The first thing the trio led by Shoto did the moment they arrived at the Headquarters with Tokuda in tow was to go and grab every single Itsuka Kendo they had currently at HQ. While Uraraka gave Tokuda enough clearance to enter the facility, Shoto all but marched up the stairs, following Zuzu-9-Beta's instructions to reach the rooms of the five women.
The first one he had already met. Itsuka Kendo from J-434, the Argaliverse, the one whose file had been shown in the first place by Tokuda while claiming she wasn't exactly the same person. That excluded her, technically, but he had been asked to gather all the Itsukas of the building, so he told her quickly to go to the cafeteria, before marching on.
When he knocked at the second door, the woman that opened was definitely Kendo, even if not the one he knew. This Kendo dressed with a shirt that left part of her abdomen free, short pants, and combat boots. Her body was muscular and tanned, reminding Shoto more of Miruko than of his world's version of Itsuka, but the red hair was kept in the same unique hair style Kendo herself used. "What is it?"
"You are Itsuka Kendo from EX-312, the Amazonverse, right?"
"I never really cared much about the whole number thing, but yes, I think I am. Did you find the murderer? Me and One for All want to have a long chat with him, since Yu was a friend of mine." She said, while pulling out a large sword in its sheath, "You don't fight an immortal dragon without making some new pals."
"Not yet, but we need to talk with you. Can you go to the cafeteria?"
The Amazon thought a moment, before shrugging. "Sure." And with that, she marched off. Shoto noticed she kept the sword on her back and had to wonder how hard it was to draw, but decided to ignore that and continue on.
The next Itsuka was even weirder. Starting with the fact that, he noticed, he hadn't found her mentioned in the files Mariah had given her. When he knocked at the door, curious, he got no answer for a long moment, and tried to knock again. "One moment, please!" A voice called from inside. He waited, and a long moment later the woman finally opened the door.
Deathly pale, red eyes, dressed entirely in a blue Victorian dress with black laces around the wrist and at the end of the gown, long red locks falling gently on her back, the woman all but screamed 'vampire' even before she smiled showing that her canines were long and sharp, even if different from Toga's, thinner and pointier. 'There is an honest to god vampire version of Itsuka?!'
"Good afternoon. Do you need something, dear?" She asked, her voice sounding young but her behavior reminding him of a much older woman. Physically she looked in her thirties at most, a couple of years older than Shoto, but even if he wasn't Ojiro he knew at least the theory of how vampires worked.
"I'm Shoto Todoroki." He replied, "And I'm here to ask you if you can go down to the cafeteria."
"The mess hall you mean. My, is it time for me to eat yet? I was under the impression obtaining my… nourishment would take longer."
'They are procuring human blood?' Shoto wondered, then kicked himself. Of course you would make sure to keep the Vampire fed.
"No, it's an investigation on what is happening."
"Oh my. Then I will certainly participate, even if I would have preferred enough time to apply some makeup." She turned around and picked up a red tinted parasol with equal black lacing around the edge, and then, confusingly, a pare of black shades. "Such an ingenious invention, this is." She said, "Truly, human ingenuity is mesmerizing sometimes." She passed by Shoto, and with an elegant cadence to her steps walked away. The moment she was gone, down the stairs, Shoto turned to Zuzu-9-Beta. "What was that?"
"Itsuka of the Quanteng Clan, also known as Itsuka Ironblood, a British Vampire born from a branch of a Chinese vampiric clan in universe UK-004, codename Gothicverse. She is – or was, given that now a lot of people will find out about her – one of the well-kept secrets of the League."
"Why is a Vampire allowed to stay free?!" He asked.
"Because from what she has told us, she was part of the Vampires that had an agreement with the governments of her world to be kept fed in exchange of help against more dangerous members of Vampirekind. We are following the same agreement, feeding her blood from the British Blood Donation Center, and she has respected her part by never killing anyone. In fact, she helped us years ago to fight a dragon. I believe you are aware of the incident in question, since miss Kendo – the Amazon, I mean – mentioned it too." Zuzu-9-Beta sighed, putting a hand on the side of her face, "Truth be told, we are hesitant to keep her here, but her behavior in the past years has been nothing but exemplary."
Shoto looked the way the woman had disappeared and wondered if they could really trust a vampire to not try and take a bite at one of them. He shook his head. It wasn't his issue, this was League business, and if they thought they were handling it well, it was probably the case. With a shrug, he walked on.
"So, the next one is… Itsuka Kendo." He sighed, "Are there a lot more Itsukas?"
As it turned out, no, there were only two more. The first, a fifteen-years-old with a black shirt and jeans, opened the door and stared at Shoto. "Wow. Always knew Shoto would be attractive as an adult but… wow." She looked at his hair, "You should really drop the hairstyle though. Not sure what you are trying to do with the half and half color, but it's not working."
"I used to color them black, but this is my natural hair color." He replied, and she started stammering an apology he mostly ignored. Truth be told, he really needed to decide if he wanted to keep them natural or go back to coloring them. "Anyway, we need you to come downstairs, to the cafeteria. Could you?"
The girl nodded, quickly grabbing a few things – phone, wallet, and a pen for some reason – and moved to go downstairs. Shoto looked at her go and frowned. "She doesn't really look like what I expected."
