for One a while back," she said, shifting on the spot. "They—Izuku, can I talk to you?"

He blinked at the sudden request and glanced at Nighteye, who inclined his head. "That can be permitted. Just one moment."

Izuku offered his hand to his mentor, who took it and briefly met Izuku's eyes to initiate his Quirk. Within a few seconds, Nighteye released his intern and nodded, glancing at Himiko for a second. "Let us know when you're ready to speak again."

She didn't respond as Nighteye took the hard drive and then led Tsukauchi out of the apartment.

Izuku walked over to her, growing more worried over her skittish behavior. She almost seemed to shy away from him, backing herself into the edge of the countertop.

"Are you okay?" He asked, reaching for her arm hesitantly. Upon touching her, he got really concerned. "You're shaking—"

"I killed Chronostasis," she blurted out.

Izuku froze, but she started to ramble before he could say anything. "He was between me and the computer system, and I had to remove him before anyone discovered me, and I know we agreed that I might have to kill people to keep my place in the League, and I've tried really hard to avoid that, but I didn't have another option open to me—"

She tried and failed to gulp in a breath of air, her chest suddenly seizing tightly, it felt like her lungs were being squeezed she couldn't breathe—

She might've heard him shout in alarm as she staggered and almost fell, and she was vaguely aware of him lowering her to the floor, but her mind was running riot against her with deafening noise and she was babbling incoherently. What if he hates me now? What if he decides I can't be saved? What if I'm not worth it anymore? What if he leaves? What if he brings Nighteye and Tsukauchi back and puts me in jail? What if I've ruined everything?

It had been driving her crazy since the moment she'd finished the raid, the realization that she'd killed someone (again, her mind added unhelpfully) despite her deal with Izuku. Had she irrefutably broken it by doing what she did? If he decided now to abandon her, to give up on her as a lost cause, would he just leave her to shatter again? To go insane again and leave yet more bodies in her wake? Or would he toss her into a cell and leave her to rot now that she'd proven she was still capable of such violence? The thought terrified her—to lose clarity she had only so recently regained, and to lose him and his trust.

"You haven't ruined everything," she heard him murmur, so close she almost flinched away, because he had pulled her close to him without her even realizing it. She was bundled up in his arms, her head tucked under his chin as she grasped tightly at his shirt. "I'm not leaving. You're worth it, ok? I don't hate you."

She tried to suck in a breath to say something, all that came out was a wheeze of broken words. Izuku squeezed her somehow closer, his voice rumbling through his throat against her skin. "Just breathe, ok? Don't try to talk, just catch your breath."

She obeyed so readily only because she was still disoriented and not thinking clearly, closing her eyes as she took one breath after another, steadily slowing down. The warmth given off by her friend helped a lot—it didn't smother her, but kept her bundled and safe like a blanket. Her security blanket, her mind jokingly decided to call him once she'd regained some tiny semblance of control back.

Izuku meanwhile was just praying that he was doing this right. It felt like a lifetime ago that Mina had helped him through that panic attack back at the Sports Festival. He'd never done this before, so he was frantically trying to help her calm down. Her breath was still coming quick and fast, but it wasn't so fast anymore that he was afraid of her passing out, and he could no longer feel her heartbeat rabbiting at an alarming pace through every inch of her skin.

They stayed there on the kitchen floor for several minutes before Himiko managed to croak out words he could understand. "I'm sorry."

He swallowed and squeezed her again. "I forgive you. We knew this might happen, right? It was always a possibility."

"He didn't suffer," she said quietly. "I made it quick. He never realized what was happening."

Izuku tilted his head slightly so his cheek was resting on her head instead of his chin. Holding that position was getting a bit too uncomfortable for him. Her hair was soft and his nose was close enough to pick up the scent of her shampoo—wild berries and something that reminded him of the night air. "Thank you for telling me the truth."

"I was afraid if I lied you might—"

"I know," he interrupted her gently, trying to soothe her before she could lose herself to panic once again. "But you told me. That was really brave of you."

