Chapter 7: Stained Minds
As Tenya rushed off to confirm the state of his injured brother for himself, the other students were left to mingle amongst themselves.
Eijiro was worried for him. "He won the tournament, only to find out that the person he's proving himself to got seriously hurt? Man, that's gotta be a big pill to swallow."
Katsuki, reminded that the person who won wasn't him, barked, "Oi! Kirishima, we're having that match now!" He started dragging the redhead by the jacket.
"Ah! Okay, okay. No need to get so worked up, Bakugou."
The two got Midnight's permission to have one fight, and the remaining students gathered to watch the fight. Shouta tried to stop her, but she responded, "And leave these two frustrated and wanting for a release? No can do!"
The sequence of events was simple and repetitive. Eijiro hardened his body and attempted to knock out Katsuki with a punch while the latter dodged and assaulted Ejiro with explosion after explosion. After several minutes, Eijiro fell onto his back and conceded, exhausted from the onslaught of attacks.
Katsuki scolded him. "What'd I tell you? You can't beat me by getting hit over and over again." Unexpectedly, he walked up towards Eijiro and offered his hand, much like how Eijiro helped Tetsutetsu up after winning. "You stayed hard for the entirety of the fight, limiting the amount of time you could maintain your Quirk. Still, you took more hits than I thought you would. I'll give you that, Kirishima."
The redhead smirked, took his hand, and said, "What could I have done? You're much stronger than I thought." Midnight was absolutely ecstatic by this show of sportsmanship, but Shouta interrupted them and told the students to go home and to come back after two days.
Later that day, Ochako went to a grocery store near her apartment to stock up on food, looking out for special deals in particular. She was almost immediately recognized by the staff and other shoppers.
"Hey, you're that girl from the U.A. Sports Festival!"
"You looked so badass out there fighting that explosion dude!"
"Hey, are you alright? You took quite the beating from Ingenium's younger brother."
"Still, you're in better shape than that boy who kept hurting himself. He didn't know when to stop!"
As the crowd grew and bombarded her with comments, she thought, I-is this what pro heroes want after they stop a criminal? She thought of show-offy heroes such as Mount Lady, who worked in an urban environment despite the limitations she had due to her Gigantification Quirk. Is that why they're even working as heroes? For the fame?
After thirty minutes of non-stop questioning met with uneasy answers, Ochako finished shopping and avoided crowds as she went home. She had just entered her apartment when two figures pounced.
Ochako screamed and held her grocery bags in front of her in self defense. "AH!" She could've sworn that her eyes popped out of their sockets.
To her surprise, the two people turned out to be two very familiar individuals that she hadn't seen since she moved into her apartment. They were her parents, who greeted her with wide grins.
Her father said, "Ochako! It's so nice to see you again," as he patted her on the back and and then quickly embraced her.
"Mom? Dad? Why are you two here? Shouldn't you be working?"
Her mother hugged her too and answered, "When we saw you make it to the finals, we simply had to drop everything to congratulate our dear baby girl."
"You know what this means, Ochako? We're having a party!"
As her parents walked back into the kitchen, Ochako whispered, "How sweet of them." She pondered, Still, this trip must be wreaking havoc on their financial state. Good work's hard to come by these days, so they're working multiple jobs just so I can attend U.A. High. They really do deserve an easy life, but how long can they keep doing this? It'll be a long time before I can start providing for them...
Ochako's parents left early the following day, and Ochako took the time to visit Tomura and Kurogiri.
Stepping out of the warp gate, Ochako greeted them. "Good morning, Tomura. Good morning, Kurogiri."
Tomura rubbed his eyes and sipped from the cup of tea in front of him. "What are you doing here at 9 in the morning? Don't you have school today?"
"No, we were given today and tomorrow off, so I asked Kurogiri to bring me here. You seem tired."
"Yeah, I'm tired. I was going over the recordings of the U.A. Sports Festival. I've been up all night watching all the years perform." He rubbed his eyes and gulped down the rest of his drink. "Kurogiri, I need more tea." As Kurogiri filled up his cup, Tomura continued. "It's a shame you had to face off against Iida in the finals. I hate going against people faster than me. They always seem to escape my grasp."
