SmokyGhoul: Considering what we know about S&S quirk and the fact that it's a Class-Six quirk in this AU, I regret to inform you that she would defeat even Aiko. Even at their theoretical best they would still be playing in the same league :P And S&S probably has a Sir Nighteye or Nedzu on her own xD
PLPanda - Not quite model citizens, but the threat of facing Midoriyas' again certainly feels like a good deterrent.
ASX000 - I mean, she just avoids all the boring bullshit xD Besides, it's the entire Midoriya family that doesn't take no for an answer when 'be my friend' is involved.
AngelFallenDemon - Things won't end well for anyone involved.
The Archivist of Nyx - Oh, absolutely XD At this point I'm like 90% sure that he is staying on UA (despite it being detrimental to his mental health) because he is too terrified of someone else letting those kids go the wrong way and then Japan will be screwed.
Geo995 - Sanity damage
Detrametal - Aye. I like the Aiko x Kouta talk because in other fics it either doesn't happen or is all about HEROES ARE GREAT AFTER ALL. Here, with Aiko's unique... perspective, I decided to put a twist on it. Not unlike the 'are you All Might's secret love child' bit with Todoroki. Twisting canon's fun.
TheGreatBubbaJ - Khe khe khe. Uhm, how should I put this...
Syn1 - Aiko and Izuku are developing into army busters, Asa in the meantime is going to be absolutely terrifying when teaming up with people he can boost with his quirk. The rest is exactly as you said :v
(***)
Soon after the CRC's defeat at the main training area, Aiko arrived. With Kouta in tow. She looked vaguely pleased with herself, while he appeared to be dazed.
"Kouta!" Mandalay shouts while running towards him. "I was so worried about you, what happened?"
"We run into Muscular." Aiko responds. Kouta confirms it with a nod. Mandalay stares at them in shock and horror.
"Where is he?" She thinks that some of the students or heroes managed to get him off them, it's literally the only explanation that comes to her mind. But it means that someone, somewhere, is facing the hardened serial killer that Muscular is.
"Gone." Aiko replies. "Run away. Screaming."
Mandalay stares. Eraserhead sighs. If Aiko managed to beat up Muscular of all people, then… well, he is incredibly reassured that they still have All Might. He can win against her, if she ever changes sides.
Or just tell her to stop. She absolutely loves her dad. She actually acts like a child in front of him. Unless there are other people in front of her with him. Then all bets are off and she happily embraces the Eldritch Abomination from Hell image.
"Where's oniichan?" She asks and Eraserhead promptly freaks out, because the last thing he wants is to have her go look for her brother.
"Fighting in the forest." Eraserhead replies, because honestly, she can probably sense a lie. Or perhaps she already knew, but asked for some inexplicable reasons beyond the comprehension of mortal minds.
"I see." She acknowledges the answer with a nod. She doesn't dart into the forest. Does she trust him to survive all that the villains threw at him?
"A…Aiko?" Kouta manages to regain his bearings enough to speak. But he seems to be highly shy about whatever he wants to say. The girl looks at him questioningly. "D… do you want to be my friend?"
She gives him a thumbs-up and one of Aiko's equivalents of smiles. Well, at least one of them got something positive out of this mess, Eraserhead decides. If the friendship of the Dreaded Aiko is something positive.
Few seconds later noumus emerged from the forest. Well, shit.
(***)
Neito Monoma's group was doing quite fine, fighting their way through the riff-raff. They almost managed to take down Deathmonger, one of the most notable members of the CRC and a former Rank 67 Pro Hero! He retreated when it became obvious that he was not going to win.
Honestly, it wasn't that hard. All he had to do was to sicc Yoshihiro Maki on him. That guy had some serious issues with CRC. And the more serious his issues with someone, the stronger he got.
However, Neito Monoma realized immediately that there is no winning when he saw Nine emerge from the woods. With Chimera and Mummy flanking him. He recognized them from one of Nedzu's briefings about the notable villains out there. He knew their quirks. He knew that it was hopeless.
Thankfully, Nine was a consummate professionalist. Or, at the very least, realized from the constant panicked screams on the villain communication network that things weren't going up to plan. So he focused on fulfilling the objective. He didn't slaughter the kids, although he did beat up some of those who tried to stop him.
