"Tenko Shimura! You can be a Hero, like your grandmother before you!"
Those words were all he needed to regain his motivation and aspirations.
To revive his dream of Heroism.
He entered U.A., passed the Entrance Exam, and received training and advice from All Might in after school hours. He saw him on an almost daily basis
He was slowly growing closer to him, he could see him as a member of the family
Where did it go wrong?
He almost remembered something important. Where it started, after he graduated. Tenko was angry at All Might, being told his secret and the true purpose behind training Tenko.
Would he be angry now, as an adult, now that he understands things better…?
If he said yes… if he said yes…
His train of thought was shot down with a violent impact to his head, causing Tenko to wake up in a panic. Immediately, he felt his arms bound behind his back, his legs strapped to the chair.
It took a few seconds, and the taste of iron in his mouth didn't help, but Tenko's blurry vision focused and he found himself in a darkened bar. His first instinct was to look for a window, see where he is and what time it was, but unfortunately, all the windows were sealed shut.
"He's up," Muscular, the one who woke Tenko up, called to the rest of the League, who sat at the bar as if it were a simple gathering of friends.
"Where…?" Tenko shook his head, his mental state an absolute mess, feeling as if he was out cold for days.
Trying to analyze his surroundings better, he noticed he was bandaged up underneath his clothes. His bleeding was stopped, but judging by how some of the wrapping was coming undone, it was a half-hearted effort, done only to prevent him from dying, but still by someone who had adequate skill in first aid.
"Boss is gonna be here in a bit, teach," Dabi mockingly said, sitting at the bar. "You had a good tussle with our copies?"
"You…!" Tenko recognized Dabi immediately, trying to free himself. "Even if they're copies, your other self was ready to burn his own ally!"
"It was a ruse, a ruse!" Dabi said defensively. "You protected that copy Toga like they knew you would, Hero."
"Did you really do that? That's crazy~!" Himiko cheerfully exclaimed. "Hey, hey, how many times did my copy stab you? Did she get any blood? She sorta melted immediately after she got here."
"I miss her… that poor Toga-chan…" Twice mourned in the corner over the dead Himiko copy.
"Why am I here…? Why is…?" Tenko inquired the villains, beginning to feel more uncomfortable around his face and neck, his allergies acting up.
"That's a good question, Tenko Shimura." A masked boy entered the scene. He wore a typical All Might sponsored hoodie, obscuring his hair behind the cloth, only a few strands visible, while wearing a face mask with a simplistic grin across it. "You're here because me and Sensei require you."
"Another child…? What is this…?" Tenko took notice of the boy's height, deducing he couldn't be any older than his own students. "Is this some sick joke? What's the League of Villains doing kidnapping some teacher? Some-..." His eyes widened in realization. "Wait, what day is it? How long was I out?!"
"A few hours," the boy replied. "You were out until sunrise. The students should be getting up at this hour, typically." He calmly walked over to Tenko, beginning to touch his face, opening his eyes and examining him as a doctor would a patient. "Your Quirk is amazing, Tenko Shimura. You used to go under the Hero name Dustcloud, right? You left quite a mark in Search and Rescue."
"Who are you? Why do you know this?"
"I'm a fan, sir," he replied, slightly blushing behind his mask in embarrassment and excitement. "I was wondering everyday where you had gone suddenly. You saved many people by reducing all rubbles and such into nothing. To use such a power for something so good...That's really what it means to be a Hero!"
"What is this…? If you just wanted an autograph, you could just ask like a normal fan." Whilst the boy was inspecting him, Tenko tried to analyze him, see if he had any defining features. All he could notice behind the mask and hoodie was his colorless black eyes. Blank and simple. Dead tired.
"I guess that's what this looks like." The boy stood back, as everyone's attention turned to the monitor in the bar, as it turned on, and all that was shown was static and Sound Only written across the screen. "My sensei, he really wanted to meet you, Tenko Shimura."
"Hello, Tenko Shimura," the voice from the monitor spoke, crisp and clear.
The villains stood quiet, even getting out of the way so that Tenko was clear in the monitor's view, nothing between them.
"Who is this…?" Tenko merely stared at the monitor, hearing the static of the monitor, like insects crawling against a smooth surface, making his allergic sensation only worse
"My name doesn't matter right now. You are the guest of honor here." The voice of the monitor spoke again, ignoring Tenko's question. "You know, you've grown to be quite a fine Hero, I admit. Despite you being my first choice, because of the chance to hurt All Might with your presence, it's still fascinating to see your growth."
"Hurt All Might? First choice? What are you talking about? What's with all this vagueness and mystery?!" Tenko began to lose his patience, trying to free himself, but the restraints were too strong. "I'll erode these chains and then I'll…!" However, he noticed something. He tried touching the restraints on his arms, or the chair, or anything to free himself, but the issue was-
Only three fingers were actually touching anything in each hand.
"W-...What…?" He could swear that, up until now, Tenko still felt his fingers.
"Sorry." The boy apologized, scratching his cheek. "But your Quirk is too troublesome, even for this reinforced hideout."
"What… what did you do…?"
Index and middle.
Those were the fingers Tenko was missing in his hands.
"Now that we've calmed down," the voice from the monitor spoke again as Tenko was still registering the situation he was in. "I've come to you with the truth, Tenko Shimura. Even though I could not save you, still, you deserve to know the truth. You lived in the dark for too long."
"I don't…" Tenko wasn't even looking at the monitor anymore, simply down at his feet, wincing and trying to make sense of what's going on. "...understand… What's there to tell me? What truth? Why save me? Who are you? What am I doing here? Why did you take my fingers? And what...does the League of Villains plan on doing?"
"Tenko Shimura, grandson of Nana Shimura, son of Kotaro Shimura, married to Nao Shimura, younger brother of Hana Shimura, and Chizuo and Mako, your grandparents from your mother's side."
The voice began to list Tenko's family members, catching his attention, looking up to finally face the monitor eye to screen.
