"I can't believe it," Toshinori growled, "That bastard…he really must still be alive, why else would they want Young Midoriya so badly."
"This is the worst possible outcome," Nedzu sighed as he sat in his office with All Might, the skinny blond glaring at the plush carpet beneath his feet, "We knew that All for One was targeting Midoriya, yet we still allowed ourselves to be complacent."
"And the other teachers…" Toshinori muttered, the pair having just come from a staff meeting, "Could what Mic said be true? That there's a traitor in our midst?"
"I honestly do not know," Nedzu replied, shaking his head as he grimaced, not liking the idea, "Especially if it is a student. Though the question remains, how did the Villains know where to attack? And what do they plan to do with Midoriya-kun?"
"We have to save him," Yagi muttered, "As quickly as possible. We have no idea what All for One has planned for him."
Izuku was shaken awake as the box slammed down on a floor, jostling him painfully in the darkness. How long had he been unconscious? Was it only a few minutes? Hours? He didn't feel hungry or thirsty so it couldn't have been that long. His head ached as he tried to stand up in the tight space, bracing himself against the cool walls of his container. He pressed his forehead against the steel, shivering slightly as he reached out with his quirk, still unable to feel anything at all.
"Hey!" he shouted, beating on the door, "Anyone out there? I'd like to come out now! Promise I won't kick your asses too hard!"
Silence echoed his words back at him, the teen muttering to himself as he tried to pry the door open, digging his fingers into the crack. After a while, he began kicking the door, bracing his back against the wall to get as much leverage as possible and slamming his foot against it. The resounding thumps reverberated inside the box, making Izuku's headache even worse as he scowled, not stopping as he tried to free himself. After a while, he stopped, out of breath and dizzy, propping himself up in the small box as he rested. Once he had his breath back, he went back to kicking, every tiny shift in the lid becoming a hope that he may break out of whatever hell box this thing was.
It quickly became a pattern, kicking, resting, then kicking again. Izuku's legs burned, his feet aching from spending what felt like hours kicking solid steel, his head filled with pain as the blood that had run down the back of his neck dried and cracked. He continued, even as he got more and more tired, his breath grating at his throat as he became thirsty, his stomach growling as he became hungry. He didn't stop.
After what felt like a lifetime, the box shifted, Izuku starting awake as he looked around the pitch blackness, not sure when he'd fallen asleep. It felt like the box was being lifted by a forklift, Izuku able to hear the squeak of the tyres and hum of the motor as he was jostled around inside.
"Hey, could I go to the bathroom?" he called out, "I really gotta pee! Promise I won't try to escape!"
No answer came, the teen muttering to himself as he felt the box get lowered to the floor, closing his eyes as he listened to the sounds around him. It was faint, but Izuku thought he could hear the sound of a pump of some kind running, as well as the buzz of numerous other machines, the soft beeping of a heart monitor breaking the uniform noise. He leaned forwards against the door, trying to hear better, when it suddenly swung open, sending him falling to the floor.
The room was lined with monitors and cables, the quiet hum of technology filling the air. Beside a tall chair sat a breathing machine, slowly and steadily pumping in and out as it worked. A heart monitor beeped off to the side, breaking the monotonous hum that filled the air. Izuku, however, didn't see any of this.
All he could see was a galaxy.
Mina stared blankly ahead, her arms itching beneath the bandages that covered most of her body. Apparently, the Villain that had engulfed her had a body made of a powerful alkaline, a near perfect counter to her quirk, and had burned her skin quite badly. She'd been lucky that she'd been freed so quickly, otherwise she might have had permanent scarring. Or worse.
"Mina," she looked over as she heard the familiar voice, smiling shakily at Kirishima as he walked into the room, "Are you okay?"
"Sore," she muttered, "But yeah, I'm okay, Kiri."
"Are you sure?" the red head asked.
"Yeah," Mina whispered back, looking back at the ceiling, "I guess."
"You know…we could…we will get him back."
"Of course we will," the pink-skinned girl said softly, "The Heroes will save him."
"Not what I meant," the boy replied, making Mina look at him in confusion, "You can come in now."
Mina watched as Momo walked into the room, the girl bowing slightly as she entered.
"What's going on Kiri?" Mina asked, looking between he two students.
"Tell her, Yaomomo," Kirishima said as the tall girl looked at him nervously, before giving a slight sigh and nodding.
"Before we left," she started, holding out her hand as the palm glowed, a small button emerging from her skin, "Midoriya was talking to me about tracking devices. He insisted that I make him one that looked like a button, just like this."
"That looks like the ones that are on our uniforms," the pink-skinned girl said as she sat up, wincing at the slight pain, "Does that mean…?"
"He immediately sewed it onto his uniform," Momo nodded, Mina immediately becoming more excited, "And it's still giving off a signal."
"Then we can-!" Mina started, jumping when the door slammed open, Iida stomping in.
"Absolutely not!" the boy shouted, "You cannot even be thinking of going after Midoriya on your own!"
"Where'd you come from?" Kirishima jumped slightly, looking back at the door as Shoto walked through.
"We were listening at the door," the two-toned teen replied, "We want to go with you."
"No, we do not!" Iida shouted, "We should leave this matter to the Pros! In fact, Yaoyorozu, why haven't you given a tracker to the police yet?"
"She has!" Kirishima shouted back, "But I can't just sit around like this! Not while my best friend is hurting so much!"
"Kiri," Mina gasped, tears starting to form in her eyes.
