Chapter 2

Plans are established by counsel; By wise counsel wage war.

Proverbs 20:18

Eight years had passed since then; It's amazing how time flies by so fast. I'm now fifteen years old, and I have gained strength in both body and quirk. However, let's just say that under the tutelage of my father, I have not gained any mental health. Aside from the occasional screaming he gives me, I have been under physical abuse. He says that its to toughen me up, but all I've learned to be is paranoid that he's going to come out of nowhere to attack me. But, in the end, the paranoia comes true. So, in a way, it does help me.

Now, ever since I was seven, I have been bounced around from state to state, and school to school. The school I was in when I was seven, was a school in the state of Wisconsin. When I turned eleven, we moved to Kentucky, and I had to go through the process of moving to a new state: Friends, school, home and whatnot. Then, when I turned fourteen, we moved to Georgia, and I had to go through it all over again. Now, a year later, here I was, walking down the sidewalk, from school to my new home. And that's when my father attacked me.

I didn't hear him when he came up from behind me; due to our quirk, we tend to stay quiet. Also, my father has mastered the ability to manipulate sound throughout his body without making a sound. You see, whenever we use our quirk to manipulate sound throughout our bodies, we have to yell or make a noise for it to work. My father, like I said, could do it without making sound. So, when I got hit in the back of the head from one of his punches, I didn't know it was him and was sent reeling with shock! When I recovered and got up from the ground with my fists up, I saw him standing there, wearing the usual grey trench coat and tan fedora that he always wears.

"You should pay attention to your surroundings, son…" my father spoke, cracking his knuckles. "You never know who could be around."

I put down my fists and replied, "I'm not in the mood for fighting, father."

I turned around to walk away. I then heard what sounded like a WHOOSH, and next thing I knew, I was knocked to the ground! Then I was being pinned to the hot sidewalk with my arm behind my back!

"Do you think I'm just going to show you mercy depending on how you feel?!" my father snarled as he pinned me down.

"Don't make me scream…" I replied, my cheek to the hot sidewalk.

"You think I care what happens?" My father asked. "Go ahead and scream your head off, for all I care! The more destruction, the better!"

I knew he was trying to goad me into fighting, but I wasn't going to do that. After a minute, he got bored and stood up over me. I stood up and turned around to face him, my fists to my sides.

"You're no fun, you know that?" my father spoke, his tone condescending. "Here I am, trying to mold you into the perfect villain, and yet you won't even fight!"

"I told you already; I've decided not to master my quirk. I'm not going to become a villain, but something more respectful." I replied, unclenching my fists.

"Being a villain garners a lot of respect! People look to me and they respect me for who I am!"

"No, they fear you for who you are!" I replied, my voice growing angry. "Nobody looks to the great 'Death Shriek' and says, 'I respect that guy!' All you do is hurt people and drive fear into them!"

"Are you raising your voice at me?" My father asked, a darkly comedic smile on his face.

I stopped and calmed down. I then said in a quiet tone, "I'm not going to fight you; I'm gonna go home, lie on my bed, and try to dream of a better life than what I'm living now."

"You can dream all you want, son, but you're still gonna wake up the seed of a villain." My father replied. "Why bother fighting it? Why not just embrace it?"

"Because I want to grow up and not be what I see before me. There's no way I'm going to be come Death Shriek II. I'd rather drown in the sea, for all I care…"

Another WHOOSH, and my father grabbed me by the neck. I didn't flinch, and he didn't squeeze. He then growled, "I'd watch my mouth if I were you! You know I'm capable of that now!"

"Yeah, like you were when we lived in Wisconsin." I replied. "I was stupid enough to believe that you could throw me into the sea, and we didn't even live near the sea! We lived near a lake, but that's not a sea, mind you!"

"I see…" my father said, another darkly comedic grin on his face.

I rolled my eyes as he let go of my throat. He then turned his back to me and said, "You can run along now. But remember: I'm always waiting to attack!"

I backed away like a corned animal and, when I was a good enough distance, turned around and quickly walked away from him. I learned that you shouldn't turn your back on a villain when you're close to him, even when he has his back turned to you.

I walked down the sidewalk, my thoughts racing faster than I did. I was thinking about what he said, about how I could not fight the fact that I was his son. The sad news was, I would have to admit it throughout my life, and there would probably be nobody who could understand what I was going through. Maybe he's right: I probably should just embrace it, as it will be the only thing I'm good at.

Maybe that's what my fate would be: I could accept it, or I could try to change it. Either way, I didn't want to become a villain. If only I could be something else…

Later that afternoon, I was lounging in my room, lying on my bed and listening to rock music on my iPhone. Since we lived in a one-story house, my room was somewhat small. It had a bed, a closet for my clothes, a bookshelf with several novels and books I had collected over the years, and a few posters of my favorite rock bands decorated the wall.

I enjoyed listening to music, as it was a way to unwind and think. Rock music I liked in particular; maybe because it was the fact that I had a quirk that had to do with my voice or something, I don't know. Either way, I just lied there and closed my eyes, letting myself get enveloped into the music.

I heard a knock on my door, and I quickly took off my earphones to prepare myself. The door then opened, and my father stepped, a smile on his face. He had a smile on his face?

