Hello ladies, gentlemen and others. Spider-Izuku here with Chapter 1 of My Phantom Thief Academia.
Before we get to that though, let's answer some of the questions you guys had.
Phantom Thief of Hearts: Thank you for the warm welcome.
Dimensional Travel, no. But as you'll find out in the next couple of chapters, some of the events and elements of P5R are happening a bit out of order. And some of them are actually happening MUCH differently than in canon. I won't spoil exactly WHY that is, but let's just say trying to merge the Metaverse and the Real World wasn't exactly a good idea (I'm looking at you, Yaldabaoth.) Doing it twice was even worse (Looking at you, Takuto Maruki!)
As for why it's Izuku who's coming to the Phantom Thieves instead of Shoto or one of his siblings, that's going to be explained in this chapter. Along with a slight glimpse on the impact the Thieves have had on Hero Society.
Also, while I haven't played the game myself, YET, I have seen a video walkthrough of it on Youtube. I know just about everything the characters go through, all the important plot elements, and the big twists (especially concerning Kasumi/Sumire. Wow that one was a tearjerker.) So feel free to talk about whatever you want.
SuperSaiyanFever: Yeah. But as we'll soon find out, the story Todoroki gave in canon was more or less the "Kid-Friendly" version of events.
Speaking of which, bit of a heads up before I go any further.
I'm cross-posting this on Archive of Our Own. And if you happened to read it there, you might notice in the Additional Tags that I put "Not For Endeavor fans" and "Endeavor being a bigger bastard than in canon."
Just to clarify, I do not hate Endeavor entirely. In Season 4 he has started to take steps to improve himself and try and repair his relationship with his family. He's trying to be better, and that's something that in normal circumstances would be admirable.
However, that doesn't excuse all the horrible things he's done in canon. And it certainly doesn't help that so far in the anime he hasn't faced any sort of consequences for his actions (Please note that A)I have not read the manga and B) I have just finished Season 2 and am about to/have just started Season 3. So for all I know he might have faced consequences at a point much further in the story than what I've seen or what's been adapted into the anime. If that is the case, please do not spoil it for me as I prefer to be surprised by these things.) And I'm not the only person who feels like this since there's plenty of other fanfics on the web that echo my sentiment.
Okay, now that all the disclaimers are out of the way, onto the show!
-Chapter 1: Seeking the Thieves-
"I'm a student at U.A. High School. I was one of the lucky few who managed to pass the Entrance Exam and get into the Hero Course."
"Congrats, dude," Skull said with a bored tone. "But what's that got to do with-"
"I'm getting there," Izuku replied, rubbing the back of his head. "Sorry, but it'll make more sense if I give the additional context."
"It's cool," Joker said. "Continue."
"Quick question though, did you guys happen to watch the U.A. First Year Sports Festival?"
All three Phantom Thieves shook their heads. "A friend of ours recorded it, but we haven't had a chance to watch it yet," Panther replied.
"Okay. Well, get ready for more context..."
"Anyway, I'm in Class 1-A. And one of my classmates happens to be Endeavor's youngest son, Shoto Todoroki. We're... well, we're not exactly friends. Not because he's a jerk or anything. It's more because he never really tries to make friends. Actually come to think of it, up until the Sports Festival I could count the number of times he's actually talked or had a conversation with someone on one hand.
'That all changed during the Sports Festival.
'One thing you should know about Shoto is his Quirk; Half-Hot and Half-Cold. His right side is able to summon and control large amounts of ice. I saw this guy blast out a glacier that filled up half of the stadium in under a minute. But for some reason he only ever used his right side. He's never used the fire on his left side. I always wondered why.
'Well, after the Second Round Cavalry Battle, I found out why.
Shoto and his three older siblings were the result of the marriage between Enji Todoroki and his mother, Rei Fubuki [1]. Seems like common knowledge, right?
What most people don't know was that their marriage was a Quirk Marriage.
"You're kidding me, right," Panther asked, sounding shocked and somewhat disgusted.
"You know what that is," Izuku asked.
She nodded. "Unfortunately. Back during the early days when Quirks first started showing up, certain people with powerful Quirks would try to marry people with other powerful Quirks in an attempt to create children with Quirks that were either a fusion or a combination of the parents' Quirks." She sighed and shook her head sadly. "Very few of them were actually loving marriages."
"Why do I get a feeling I know where this is going," Skull asked. "Please tell me I'm wrong."
"Knowing our luck, I severely doubt that," Joker muttered. Looking at Izuku he said "Please continue."
