Izuku was successful in not thinking about Tsukauchi or his offer for all of about two hours the following day. He'd tried to occupy his mind by beginning the slow and tedious process of packing up his things from the apartment. Mitsuki Bakugo had been kind enough to help him track down and find an apartment that he could afford with what little his mother had been able to leave him, and the realtor they were working with was apparently close on finding a beer for the house, so Izuku needed to get moved out as soon as he was able.

But the task provided very little in terms of a distraction. There was a memory tied to everything he picked up, every box he packed, and he couldn't get the image of his mothers legs, broken and purple and sticking out from behind the other man, out of his mind. These thoughts would inevitably lead to thoughts about Tsukauchi, and about the conversation he'd overhead at the dock. All morning, his eyes unconsciously drifted over to the clock, unwittingly counting down the hours until one o'clock. At five to, he couldn't stop himself and he turned on the television to the local news network, and he tried to pretend as though he were only half listening to the report on the local tropical storm near the northern prefectures.

"…expecting sever thunderstorms to roll down to the south in the next couple of days," The weatherman was saying, only to be interrupted as the screen abruptly changed back to the lead anchor, an older man with moose antlers protruding from his skull, and one hand pressed to an ear piece.

"Apologies Mr. Tanaka, but we are receiving a report of a fight occurring in downtown Musustafu, we go now to our aerial drown, live at the scene."

Izuku's head whipped around, the shirt he'd been folding slowly falling to the ground in a heap as he ran around the couch and collapsed into the cushions, his eyes glue to the screen and his heart hammering painfully. He wished, hoped, prayed, to anyone that was listening that it would be anyone but Mt. Lady who appeared on the screen, that Tsukauchi had been wrong, and that he had misled Izuku about what they'd witnessed the night before.

But it was not to be.

The scene on the television shifted, and the live feed of one of the high-tech news drones showed the familiar downtown streets of Musustafu. The frame focused on a group of civilians and police officers, crouching behind cars and hiding behind buildings. The drone then moved, and focus shifted to a five men raining destruction down on the street. The lens zoomed in and Izuku felt his heart drop as he recognized two of the men instantly.

They were the same men from the night before.

The man who had led the discussion the night before stepped up onto the hood of a car. He reached into a pocket and withdrew a small silver coin. He threw the coin in the air and the coin suddenly multiplied into a dozen similar styled coins. He pointed his hand to the ground, a sinister-looking smirk on his face, and coins suddenly raced through the air. Like a dozen small bullets, the coins tore through buildings, concrete, and cars. One poor officer let out a wail of terror and misery as one of the coins tore through his leg, shredding the limb from the bone.

Another gang-member sucked in a deep breath, and let out a tremendous belch. The burp created an effect all too like a shockwave, as cars were thrown down the street and people and debris were sent flying.

But before anything else could happen, a massive, spandex-clad foot stomped down into the middle of the street. The camera panned out, and focused on the smirking face of Mt. Lady.

Izuku felt his stomach drop.

He'd been hoping against hope, that Tsukauchi had been wrong. But, maybe he had been wrong, maybe it was just a misunderstanding? But even as the thought occurred to him, Izuku knew that he was just trying to justify his own desires to himself.

Mt. Lady moved into action. Taking a mighty step forward, she bent down, making a conscious effort to position her body in such a way as to unnecessarily flash her backside to the new drone, and she picked three of the men off the ground in one smooth motion. The men made a show of squirming and struggling, screaming out protests and obscenities, but they were silenced as Mt. Lady reared her arm back, and threw the men unceremoniously into the ground.

There was a tremendous 'CRASH' as the men were thrown into the earth, and smoke and debris were thrown into the air. A moment later, the smoke cleared, and the men were revealed, lying in a small crater in the ground, motionless. Mt. Lady turned her attention to the remaining two men, who tried to make a run for it, but with two large steps from Mt. lady, their path was blocked. Whether orchestrated to, or simply out a desire not to be thrown to the dirt, the two men held up their arms and got down on their knees, signaling their surrender.

Immediately, a pair of uniformed police officers darted out from somewhere that Izuku couldn't see from the screen. They handcuffed the villains and faster than anyone could process, they were escorting the captured men towards a police cruiser that had somehow escaped the carnage. Only a few steps behind them, were three other officers, who were escorting the other three fugitives. Izuku never saw what became of the other men, because the camera's view was soon obstructed by the smiling face of Mt. Lady, an excited gleam in her eye as she chittered excitedly at the drone.