"What did you expect?"
"A pirate, or something like that. J-879, the Sailorverse, doesn't really hint at- why are you smirking?"
"It's your imagination." Zuzu-9-Beta answered, now once again the face of politeness, "Come on, we are wasting time."
Shoto frowned, but she was right that there was one more Itsuka to bring downstairs. He walked to the edge of the floor, the last room of the Headquarters, and knocked.
"Password." A dry order came from the other side of the door. He looked at Zuzu-9-Beta, who didn't miss a beat in answering.
"The Invisible stretches across the horizon."
The door opened, and a single teal eye peaked through. "What is it?"
"We need to talk with all Itsuka Kendos in the building immediately." Shoto replied, "Could you come downstairs to the cafeteria?"
"Why?"
Zuzu-9-Beta chimed in. "We have a witness that claims to have met an Itsuka Kendo and to have given her the information used against the people that have been captured or killed by the enemy we are facing. As such, our first order of business is making sure it's none of the Itsukas we have within the building."
For a moment, there was no answer, then the door opened, Itsuka walking out. She was in her mid-thirties or early forties, hair kept in a long ponytail down her back. Her clothes were a long sleeved black shirt and white pants. She had a gun holstered to her right side, which, if Shoto remembered correctly his gun's training, meant she was probably left-handed.
"Let's get this over quickly then. If you need help for the interrogation…"
"That won't be necessary but thank you." Zuzu replied, and Shoto wondered what kind of world she came from. Itsuka Kendrick, from JUS-134, the Noirverse. She marched past them, but Shoto followed right behind. When she turned with a questioning look, he just shrugged.
"You are the last one." He replied, and she just turned around, continuing downstairs.
Entering the cafeteria, the scene was almost surreal. Aside from Power Suit, a shocked Tokuda, and a resigned Uraraka and Jiro, there were five Itsukas sitting around. Amazon was the exception, leaning against the wall, eyes fixed on Itsuka Ironblood, the Vampire. Once they and Kendrick walked in, Shoto moved directly toward Tokuda. "Any that looks similar to the one you met?" He asked, skipping any particular question.
"I- Well, by demeanor she reminds me of her." He said, pointing to the Vampire, currently busy sipping tea one of the robots controlled by Zuzu to run the cafeteria had offered her, "But she wasn't a… A…"
"A vampire. You have giants and werewolves in this world, why are vampires so surprising?"
"Because vampires are fake! There are none in the world, it's heavily documented!" He replied. Shoto turned to Zuzu, who nodded, and groaned. Of course they were going to throw more stuff that would raise questions to the journalists.
"Seriously?" Shoto sighed, "Fine, what about the appearance?"
"M-More similar to that one." He said, pointing to the Kendo from the Noirverse, and everyone stiffened. Shoto spotted the Amazon's hand going to the sword on her back and the teenager touching her pocket.
"I never left Washington DC." The woman replied slowly, "Until Jiro showed up at my door and told me we were leaving immediately and dragged me here. You can check camera feeds from my house if you want."
"She also had a different hairstyle." Tokuda clarified, "And I'd say the hair color is also slightly wrong, though I suppose that would have taken little to be fixed. Still, I don't think they are the same person."
"That so…" The Vampire chuckled, "I can find out if you want." She said, turning to Zuzu. The AI visibly stiffened, a weird reaction to see in a machine even on account of how advanced she was, before looking to Itsuka Kendrick and then back to the Vampire.
"I… Believe that won't be necessary. I monitor the vitals of everyone in this building and miss Kendrick hasn't shown any sign of lying-" She hesitated, but Jiro stood up from her seat.
"Unless it's a particularly invasive operation, I think we should listen to the Vampire. We can't take a risk here." Jiro stepped toward Kendrick, the woman looking surprised, "That is, if you don't have something to hide."
Kendrick looked at the Vampire's smirk, and then at Jiro, a look of genuine offense on her face. "I hope for you this doesn't kill me, because you trust a literal vampire over a friend."
"A friend that also has a career I'm well aware of." Jiro replied, "I trust you as a person, but I can't put the League at risk, Itsuka. If you want to get out of suspicion, this is the easiest way. I know how Ironblood's powers work."
For a moment, Kendrick seemed undecided, ready to storm out of the room. Then the woman grunted, standing from her seat to move right in front of the Vampire, in a different chair. Close to each other, the resemblance between the Vampire and the woman felt almost uncanny, like one was a mutated version of the other. The same nose, the same line of the jaw, the same shape of the lips. Really, Shoto had to wonder if it always felt that weird to watch two alternate versions of the same person close to each other, or if this was just the result of one of them being a bloodthirsty undead. "Do your worst." Kendrick hissed.
"That will hardly be necessary." The Vampire casually replied, moving closer, red and teal eyes looking deep into each other. For a few moments, nothing happened, then Itsuka sagged, suddenly relaxing. "Can you hear me?"
"Yes, my lady…" The girl replied, deep in trance. Shoto gulped. So, the Vampire had hypnosis? He admittedly didn't know much about Vampires, since the closest he had back home was Himiko Toga. Shoto had to wonder if Ojiro knew more. He probably did.
