Another Izuku style dump. It's what he's good at. A bit of a late update because I was busy, but the next chapter or two will be very fun!

Since people seem interested in the conversation from last chapter's video, I am writing a side one-shot of that event from someone else's perspective! It's clearly not finished, but it's about 2/3 written. Whenever I finish that, I plan to post it as a separate story and then create a series that connects these two.

It's clearly not required to read to understand this, but it's some side world-building and maybe I'll write a few other things in this au from some other point-of-view as stuff emerges. Anyway, if you're interested then keep your eyes open for it! I'll make sure to mention it in the chapter notes in this story again once it's finished and uploaded.

Sure, Dad said that the quirk-erasing drug stunt was probably a false underground publicity stunt that would never fulfill its promises, but Izuku enjoyed poking his nose where it didn't belong.

That was his job, after all. The greatest heroes were ones who meddled, legality aside.

So, instead, Izuku sat across the table littered with empty plates from his parents and asked for permission to leave their apartment again.

"Didn't you just go out the other day?" Mom asked suspiciously. "I'd like to see you home a little bit, at least."

"That was Monday." He corrected. "And it wasn't all day, I left after lunch and was back before dinner." By the time Izuku had reached the inner city, he had barely had any time to look around before he ran into Shouto. That had been totally accidental and, while he loved to spend time with his friend, he hadn't been able to accomplish what he really wanted to.

"Classwork?" Dad interjected, sparing them a glance up from his papers.

"Done." Today's work has been finished yesterday. Izuku was nothing if not motivated.

Dad shrugged noncommittally, looking back at Mom for her opinion. She sighed. "As long as you're careful, I suppose." She finally relented.

Izuku grinned. "Thank you!"

He pushed away from the table as he thanked them again for good measure. Then he rushed to his room to change. Izuku picked out a casual, plain t-shirt that said long-sleeves and jeans, plus a jacket in case he needed the hood to hide his face. He stuffed his mask in his bag as well, along with a few extra pencils and a trusty notebook, as an extra measure. Usually the mask was something that gave him away in broad daylight, but occasionally it was needed.

He tried to fit in with the public as much as he could. It was a Friday, so most people his age were probably still in school. He'd go as far as to wear an old middle school uniform if any of the old ones had survived the destruction of his apartment, but alas, they were all ruined beyond repair at this point. If anyone really recognized him, they'd probably be too shocked at the sight of his ghost to try and speak to him anyway.

After wishing goodbye to his parents, he started off in the direction of his first destination. He tucked his hands in the pockets of his jacket, blending in with the strangers of the streets around him.

O-O-O-O

The yakuza were, like Dad explained, virtually nonexistent by now.

Only a small handful of groups remained financially stable enough to stay afloat and those were mostly only known in the deep depths of the underground. Most hero agencies and police units didn't bother with investigating them, tossing them aside for the assumed, more dangerous villains.

Thankfully, Izuku didn't have to spend very long researching yakuza members and incidents. Dad had offered up information concerning the remaining groups without much of a protest once Izuku firmly agreed, again, that he most definitely wanted to know about this. He had already checked out a few smaller groups the other day before he ran into Shouto with little success. His father had also included a page listing the specific known members of a group that had been the most directly involved with the drug-related incidents. Izuku had already located down the assumed headquarters, which led him to the curb he was standing on.

Shie Hassaikai's compound resembled a very ordinary collection of office buildings. He never would have picked it out of the street on his own. However, according to Dad's sources, several assumed members had been spotted going in and out of the complex.

The entire block was gated off, requiring Izuku to buzz in if he wanted to go inside. He didn't, choosing to remain safely on the sidewalk across the street with his hands tugging on the straps of his bag.

It looked like it belonged among the other homes and offices, lying in wait. No one would imagine it was the base of an outdated yakuza. Dad hadn't even known much about Shie Hassaikai. They had never been a major contender in any of his businesses, just a shadow of whatever it used to be centuries ago.