But Izuku couldn't hear what she was saying. It was as though a strange buzzing had filled his ears, like a swarm of particularly angry wasps were voicing their displeasure at having their hive disturbed.

Feeling oddly numb, he turned the television off, he didn't need or want to hear anything else. Not when he was feeling so confused, so conflicted.

Damn Tsukauchi. Damn him to hell. Damn him for walking into Izuku's life, and confusing him. For shaking his established world-view, for shattering his perception of who and what the heroes were.

But maybe he was wrong, maybe Izuku was being a little too hasty in his assessments of what had transpired.

But that felt like a weak argument, even to him.

It was clear, at least as far as Mt. Lady was concerned, that what Tsukauchi had told him last night was more than likely true.

But did that mean that all heroes were inherently bad? Just because Mt. Lady was doing this didn't mean that the rest of the Pros were just like her.

Unbidden, Kamui Woods' face flashed through his imagination. It was getting difficult to breathe again, and his stomach lurched painfully, nausea gripping at him. Feeling the bile rush to his throat, he quickly raced from the couch and hurried into the bathroom, knocking over a couple of partially packed boxes in his hurry. Thrusting open the door, he fell to his knees over the toilet and retched painfully.

He gagged, spitting out the little remaining bile that was trapped in his mouth. He was dizzy, and lightheaded. Looking around him, he could feel another wave of nausea threaten him. He knew he needed to get out of there. Needed to leave, get some fresh air and decompress a little. It was too much, being in that empty home. It was too much to be there, constantly being reminded of his mother, and to have these raging and confusing thoughts and ideas rushing through his mind.

Getting shakily to his feet, he hobbled from the bathroom, making sure to grab his keys from the bowl on the kitchen table and got out of the apartment. He didn't know where he was going, didn't know where he wanted to go. He just wandered in a daze, letting his feet guide his path.

Time blurred, he could have been walking for ten minute minutes, it could have been five hours, he didn't know. He did mutely register that it must have been a while, because the sun had set from the horizon some time ago, and the lights from the street lamps were burning brightly.

He realized with a start that he had somehow arrived at the last place he had seen his mother. The city hadn't managed to start construction on the street yet, and there was still a large hole in the entrance to the ramen restaurant where Kamui Woods had launched the villain. His eyes roamed across the street, and he faltered. Where there should have been an indent in the building across the street where his mother had been murdered, there was instead a large poster on the wall. Izuku stepped into the street, not even bothering to look before crossing, as he walked over to the wall, as though he were in a trance.

The poster was for an upcoming movie, there was a beautiful woman in a scantily clad dress, lying in a prostrated and vulnerable position on an abandoned street in some nondescript city. There was a shadowy figure looming in the background, and in the middle of the street, his hand raised high in the sky and a large oak tree sprouting from his arm, was Kamui Woods.

"W-what…" He whispered, his voice coming out in a hoarse tremble. He traced a shaking finger along the soft paper. They…they covered up where his mother was murdered…with a poster of the man that had killed her?

A feeling washed over him, a feeling that was all but foreign to him. His vision blurred, and he could feel his body tremble. He felt something in him snap, he wanted to…he wanted to hurt something. Wanted to break something, wanted to scream. He wanted…he wanted to do a lot of things, a lot of things he'd never wanted to do before. A guttural roar sounded from somewhere nearby, and he realized rather worryingly, that the sound was coming from his own mouth. His fingers dug into the poster and with another roar of utter rage, he ripped the poster off the wall. He tore the paper into shreds, before tearing it even further, until there was nothing left of the poster but minuscule scraps.

But his fury wasn't satisfied. He didn't feel any better, so he did his the only thing he could to vent the emotions, he turned and punched the building as hard as he could. He didn't even feel anything from the blow, nor did he feel anything from the following six blows. He punched until his knuckles were bleeding, and the wall was stained. His eyes burned, as white-hot tears streamed down his cheeks.

He collapsed to his knees, anger and sorrow warring inside of him. His mother deserved a shrine, a monument to her kindness and love, not to have the place her life had been stripped away desecrated by a fucking poster for the man who'd killed her.

It was too much. It was all just too damn much. Too many feelings were raging inside of him all at once and he didn't know or understand how to process any of them. Part of him…part of him wished that he could simply go to sleep, go to sleep and remain asleep. To never again wake up and reenter the nightmare that his life had become. But a bigger part of him, a part of him that he'd never known he had, called for something else.