She tilted her head in curiosity. "You seem rather nimble yourself, Tomura. Can you help me build up my speed?"
He shrugged and sipped more tea. "Yeah, I suppose I could. You wanna start today?"
"Sure!"
Kurogiri told Tomura, "If you're going to spar with her, we'll have to bring out the semi-fingerless gloves again so you don't hurt her."
Tomura slammed on the counter with his free hand. "NO! I hate wearing those! They make my hands all sweaty." He noticed Ochako barely suppress a chuckle. "You think this is funny, don't you? Fine. Kurogiri! If I'm wearing those damned things, I want them on her as well!"
Kurogiri thought, I guess it was a good idea to buy several pairs in case he disintegrated one. If he could just wear them daily, we wouldn't have to keep buying more cups, as he warily eyed Tomura's cup for signs of decay.
In the junkyard, Tomura spoke to Ochako as both put on gloves to prevent their Quirks from activating. "Before the sports festival, we worked on developing your Quirk and your endurance. Now, we'll work on your maneuverability and reflexes. I want you to try and touch me with your entire hand, as if you're trying to use your Quirk."
Try as she might, Ochako couldn't even lay a finger on Tomura, who kept stepping out of her way. When the roles were reversed, Ochako was never able to dodge in time. After an hour, Ochako was exhausted and out-of-breath. Panting heavily, she asked, "How… are you able… to go that fast?"
"Sensei did the same sort of training to me. That's how I know this'll work for you. Ready to keep going?"
"Hah… yeah. Let's go!"
Two days of physical training went by quickly, and when Ochako went back to school, she found Tenya talking to Izuku. She asked the former, "Hey, Iida! How's your brother holding up? I hear that he's in stable condition."
He replied, "Yes, he woke up two days ago. He was overjoyed to find out that I won the U.A. Sports Festival." He grimaced as he continued. "However, the doctors say that due to his injuries, he will be forced to retire. Still… I'm happy knowing that he is safe now."
When class started, Shouta, now rid of his bandages and casts, showed the students a bar graph depicting the number of draft picks the finalists of the Sports Festival received. Tenya, the brother of the now-retired pro hero Ingenium and the festival's winner, had the most picks at 2,649. Ochako, a dark horse that won over the crowd, had 2,278. Fumikage won over 1,837 picks, while Shouto, who didn't even make it to third place, received 1,552 due to his powerful Quirk and his father's reputation. Despite placing third alongside Fumikage, Izuku received none, while the other students who participated in the third stage of the sports festival were lucky to over a hundred of picks. He couldn't blame the hero agencies, though. While his sheer determination won the fight for him, Izuku made a name for himself as an absolute maniac, risking life and limb to use a dangerous strength, to the point where the victory cost him the ability to continue fighting in the tournament. Who'd want someone as self-destructive as him?
After notifying the class of the draft picks, Shouta moved onto the topic of deciding on hero names, letting Midnight take over as he rested. Some names ranged from from endearing, such as Tsuyu's 'Froppy,' to head-scratching, as Shouto chose his first name for his hero name. Much to Ochako's enjoyment, Katsuki couldn't both please Midnight and include some form of the word 'kill,' forcing him to try again, and as they passed each other, Ochako made sure that he knew that she was enjoying every second of it with a sadistic smirk. When he glared at her, she returned in kind. After sitting down in front of Izuku, Katsuki asked him a question.
In an uncommonly used whisper, he asked, "Oi, Deku. Do you know why she keeps staring at me with that shit-eating grin?"
Izuku flinched in surprise. "Kacchan! Um, well, she doesn't like you for personal reasons, so she's enjoying the sight of you failing?" Izuku shrugged nervously as he glanced at Katsuki's right arm, waiting for a potential right hook.
"Tch. Guess you aren't as useless as I thought, if you could tell me that." He looked towards Ochako and started yelling. "Uraraka! You think this is funny?"
Having just finished explaining her name, 'Uravity', Ochako tilted her head in mock confusion. "I have no idea what you mean, Bakugou. I'm just enjoying seeing my classmates come up with creative names, and uh, good luck on yours." Her grin returned as she continued, "I know you'll need it."
