"What's his condition?" Kurogiri stood in a dark underground laboratory, covered in tubes and metallic wires. It was massive, and lied underneath an inconspicuous hospital. The sounds of machinery and bubbling liquids were the only thing emanating through these walls, with the occasional scraping of office chair wheels, and the thudding of footsteps

"He will live," replied a Doctor, a distance away from the two, clad in the shadows of his laboratory and sitting on his rather overly large office chair. "I did all I could. The rest depends on him."

"Hm." Kurogiri merely glanced at the unconscious Tomura Shigaraki.

Following the sudden side effects of his second Quirk transference, he was taken by Kurogiri back to the eponymous Doctor, after the League had performed an impromptu blood transfusion using a clone created by Twice.

It took several hours, from night to sunrise, but he survived. Currently, Tomura was unconscious on a hospital bed. An oxygen mask was on his face, and a blood bag attached to his wrist by a tube, feeding him the necessary blood he was missing from his puking.

It was sudden and chaotic, with even Tomura was at a loss for words, his mind going into overdrive trying to figure out what could be the cause and what to do. But amidst all that thinking, every point of his life played from start to finish like a film roll before him, as if he was convinced it was it for him, and he just wished to see his life once more before it was over.

He saw some faces he completely forgot about along that ride through memory lane.

"I didn't expect the Quirk transference to have such a negative effect, at least not already. One Quirk is nothing, but typically, receiving a second Quirk shouldn't have such a detrimental effect," the Doctor said, staring at the monitors in front of him, illuminating his face with their lights. He rubbed the head of a strange creature, spherical, with an exposed brain and only two feet wearing sneakers. "I suppose I should have put his Quirklessness into account."

"Yes," Kurogiri said. "His Quirkless body was not even accustomed to its first Quirk, and receiving a second one so soon was reckless."

"Correct," the Doctor replied, affirming Kurogiri's assumptions. "I never witnessed Quirk transference on someone Quirkless, not to this degree at least. Tomura Shigaraki has plans, but his ambitions may have been too great for him."

Kurogiri turned to look at the Doctor, remaining obscured by the next room's walls and gate. "What are you implying, Doctor?"

"Well…" He rubbed his chin, ruffling his mustache and grooming it lightly with his fingers, before speaking again. "I fear a third Quirk will simply kill him, if this is what a second one does. Like I said, people born with Quirks already are accustomed to it, their Quirk Factor is matured, thus they can typically endure a second Quirk. Tomura Shigaraki, however, never made use of his Quirk Factor, as a result, it was forced to rapidly evolve and catch up to his body."

"Is that not mere theory?"

"I suppose partially theoretical, yes," the Doctor nodded. "But we still have proof he's suffering from negative effects. This may be rash, but…" He focused his eyes on the monitors showing real-time camera footage of the hospital, its patients, workers, and the visitors from the outside. "He may have to give up on this dream. It was ten years in the making, but in the end, Tomura Shigaraki is still-..."

"...-trash, right?" the Doctor jumped in shock, quickly turning off the monitors, hoping nothing that would reveal his hideout's location was seen. Tomura's voice was right in his ear, and when he turned around, he was mere inches away from him, smiling, as if nothing was different. His posture wasn't perfect, however, it was showing fatigue, and yet the Doctor couldn't sense or hear his footsteps getting closer. The blood bag attached to his right wrist was dragged across the floor, the tube still attached.

The Doctor stared into the boy's black eyes. They were originally a green, almost jade color, but the repeated use of healing Quirks and their side effects eventually removed all color from them, leaving them an eerie, almost hollow black.

He was frightened by that emotionless gaze.

"I-...I was going to say Quirkless, Tomura Shigar-...!" Tomura struck the strange spherical creature away, as it struggled to get back up, acting like a frightened animal from the sudden attack, and then pushed the Doctor against his chair with his foot, leaning it back against the table of monitors, hunching his upper body forward. "Tomura! Cease this at once!" The Doctor attempted to assert his higher rank against the successor of All For One, despite the only thing he had was a longer history with the man known as Sensei. "I brought you here and saved your life! Don't forget! When you were dying from all those fumes and burn scars, I was the one who revived you and repaired your body! Do not waste my efforts and do anything reckle-...!"

"Doctor." He immediately shut up once Tomura began speaking. "This body of mine was forged from blood and torn muscles. Every cell and atom of my body was shattered and reconstructed just for this. Do you think this small setback means my plans are over?" Tomura spoke with utter reverence towards himself, an uncharacteristic arrogant manner of speech.

"O-...Of course not, Tomura Shigaraki!"

Tomura breathed out, as if trying to regain a proper breathing rhythm in his lungs again. He tapped his chest with his fist a few times, feeling his heartbeat, as if to confirm he's alive.

"The students of U.A. are having internships, right?" Tomura asked, not breaking eye contact with the Doctor.

"I-...I do believe it is indeed...the time of the Hero Agency Internships, yes!" The Doctor replied, glancing aside and seeing his dear warping Nomu, Johnny, still well, simply hiding away from Tomura. "Do you… have a plan?"

"Hmm." Tomura, deep in thought, pressed his foot against the Doctor, pushing him against his chair further, before letting go and turning around. "What is my condition… Doctor?" He changed the subject.

"Ah!" The Doctor's expression lit up, before speaking. "Yes, yes! Your condition is serious, Tomura Shigaraki!"

"I figured," Tomura said. "My insides still feel like they're twisting. I felt a bit odd before. My temperature was rising like a fever, and my body felt much weaker. But that wasn't a fever."

"Your body is weakening, Tomura Shigaraki!" The Doctor exclaimed. "Despite the Superhuman Conditioning being a success, it is still the body of a human! Your Quirk Factor was forced to adapt too fast to the existence of not one, but two Quirks simultaneously! As a result, it's breaking down and rejecting your very flesh! You are no longer at your prime!"

"So… A third would be fatal, without body modifications."

"Exactly," The Doctor said, as Tomura continued to walk back towards Kurogiri "I suggest you accept my offer. Not that it matters. Successor or not, a dead body is a dead body, but even Quirkless, your body is a rarity! Superhuman Conditioning perfected your muscles and bones, and it would be a waste to not use it for one of my masterpieces!"

Without warning, Tomura swung his right arm, whipping the blood bag from the ground, sending it flying and splattering across the Doctor's monitors, the tube tearing off midway. "I will figure it out."