Vengeance.

He felt hate, for the first time in his life, he felt true, genuine hatred towards another. It wasn't something he was familiar with. He was gentle-hearted by nature, and had not felt true fury even in the face of horrific discrimination and belittlement. He hadn't hated Bakugo when he'd told Izuku he was better off dead. Hadn't hated the doctor who told him he didn't have a quirk. Hadn't hated the teachers who had laughed in his face and dismissed him out of hand for wanting to be a hero. He didn't even think he hated the man who ended All Might's career, and he'd been the embodiment of evil personified.

But Kamui Woods?

The smug, egotistical son of a bitch who'd murdered his mother, and then lied to the nation that she'd gotten in the way of his fight? That it had been an accident and not a case of recklessness and gross negligence?

Izuku Midoriya hated Kamui Woods. Hated him with a ferocity that he was unable to describe. He wanted to hurt, wanted him to feel even a modicum of the pain that he'd caused Izuku to suffer, that he'd caused his mother to suffer. He became suddenly conscious of the card that was still tucked inside of the pocket of his jeans. Unlike the card from the Commission, Izuku had not been able to part with the detective's contact information. Three times, he'd been on the verge of throwing it away, but hadn't been able to bring himself to do it. But sitting there on the side of the street, sitting in front of where his mother had taken her last breaths, Izuku suddenly understood what Tsukauchi had been trying to tell him.

He hadn't wanted to believe it. All his life he'd believed that the pro heroes were the few real paragons of heroism and honor in their world. He'd believed that there was no greater honor than in serving one's fellow man by becoming a hero, by dedicating one's life to saving others. To preserving the sanctity of life.

But it was all a lie.

It was a scam.

If he were honest with himself, he had known the truth the second he'd seen Mt. Lady on the television. He'd known then and there that what Tsukauchi had been trying to tell him was the truth, but he hadn't wanted to believe it. He'd wanted more than anything to protect the vision of the world that he'd crafted for himself, to live safely and happily inside his own protective bubble, understanding the world as how he perceived it.

But there was no putting the genie back in its bottle.

Kamui Woods had seen to that.

But what did he do? He felt as though he were perched at a crossroads. That his next move would forever alter the course of his life. Did he call Tsukauchi, did he go further down the rabbit hole and see what else the world was hiding from him? Or did he try and move on, try and live a normal life? It's what his mother would have wanted for him, it was what she'd always wanted for him. She'd worked herself near to death just so that Izuku could have as normal a life as humanly possible, she wouldn't want him getting himself in danger by diving into the hero world. And he knew that it would be dangerous, regardless of what it was Tsukauchi had wanted of him, whatever the enigmatic man's plans were, Izuku knew that if it involved the Pros, that it would be dangerous.

She wouldn't want Izuku getting into anything like that.

But she wasn't around to second guess his decision. She wasn't around and it was because of a Pro. She'd never have the chance to talk him out of something ridiculous again, and that thought was enough to reignite the smoldering embers of his fury.

It was wrong.

It went against everything his mom raised him to believe in.

it went against what he thought a hero was supposed to be.

But then again, what did it even mean to be a hero anymore? Wasn't being a hero all about trying to protect the innocent? About fighting injustice? And was there any greater injustice than getting away with murder? He didn't think so.

And he knew what he felt he needed to do.

He reached into his pocket and withdrew the small card and his phone, and dialed the number on the card. Tsukauchi answered almost immediately.

"Izuku," He said, "I assume you saw the news this afternoon?"

"They put a fucking poster up." Izuku blurted out,

"I'm sorry?" Tsukauchi asked, confused.

"Where my mother was murdered," He clarified, fresh tears pooling in his eyes, "They put up a fucking poster for some Kamui Woods movie where he murdered her."

Tsukauchi was silent for a few moments, and when he spoke next, there was a genuine sorrow in his voice,

"I'm so sorry Izuku," He apologized, "I wish I could say that I'm surprised…but that's exactly the kind of diabolical shit these Pros will pull." There was a brief pause before Tsukauchi spoke again. "What do you want to do about it Izuku?"

"I want payback," Izuku said, not even pausing to think about the words before he said them. "If nobody else is able to hold these heroes accountable then I will! They aren't heroes, they're no better than the villains they fight!"