Izuku stared up at the cream outer walls. He debated about simply teleporting inside. That would be easy. Although, he had to assume there were cameras of some kind watching him. The last thing he needed was to be caught or have his quirk suppressed where he had no escape. Those drugs would work on him just like anyone else.

He wandered casually to the other side of the street, going all the way down the block to cross the road. Izuku summoned the metal-manipulation quirk, searching past the gates as he lingered in the shade of another building beyond the gates. Often, with these types of material-based telekinesis quirks, there was an added perception that would be normal for the quirk user. A way their brain and ability evolved to seek out helpful materials in the incident of sudden activation or conflict.

His mother had something similar with her quirk; the ability to sense small objects around her. Izuku had felt it a few times when he borrowed her quirk, but always found the sensation overwhelming. Little objects made up practically everything, any type of device or machine was full of them . Mom had just shrugged and said she grew used to it years ago and barely thought about it as anything out of the ordinary.

Izuku was just glad he didn't have that problem with the quirks he kept. His body was made to hold multiple quirks and had no problem pushing unused ones to the back of his mind until they became useful. That type of perception usually lied dormant until he activated the quirk.

Sure enough, once he pushed past the iron of the gates, he could feel the lighter metallic sense of cameras hiding in the shadow of the roof. One on nearly every corner that he could reach.

Izuku deactivated the quirk with a thoughtful hum. He was dressed like any other teenager. They had no reason to see him as anything more.

The excessive amount of cameras was another confirmation of the reality of this building's purposes. He couldn't imagine why a residential office would ever need that much surveillance.

He began to walk around the perimeter of the building, carefully turning the view of the cameras as he did. On the outside, it really wasn't anything special.

Then he felt the strangest of senses, standing on the right side of the furthest wall. He activated that sensory quirk, suddenly aware of someone walking below his feet. Metal light fixtures had been what alerted him earlier. His eyebrows knitted together as he slowly looked down at the ground.

He was still standing on the sidewalk, the subway lines didn't even run in this direction. Izuku frowned, kneeling to press his hand to the concrete. He shut his eyes. Izuku dug up an enhancer quirk to combine with the sensory quirk and pushed its range further.

His eyes snapped open, a surprised gasp escaped him.

There were underground tunnels, stretching out further underneath the city.

Izuku felt it fade in several different directions from his position. They could go on for kilometers. He made another circle around the building, focusing his attention on the tunnels this time.

Then the teenager chose to follow one outward, back the direction he had come. He crossed the street again, staring down at his sneakers as he followed the path. Izuku was so enraptured in the discovery, half digging in his bag for his notebook while he walked, that he didn't pay any attention to his other surroundings. That was probably why he walked face first into someone.

"Whoa, you okay?!" The voice exclaimed, strong hands found his shoulders to steady him. Izuku dropped the sensory quirk in an instant, jerking his head up with wide eyes.

He resembled a hero, dressed in a white costume with a red cape and golden numbers on his chest. Yet, he couldn't be more than a few years older than Izuku. Maybe a sidekick or a student. "Y-Yeah. I'm fine, sorry." He answered quickly, tripping over his words with a nervous blush.

"Are you lost?" A woman with blue skin asked gently, leaning over on the other side of the blond sidekick.

Izuku shook his head quickly. "N-No! I just got distracted. I'm sorry for running into you." He bowed, trying to avoid their gazes.

The last thing he needed was to be recognized, especially if they were heroes. He wasn't anywhere near his old home or school, nor even the police station that covered his and his mother 's deaths. It wasn't that he couldn't handle a fight, but he really didn't have plans for one today.

"It's no problem, kid!" The caped hero said with a grin and a thumbs up. "I figured you'd be more worried if you walked through me, ha!"

"Lemillion-" The woman began to scold, shaking her head.

The comment startled him enough to look up. "Walk through you? Is that your quirk? You're a hero, aren't you?" Izuku pressed excitedly, despite the circumstances. He didn't immediately recognize him, but he was already growing curious about his quirk. It was a bad habit, at this point, so quickly throwing his previous plans out the window for the chance to learn about his power.