Instead he and his lackeys captured and dragged three Villain Rehab Course people from the Monoma group - Yoshihiro Maki, Amaya Uyemura and Hitoshi Shinsou - away.
Monoma could only report that through the improvised communication network that the students established (based on some Hatsume Industries-patented communication drones deployed by Yaoyorozu).
(***)
Midoriya's group managed to fight its way to the main training area, looking pretty worn out, but still in fighting condition.
Dark Shadow yelled 'PRAISE AIKO' when they got out of the woods. Aiko looked vaguely pleased by that act of religious devotion. Eraserhead decided not to dig into that, because honestly, things weren't going up to plan and he had to focus on that.
Some of the noumus had to bear some sort of monitoring or remote observation quirks. That was the only way to explain the timing. As soon after their arrival, Overhaul, Mechanist and still shaken Purity appeared out of nowhere.
(no one noticed Aiko making Eri vanish mysteriously few seconds before that)
Dabi is there as well. Scarred man, and a recent S-Rank known under the particularly intimidating nickname of Arch-Arsonist. He finally arrived from the direction of their quarters, with a small army of noumus in tow. Kurogiri is with him.
Mechanist was carrying a large screen. The only thing visible on it was a large VOICE ONLY.
"Well, well, well." Overhaul decides to speak. Noumus suddenly halted their advance. "You've been fighting pretty well, heroes. Enough to cause us some problems. Are you, perhaps, willing to negotiate?"
It's not a negotiation. It's delivering an ultimatum. Both sides know it. But the heroes and the students know that they are being cornered. Unless Yaoyorozu's group gets there (not like they can hope for Monoma to reassemble his party fast enough), they are effectively surrounded.
There are at least fifty noumus. They didn't expect that.
Tiger is tired and battered. Pixie-bob woke up, but she is still barely cognizant after that blow to the head, and it's hard to command her magical beasts while you have a concussion. Vlad-King's almost out of juice (he has a lot of surplus blood to use, but even he has limits). Children are tired, and they don't even have their support items and outfits on them.
Eraserhead believes that even with Asa and Aiko, there is a limit to how many noumus they can stop. And the limit is probably lower than the number of noumus in front of them.
"Negotiate?" Eraserhead takes it upon himself. Every second they get is a second more they have to catch their breath.
He got shot earlier by one of the CRC soldiers. Some sort of syringe-bullet. He can't use his quirk. He can only hope that it isn't permanent. Must have been a liquid version of the gas that Overhaul used to corner Endeavor in Hosu.
"We've come here with an intention to recruit some of the members of that horrible, horrible sham that the 'Villain Rehab Course' is, of course." Overhaul says. "We've already picked up some of them. Including Purity's son that you've so meanly kidnapped."
"Purity what?" It's Mandalay. Of course, there are more shocked gasps and worried expressions in the crowd. Eraserhead really doesn't have the time for that.
"He made his own choices." Eraserhead replies. "No one forced him to go to UA. If anything, I'd argue that what you are doing is the actual kidnapping."
Overhaul has the decency of fully knowing that his line of reasoning is a complete sham, and the look on his face makes it obvious.. Purity, in the meantime, looks genuinely infuriated at Aizawa's words.
"I think that we might actually call it a day." Overhaul continues, ignoring Eraserhead's reply. "If there is one thing I'm certain about, it's that pushing the heroes into a corner only makes them more dangerous. So, how about this. Is anyone of our dear Villain Rehab Course students… or Hero Course students, we aren't picky… willing to go with us on your own?"
That was… weird. Strange. What was going on? Eraserhead didn't know it, and that probably didn't mean anything good. Worst of all, Izuku Midoriya seemed confused, and that wasn't a good sign.
"WHY THE HELL WOULD ANY OF US ALL WANT TO GO WITH YOU?!" Yoarashi, god bless him, yells at Overhaul. He has a nasty cut on his forehead that forces him to keep one eye closed. It didn't deter him in the slightest.
"Why don't you answer them…" The voice from the laptop speaks. "... Tomura Shigaraki?"
Tenko Shimura moves quickly. In three seconds Izuku Midoriya (who stood right in front of him) is pinned down to the ground, with all but a single finger on his arm.
