Before any of them knew it the work studies were upon them. Katsuki couldn't help but feel a little excited at the prospect despite the current situation. Katsuki was sure he'd have several offers but he would only accept one. Aizawa wasted no time in sending an offer to Katsuki, Shinsou, and Todoroki. They all quickly accepted knowing exactly why he'd sent them all offers. They were gonna get Izuku out. Katsuki did make sure to send an apology to Miriko though. He'd received a reply pretty quickly that said she got it and that she'd wait for him to finish up whatever business he was involved in, and to make sure to kick whoever's ass that was holding him up. Katsuki couldn't help but smirk at that.
Izuku had managed to slip a few messages to Katsuki and Shinsou since he'd vanished along with the league. It alarmed all of them that one of the villains had been present at the licensing exam. None of them had even noticed. More alarming though was the most recent information they'd gotten from Izuku. It had come on the first day of the work studies. Aizawa had collected the three of them after school and they'd started compiling what they knew about Izuku's situation and what information the boy in question had managed to slip them. Shinsou's phone had pinged, both he and Katsuki had been keeping their ringers up lately, and he turned to check it. "It's a message from Izuku." Shinsou said, eyes widening as he scanned over the message.
"Well what the hell does it say Eyebags?" Katsuki demanded as he tried to get a look over Shinsou's shoulder.
"Language Katsuki." Aizawa scolded him.
"Yeah fucking whatever dad. What does it say?" Katsuki replied, waving off the light scolding in favor of trying to snatch Shinsou's phone from him.
Shinsou turned back to face the others and held the phone away from Katsuki. "He said the league is working with a yakuza group called the Shie Hassaikai. He and two other league members, Twice and Toga, are directly working with them. He's not positive but he thinks that the league is going to betray the yakuza. There's also something bigger going on there that he's currently trying to figure out." Shinsou frowned. "The end is pretty abrupt. I think he might have had more to say but couldn't type out any more."
Aizawa drummed his fingers on the table. "The name sounds familiar. I think there's an agency that's been looking into them for a while now. If the Shie Hissaikai are involved we might want to speak to Nighteye. He should have information on them."
The three of them nodded. "Shall we head over there then?" Todoroki asked, looking at the group then towards the door.
"Just let me do the talking when we get there." Aizawa said as he led them out the door.
It didn't take long to arrive at the Nighteye agency. Once they arrived Aizawa told them to wait downstairs while he went up to talk to Nighteye. Hitoshi watched as the budding protest died in Katsuki's throat as Aizawa gave him a firm look. Katsuki clicked his jaw shut with an audible noise, and Hitoshi had to hide the smirk spreading across his face in his capture weapon.
With a satisfied nod Aizawa headed upstairs. "I wonder what Nighteye is like." Histoshi mused as he watched Aizawa disappear upstairs.
"Oh Sir? He's great!" An enthusiastic voice came from behind them.
All three of them whirled around in surprise and fell into fighting stances. It took Hitoshi a moment to realize that whoever this was wasn't a villain or anything. They were in a hero agency and there weren't many villains out there that were bold enough to walk into one in broad daylight. The tall, blond man rubbed the back of his neck and smiled. "My bad! Forgot how excitable first years can be. Mirio Togata, third year UA student and intern here at the Nighteye agency." He waved to the three enthusiastically.
Todoroki was the first to return the gesture. "Todoroki Shoto." He said as he much less enthusiastically waved back.
"Bakugou Katsuki." Katsuki said as he crossed his arms and looked away.
Hitoshi rolled his eyes. "Don't mind the grump. He's just upset that someone else can sneak up on him. I'm Shinsou Hitoshi."
"Shut the fuck up Eyebags! I don't give a shit." Katsuki defended himself.
Hitoshi gave him a disbelieving look. "I'm sure you don't."
Mirio laughed. "You guys are great. I'm sure Sir would like you. Speaking of, why are you guys here anyway?" he asked.
"We're doing our work study with Eraserhead and we think the case we're working on might line up with one this agency has been working on. So Aizawa is talking to Nighteye about it now." Todoroki explained.
Mirio nodded as a thoughtful look passed over his face. "The only long term case I remember that we're working on is about the Shie Hissaikai. Does your case involve them?"
Hitoshi nodded. "Yeah. Aizawa said it would be best to talk to Nighteye about it since he'd have more info on them. Who knows we might even end up working together."
Mirio's already happy expression seemed to brighten more at the prospect. "Oh yeah! It'd be fun to work with some new interns. Sir doesn't take on many. I'm his most recent in fact!"
Hitoshi watched as Katsuki rubbed at his temples. Funnily enough it seemed to be a habit he'd picked up from Aizawa lately. "This mission is gonna be the death of me. You idiots are too much." Katsuki complained.
"Alright problem children." The group of four looked up to see Aizawa and Nighteye at the top of the stairs. "For the rest of this mission we'll be working with the Nighteye agency. Listen to him like you would listen to me, got it?"
The three gave their agreement and he gestured for them to come upstairs. "Let's go, there's no time to waste."
Izuku was terrified to say the least. The villain that had come striding into the warehouse, Overhaul as Twice had loudly announced, had an incredibly foreboding aura about him. Not to say villains like Shigiraki and Toga didn't, but his felt different. Izuku did his best to blend into the shadows of the warehouse. Toga gave him a curious glance but did nothing else to draw attention to him.
As Izuku watched in horror as Overhaul murdered Magne and destroyed Mr. Compress' arm he silently thanked his previous decision to stay out of sight. It was hard to keep himself from panicking as Overhaul walked off with the rest of his group; who had shown up not long after the fighting broke out. He knew the league was angry and wanted revenge. Toga seemed to mistake his near mental breakdown for similar emotions since she came over to him and said "Don't worry. We'll get them back for big sis. I'll make sure they bleed for it. I'll make them bleed so much it won't even be pretty anymore."
