Disclaimer: I do not own My Hero Academia. In spite of it all, I continue.
Toshinori checked over the beach, before turning to give his goddaughter a reassuring smile. "You have done an exceptional job today, Melissa."
Melissa panted, managing to scrape herself up off the beach. The determined expression on her face hadn't left. "I think Mirio did most of the work already."
Toshinori shrugged. "True, though some garbage came back."
Melissa checked her work, already thinking of the next step. "I think the beach looks better today, don't you?"
Toshinori just nodded. Only a few months ago the beach had seemed to be covered in trash. Now, there was an ever-growing clear part, its size expanding with every day that Mellissa was here. "If you keep this up, you'll have completed the goal before the U.A entrance exam!" He hesitated. "Ah, speaking of which, are you sure you don't want to be on the recommended list?"
Really, it wouldn't have been hard. Nedzu knew that One for All's next bearer was being trained so that she could handle the Quirk. With All Might's own recommendation, she would easily be able to make it in. But Melissa had turned down the recommendation, stating a desire to get in with her own merit.
Melissa gave a determined nod. "I mean, Uncle Might, you've already done so much for me." Her expression turned wistful. "Everybody's done so much to help me, and-"
Toshinori gently patted her on the shoulder. "As I said before, Melissa. Power you earned is different from power you gained by chance." He gave her a reassuring smile. "You've worked hard for this. You're not indebted to me or anybody else."
His phone buzzed. "Ah, one moment." He turned the screen on, checking the information. He frowned at it.
Melissa glanced at her adoptive uncle with a concerned expression. "What's wrong, Uncle Might?"
Toshinori sighed. "It's another donation in the name of the League of Supervillains."
He wondered if it was some sort of joke. Ever since the first appearance of Mastermind there had been donations. Not just to him, but to various other groups and people in need. All made out from Mastermind or the League. His Quirkless charity in particular had seen some large donations.
Melissa gave him a pensive look. "It's not typical Villain behaviour."
Toshinori shrugged. "They really take the Phantom Thief routine seriously." In spite of his better instincts, a smile crossed his face. He had studied the past Villains of history, mostly for any hints regarding All for One. They had ranged from revolutionary figures like Destro, to people who had lashed out at a world that hadn't understood them and made no effort to, monsters and almost noble figures.
Oji Harima had been an interesting person. Certainly what he had done had caused major damage, but the man's donations had been on the level. Combined with his choice of targets, and it left Toshinori wondering whether he could have been a Hero if born in a different time.
"Are you going to keep the donation?"
Toshinori thought about it, before nodding. "It's an important cause they're donating to. If it really is the League, then at least the money is going back to something important. And if it isn't, then it's a joke in slightly poor taste but will still help people. That's what ultimately matters."
The money involved in the donations was always clean with no criminal traces. And Toshinori wasn't going to deny people the right to donate in his name. Mostly he'd founded his various charities because even in his prime he'd known that he couldn't be everywhere and give people the help they needed. Some small part of him still remembered what things had been like when he hadn't had a Quirk.
Melissa sipped her water bottle. "Too right, Uncle Might." She turned back to the beach, face set in a determined expression. "I've got a lot of catching up to do."
Toshinori smiled gently. He knew the feeling.
Timeline: 4 months two weeks to exam.
Shinsou hadn't had a lot of free time with his training regime. Most of his time was taken up with going to school then meeting with Eraserhead and Ms. Joke. Training with Eraserhead and Sōga was usually physically intense, going on parkour runs and sparring until he could barely move. Ms Joke's idea of training was to do physical exercise while forcing him to recite terrible jokes.
Today though, he had a rest period. Eraserhead had drilled into him what would happen if he overtrained, including some extremely informative diagrams and symptoms of what would happen if he did. After that presentation he'd been seriously freaked out.
He couldn't deny that his hard work had been paying off. He couldn't pinpoint the exact time when he started to actually have something resembling muscle tone, but it was there. Overall he felt stronger, faster, more resilient.
