Chapter 29: New Friends

Izuku sat hunched over at his desk, barely able to contain his excitement as he scribbled in the last few words of his report. Glancing up, he looked over at the clock. It was almost eight; plenty of time left to get some work in at the development studio. Turning back to his paper, he double checked his report for any mistakes. Once he was satisfied, he added it to the tall stack of reports beside him before rising to his feet. Taking the sheaf of reports in his arms, he resisted the urge to look too pleased with himself as he strode over to Power Loader who was busily typing away. He had been daydreaming about this moment ever since Mei had finished her detention. The last few weeks had been grueling, but his torture was about to end. Finally, he could get his mornings back.

'Here you are, sir.' he said with relish as he placed the heavy pile of paper onto Power Loaders desk, 'I reviewed all those reports just like you asked me to.'

Power Loader took his hands off the keyboard and flipped through the stack for a moment before grunting in approval, 'Very well, I'll check these later. I hope that those after-action reports made an impression on you, Midoriya. Hopefully I never read your name in one.'

'You won't, Mr. Maijima.' he promised.

'Good. Remember: Always take a moment to stop and think. With proper reasoning and good judgment, you can't always win, but you can prevent a bad situation from becoming worse.'

'Yes, sir.'

'Alright, you may go.' Power Loader said, flicking a finger to the door, 'I'll see you in a bit.'

Turning away, he tried to keep the bounce from his step as he left the classroom. Once he was safely out in the hall however, he couldn't help but pump his fist in celebration. Going to the workshop, he was greeted by his classmates who congratulated him on being a free man. Izuku couldn't be happier. Now he could enjoy the same amount of workshop time as everybody else. Once the workshop period ended, he and his classmates regrouped in their homeroom. Everyone was excited to learn where they would be interning and he was no exception.

'Do you have any preferences for who you intern with, Moyashi?' Izuku asked as they both sat down.

'Anyplace is fine as long as I don't work in IT.' Moyashi responded duly.

'Huh, I never even thought of that.' The idea of being brought in for a week just to fix everyone's computer seemed like the sort of thing that might happen.

'I suppose we could also be told to clean everyone's equipment.' Moyashi said offhandedly, plopping his head down into his elbow, 'Or maybe we'll be cleaning the toilets instead? Or the vehicles if they have any. Washing everyone's clothes, scrubbing the floors, doing the dishes; hey, we could even-'

He felt his enthusiasm slowly wane as he listened to Moyashi's dour predictions. By the time Power Loader approached them with his assignments sheet he was thoroughly disillusioned. Until he read the name on the paper that is.

'Endeavour!' Izuku read aloud incredulously, 'I'm working for Endeavour?'

'Yes.' Power Loader said with a note of satisfaction in his voice, 'When I announced that the support class would be open for internships this year, he contacted me personally to request you. This is a great opportunity for you, Midoriya.' Power Loader said before walking away.

He was speechless. Endeavour had a reputation as a brutally effective hero. Due to his tireless work ethic, he had solved more criminal cases than any of his contemporaries - including All Might. However, capable though he may be, it was widely known that Endeavour was a hardass who expected the very best from all of his sidekicks at all times. Dealing with him might be difficult.

'I hope he doesn't have any hard feelings about what happened to his kid.' Moyashi said blithely and Izuku stared at him. He hadn't even thought of that.

'I wasn't the one who spread that chemical suppressant on Todoroki! It was Kiska who shot those pellets!'

'Ah! The ol' guns don't kill people, people kill people argument. Stick with that, it just might work.' Moyashi said nodding and Izuku groaned.

'Thanks for the advice.' Izuku muttered, 'Who'd you get?'

'Wash.' Moyashi intoned, 'I got the washing machine hero Wash.'

That afternoon Izuku quickly scanned through the pages of chicken scratch scribblings that were his notes on his equipment redesign. He was just doing his last-minute check up on his gear before he finalized the design on his costume.

While he reviewed, Mei sauntered his way.

'Hey, Midoriya. What're you up to?'

Izuku licked his thumb and went back a few pages. He really wished he had numbered everything. From over his shoulder he heard Mei cough.

'I'm…just…going…over…my…costume.' Izuku said vacantly, as he flipped back and forth between two blueprints.

'Hm. A new costume you say? Very good, very…uh-' she paused to look over the schematic of his suits left arm.

It was a mess of miniaturized servos and microfilaments. Just the arm alone would represent a massive investment in resources. Izuku didn't know how much this was going to cost the school to build, but it was probably going to raise a few eyebrows in the main office.

'Um. Yeah.' Mei said ponderously leaning further over his shoulder so she could examine more of his design. Eventually she was leaning over so far her head was practically touching his. With an exasperated sigh, he set down his work and turned over his shoulder.

'Sorry, but what did you want Mei?'

Mei shot back up, 'Oh, well. I, er, heard you were building something to make you fly?' she asked bouncing on her heels.

'Yeah, I'm building a glider.'