"No body modifications?! Again?! Are you arrogant?!" The Doctor snapped, trying to wipe the blood from his monitors in a frenzy. "Do you wish to die, and fail All For One?!"

"I'm alive." Tomura stretched his arms, performing other exercises and stretches, as if he was trying to remember how his body works. "That means I haven't failed yet."

"Tomura Shigaraki." Without warning, the Doctor tossed a bag towards Tomura, who caught it in his hand. "I feared this would be your response. This medicine should subside the side-effects. They are special pills, specifically for the rare Quirk-related illness you suffer from. Let's call it Quirk Overload. Procuring more will be difficult. These already were expensive. So find a solution, quickly."

"Hm." Tomura opened the bag, seeing the pills inside of it. Oval-shaped and pink in color.

"Super Regeneration wouldn't help. It affects the physical, and can cure some diseases, but this is something beyond its capabilities," the Doctor continued explaining. "Take one every two days. Have a full stomach. Be sure to take good vitamins as well. You'll still feel some side effects, but they shouldn't be as serious as last night's bloody display."

"I see." Tomura smiled at the Doctor, different from his last smile. It was a genuine, happy smile towards an individual he was glad to be around ."Thank you, Doctor." The Doctor simply let out a harumph, still displeased with Tomura's disrespectful behavior.

"That is enough for today, Tomura Shigaraki," Kurogiri said, catching Tomura's attention "If you are healthy, then we must return. Giran called hours ago, with an important meeting at hand."

"Right away, Kurogiri!" Tomura said. "Let me change first, then we can meet him." He turned to the Doctor once more, as Kurogiri formed a warping gate to the bar. "Thank you, Doctor, once again. I hope we can meet properly again.".

Meanwhile, at the bar, the rest of the League awaited the return of their leader. Most of them had fallen asleep, either drunk from too much alcohol or from simple exhaustion from last night's excitement.

Magne was the first to wake up. She slept on one of the soft multi-person seats, rubbing her eyes before putting on her shades. "Is Tomura-chan back? Hey, Toga-chan. Wake up." She lightly nudged the slumbering Himiko, who was resting her head against the table.

"Ugh…" Himiko yawned loudly, her sharp vampiric fangs coming into clear view "Ah!" She quickly woke up "Tomura-chan, is he alive?!" She said, before quickly searching her pockets, pulling out a vial of blood. "Ah~" Himiko smiled brightly, blushing. "I got Tomura-chan's blood…"

"Himiko! That's not the time for your fetishes!" Magne exclaimed.

"Ahhhh!" Twice was third to rise up, standing atop a table. "Boss, where are you?!" He yelled, frantically scanning the bar. "Tomura! Are you alive?! I hope you're dead!" His internal struggle didn't stop his search.

His yelling and shouting woke up the rest of the League.

"Ugh, how much did I drink…?" Muscular said, finding a bottle of alcohol in his hand. "Eugh."

"Don't expect Tomura to suddenly return so soon." Mr. Compress put on his mask, before continuing. "With something as serious as that, he surely will need a few days to rest, after the Doctor or whoever it was takes a look at him."

"I'm back," Tomura said, immediately proving Compress' claims wrong by returning through a warp gate. "We have a meeting soon, so get ready everyone!" He wore a simple white dress shirt with a black tie, lacking any gloves or black vest, but kept his red striped pants and bright red sneakers, clearly in a hurry.

"Tomura! Are you okay?!"

"I'm fine, Spinner," Tomura replied. "You all had quite a night because of me. I'm sorry."

"We even cleaned the bar!" Twice leaped in front of Tomura, holding two brooms. "Washed up all that blood! It smelled awful!"

"Wow! No wonder it looks spotless!" Tomura said, looking around and seeing that, indeed, it was cleaned up, including the broken glass and the blood he vomited.

"I put it all in here," Himiko showcased her vial of Tomura's blood to him.

"That's weird, Toga," Tomura nonchalantly said, still smiling.

"No more time." Kurogiri interrupted everyone. "Giran has a guest waiting for us. We must go."

Moments later, the League arrived in an old abandoned warehouse, transported by Kurogiri's warping. They quickly made themselves comfortable among the dust and old barrels, waiting for Giran and his special guest.

"Is this a new recruit?" Magne inquired. "I don't recall joining meetings before."

"Yeah, usually you do all the interviews and shit," Muscular added. "Plus, our interviews were at the bar."

"That's correct," Tomura replied. "But now we have to be more careful. This isn't a run-of-the-mill interview. Giran said this guy is important. I was too careless before. We can't let one of our hideouts be found out, so we should start conducting the recruit interviews in secretive areas."

"Where is Giran? I miss that guy!" Twice said, enthusiastic to see Giran. "Let's go! Let's go!"

At that moment, the warehouse gate creaked out, Giran coming into view. "Yo. Good to see you. Heard something happened last night, but good to see it wasn't anything serious." He greeted the League. "Say hi to this recruit. Dude's a big shot. Lemme tell ya, getting in touch was risky and took a lot of strings, so be grateful and don't put my efforts to waste."

Giran entered, lighting a smoke, as the recruit entered after him.

A very average man of equally average height, with simple short black hair, a very mundane air about him. Nothing about his attire stood out. Just a simple black dress shirt and white tie, but he did wear a rather fancy green bomber jacket, with purple fur linings across it, but what stood out more was the mask he wore.

"Fellas, this 'ere's a big shot in the underworld. Introduce yourself, man." Giran gestured to the man, giving him his cue.

"Call me Overhaul." The man, Overhaul, introduced himself properly, pulling on his white gloves to make sure they aren't slipping and briefly adjusting his rather ornate beak-shaped plague mask.

"Overhaul. What an interesting name," Tomura greeted the man, walking towards him and extending his hand for a shake. "Pleasure to meet you."

"Hrm," Overhaul merely winced slightly at Tomura's non-gloved hand, before replying. "I rather not. This whole warehouse feels unsanitary as is."

Tomura looked at the man as if he was odd, but decided it was nothing worth pointing out. "Well, best get to the point," He said, brushing his hand against his shirt. "Overhaul, tell us about you."

"Well." Overhaul tapped his temple, a tic of his when focusing. "I am Overhaul, the Yakuza Captain of the Shie Hassaikai. I am here because you all made a grand display over a week ago, and garnered quite the reputation."

"What's a Yakuza?" Himiko tilted her head in confusion.