"Endeavor's whole reason for the marriage in the first place is because he's obsessed with beating All Might and becoming the Number 1 Pro Hero. But because the gap between him and All Might, and honestly any other Pro Hero, is too wide he decided to beat him through his children. His mother Rei had a powerful Ice Quirk, which apparently impressed Endeavor enough to make him want to... you know, have kids with. And sadly he was so rich that he managed to 'convince' Rei's family to agree to it, as well as make all the legal offices look the other way and let this happen.
From what Shoto's told me, he's the only one that managed to get the Quirk Combo that Endeavor was looking for. His dual Quirks are able to balance each other out to avoid the downsides, since his fire side can heat up his ice side so he doesn't get frostbite, and his ice side can cool down his fire side so he doesn't burn himself alive. He didn't tell me about his siblings though, mostly because once his Quirk manifested Endeavor started training him.
And that's when things went from bad to worse.
Endeavor put Shoto through training so brutal that it made my year of training to get into U.A. look like a light jog around the park. WHEN HE WAS FIVE!
And every Shot got hurt, needed a break, or she was just worried that he was being pushed too hard; Rei tried to get Endeavor to lighten up.
And he hit her.
He didn't go into much more detail beyond that, but apparently Endeavor's abuse was both physical and emotional. She's put up with it for years, trying to stay strong for her kids.
Then one night she sees Todoroki's left side, the one that looks too much like his father's, and she snaps. She dumped boiling water from a tea kettle onto his face, giving him that scar over his eye."
"SAY WHAT?!"
The exclamation from Skull was on point, his shock mirror on the faces of Joker and Panther.
Once they found their voices Joker asked "What happened next?"
"She got admitted to a mental hospital. Shoto's visited her a few times since the Festival. She seems to be doing a lot better."
"So, why is she still in there," Skull asked.
"And has anyone investigated this," Panther asked.
"I'm getting to that..."
"After she was committed, Shoto swore he'd never use his left side for fire again. He'd still try and be a Pro Hero, but only by using his right side. All that to spite his old man. Frankly I get the feeling he really wouldn't have cared if he got frostbite from that.
Fortunately during our fight I managed to convince him to the fire was his and not Endeavor's, and I got him to use his left side. I still lost the fight, but I probably saved him from serious frostbite down the line. Sorry for the spoilers.
So, when we were in the infirmary getting patched up, I asked him why it was that nobody investigated Endeavor or tried to get him charged with something.
The answer was pretty much, and not at all what you're probably expecting."
-Two Weeks Earlier-
4/26/20XX
Day of the UA High Sports Festival
Shortly after Izuku and Shoto's fight
After getting scolded by Recovery Girl, both boys just sat or laid on their respective cot until she came back. Todoroki sighed and asked "She always that scary."
Izuku chuckled and said "Don't worry. First time's usually the worst."
"This coming from the guy who racked up the most visits to her office in just the first month," he replied with a smirk.
This actually surprised Izuku, who chuckled. "Wow. Never figured you to have a sense of humor."
"There's a lot you don't know about me."
"True." Izuku then sighed and asked "Hey, Todoroki?"
"Yeah."
"If everything you said was true, then why hasn't your father been investigated by the police, or the Hero Public Safety Commission? Considering what he did to your mother would definitely count as Domestic Abuse-"
"You ever hear about that one Pro Hero, Steampunk?"
Caught a bit off guard by the question, Izuku shook his head and replied "No. Why?"
"Just trust me. How about Pulse?"
"Can't say I have."
"How about Thunderstruck?"
"Wasn't that a song by AC/DC? Cause I know more about heroes than most of our class, and I've never heard of him."
"Her, actually."
"Okay, what do they have-"
"They were three up-and-coming Pro Heroes who interned at my father's agency a couple years ago. One by one, they found out about my father's home life. Rather than turn the other cheek and see nothing, they decided to try and report my father to both the police and the HPSC."
"So why didn't I hear about that on the news? Or about them?"
"Because my father knows the right people and has the right amount of money to make all of it disappear. Higher ups at the commission, certain detectives on the Police Force, et cetera. The whole matter was swept onto a rug, rolled up, and then incinerated. And those three heroes who had bright futures? They're blacklisted."
"Blacklisted?"
"They were burned so bad that they couldn't get any work in Agencies or any sort of Hero Work. The best they were able to get was minimum wage jobs. And... I actually heard that Pulse committed suicide via drug overdose."
Izuku was shocked. "Th-that's horrible!"
