The rhythmic sound of knocking silenced the already quiet bar. Without waiting for an answer, the door swung open revealing a middle aged man with messy grey hair, a rumbled suit and a smile that openly lacked at least one tooth. The man took a drag of his cigarette and waltzed up to the bar, ignoring the murderous looks from the bar's select few patrons. He wasn't here for the grunts, after all. He stopped in front of the only man who sat at the bartop, ignoring the shadow-y keep behind the counter. This man had bluish grey hair that obscured his face from view and wore ill fitting, ratty clothes. Not much else really stood out about him, but everyone was keeping their distance.
"Got that footage you wanted." Wafts of tobacco smoke billowed out from between his lips as he spoke. He held out a flash drive to the barkeep, but didn't take his eyes off the man sitting before him. "News is already circulating it. No doubt their pissed about not getting the footage themselves, but everyone's already running the story." He leaned casually against the counter. "Teenager takes on the number two hero in the country. Ha! And here we thought Stain was gonna be topping the headlines for another month at least."
"Don't say that name."
The middle aged man held up his hands. "Sorry. My bad. I know that's a touchy subject. Still, this little development might just make that little milestone a thing of the past."
Both men turned their attention to a television behind the bar. The keep plugged in the drive and pressed a button on the remote. Instantly the screen came to life. The footage was clearly shot on a phone and was anything but steady, but the important parts of the scene were at least mostly in focus. The Flame Hero, stood in a burning park area, shooting powerful attacks at a child, greatly dwarfed by Endeavor's immense size. The kid dodged and flew and fought with ice and force fields and phased right through solid objects like it was nothing. He was young, thin, by all accounts he didn't look like a threat at all, but he was still holding his own against the skilled hero. Fire forced the person holding the camera to move and the video just caught sight of the kid diving towards the ground as a wall of flame cut him off from view.
The video feed cut to black for a moment, before starting up again. This time from a different angle. The kid was hunched over something on the ground as Endeavor approached from behind. The Flame Hero sent a warning shot at the kid's back, then all hell broke loose. The footage seemed to go on the fritz, flickering and going static-y as it captured the teen on camera. He radiated power and seemed to glow as he sent attacks at the overgrown hero without hesitation. Then he vanished. Shouting could be heard and the camera turned to see the kid crouch just before a deafening sound filled the recording. The feed crackled and fizzed before cutting off entirely.
"It's impressive, I'll give him that." Said a scarred man from a table nearby.
"Indeed." Drolled the barkeep. "It's not every day you see an adolescent who can face off against any of the top five."
The man, the leader with the faded blue hair, hummed in thought. "What did they say his quirk was, again, Giran?" he asked, his voice raw and cracked.
"They didn't." Giran said, taking another puff of his cigarette before continuing. "Every paper and news station has their theories, but no one's got an actual answer. For all intents and purposes, the kid appears to have multiple quirks."
Those words hung in the air like the smoke that had begun to permeate the room. Everyone there knew the weight of that revelation and each of them was beginning to calculate what might happen next.
"What made him stop though?" The leader asked. "What was he leaning over on the ground?"
As if it had been a request, the barkeep rewound the footage and they watched the scene again. He paused, just as the pillar of fire was about to obscure the fight from the camera's view. The frame showed the teen curling away from the flames, but in the direction he'd been heading, sat an object of some sort.
"A weapon?" The barkeep asked.
"Looks like a gun!" Cheered a too-happy blonde girl from one of the booths.
"So it does…" The leader mused. "Must've been important if the kid was willing to fight Endeavor for it."
The scarred guy groaned from his table. "So are you planning on recruiting the kid or stealing the gun?"
"Or both?" the girl squealed. "I'd love to get up nice and close to that twiggy little glowstick."
"Getting the gun thing is gonna be tricky." Giran mused. "My informant at the station says that Endeavor melted it. They managed to scrape the metal off of the sidewalk, but it's little more than scrap metal at this point." He sighed, exuding more smoke. "Yup, just lumpy, molten, glowing scrap metal."
The leader tilted his head. "Glowing?"
"Oh did I forget to mention that?" Giran asked. "Yeah. My guy said the metal is eerie cold to the touch at all times and if you leave it in a dark room it gives off a green glow."
The leader hummed. "Anything you've heard of Kurogiri?"
"No, sir." the barkeep said. "But I can certainly look into it, if you so desire."
The leader nodded. "Yes. I think that would be wise. For now, we'll stick to our original plans. But this could be something to keep an eye on in the meantime." he turned, finally looking towards the man who had entered their den. "Nice job, Giran. Any chance you know where their keeping the kid?"
Giran smirked. "Word is Eraserhead took the kid down. They've got him locked up in police custody, though my informant said he's not at the station. My guess, given those burns, is that they've got him locked up at one of the hospitals. Good luck getting in there. Those places are as tightly cinched as prisons, from what I've seen."
"No matter." The leader droned, waving his hand dismissively. "They can't keep him hidden forever. And, if all goes according to plan this week, we'll be even better prepared to lure this one in after he's been on the receiving end of those, better-than-thou heroes." he hissed.
Giran straightened up and nodded to the barkeep. "A pleasure, as always, but I got other jobs I gotta tend to. If you need anything else, you know how to get a hold of me."
Kurogiri nodded and watched the man leave. He went back to wiping down the countertop as Shigaraki stared at the television, still frozen on the frame of the kid and the weapon. A cracked, chapped grin pulled at his lips as his mind curled around an idea. This could be just what they'd been waiting for.