"We're sidekicks," She corrected. "and Lemillion is a student from Yuuei."

"Oh-"

"If you're not lost, then we should keep moving." The woman interrupted. "You know how Sir is if we don't stay on schedule." She moved around him, gesturing for the blond to follow her in the other direction.

He winked at Izuku, waving. "Nice to meet you!" He called over his shoulder. Lemillion nearly walked right into the street lamp in his path, but suddenly phased through it at the last second to show off his quirk.

Izuku's eyes widened. How fascinating.

If it wasn't the middle of the day and he wasn't a hero, Izuku might have even taken it. All it took was skin-contact. His brain was already running wild with thoughts of the effects and capabilities of a quirk like that.

He wasn't anywhere close to as bad of a kleptomaniac as his father, but sometimes there were just those incredibly interesting quirks he wanted to learn more about. His fingers twitched, grip tightening on his notebook.

However, Izuku forced himself to stay put, trying to limit his mumbling as Lemillion and the woman continued on their patrol. Taking a hero's quirk in the middle of a somewhat busy street was a terrible, awful idea, as much as he wanted to. He busied himself with digging out a pencil to keep his hands to himself.

With a sigh and a located pencil, the pair faded into the distant crowd and Izuku reminded himself of the task at hand. He looked down at the secret tunnel below him, inspecting the pavement like it would give him some type of answer. After another minute, he called upon the sensory and enhancing quirks and continued on his own path.

O-O-O-O

Izuku didn't follow that entire tunnel, but instead gave up about fifteen minutes later and circled around the surrounding area of the base again.

Every once in a while, he'd sense another underground room or hallway or, occasionally, someone walking around underneath him. It was all several meters below the concrete. He could only sense the open space, but not much that told him what was inside except if it was connected to the ceiling, or rather tall in the case of people walking past. It was a messy maze, but after a couple of hours of wandering around and a couple scribbled and ripped out notebook pages, he managed to come up with a loose map of the closest tunnels.

Izuku held up his notebook, tilting it as he inspecting the messy map. Surely, it would make no sense to anyone beside him, he'd have to redraw a neater version later. Maybe even show it to Dad. He'd probably be interested in something like this.

The strangest room, perhaps, seemed to be some type of lab. Like with the other areas, he couldn't make out everything inside, but he could feel the metallic equipment inside, the shapes of the upmost items. He supposed that must be where the drug was being developed, if this was their base of operations.

That didn't exactly explain the rest of the extensive tunnels he felt. There was no need for such a large space underground, nor a reason for the way certain places were structured. It nearly reminded him of dorm rooms, small areas separated by several meters of concrete. Whatever they made that drug from, whatever they were testing, it was down there with them. Izuku just didn't know what exactly it was.

After a while of wandering around and earning his fair share of strange looks for his muttering and frantic writing, he felt his phone buzz in his pocket. Izuku fished it out, reading a text that asked him to pick up milk before he came home. He checked the time, realizing it had been nearly four hours since he had eaten anything.

As much as he wanted to keep searching, Mom was very concerned about his ability to feed himself when he went out. He didn't want to risk worrying her, so Izuku unfortunately was forced to put his underground tunnel exploration on hold for a late lunch.

Looking up at the street he was on now, only two away from the main, aboveground yakuza complex, he spotted a small grocery store. Izuku put his phone away again and started toward it. There were only two workers inside, a few random shoppers dotting the aisles. He made a beeline for the pre-made bento boxes and began to scan the shelves. However, before he could pick one out, he was quickly distracted by the next aisle over.

He could hear the shoving of items around the shelves, strangely forcefully. Izuku looked back at the bento boxes with a longing sigh, then turned away from them.

The teenager slowly walked down the aisle, pausing at the end as he peeked around the wall of shelves. The next one over was primarily cleaning supplies and empty, beside a single man.