Shoto nodded. "And sadly it's not the first time. Nosy investigative reporters, other interns many years ago, police officers and detectives who wouldn't take his bribes; all of them tried to get the truth out and bring my father to justice. All of them ended up with their lives wrecked beyond repair and are either working minimum wage jobs since they're blacklisted, turned to crime and/or drugs, or committed suicide."
"And all because they wanted to do the right thing," he asked. Seeing Shoto nod, he flopped back on the cot and sighed. "This gets worse and worse by the minute."
Todoroki sighed as well. "Welcome to my life."
A few minutes passed, and eventually Todoroki asked "Your still gonna try and find a way to bring my old man down, aren't you?"
"What do you think?"
"You realize if you get caught by him or his friends, you'd probably be shooting your career in the foot. Right?"
"More than likely."
"So why-"
"My Quirk only developed just last year." Seeing Shoto's shocked look at his half-truth, he continued "From when I was four to last year, everyone thought I was Quirkless. I was bullied at my old middle school for it. Relentlessly. I went to my teachers and told them. They didn't do anything. I told my principal. He said he'd look into it, and he never did. All of my classmates, they just stood and watched. They did nothing to help me. They just turned the other cheek and kept their heads down, pretending they didn't see a thing."
He sat up and looked at Shoto, who could've sworn Izuku's eyes were blazing with fire. "I refuse to be like that. Because if I did, I'd be no better than the people at my school. I'd have no right to be a student here. Hell, I'd have no right to try and be a hero."
He was silent for a moment, but eventually Shoto sighed. "I think I know you well enough to know you're too stubborn to let it go."
Izuku sighed, flopping back onto the cot. "It's a blessing and a curse."
Later That Night
Midoriya Residence
That night after a very tearful hug from his mother and a special victory dinner, Izuku started thinking about what he could do to expose Endeavor. Unfortunately he kept coming up blank. He had no money, no sort of sway with the government or the commission, and aside from All Might's detective friend Tsukauchi Naomosa, he didn't know anyone on the police force who could help. As for other Pro Heroes, as far as they knew Endeavor was one of the good guys and someone who earned his spot as the Number 2 Pro Hero, even if he could be a little hotheaded.
Plus there was the fact that he was a fifteen year old high schooler trying to take down the number 2 Pro Hero, a guy who (while not as popular as All Might) was still a popular guy with tons of awards, money, merchandise, the list went on.
And sadly as he looked on his computer, pretty much everyone online agreed. Frankly the only people who did think that there was something illegal or dirty about this guy were either people in the same boat as Izuku, or a bunch of crazy conspiracy theorists who think Endeavor was either:
a)A Cannibal
b)Got his powers via demonic/satanic magics
c)Actually was a demon who hid in the guise of a human.
And shockingly enough, those were the LEAST crazy ones he found.
No matter which way he thought about it or approached it, there really wasn't anything he could do. And it infuriated him to no end.
Come on, brain. Think! There has to be someone out there who could help me. Someone who can't be bribed, bought, or blacklisted. Someone-
At that moment Izuku noticed a link near the bottom right corner of the screen. Huh. Wonder what this is?
The link led to several news articles, all of them rather recent. Each of them were about one particular group.
The Phantom Thieves of Hearts.
Apparently they were a group of vigilantes situated in Tokyo, who had the power to make people confess their worse crimes and sins. How they did that was unknown, but apparently they did it by, in their own words "Stealing People's Hearts."
Of the articles, three of them were dedicated to their big name targets.
The first one, theorized to be their very first target, was a girl named Toga Himiko. On the surface she seemed to be a normal High School first year. But as it turns out she was actually a serial killer who was obsessed with blood and "love." But at the start of April, shortly after the school year started, she had walked into a police station in tears and confessed to every evil thing she did. An investigation was done, and it was found out that apparently her actions were partly caused by her Quirk, which required blood for it to work properly. Without it, she'd basically gone through a withdrawal that turned her into a crazed, literally bloodthirsty serial killer. That and her parents, teachers, and fellow students treated her like she was a sick twisted freak and a monster, so she figured she'd become one. Izuku honestly hoped that she got the help she needed and that her parents and school ended up getting sued or charged with parental neglect.
The investigation had also revealed that scattered on the floor of her apartment were several red and black cards bearing a logo of two white eyes (one of which had stylized white fire coming from it) and a top hat. On each one of them was the exact same message; the Phantom Thieves were coming to steal her heart.