"Tenk…" Izuku tries to say something, but he isn't letting him.
"Shut up!" Shimura glares at him, while everyone around is trying to calculate whether they can hope to get him off without him dusting Izuku. With a healthy dose of shock at the sudden betrayal.
"WHAT THE FUCK ARE YOU DOING, CRUSTY-FACE?!" Katsuki shouts at him. Tenko doesn't answer.
"Oh, my." Overhaul chuckles. "What a twist, huh?"
It's, honestly, an optional thing. But seeing a betrayal from their midst should weaken the heroes' resolve. A bit of a moral chaos to whittle down their little heroic last stand. Psychological warfare isn't a foreign concept to Overhaul.
Shigaraki was nice enough to secretly contact one of the CRC groups earlier. This was all staged.
"You took the greatest creation of the greatest of villains that this world ever knew." The voice from the computer speaks. "And you hoped that friendship would make him BEHAVE? You are all fools." There is a chuckle coming from the speakers.
"Well, our good doctor seems to be certain that you switching sides is a genuine thing." Overhaul says. "But let's put that to the test, hmmm? Tomura." Tenko looks at Overhaul questioningly. "Dust him."
The finger falls down. Izuku screams as his right arm turns to dust. Katsuki yells something and fires up one of his explosions, forcing Shimura to jump off Midoriya. Right into one of Kurogiri's warpgate.
Uraraka (on her face, a complete and utter shock) jumps towards Izuku and starts trying to stop the bleeding. It won't help the kid at all. Psychological game is over.
"NOUMUS, KILL THEM ALL!" Overhaul yells. He and the remaining supervillains vanish, enveloped by the black sludge.
Ten seconds later three drones carrying explosives crash land among the noumus. Yaoyorozu was waiting for the moment - without the supervillains among them, she can go all-out and blow everything up. She isn't ready to become a murderer.
The casualties are horrible. Somewhere else, Doctor Garaki screams in abject horror as so many noumus's extinguished at once, and orders the rest to be summoned back. Overhaul argues against it, saying that every hero or trainee the remaining noumu slay is one less to worry about (besides, they might manage to kill THAT kid once and for all), but Garaki promptly ignores him.
(***)
Ambulances, firetrucks and reinforcements arrived fifteen minutes later. Even before that happened, Aiko brought Eri from whatever place she secreted her to and had her save Izuku Midoriya's life. And arm.
Saving his spirit after the betrayal was beyond her ability. And there were a lot more crushed spirits among the students.
(***)
In the end, they lose five out of eight Villain Rehab Course students. Amaya Uyemura, Hitoshi Shinsou and Yoshihoro Maki were snatched by Nine. Himiko Toga, unbeknownst to all (until they started tallying out those who remained) was grabbed by Spinner and dragged to the portal after getting lost in the forest.
Plus, of course, Tenko. That stung the most.
If they thought that the attack was all that the Paranormal Liberation Front prepared for the day, they were solely mistaken. It was merely the most direct way of attacking the UA. After all, they knew things that were harmful for the school. Why not share them with the world? On television, perhaps?
Mechanist hacked into several major television shows. Overhaul announced to the entire Japan who Yoshihiro Maki and Mieko Eto's mothers were. How Miyuki Tagawa was enrolled into the Villain Rehab Course despite killing someone (he omitted the part where the apparent murder was in self-defense).
How Bakugou Katsuki was connected to the Aldera High School scandal as one of the chief bullies. A fact that felt more serious than it probably was - his main target was always Midoriya, who held his ground properly. Ironically enough, Katsuki has never bullied any of the kids from that school that killed themselves. There wasn't any in their class, even.
Naturally, Overhaul forgot to mention that.
Needless to say, the Villain Rehab Course was almost immediately - and viciously - assaulted by the public and the Hero Commission.
Nedzu did his best to defend it. Situation wasn't looking good.
(***)
"This is…" Nedzu announced during the post-attack council. "... a nightmare."
All Might thinks that it would be a great thing if he could disagree. They all thought that the Training Camp was as safe as it could get. If not for Aiko's quick thinking, Overhaul would have recaptured Eri!
He should have been there. They decided against it because they thought that it would make the students a bigger target.