He surprised himself with the way he was speaking, and was even more surprised to find that he meant them. It wasn't like him to feel vindictive, or to actively seek out violence. But once upon a time he'd wanted to be a hero, and he'd long ago made peace with the realization that one day he'd need to potentially harm someone. But here and now? He actively sought the conflict, he wanted Kamui Woods to pay for what he'd done.

"I was hoping you'd feel that way," Tsukauchi said, and Izuku could all but see the smile on his face. "I'll text you an address, meet me there in fifteen minutes, it's time we get you up to speed."

Before Izuku could say anything more, the line went dead. A moment later his phone buzzed and a message from an unknown number appeared on the screen. It was an address for a building a few blocks away from where he was. Knowing it would take some time, he took off at a light jog towards the market district.

Things were happening quickly, far too quickly, but maybe that was for the best. Because things were happening in rapid succession, he didn't have time to think too deeply about it. Didn't have time to second guess his decisions. He was simply acting. Reacting. He was allowing his instincts and let his gut guide him.

It was freeing.

It only took him ten minutes to get him to the address, and he spent another two minutes triple checking to make sure the dingy, run down video store really was where he was supposed to go. His phone vibrated again and he checked it, seeing that Tsukauchi had texted him again, his eyes narrowed, and then he blushed considerably.

The message was simply, "Approach the counter, and ask for the video 'Greed The Horny Harem King.' See you inside."

For a brief moment, the first feeling of hesitation flashed through Izuku's mind, but he banished the feeling violently, and took a trembling step forward, opening the door to the video rental store with a shaking hand. The inside of the store was every bit as grimy as the outside. The air was stale and musty, and stank distinctly like body odor. The lights were dim, and Izuku almost had to squint just to see through the minuscule amount of light emanating from the barely lit fluorescent lights above. There were several long rows of shelves that were stacked with videos. The store felt…gross to Izuku. As though he was going to catch a particularly foul disease just by stepping foot into the building.

There was only one other person in the store, a grubby-looking man with long, unkempt and greasy black hair. He was busy playing some kind of game on his phone and hadn't even looked up when Izuku had entered the store. Izuku trembled slightly, but he mustered up his wavering courage and stepped uncomfortably up to the counter. He opened his mouth and tried to speak, but all that came out was a rather pitiful squeak. The grubby man looked up briefly from his phone, before dismissing Izuku,

"What can I do for you?" He sighed, not even bothering to hide his annoyance at Izuku disturbing his quiet.

Izuku licked at his dry lips, and tried again.

"I-I" He stammered, his voice coming out high-pitched and squeaky. His eyes darted around quickly the empty store, he needed to confirm to himself that no one else would hear him ask what he was about to ask, even if he wasn't actually about to rent a smutty film. He swallowed thickly and steeled himself.

"I'd-I'd like t-to rent, um, 'Greed The Horny Harem King,' please." That got the young man's attention. He glanced up, and looked Izuku up and down for a moment. It was in that moment that Izuku got his first good look at the man's eyes. They were bright purple, with small hexagons where his pupils should have been. His eyes glowed for a few moments, as he scanned Izuku before he nodded to himself,

"Follow me," He said, getting up and swiftly walking away through a curtain behind the counter. Izuku scrambled to follow the man. Dodging behind the curtain, he entered into a smaller, similarly dimly lit hallway. Izuku could just make out the back of his guide's head as he walked down the hall. He stopped in front of a locked door at the end of the hall with a number-pad next to the lock. He input a long series of numbers into the pad and there was a soft 'Click' before the door opened. The man stepped aside, and without another word to Izuku, he walked back to the front of the store.

Izuku stared after him for a moment, before he reached out and wrapped a hand around the handle of the door. Opening it, he stepped into a room that was vastly different to the rest of the store.

It was as though he'd stepped through into a bunker. The walls were made of thick concrete, as were the floors and ceiling. It was a large room, easily a building unto itself with a separate doorways that opened up into adjoining rooms. There were several small tables, cluttered with stacks of papers. From what little Izuku could see, some looked like what he assumed were police reports while others appeared to be blueprints for various buildings. As his eyes tracked across the room, they landed on the far wall, where there were several large maps pinned into the concrete. One was of Japan as a hole, and Izuku recognized that several pins and sticky notes were attached to major cities and urban populaces, while the others were maps of various cities and the other prefectures of Japan.

Before he could look any further however, Tsukauchi stepped in front of him, a beaming smile on his face.