Their second target was a former artist named Ichiryusai Madarame. The man had gained his fame and fortune by taking young artists into his home, a rusty somewhat rundown shack, then plagiarized and stole their work by passing it off as his own. He had confessed to his crimes during an interview, shortly after a bunch of red cards were found glued and taped to the walls of his house. Each and every card bore the same message as Toga's, that the Phantom Thieves knew of his crimes and were going to "steal his heart" to make him confess his sins with his own mouth. And he did, admitting to every horrible thing he ever did and begging to be arrested. Even though he showed he was remorseful, Izuku couldn't really feel sorry for the guy (specially after he revealed that he allowed his foster son's mother to die right in front of him, not even lifting a finger to help her. What a Grade A prick.)
Their third target was what really got the Phantom Thieves noticed, for better or worse. Junya Kaneshiro, a mafia boss who that local authorities and even Pro Heroes hadn't been able to arrest for years, even though his crimes were pretty much common knowledge all over the Shibuya area of Tokyo. Then a week ago, the red and black calling cards of the Phantom Thieves were found scattered all around Shibuya. And just yesterday, the man himself walked into the police station, turning himself in and confessing his crimes.
The last article was more or less a public statement from the Hero Public Safety Commission, stating that the Phantom Thieves were not heroes. They were vigilantes who apparently had some sort of brainwashing/mind control/emotional manipulation Quirk, possibly all three if multiple people were involved. They were criminals and they would be brought to justice through the combined efforts of the Commission, the Police, and the Prosecutor's Office.
However, another link revealed the Phan-Site, a website made by a fan of the Phantom Thieves. It actually had quite a few people who logged onto it, and many of them were posting on whether or not the Thieves were real, theories on who the Thieves were, why they were doing what they were doing, what Quirks they had, et cetera.
It was clear to Izuku that while the H.P.S.C. saw the Phantom Thieves as dangerous criminals, there were plenty of people who saw them as heroes. Granted, vigilante heroes, but still.
That's when he noticed something else.
There as a forum where people were able to post suggestions or requests of people whose hearts they felt needed changed/stolen. Not all of them were answered, especially since many of them were just petty things like "My big brother's a jerk" or "my girlfriend's cheating on me." But a few actually had been answered, things like stalker ex-boyfriends or downright evil bosses.
And as he sat there looking at the Phan-Site, the thought crossed Izuku's mind. Wonder if they could change Endeavor's heart?
Present Day
5/10/20XX
Musutafu Alleyway
"So after a lot of deliberation, a week ago I put a request on the site to meet you guys. Just last night I got a response telling me to come here. And here we are," Izuku finished.
"Sorry about the wait," Skull replied. "We were a little busy dealing with that asshole, Kaneshiro. So we had a lot of requests we had to take care of."
"It's cool." Looking at Joker he asked "So, will you guys do this?"
Joker didn't reply, instead looking at Panther and then Skull. Neither said anything, so he looked back to Izuku and said "I can't promise anything yet. We have an unspoken rule that we only go after targets if everyone is in agreement."
Confused, Izuku asked "But, aren't you guys all..." Understanding dawned on him and he said "Oh, you're not all here."
Panther nodded. "Yeah. We didn't feel we needed to bring everyone here for this little meeting. Probably would've drawn a lot of attention."
Izuku couldn't argue with that statement. "Okay then. But... can you at least tell me what the odds are that they'll agree to this?"
The three Thieves looked at each other, before Skull said "Pretty freakin' high. The Flame Bastard's exactly the kind of shitty adult we go after; big ego, lots of money, and believes himself to be untouchable."
"Least until we get our hands on him," Panther added.
"But I have to ask," Joker said. "You know that his confession and subsequent arrest are probably going to cause quite the scandal. People may start to question if the heroes are really all they're cracked up to be, the Hero Commission may come under fire, and the villains may capitalize on it to cause chaos. Are you really sure-"
"-that I'm going to be able to live with it knowing I was the one that got the ball rolling," Izuku finished. "I've thought about that long and hard before I even posted my request."
"And?"
Sighing, Izuku said "Endeavor's crimes are going to be brought to light eventually. Whether it's via you guys, some nosy reporter who caught a lucky break, or if he himself just loses it and accidentally reveals everything. And the fallout would actually be worse if we let it go on longer until, say, All Might retires and Endeavor becomes the Number 1 Pro Hero by default." He laughed and said "Not that I think that would ever happen."
"Yeah, the dude's still in his prime," Skull stated. "Ain't no way the guy's retiring anytime soon."