"Good. Now tell me, did you ever meet that man before today?" She asked, and Shoto watched Kendrick nod slowly.
"I've never seen him before…" She answered in the same monotonous tone.
"Did you conspire against the League?"
"Never."
"Did you work with someone to hunt down people?"
"I did back home." She replied, and everyone stiffened, but Jiro shook her head.
"It's ok." She said a moment later at the incredulous look the other sent him, "I swear she had a good reason."
The Vampire hummed, "I dare say that's enough dear. Wake up." She said, bopping her playfully on the nose with a smile that looked kind but felt fake and measured.
Kendrick blinked, before her eyes went wide, she turned bright red, and jumped away. "What did you do?!" She hissed. "What was… that feeling."
"Why dear, Nothing untoward. I merely chose to make you feel love for me. A love so deep you'd tell me anything to make me happy. Isn't that a gentle way to interrogate you? Much more refined than violence and torture, if you ask me." She took another sip of tea, "This is delicious by the way, Zuzu, thank you very much."
"Can you do that to anyone?" Shoto found himself asking.
"Only if that person has no other great love. Love is not exclusive, but the love they feel for me is unnatural, and if they feel a natural sentiment of the same kind, it's defeated and ineffective." The Vampire sighed, a white-gloved hand gently reaching for her cheek, "It's a pity the fact it works on so many proves true love is so very rare. I believe in this whole room there are perhaps two people on which it wouldn't work." She glanced meaningfully at Power Suit, then back to Shoto, "Truly a pity."
"I'm glad to know I love my wife enough it's a shield against vampiric powers." Power Suit replied, "But if we are done, we might want to go back to business. This means the Kendo we are looking for is not here, not that we don't know her. Zuzu."
"Yes." The hologram turned toward Tokuda, "I will provide you with pictures of all the Kendo we have identified, focusing on those that can either switch their age or are around the same age and appearance of Miss Kendrick. Any question?"
"Any question?!" Tokuda stammered, "Several hundreds. What is all this?! I accompanied you because you were quite clear on the dangers of having told you about those people I now know are murdering other-"
"You followed us because you knew we would have to show you something of what was going on in here." Shoto corrected him, but the journalist pressed on.
"-But I want to know what is actually going on! I can't just accept this!"
"I will ask Miss Midoriya for permission to give you clearance on basic information. For now, let me be clear on one thing Mister Tokuda. You are involved, no, you involved yourself in something big now, whether you like it or not."
The bespectacled man sighed, passing a hand through his black hair, and Shoto could tell he was worried. Understandably so, even if Todoroki didn't have much sympathy for him. He had sold people to whoever this enemy was, and even if he didn't know who they were he should have cared enough to make sure they weren't in danger by doing so.
"If that's that then, I'm leaving." Kendrick said first, heading for the door. The Itsuka from the Sailorverse followed her immediately, after offering them a quick wave, while the Amazon, the one from the Argaliverse and the Vampire remained there.
He sighed, watching the room as people started to talk to each other, and then turned to Jiro, who was now staring in apparent confusion at her phone. "Do you still think we should go out tonight?" He asked. He had agreed with the idea before, but now it seemed- he watched her eyes go wide, his thoughts stopping. "What is it?" He asked, alarmed.
"Actually, it has become more important than ever." Jiro replied, sitting down, "Give a look at this."
He did, and his jaw dropped slightly.
"Hello, Kyoka Jiro from the League for All. We wish to speak with you about the Takeyama murder. Since you were already planning a night out, come to the Lion's Pub, in London, tonight at 9 PM. Feel free to bring anyone you want, especially anyone with All for One or the Midoriya surname ;) xoxo"
"-Oh, I forgot to sign. An associate of the murderer. 3"
-x-
Sup! My name is Izuku Midoriya, also known as The Green Scar or Deku. Depends which dimension you ask.
I was born on Earth, in Musutafu, Japan, in a world where people had amazing powers. Not me though, I was Quirkless. Until I turned fourteen at least. To make a long story short, I was chosen by All Might, the greatest Pro Hero that has ever lived, to be his successor and inherit the Quirk One for All. Amazing, right?
One day, some time later, I was training with my classmate Katsuki Bakugo, when he blew me to kingdom come. The kingdom of Mewnie, in another dimension, to be exact. Alright, it wasn't Bakugo's explosion that sent me there to be exact, it was a spell from a Princess called Solaria. But it was a pretty funny coincidence.
So, to cut more narration, I befriended Solaria, fell in love with her, discovered that maybe she wasn't the good side of the conflict, fell out of love with her, ran from the castle, joined the monster side, fell in love with a rabbit monster – I know how that sounds, but this happened a lot slower and yes, she was really lovely – founded a kingdom, fought magic armies, battled to the death my ex-wife, broke her spine while she shot me with a magical spell meant to kill me – I think we also destroyed a mountain while at it – and then… nothing for three hundred years. A stupid crystal magic being called Rhombolus locked me in ice for centuries, until another Princess got me out and offered me to go back home.
Except that, when I arrived home, only thirty minutes had gone by, and I was back to my old fifteen years old self. Puberty again, oh joy! If it wasn't for the scar of my final battle with Solaria, I might have pretended it was all a dream, but nope, all real, and I have a butterfly shaped wound to remind me.