"I murdered someone in cold blood. How does that make me brave?"

"That doesn't," he admitted, causing her to tense before he hurried on. "But I think you must be really brave to tell the truth even if you were so scared. I'm glad you were honest with me."

"You don't hate me."

It wasn't a question, just a statement that carried all of the disbelief and bewilderment she was feeling. "How can you not hate me?"

Izuku took a minute to gather his thoughts and formulate them into words. "Because you clearly feel bad about what you did. Because you want to tell the truth even if it scares you, and I think that makes you a better person than you think you are. Because I know you're doing your best and that's all we can ever do, and I don't blame you for it."

He was silent for a few more seconds. "Because—because I've killed someone before when I wish that I hadn't, and what you're saying now reminds me of how I feel about it."

That last sentence, the reminder that he too had killed someone and regretted it, sent realization flooding through her until she felt boneless.

He understood what she was feeling. He had forgiven her for this sin, when he could have so easily tossed her aside and given her up as a lost cause.

"It-it's not the same," she choked out, cursing the way her body was shivering against her will.

"I don't think it's that different," he told her matter-of-factly.

"Yeah, but you're…you."

You're kind and understanding and forgiving beyond reason, and losing you somehow scares me more than anything else ever has.

"Thanks?" He made an uncertain chuckle in response. A few moments of silence later and he was carefully tightening his grip on her, then she was gasping as he stood up, lifting her like she weighed nothing.

"Whoa, whoa, what are you doing?"

"You need to lie down and have something to drink," he told her quietly as he carried her to her room. "It helps. I know."

She didn't have to read between the lines of his words too much to realize that he knew such a thing from personal experience. Himiko fell silent and let herself be carried away, closing her eyes and leaning her head on his shoulder. Everything about him was warm…what she wouldn't give to ask him to stay for the day and just be with her.

Too close, her ghosts whispered in the back of her mind.

She didn't care, she decided at last. She wanted to get closer.

But not today, she thought. Today, she would try to rest while he left to do his hero work with the others. When she felt grounded again, felt like the world was a bit more whole again…

Then maybe…maybe she would ask him.

Hours later, once school was out for the day and they'd had a chance to go through the data in the hard drive, Izuku went with Nighteye and Tsukauchi to the meeting place to discuss the upcoming raid on the Eight Precepts with other heroes that would be joining them. Before long, Mirio, Bubble Girl, and Centipeder had met up with them, as well.

Gran Torino arrived, seeing as he and Tsukauchi were investigating the League of Villains separate from Izuku and Nighteye. Besides him, Aizawa showed up, along with the Pro Hero Rock Lock. Izuku was briefly surprised to see Ryukyu arrive, bringing with her Ochako, Tsuyu, and Nejire, as well as Fatgum with Eijirou and Tamaki.

It was quite a showing. A few other Pros joined them, but Izuku identified them as minor heroes and focused on the meeting after figuring out who they were.

Ochako and the rest of his friends from 1-A waved at him from their places at the huge meeting table, seeing as they were staying with the heroes they currently interned with. He offered them a tight smile in return, but it was the best he could do at the moment. Ochako tilted her head and threw him a concerned look that asked a silent question, but he just grimly shook his head.

Once everyone was assembled, Nighteye convened the meeting. "I apologize for pushing this back a day on short notice, but recent developments forced my hand. I decided it would be more effective for us due to unforeseen circumstances."

"What circumstances?" Ryukyu queried.

Nighteye gestured to Centipeder and Bubble Girl to start passing out packets of paper regarding the Eight Precepts and the upcoming raid to everyone. He held his own up in front of him as he replied to his fellow Pro. "Less than twenty-four hours ago, the League of Villains conducted a raid of their own on the Eight Precepts with a group of villains specializing in international heists. The result was the complete bankruptcy of the Yakuza and the death of one of their core members, Chronostasis."

Stunned silence filled the room. Rock Lock broke it with a disbelieving scowl. "Are you serious?"

"Deadly," Nighteye confirmed bluntly.

"How did you find out about this raid on such short notice?" Aizawa questioned.