"You have quite a complicated family situation, don't you Tenko?" The voice chuckled lightly. "You hate your father, who denied you your dream, but you thrived regardless. I am glad."
"Don't…" Tenko's composure began to break. "Don't hurt them...Please…"
"Why would I do such a thing?" The voice sounded genuinely confused. "Do you think I have a reason to?"
"Just tell me what you want already!" Tenko snapped at the voice. "Is it my life?! Information?! Just fucking tell me already! I'm gonna lose my mind from all this build up!"
"Years ago, I believe a decade, maybe more, maybe less, your grandmother, Nana Shimura, fought me in a final bout." Those words pierced through Tenko, as he began to put the pieces together. "She fought and died quite a sad death, really. It wasn't a very good way to go, I think."
"No… no…" Tenko's entire expression twisted, convulsing into despair, holding back tears upon realizing the situation he was in. "So it's real. Toshinori and Tsukauchi… they were right… You really did come back…! All For One!"
"I'm glad." All For One said. "I was worried you wouldn't piece it together."
"Why… why are you still alive…?"
"I shudder to call this alive." All For One brushed off Tenko's shaken tone. "I owe All Might quite a lot. Not only did he stop me all on his own, when all the other successors failed, he trounced my growth on that day. On that day...Yes, I still remember. How could I forget it? Every detail. I remember the hour of the day when his fist connected to my face. I remember the cloud formations and the position of the sun when I dug my hand into his guts. Oh yes, I remember it. It was the last thing I ever truly saw with my eyes."
"You want to use me for revenge, don't you…?"
"You catch on fast." Tenko could only assume All For One was gleefully grinning behind that monitor. "But I don't really intend on making this too complex, unlike my eager student."
"Student…?" Instinctively, Tenko directed his gaze at the masked boy, who seemed rather embarrassed. "Student...What...do you have to teach a student…? To teach anyone? What does a devil like you have to impart onto someone?"
He couldn't tell why or how, and neither did the other League members, but somehow, Tenko knew-
He had greatly upset All For One.
"You really did learn from All Might."
"I don't understand. I don't understand." Tenko repeated himself, unable to comprehend this situation. "Why do all this? I know what you've done. All Might told me everything. You… the things you've done, the things you want to do, and could have done if you weren't stopped…! I just want to know, for all the suffering, and all your crimes, just a simple answer to a simple question! Why?!"
All For One breathed out, before answering.
"I had the power, and I chose how to use it." The answer was unsatisfactory. "It's not unlike you. Your power...Oh yes, it would have made you a fine villain. You used it for saving lives, you found a way to twist the destruction into the power of a savior. You chose that. Why?"
"That's different." Tenko gritted his teeth in frustration "I chose to go down a path to save everyone, you chose to use them for evil! Is that really all it comes to it for you? I could so I did? I could overthrow order and use it for control, so I did?! Is that it? Is that really all there is to it?" He grew desperate for an answer.
"Hm, who knows." He was still dancing around the topic, but All For One finally said something truthfully. "Maybe my Quirk had a part in it. There is a theory one's Quirk can influence the person. You, for example…"
"What about me…?"
"Do you think those allergies, that horrible itching and all that you have to endure is truly as simple as what you were told?"
"I've had it since childhood, before my Quirk even awakened."
"The itching you feel, Tenko Shimura, is no allergic reaction. It has always been your Quirk, the itching is the desire inherent within your very DNA. It demands destruction, Shimura. And now, without your fingers, unable to use your Quirk, how will you subside that itching?" All For One began to lay it out as clear as he could for Tenko. "It will only get stronger, and more, and more, and more, and no matter how much you scratch, the itch won't go away. How long will you last, I wonder?"
"I-...!" Suddenly, the situation was stopped by the ringing of a phone, on the bar counter. It was Tenko's phone, and the caller was registered as "Troublemaker"
"Who's troublemaker?" Muscular asked, the first to pick up the phone.
The masked boy swiped the phone from his hand, walking towards Tenko, kneeling to be on the same eye level as him.
"Tell him everything is fine." The boy gave a simple order, swiping the green circle on the phone screen, answering, and holding the phone up to Tenko's ear, allowing him to clearly speak to the caller.
"Oi, shitty-sensei!" Katsuki was the caller, loudly greeting his teacher. "Where the fuck did you go?! I'm at Takoba, but you ain't here! I've been looking all over for you!"
Tenko glared at the masked boy. He was closer this time, and the other League members and even All For One remained silent, waiting for them to finish. He still couldn't find anything discerning about his features to help piece together an identity.
It was a frustrating situation, but he couldn't risk dragging his student into this.
"I'm sorry, Katsuki-kun," Tenko said. "I can't make it today. Nao needs me and Hana to stay around her today. I haven't told Tsukauchi-san yet though, so, just finish your task at Takoba, and we'll meet tomorrow. I'll make it up to you, Katsuki-kun. Again, I'm sorry."
Katsuki stood confused for a moment. He couldn't understand why, but something felt off. Only once did Tenko refer to him as "Katsuki-kun", back when classes first began, before he got to hang around him more.
There wasn't anything out of the ordinary about it, really. But after their promise yesterday, something simply felt, in his gut, wrong.
"Alright," Katsuki answered. "I'll show you up, Shimura-sensei. This beach will be clean before the day ends!"
"I know you will." There was something peculiar about the masked boy. When Katsuki spoke, and Tenko answered, he seemed particularly receptive towards it, notably blinking faster, and his hand holding the phone shaking ever so lightly. It was subtle, but notable, for someone whose entire movement seemed machine-like and precise. "Don't give up, Katsuki Bakugo."
The masked boy turned off the phone, immediately smashing it on the ground with one swing, shattering its screen and separating its battery from its storage, before putting it with his foot, once, then twice, again and again, until it was beyond salvaging.
"That was reckless, Tomura," Magne said. "What if they call again? It'll be quite suspicious."