Well… to finish it off, let me say this.
I'm Izuku Midoriya, the Green Scar.
And there is nothing else I will ever be.
"Come on, pull it together!" The Green Scar shouted, on the back of his steed, a black stallion he had claimed the moment they had been presented with their mounts. He caressed the flank of the beast. "You aren't a dragon-cycle or a unicorn, but I still like you a lot boy." The horse whinnied in appreciation, while Izuku went back to check on the others.
Itsuka Quanteng and Canary seemed to be doing well enough with their horses. Canary had picked a chestnut with black mane, Itsuka a bay with a large white spot on its forehead and face. Both animals were ready, as were their rider. After all, they had experience with riding. The problem, of course, were the other three.
Katsumi and Ojiro's whole experience with horses could be summarized in a week spent on the saddle while riding toward the Castle, so they weren't exactly experts, and Dekiru had absolutely none, shown by all the trouble he was having with even the basics of conducting his white horse. "He will feel your nervousness." He said, leading his own horse closer to the teen's. "Horses are smart animals. Don't try to push him too hard, and he will do what you want him to." He paused, "Also, remember to accompany the movement of the back. Otherwise you can say goodbye to the idea of having children."
The Green Scar patted Dekiru encouragingly, but for some reason the teen didn't seem more relaxed. He chuckled. Ah, it would be fine. A bit of pain never killed anyone. He looked up, toward Spider-Man. His own horse, another white one, was waiting next to the gate, while Spidey had perched himself on top of it. "Are you ready?!" He shouted.
"Yup!" Spider-Man elegantly flipped backwards, jumping directly from the top of the castle gate onto the ground, rolling on it and then standing back up right in front of his horse. He had a map of the kingdom in one hand, rolled back closed. "I think I know where we are going now." He walked to Urane, who was overseeing their departure while giving Ojiro some last-minute instructions. She had also given him a communication item, some sort of magic cellphone, both to keep instructing him while he travelled and so they could call for help if they needed to. That one was actually a boon the Green Scar had not expected but really welcomed. Back on Mewnie, not having reliable ways to contact his allies had always made things difficult. Like that one time he had been ambushed by the Pigeons and had to fight his way out all alone…
"Damn it!" Urane's surprising swear stopped him in his thoughts and he moved closer.
"What is it?" He asked.
"This is taking you straight to Mikona, the Haunted City."
"Oh. Sure, why not?" The Green Scar shrugged, passing a hand through his beard before realizing he didn't have it. Damn time shenanigans. Maybe he should have asked Star to see if Father Time had a solution for the problem.
"Aren't you worried?" Urane asked, "I thought the name was self-explanatory."
"Eh. I've been in the Forest of Certain Death a lot, and I didn't die at all. At this point I don't just assume." He shrugged at their look, before Itsuka brought her own horse next to theirs and coughed meaningfully while glaring at him.
"What my friend is saying is that we don't know the location you are talking about. Could you perhaps tell us something?"
"Of course. Well, Mikona is a city about a week north of here on horse. It used to be an hub of commerce between Colfire and the northern kingdoms, but one day it was attacked and razed by the Demon army, that killed everyone within. It's said to be both infested by Demons and haunted by the spirits of the dead, so…"
"So it's called the Haunted City." Ojiro finished, and the Green Scar could hear the excitement mixed with worry. Definitely a fantasy books fan.
"Correct. I'd really like to come with you, but now that the Knight Captain has deserted, with the Hero on the frontline, I can't leave my position too." She seemed genuinely worried, and Izuku could understand. He knew everything about friendships falling apart, and if he was right and it had been more than just a friendship, he knew even more.
"We will suffice." Itsuka said, and both Ojiro and Spider-Man nodded, "We are a strong group."
"I trust you on that." Urane replied, "Have a safe journey."
"We will." The Green Scar turned toward the gate, "Shall we go?" Spider-Man jumped on the back of his horse, sitting down, and gave a nod. The Green Scar quickly looked around, making sure everyone was ready, and then gave the start. "Alright. Let's go."
And the horses moved out of the castle gate, toward the enemy's hiding spot. "Hold tight Hawks, we are coming soon."
-x-
Izuku had never worn a suit before. Well, no, that wasn't true, he had on I-Island, but he had only worn that suit for about thirty minutes to an hour before he had to discard the jacket and tie to fight a Villain. Still, it was a relatively new experience. The suit was a gift from the JTO apparently, along with a reminder of the dress code. It was suspiciously similar to the one he had worn on I-Island, though the jacket and pants were in a tone of green similar to his hero suit.
He walked out to find Izumi, wearing a white shirt with 'party animal' written on it in simple black, the jacket of her school uniform draped on her back. "Have fun." She said, stretching her back, "Huanli is already gone."
"Of course." He sighed, "I'm going to meet up with Captain Kamino and then we will go. What about you?"
"I'm meeting with Argali and Fuyumi, and we are going to a party the B-Listers have thrown together. Something about an indoor pool, a buffet and a dance floor. Sounds fun." She grinned, "Guess this was a good idea after all."