Nighteye glanced at Izuku. "For some time now, Izuku, Tsukauchi, and myself have been meeting with a contact in the League who wishes to defect. They've provided us with invaluable intel and were responsible for stealing the hard drive from the Yakuza's main computer system during the raid, which they turned over to us for our investigation."

Rock Lock's scowl became angry. "You got a child involved with the League? Reckless, much?"

"It was my decision," Izuku snapped back.

"Kid, no offense, but you're too young to be dealing with terrorists."

Nighteye cleared his throat to break up the argument. "The contact is actually only seeking to defect because Izuku made an impression on them during his imprisonment with the League of Villains prior to the Kamino Ward Incident. They agreed only to meet with us on the condition that Izuku takes part in the meetings. I can assure you that Tsukauchi and I have taken as many measures as possible to ensure Izuku's safety."

"I can also vouch for the authenticity of the contact," Tsukauchi spoke up. "As you know, my Quirk is a type of lie-detection that doesn't allow whomever I'm speaking to to lie. I've interviewed this individual multiple times, and they have been nothing but truthful in their intentions."

Ryukyu's eyes were wide. "They truly seek to defect?"

Tsukauchi nodded. "For their safety and Izuku's, especially seeing as the leader of the League still holds interest in him, I'm going to insist on their anonymity."

Ochako looked as shell-shocked as the rest of the heroes, but she cast Izuku a quizzical look and he briefly nodded. She knew it was Himiko, but she wouldn't tell anyone.

"Back to the main subject," Nighteye picked up where he left off. "As I was saying, the League conducted a raid last night on the Eight Precepts in retaliation for a perceived attack on a prospective member."

"Who?"

"Again; Izuku," Nighteye said. "Tomura Shigaraki, the current leader of the League, has an unhealthy interest in him due to Izuku being Heat Viper's biological son. He's operating under the delusion that Izuku will join him if he gains enough favor with him. As a result, he took it upon himself to conduct a raid on the Yakuza shortly after they attempted to kidnap Izuku's adopted younger sister, Eri Midoriya."

"What is it with your family, kid?" Gran Torino harrumphed. "If it's not one thing, it's another…"

"Why were the Yakuza attempting to take Eri?" Aizawa demanded.

Nighteye glanced at Izuku, who swallowed his nervousness down and stood up to speak. "Eri was actually saved by All Might earlier in the year from a member of the Eight Precepts. They'd been holding her captive since she was a toddler and…experimenting on her because her Quirk allows her to rewind living things. They created a drug out of her blood that temporarily erases Quirks, and their final goal is to create a drug that permanently erases an individual's Quirk."

By the end of that spiel, he was staring at the table in an effort to control himself. He tried his best to approach the subject objectively, but it was incredibly difficult. Once he was done, he sat down and looked back at his mentor, who nodded just the slightest in approval.

The rest of the room was horrified by the revelation.

"That's sickening," Fatgum seethed in fury, his normally kind disposition giving way to unbridled wrath. "What kind of lowlife scum…"

"Chisaki's Quirk is Overhaul," Nighteye said, filling the rest of the room in on the grim process. "He's capable of dismantling and reassembling whatever he touches with his hands, including living things. We have testimony from a subject in Tartarus suggesting that he performed these experiments by extracting Eri's blood to the point of near-death, then utilized his Quirk to simultaneously kill and resuscitate her. He did this often enough to develop a biological weapon that we know is near completion, but has yet to finish."

Most of the younger members of the room looked ready to throw up. The Pros maintained their grim composure.

Rock Lock was still scowling as he glanced at the pale U.A students. "I knew it was a bad idea to get kids involved with this. They're too young to deal with these kinds of monsters, Nighteye!"

"That's the reality of the villains we're dealing with," Nighteye told him matter-of-factly. "Chisaki is a sociopath with some psychopathic traits. He thinks nothing of the well-being of others and regards his followers as little more than tools. This is the same man who has been running the distribution of Trigger drugs throughout the underworld for years now. His end goal is to control a black market that can boost and erase Quirks."