He was a medium height, rummaging around the shelves. His dark hair was chopped short. He wore dark clothes and gloves, despite it being a somewhat warm day, as well as a black face mask. Maybe his quirk had to deal with skin contact or fingerprints.

He seemed strangely familiar, but Izuku wasn't sure where he had seen him before, if at all.

He didn't seem to notice Izuku standing there as he finally decided on the largest bottle of bleach on the shelf. That itself wouldn't have been concerning, if the man didn't then hold up a can of soup in his other hand and stare at the two items together. He seemed to pause for a moment, but ultimately lowered his hands and walked away.

"This should work." He said to himself, barely loud enough to hear.

Izuku carefully returned to the next aisle, picking out a box for lunch and turning to walk up to the checkout counter. Instead, he spotted that man leaving the store. He carried the bleach in one hand, a plastic bag in the other. His profile passed by the window outside and realization slammed into him.

Chisaki Kai.

He fumbled with his phone, quickly pulling up the pictures he had taken of his father's information about the yakuza. Chisaki's photo was blurrier than the others. He had less sightings than other members, meaning he was likely a higher ranking member. Izuku looked up just as he walked past the window and out of sight, but it was without a doubt the same person.

A number of other questions sprang up at this realization. He furrowed his eyebrows, stealing a glance back toward the sanitation aisle. Izuku mused over the facts while he waited in line, trying to come up with a decent answer. He payed for his lunch with cash and a small smile, then left.

He found a park not far from the base to eat, watching the children chase each other around as he wondered. Very little about Chisaki was known, but he was a member of Shie Hassaikai nonetheless. He must have a reason to be out when he was, perhaps handling something unfit for lower level members. Izuku couldn't imagine what that would be.

Izuku pulled out his phone again, scrolling through the recent news headlines and found nothing relating to the yakuza. Then, it struck him that he didn't even know what would be evidence of Chisaki's involvement. He didn't know what his quirk was, it was unlisted in Dad's information as well.

O-O-O-O

It took him about twenty minutes to crack Endeavor's password for the hero database. He picked his account out of spite, hoping he'd get some type of repercussion for letting his security become compromised, despite how unlikely that'd be. He'd probably get away with it, just like what he was doing to Shouto every night. A smug smile found its way to Izuku's face anyway as the page loaded, welcoming Todoroki Enji.

Izuku searched the criminal records for Chisaki Kai, assuming it would at least be an alias. Instead, he got one result.

It wasn't even a fake name. Izuku rolled his eyes.

His quirk was called Overhaul. According to the listed description, he could disassemble and reassemble matter however he chose. Powerful, Izuku noted with a hum. He curiously wondered how it worked exactly, the range and materials he could affect. It didn't list anything about inanimate or biological objects, virtually nothing beyond the basic summary.

Another fact that pointed to Chisaki being a higher ranking member. The heroes probably didn't see much of him. They, most likely, had only connected the quirk from registration every four-year-old submitted once their quirk emerged.

That could only be taken at face value, of course, because heroes often explained quirks incorrectly. Izuku knew from experience.

The quirk could have also been registered wrong in the first place, it was subjective registration. Most people ended up changing the official registration of their quirks later in life anyway. Izuku's quirk registration was wrong, if anyone cared to look up a dead child. He was still listed as quirkless.

Chisaki could very well have a completely different type of quirk, but only he could answer that question.

Or Izuku, if he took it.

He usually had to have some type of previous knowledge of the quirk before he could take it. After watching one in action, he could guess pretty well. He supposed if he tried to take Overhaul and couldn't, the database must be wrong.

The conclusion of it all, though, was that Izuku wanted more information. He had no idea why Chisaki was doing his own dirty work, buying something as minimal as a can of soup and bleach. He still didn't know how they were creating this so-called quirk-canceling drug. He didn't know what was living under his feet, why there were so many cell-like rooms down there.

The only way he'd probably figure that out would be to go underground.

chisaki just needed some soup and bleach, izuku, get off his case.