"Let this old man teach a dropout like you of a remnant of the old world, Toga." Mr. Compress replied to Himiko, who glanced at him "They operated the underworld before the villains came in, before the Quirk Manifestation. But unfortunately, with the rise of Heroes and greater threats, they were swiftly dismantled and were forced to effectively cease. The world adapted too fast for them, and all that was left was nothing but what seemed like villain wannabes. In reality, they still exist, of course, but compared to the days of old, they may as well be extinct."

"Ah, I see," Muscular rubbed his chin. "So this guy's just some ancient fossil stuck in the past."

"That's rather rude." Overhaul said. "But I can't deny that is how it went down."

"Your era was over ages ago," Compress replied. "No one remembers the Yakuza anymore. It's a surprise you exist, to be honest. You're an endangered species, Mr. Overhaul."

"That's enough, Compress." Tomura said, frowning as he glared at him, before facing Overhaul again, a smile quickly returning on his face. "Sorry about that, Overhaul! Having the Yakuza seek us out is amazing! But aren't the Yakuza different from an organization like the League?"

"That's right," Overhaul replied. "We don't really deal in "villainous acts" like you. Nothing showy. We're more of a… business. We have goals, yes, but whatever you wish for, I assure you, ours is more realistic and palpable. For example, Villains rob banks, kill civilians, or take hostages and enact a grand performance to make clowns of the Heroes and the system, while we Yakuza, operate more discreetly, and do business with other organizations, primarily in the Black Market."

"Drugs, right?"

"One of our business models, yes," Overhaul said to Tomura. "But I'll get to the point. You have a goal, I have a goal. I didn't want to seek you out, but Giran worked very hard to come into contact with us, and while I am a busy man, I am still a professional. How could I refuse to meet with the new most wanted of Japan?"

"That's great to hear, Overhaul!" Tomura excitedly said. "I believe we can work together towards our go-...!"

"No." Overhaul immediately shut down Tomura, causing the League to suddenly get on guard, as Tomura stood frozen with his smiling expression still on his face. "You lost a good number of people during that attack. Arrested or killed, and surely, they are leaking information on you right now. The police aren't ones to easily let something this big go down without a fight, especially not those pesky Heroes."

"The operation was a success, Overhaul," Tomura replied. "I already had contingency plans for potential info leaks, but the recruits who were captured don't know anything noteworthy to sabotage us. These…" He gestured at the League members in the warehouse with them. "...know the most, but still not enough to put us in jeopardy if they were interrogated. I am a careful man, Overhaul, and you seem to be too."

"Hm, I guess thinking so little of you would be impolite." It was difficult to tell if Overhaul was being genuine or sarcastic. "Still, you lost a valuable asset in Stain. You couldn't keep him in a leash, and he attacked the Number Two Hero, thinking he stood a chance. He must have gotten a big head after seeing how you acted."

"Stain sacrifice was not in vain-..."

"Sacrifice? So, you would sacrifice them as well?" Overhaul pointed at the League members. "I suppose that's something we can both agree on. Sacrifices must be made."

"Sacrifices aren't necessary, but they shouldn't be excluded," Tomura replied, keeping a calm-headed demeanor, towards the equally calm and collected Overhaul. "It's naive to think your dreams can be achieved without sacrifices. I don't want to sacrifice anyone, but I shouldn't exclude the possibility that such a thing can happen."

"Oi, oi, Boss. You're scaring me. I thought we were friends," Dabi sarcastically called Tomura out. "How about you get to the point, Yakuza birdy?"

"Right, I apologize." Overhaul fixed up his tie before speaking. "Don't be mistaken. This is not a partnership of equals. I want you to work for me," he said, utterly serious, but with zero gravitas in his voice, as if it were a simple request. "I have a plan, but I need the money. Sadly, nobody wishes to invest in fossils, but you…"

"You want us to bolster your name and get you that investment, correct?"

"That's right, shorty," Overhaul replied to Tomura. "But I'm not so cruel as to deny your own goal. Assist me, and you will have the Shie Hassaikai backing your every move. In fact, if you agree to this deal, I will already supply you with some men and resources, as long as you prioritize my goal first."

"Hey, hey, hey, are you basically asking us to be some trophies for you to parade around, riding our coattails, and get your goal achieved before us?" Magne said, calling out Overhaul. "You think we're going to give up our freedom for some crook who just walks in here, acting like he has any power over us?"

"Now, now. Whatever your goal is, I'm sure it's more grandiose than ours, judging by your first move," Overhaul replied, trying to calm her down. "I want to give the Yakuza its rightful name in the underworld. Return it to its glory, for my old man and Boss. Help me do that, become the Kingpin, and I promise you, you will have my absolute loyalty, without question."

"You're asking for quite a handout," Magne said, her temper rising. "To be subservient to someone we don't even know, why would we trust you in the first place?"

"Because I have experience." Overhaul tilted his head. "I've operated this group for years and faced threats myself. I am a careful man, like your boss. We can benefit each other. Not to mention, I may have information and data valuable for you, as well as some stock that could interest you if you're buying."

"So basically, we can use you as much as you can use us," Tomura concluded.

"That's right. You're a smart one, huh, League leader?"

"Tomura-chan! You can't seriously be considering working for him?" Magne called out to Tomura. "Coming here, demanding us to just…!"

"Magne." Tomura stopped her before she could say or do anything. "We have a plan, we have recruits, but we shouldn't rush things."

"So you agree?" Overhaul asked.

"We will assist the Shie Hassaikai, but we are not subordinates. We are equals."

"Hmph. Call it whatever you like. Doesn't matter as long as I'm getting your help." Overhaul scoffed. "I am a man of my word, Leader."

"Tomura Shigaraki."

"Shigaraki. Quite a name," Overhaul noted.

"I'm glad we can come to an agreement, Overhaul. But I first have to ask, what is your goal?"

"I already said. I wish to give the Yakuza it's lost glory."

"There's more, isn't there?" Tomura pried Overhaul, deducing he had another agenda.

"You're either perceptive or just paranoid." Overhaul sighed. "The details of my plan can wait. For now, let's agree on our partnership being official."

"I see no harm in that," Tomura said in a joyful tone. "Shake on it?"

"Sorry," Overhaul rejected his offer again. "I rather not come into contact with people and their germs." One could notice some purple hives becoming visible across his face

"What a weirdo…" Spinner muttered, glancing at Magne, who's displeasure was visible on her face.