"The head of the snake, as it were," Centipeder interjected. "By taking out the Eight Precepts, we essentially close off all access to the drug. Without the Yakuza to fund it, we should expect Trigger to more or less go extinct within a year or so."

"In addition, Chisaki has recently lost his two most important subordinates," Nighteye went on. "The General Manager of the Yakuza, Mimic, was captured during their attempt to kidnap Eri, and is currently being held in Tartarus. And as I said before, Chronostasis, his second in-command, was killed during the raid by the League of Villains last night. The Yakuza are currently in a state of disarray, and having lost all of their funds, are in a particularly vulnerable position. If we intend to arrest them, the time to do so is now."

"Then let's crush them!" Fatgum declared, standing up. "We can't let evil people like them roam free!"

Nighteye nodded. "Thanks to their failed kidnapping attempt and the data we received from our contact in the League, we have more than enough evidence to issue a warrant for their arrest. Tsukauchi and his people are working on the final details of that warrant back at the police department, but it will be complete by tonight. Ideally, we intend to execute the raid tomorrow morning at ten A.M. By then, most civilians in the area will be at work and all children should be at school, thus minimizing the risk of civilian casualties."

"It'll undoubtedly come to a fight," Ryukyu agreed. "They're desperate and have nothing to lose at this point. But do they have anywhere to go?"

"Thanks to the hard drive, we've identified a number of safe houses that the Yakuza could, in theory, flee to, but with the amount of data we now possess, they're no longer secure," Bubble Girl answered. "In addition, we know that the Yakuza compound is build over a number of subterranean tunnels that they'll likely use in an attempt to escape, but we've identified key exit points and can block them off in case they actually get that far."

"We have them trapped," Nighteye said. "All we have left to do is capture them."

Chisaki waited tensely for their contact to arrive, his mood already foul enough that his subordinates were giving him plenty of space. The raid the night before had truly been a devastating blow to the Yakuza—the latest in their most recent strokes of bad luck.

Within such a short space of time, he'd lost not only Mimic, but Chronostasis as well, in addition to completely losing the funds he'd worked so hard to build up. They could survive for a bit longer if they upped Trigger sales, but he doubted it would help them last for much longer. He needed an alternative.

Around him were his Eight Expendables. None of them would be effective replacements for his most trusted lieutenants, but they still served a purpose.

Right on time, he spotted two lesser members of the Yakuza open the gate to let in their contact, who bore a hood to cover their appearance. They were led straight to him at the entrance to the main building, where the two gangsters dipped their heads before returning to their guard duties.

"Thank you for meeting us on such short notice," Chisaki greeted them.

Their contact lifted her hands and removed the hood covering her face. A shock of short, blonde hair stood out past the sharp, golden eyes. Although he could see the upper half of her face, everything below her nose was covered by a high collar, which was part of the black cloak that concealed most of her body. Her arms crossed in front of her as she regarded him with a raised eyebrow. "I wasn't expecting you to reach out to me again so soon. What business do you have with us?"

"I need you to retrieve the child I sent you to search for during our last contract," he told her bluntly. "Circumstances have prevented me from seeking her out myself."

"To do that, I'd need to break into U.A," she said, causing him to still somewhat. "This job would have been much less risky had you not failed so dramatically."

"You will be paid handsomely."

"Will I? With what money?"

Chisaki stiffened as she stared at him indifferently. "You're not the only one with contacts, Overhaul. I recently got word that the League of Villains pulled off quite the heist on your organization. Even if you have some pocket change left, it's hardly going to be enough to convince me to raid U.A."

His fists clenched. "I can provide a down-payment now and—"

"I think not," she interrupted. "I have no doubt the heroes are already seeking you out. At best, you have mere days before they come for you. You are trapped and without funds, and you know it. And despite that, you had the audacity to call for me?"

"You're the one who agreed to come," he shot back. "Why waste your time if you weren't inclined to take the job?"