It really felt like he could be a Hero.
But today was a rest day, and so he was going to spend it going to a bookstore. Shinsou had read a lot of books, mostly because it was a hobby that didn't risk somebody accusing you of trying to brainwash them.
The store itself was pretty small, the smell of books fresh and old permeating the air. Shinsou idly flicked through the various magazines - they had a couple of entertaining conspiracy magazines. Shinsou didn't believe in any of that conspiracy shit but it was good for a laugh.
Somebody else came into the magazine aisle, looking at the same magazines. Shinsou hadn't seen this person before - he was pretty sure he'd remember somebody whose hair was split red and white like that. Looked like a private school uniform as well. For a short time Shinsou flicked through magazines, though Shinsou noticed that the other teenager was staring at him.
He turned to the magazine fan. Yep, the other guy was definitely staring at him, grey and blue eyes focused on him. And that was one hell of a burn scar. Shinsou's limited social repertoire didn't cover what to do with this, so he hedged his bets. "Uh-"
The words from the other teenager were clipped and cold, almost resigned. "Get it over with. Are you going to ask about my father?"
Shinsou looked at him with a slightly funny look. He looked vaguely familiar, maybe? But Shinsou didn't particularly care, especially about his father - definitely some rich kid or something. "Not... really?"
The other teenager stared at him for a few seconds, then picked up a magazine stiffly and opened it. Shinsou idly looked at the cover. "Well, guess they're talking about reptilians in government again. Hey, you know what lizards are great with computers? Monitor lizards."
The teenager blinked, turning the pages. His eyes traced the article, following through the 'evidence' that the author had produced. He didn't say anything, but he seemed to be interested. As if he'd found something that he hadn't realised he'd needed until now.
Shinsou managed to get out a deadpan smile. "Yeah, that's pretty good. They tell you the truth that's been suppressed by the government. Considering how many leaks get out of big government, I think they need to get a plumber or something in."
Still no response, but Shinsou knew he was getting somewhere.
Shinsou grinned. "You know what's weird? Politicians and lawyers, they're both kinds of reptile."
The other teen's mismatched eyes flicked up briefly. "How so?"
"They're both slimy and cold blooded."
The other teenager stared at him for several seconds with a neutral expression. "That was pretty funny."
Shinsou returned the stare. "That wasn't exactly my best joke but sure." He picked up an older issue. "If you liked that one then you should read this. They talk about how the moon landings were faked."
The guy picked it up. "I didn't know about that."
Shinsou grinned. "Yeah. Hey, why was the Moon landing fake?"
The pages flipped to the main article. "It says here because the shots from the Moon show the Earth in the completely wrong way-"
"The moon's still up there, it didn't go anywhere."
The teenager stood there for a second. The corner of his mouth twitched. "Sidesplitting."
Shinsou grinned. "Name's Shinsou. What's yours?'
The other teenager stood there for a few seconds. "...Todoroki."
And that was that.
They spent the next few minutes talking about the various theories in the magazines, Shinsou cracking jokes that failed to get more than a customary reaction. Eventually, the other teenager left, several pulpy magazines in hand. Shinsou said goodbye to his new... friend? Maybe? But he still hoped to meet the guy another time.
Timeline: 4 months to Exam.
Bakugo Katsuki pummelled the sandbag as if it had personally offended him. Sweat dripped off of him as he continued, the mat beneath him absorbing it and neutralizing the highly explosive compound.
The U. A. exams were coming soon - just a couple of months away. The rest of the extras in his class were slacking off doing other dumb stuff. As if they thought they were going to get in without putting in the effort. His own friends, Fingers and Teeth were doing some other shit.
Not Bakugo.
Only the best of the best made it into U. A., and he was aiming to be the best of all time. Sure, his Quirk was amazing, but they also required you to be near the top of your class in every subject. He'd aced the mock test, sure, but that was just the written test - there was still the practical.
He finished his routine, taking a moment to recover. Then he carefully mopped up the rest of his sweat and put the rest of his equipment away. He frowned at the holder.