"Wh- I'll kill you, floating fuck!" He leapt out of his chair in rage.
With a crack of her whip, Midnight silenced him. "Katsuki Bakugou. Stop your behavior this instant and start thinking of a different hero name, because if you don't…" She licked her lips and gazed at him seductively. "Well, I believe that calls for punishment."
Katsuki whispered under his breath. "Yeah, yeah. Got it, you old hag."
She cracked her whip again, calmly asking through clenched teeth, "Excuse me?"
"Nothing." He returned to his seat, aware and pissed that Ochako smiled even wider.
Tenya was next to present. Looking straight at his peers, he announced, "I… am going with my given name for now." Walking back to his desk, he thought, My brother may think that I'm now worthy of the name Ingenium, but so long as his assailant roams, I can't agree with him!
Izuku, making good on his declaration during the sports festival, chose 'Deku,' but Katsuki couldn't come up with a name, thus forcing him to meet with Midnight after classes to discuss proper hero name etiquette and overall etiquette.
Two days later, Ochako started her internship under Gunhead. As he taught her the very basics of Gunhead Martial Arts, she couldn't help but ask, "I've heard that the government pays you based on your merit. How does it work?"
"Oh, that? I submit reports detailing what work I've done, usually helping civilians and what I've done to assist the capture of villains. The specialty organization checks them to confirm their validity, and they deposit money into my bank account accordingly, okay? It's pretty much commision."
"Really? Do people try to abuse the system by writing false reports?"
"Yeah, every now and then the specialty organization comes across a report that exaggerates the truth. There was one time that a hero claimed to have taken down a villain single-handedly while another hero reported that he worked with the first to take town the villain, which lead to the revoking of the former's hero license for fraud. Another time, a hero bribed an agent to increase their pay, but they got caught as well."
"Is that true?" She stared with a slight disgust. "I thought they'd be better than that."
Gunhead shook his head. "Although people may perform good actions, it doesn't mean that they're inherently good people. Same goes with their intentions. That's why I'm picky with my students. Martial arts, just like Quirks, are dangerous when used inappropriately. I need to know if the person I'm teaching would use them only in defense.
"Why choose me, then? Didn't you see what I did to Bakugou?"
"I saw how you fought, Uraraka. That massive attack was your last resort, used only when your other approaches failed. You should treat Gunhead Martial Arts in the same manner. When words fail you, let your actions speak loud and clear. Got it?" A nod was the only answer he needed.
As Gunhead taught Ochako his methods of taking down people armed with fists, blades, or blunt objects, he was surprised and impressed to find out that she was a fast learner, having managed to take him down by her second day.
As he lay on the ground, he commented, "You didn't move that quickly during the sports festival! What changed, Uraraka?"
As she helped him up, she responded, "Ah, well, I decided to train my reflexes soon after, seeing as how I couldn't keep up with Iida."
"That's great! Tell you what, you're done for today. I won't have much to teach you if we keep going at this rate." He muttered, "Maybe that boy you talked to earlier is done."
Ochako stammered, her blush stickers growing darker ever so slightly, "H-he's just a classmate. A good friend of mine."
He patted her back and gave a hearty laugh. "I'm just teasing ya, Uraraka. I believe you, and I think that kid trusts you as well."
So long as his son excelled, Enji Todoroki, better known to the world as Endeavor, couldn't care less about what decisions Shouto made. However, Shouto's decision to apply to his father's hero office caused him to raise a fiery eyebrow in curiosity. As soon as his son stepped into his office, Endeavor started interrogating.
"So, Shouto, you finally come back to me." He noticed Shouto avoid direct eye contact, but continued. "I haven't forgotten about your act of defiance during the sports festival. However, I felt generous enough to send that draft pick. Tell me, why did you accept?"
As his father's face moved closer to his own, Shouto resisted the urge to pull back. He could feel the intense heat radiate from Endeavor's ignited facial hair. He took a few moments to decide on an answer. Under his father's scrutiny, he replied, "Because, despite my power, I came in third. You've been second place for years now, so I thought I'd learn what it takes to even make it to second."