The boy didn't reply, simply adjusting his shirt's collar and tie. "It'll be fine, Magne.".
"Tomura Shigaraki, you mustn't show such frustration. It is ill-fitting and mentally weakens you." Kurogiri lectured him. "Sensei, shall we make haste and be done with this?"
"You're right, I suppose." All For One said. "Tenko Shimura, your grandmother died a pitiful and sad death by my hands. All Might and I fought years later, and both of us came out of it weaker than before. And you, as far as I know, are someone close to him, probably one of the closest."
"..." Tenko did not say anything, simply glaring at the monitor and awaiting All For One's answer.
"For that, I want you to send me a message for him!" he said cheerily. "Tenko Shimura, become my message to the fallibility of the Symbol of Peace. Become a cornerstone for the fall of your world."
The day was still young. The students were burning daylights, continuing their internships, blissfully unaware of the darkness lurking within their homes.
Who would blame them? They were Heroes-in-training, but still children, while they got a glimpse of what lies beneath the curtains, it was merely that, a glimpse.
A greater evil lurked, and they were not ready for it.
Hitoshi Shinso was sitting at a cafe, alongside his senpai, Mirio Togata. Said coffee shop was in fact one where his father worked, Akio Shinso. The two were going over yesterday's investigations at the bridge crime scene, or at least, what was left of it following the Police Force's scrubbing and evidence gathering.
"Right...so…" Hitoshi went through the notes he wrote down, as Mirio sat on the other side of the table, his arms crossed, both in their Hero costumes. "We couldn't really find anything, predictably, but the extra camera footage we were given from the security team turned out to be valuable. Turns out a good chunk of them were offline, so the villains did plan this out in advance. The question is how they got that information soon enough for them to actually coordinate an attack."
"Mhm, mhm, I get it, I get it." Mirio did not get it. While a top-class Hero with a physique equivalent of the greatest athletes, when it came to the brain department, he was more of a mouse going through a one route maze and still getting lost, not to say he was a complete idiot, of course. Even idiots had their strong suits. "Do you think it was the work of a Quirk?"
"I wouldn't doubt it," Hitoshi replied. "If Yaomomo's deduction is correct, then with six or seven members, it's reasonable to assume they had a Quirk fit for the situation. That, or they just manually disabled them, somehow avoiding being caught."
"You kids working hard?" Akio, Hitoshi's father, interrupted the two, bringing over their order. He had a rather plain appearance, black hair and light pink eyes, but was undoubtedly related to Hitoshi, sharing similar facial features.
"Thanks, Dad," Hitoshi said, taking a sip from his coffee cup. "We're just doing some work Sir Nighteye asked of us."
"It's a pleasure to meet you, Shinso-san!" Mirio greeted Shinso senior, even standing up to bow to him, much to the adult's humble delight.
"Haha, you don't have to be so formal, Togata-kun," Akio said. "Hitoshi told me about you. I'm grateful Hitoshi got to intern under someone so dependable, thanks to your recommendation."
"It was nothing! Just a good word. It was up to Sir Nighteye on if he accepted him or not." Mirio brushed aside the compliments, the discussion between the two rather frustrating Hitoshi, out of embarrassment.
"Well, I won't bother you kids any further." Akio said "If you need anything, don't be shy."
"Thanks, Dad," Hitoshi thanked his father again, his face quite red, trying to avoid eye contact and hide his expression behind his coffee cup.
Akio smiled, leaving the two boys to their business, feeling a sense of relief and pride at seeing his son closer to achieving his dream.
"Right, back on track." Hitoshi winced slightly, clearing his throat. "I also looked at some statistics of the last few days, and despite Hero activity and patrols being on the rise, there hasn't actually been any increase in villain activity."
"I noticed that too," Mirio commented. "You would think they would get more bold, but they have actually not done much. Villains pop up here and there, but compared to the ones talking about the New Era or whatever, they haven't really been abnormal or special."
"That's right. And the villains who were arrested and identified have all been those abnormal activity villains, who spouted the same ideology. Some were even arrested, such as Ricochet, but somehow escaped," Hitoshi said. "But it wasn't reported on, despite a large number of these villains suddenly being out of prison."
"You think it was that warper, right? Kurogiri is his name. That's all the Police could get out of the villains," Mirio added. "The man's a ghost, no records actually exist on him. It's as if he suddenly popped up into existence out of nowhere, even his Quirk is something we've never seen or has been recorded before."
"Hm." Hitoshi pondered for a moment. "There's still a missing puzzle piece. The Debut."
"You mentioned that before," Mirio recalled. "The Villains mentioned their boss' debut. This was obviously all an act to gain infamy for the League of Villains, most likely to gain more soldiers. The question is how well it worked, since we don't know the League's situation, and can't exactly identify a League member on sight."
"That's true. Not to mention, as a direct result of that, Heroes are more on guard than before, and even though people are trying to continue their lives, they feel uneasy. Can't really blame them," Hitoshi sighed, rubbing his forehead. "The Stain situation, the League... The leader did his best to cover his tracks, but there has to be some cracks, something to give us a lead, anything."
"That strays a bit too far from our case," Mirio said. "We're just about the Stain Case, the League is something else entirely. We got more information, yes, but it's not really advancing the case."
Hitoshi grunted. "You're right. Still, we don't have evidence on the fake Stain body theory, if he's really dead, or even if Musashi was taken by them. It's just…"
"Frustrating, right?" Mirio completed the sentence for Hitoshi. "I understand that feeling very well. I felt that everyday before I met Sir, but you know what I did?"
"You kept going, that's what you wanna tell me, yeah?"
"That's right," Mirio couldn't deny it was a pretty cliche line. "But I tried to do it alone, and that was my mistake. It was when Tamaki and Sir Nighteye helped me that I finally overcame my weaknesses and was able to move past that frustration. That's the purpose of an internship as well."