"Okay, which fucking moron didn't put the weights away properly?!" he yelled, grabbing the offending items. He slammed them back into their proper positions. "Fucking assholes, not giving a damn about people in the gym."
And people said he was an asshole.
One shower later he scrubbed the floor clean and was back in his regular clothes. He stomped out, heading back home to work on the next bullshit project. Bakugo walked down the street, grabbing a can and slamming it into the recycling bin.
Ever since the Sludge Villain he'd been pushing himself harder and harder. Getting rescued by Mastermind, some weird Villain like that had immensely pissed him off and still did. How some moron who acted like that hadn't been caught by the Heroes was pretty weird, but Bakugo had a plan of his own.
When he became a Hero, he was going to find Mastermind and beat the shit out of him!
A feral grin crossed his face as he went home. A large man about a head taller than him took one look at him and crossed to the other side of the street. Bakugo didn't pay too much attention to that extra.
If there was one good thing that had come out of that goddamn moron, it had been seeing how the Heroes had reacted and seeing what he'd have to beat. Bunch of losers standing around with their thumbs up their asses, not pushing themselves at the crucial moment?
He was going to shove his victories in their faces-
"MWAHAHAHA!"
Bakugo whipped around.
The fucking dipshit was running with those goddamn robot spiders of his, a cartoonishly large sack over his shoulder. The other Villains with him - Bakugo didn't know or care about their names, so he nicknamed them Rabbit, Shitty Hat and Piss-Stain - were keeping pace. For a moment Bakugo blinked, then he tore after them with a bloodthirsty grin on his face.
This was going to be his third direct Villain encounter - he was still a little pissed off at that sand Villain who he hadn't been able to properly beat up. He knew he could have taken that guy out. Sure, the Heroes had said that he shouldn't try that again, but he knew that if he could take out some shitty Villains without their help it would be a jump start to his Hero career!
It didn't look like they'd noticed him.
He rounded the corner, the shithead on his fucking robot spider laughing. They'd gone to what looked like a park of some sort, obviously trying to escape. Mastermind posed to the few onlookers watching the scene. A few of them started to take pictures. "Who would challenge the BRILLIANT MASTERMIND now?" KRAKATHOOM!
Bakugo couldn't wait. "HEY, DICKHEAD!"
Mastermind whirled around, the other extras turning as Bakugo stomped closer. The fucking prick seemed off balance, which was good. Meant Bakugo could kill him that much more efficiently. "Ah, you're the guy I rescued! Uh, what was your name? Because I don't know."
Bakugo's hands popped with explosions. Bunny stepped forwards but Mastermind shook his head. "Doesn't fucking matter. You ain't running away from me."
Mastermind seemed pleased, pointing at Bakugo. "Really? Are-are we arch-enemies or something?"
Bakugo shook with restrained rage. "Sure! Whatever! Arch-goddamn-enemies!" He raised a hand, preparing for a larger and more threatening explosion. "Not gonna matter since I'm gonna fucking kill you-"
"Halt, Villain!"
Bakugo's explosions temporarily went down as he saw a couple of Heroes round the corner. Kamui Woods was the one who had shouted, wood curling to try and capture the Villains. "Stealing jewels in broad daylight? You're truly the scum of the Earth."
Mastermind laughed. "Aw, Kamui Woods! I'm touched!"
Mount Lady scowled, the Heroes and Villains getting ready to fight. She shot a glance to Bakugo, eyes widening a bit. "Kid, you should get out of the way."
Bakugo weighed the situation up. If it had been just the shitty Villains, he would have definitely crushed Mastermind and the extras. However, the Heroes were there. Getting into a fight with the Villains with Heroes there would likely leave his record damaged - Bakugo wanted to crush Villains, not get a record for something as fucking stupid as fighting without self-defence as a justification.
Ultimately he shoved his hands in his pockets. "Sure, fine." He glared at Mastermind. "I'm still gonna pull you inside out and make you swallow yourself."