The Shie Hassaikai and League of Villains formed an alliance, shaky and loose as the term applied to it.

But they exchange contact information, though being criminals, it obviously wasn't a simple phone number. All exchange of information was done through Giran, or Giran's subordinates who could move around more than their boss.

And so-

The Debut grew closer.

The second day of internships arrived, and Hitoshi and Momo were up early and already at Sir Nighteye's office. However, they quickly relocated to the meeting room, where the Hero, his sidekicks and the three interns, Mirio included, sat around a table, each one given the same files and pictures.

The investigation surrounding the attack on the Stain Escort Team has begun.

Hitoshi wore his Hero costume, as ordered by Sir. Apparently, even minor report writing and reviewing demanded one to look their most heroic. It was no issue, since Hitoshi's Hero costume was rather plain and easy to get into, a simple purple hoodie with a zipper with a black shirt under it, and a darker shade of purple for his pants, as well as his Artificial Cords mask hanging around his neck when he wasn't wearing it. It was still in the testing phases, but it should allow him to perfectly mimic someone's voice without hindrance to his Brainwashing.

In addition, Hatsume Mei found a way to make his clothes fireproof, electricity proof, waterproof and "dirtproof", but that last one didn't make much sense to him. He could only pray she didn't make some unwanted modifications to it behind his back for the sake of testing out her "babies".

Momo and Mirio wore their Hero costumes as well, though Mirio stood out more compared to Hitoshi, who would be mistaken for a simple civilian in most cases.

"Right, let's see here…" Hitoshi looked through the files, reading through them and taking note of every detail that seemed important or stood out to him. With the pictures, he scanned the images for every nook and cranny that was visible. There was quite a lot to look through.

Momo, meanwhile, did the same, creating a pair of glasses to help her not miss any important details, taking notes on a seperate piece of paper as well.

The sidekicks, however, seemed to be much swifter and used to this. Centipeder was casually sipping tea as he calmly read through the piles of papers, whereas Bubble Girl seemed quite hyper and diligent in her duty, if not somewhat nervous in her performance. Mirio, meanwhile, seemed to be lagging behind, fiercely trying to finish every page, but without understanding and absorbing the information presented to him.

The first job the interns were given was to make their own assessments and discoveries based on what they found and read from the police reports and all available data given to them.

"Time's up." And they had three hours, which had run out, signalled by Sir Nighteye tapping his stamp on the table, the interns and sidekicks putting their papers down. The stack of papers on his side was neatly organized, showcasing the man's expertise. "Yaoyorozu," he called out to Momo. "You shall go ahead first. What have you found out?"

Momo nervously composed herself, standing up, adjusting her glasses and holding her papers. "Well, the first thing was that there was an obvious altercation at the scene. The number of people, though, is unclear. We know the Ronin Hero Musashi fought villains. The passenger didn't, while the driver's gun was found at the scene with a bullet shell, implying he tried to fire at the attackers."

"Very good, very good," Sir Nighteye said. "Continue."

"From what I could analyze from the on-scene images, the attackers used some sort of blunt weapon." She presented an image showcasing the destroyed asphalt road, as well as broken armor pieces. "Although this could also be because of the attacker's Quirk, but since this is the only instance of such damage, we can only assume so much."

"No assumptions, Yaoyorozu," Sir Nighteye interjected. "Deductions. Even if they are wrong, they are still a possibility. Assumptions are guesses."

"Yes, Sir." She cleared her throat, before continuing. "From what I've examined, I've concluded the attackers were a group, around perhaps six or even seven individuals, based on evidence of the altercation left at the scene as well as what the cameras could capture. They went ahead and neutralized the security cameras, but missed the more well-hidden ones. Sadly, what they captured wasn't much, but it was enough."

"Six or seven…" Nighteye pondered that possibility in his mind. Indeed, he suspected it was a small group, a coordinated team effort. 28th or even 100th, it didn't matter, Musashi was a formidable opponent for any villain. But these unknowns have fought and seemingly won, with Musashi being gone, the driver thrown into the waters below, but that still didn't answer it…

"And the corpse," Momo continued. "The autopsy wasn't released, and from the images taken and released, it's difficult to tell what killed him." Her tone showed anxiety talking about such a grim subject matter. "His body seems bruised, but nothing that would really kill him. At least nothing external. It may be possible his injuries from Endeavor took a toll on him, or he even died of exhaustion. Unfortunately, I can't conclude much on that end."

"That was excellent, regardless. But it needs more humor."

"Humor…?" Momo was still confused at Nighteye's surprising valuing of humor. Though, she wasn't alone, as Hitoshi was confused as well.

"You may sit," Sir Nighteye said, and Momo sat down, as Nighteye's eyesight was directed towards the one next to her "Shinso. Your turn."

"Right…" Hitoshi stood up, though unlike Momo, he was much less dignified in his posture, not even holding his papers in his hands, yawning before he started. "Looking through the report, the images, the files, and everything else, I concluded it was a coordinated attack. The goal was Stain, and as we know, the end result was Stain dead, so we can deduce from that that they failed their goal. However, there's something that stands out to me."

"Did you discover something new?"

"Yes," Hitoshi said to Sir Nighteye. "Musashi is gone. From the evidence shown, the police concluded the driver was also attacked, and there is further evidence he engaged the villains." He paused for a moment, before continuing.

"Visualize this; the villains attacked in a group of six or seven, as Yaoyorozu has suggested. Their goal was to stop Stain from being sent to Tartarus. Now, assume they failed, and Stain was somehow killed during that entire battle that broke out. However, there's no physical evidence Stain participated in the actual fight, so he might have been a later participant, near the end, or maybe he was killed without much of a fight on his part."

He paused again, taking a deep breath.

"Then, if he was killed, what happened to Musashi? Logically, they would leave, but then, did Musashi win? Clearly not, if he disappeared. They moved bodies, so they had the luxury to do that. The driver's corpse was thrown off the bridge and recovered. It was a sloppy and simple move. If they did the same to Musashi, then we would have found him as well, especially since the search has been going on for days."

"Shinso, what are you implying?"

"Sir, I believe Musashi was taken by the villains. For what purpose, I don't know," Hitoshi revealed one of his conclusions. "But that just begs the question, if they did take Musashi's body, why didn't they take Stain's as well? It makes no sense."

"The question is what for. What does Musashi possess that Stain doesn't?"