"Hm." Hitoshi didn't say much, but he did hear Mirio clearly, pondering his words. He looked over his notes, but only grew more frustrated, closing his notebook. "Maybe I should ask for help from Sir."
"I'm sure he wouldn't mind giving aid. He is a teacher, after all."
"Yeah," Hitoshi said. "I just hope Yaomomo and Bubble Girl are doing better than us."
"I'm sure they are. Sir is with them, after all!" Mirio cheerfully exclaimed .
"I know, I just can't help but be worried about how she's feeling if I'm like this myself," Hitoshi said, taking another sip of his coffee.
"You're quite fond of Yaoyorozu, aren't you?" The sudden question caused Hitoshi to almost choke on his coffee, spitting it out, and using the table cloth to wash his mouth. "I know how you feel! I'm quite fond of Tamaki and Nejire! They're my closest allies, after all. I've known them for years!"
"T-...That's nice, Mirio, but…" Hitoshi tried to compose himself "Me and Yaoyorozu only know each other from the start of this year."
"Yes but the bond you two share surely matters more!" Mirio laughed to himself, excitedly shaking his arms around with closed fists. "You two were basically the leaders of Class 1-A! I'd wager you're both the smartest in class, right?"
"That's a bit much…" Hitoshi said, looking despondent. "Iida is no slacker himself. He's Class Rep, after all. Plus, he comes from a well-known Hero family. He has excellent grades, and when it comes to physical tests, he excels over me at every aspect."
"That's what you say about yourself, but Shinso, you're strong. Ignoring who you are compared to Iida, you're much more than you think."
Hitoshi glanced aside, rubbing the back of his neck awkwardly. He clearly wasn't used to people liking him. Even with Class 1-A, he was too used to people giving him odd glances and telling him how he's better fit to be a Villain based on his Quirk alone.
It began with Katsuki telling him his Quirk was strong.
And now, Hitoshi was surrounded by people who thought the same thing, and he had no idea how to deal with that yet.
"Well…" Hitoshi said. "Let's hope Yaomomo is doing better on her end with their case. What is their case anyway?" He asked.
"Oh!" Mirio's expression lit up. "They're going to the Police Force to interview some of the villains from the Sports Festival Attack! They're going to try and get information out of him, since Sir was tasked with a special case about the Sports Festival."
"Seems like Nighteye is really trusted, huh?"
"Of course!" Mirio cheerfully smiled. "He was All Might's partner after all."
"Ah, I see." It took a moment for what Mirio said to register. "Wait, what?"
"Oh, right, I suppose that isn't as well known nowadays, huh," Mirio said, chuckling to himself.
"...I'll worry about that later." Hitoshi said, already feeling a swelling in his forehead from that short revelation.
On the other side of the city, Momo was entering the Police Force Headquarters, the Musutafu Branch Building, with Sir Nighteye and Bubble Girl, while Centipeder stayed at the office to take care of any paperwork and business that's still left to do.
The presence inside the headquarters was much more different than the Agency or the academy. It was much more tense, compact, and the sheer mundaneness of the Police officers, their work and the fact almost none of them exhibited any Quirks besides the occasional mutation reminded Momo that even in this era of Heroes, there were still men and women operating behind them, doing work that's still important for the safety of civilians.
"Yaoyorozu," Sir Nighteye caught the attention of her wandering mind. "We're here."
"It's good to have you here, Sir Nighteye, everyone," Naomasa greeted the Heroes. "Please, come in." He led them into the interview room, or rather, the hidden room where the Heroes got a clear view of Ricochet sitting in the actual interrogation room, through a one-way window. "He can't hear anything from inside here. The walls are soundproof. The entrance over there will lead you to another room from which you'll enter so he doesn't get suspicious," Naomasa explained to the three. "Now, how do you wanna go about this, Nighteye-san?"
"Hm." Nighteye adjusted his glasses, looking at Ricochet. The man was in a prison jumpsuit, his arms cuffed, bound to the table that was bolted into the floor, and his hands restrained, most likely to prevent him from using his Quirk as an extra security measure. "Bubble Girl, you wait here," he ordered his sidekick. "Yaoyorozu, come with me. I will show you how to interrogate a villain."
"Ah, yes Sir!" Momo diligently responded, following Sir Nighteye.
First, they exited through a different door to a small break room, where other officers, men and women, were relaxing. They greeted the two, offering them some sweets and coffee, but they humbly refused, since they were working, although Nighteye took one cup of coffee and donut, but not for himself. Then they left through another door in the break room, leading to the interrogation room, where Ricochet Rico saw them enter.
"Ah! Finally! I was gettin' bored." Ricochet said, shuffling about in his seat, uncomfortable. "Ah, yer one a them 1-A students, ain'tcha? Part a that troublemaker's class? The one who fought the Nomu?" Ricochet directed his questions at Momo, who was averse to answering him.
Nighteye placed the donut and coffee cup on the table, sitting dow and, gesturing for Momo to wait.
"Ricochet Rico, real name, Howa Koga, age 43. You worked in the Police Force, but never got to use your marksmanship skills due to the Heroes, and especially All Might, almost making the Police obsolete during his prime years," Sir Nighteye began speaking, revealing information on Ricochet. "Your Quirk is Ricochet. It's a truly formidable Quirk, if the injuries Kamui Woods suffered are any indication, but once someone closes the range and doesn't let you fire, you're basically done."
"I see ya did yer homework-..."
"And not to mention, your obsession with Clint Eastwood movies and your gimmick doesn't help with your terrible and forced accent."
"What'chu say?!" Ricochet angrily got up from his seat, but was quickly forced back when he remembered his arms were shackled to the table. "I 'ave you know, I worked hard to get this accent right!"
"Your English is good, but that doesn't make a good cowboy accent," Nighteye calmly replied. "That brings us to the obvious question, why not become a Hero? Snipe is a gun-oriented, wild west Hero as well. And the answer is...you could never really cut it."
"You're pissin' me off, partner."