Mastermind gave him a thumbs up sign. "Sure thing K-uh, Killer Hands! Or whatever your name is since I don't know what it is!"
What a weirdo.
Mastermind turned to the Heroes. "FOOLS! You cannot compare to the brilliant machinations of Mastermind!"
Mount Lady sighed, getting into a fighting position. "Don't be so sure, Villain! Justice will prevail today!"
Mastermind giggled. "You think so? Look where I'm standing!"
Bakugo had backed up a fair distance, watching the scene unfurl before him. Mostly because he wanted to see how Mastermind fought. He scanned the area, trying to see what Mastermind was-
KEEP OFF THE GRASS.
That was what the sign near the park said. Bakugo blinked, then stared at the Villains, who were plainly stepping on the grass. The Heroes' eyes travelled from the sign to their location as well. Shitty Hat facepalmed while Piss-Stain laughed.
Kamui Woods was the first to speak, trying to get back some of his prior attitude. "S-stepping on the grass when there's... there's a sign telling you not to? That's... that's pure evil!"
Mount Lady stared at Kamui Woods as if he'd grown a second head. He looked back, clearly trying to excuse his shitty behaviour.
Mastermind posed triumphantly. "Indeed!" He threw his head back-
"MWA-HAHAHA! MWA-HAHAHA!"
Bakugo looked around as the Heroes and Villains paused. Bunny spoke to Mastermind while the other extras stared. "Uh, Mastermind? Did... did your voice change?"
Mastermind shook his head. "No, I didn't!" He glared at a side street, dramatically pointing. "It came from over there? How could you? I am the one who laughs!"
The figure strode out from the side street, a dramatic light shining on them. "Foolish Villain! You stand before... ODD EYE!"
The freak had a black leather coat with a huge collar. The guy was skinny as hell with a shock of purple hair and red eyes, and wore belts on his arms, two goddamn chokers, along with a goddamn eyepatch. He even had heeled boots on!
Bakugo felt the overwhelming urge to steal this guy's lunch money and call him a nerd. What was his name again? Whatever, he'd just think of him as Belt Fucker.
Mastermind and the other Heroes stared at the newcomer. "...Who?" Mastermind asked.
Belt Fucker slumped. "C-come on! I'm Odd Eye, the Edgelord Hero!"
Bakugo stared at him as a bunch of other weirdoes in black robes and white cloth masks, each decorated with a single eye, came around him. The other Heroes were similarly confused, trading glances with each other. Mount Lady was the first to speak. "So... you're actually a Hero?"
He stared at her. "Of course! For though I have a dark power that requires me to keep my right eye covered-"
"He doesn't. He just thinks it looks cool."
The dork ignored the extra, gesturing dramatically, "-in my chest beats the heart of a troubled Hero!"
Mastermind shared a glance with the other Heroes. They shook their heads. "That's, um, good for you. So are you-"
Belt Fucker turned to his extras. "Come, my familiars! Let's help our noble friends capture this wastrel!"
"We're your sidekicks, Odd Eye," the man sighed, the other extras getting ready.
Mount Lady looked at one of the others as she expanded to her full height. "Why are you working with this guy again?"
The sidekick spared a glance. "He pays well. Not just that, we get holidays and overtime."
Mount Lady blinked, temporarily distracted. "...wait, you get overtime? I don't even get overtime!" Then a robot spider tried to attack her ankle. With a growl of frustration, she stomped on it like a bug.
The extras charged, Mastermind's robot spider things fighting off the weirdly robed extras. Mastermind started laughing, idly bringing up his freeze ray to stop Kamui Woods' attack solid. "MWAHAHAHA! YOUR STUPID AND USELESS ATTEMPTS TO CAPTURE THE LEAGUE OF SUPERVILLAINS ARE AS STUPID AS THEY ARE USELESS!"