"You're not wrong," she inclined her head slightly. "I'll take the job, but my leader has decided to issue you an ultimatum in your most desperate hour. If you seek the survival of the Yakuza, I suggest you listen to it."

Chisaki glared at her angrily. This wasn't how he wanted this conversation to go, but it wasn't as though he had much of a choice. "Let's hear it, then."

"You and your forces are to transfer to her location in Siberia and provide us with access to all the Trigger you have, including the original source," she told him, causing all of the Yakuza to bristle. "You will work for her until the debt is paid off, at which point you may do as you wish. In return, I shall retrieve the child for you and we will provide a safe haven for you to rebuild your resources."

"You demand too much," Chisaki snapped at her.

"You're one to talk," she replied cooly. "You can either accept or I can leave you to the heroes. Quite frankly, I lose nothing. You're the one with everything to gain."

"And who is your leader? You're difficult enough to track down on a good day."

"You likely know her as Baba Yaga," was the answer he got. "The Russian Underworld's Dread Mother."

"She's a myth."

"That's what most of Japan thought of All for One and his Chimeras. And yet here I am."

Chisaki froze. "You're a Chimera?"

"Yes. So think very carefully about the opportunity that's been laid out in front of you, Chisaki. I will not make this offer twice."

It was a hard pill to swallow for the prideful leader of the Yakuza. He had intended to sweep his control of Japan's underworld within the upcoming year, but this string of devastating losses had made that goal impossible. If his forces remained in their current position, the heroes would have them all in Tartarus by the end of the week. Not without a fight, granted, but it would be a pointless fight in the grand scheme of things.

"…Very well," Chisaki ground out. "We will accept."

It's just a setback, he thought to himself. Once I regain my resources, I'll be back to take down Shigaraki and revive our organization. I've been patient before. I can be patient again.

The Chimera nodded. "Good. I'll bring in some reinforcements late tonight. They'll help provide you with an escape after I retrieve the girl, but you will be responsible for getting to the extraction point on time. We will leave without you if you cannot keep up—Baba Yaga has no place in her ranks for weaklings. Expect to leave in a hurry. We will be gone by this time tomorrow."

Izuku and Nighteye were facing off once again in the training area at the Pro's agency.

They stared each other down, Nighteye remaining still while Izuku slowly paced around him to decide on a point of attack. His body hummed with the low buzz of Overdrive, and Blackwhip remained tightly controlled by the fire wrapped around its tendrils.

He still couldn't control Blackwhip on its own, but he was getting quicker and better about controlling it with his fire. It often only had a second to rampage when he crossed the fifteen percent threshold, and then Izuku smothered the disobedient Quirk in fire to contain it.

Currently, he was testing out his upper limit of One for All—twenty percent, the most he had achieved thus far, and though it made his body ache from strain, he could still move.

He had yet to defeat Nighteye in their spars, but he'd consistently been getting closer and closer. This felt very much so like a test, a last examination to see if he was ready to participate in the raid.

He lifted one hand and fired a bolt of concentrated plasma at Nighteye with a small Pyroclasm, who sidestepped it easily enough. Izuku still needed practice with his aim, but he was getting better at short distances.

With that first shot, he started to run in a circle around his mentor, firing more and more bolts to keep Nighteye on his toes. The man couldn't utilize his Quirk since he'd used it on Izuku earlier that day during their meeting with Himiko, but it was far from the only trick in his book.

One of the super-dense paperweights came flying at Izuku and he barely ducked under it. Falling into a crouch in the same motion, he launched off the ground and repositioned himself on the wall, firing another shot at Nighteye as he rocketed off to yet another point in the room.

Nighteye was moving now, evading each shot and retaliating with his own projectiles. His sharp eyes continued to analyze Izuku's movements. "You're faster, but you're no Gran Torino, much less All Might. You expect to defeat Chisaki like this? The man who tortured Eri?"

Izuku scowled, but forced the surge of rage in his chest away. Nighteye was trying to goad him into recklessness, as he had many times before in their training sessions. He wasn't going to give in to it. He retaliated by blasting the ground near Nighteye's feet with a rapid flurry of bolts, searing the floor and forcing the man to jump back, further towards a corner of the room.