"If he is alive, Musashi has information on the Heroes, potentially valuable. But I doubt a Hero like him would budge. However, if we come to a more grim conclusion…"

"Musashi was killed," Sir Nighteye adjusted his glasses. "That is an interesting theory, Shinso, but what are you suggesting?"

"Well, call me crazy, Sir, but, what if the reason the autopsy hasn't been released is because the body they had was a fake?" Hitoshi answered with another question.

"A fake body?" Centipeder interjected. "You think the villains have a Quirk to allow that? If that's the case, then what of the real Stain?"

"That...I don't know," Hitoshi replied. "For all I know, the real Stain is alive, and we're fooled into believing he's dead by the League, while the authorities are in chaos trying to find out why the corpse they have is a fake and where the real one is."

"Hm." Sir Nigtheye looked at Hitoshi, processing this information.

"They could potentially cover it up by releasing a fake autopsy report. If not to the public, then to the Pros so as to not arouse suspicion like it has with you." Hitoshi yawned, sitting down. "That's all I got."

"That's quite a bold theory, Shinso," Sir Nighteye said, with the faintest tone of being impressed. However, it was replaced just as quickly by his typical stoic expression. "However, it is just that. Bold. While I admire your refusal to be held back by what is and isn't possible, broadening your mind and such, you must still be rooted in reality. Our world has redefined and blurred the line between fiction and reality, yes, but that doesn't mean we have to disregard that it still operates on rules that we are all victims to."

"But Sir-..."

"No. That's enough, I think." Sir Nigtheye stopped Hitoshi before he could say anything more. "Mirio, Centipeder, Bubble Girl, send me written reports later. For now, we will advance the case with an on-scene investigation."

"On-scene, Sir? But the authorities already wiped the place clean," Mirio noted.

"That's correct, but even they are prone to mistakes." Sir Nigtheye replied. "Mirio, take Shinso with you. Yaoyorozu, you and Bubble Girl will come with me to take care of a different case. Smaller and simpler. Since we have extra manpower this time around, I want you to help us make progress. You're bright minds, so to put you here in the office all day would be a waste of your skills."

"Right, Sir!" The two sidekicks and Third Year intern yelled out in unison.

"Shinso, Yaoyorozu, your reports were excellent. Imperfect, but they are still worthy of praise. I want you to remember that. Do your best, even for this field training. Am I clear?"

The two 1-A Students were still not used to the contrast between Sir Nighteye's appearance and his actual personality. He was a supportive teacher, stern but fair when need be. He was clearly willing to teach them and allow them to grow.

"Understood, sir," the two replied in unison.

Within Musutafu, Tenko had taken Katsuki to a spot for the first serious training. It was the Takoba Beach, where it lay drowned in mountains and heaps of trash and littering, no longer a beautiful tourist and relaxation spot for families during summer time.

"What are we doing in this garbage heap…?" Katsuki said, looking far and wide, seeing the endless mounds of tossed plastic and food, he even saw thrown coaches, and furniture. What a terrible thing to do, he thought.

"This is where day two of your internship is gonna take place." Tenko replied, scratching his neck. "All Might trained me here, back in the day. Physical conditioning."

"Huh? What do I need that for?" Katsuki immediately flexed his one free arm, as if to prove a point. "I've been doing training for ages, pale man! Not to mention, my arms got used to pressure from my Quirk's aftershock."

"That's true, but your Ultra Shot tests that limit." Tenko pointed out. "That's proof that your body, for all your boasting, is still human with limits."

Katsuki stopped himself for a moment. He would have shouted and boasted some more, but upon remembering Tomura's body, and whatever physical conditioning he underwent. He was sure that when it came to Quirks, he himself was definitely a victor, but he had to admit, at least to himself, that the gap between them when it came to their physical strength was mountains apart.

"What kind of physical conditioning can I do in this garbage heap?" He opted to hear out his teacher.

"You're going to clean this place up."

"Huh?!" He immediately regretted it. "What kind of shit is that, pale man?! Am I a trash man now?! It's not my responsibility to clean after these pigs!"

"What do you think a Hero does, Bakugo?"

The question caught Katsuki off-guard, but after a few seconds of thinking, he answered. "A Hero is the strongest person in the room! Among all these extras and weaklings, even when there's villains! A Hero wins!"

"Wrong," Tenko angrily tapped Katsuki's forehead with two fingers, lightly pushing him off balance, before his student regained his footing. "A Hero is someone who helps people, not just through fighting." He directed his attention towards the beach "When I was your age, I cleaned this entire beach with these hands. I had to avoid using my Quirk, but at some point, it made me realize that, for the first time, my Quirk has uses outside of just destruction. Decay can turn all this rubble to harmless dust, I can save so many people and make the world a bit better, with this power that I'm so afraid of."

Katsuki stared at his teacher, who was looking at his gloved hands. These hands, that without his will and approval, can destroy without discrimination, leaving nothing behind. Tenko never used it on a person, but he could only shudder to think what would happen if he did.

"Bakugo," He sounded serious when addressing Katsuki. "Your Quirk has the potential for destruction, that's undeniable, but your body is another part of you. Don't neglect the growth of both."

"Am I seriously going to become the cleaning man for this beach…?" Katsuki looked at the seemingly endless sea of garbage, already feeling how long it would take to finish.

"Yes." Tenko bluntly replied. "You might find out something about yourself. Your arm was healed by Recovery Girl. She recommended to put it in a cast still and let it rest, but after a short talk with her, she said it's alright for you to start using it."

"Aw, finally!" Without further delay, Katsuki blew up the cast, restraining his right arm, feeling refreshed. "I missed you, righty!"

"That's great, but the ones on your face have to stay." Tenlo said, referring to the bandages on Katsuki's cheek, nose and around his head. "Don't over-exert yourself. Training is all about working within your limits to surpass them."

However, Katsuki was already ahead of Tenko, jumping into the fray. "I'll clean this beach so well, you'll think Trashman took care of this!" He proudly exclaimed, beginning to carry the trash and littered garbage bags, from the lightest to the heaviest, putting them away. "Just you watch, Shimura-sensei! I'll make you regret treating me like an errand boy!"

"Well, at least he goes 100% into everything as long as he gets to spite someone…" Tenko muttered to himself, feeling his energy sap the more time he spent with Katsuki. Suddenly, he felt his phone vibrate, seeing a call from Naomasa Tsukauchi, promptly answering it. "Tsukauchi-san?"