Thunder boomed, the other Heroes trying to get closer as Piss-Stain fired a beam and Shitty Hat threw some nets from his fucking smoke. The rest of the extras on the sidewalk had already dispersed, but not Bakugo. Seeing the Pros up close was not completely shit. He watched as Belt Fucker did some sort of tricky manoeuvre to get closer to Mastermind, managing to dart across the space in the blink of an eye. Belt Fucker had a decent turn of speed at least.
He clasped a hand onto the Villains head. "Now... reveal your darkest secrets!"
Mastermind seemed to struggle, then started talking. "All Might's the coolest!" The fighting briefly stopped as Mastermind started babbling. "When I become a big enough Villain, I wanna be All Might's Arch-Nemesis! Then, I'll be K-"
The Villain suddenly jerked his head away from Belt Fucker's grasping hand, seeming to curl up on himself. "How-"
Belt Fucker laughed madly. "Impressed?! That was my Quirk, Mind Reaper! With a touch of my hand, I can force you to reveal your deepest, most embarrassing secrets! What's more, if I keep my hand there long enough, I'll start to learn about you more and more! Including whatever secrets you're hiding under the mask!"
Mastermind recoiled. "O-oh, really? Because I don't have any secrets under here! Not at all!"
He turned to the other Villains. "Okay, I think we, uh, need to make our escape! Like right now!"
Belt Fucker grinned madly. "Ah, but you think you can overcome a Hero like me? Think again!"
Mastermind started to run, the other Villains taking the obvious route as well. The other Heroes saw this and decided to try and corner the group. Piss-Stain tried to hold off Belt Fucker, but then he got touched on the head.
"I like Hero Idol Singer Pop*Step and I sing her songs in the shower!" Piss-Stain collapsed, clutching his mouth with his hands. "Shit! My Street Cred!"
Bunny glared at Belt Fucker as she grabbed one of his extras, slamming the other man into Kamui Woods' latest attempt to bind the Villains. "So help me, I'll-"
Belt Fucker managed to grab her, grinning. "So, what's your secret, pretty lady?"
Bunny seemed to be struggling, trying to keep her mouth shut and glaring at the idiot. Belt Fucker looked pleased. "Oh!"
He looked at her with an amused leer, glancing between her and the other Villains. "So you have a crush on-"
A couple of things happened very quickly.
First, Bunny grabbed Belt Fucker by the mouth with a mortified expression on her face, a canister of ink pouring into her mouth. Then, somehow, she tossed him the length of the street, a peal of maniacal laughter coming from the Hero... right at Bakugo. The other Heroes tried to grab him, but the Villains started to get away, forcing them to return attention. Bakugo had REALLY wanted to go after the Villains but he wasn't going to see this fucking moron get hurt in front of him if he could help it.
So with a sigh he managed to grab the nerd, bracing himself as the Hero crashed into him. "Got you, you fucking-"
The Hero's hand fell on his head.
Bakugo had a brief moment to freak out before he found he was shouting. "IT ALWAYS FEELS LIKE DEKU'S BETTER THAN ME EVEN THOUGH IT SHOULDN'T BE! SO I'VE BEEN MEAN TO HIM BECAUSE IF I'M NOT THE BEST I'M NOTHING!"
The Heroes stared. The extras stared. The Villains stared. Mastermind in particular seemed to be especially thrown, before shaking himself. With a gesture, he started to pull the Villains away, managing to get away as the Heroes had to shake themselves a bit after that outburst.
Bakugo stared straight ahead. He should be moving, but hearing himself say that was...
Bakugo didn't exactly have the right words for that shit. He just focused on some point in the distance as his brain tried to pull itself back together.
Belt Fucker picked himself up. He looked at Bakugo with wide eyes. "Young man, I am so sorry about unleashing your inner darkness-"
Bakugo couldn't bring himself to beat Belt Fucker up. While the heroes were trying to chase the Villains, he went home.
Probably was going to have to go back to the therapist again.
Timeline: 3 months 2 weeks to exams.
Fuyumi quietly rang her mobile phone. A few dials later, it was picked up, a familiar voice ringing out. "Heya, Fuyumi. How're things with the old bastard?"