"Izuku!" He said excitedly, then he seemed to remember exactly what drew Izuku there, and he controlled himself. His smile became a grimace and he clapped Izuku on the shoulder, squeezing it tightly,

"We'll get that bastard back."

Izuku swallowed thickly and nodded. Fishing for something else to say, he looked around the room.

"Where…where are we? What is this place?"

Tsukauchi smiled in understanding, "I guess you could call this the…nerve center of my little operation." He swept a hand around the room, "Obviously I can't do the kind of work that needs doing at the office, and I don't want to risk doing it at my home either, so i called in some favors and set this little beauty up."

He stepped away and over to one of the nearby tables, picking up one of the files on the table, he handed it over to Izuku. Taking the file blankly, he looked down and recognized it as an autopsy report. There was a picture in the corner of the file, a picture of a man that Izuku recognized. He felt his stomach clench up painfully in his stomach as he recognized the man that Kamui Woods had killed, alongside his own mother.

"That's the autopsy report on the man that Woods killed with your mother. Wouldn't believe what I had to do to get a copy of that, it's the only copy of the report that exists, and the Commission thinks it's been destroyed." Tsukauchi explained, as he thrust another file under Izuku's nose,

"That's a copy of the police report on Sugimoto Yoshito. He was a member of the Hari Kurono family. Small fish, drug running mostly, but interestingly enough he seemed to specialize in one drug in particular." He tapped a spot on the paper and Izuku followed the gesture, and his brow furrowed in confusion.

"What's trigger?" He asked, confused.

"Think of it like a steroid. It supercharges the users quirk, evolves it so it becomes far more powerful than it has any right to be." He frowned, folding his arms looking thoughtfully down at the paper, "But there's a drawback, naturally. The human body can't keep up with the evolution. With the supercharged quirk, comes insanity. Mental instability, impaired judgement, not to mention the damage it does to the body."

"That makes sense," Izuku said, curious. His apprehension over what he was doing being overridden by his interest in quirks,

"Human body's adapt and evolve in order to become compatible with a quirk. But if the quirk suddenly becomes more powerful than the user can handle, then the body won't be able to keep up. You'll tear muscles, shred bones…this is…"

"Dangerous?" Tsukauchi supplied with a snort, and Izuku nodded, "Understatement. This stuff is a nightmare. There's a reason the general public hasn't been made aware of it yet."

"People would panic," Izuku muttered to himself as he scanned the papers. His eyes flickered over the autopsy report again, when he paused and had to read through a line of the report for a second time.

"Hang on a second," He said, walking away from Tsukauchi as he continued to read through the report again, seating himself unconsciously in a seat at one of the tables. He looked up at Tsukauchi, "Sugimoto was on Trigger?" He asked, pointing at the report. "It says here that trace elements of the drug had been found in his bloodstream."

"Good eye," Tsukauchi said approvingly, "But not quite. Read the report again, pay close attention to where they found the traces."

Frowning, Izuku read through the report again, making sure to take his time and read carefully. It was a very detailed report, and Izuku was morbidly fascinated with the level of internal damage that had been done to the man, but he soon found what Tsukauchi was referencing, and he nearly dropped the papers to the floor in shock.

"It…It…" Izuku stammered, unable to get the words out,

"It was found in the chunks of wood still embedded in Sugimoto's sternum." Tsukauchi confirmed. Izuku threw the reports onto the table in revulsion. He felt…violated just reading them. He knew all too well what the report implied, but he had questions that burned at him.

"Why?" He croaked out, "Why would Kamui Wood be using Trigger?"

"It's a recent trend." Tsukauchi said in disgust, "He's not the first, but he is the biggest name to start doing it. Someone, don't know who, had the bright idea that using Trigger would be a good way to improve their standings and pro rank. Makes sense if you only think about it superficially. Someone who couldn't normally stand up to some of the more powerful villains supercharges their quirk, and suddenly they're handling things that should have been well outside their wheelhouse. Makes them stronger, faster, but it also makes them a hell of a lot more unstable and volatile."

Izuku remembered back to the night his mother was murdered. In particular, he remembered the strained look in Kamui Wood's eyes. The strange red, pulsating glow in his wood, the sweat on his mask.

"He was high," He whispered out, more to himself than to Tsukauchi, but the detective answered all the same,

"That was my belief as well." He confirmed Izuku's fears, "I've had my suspicions for some time, but this confirmed it. Kamui Wood has been using Trigger, likely in an attempt to bolster his quirk so he could shoot through the ranks more rapidly." He began to pace slowly back and forth as he spoke, "It would explain how someone, even with his quirk, has been able to make as much of a splash as he has in such a short space of time."