"Look," Iida said, seeming to calm down slightly, "I can understand how you feel. I also want to go help Izuku, but…but what you're suggesting is paramount to Vigilantism!"
"And you don't think Izuku wouldn't do the same if it was any of us?" Kirishima shouted back, making the other teen start, "I know he would! Forget being a Hero if I can't save him! I wouldn't even be a man! We can still help him!"
The four students stared at him for a moment, surprise on their faces as Kirishima panted slightly.
"Well," the nasally voice said, making them all jump as Neito entered the room, Shinso close behind him, "If you're all done shouting your heads off, I think we'll be joining you on your little rescue mission."
"Shuichi Iguchi," the detective in the long plain trench coat said as he walked into the interrogation room, "My name is Naomasa Tsukauchi. I am the detective on the case of the kidnapping of Izuku Midoriya. My quirk is called Lie Detector, it allows me to know when a person is lying, so it's pointless to try hide things from me."
"Spinner," the lizard-like man spat, making Naomasa raise an eyebrow, "My name is Spinner."
"Ah, yes," the man said, "Your Villain alias. Though you're hardly much of a Villain, this being your Debut. So, I have to ask, why?"
"That kid was one of the ones that took out Stain," Shuichi growled, "I have to avenge him."
"The Hero Killer: Stain," the detective nodded, "You're a fan of his?"
"A follower," Shuichi muttered in response, "He's a great man!"
"I'm sure," Tsukauchi hummed as he sat opposite him, opening a file, and sliding it across the table.
Shuichi glanced down at the photo on the table, cringing slightly as he saw the familiar hand clasped over the Villain's face. He looked away, a feeling of betrayal washing over him as he glared at the wall.
"You were one of the many Villains we managed to capture after the kidnapping, do you know who this man is?" the detective asked, Shuichi looking back at the photo.
"Yeah."
"And what can you tell me about him?"
"Nothing."
"That's a lie," the detective hummed, "Surely you at least know his name. Where his base is?"
"And why the hell should I tell you?!" Shuichi spat, "I'm not a snitch!"
"You're looking at going away for a very long time, Iguchi," the man replied calmly, "Kidnapping, even being an accessory to kidnapping, is quite the offense. We could offer you a deal."
"Stain wouldn't snitch on his allies!"
"What makes you think that they're allies?"
Shuichi blinked, glaring at the detective across the table from him. He looked away, staring at the wall again as he tried to figure out what the man was saying.
"They attacked Hosu together," he muttered, "The League used their…Nomu things to cause chaos while Stain went to kill a fake."
"Are you sure?" the detective asked, "Maybe there's something you should see."
Shuichi watched as the man pulled out his phone, tapping on the screen a few times before turning it towards him. Shuichi glared at it, his eyes going wide at the video that played. It showed a man, his nose cut off, eyes vicious and mouth twisted into a snarl as he sat at a metal table, obviously in an interrogation room like the one Shuichi was currently in. Opposite him sat the same detective, giving the same introduction he's given to Shuichi only minutes before.
"Chizome Akaguro," the detective said on the video, "Also known as the Hero Killer: Stain."
"What do you want?" the man growled, glaring at the detective.
"I just want to ask you a few questions," Tsukauchi replied, shuffling through some papers, "What was your purpose for murdering all those Heroes?"
"They were fakes!" Stain spat, "Nothing but false idols! No better than Villains! And I am the one that will rid the world of their filth!"
"Why are you showing me this?" Shuichi asked, "This is a lie! You faked the video! Stain would never betray his allies!"
"Keep watching," Tsukauchi said calmly.
"Are you affiliated with the League of Villains?" the detective asked the familiar figure.
"Those fools?" Stain growled, "No. They are nothing. Their leader may have a seed of conviction in him, but they are still nothing."
"Then why did they attack Hosu?" the Tsukauchi on the screen continued.
"Why should I know?" Stain growled, "Their leader is a child. A brat and a fool. He has no true purpose in life other than to destroy everything he "doesn't like"."
"So, you're not a member of the League of Villains?"
"I would sooner die than be affiliated with those fools," Stain replied, "Are you done? I need to go back to my cell."
"Yes, that will be all, thank you," the detective said as the video ended, Shuichi staring at the frozen picture in shock.
"Now, Iguchi-san," the Tsukauchi in front of him said, "Is there anything else you'd like to tell me?"
"A bar," Shuichi muttered, still staring blankly ahead, "We all met up in a bar."
Tomura glared at the screen, waiting for…he didn't know. Contact from Sensei? A congratulations for his successful mission? He just didn't know.
"Tomura Shigaraki," Kurogiri said softly, pulling the man out of his thoughts, "Please, calm yourself."
"What the hell are you talking about?" Tomura spat, looking down at his hand as the mist Villain glanced at it, the remote he'd been clutching already turned to dust in his palm, "Shit."
"It is quite alright," the bartender hummed, pulling a new remote from behind the bar and placing it on the countertop, "Your plan went off without a hitch. I am sure Sensei will contact us soon."
"He better," Tomura muttered, "I got that damn copying brat for him. Where is he? I want to kill him already!"
The two startled as the television suddenly buzzed, both looking at the screen as a grainy image formed on its surface. They stared at the scene, a large man sitting in a chair opposite a young boy, who was on his hands and knees in front of him.
"Tomura," the familiar voice of his Sensei said, "I want you to watch this carefully. This is how you convert a Hero to a Villain."