Fuyumi sighed, glancing at her little brother's room. "Well..."
"What happened with Shoto? Is he alright?"
Fuyumi shook her head. "It's... same old, sort of. But..." she took a breath. "I think Shoto's become a conspiracy theorist."
There was a distinct pause. "...What?"
Fuyumi sighed. "Well, this was a couple of weeks ago..."
A couple of weeks ago...
Family dinners were always quiet. If you could really call it a family dinner when there was only one parent and two children there, one because he had no choice and the other because Shoto desperately needed somebody at least somewhat normal there. Fuyumi passed a dish over to Shoto, her brother accepting with a quiet nod. Endeavour - their father - ate quietly and efficiently.
Fuyumi felt the vacuum opening up again. "So... how was your day, Shoto?"
Shoto briefly looked up, then back to his bowl. Their father briefly paused eating, some expression flickering on his face before he gently took another portion. Fuyumi sighed - tonight was not a night where anybody was talking, it seemed. She was about to let it go when Shoto spoke.
"I went to a bookshop after school."
Fuyumi's chopsticks stopped before they entered her mouth. Endeavour - Father - blinked as well, a surprised look on his face before it went back to his customary scowl. "Why?"
Surprisingly the question didn't have any heat to it. Shoto stared at him. "...It was a rest day. I thought I should do something with my time."
Their father grunted. As if he hadn't known the intense schedule that Shoto lived under. Fuyumi managed to smile. "Well, that sounds good, Shoto," she said for lack of anything else. At least it felt a bit more... normal.
"Unnecessary, Shoto. You should be focused on your school work and Heroics Theory. Anything else is pointless," Endeavour grunted. Fuyumi shot him a glare which he let wash over him as he always did when she tried to get him to let Shoto have something resembling a childhood.
Her brother shot Endeavour - Father - a cool look then simply nodded, returning to his food. Fuyumi and Endeavour - Father - did the same. For a short time there was silence. Then:
"Did you know that the reptilians control the government?"
Enji Todoroki choked on his grilled fish.
Now...
Natsuo had listened quietly, then broke into laughter. "Please - please tell me there's a picture, Fuyumi," he gasped.
Fuyumi frowned. "This is serious, Natsuo!" She hissed. After she'd managed the Heimlich manoeuvre, Todoroki Senior had stared at Shoto for a moment, then had asked with the boiling politeness of a banked volcano where on the Internet he'd heard that.
Shoto had coolly replied that he'd read it in a magazine, so it was more likely to be true. And then started citing evidence about the increasing number of politicians with reptilian Quirks in power.
Their father had stared at Shoto for several seconds, before abruptly leaving to go on patrol. Fuyumi had managed a slightly shaky smile to Shoto as he left to do schoolwork.
"And now, he's saying that Mastermind is a reptilian agent of the government, apparently All Might has at least three secret love children, and the Moon Landing was faked." Fuyumi took a deep breath. "I'm honestly worried he might have fallen in with somebody weird online who's exploiting him for Father's reputation."
"...You think the old bastard is going to try and, well... force him to stop this conspiracy stuff?"
Fuyumi glanced out in the hallway. "He's trying to find those magazines, but Shoto must have hidden them pretty well. Usually if Shoto says any of that nonsense he just sighs."
Natsuo seemed to pause. "Alright, maybe I'll come back. Only to see if Shoto's a loony."
Fuyumi glared at her phone. "Natsuo..."
"Got it, he's only a conspiracy nutter."
Fuyumi sighed as Natsuo hung up. Brothers. Infinitely frustrating sometimes.
Timeline: 3 months 1 week to exams. (Late November)
Author's Notes: Well this took me a surprising time. I redid quite a bit of it. Shinsou making friends with Todoroki amused me greatly so I put it in. We all know that Shoto being a conspiracy theorist is entertaining.
Next time... the League expands its roster! A fan favourite will definitely appear!