Izuku didn't respond. He would have thought that after the last week, he would have been immune to feeling shock, but he was continuously surprised. It shouldn't have hurt as much as it did, but knowing that his mother had been killed, because Kamui Wood was little more than a junkie trying to scrape and claw his way to glory made everything sting that much more. He had looked up to Kamui Wood, had followed his career with vaunted interest. But now he simply felt…hollow.

And angry.

Once more, that sensation of white-hot fury burned through his chest, and he visibly shook in the chair.

A calming hand shook him out of his mounting fury, and Izuku glanced up to see Tsukauchi gazing down on him.

"Breathe," The detective commanded softly, yet firmly. Izuku closed his eyes and inhaled deeply, counted to five, then exhaled just as slowly.

He felt marginally calmer, though the embers of rage still burned at the pit of his stomach.

"So…so what do we do now?" Izuku asked, "You-you haven't really explained anything to me yet. What is it that-that we're trying to do here?"

Tsukauchi nodded at him, and then sat down on the other side of the table.

"We can't outright kill him, unfortunately," Tsukauchi said bluntly and Izuku felt his mouth drop open in shock,

"W-what?" He stammered, but Tsukauchi ignored him, "And trying to get him arrested will get us nowhere, but that doesn't matter, that's not what would really hurt the bastard."

"And that's w-what we're trying to do?" Izuku asked, shaking himself off of his shock from the detectives casual dismissal of outright killing a pro-hero. "We're trying to h-hurt him?"

"How else are we going to hold the bastards accountable?" Tsukauchi asked, "Ask them politely to not be raging assholes?" He snorted derisively as he reached into his pocket and lit a fresh cigarette.

"No," Tsukauchi blew out a puff of smoke, "No we got to spook the bastards, spank 'em into acting right. And there's only one way I can think of to do that." He leaned across the table and grinned at Izuku, "We gotta hit 'em where it hurts."

"And where's t-that?" Izuku asked,

"Their reputations," Tsukauchi said, and tapped his temple with a single finger, smoke trailing along the side of his face giving him an eerily ethereal look, "What do the pros care about more than anything else?"

"Their rank," Izuku said without thinking,

"Their rank," Tsukauchi agreed with a nod, "Higher ranks, means more sponsorships. More endorsements. More exposure, more cash, more everything. The bastards will do anything for a higher rank, and they go to extreme lengths to keep their reputation in check, so I think it's high time that we start using that to our advantage, while also doing something about this little Trigger situation."

Izuku's heart started beating a little faster in his chest, and he felt some of the breath leave him, as the full force of what it was he agreed to be a part of started to hit. But he wasn't going to back out, not now, not when he'd finally made a decisive decision for himself, and not when his mother's killer was still walking around free.

"All right…" Izuku said slowly, "W-what…w-what's the plan then?"

"Glad you asked," Tsukauchi smiled, and stood up and walked to another table. He dug through a stack of files for a moment before he withdrew a manilla envelope and walked back to the table. He handed the file over to Izuku, which he opened.

"It's clear that Kamui Wood is juicing. He's so hopped up on Trigger that I don't think the son of a bitch doesn't even know whether he's in Japan or Singapore. We need to expose him, while cutting off his source of the drug. The more of that shit that's out on the street the more people like Kamui Wood will be doping up on it."

"W-wouldn't…w-wouldn't the h-heroes do something about the T-Trigger?" Izuku asked, and flinched as Tsukauchi looked at him in exasperation, "I-I mean!" He quickly tried to clarify, "I mean…wouldn't some of the top ten feel…I don't know, threatened by the idea of the lower ranks using Trigger? Wouldn't they feel…threatened by them?"

"Threatened?" Tsukauchi snorted, "Please kid, you're the otaku, you tell me. What's the difference in power between the top ten and the likes of Kamui Wood?"

Izuku recoiled at the rebuke. Tsukauchi was absolutely correct, the top ten were at the top for a very good reason. Sure they were the most popular heroes in the country, but even then, they were also ridiculously powerful. Each of their quirks were powerful, and the users knew how to use the quirks far better than anyone else in the country. They wouldn't be concerned with some up and comers gunning for their spot.