The comment helped shock him out of the developing panic attack and he shakily nodded back at her. "Y-yeah." He glanced back at what was left of Magne. He'd be lying if he said he was in any way happy about what just happened. Sure she was a villain but that didn't mean she deserved to die. He wanted these villains to be brought to justice yeah, but he didn't want them to die.
A few days later Shigirak told him along with Twice and Toga that they'd be working with Overhaul for the time being. Izuku repressed a shudder as both Toga and Twice vehemently argued against it. Eventually they gave in. Shigiraki had told them that Overhaul was working on some big plan that he hadn't gotten all the details of but he wanted them to play nice for now.
Izuku thankfully managed to send off a quick, and somewhat incoherent, text to Shinsou explaining what was going on before Toga and Twice joined him. Hopefully the information could help them somehow.
Arriving at the yakuza hideout and meeting Overhaul face to face had Izuku on edge more than had become normal recently. The whole base had a depressing and overbearing feel to it. The corridors seemed plain and uninviting. The more time he spent walking through those halls the more he found himself missing the lively and welcoming halls of UA. Even if he was having second thoughts now there was nothing he could do. His one chance to get out of this safely was long past; he was in too deep to just walk out now.
Overhaul greeted them once they arrived in the room where he'd been waiting for them. Izuku felt an unpleasant sensation come over him as Overhaul asked them what their quirks were. Once Toga and Twice had finished explaining their quirks there was nothing he could do to stop the explanation of his own quirk from tumbling out of his mouth. After he finished, Overhaul nodded satisfied. He had one of his men lead Toga and Twice to where they'd be staying but had Izuku stay behind. Izuku did his best to not let the spike of panic that shot through him show.
It was only once everyone else had left the room leaving the two alone that Overhaul spoke. "You seem to be a bit young to be caught up in all this you know." he stated.
Izuku fought back the urge to nervously scratch at the back of his neck. "Toga isn't much older than me and we both ended up in the same place." Izuku said in an attempt to deflect the conversation from him a bit.
"True but you're different. You clearly haven't been doing this as long." Overhaul pointed out as he looked over Izuku's nervous form.
Despite the quirk user that had forced the truth out of him before no longer being in the room he decided to be honest with the villain in front of him. He had no idea where this conversation was going so he felt it was best to play it safe. "Me getting involved in all this-" Izuku made a wide sweeping gesture "-is all very recent. The league recruited me a couple months ago."
Overhaul seemed to take a moment to process this information. "Then your loyalty to the league isn't firm yet." It was less of a question and more of a statement. Izuku wasn't sure how to respond. Thankfully he didn't have to figure it out since Overhaul continued. "What I'm doing is far larger than the league's goals. There can only be one new king and it would be foolish to stay on the losing side."
Izuku frowned. Was Overhaul actually trying to recruit him? What was it with him and villains trying to recruit him? Why was he such prime villain recruiting material? "I mean we're already working together aren't we?" Izuku asked, confused.
Overhaul slowly shook his head. "Shigiraki is a wild card. I don't trust him not to betray me. Since you're relatively new to his organization I figure he sent you here because he didn't particularly care what happened to you."
Izuku scowled. He wasn't actually wrong because Shigirak had pretty much told him just that before he'd left with Toga and Twice. "I still don't trust you. So I'm sending you to either prove your loyalty or go down with them if you betray us. Either way you won't be a potential problem anymore." With that Shigiraki clapped him on the shoulder, thankfully with only four fingers, and sent him off with the others.
"The look on your face tells me everything I need to know. Come with me." Overhaul walked out of the room. Izuku was quick to follow. Overhaul led him through more of the disturbingly empty corridors. After several minutes of silence he started talking again. "This world is sick, I want to cure it. I can only do so much with what I have right now though. I've found the cure but I don't have the means to produce enough of it yet."
Izuku frowned. "W-what are you curing?" He asked nervously.
Overhaul sighed. "Quirks. They're a plague that I intend to eradicate."
Izuku looked down. That was... not what he was expecting to be honest. Izuku decided then and there that gaining Overhaul's trust might not be the worst plan. If he could take down both organizations at the same time that would be ideal. He'd simply have to get information to his friends about Overhaul's plan. This would likely be his best chance at taking down the league and getting out. Izuku took a deep breath and spoke. "I used to be quirkless before I joined the league." Overhaul seemed to perk up in interest. "All for One gave me a quirk a few days after I joined."
Overhaul hummed. "So he gave you the disease as well. Don't worry, after all this is over we'll all be cured." Overhaul stopped them in front of a door. A guard looked at the two and Overhaul waved him off. The man nodded and disappeared around the corner. "I have a proposal for you Deku." Overhaul started. Izuku startled slightly at the name before remembering that was the name he'd given the man. "Join me and help me take out the league before they can betray me. Your loyalties would be better placed with me. The one who has a plan and a way to execute it."
Izuku pretended to think it over. In reality he'd already made his choice. "I accept your offer Overhaul. You're right. My loyalties to the league are shaky at best." Izuku said with a confidence he most certainly didn't feel.
Overhaul seemed to search him for any sign of a lie before nodding. "Then I have a special task for you right now." Overhaul pulled out a keycard and held it against the lock on the door. He then opened the door and waved Izuku in. The room looked much like a child's bedroom. Well a bleak and depressing one anyway. Izuku locked eyes with a little girl covered in bandages who was sitting on the bed looking back at the two in fear. "This is Eri. She's the cure." Overhaul said. Izuku felt his heart stop. Things just got far more complicated.