It was an obvious drive, he reflected, as Izuku pushed his mentor into the perceived trap. Nighteye would realize it, too. They both knew that driving Chisaki into a physical corner would do little more than provide him with extra ammunition to utilize with Overhaul.

"Your ploy is obvious," Nighteye warned him. "You stand no chance of winning with a strategy as simple as this. To corner this villain is to die. To fail Eri in the worst way possible."

Izuku ignored him once again, allowing the mechanical sharpness of his mind focus on his new plan. Adapting in the midst of battle was a skill Nighteye had beaten into his flesh and bones these past few weeks. It was a fine balance of his potent analytical skills and learning exactly what he could and couldn't do with those skills from a physical standpoint. Some plans were simply out of his reach at his current power level, but there were plenty more he could make use of.

Once more, Izuku lifted his hands to aim at Nighteye. His mentor stared back, unimpressed and prepared to dodge with that familiar, practiced ease.

This time, Izuku pumped as much power as he dared into the Pyroclasm, but he wasn't aiming for Nighteye—he was aiming for the corner behind him.

Nighteye ducked under the bolt, only to find himself being thrown forward onto his face by the explosion that was generated by the plasma slamming into the corner behind him. Briefly stunned as he was by the impact, it was enough for Izuku to blur over and grasp his wrists, restraining the Pro carefully so his hands could not touch him.

Izuku was careful to ensure he did not burn his mentor, though there was no stopping some of the singing on Nighteye's cuffs even after his student cut the flow of plasma at his hands. He was simply too hot after a sudden shutdown. The Pro watched, fascinated, as Blackwhip's tips hovered close to his face in threat, ready to deliver a lethal blow should he find it necessary.

Izuku was still tense above him, highly alert even with Nighteye grounded. It was a habit he approved of, even if the basis for it had been established during Izuku's brief "training" stint with All for One. Villains could be tricky to deal with, and Nighteye knew full well that to lose one's focus in battle was to potentially lose your life.

"…You did well," Nighteye said at last, letting his hands go slack in Izuku's grip. "We're done for today."

Izuku warily let him up and quickly stepped back just in case Nighteye was trying to fool him. The Pro stood up, watching his alert intern with the barest hint of pride visible in his sharp eyes.

Nighteye crossed his arms in front of him and Izuku relaxed just the slightest bit more. In that position, he was unlikely to suddenly attack again. Had he folded his hands behind his back, the boy would have been more wary—he'd learned many of Nighteye's tricks these past few weeks.

The Pro considered this latest session with his intern. He'd successfully avoided being taunted into close-combat with him, a fight that Chisaki could expect to instantly win with just a single touch. His movements were much more refined than when they'd first begun this training, and he had managed to execute a plan to capture Chisaki that had taken him (however briefly) by surprise. Granted, Nighteye hadn't been able to utilize Foresight for this battle, but it wasn't like Izuku had given him a chance to do so during this match, even if he did still have it for the day.

"I believe you're ready," Nighteye said at last.

Izuku perked up and looked at his mentor steadily, not quite hopeful, but focused on his every word nonetheless.

"Tomorrow, we take the fight to Chisaki," Nighteye told the boy. "And you will help us take him down."

The young man smiled wolfishly, reminding Nighteye so much of All Might that it almost hurt to look at him. "Yes, Sir!"

Mugetsu was back at her temporary base within minutes of her meeting with Overhaul, activating the signal to get in touch with her master. She made her way to the front of the television and knelt down, bowing her head and waiting patiently.

It didn't take long for the underground channel to connect to the other side, despite the distance it had to cover. The voice of a young woman was the first thing that came through, as the fuzzy image on the television cleared somewhat. "Mugetsu, how lovely to hear from you again so soon. Please, stand."

"Yes, milady," Mugetsu answered, standing and looking at her master. Baba Yaga's too-pale face stared back at her with eyes like chips of glacial frost.

"I trust your meeting with the Yakuza went as anticipated?" She prompted.