Izuku nodded, "I do need to become stronger. Huanli was right on that. And I'm also finding allies, like Cap and Argali. It's definitely a good idea."
"Let's not tell her, though, alright?" Izumi winked, "We don't want it to go to her head."
Izuku chuckled and the two walked down the stairs to the second floor, where they split to look for the respective rooms. Apparently, the Heights Alliance Hotel was one of many used by the fighters collected across the multiverse by the Recruiters. In hindsight, this meant they could have run into Captain Kamino, Argali, and Fuyumi days before, but it made sense they hadn't. Each group would have different times of waking up, training and so on. He also knew already that Shinomori was in a different hotel, and from what Captain Kamino had told him so was Revenant. It was one of said Hotel, the Yuuei Gran Palace, that hosted the event.
Finally finding the room, he saw Cap walk out and waved. "Captain, I'm here."
"Oh, Deku, good to see you." He smiled, and Izuku looked at him. Aside from the white hair, Captain and he were built in almost the same way, both muscular but in a way that emphasized agility. Captain Kamino was slightly taller, enough to make it noticeable to the naturally short Izuku. His suit was different, colored in red with black stripes, with the red tie ending in the same symbol Izuku had seen on his shield during Cap's fight.
"Same for me." He said, shaking his hand. Was it weird to feel formal when talking to someone that looked your same age? Izuku didn't know as the two walked out. For a bit, no one spoke as they walked, just taking in the familiar yet unfamiliar sight of the hill around UA, before Captain finally spoke.
"So. Izuku Midoriya."
"Izuku Midoriya." Deku echoed, "It's really weird to think about."
"I'm glad I'm not the only one that thinks so." Cap smiled, "So, what is your life like?"
"Oh! Well, uhm, I'm a student at UA," He waited expectantly, but Captain Kamino had no reaction, beside a confused expression, "Oh, right, uhm, Yuuei High School is a Hero Training School. I study in the Hero Course, in class 1-A."
Now Kamino's eyes brightened, "Ooooh, it's one of those X-Mansions! Now I remember, Yagi mentioned it!" He said, his fist falling on his palm, "Those sound really interesting! I really wish they were around when…" He seemed lost in his thoughts for a moment, before shaking his head, "Anyway, it's really cool of you. So, gonna be a superhero, uh?"
"Yes! Well, we only call them Heroes, but in essence it's the same. With my training and One for All, I can definitely achieve my dream."
"Right, you also have a Meta-Abili- Quirk. That's pretty useful."
"You don't?" Izuku asked, surprised, "I thought…"
"Nope. The Captain Kamino name might have been picked up by coincidence, but I did get my power from an experimental treatment. Although, in my case it was for a sickness, not to join the army." He snickered, "I doubt they would have let me join either before or after. First I had green hair, and then white hair and freakishly high strength."
Izuku paused, "What do you mean by that?"
For a moment, Captain Kamino said nothing, before shaking his head, "I almost forgot we don't have the same history. See, I was born in the Dark Age of Quirks, as you call it. To me it was just 'today'. So, well, think back to your history books and you should get the picture."
Izuku promptly grimaced. That had been a terrible time in history for Quirked people. He couldn't know if the two timelines aligned perfectly, and doubted it since in his time there had been no 'Captain', but he had to assume it had been either as bad or worse, judging by the tone. "I'm sorry."
"For what? You come from a different world, from a different time, and are me, so it's not like you harmed me or anything. What do you have to be sorry for?"
"I shouldn't have asked." Izuku replied. Kamino shook his head.
"You asked a legitimate question. If we work together, we have to know each other, right?"
Izuku nodded, and confirmed his impression of Captain Kamino. He really was more mature than him. Izuku could also easily pick up the lingering sadness in his tone, whenever he talked about his time, so tried to think of a change of argument, before setting on one. "Zuzu." He called. The AI lighted up the screen. "Yes, Izuku? And hello, Mister Midoriya."
"Just Izuku will-" Captain Kamino paused, then chuckled, "Well, to not get confusing, call me Cap."
"Of course, Cap." Zuzu nodded, before turning back to Izuku, "What is it?"
"I was wondering if you have collected all the data on the A-Listers." He said.
"Of course. A-Listers files and B-Listers files are ready." She showed two folders with her hands, one marked with a large A and the other with a large B, "Do you want to read them?"
Izuku was tempted to say yes, but he knew it would either make him late to the Hotel or distract him all night. Either way, before he could say anything, Cap spoke. "Later, but for now I was wondering if you can inform us of the strongest fighters we might meet there, it would help us."
"Certainly!" She nodded, and started reading the files, though Izuku knew it was most likely an animation she used while analyzing the data. It was bizarre to think one of his friends was completely artificial, but Epsi was a friend nonetheless.
The duo meanwhile had reached the Grand Hotel. It was clearly a far more elegant building than Heights Alliance, and after a moment, staring at the dome of the main building, Izuku realized that it was located where the USJ had been back home. He snorted. "I wonder if Thirteen runs this hotel." He said, gaining a look from Cap before the two walked to the door.
Hound Dog was running security, standing in front of the door in a tuxedo. "Here for the A-Listers Party?" He asked.
"Yes." Captain brought out both his invitation and Izuku's, and the dog-faced man examined both, smelling them too for good measure, before nodding.