If only for a moment, Endeavor's expression bore a gentle smirk before he looked away from Shouto. "Very well." He scanned the various newspaper clippings scattered across his desk. Each one contained some article about Stain, the hero-killer, and the date of each article was written on the top right corner while the location was scribbled on the top left.
Endeavor opened the door to his sidekicks' offices, and announced "I will be heading to Hosu City to pursue the murderer, Stain. Please prepare yourselves for our departure, as I will too." He looked towards his son and continued, "That includes you, Shouto. Let my actions speak for me. When you are ready, head to the ground floor. My assistants will guide you from there." As Shouto closed the door behind him, Endeavor thought, Hero-killer, you WILL be found and brought to justice! You are a detriment to the peace we heroes have long fought for, and I will not rest until you are behind bars!
That night, Ochako asked Kurogiri to warp her to the bar, where she told Tomura about her internship with Gunhead. Tomura looked up from his game to question Ochako. "Gunhead? I thought you wanted to rescue people. Why go to him?"
"Because, Tomura, Gunhead specializes in grabs, throws, and pins. With his technique, I could maximize the effectiveness of my Quirk in subduing others."
Pausing the game, he took a few seconds to realize the practicality of learning submission techniques. "... Shit. That would actually be a worthwhile art to learn. Hell, it'd make killing people with my Quirk that much easier if I could get them to stop moving! You have to teach me after your internship, Ochako."
She leapt with joy. "Finally! You called me Ochako!"
"... Shut up."
As the two continued their banter, Kurogiri paced back and forth in an adjacent room in front of a masked man. He asked, "Master, I'm not sure if now is the right time to bring him in. He could kill them!"
Sensei, dressed in a black suit, dress pants, and a helmet cluttered with pipes, responded, "Which is why I'm standing with you in this room. I will stop him before he would kill her or Tomura. Now, go. He might leave Hosu if we dawdle." He decided, They must know what they strive for as to accomplish it, even in the face of an unwavering foe. Better now, while I'm still here, to help them figure it out.
Three minutes later, a warp gate appeared in front of Tomura while Ochako stood behind it. Out of the black mist emerged a man who could paint a room red with fear. His face and arms were wrapped in bandages. He wore a red bandana and scarf that billowed in the wind rushing from the warp gate, sheathed knives adorned the sides of his vest while two larger blades were strapped to his back, and his boots were not only metal-tipped but had spikes on the front. His eyes darted around observing the area in front of him, and as he laid his eyes on Tomura, his hand went towards the katana on his back. He spoke gruffly, "You're Tomura Shigaraki?" Everything about this stranger drove dread right into the core of Ochako's psyche. Had it not been for the portal's black mist, he would've certainly spotted her.
"Yes. I'm glad that you accepted the offer to meet me here, Stain the hero-killer. Now then, let's make this quick. You and I are alike. We both want to remove these trashy heroes from the face of this world, don't we? Join us, and together we'll crush these heroes into dust!" He looked past Stain towards Ochako and then glanced to his left, telling her to hide before the hero-killer noticed.
The man immediately scoffed and retorted, "You and I? Alike? You tried to kill All Might, the only true hero this society has! What's more, you kill for amusement, not for conviction! Weak-willed villains like you are what made heroism a career! A popularity contest!" He tugged at one of his knives. "You are the reason these fake heroes are so rampant in society!"
Tomura hated that Stain was much faster than him, and he cursed as the knife sunk into his shoulder. He cursed again when he was knocked down by Stain and pinned to the floor.
Kurogiri, who had already reformed into his normal form, cried out, "Shigaraki! Stain, this was not part of our agreeme- Agh!" In an instant, another knife flew across the room and into his shoulder, and in the next instant, Stain had licked the blood that started to gush out, incapacitating Kurogiri with his Quirk. As he did so, his eyes focused on the one person he had not seen as he entered the room, Ochako.