"Yes, I am. Now." Sir Nighteye slid the coffee and donut closer to Ricochet, clearly inviting him to take it, well aware of the limit of his hands' utility. "Tell me about the League of Villains."
"Nah," Ricochet immediately rejected him. "I don't owe you nothin'. If you wanna know anything about 'em you better ask someone else. I ain't giving you anything. You Heroes and Police, law and order, but all ya do is favor the fortunate. Wh' 'bout the downtrodden like me!"
"You come from a good background, you were capable of getting into the Police Force and to rise in the ranks, with a comfortable salary," Sir Nighteye shot down Ricochet's pleads, looking right through them. "You had nothing unfortunate to you. You chose to leave it behind, to pursue your thirst to fire a gun at someone, without legal repercussions. You give a very bad name to the Police who have to face criminals we Heroes miss. You were, simply put, an impatient child, who only wanted glory, not the betterment of society, and that makes you unworthy of even holding the title of Hero, much less Police Officer."
The room went quiet, and Ricochet's smug expression subsided to simple displeasure, a frown.
Nighteye slid the donut and cup closer to him, an obvious bribe.
"Tell me first, what is this Nomu?" Sir Nighteye questioned him again. "From what we could decipher, it has, by all accounts, the anatomy of a Human, it has the DNA of a Human, and we traced it to a Human, to boot. That Dolphin and the one with chainsaws, they were Human, yet they had multiple Quirks about them, and their internal organs seemed pointless. They were by all accounts dead, yet they continued to move."
"Looks like you figured it out as is. What do you need from me?" Ricochet's tone suddenly became mundane, and his manner of speaking like any normal person.
"Who is making them? How? And most of all, where?"
"Dunno, dunno and don't care."
"Hm." He was telling the truth. Sir Nighteye knew that, since it would make sense not to reveal such sensitive information to what seemed to be mere foot soldiers, expendable, and used as mere props to deliver a message. But the dedication they exhibited was unnatural, almost like brainwashing.
"Then…" Nighteye asked "Did you know the goal of the Sports Festival Attack? If so, what was your goal? And were you expected to survive?"
"Yes," Ricochet bluntly replied. "The goal was to attack the Sports Festival when given the single and hold everyone hostage. After that, we were told to do as we please, as long as we didn't kill any students, even though that Spider decided to do that little show with that Bakugo kid."
"Why so honest, all of a sudden?"
"You piss me off, four eyes." Ricochet replied. "But I'll be honest…" He slid closer "The League, I hate them more."
"So you figured it out." Nighteye said
"I didn't wanna admit it to myself, but we were just expendable to the Boss." Ricochet begrudgingly admitted. "I just joined so I can use my gun on a living being! Not be thrown to the dogs. And he gave me that dumb script to follow, that whole New Age shit. What New Age?! I wasn't told shit! I don't know his goal!"
"Alright, alright." Sir Nighteye gestured for Ricochet to calm down. "Do you know a headquarters, location of any kind?"
"I do," Ricochet said, a sneer across his face. "But that bit won't do you any good. I didn't meet the Boss himself. I met that Kurogiri guy and some brat, they gave me the interview."
"Brat?" That description caught Nighteye and Momo's attention "What do you mean, brat?"
"Huh?" Ricochet realized that they were in the dark. "Oh right, there's a k-..." However, Ricochet's answer was cut short, and without warning, by the sudden slashing of his throat, blood immediately spraying, choking on it as he struggled to speak, and due to his bound hands, couldn't do anything to try and stop it.
Sir Nighteye quickly leapt out of his seat, going to shield Momo from the gruesome scene, and upon a closer, more careful look, he saw it.
A thin, glass blade, so thin and see-through, that only upon noticing the reflecting light, and stains of blood, did Sir Nighteye realize the culprit.
"Bubble Girl! Tsukauchi!" Nighteye quickly yelled out, but got no reply "Yaoyorozu! Quick, we must exit!" He quickly opened the door, exiting first, scanning the area to try and see if there were any intruders, but only saw the Police officers in the break room have all disappeared without a trace. "What…?!"
"Don't worry." The door from the hidden room opened, as a pale, ghost-like man exited the and entered the room, skinny, with ragged clothing, looking as if he had been slumping at an alley, begging for coins from passersby. They ain't dead. Ricochet was the only target."
"Target…?" Nighteye took note of the man's wording, extending his arm back to make sure Momo was safe behind him. "An assassin...But why now…?"
"Boss' orders," The man casually replied. "Kill those who failed, and no one else must die unless provoked into combat."
"Quite specific." Nighteye said. "So you won't fight us, as long as we don't attack."
"That's right. My partner non-lethally displaced the people who fought back," he replied. "I don't wanna hurt that girly, so don't make her fight."
"Madness." Nighteye said. "She is a student, she is not here to fight. She is here to learn and this...is a terrible, terrible first lesson."
"Ah, I'm sorry." Strangely, he seemed genuine "Poor girl had to see such an awful thing. I want it to be cleaner, but my aim was poor. I hit the jugular in the wrong angle, and it just made a mess." He deduced by the sight of blood splashed across Nighteye's white suit.
"I accept your apology, but that is up to Yaoyorozu."
"I don't expect an apology. Villains don't get apologies. Assassins even less so."
"Then, may I ask you one question before you go on your way?" Nighteye inquired the assassin
"Yes." He was surprisingly polite.
"Have the others been killed?"
"Yes." He was also quick to answer. "Ricochet was the last."
"Last…?!" Nighteye jumped back in shock. "Wait, there's others in here, does that mean…?"
"Yes," he repeated the same answer a third time. "They've been wiped out. My ally will come and take me as well, and before you know it, the officers will return to their spots."
"What an absurd Quirk…"
The assassin looked at his wrist watch, quite expensive looking for someone looking so poor. "In a few, it will be so."
"I understand." Sir Nighteye adjusted himself, extending his hand forth. "Despite us being Heroes and Villains, I thank you for being courteous, and letting me and my student live."