"Tenko! I'm glad you could answer!" Naomasa answered within his office, cheery as always."It's good to hear from you."

"Is something the matter? You don't usually call on work days." Tenko asked.

"Yeah, you see, I was wondering if you could come to the station today or tomorrow." Naomasa replied. "It's about one of those villains, the one named Ricochet Rico. I tried getting other Heroes, but a lot of them are worried about this sullying their reputation or are too busy, especially ones like Endeavor, who flatout don't want to show up."

"I can imagine…" Though he didn't meet Endeavor many times, Tenko wasn't a big fan of the man.

"You're also an important witness. Well, a lot of people are, but you have a special connection," Naomasa said, but he didn't need to mention more than that to Tenko. "All Might spoke with me. Someone else was there during the Sports Festival Attack, both he and Nezu met that man again…"

Tenko's expression grimaced before he answered. "All For One…"

"I'm afraid." Naomasa could sense Tenko's displeasure at hearing the news. It was a persistent belief among him and All Might that All For One sought out Tenko, to use him against All Might, but all they could go off was villains with tangential connection to the crime lord who seemed to appear the most around Tenko during his early Hero training days.

"All Might will be here as well. This is a private interview between the three of us. It took a bit, but I managed to make it work between me and the chief, especially once All Might chimed in."

"I'm kind of…" Tenko looked over to see Katsuki still going strong against his opponent; trash. "I'm in the middle of interning a student, so could this...wait?" He felt guilty asking that.

"I understand that, but this is serious, Tenko. All For One is making his moves again, he says he has a student." Those words pierced through Tenko; the realization that, despite not getting his hands on him, All For One still laid his hands upon someone else and molded him into his successor. "We have to make efforts to stop him, before he gets any further with whatever he's planning."

Tenko pondered for a moment before speaking. "I'll bring my student over."

"Tenko, this isn't a classroom, you can't-..."

"He knows, Tsukauchi-san," Tenko interrupted Naomasa. "There's nothing much to hide from that kid at this point."

Naomasa went quiet for a moment, before he finally spoke up. "Do you trust this kid?"

"It's difficult to say, but…" He could still hear Katsuki's roaring down at the beach. "It's Katsuki Bakugo."

"Who?!" Naomasa yelling nearly blew Tenko's eardrums. "That kid who challenged the Nomu?! That Katsuki Bakugo?! Can he even keep the secret?! Tenko, how could you reveal this?!"

"I-...I didn't…" Tenko couldn't admit he revealed One For All's secret and more to Katsuki. "It was actually Yagi who revealed it first…"

"First? So you did tell him something!" There was no getting around Naomasa's attention to detail and deduction skills. "Nevermind, as long as it makes you come in tomorrow. This is an important interview, Tenko! We have to find what All For One is planning and stop it before it takes hold." Naomasa closed the call, with only the sound of beeping left.

Tenko sighed, before walking down to the beach. "Oi, Bakugo, take it easy." He called out to his student, who was amidst piling up all the garbage.

"I'm on a roll, pale man!" Katsuki replied. "Don't stop me!"

"You're overdoing it." He walked over to Katsuki, grabbing his jacket off his shoulders. "Take off your shirt too. If you sweat with it on, all you'll do is exhaust yourself faster. The sweat will just drench your clothes, " Tenko instructed Katsuki, who did as he was told, taking off his shirt and tossing it to Tenko, who caught it and began to neatly fold the two articles of clothing. "Now, do as much as you can for today. Something came up, so tomorrow's plans changed. We'll be at the police station."

"Police station?" Katsuki inquired further, after resuming his exercise. "What are we doing there?"

"Tsukauchi-san needs our help with something," Tenko replied. "I'll fill you in on the details tomorrow.".

"Hey, Shimura-sensei," Katsuki called out to his teacher, his movement much slower and restrained than a moment ago. "Why did you become a Hero?"

The question caught Tenko off-guard, but he didn't think much of it, sitting down on a nearby old bench, pushing the garbage on it to the side to make room. "I wanted to be a Hero like any other kid. I didn't think much of it."

"So it was just some kiddy shit?" He sounded quite heated about that excuse.

"That was the first reason, anyway." Tenko continued. "I was like all kids. I looked up to and admired Heroes. I wanted to be someone people would look up to and cheer on for. When I found out my grandmother was a Hero, I was ecstatic, and it made me want to be a Hero even more."

"Your grandmother? Nana Shimura?" Katsuki remembered the name from the broadcast, and the brief story he got from Tenko.

"All Might's master." Tenko nodded. "I already told you, my father got in the way."

"That Kotaro guy, right?"

"It was obvious, huh?" Tenko lightly patted his cheek, feeling his memories crawl back up. "It was a very difficult night. The same day I found out about my grandmother and felt my dream take root, was the same night it almost died."

Katsuki didn't need much details to figure out what happened that day, and didn't wish to make his teacher recall those memories too much.

"Well, anyway, that dream didn't die, and I owe Tsukauchi and All Might for that," Tenko said, rubbing his eyes lightly. He could hear All Might groaning at Tenko touching his face despite doctors advising against it. "My mom and dad divorced, we moved away from him, and me and Hana are supporting our mom now."

"What does your sister do?"

"She has a part-time job, but only on my days off," Tenko replied. "Mom is sick, as you probably guessed, so we make sure at least one of us stays close to her. Just in case…"

"You're a pretty shitty Pro," Katsuki bluntly said, surprising Tenko with his non-sequitur. "Can you even fight Villains?! All you do is talk about Search and Rescue!"

"Not every Hero is built for fighting, you know."

"Villains don't give a shit about that."

"I guess you got a point…" Tenko didn't even sound like he could put up a verbal fight. "I'd rather keep the fighting to the people who can control their Quirks. Mine would just get in the way. It's not a team player Quirk, you know."

"Are you really our teacher? You keep acting and talking like you already gave up!" Katsuki angrily stomped his foot. "What happened to revitalizing your spirit, asshole?! So much for the guy All Might chose to succeed him!"

"He chose it without consulting me." Tenko replied, growing impatient. "He chose me, but I never got the chance to even know about it until it was thrust onto me. I don't have what it takes to succeed the Symbol of Peace."

"Hmph! Guess I'll have to pick up the chops instead!" Katsuki puffed up his chest. "I told you already, I'll surpass All Might, and you'll both see that! I'll take down the League of Villains too! Just watch!"