"Have a fine night gentlemen." He said, stepping aside to let them in and gesturing toward a large door to the left that was clearly where they were supposed to go, if nothing else because another layer of security, this time formed by Katsukame, one of the Shie Hassaikai Bullets back in his home world. Like Hound Dog, he let them pass the moment they showed their invitations, and they walked in.
The fest hall for the event was luxurious, to use an understatement. The room was fitted with many tables covered by a mouth-watering buffet ranging from delicate cuts of meat to bread in all shapes and forms, to seafood like shrimp cocktail and Japanese crab, to even lobster, caviar and swordfish. A whole table was dedicated to the sweets, a chocolate fountain gushing the brown liquid right next to crepes and strawberries. To the right, surrounded by lavish decorations, was a large bar where three barmen were busy making cocktails for the guests.
And what was equally noticeable, beyond the splendor of the rich decorations, was the number of guests. Not only the fighters clearly, but also, Izuku had to assume, a select number of guests from the upper echelon of the JTO, the country, and most likely even other parts of the Multiverse. "So they get to know in advance, uh?"
"Guess there is more than one perk to money." Captain Kamino replied, before turning to him, as they both reached a side of the room, next to one of the tables, "So, Zuzu, who do we have to keep an eye on?"
"Very well." Her camera extended out, so she could use it as the approximation of a finger. "First of all, and I'm sure you guessed it, there is Kendo Rappa, the Battlemaster." She pointed toward the man, who towered over the crowd of twenty or so people surrounding him. He was wearing a sleeveless tuxedo, something Izuku had never seen before, but it seemed the people around him weren't questioning it. Right next to him was a woman with blue skin dressed in a single piece dress of the same kind, that Izuku recognized as Bubble Girl, bringing a ton of questions to his mind.
"Next up, Kaina Tsutsumi, also known as Arsenal." His attention was immediately moved toward a woman with short purple air, dressed in a black dress with the back uncovered. She was drinking alone, a couple people coming up to her to talk only to be rebuked. "She is from J-679, the Rebelverse. I think the name is self-explanatory. She is a well-known fighter that can use a variety of weapons on top of her Quirk."
"Itsuka Kendo." She pointed next, Kendo wearing a long azure dress that contrasted with her red hair, talking and laughing with a few people, "She is native of this universe, and she won the JTO under-16 Sport Festival and a lot of competitions in other circuits. She has fought the Battlemaster once, but she lost cleanly. That was five years ago though, and she has only gotten stronger. She has the same Big Fist Quirk of the one you know, but rumors on the net mention she has acquired some other ability."
Izuku and Captain Kamino both nodded, keeping their thoughts for themselves, before Zuzu turned the camera toward the bar. "That's Rokuro Nomura, also called Number 6. He is from this universe, and has undergone extensive modifications to his body to be able to compete with the upper echelon of the JTO. He made it to the semifinals twice, and both times lost to Koichi Himawari. The man has a strong grudge."
Izuku frowned. "I haven't seen his match."
"You were in the infirmary." Zuzu replied, and Izuku realized. Of course, it was one of the matches he had missed.
"I did." Captain Kamino added, "He is fast and strong. Definitely a tough opponent. Who's next?"
"Him." Zuzu pointed, and Izuku's eyes went wide. Tomura Shigaraki was drinking in a corner, left completely alone. He seemed fine with that, simply relaxing and enjoying, for lack of a better word, the night. "Shigaraki Tomura from JUS-114, Ruinverse. It's a universe where Quirks never reached the majority of the population, and tech and magic both appeared earlier. You could compare it to DC and Marvel Comics, if you had to pick a fictional comparison. He is a Villain that goes by Ruin."
"And you named the universe after him?" Captain Kamino asked.
"Unfortunately, mister Midoriya – Isaac, that is – thought he was one of the few features of that Universe that was easily distinguishable from other iterations." She sighed, "We… don't really know how to argue that."
Izuku chuckled, but the glanced at Ruin again, "But isn't his power too destructive for this tournament?"
"Oh no, he doesn't have the Quirk Tomura Shigaraki uses. He…"
"My my my." A new voice chimed in, "How amusing. Are you by chance Izuku Midoriya… well Deku and Captain Kamino? And of course, you must be Revenant."
Izuku turned toward the voice, just like Captain Kamino, and they were greeted by two sights. One was Revenant, apparently standing near them. The other was a richly dressed, grey-haired man with short, elegant mustaches Izuku recognized. "Gentle?"
"I'm afraid not. I take in your world I am Gentle Criminal? Quite amusing. Write that down Manami."
"Sure Danjuro!" The woman standing next to him was La Brava. Red hair styled not in pigtails, but in a single ponytail, the short woman wore glasses with black borders, a smoking that was the exact same one Danjuro was wearing, except for the red tie, and had a tablet at hand.
"Danjuro Tobita, from J-100 by the League's accounts. You might have heard of my movies."
For a moment, Izuku didn't know what to say, then he remembered a talk he had back in the Headquarters, before he started his training journey. "You are the Director." He said.