"Don't mention it." The assassin shook Sir Nighteye's hand, a firm yet gentle grasp, suggesting someone who's rather easygoing, their eyes meeting, and maintaining eye contact for approximately five seconds, before their hands finally came apart .
"I hope we do not meet again, sir." Nighteye said.
"Call me Glass. That's my codename." The man replied "See you." Glass casually waved goodbye, as his wrist watch began beeping, and with it, he vanished, as the police officers from before popped into the room, clearly in a panic and holding their guns, just as confused and surprised as Sir Nighteye and Momo.
Ricochet Rico, real name Howa Koga, age 43, died at around 9:42 A.M., assassinated and murdered by a villain known only as Glass, with the entire Police staff vanished, the only exceptions being Nighteye and Momo, who remained and were witness to the brutal death.
The rest of the Villains connected to the League and arrested from the Sports Festival were also assassinated, in varying methods, leaving none behind. No one else was harmed or killed, not even the other people left within the small underground cells.
More alarming, however, was the disappearance of multiple of the assassinated bodies, Ricochet's included.
The media and people were oblivious to the situation, as the Police Force hoped to keep it as such.
"How… disgusting…" Naomasa rubbed his face, distraught, and simply in disbelief. He stood in one of the living quarters of the station, alongside Nighteye and Bubble Girl.
Sir Nighteye changed to a more average white shirt, as Bubble Girl held his folded up bloodied top. "How is Yaoyorozu?"
"She's being looked at right now by one of our psychologists. That poor girl…" Naomasa gritted his teeth, thinking back to Momo's shocked eyes, having witnessed her first death, face to face and in such a horrible gruesome manner.
"She is strong," Nighteye said. "She will waver, but this will be a valuable experience."
"This isn't something a child her age should experience in the first place."
Nighteye wanted to say more, but he feared he would compromise Momo and Class 1-A as a whole by revealing too much, particularly their debacle fighting two villains. "I will consider her feelings, but I will not end the internship early. It is essential for her."
"I understand that, but I can't help but worry. We can't let this get out, it'll 'cause a panic, but we should let her parents know…"
"I'll talk with her," Nighteye said. "She is my responsibility. If anyone is to blame for today, it is me. I didn't use my Foresight on her. If I had, I could have potentially avoided this entire situation." He struggled to believe, knowing how accurate his predictions were and his resignation to fate
"Ah, Sir." Bubble Girl spoke up. "I forgot to tell you, but me and Tsukauchi-san, we ended up somewhere strange."
"Ah, that's right. That assassin, Glass, mentioned a displacement of the staff in the entire headquarters. Is it possible that it's some sort of large scale warping Quirk?" Nighteye asked the two.
"Doubt it," Naomasa replied. "It was nothing like that Kurogiri's Quirk, this one was instant, and from what I understand, works in displacement, like you said."
"It switches people's places, that's the warping method," Nighteye deduced.
"Which explains why you weren't gone, they probably couldn't displace anyone in the interrogation room, since it may have displaced Ricochet out of the room, while me and everyone else were in some dark room with reinforced walls."
"If that's the case, why not displace Ricochet to their location?"
"I can't say, maybe it was like the Sports Festival."
"A message," Sir Nighteye said, growing frustrated. "We must work fast, and find out the root of the cause. We must stop the League. Who knows what else they're planning?"
"We will, but for now, the matter at hand."
"Right, Yaoyorozu. She takes priority." Sir Nighteye said..
Moments later, Sir Nighteye reunited with Momo, who was sitting at her lonesome in a separate room, entering after the psychologist left. A lovely lady, he could tell from a glance, and a caring woman fit for the job.
Momo sat in the corner of the bed, clearly forlorn and deeply scarred. She changed to a civilian outfit, since blood has gotten onto her Hero Costume, and the presence of blood made her uneasy and ill. She noticed Nighteye enter the room, quickly composing herself and standing up "Ah! Sir!"
"It's alright, Yaoyorozu," Sir Nighteye immediately spoke in a soft tone, calming her dow.n "I came here to apologize. Today was meant to be educational, yet on the third day alone, you've experienced things no one at your age should."
"Sensei, none of this is your fault," Momo replied. "None of us could have seen that coming."
"I could." Nighteye adjusted his glasses. "My Foresight, if I had used it on you or Bubble Girl prior to leaving, we may have anticipated this, and avoided it."
The room went quiet. Neither had anything to tell one another. Despite his words, Sir Nighteye didn't truly believe he could have changed what happened. He had lost faith in the ability to fight fate, but he could have at least spared Momo from such a horrible sight.
"You will head home today. If you do not feel well, you may have tomorrow off."
Momo immediately jumped in protest. "Sensei, no! I can still stay. I'm not…"
"Do not force yourself, Yaoyorozu." His tone was uncharacteristically soft and clearly sympathetic. "Hero Work is difficult. Your mental health is as vital as your physical."
"I am shaken up, but…" She paused for a moment "I...I can't let this stop me. Not after being so...useless during the Sports Festival."
"I understand," He nodded his head. "I won't force you to stay, or leave, so I will trust your judgement, Yaoyorozu. Do not make me regret that. And don't think you're receiving special treatment. Shinso would have been given the same talk, had he been in your spot."
"I feel that Shinso may have been stronger than me…"
"Nonsense." Nighteye placed his hand on Momo's shoulder "Don't compare yourself to others. Everyone is different.".
"I suppose…" Momo tried to maintain a strong face, but anyone her age would break down from such a sight. In fact, most would probably swear off Heroism after today, but Momo wasn't most.
"Back on track, however," Nighteye immediately moved the subject along. "I used my Foresight on that Glass, and saw into his future."
Momo's face suddenly lit up in realization. "T-...That means…!"