Tenko seemed unfazed by Katsuki's typical boasting and hot-headedness, but he couldn't help but chuckle a bit. "Alright. You'll have to beat their lackeys first before you can fight the final boss though," he said. "Though, maybe that Nomu thing is more of a miniboss?"

"Peh, they got me at a bad time!" Katsuki retorted, denying being outmatched. "That Dolphin bastard had the upper hand because I already exhausted myself against half-n-half!"

"Right, right." Tenko jokingly said with a faint smile, entertaining Katsuki. "I'll make sure you'll be strong enough to handle those mooks."

"Hell yeah! That's right!" Katsuki felt himself get energized all over. "I'm gonna clean this whole ass beach! By tonight!"

"Wait…"

"I'll be done before you realize it!"

"That's not…"

"And then, when I'm done with it, and when we finish this internship! And this year, the next, and the one after that, and we graduate, I better see your sorry ass take your fucking job as a Pro seriously, Shimura-sensei!"

It was an unorthodox exchange of words that gave each person the strength and motivation they needed. The teacher Tenko wished to improve Katsuki's behavior and address his weaknesses and improve his strengths, but here he was, getting a pep talk from his own student.

He felt almost ashamed that he was getting more lessons from his student in comparison.

"Alright, fine, but I'll stick here with you," Tenko said. "Your mother would kill me if I left you alone."

Katsuki let out another boastful roar, before returning to the training at hand.

The day passed for them and the many other students. It was a peaceful day. No villain attacks had occurred. Only petty thieves and criminals, stopped swiftly by the Heroes, giving the interns first row seats to witnessing the Pros in action, intently studying and learning from their teamwork or skills.

Though Tenko lamented he couldn't be there to see it, he could feel relief wash over him, knowing they were in capable hands, perhaps more capable than him. He was still young, after all, and while he had valuable experience compared to the students who were still fresh to the Hero business, he was still nowhere near the older Pro Heroes, even his own colleagues in U.A.

Thinking about it too much wasn't good for his mental health, Tenko thought, and before he knew it, it was already late. At around 11 P.M., Katsuki had already exhausted himself, growing drowsy and unable to keep his promise of cleaning the entire Takoba beach in a single day. Not to say he didn't make impressive progress. By Tenko's estimation, almost half the beach was already cleaned up, if not more.

Katsuki Bakugo was loud, arrogant, impatient and struggled to bond with a lot of people or see them as equals, but he had humbling moments of realization, and was still a talented student.

"You're going to be a great Hero someday, Katsuki-kun," Tenko said to Katsuki, who was barely conscious, rubbing his eyes and yawning, as he stared at his teacher, his eyes practically shut. "Let me take you home."

Tenko carried Katsuki on his back. The boy would typically resist, Tenko thought, but because he was so exhausted, he couldn't fight back. He probably won't even remember what happened by the time he wakes up.

The sight of Tenko carrying the slumbering Katsuki on his back seemed like a big brother carrying his younger brother after a day of fun. The weight of the boy on his back made him think back of when he carried Hana after they played together too roughly once, and she sprained her ankle. He had that leverage on his elder sister whenever she tried to use her status as the older sibling against him.

Night swept over. Katsuki was returned home, his mother thanking Tenko for watching over her dynamite brat, while his father carried him to his room, afraid he'll accidentally awaken the volatile child on the way up the stairs.

All that was left was for Tenko to return home to his sister and mother, ending the second day of the internships, and preparing for the third. He was almost tempted to contact his students tomorrow via the chat group they made via a social media app to ask them how they're doing, but knew it would be more exciting to wait for the week to finish properly.

He pulled out Chitose's card from his pocket, looking at the number on it. He made sure to put it in his wallet, keeping the lewd side of it obscured from public eyes. "Maybe a date wouldn't hurt…" He said to himself, though remembering how she asked about his grandmother, he couldn't help but feel bitter.

Still, Tenko hasn't been on a date in years. Mayhaps going out just for one night wouldn't be a bad idea.

The air was cold, and calm, serene. It was peaceful and quiet, before it rapidly increased in temperature, as Tenko's senses suddenly ran wild, leaping out of the way of a large blast of blue flames, mere inches from being set aflame.

"What the…?!"

"You're that U.A. teacher, right?" The perpetrator behind the blue flames revealed himself, the skinless man Dabi. of the League of Villains. "I got a few words with you, if you don't mind."

"Hey, hey, what's this about…?" Tenko eyed Dabi, but his eyes scanned his surroundings, trying to see if anyone else was around, while clutching his wallet. "Is that how you greet people, stranger?"

"Yes," He gave a no nonsense answer, the azure flames creeping across his arm. "Got a question for ya. You got a minute?"

"Are the flames necessary?" In the corner of his eye, Tenko saw shadows move about, confirming his suspicion that Dabi wasn't alone. "What'd you want?"

"Y'see, our Boss is being a bit of a pain in the ass." The flames subsided from Dabi's arm "And for some reason, he wants you to come with us. Whether it be by force or not, anyway."

"That's quite a way to invite someone… were my ashes also requested?" Tenko sarcastically asked, hearing rustling in the bushes, light footsteps around him. "What does he want from a lousy teacher like me? All I have is homework for a bunch of brats."

"Beats me," Dabi callously answered, shrugging all the while. "Just come with me, alright?"

"Don't you mean us?" Just as he said that, Tenko jumped out of the way, as Himiko attacked from above, stabbing the ground instead. "How are you going to capture me if you're stabbing me, huh?!" Himiko ignored his words, lunging at Tenko without wasting time. However, Tenko used his mouth to remove one of his gloves, his five fingers touched the ground, as it decayed enough that Himiko's feet sunk into it, causing her to lose her footing.

"Oh!" However, she didn't seem too bothered, simply letting out a yelp and then leaping above Tenko, landing behind him, immediately attempting to stab him again.

"...!" Tenko turned, seeing the combat knife inching closer. He dodged to the side, the knife grazing his cheek. He stepped forward, kneeing Himiko in the stomach.

Himiko seemed surprised, but a wide smile baring her canines returned just as fast, stabbing Tenko's leg. He grimaced, stomping his stabbed foot on the ground and kicking Himiko away with his other leg, falling on his knee, as Himiko regained her balance, charging at Tenko..

"What kind of schoolgirl deals with knives at this age…" Tenko said, pulling the knife out of his leg, using it to block Himiko's other knife.