Idiocy. In hindsight. Everything is easy to realize in hindsight. It's the foresight that is a sign of brilliancy.
"It looks like the Paranormal Liberation Front has somehow united almost every single major villain organization." Eraserhead says. On his face, an expression of indifference that nobody failed for. "If they have Beast and Purity in one team…"
"I think that from the entire list of supervillains, only Mr. Compress and Stain haven't joined it." All Might adds. "Not something that we've expected. Not something we could have predicted. But…"
The pregnant pause lasts for several seconds.
"They allied to take down the hero society." Nedzu concludes. "They tried to take down All Might during the USJ and Endeavor in Hosu. They ended up losing Eclipse instead. I've also been told that Thunderbolt vanished from his house, with clear signs of struggle, three days ago. Together with his daughter."
Well, that's just great. HPSC probably covered it up. Idiots, all of them.
"How are the kids holding?" Nedzu decided to ask.
Eraserhead sighed.
("Midoriya, I explicitly forbid you from going on a rescue mission." Eraserhead says to Midoriya Izuku. The ambulances have barely arrived, and someone is busy checking up on his recently dustified (and now restored) arm.
Eraserhead doesn't think that Midoriya Izuku noticed him. The kid is staring blankly into space.)
"Pretty bad." He finally settles on an understatement. And that's without mentioning the odd silence of Yaoyorozu (and her constant worried stares at Midoriya), Uraraka being terrified by her boyfriend almost dying in front of her, Mieko Eto hiding in her room and refusing to leave it (she was absolutely terrified of people associating her with her mother, and Midoriya was too out of it to drag her out of it and beat her issues with the Power of Friendship),and…
Well. Saying anything alongside 'Emi being pissed off and terrified at the same time because her children were gone' would suggest that Eraserhead wasn't pissed off and terrified as well. He was simply less vocal about it.
He was out for blood. He just didn't know where to start spilling it.
But he already knew that there would be a lot of it.
"It's all my fault." All Might looks down at the table. "It was me who wanted Shimura to join the Villain Rehab Course. I knew that he spent years right next to one of the worst villains to ever live. I knew that. But he was a grandson of my mentor, so…"
"All Might." Nedzu speaks before anyone else can. "The very point of the Villain Rehab Course is to give people like Tenko Shimura a second chance. I fully expected at least one of its members to fail at some point, just not in such a… overbearing way."
Overbearing is one way of referring to it.
(***)
Three days later, Tsukauchi phoned All Might. Police had a trail. Someone spotted a person resembling Dabi near a complex of old industrial buildings in Kamino Ward. That alone would be enough to warrant police attention, but the aftermath of the Hosu attack was still plaguing it.
Then, the Training Camp was attacked. The Paranormal Liberation Front had the police full attention.
Dabi's sighting wasn't an accident. The aerial reconnaissance confirmed the entire complex as inhabited. It was one of the major bases of the Paranormal Liberation Front. And, almost certainly, the place where the students were held.
They get confirmation when they finally manage to track the localizing beacon that Yaoyorozu placed on one of the noumus. It was a struggle - Mechanist was really good at signal jamming.
The day of reckoning was coming. Three days left until the predicted date of attack.
It doesn't seem to have improved Izuku's mood.
(***)
"I can't believe it." Himiko said, with tears in her eyes. Hitoshi would have added something, but Himiko's words actually nicely summed up his beliefs. "Traitor."
If Tenko is hurt by the accusations, he isn't showing it. He looks at Himiko as a kid would look at some slightly interesting (but not too much) bug.
"We've shown you what's happening outside." Overhaul says to the kidnapped kids in front of him. They are under strict guard, and they received some of his quirk-suppressing drugs. Just enough to keep them not-dangerous. "The media are tearing Villain Rehab Course apart. You didn't really think that anyone wanted you to become heroes."
"Izuku did." Himiko replies. There isn't even a sliver of doubt in her voice. Izuku faced a Number Three Hero to save her and Hitoshi and kept fighting ever since to help them.
"And so did our parents." Hitoshi replies. He might look as tired and bored as Eraserhead when Ms. Joke is around, but it's just a ploy. He, at this point, loves her just as much as Himiko does. And Aizawa? He is all that plus an actual role model for him.