"I sadly didn't find him anything useful." But her energy wavered just as fast. "He returned to a dark location, where the other Police officers were sent into, and when he left, it was some unfamiliar location, and he proceeded to sit at an alley for the rest of the day. We might be able to find him, but I doubt we'll get anything on the League." His frustration was clear in his tone, but Sir Nighteye maintained his composure. "He didn't follow any of the other villains, either, so he's cut off. It's just him, alone in some corner of a city. I suppose he doesn't have the most grandiose life."
"Then...we can go with a different plan." Momo said/
"...Excuse me?"
"Ah." Momo revealed a device from her pocket. "While you and that Villain were conversing, I snuck a small tracker onto Ricochet's body, via a small drone. This here is...Ricochet's location."
"Yaoyorozu…" Nighteye's eyes lit up, looking at the device. It didn't show advanced footage or anything, all it gave was the coordinates, altitude and longitude, but nothing he and his team wouldn't be able to decipher and find the location "What quick thinking. Incredible work, Yaoyorozu."
"I apologize, Sir Nighteye." Strangely, however, Momo denied the compliments. "I used my Quirk without a license, and without your knowledge…"
"Nonsense. This is an enormous step towards finding the League. You've done well." Nighteye said. "However, we'll have to make a convincing lie so you don't get in trouble. Others may be less inclined to be as understanding."
"Well, we would have to act fast." Momo said. "The power of the tracking device won't last beyond a week. I can create items, but things like active devices require power still, so…"
"Hm. Makes sense. Plus they could find the tracker," Nighteye replied. "We will write down the coordinates and keep track of them if they change. We will find the League this way, thanks to your quick thinking and wit, even when faced with such a traumatic event. Planting a tracker inside a corpse. You've done something many your age never could."
Momo felt relief, but still couldn't shake off feelings of guilt. Not to mention, the sight of someone dying wasn't going to leave her anytime soon. She could only hope her nights would be peaceful, but at the same time, having someone understanding such as Sir Nighteye made her optimistic for the future.
The Third Day of Internship continued onwards, each of the students continuing their education and learning many things to strengthen themselves and understand Heroes better. The determination they felt following the Sports Festival worked as fuel to help them to their utmost and succeed.
Eventually, the afternoon came, the day ended, but for Katsuki Bakugo, he was still going. At last, at around 21:00 PM, he finally cleaned the entire Takoba Beach. Following the small tips and advice Tenko gave him, he tied his shirt around his waist, and took small breaks, making sure not to overwork himself.
Bit by bit, at the span of the day, the beach has been cleaned from the trash and pollution, all thanks to Katsuki. He saw children and families begin to swarm the areas he had cleaned up already, with some even thanking him for his hard work. Katsuki began to understand, even if a bit, what else a Hero can do for others.
"Hm." He did minor stretches, and put his shirt and jacket back on, tying his school uniform's tie properly. Katsuki looked at the time on his phone, sliding it to open it, and pressed on Tenko Shimura's phone numbers, registered as "Pale Man-sensei" in his contacts, but he didn't even receive a sound, being immediately sent to voicemail.
"Are you really too busy to update me, Shimura-sensei…?" He said to himself, leaving the beach behind and beginning to walk home..
The thought of today's call still lingered in his mind. Katsuki didn't have a reason to, but for some reason, he couldn't help but feel like something was very wrong, and in staying all day in Takoba, he was making a mistake. He felt that he should have been someplace else, do something else, but he couldn't tell where or what.
It was just frustrating.
"Bah, I'm gonna kick that asshole-sensei's ass when I see him! Ditching me all of a sudden without telling me ahead!" Katsuki cursed his teacher, walking in a hunched posture like any delinquent, before stopping dead in his tracks "..." He opened his phone again, looking through his contacts, seeing the name "Pale Man's Sister" in his list
They exchanged contact information, at the behest of Hana, and Katsuki couldn't say no for some reason. He felt hesitant to call her, and in fact, it may be the first time a girl gave him her phone number and wasn't a family member.
Regardless, he called her, and waited for an answer.
"Katsuki-chan…?" She answered soon, surprising Katsuki, who froze up, his face flushed, but since no one was around and couldn't see him, he didn't try to hide it much.
"Oi, Pale man's sister…" Katsuki spoke. "Did you see Shimura-sensei?"
"Tenko? Wasn't...he with you?" Hana asked.
For some reason, all day, Katsuki had an eerie feeling about him. A feeling that he should have been someplace else, and that he should be doing something else.
He couldn't put a finger on it, he couldn't put a feeling on it either.
But, when Hana Shimura made it clear she hasn't seen Tenko either, he felt a horrible dread wash over him in an instant.
"Ba...kugo…" A voice called to him, and turning around, Katsuki saw an injured pale man, a faint trail of blood behind him, dried up, holding some sort of small ziplock bag in his hand, and his face obscured by his white hair.
It didn't take much for him to realize it was Tenko Shimura.
There wasn't much of an exchange of words. What could Katsuki even say? Instead, Tenko stepped closer towards his student, before his legs finally gave in, falling on his knees.
"I walked...and somehow...I ended up here…" Tenko said, as Katsuki quickly ran towards him.
"Oi, Shimura-sensei! What's going on?! What happened?!" Katsuki immediately asked the first questions on his mind, trying to help Tenko stay up, seeing the injuries on his person, and his lack of a shirt, being given only a pair of pants. Bloodied bandages that began to be undone, and the trickles of blood fell from his chin.
Somehow, he was still alive. Weak, but alive.
"Katsuki-chan? What's going on?" Hana asked, still on call.
"Ah...is that...Hana-chan…?" Tenko said, not even reacting to his injuries or Katsuki that much, clearly in some trance. "Hana-chan...I'm sorry...I'm late, I'll be home...soon…"
"I'm sorry, Hana!" Katsuki said, closing the call, and proceeding to dial an emergency number. "It'll be okay, Shimura-sensei! Do you know why?!"
"Ah, of course…" Tenko patted Katsuki on his head, lucid but still conscious, finally seeing Tenko's blank eyes, but a smile forming on his face. "Because you're here, right?"