Even without his Quirk, Ochako felt paralyzed. Upon discovering her, Stain had a moment of confusion. As soon as she blinked, he was upon her. He attempted to slice across her right cheek with his knife, and Ochako's mind succeeded where her body failed. She used her Quirk to send herself flying towards her right, but he managed to cut her. The wound was deep enough to spill blood, and as soon as Stain licked the knife, Ochako felt her body become unresponsive from the head down, her Quirk ceasing to work, and she collapsed on the ground, her eyes watching the hero-killer tower over her.
Stain had stopped caring about U.A. once he left it, but news of the sports festival were impossible to escape. "You… you're from U.A., right? One of the freshmen? Tell me," he ordered as he held his knife centimeters from her jugular vein, "why are you here?"
Having the fear of death turn her blood into ice, Ochako was far too terrified to answer, so Tomura answered for her. "Isn't it obvious? She's with me. She's like a sister to me, so don't you even think of hurting her again!"
"What?! So you're a mole?! So you stand amongst your classmates calling yourself a rising hero when you reveal their weaknesses to their enemy? Disgusting. There's no point helping both sides, kid. It just shows that you lack the strength to even choose a side. Regardless of what you do choose, those willing to help villains are no better than the villains they support. Admit it. There's no chance in hell you could ever be a true hero!" In a panic, Tomura got up and grasped the knife in his shoulder in vain, as he knew he wouldn't be fast enough to intercept the hero-killer before Ochako's blood stained the wooden floor.
As Stain raised his knife, Ochako thought, Is this how I die? Unable to even speak for myself? Think, Ochako, think!
She dove into the depths of her mind, not looking for the words that would please the hero-killer, but to remember her motive behind joining the League of Villains. If she were to die, she at least wanted to confess to her killer why she acted the way she did. Before he could plunge the blade into her neck, she discovered the words to express her perspective, and she screamed to her would-be executioner with newfound conviction.
"I wouldn't be anything without the Quirk I was given!"
Stain paused, gazing at her expectantly. "Oh? What's this?"
"I-I was born Quirkless. So were my parents. People would ridicule me and the other Quirkless kids, even though their Quirks barely affected their lives at all! A girl I knew killed herself for the chance to be reborn with a Quirk! It's this society's fault for placing so much emphasis on Quirks! Without Sensei giving me Zero Gravity, I wouldn't ever be seen as normal. I wouldn't ever make the hero course. That's why I'm with the League of Villains. I don't want to protect a society that shuns the Quirkless who work to their limits but are easily bested by people born with the right Quirk."
Stain lowered his arms slowly,, waiting for more details. "So? What will you do?"
"I… I'll make it learn its mistakes, even if I have to become the villain it fears."
Stain contemplated her words, and he turned to Tomura, who had completely disintegrated the embedded knife and glared at him with a malicious yet protective intent. The hero-killer asked, "And what about you? Why do you want to kill All Might so badly?"
Tomura was caught off guard by Stain's query. Why did he want to kill All Might so much? When he dealt with the common thugs, his goal was enough reason. Then, the answer struck him.
Confidently, he answered, "I get it now. I want to kill All Might because he's what comes to mind with the word 'hero'!"
"What's that have to do with anything?"
"When I needed a hero, not one would answer the call. That's when Sensei took me in and taught me of the darkness within heroes. Heroes like Captain Celebrity, Mt. Lady, even Endeavor, all work for their own benefit. When people think of the word 'hero', they think of the selfless All Might. All Might's the light that outshines the darkness within these heroes! If he died, and someone like Endeavor became the face of heroes, then the public would start questioning what made a hero. The society built upon heroes would fall once its pillar of peace crumbles!"
The hero-killer, satisfied with the response, sheathed his knife. "It seems that I was mistaken. You two show the resolve to change the world as you see fit. I'll let you live, as I'm curious to see if you have the strength to follow through." He turned to Kurogiri, who started to tremble. Stain thought, My taste buds are still fine. His blood tasted like type O, and the girl should be type B.
Kurogiri announced with amazement, "I-I can move again!"
"Perfect timing. Now take me back to Hosu City. I have unfinished business there."
Ochako, who was still paralyzed on the floor, cried out, "Wait! I still can't move! Can you please stop your Quirk?"