Overhaul looks at Uyemura questioningly.
"Give up." The kid deadpans. "I starred in a youtube video with Endeavor's son. I got a lot of comments. Most of them were positive. From people who wanted me to succeed. People who knew that I had a villainous quirk and a bad history, but I was still trying to become a hero. People who were like me. I know how many people failed me, and I'm going to be better than them."
Asking Yoshihiro Maki was a lost cause. Only Purity was delusional enough to think that it was just some sort of odd misunderstatement or a teenage rebellion. Literally everyone else (even Deathmonger and Purge, her two closest sidekicks) knew the truth.
Her sons hated her and everything she stood for. With passion. It wasn't just a simple rebellion, but a full-scale denial of her very existence as their parental figure. Considering what he heard about Purity's approach to being a mother… yeah.
He isn't surprised. Overhaul would have rebelled against her as well. Her absolutely only redeeming feature was that she remembered not to lust after them. But that was a really low bar to cross.
They only brought him here because it was her price for joining the Paranormal Liberation Front. Overhaul already had to make sure that people loyal to him are garrisoning the prison area, because otherwise Purity would have probably tried to visit her son.
And he would probably punch her face in. And she would be thoroughly shocked how that was possible.
Honestly, Overhaul would have liked that to happen. Should he place some cameras around and arrange their meeting?
"Idiots, all of you." Tenko announces. He doesn't seem to be speaking to anyone in particular. "You were kidnapped and imprisoned, not 'helped'. Given some bullshit promises to make you behave. Trust my word…" He chuckles bitterly. "... you can't expect anything more than to be used as cannon fodder until your eventual death, even if you go along with it. Try to be smart about it for once."
"See?" Overhaul gives them one of his fake (but convincing) smiles. "He understands."
Shinsou glares at Tenko (oh, well, that's Tomura now). Shigaraki responds in kind. There is silence. Eventually, Overhaul decides to call it a day.
"Well, we all have the time in the world for you to change your mind." Overhaul says. "We'll have that talk again once the HPSC dismantles the Villain Rehab Course and sends out arrest warrants for you."
It was, honestly, only a matter of time.
(***)
They leave the prison sector. Soon after that they run into Mechanist and Dabi. The Arch-Arsonist and the cyborg are doing nothing (okay, the former was drinking, the latter was … probably coding, but he can do without any tools), just in more or less the same area of the complex.
"So, how's it going?" Dabi looks just slightly drunk. Probably celebrating the victory. The side-dish of slight anesthesia had to be useful for someone so close to death.
"They are stubborn." Shimura says, with a voice of a petulant man-child displeased with life not cooperating with him in some minuscule and utterly unimportant detail.
Overhaul likes that part of him. Or that might be the fact that he saw him almost dusting Izuku Midoriya to death speaking.
"They are." Chisaki agrees. "Thankfully, their cooperation isn't all that important. What about our little spy?"
"As we expected, they reconnected/contacted us." Mechanist announces. "I believe/know that they hope for our captives' well-being/survival. This gives us a leeway-blackmail material."
Mechanist would have announced their name if they had finally given it. But, it seems, they were stubborn. However, their sudden reappearance all but confirmed that their traitor was in 1-A. Or, perhaps, 1-B.
Curious.
"They confirmed that our plan is working/continuing on alongside the schedule." Mechanist continues. "The police have spotted Dabi. I've also allowed them to locate/contact the localizing beacon they placed on one of the noumus. They are preparing their raid against this compound/trap."
"Just as planned." Overhaul grins.
The Kamino Ward will become a graveyard for heroes. Too bad that obtaining the bait cost them so many noumus. They were useful, if disgusting. Very easy to protect from the quirk-suppressing gas.
"How long?" Overhaul asks. Tenko seems to be busy playing around with the disembodied hands, a gift from Doctor Garaki to the former ward of his beloved (if very very dead) master. Spooky.
"Four days, according to our spy/source." Mechanist announces.
Brilliant.
(***)
Look, it's no fun when the villains are merely the punching bags, got it? I didn't put almost every single supervillain into one organization just to have them keep losing.
One day sometimes mean one hell of a difference, it's all I can say. Plottwists incoming! They won't stop coming until the end of the Kamino Ward arc.