"Ah, I see my fame is spreading far and wide. Indeed, I am Danjuro Tobita, movie maker, writer, and ascending star of the world of cinema." He bowed elegantly, before looking back up at them, "I have to say, it's a pleasure to know you all."
"Pleasure to meet you." Captain Kamino said, extending his hand. The man happily shook it.
"Ah, Captain, what an honor to meet you. I was hoping to film a movie on you, but I reached your universe while you were… I suppose not quite as dead as I expected. I'm afraid though Marvel Studio would have my head if I filmed that now, with all the similarities. It will already be hard to use the agreement to have you act as a secondary character."
"What?"
Danjuro said nothing, turning instead toward Revenant and Deku, using the index and thumb of both hands to form a rectangle and looking at them through it as if through a camera, "But you two, oh, you both interest me a lot. Completely original, from what I hear. Well, almost," He waved his hand, "But I suppose getting the license to mention a few games in my movies is feasible."
"I'm not sure what you mean," Revenant said, eyes set calculating on the man. Even Izuku could tell he didn't trust the Director, thankfully.
"Why, I'm considering which new movie I could film. It's been five years since an Izuku Midoriya starred in one, and it's time we correct that. The adoring fans demand it I say, and we certainly can't…"
"Danjuro." Kiruka's voice pierced the air, and even Danjuro Tobita seemed slightly worried as he turned toward her, standing to the left of the little group.
"My, you are charming as always miss Yagi. What is your secret?" He extended his hand to take Kiruka's, either to shake it or to kiss it, but she did neither, keeping both close to her chest.
"Staying away from people I find annoying." She replied coldly.
"I see. I should try that too, but I'm afraid they come after me all the time." He shot back, and Kiruka hissed, "No matter. Have a good night gentlemen, and may we meet again." He said, turning around and leaving them to go talk to someone else, who they noticed was Zombie. Kiruka sighed.
"I so wish I could just punch him..." She growled.
"You can't?" Revenant asked, looking mildly curious as he scanned the room.
"Not here. He is an associate of the JTO. Not a member, but an investor, a heavy gambler on the tournament, and a moviemaker that has made more than one film set in their tournament, which means they happily sell the movies he films." She sighed, "Sorry, I need to take care of him before he makes that Izuku sign something. If they ever told me I would have to save a Zombie..." She walked off, leaving the three Izuku and Zuzu alone once again.
"When did you arrive?" Captain asked Revenant.
"Right after you two did, but I figured you were busy." He smirked, and Izuku wondered how much of that was true. "Don't worry, I've already picked my first opponent."
"You did? Who?"
"Now, it wouldn't be fun if I just told you." He said, but Izuku wondered if he was trying to keep them from picking the same one. Not that they would. Izuku had a last chat with Fuyumi, and they had agreed on the plan. If he could fit in a round to fight Kaminari, even if it wasn't the first, he would. Otherwise, he would pick someone from the group whose winner she would fight in the semifinals, to remove as many opponents as he could. If they ended up fighting… Well, that was in the semifinals or finals hopefully, so no reason to plan that far before they got near it.
Izuku sighed. This was going to be a long night.
-x-
Hi. My name is Izuku Midoriya, also known as Power Suit. Yeah, the name isn't the most creative, but that's what you get for answering yes without much thought during a press conference.
I was born Quirkless in a world of superpowers, but when I was at my worst in life, I met Mei Hatsume, genius inventor, Support Items builder, and the woman I'm happy to call my wife. Together, we built my suit, and faced all the challenges we had to fight, from getting into UA, to the loss of my arm and her Quirk, to… Everything that happened in the war. Those were difficult days, that I think about often.
It wasn't easy, it's not easy, but when I look at my family today, I think about what we built in those years, and can't help but feel like we accomplished so much. I love my wife and my children, and for them I will protect the world we built.
I love being Power Suit, despite everything. There is no one else I would rather be.
"Are you sure it was wise to come?" Shoto asked him, and Power Suit sighed. He really appreciated this version of Shoto and his worry, but at the same time he was over a decade his senior. It felt like he should have been the one worried for the younger man.
"I'm sure it will be fine. I've faced worse than a parlay. If it's an ambush, I'm sure I can get out." He tapped his arm, and Shoto hummed.
The invitation had thrown a wrench in Kyoka's plan. They had determined the phone used to send the message was Camie Utsushimi's, which might have been good or bad news. It was possible she was alive, but it was equally possible they had just kept the phone. The writing style wasn't completely identical to the one Camie herself had used, according to Jiro, the only member of the League that had kept sporadic contact with the Illusions user. According to her, a single winking emoji and only a 'xoxo' were not nearly enough to make it Camie's.
"So, we formed a team of six. Think that's enough?" Kyoka asked.
Shoto watched around the large table they had been told was reserved for them when they asked. It was for eight, so they had made sure to leave to spots closest to the corner empty and take the rest. Still, what did the fact the enemy had felt the need to book a table for twelve mean? That there were a lot of them and had underestimated how many of theirs would be there, or that they expected many members of the League to show up and still felt confident one or two of theirs were enough to keep them at bay?