"Shimura-sensei…" Katsuki's face contorted to horror when he noticed the absence of two fingers on the hand patting his head. "What...happened to your fingers…?"
A Hero arrived, before the ambulance did. Thanks to him, Tenko Shimura was taken to a nearby hospital.
He was taken to urgent care by the doctors, looking over his wounds, and Katsuki notified Hana and her mother.
Somehow, Tenko Shimura walked a long distance, and not a single person stopped for him. All of them whispered and noticed him, yes, but all they could muster was a "Hero will surely come", taking the responsibility off their shoulders, but more miraculously, and unknown to everyone else, was that Tenko Shimura, despite the torture and injuries he suffered from, walked the entire way from Kamino to Musutafu, ending up in Takoba, despite having lost consciousness already, his body moving on its on, guided by his natural instincts.
Katsuki waited outside, still processing recent events. He didn't want to jump to conclusions, but he couldn't help but feel that he already knew who to blame for this, Katsuki just didn't want it to be true
"Katsuki-chan!" His attention was grabbed by Hana Shimura, who arrived alongside her mother "Where...where's Tenko?"
He couldn't say anything, his dour expression said it all, as he could only gesture at the door to the emergency room.
The hours of waiting became longer, and before the three knew it, it was morning, the fourth day of internships. Hana and Nao fell asleep, yet Katsuki couldn't. His mind was too busy trying to convince himself the worst case scenario wasn't happening, or that the culprit behind it wasn't who he thought it was.
Eventually, however, his thought process was broken by the arrival of All Might, in his true, skeletal form, as Toshinori Yagi.
"Young Bakugo…" He sat down "Are you okay?"
"A-..." Katsuki stopped himself before saying anything incriminating, remembering they're in public "Yagi-san…" He didn't even look him in the eyes "What happened to Shimura-sensei?"
"I don't know. I received a call from Hana-chan," Toshinori replied. "I wish I had come quicker, but…"
A Doctor came in, catching their attention. He took note of the two sleeping women, so he quietly called to the two men instead.
"What's his situation?" Toshinori was the first to ask the important question.
"You're a family friend the sister called, right? He's alive." The Doctor gave them the answer they wanted to hear first.
"But," Followed by the unfortunate truth. "The wounds he suffered are severe. Torn muscle tendons, stab wounds, blunt force trauma, not to mention it looked like he walked for a while, and lost a lot of blood."
"What about…" Katsuki asked. "What about...his fingers?"
The Doctor hesitated for a moment, but saw the boy was ready for all the details. "He had a ziplock bag with ice with his fingers in it, but we were only able to reattach his right fingers. The ice already melted, and we barely salvaged his right fingers as is. His left ones are gone, sadly."
"I see," Toshinori said. "May we see him?"
"It's best not to." The Doctor replied "He's still being stabilized. But, I assure you, Tenko Shimura will live."
"I see…" Toshinori wasn't satisfied with that but understood it made sense "Thank you, Doctor."
"Please relay this to his sister and mother as well."
"I will." With that, the Doctor left, leaving them behind "Young Bakugo, would you like to go a drink?" The sudden invitation caught Katsuki off-guard, but he still accepted it, and found himself near a soda machine with the depowered Symbol of Peace, getting drinks
The hallways were quiet and empty. It was the lower floors, a much more private area for a conversation.
Katsuki was given a simple orange flavored soda, while Toshinori drank bottled water
"All Might-sensei…" Katsuki broke the awkward silence first "Do you know who did this?"
Toshinori didn't reply at first, simply rubbing Katsuki's hair to wipe off the coagulated and dried up blood from his hair. "No." It was an obvious lie, judging by how quickly he answered and his body language trying to distract Katsuki .
"What do we do now then?"
"You don't do anything." Toshinori said, "This is a matter for the Heroes to take care of."
"That's bullshit." Katsuki replied. "He was supposed to be with me today. I talked with him on the phone, and he was probably already taken by that point. Whoever did this is still out there, too! I should have figured out something was up! I could have prevented this!"
"Heroes aren't omnipotent, young Bakugo. We're still human."
"Don't give me that! The Number One Hero of all people, telling me that!"
"But it's true." Toshinori's tone was forlorn, a bit shaky, but still determined, a mixture of contradiction. "I already proved to you that I am fallible. And that's the reason Tenko was targeted, because of me." He was guilt ridden, it was written all over him.
It didn't even cross Katsuki's mind, the relationship Tenko and Toshinori already had beforehand, a closer and longer lived one compared to Katsuki and Tenko's.
"You know something…" Katsuki said, gritting his teeth. "Just tell me who it was."
"No." Toshinori said again, "But I promise you, young Bakugo, they will not get away easily, not this time. Not like last time."
"Last time…?" Katsuki inquired, before he came to a conclusion. "It couldn't be…!"
"Don't try and deduce my words, please," he sighed. "Starting tomorrow, you will finish your internship under me, while Tenko rests. Depending on his condition, you may get a substituted teacher as well for class. I'm confident, however, that Tenko will be fine. I taught that boy myself."
It eventually became clear to Katsuki that All Might, the Number One Hero and Symbol of Peace, was positively furious. He was doing his best to remain calm, and it was far more difficult to keep up the image of the Symbol as All Might, but as Toshinori Yagi, it was much easier for him.
Though he seemed cold, and though it looked like he was denying Katsuki a satisfying answer, he simply wanted to keep his student away from danger. His student, Tenko Shimura, was taken and tortured, and Toshinori knew it was a message for him, and from his archenemy, trying to get to him.
He was getting more reckless, that devil, a villain among villains, and through the assault on the police stations, the killing of the surviving and arrested recruits from the Sports Festival, a location was spotted, thanks to the help of a single student's quick thinking, and within a week-
The League of Villains would be dismantled.
Katsuki Bakugo somehow felt that the gap between him and All Might fizzled out that day, but couldn't feel any joy due to the circumstances that lead to it.