"And then don't even get me started on the idea of heroes investigating the Trigger trade," Tsukauchi said, flicking his spent cigarette onto the ground and lighting a fresh one, "They love it. Something that gives them bigger and badder villains to fight?" He snorted bitterly, "Bastards love it. Might as well be free publicity."

Izuku nodded, that made sense. The more Trigger that was on the street, the more villains that would be using it, and the more powerful and flashier their battles with the pros would be. Now that Izuku was thinking about it, he realized that he had noticed in the last several months that there seemed to be more and more high-scale battles and spectacles. It lined up with what Tsukauchi was suggesting.

"Okay…" Izuku said slowly, as he began thinking through their options a little more, "So we figure out where Kamui Wood is getting the Trigger, and what? Catch him in the act? It's like you said before…it's not as though anyone would believe us if we started telling people that he was using."

"No." Tsukauchi shook his head, and Izuku felt his head begin to throb painfully at the constant back and forth.

"What do you mean?" He asked,

"Think about it Izuku," Tsukauchi said, tapping his temple once more, "Think about what we just talked about. You think Kamui Wood needed an entire bag of Trigger? If he's using the Trigger, why steal so much of it and kill off the ones who were supplying you the drug?"

"Maybe he got scared?" Izuku suggested, "Maybe he was worried about the Yakuza turning on him, so he turned on them first, and stole the Trigger for himself,"

"Not a bad hypothesis," Tsukauchi shrugged, "Especially given your lack of any real knowledge of Trigger, but not what I believe." He began a slow, meandering pace around the table,

"Trigger is taken in small doses. It's so potent, that a user only needs a small amount to reap tremendous benefits, and taking too much at once can cause the quirk to become too powerful, and the body can't adapt to the changes fast enough and the quirk literally tears the body apart from the inside out."

"So why did Kamui Wood need enough Trigger to pack an entire duffel bag?" Izuku finished,

"Precisely," Tsukauchi agreed, "Why did he take so much Trigger? And where was he taking it? What's he doing with all of it? Sure, I have no doubt that he's using some of it but he has entirely too much to use himself before the supply spoils."

"You think he's selling it?" Izuku asked, and Tsukauchi shrugged,

"Could be, but I doubt it."

"Then you think he's distributing it." Izuku observed and Tsukauchi grunted an affirmation.

"That's exactly what I'm thinking. What better way to improve his stock and up his public image than to hand out Trigger and have more and more explosive battles like we talked about."

"So that's it then?" Izuku prompted, "We follow him, figure out what he's doing with the Trigger, and then expose him…somehow?"

"Point of clarification," Tsukauchi said, "You, will be following him."

"M-me?" Izuku asked, startled, "Just me? What are you going to be doing?"

"I have to maintain my duties with the department. Not only would it be suspicious if I was found snooping around where I shouldn't be, but it's through my work as a detective that I'm able to meet and interact with my informants that have provided me with the information I've been able to gather thus far."

"But-but…" Izuku spluttered. This was…not what he'd been expecting. Truth be told, he hadn't known what he'd been expecting. But following and investigating a pro hero? That was something from a spy movie, something for fictional characters but not for some kid without a quirk! What was he supposed to do?

"You can do this, Izuku." Tsukauchi encouraged, as though he were reading Izuku's mind. "You wanted to get back at Kamui? To see him see justice for what he's done? Well this is the way we get it done."

Izuku gulped, but reluctantly nodded, "So-so what…what am I supposed to do?"

"Follow him." Tsukauchi said again sternly. "Figure out his daily routine. Where he goes, what he does, who he meets with. We won't get what we need by being idle Izuku."

Gulping slightly, Izuku nodded his head, and stared back down at the file he was holding. Kamui Wood's helmeted mask stared back at him. The longer Izuku stared, the more the chilling embers of rage in his breast began to swirl. He steeled his resolve. This bastard had killed his mother.

And Izuku was going to make him pay for that.

One way, or another.

AN: And that's three in the wraps! Hope you guys have been enjoying the way this story has been developing. As always shoutout to Double0Sxvxn for being an awesome Beta and dealing with my bullshit and as always if you enjoyed this but haven't checked out my other work, give them a try you never know you might find something else you like. I'm also on discord now, where I and a bunch of other writers hang out, chat and brainstorm ideas, you just have to copy the link that's in my profile bio if you want to come and hang out with us. Stay safe, stay healthy and have an awesome week.

All My Love and see you next week,

LilDB