"Sorry, kid. My Quirk doesn't work like that. Just give it a few more minutes." With those last words, he stepped into the black mist and disappeared. True to his word, Ochako managed to stand up after about six minutes while Tomura dressed his wound. Just when she thought the day had run out of surprises, Sensei entered the room.
Simultaneously, Tomura and Ochako spoke, "Sensei!"
"Greetings, Tomura, Ochako. I was waiting in the adjacent room in case the hero-killer got… too violent."
Tomura pointed at Ochako. "Too violent? He nearly killed her, Sensei!"
Sensei let out a sigh, the sound gaining a metallic echo from the pipes that adorned him. "I know, and I'm sorry for the harm he caused the two of you. However, I believe that this was for the best."
Ochako spoke up, "This… was to help us?"
Tomura ran his hands over his hair furiously. "What?! How could a near-death experience help us?"
Sensei shook his head. "It is through brushes with death where people find their true selves. Some grovel and weakly beg for their lives. Others discover their ambitions and fight not for their lives, but for the realization of those ambitions. I am overjoyed to find out that you two were part of the latter. I know that we intended to have Stain simply join the League of Villains, but your growth is far more important to me."
Perhaps it was from watching both Tomura and Ochako develop, but he felt pride seeing them find their purpose in the world. He chuckled, and thought, Perhaps the times are finally changing. Perhaps the lines between hero, villain, and vigilate will finally be altered, if not eradicated. Just as I wanted.
Tomura spoke up, "Sensei, perhaps we could still make use of this opportunity. Just give me some Noumu to wreak havoc on Hosu City! That way, everyone will associate Stain with us!"
"Very well. I'll grant you three. The other three will be improved further. Kurogiri, do not forget to send Ochako home."
"As you wish."
Shortly after she got home, Ochako received a text from Izuku. Oddly enough, it only held an address in Hosu, Tokyo. She wondered why he'd do something this random, but remembering Stain's last words, she reasoned, He must be in trouble! She decided to text Tomura if he knew about this, writing, Hey, Tomura? Are you still in Hosu city right now?
Less than a minute later, she received a reply. Yeah i'm watching the noumus destroy the place why?
Deku texted me an address in Hosu City. If you're not fighting him, I think Stain is!
Really? Text me the address ive got to see this
It's a narrow lane by Ekou St., 4-2-10.
As Tomura read the address, Kurogiri tapped his shoulder and told him, "The news copter caught sight of us."
"Ignore them. We've got to get to Ekou Street ASAP. Stain's fighting Midoriya."
"But you're too injured to join!"
"I know that! We'll just spectate the match from above. I don't have to fight to gain EXP. Now go! That twerp has probably broken several bones by now!" The creation of a warp gate followed a sigh of relief.
Stepping out of the black mist and onto the rooftop, Tomura looked into the alley below. A gust of warm air rushed at him. Below in the otherwise dark alley, Shouto Todoroki's fire illuminated the scene around him. A hero was sprawled near him, bleeding but alive. Two more, Izuku Midoriya and Tenya Iida, laid on the ground, unmoving. In front of them was the hero-killer, showing few signs of injury despite the number he presumably faced.
Tomura commented, "Looks like Midoriya's message actually worked."
He and Kurogiri watched as Shouto faced Stain on his own. Despite the former naturally having a stronger Quirk, the latter's agility closed the power gap. What caught Tomura's attention repeatedly was Stain's combat ability. Every move flowed into another, as blood flows from a fresh gaping wound. Despite being paralyzed, Izuku deduced that Stain's Quirk relied on blood type for duration, and had Izuku and Iida not regained movement, Shouto would've certainly lost.
Tomura scratched his throat lightly as he thought, I see. It's not enough to have a powerful Quirk. To become truly fearsome, I also need to fight well enough to baffle and overwhelm opponents. But how can I do that? He grinned wryly as he continued. Maybe Midoriya knows. He's smart enough to figure out Stain's Quirk, so perhaps he can help me with mine.
Once Tenya and Izuku managed to knock the hero-killer out with a simultaneous kick and punch, Tomura pulled back to avoid being caught in Shouto's following attack. He looked to Kurogiri.