"Uh… what are you smiling about?" I asked, a little bit off guard.

"I have good news for you, son!" he said, his voice unusually cheerful. "There's somebody I want you to meet!"

I got up from my bed uneasily when he said that; His circle of friends, if he had any, were not the particular crowd I liked to hang out with. Most of his friends were villains too, so they were just as bad as he was. So, when he said he wanted me to meet somebody, I had a feeling it was going to be another villain.

"Who do you want me to meet?" I asked, still uneasy at his unusually cheery demeanor. "Is this person another villain?"

"Yes!" My father replied. "And, he has a proposal that I think you would like to hear!"

"This isn't some plan that you're using to sneak attack me, are you?"

"No! This is serious! Come on; he's waiting!"

I slowly and cautiously moved past my father and out of my room. We then went down the hallway of our house, into the living room, and then into the kitchen. There was nobody there, except a black laptop that was open on the table. My father motioned for me to stay, and then he went to the laptop and sat down.

"Alright, I brought my son." My father said to the laptop.

"Show him to me…" A dark voice, which sent chills up my spine, said from the laptop.

"Come forth, son." My father said, looking up at me and motioning. "I want you to meet Mister All for One…"

I came around to my father and looked at the screen of the laptop. As soon as I saw who was on the screen, more chills ran up my spine! There was no face, but a large, skull like mask with several pipes sticking out of the top and the sides. It was one of the most frightening things I had ever seen!

"Greetings, son of Death Shriek…" This All for One person said, his voice cold and calculating. "Your father has told me many good things about you…"

"Really?" I asked, my tone sarcastic. "That's a first; he hardly says anything good about me."

My father shot me a subtle death glare, but I didn't care at the moment; He couldn't do anything with an important person speaking with him. I knew I was going to get beaten afterward for making that comment, so I might as well keep going.

"I understand…" All for One spoke. "Will you have a seat?"

"Sure…" I replied, pulling up a chair and sitting down.

"And now, to business. I am the leader of a group called the 'League of Villains', and we are stationed in Japan. If you're wondering how I can speak English, I am speaking using a translator system that allows me to understand different languages. Anyway, we are currently at war with a school called U.A. Have you heard of it?"

"No. What is it?"

"It's a school for those who want to become heroes. The student attend classes, learn about being heroes, participate in activities, and do things you would usually do in a normal high school. One of the teachers there is my mortal enemy, a hero by the name of All Might…"

"Catchy name." I said sarcastically, causing my father to quickly swat me on the back of my head.

"The school has different classes, and our greatest enemy is Class 1-A. Unfortunately, every attempt in which we've tried to destroy them has failed. Every plan we have used has resulted in our defeat and humiliation. So, after talking and discussing with your father, I have come up with a new plan. And it-"

"Let me guess." I said, interrupting.

"Joshua!" My father said angrily, grabbing me by the back of my neck.

"No, Death Shriek…" All for One said, causing my father to pause. "Let him say what he wants to say…"

My father took his hand from my neck, a look of anger and embarrassment on his face, and I said, "As I was saying, I guess that this plan of yours is going to involve me in some way."

"Correct…" All for One replied. "We have received information that U.A has been able to acquire some foreign students from America, to train alongside them. There are five students, but after some clever manipulation, we were able to convince them to bring six in. And, we want you to be the sixth…"

"Me?" I asked, my stomach dropping in surprise. "You want me to come to Japan and go to this school?"

"Yes, but as an agent of ours. You will infiltrate the school from the inside, gather information, and find a suitable place for us to destroy class 1-A. With their deaths, we will be able to take over Japan. And after Japan, the world…"

"So, what's in it for me?" I asked.

"You and your father will be inducted into the League of Villains, where you will be used to help further our goals…" All for One replied. "So, will you join us?"

"Let me think…" I replied, thinking about the offer I was given. Finally, after giving it much thought, I replied in a excited tone, "Yes; I will do it!"

"Good…" All for One said, sounding pleased. "The flight to Japan leaves at the Atlanta airport around 6:00pm, tomorrow… Prepare for tomorrow by packing clothes and other items of value…"

"Yes sir, Mister All for One!" I replied, acting excited. "I'll get right on it! Thank you for this opportunity!"

I guess the excitement caught my father off guard, because he looked at me like I was crazy. I then got up from my seat, went to my room, opened my closet, and began packing.

Now, I know what you're thinking: Why would I accept becoming a villain, when I don't want to become a villain? Truth is, I'm actually in it because I want to check out U.A. It sounds interesting, and even though my dream of being a hero has been crushed, I think I might be able to get it back by going to U.A. Hopefully, my father won't find out about my idea, or it's going to be a very short trip for me.

Now, you're probably wondering what I look like. I haven't told, because I haven't really found a place to insert a description of what I look like. Well, since this is the end of this chapter, I'll tell what I look like. I, Joshua Rourke, have short black hair, blue eyes, and fair skin. I guess you could say I'm pretty muscular for my age, due to the training I received. I share most of my looks with my father, which is bad news if people want to associate me with him.

Anyway, that's what I look like.