Oh, if only you knew, Skull, Izuku said in his head. "So I'd say it's better to rip off the bandage now, and reveal everything now while he's still the Number 2 Hero. And it's honestly better its revealed because of you guys, since I don't think you guys would try to blackmail or extort him."
"Absolutely not," Panther said. "We've got a lot more class than that."
"Yeah, we did that and we'd be no better than the assholes we take down," Skull added in agreement.
Joker nodded at that, which made Izuku smile. "So, yeah. If it means Enji Todoroki pays for his crimes, then I can live with it."
Liking his answer, Joker smiled and said "Very well. We'll talk it over with the rest of the Thieves first. But like Skull said, it's pretty much guaranteed that we'll be going after this guy."
As Izuku lay in his bed that night, he found himself unable to sleep, his mind in a bit of a mental debate.
One half of his brain was arguing that he shouldn't have done that, that talking to the Thieves was arguably the worst idea he ever had, and that if whatever happened to Endeavor got traced back to him, it could land him in serious legal trouble and possibly cost him his chance at being a Pro Hero.
The other half of his brain was arguing that it was really the only option he had, that what Endeavor had done needed to be brought to the light, and that at least now there was a chance that Todoroki and his siblings may possibly have a better life away from their father's influence.
Sadly neither side would admit defeat, so there he lay awake, staring up at the ceiling and pondering if he made the right decision.
Miraculously, salvation came when his phone started ringing. Looking at it and recognizing the number, he answered it and said "Hey Uraraka."
"Hey Deku. Sorry for calling you this late, but I couldn't sleep and wanted someone to talk to. I didn't wake you up, did I?"
"No," he replied. "Honestly I couldn't sleep much either."
"I can imagine. With the internships coming up, everyone's getting jitters. I'm half convinced I'm gonna show up at Gunhead's agency and he's gonna take one look at me and kick me out."
"I sincerely doubt that's going to happen. After how hard you tried in the Sports Festival, I'm pretty sure any agency would be lucky to have you."
There was a giggle from the other end, followed by Ochako saying "Thanks. I needed to hear that."
"You're welcome," he replied with a smile.
"So, how come you can't sleep?"
Izuku sighed, wondering if he should tell her the whole story or not.
Finally he said "You promise not to tell anyone else? Especially Todoroki or the teachers?"
"Don't worry, Deku. My lips are sealed."
With that affirmation, Izuku proceeded to tell her the whole story; everything from what Todoroki told him at the Sports Festival to just two hours ago when he talked to the Phantom Thieves with his request. Throughout it all Ochako was silent, though once or twice he did hear her gasp, snort, laugh or say "Oh, Deku."
Finally he finished by saying "I'm just not sure I made the right choice."
"Well...I'm not gonna lie, posting your request on the Phan-Site would've been bad enough. But actually outright talking to them in person was... really stupid. Like, Mineta levels of stupid."
"Sheesh, tell me how your really feel."
"But at the end of the day, you saw that Todoroki needed help and his father needed to be taken down. And I know you well enough to know that if someone is in trouble, whether they ask for it or not, you'll just right in and help them and ask for nothing in return. And considering the situation, I'd say the choice you made was the best one you could make. Well, it was really the only choice you could make, but still."
Smiling, Izuku said "Thanks Uraraka. That really makes me feel better."
"No problem. Anything to help out a friend." He heard a yawn on the other end, followed by Ochako saying "Well, I'm sleepy now. And we still have school tomorrow."
Yawning too, Izuku said "Good point. Good night, Uraraka."
"Good night, Deku."
He hung up the phone and was about to set it down when he noticed something.
An app had appeared on his phone, one that he had never seen and definitely didn't remember downloading. It was strange looking to be sure; a black eye with the pupil being a five-point star, all of which was over a blood-red background. All in all it looked kinda creepy, almost like it belonged in a cult. "Hmm. Wonder where this came from?"
He quickly swiped it into the trash pile, deleting it before putting his phone down and rolling over, eventually drifting off to sleep.
Completely unaware of what that app truly signified, and how his life was about to change.
[1]: I don't think we've ever had a canon last name for Shoto's mother and I didn't see one on the wiki. So I decided to go with Fubuki, which translates into Snowstorm in Japanese. Hope you guys don't mind.
I'm probably gonna have some people asking why it is that I replaced Kamoshida with Toga Himiko. The answer to that question will be revealed next chapter, since it mostly takes place from the perspective of the Phantom Thieves. You'll also find out more about where this story fits in time-wise for P5R, along with a few other things.
Until then, Go Beyond. Plus! ULTRA!