"Kurogiri, I've seen enough. Let's get out of here. The heroes will be here any minute and will spot us on this roof."
"Agreed."
The news exploded with reports of the attack on Hosu city the next morning. However, most of the attention was given to the captured killer and the heroes that were there to witness his capture, while the ones that truly terrorized the city, the Noumus, were more of an afterthought. Tomura didn't mind, for the intended message was sent. The world connected Stain to the League of Villains, and although he was thrown into an underground maximum security prison, unlikely to ever see the light of day again, his words and actions would forever stain the public's mind. Some looked up to the hero-killer and attempted to follow in his footsteps, and others had their views of heroes worsen, now having someone to assure them that there was truth to their suspicions about the the general state of heroes. Mentions of corruption in the hero system, once met with looks of disdain, were now the talk of the town.
In a cafe, three people, two girls and a boy, sat down to order drinks and discuss the latest turn of events. The waitress stared at them with a moment of hesitation and confusion, but wrote their orders down regardless.
One girl with golden hair tied into a long ponytail started their conversation, unveiling the newspaper she had with her for the others to view. "Can you believe it? Not only was Stain captured last night, but he was also found to have ties with the League of Villains, the same group that attacked U.A. High a few months ago! What are the odds?!" Her yellow eyes glistened with excitement.
Her friend with dark brown hair reaching as far down as her shoulders responded, "Seem a bit too convenient if you ask me." She stared blankly into the distance as she spoke. Her pupils shrank to the point where they seemed nonexistent, leaving only her cyan irises. The people sitting with her, staring directly at her, were indifferent to this shift in appearance.
The first girl tilted her head. "Hm? What do you mean?"
The boy gently rubbed his combed-back red hair, searching for an answer as his magenta eyes anxiously darted around the table. He spoke softly, as though his voice alone would cause the table to shake. "M-maybe they intended to unleash those… things on the same night he was captured. As a sort of publicity stunt, perhaps."
As the blonde thought about his theory, the other girl, now having visible pupils, stood up and told the others, "We have to leave. Now."
The blonde watched as the boy stood up, but she refused to get up. "B-but our drinks…"
The brunette whispered, "The waitress called the police on us. They'll find us here if we don't leave." The other girl sprung from her chair upon hearing this.
"Wh-What?!" Her shock implied that she would've screamed the word out, but instead it was heard as softly as a whisper..
The three left the cafe with a hastened pace. Once it was out of sight, and not a person would hear them talk, the redhead pinched the bridge of his nose in frustration as he spoke, "I knew you should've chosen a different hair dye. The one you chose looks too close to your natural hair color!"
The blonde stuck her tongue out at him. "At least I made an effort to change my appearance. I had to get hair extensions to make this ponytail and makeup to hide my freckles! All you did was your hair dyed. That's not gonna fool anyone. Anyway, who would suspect someone on the run to only slightly change the color of their hair?"
"The waitress, apparently. Did you see the way she stared at you?"
"What?! No, she was staring at you!"
Before the conversation would worsen, the brunette spoke up. "She was staring at all of us. I believe that it was our eyes that gave us away. They posted colored pictures of us, after all. I know not one of us is particularly excited at the idea, but now would be the time to add colored contacts to our disguises. Understand?"
The two glanced back to her and sighed. Both replied, "Understood."
"Good. Now as for the League of Villains, we wait. We shouldn't join a group simply because Stain's associated with them."
The brunette stared at her. "Wait for what?"
"For further proof that the League of Villains has an agenda against U.A. High."
A/N: Hello, fellows. I suppose I'll start off with an apology for past readers for leading you on for so long. A chapter that shouldn't have taken more than a month took seven instead, and despite the countless hours of free time over the summer and winter, I neglected this story, the one that got me into writing in the first place. However, a hurdle that I was afraid to clear, Ochako's conviction, has now been past. I truly don't want to give up on this story, and the optimistic side of me says that I can go faster now that I've surpassed this speed bump. The pessemistic side of me tells me that I might not have time now to write it, what with midterms coming up. As for the questios of making this story have Izuocha, I've intended to do so for months now, but I will warn you that it will be an incredibly slow burn, both because of the story and myself.