"Of course. It's as you expected; they're prideful, but not stupid. They accepted the price."

"Good," the Dread Mother purred. "Fill me in on the current situation, dear."

"Currently, the Yakuza are in a state of desperation," Mugetsu began to report. "The raid conducted by the League of Villains and Wolfram's group has rendered them all but bankrupt. If they have any money left at all, it's precious little. In addition, Chronostasis was killed during the raid last night. Chisaki's most trusted lieutenants are now both lost to him."

"A pity—I rather enjoy Quirks that affect time," Baba Yaga lamented, though she didn't sound overly upset about it. "They agreed to give us access to Trigger?"

"Yes."

"Good. And I suppose Chisaki is still fixated on retrieving that child?"

"He is."

"His tunnel-vision will be his undoing," the Supervillain muttered. "The young fool. He wouldn't be in nearly as much trouble if he'd been more delicate with the child. There are other methods to get the DNA for one's Quirk that don't involve such violence."

Mugetsu said nothing as her master voiced her disapproval of Chisaki. Baba Yaga finally let out an exasperated sigh. "Very well. Retrieve the girl. But she will be his responsibility. I have no interest in the child myself. Your singular priority above all else is to retrieve the original source of Trigger, even if it means abandoning the others."

"I imagine they might take that as a challenge," she replied dryly.

The Dread Mother laughed, a song-like sound that was far too young for one so old. "Yes, I imagine they will. I'll have Hellscaper and Rum rifted down to provide you with a suitable distraction. Let Rum take command."

"As you wish," Mugetsu dipped her head.

"What are your thoughts on our other interests?" She queried. "The two natural-born Chimeras?"

"As can be expected, they're both still growing, but they show promise. Izuku Midoriya made an impressive showing recently in a brief skirmish with Heat Viper. He's not nearly as powerful as his father, but his skill is improving rapidly," Mugetsu paused. "I suspect he will become a dangerous adversary to deal with in the coming years."

"Noted. And the other?"

"Himiko Toga's mental state has been improving recently," she reported. "As I told you before, I anticipated she would be of little value to us, but she executed the mission on the Eight Precepts with no issues whatsoever. It was cleanly done."

"I was under the impression her mental state was something she could not manage on her own. How has she done this?"

"For some time now, she has been meeting with Izuku Midoriya, despite their current…occupations," Mugetsu explained. "I'm not certain of the specifics, but he's seems to have somehow figured out how to help treat, or at least regulate her condition."

"Fascinating," Baba Yaga murmured. "The boy is certainly of interest to me."

Mugetsu hesitated before speaking again. "Master, if I may…As I said, I'm not certain how exactly they're working on the girl's mental state, but my observations have made me wonder if the two of them are…closer than a professional relationship dictates."

She could see the moment Baba Yaga grew very still, as unmoving as the ice in her eyes. "How close?"

"I cannot be certain, but…I expect there is a possibility that they may become romantically involved at some point. Their current situation makes such a relationship difficult, but not impossible."

"It may be useful to us," Baba Yaga mused, tapping her finger. "But…there is still a risk I do not wish to chance."

She looked at Mugetsu with the force of a blizzard in her eyes. "Retrieve a blood sample from each of them at the earliest possible moment. I want to know if either of them are fertile. They may still become tools of value to us, but I will not have these…blights of nature continuing the line All for One created."

"I shall do as you wish," Mugetsu dipped her head. "What if they are fertile? Then what is our course of action?"

"I will offer them a place in our ranks—on the condition that they are…sterilized."

"And if they refuse?"

The curve of the Dread Mother's lips held no warmth in them. "Then we kill them."

A/N: Sorry this took so long! Work has been keeping me on my toes, plus I had a bit of trouble deciding how to structure this one. But the time has come! Starting next chapter, the raid begins! Prepare for angst, blood, angst, savagery, angst, and death! Did I mention angst?