"Your blood…" Himiko said, inching closer. "Can you give me a drop?"

Tenko was creeped out, to say the least, and swiftly kicked Himiko away once again. However, she leaped above him with great athletic skill, her hands on his shoulder, and just as fast as she got above him, she landed behind him, slashing at his back.

"Gah…!" He turned around, leaving himself open to Spinner, who emerged from a dark alley, wielding a bizarre abomination of blades and hatchets held together by belts and chains, yet its weight did not deter its speed. "Are you serious?!" Despite his injured leg, Tenko dodged Spinner's sword, yet from the other side, Himiko lunged at him once again.

He focused on the two best he could. They were both proficient with up close bladed combat, and keeping up with their speed and onslaught was difficult, yet Tenko dodged their attacks. But for every successful dodge, there was another where he was scratched, as they continued to pile up on his body, the nicks and grazes were nothing painful, but the increase in numbers wore him out, it began to sting when the air hit the open wounds.

His skin felt itchy.

"Go on, take off a leg or two," Dabi said, sounding disinterested. "Boss just needs him to be alive. He didn't ask for a healthy subject. Just one that can talk."

"I got 'em, Spinner! I got 'em!" Himiko cheerfully said, sliding another knife from her sleeve, stabbing into Tenko, who blocked it with his arm in a panic. "I got 'em!"

"Keep 'em still, Toga!" Spinner exclaimed, intending on slashing at Tenko's legs. "This is the Spinner Special! Stain Homage!"

"Stain?" Suddenly, Spinner and Himiko felt the air get colder, as Tenko heard the name Stain, quickly stomping on Spinner's sword into the ground, that moment of hesitation giving Tenko the opening he needed to stop his attack. "You...are the League of Villains?" His tone became harsher and colder, striking Himiko suddenly, the knife still stuck in his arm, as Himiko leaped away, while Spinner tried freeing his sword from underneath Tenko's foot. "You're the guys...who hurt my students?" Spinner began to sweat, finally freeing his sword.

"Yeah! We're the League of Villains, you bastard! And I am a carrier of Stain's will!" Spinner swung his sword again, aiming at Tenko's upper body. He performed a full swing, yet he felt the weight of his sword outright vanish, and upon investigating it, he saw that it had crumbled away into dust, the only thing left behind was the handle.

Looking at Tenko, he saw the young man with one of his hands raised, in the way of the sword slash.

With his touch, Tenko decayed the hunk of blades into nothing in an instant.

The entire atmosphere around Tenko shifted. Himiko and Spinner and even Dabi felt it, a sensation they didn't expect from a Hero.

It was killing intent.

"Change of plans." Tenko cracked his knuckles, his hand opening, blood dripping from his stab wounds and scratches. He grabbed the knife stuck in his arm, decaying it into dust. The wounds didn't seem to deter him much. "You are coming with me for questioning at the Police Station." He glared at the villains, as all four remained still, waiting for the next person's first move in a mexican standoff.

The itch kept getting stronger. It was maddening.

"Toga!" Spinner acted first, calling to his all.y "Knife!" He extended his hand to her, as Himiko threw her knife to Spinner, catching it and lunging at Tenko, as Himiko pulled a knife strapped to her thigh, joining Spinner.

The two strike from the sides, simultaneously, intending on overwhelming Tenko once again

However, their knives vanished just after their full swing. All Tenko had to do was raise his hands and time it right, and once his fingers touched the blades, they were reduced to dust, and the wind took them away.

"...!" Spinner rose up, but received a knee to his jaw for his troubles.

Himiko pulled out another pair of knives from the underside of her skirt, leaping towards Tenko, who dodged to the side, narrowly avoiding her attack.

Compared to Spinner, Himiko was more skilled and dangerous. Her movements were precise & fast and her athleticism would rival even those with Quirks enhancing their abilities.

Her knives grazed and nicked at Tenko, her rapid and unpredictable movement pattern making it difficult to precisely use his Decay without harming her.

He needed to find an opening, lest he risk killing her.

"Alright," However, his train of thought was interrupted by the rising temperatures, as Tenko realized Dabi was right behind him, his blue flames beginning to whirl and envelope his arm

Suddenly as well, Himiko leaped at him, her arms wrapping around Tenko, restraining his arms. She slashed at his sides, her legs locked around him. She opened him up for an attack.

"What are you doing?!" Tenko yelled at Himiko, who merely smiled widely, a blush across her face.

"Adios." Dabi extended his arm forward, a stream of blue flames making their way towards him.

To his and Himiko's surprise, Tenko freed himself, but his first act was to wrap his arms around Himiko, shielding her as he leaped away, Dabi's flames scorching his back, just barely avoiding complete incineration.

"Are you insane?!" Tenko immediately stood back up, his back severely burnt and many slashes and knife wounds across his body. Yet he didn't seem bothered by them, he was more furious at Dabi. "You could have killed your ally! What good would that do to your boss?!"

The villains were surprised at Tenko's priorities, even Himiko who was about ready to use herself as a sacrifice to capture Tenko.

"Well, it worked more or less, though," Dabi replied, calm as usual. "You protected her. Not that it would have mattered if you did."

"What?" Tenko angrily stomped towards Dabi, grabbing him by his shirt and pulling him closer "How can you even say such a thing?! You really are a vi-...!" However, Tenko's wounds finally registered, and the pain shocked his system, forcing him down on his knees. "Ugh…!" He couldn't even keep his grip on Dabi.

"It worked out better than I expected." Dabi said, looking at Spinner and Himiko as they stood up. "Well, let's take them back to the originals."

"Hmm~! That was still surprising though! He actually saved me!" Himiko playfully said.

"Y-...you…! I didn't say I was...coming with you…!" Tenko growled, only to get stabbed in his shoulder by Himiko for his troubles, causing him to reel even further.

"Thank you for saving a worthless copy like me, Tenko-chan!" Himiko said, smiling "But it was for nothing!"

"Copy…?"

"That's right, we're all copies made by an ally." Dabi replied, or rather, the copy created by Twice and his Double Quirk did. "How does it feel? Being beaten by mere copies?"

"Bastards…"

"Spinner, knock him out, and let's carry him back to the bar. We should've brought a Compress copy with us." As per Dabi's orders, Spinner kicked Tenko in the face, knocking the teacher of 1-A out cold, to be taken to the Boss.