"It has to be enough." Power Suit replied, looking around. Bakugo, the Quirkless warrior from the Punisherverse, had all but jumped at the chance, clearly wanting the issue to be over with so he could go home. Itsuka the Amazon, now sitting in her chair and eagerly checking the menu, ignoring the looks people were sending her. Next to her, even Battle Fist, the Itsuka from the Argaliverse, seemed thin and fragile. Shoto, Kyoka, himself, for a total of six. They had all agreed that bringing Mariah, who was both an All for One user and a Midoriya, at a table that had specifically invited people like her, was too dangerous, despite her protest. When she had argued Power Suit was in as much danger as she was, he had just pointed out that a Midoriya was a useful bait to make sure the enemy showed up, and if the worst happened, a mechanic was worth a lot less than a Founder of the League and their main contact with the government. 'Not that I plan to sell myself short.' He tapped his arm. Going in full armor was impossible, but there were enough weapons hidden in his arm to make him a good opponent if a fight broke out.
They sat for a bit, waiting until a new message arrived on Jiro's phone.
"Sorry, we are running late :( start without us. Also, only a Midoriya? That's sad. We aren't planning to attack you or anything."
"Reassuring," Shoto commented sarcastically.
"They are taunting us, aren't they?" Battle Fist asked, and the Amazon shook her head.
"It's more than that. They want us to get angry and tired, so when they show up, we will not be as sharp as they expect us to be." She grinned, "Which means, we do the opposite. She waved at the closest waiter.
"What are you doing?" Shoto hissed, "We aren't here to enjoy ourselves.
"You were planning to have a night out before this right?" She grinned, "Then that's exactly what we are doing. Waiter, a round of beer for my friends."
"We can't get drunk!" Jiro protested.
"A beer won't knock you out. Water after that." She added, before pausing and pursing her lips, "Well, for them, get more beer ready for me. As for the food…"
She started to go through the menu, and Power Suit went to stop her. Izuku sighed, putting an arm on his shoulder.
"She is not taking this seriously!" The ice and fire user hissed.
"She isn't wrong either. Sitting in silence, mulling about what's coming, won't help anyone, much less us. We stay alert, but don't give them the satisfaction of getting to our nerves." Shoto didn't seem fully convinced, so Power Suit sighed, opening the palm of his metal arm and pulling out a small, round object that beeped to life, "Here, if it makes you feel better, this is a proximity sensor. The dots indicate any warm object nearby." He pointed at the screen, where a series of dots were sitting around what he could tell was their table. Further around, there were the other clients of the pub and the moving waiters. "Now they can't attack by surprise."
"Unless they have a sniper." He replied, pointing at the large windows, "Or if they Teleport in and stab one of us."
"If they could do either, they would have." Jiro pointed out, showing she had been following the conversation, "They are offering a parley. That's proof they aren't confident in fighting us. If they wanted to ambush us, given they were aware of our planned night out, all they had to do was set a trap there. Telling us it's coming robs them of their main advantage."
"Also, this table is in a good place to avoid snipers from the rooftops." Bakugo said, pointing at the building in front, "That one is a pub, so it's still open. No going to the lower floors with a gun to snipe us out, and it's a risk to climb to the higher floors. As for the rooftops, they are too high, and we are too far indoor." He took a sip of beer the waiter had just given him, "Not that it matters to me, I'm in a blind spot for any sniper." He pointed at the space between the two windows, positioned right in front of him, and Power Suit realized he had chosen the seat on purpose.
Izuku sighed. This was going to be a long night.
(xx)
Guests in this chapter:
Power Suit from Rejected Stones by FullParagon
Itsuka Kendo from Sheep go to heaven by Dramatic_Spoon
The Green Scar from The Green Scar Worldbuilding thread by Quantum 01 and The Green Scar fic by Pro-man
Canary from Canary by cloud_nine_and_three_quarters
Spider-Man based on Amazing Fantasy by The Infamous Man
Dekiru from Dekiru: The Fusion Hero by | OmegaInfinity |
Captain Kamino from Kamino's Ward by tunafishprincess
Revenant from Locked in Digital by Rogue Druid
... Did this chapter feature every single crossover? Uh, that might be.
It's into the Kendoverse, this chapter. Really, I built up a while back that Itsuka was one of the most common OfA wielders in the Multiverse, and of course, that also means Itsuka is one of the most common people to run into across the Multiverse. Five Itsukas currently at the Headquarters (which I will remind you, is where only those Wanderers that can fight are currently hosted) is the perfect example of that. I know, lots of names, but don't worry, I will use the same method I use to distinguish the Izukus to distinguish them (and no, that method isn't Itsuka 1, Itsuka 2, Itsuka 3, that one only works on a visual medium).
I also decided to give a short look into the situation of the Colfire group. Not just because I wanted Itsuka Quanteng for the title - after all, there already was a Quanteng at the League - but more importantly because this is the point where the group goes on to the wilderness toward the Haunted City of Mikona... a city with an oddly familiar name, my my.
And speaking of people built up long ago, say hello to the Director, someone that was mentioned the first time in the same discussion that introduced the Battlemaster. I don't know if anyone had figured out who he was, but here he is, in all his mustachioed glory. And oh my, it seems he is picking a new movie star, what could go wrong?
Besides that, here we have a few more participants worth keeping an eye on.
I also had the emojis as actual symbols but SpaceBattles said no, go figure.