As per usual, huge shout out to my betas, Akiyamasamalamadingdong, Author of Purpose, and SkarletRaven! You guys are awesome! Another shout out to everyone on the discord, who are responsible for ensuring I have my daily dose of nonsense! If you're interested in joining our madhouse, leave a review!

Viridescent has a TV Tropes page! Check it out!

Also, I didn't get to mention it before, but as of recently, Viridescent has over 2 million views on ffnet! Holy cow! You guys are amazing! Let's keep going beyond! Plus Ultra!

Now, onto the review responses for chapter fifty!

EmperorCookies: Wow. Just fuckn wow dude. Was that ever a read. The past few chapters have felt a bit slower than usual but this one returned to pace rather dramatically and I loved every word of it. As I said before, the humanity you've managed to give to some of the most twisted characters in the show impresses me thoroughly. Not many people make a non sadistic Izuku-Toga pairing not only possible but actually desirable. Dont get me wrong I love Ochako but the sheer chemistry whenever those two are in the same scene is overpowering. Though the poor serial killer is probably doomed to pay for her crimes, the vision Nighteye gave Izuku all but completley confirms someones death. Himiko is the most likely candidate unfortunately. Either way, I love this to bits and has really kicked off my dive into the BNHA Fanfiction community with a shockwave.

-I'm glad you've enjoyed the story thus far! One of my favorite parts of writing Viridescent is the idea of reminding everyone that the villains are also people, not just baddies for the sake of being bad! Himiko has been one of the best ones to write, though it's tricky at times! I love Ochako too! It's been a struggle balancing the girls and their budding relationships with Izuku, and I think I'll just have to take things one step at a time. I DO have a plan, though the endgame pairing has yet to be decided!

Who's gonna bite the proverbial bullet? Well...who knows? ;) Gonna have to wait and see! Look forward to more!

King Kroniiclez: So here I am reading the authors note about Izuku and Tomura. I feel that kind of relationship would've been fleshed out if Oda decides that he needs to do a manga for Gol D. Roger and his generation cuz I feel like that kind of relationship is what leads to the most notorious pirate asking his enemy to look after his son.

-XD That's an interesting take on their relationship! The connection Izuku and Tomura have right now is simple at best, but it'll deepen and become more complex over time! Eventually, they'll see each other in less black and white terms, though who can say what the result will be!

pyro-technic242: Dibs on never picking fights with this version of Himiko. She's SCARY. And badass. And as a side note, I do NOT want her finding out about Ochako's (mutual) crush on Izuku. I feel it will end very badly for all three of them, and there shall be knives, blood and death involved.

Her relationship with Izuku hopefully shall get healthier? I do hope for a happy ending to this thing they have going on between them but if Himiko's still going around killing people, I don't see that happening regardless of the good she still has within her. While I'm not aware if you have the ending planned out already, please write it however you feel is best. Though I guess you don't need me to tell you that. :))

I like how you've written Tomura throughout the story. I see him in this chapter and I think, "Was this the same whiny brat demanding a green fire-rabbit pet from his surrogate daddy not even 40 chapters earlier?" The progression that you've shown with him is excellent.

Can't wait for the next update! Happy New Year!

-Yeah, Himiko isn't someone you wanna mess with! Honestly, I think Himiko and Ochako might get along better than you think! You'll have to wait and see, though!

Her relationship with Izuku is...a process. It's not healthy now and it's never been particularly healthy for either of them, (primarily for Izuku) but I think over time you'll see it grow into something that's a lot better for both of them. It'll take time though! They've interacted for what, twenty-five chapters now? Mmm...give 'em another twenty-five and look back on it then!

Forty chapters IS quite some time! Tomura needed some serious development, honestly, and I plan on deepening his character much, much further as time goes on. We'll be seeing a lot more of him towards the end of Class 1-A's first year, and he'll play a huge part throughout year 2!

ZaydenNightshade: Honestly I'm waiting on Eri to slip and call Izuku Dad. he's probably just roll with it. it would be absolutely adorable.

-Me too! Shouldn't be much longer! I live for Dadzuku and baby Eri 3

That's all for now! As ever, please review and thanks for reading!