'Ooh, a glider. Cool.' she paused and appeared to hesitate before continuing, 'So like, what? Are you gonna strap wings on your back or…?'

'Nope.' Izuku said, tucking his pencil away behind his ear and crossing his arms, 'I'm going to ride it like a surfboard. It's actually more of a flying wing jet than a glider.'

'Oh…' Mei said wide-eyed, 'Well…good luck with that.'

Izuku watched as she bumbled away to her own station, muttering to herself. He allowed himself a smug grin before returning to his work.

I probably just triggered an arms race.

Later that evening, Izuku went back into the slums for his meeting with Knuckleduster. Like yesterday, the streets were calm, though the air was thick with tension. Hands thrust in his pockets; he kept his head low. He wasn't going to risk wearing his spider-suit tonight, there were too many cops and heroes prowling around. Instead, he decided it would be best to just put a ski mask on under his hood when he got close enough to the parkade.

Walking briskly on the sidewalk, he sensed a police cruiser coming down the street from behind him and he stopped.

It feels like I'm in occupied territory. He thought as he pretended to look over the selection of battered appliances on display in the barred off window of a pawn shop. This peace won't last. It can't. Sooner or later someone is going to make a move to be the new boss. It's just a matter of time.

The police cruiser that had been driving behind him slowly passed and he resumed walking. He was almost at the parkade. Coming around to the final block, he could at last see the ugly, multistory concrete parking complex. As he crossed the street, he suddenly felt his spider-sense buzz. Silently cursing, he abruptly changed his course and went in the opposite direction. He was being followed.

He did his best to walk casually, not going too fast or too slow. He could tell there were multiple people watching him from the rooftops. Stopping in front of the buzzing neon lights of a liquor store, he bent down to pick up a cigarette butt. Pocketing it, he glanced behind him before drawing his hood in close and resuming his walk. It was a three-person hero squad.

After walking for five blocks, he began to get frustrated. The heroes tailing him were showing no sign of stopping any time soon. They must've taken a particular interest. He sighed. If this kept up, he would be late to his meeting.

I can't let these guys stop me for questioning. They'll recognize me for sure and wonder why I'm so far from home in one of the worst neighbourhoods in the city. I need to lose them.

Abruptly turning, he ducked into a side alley and made his way towards a vacant. He heard the heroes crouch down and watch as he entered the building. With any luck they would think he was just another homeless teen looking for a place to crash for the night.

As soon as he had broken line of sight, he dashed through the narrow entrance hall, past some stirring junkies on a couch, and over to the other side of the building. Jumping out an empty window and into the opposite block, he ducked through a couple more alleys before stopping a few blocks away. Hunkering down beside a dumpster, he carefully monitored the rooftops surrounding him.

His spider-sense was calm. He must have lost them. Reaching in his pocket, he produced a black ski mask and put it on. Tucking his hair away, he walked around to the parkade entrance and started climbing his way up. Just as he was about to reach the third level, Knuckleduster suddenly stepped into view at the top of the ramp in front of him.

'Hey! Piss off, punk.' Knuckleduster growled.

'What kind of hello is that?' he said, raising his hand in greeting, 'Really trying to win over hearts and minds I see.'

'Hmph.' Knuckleduster relaxed and moved back so he could pass, 'Nice disguise. You really pull off the crackhead look.'

'Thanks.'

Walking over to the corner so as to be shielded from view from the street, Izuku stopped and faced him.

'I assume you heard I took out Shocker, yes?' Izuku asked.

'Yeah, I know.' Knuckleduster said simply. Izuku couldn't be sure, but he could have sworn he heard a measure of respect in his voice, 'Apparently, they're still trying to sort out the succession. Normally all his lieutenants would have started killing each other already, but with all the police and pro's around nobody's willing to take the first shot just yet so everything is quiet. For now.'

'I thought so. I haven't heard anything about what happened to Shocker. Have you?'

'Yeah, I've got a buddy on the force. Apparently, they're trying to figure out a way to charge him without tying his fight with you to vigilantism. You see, with you considered a supervillain now - congratulations by the way - the prosecution will try to argue that his arrest was a case of hero intervention during a gang conflict. Obviously, Shocker and his lawyer will disagree. Looks like your status as a villain or vigilante will be decided in court.' Knuckleduster said, sounding amused.

'Cool!' Izuku said earnestly and Knuckleduster frowned at him in disapproval.

'Anyway, I'm surprised you're out and about right now, given all this.' Knuckleduster said, pointing his cigarette out towards the street. 'I'm guessing you had no choice but to destroy the Glass Way Tower, huh?' Izuku said nothing and Knuckleduster snorted, 'Well what's done is done. Now about those murder raps you had...'

'My murder charges? What about them?' Izuku said, leaning back against a pillar.

'Well I had my buddy look into them for you and long story short your charges aren't going away anytime soon. They're being handled by a real piece of shit detective named Shibō.'

'Ah. I've heard of him.' Izuku said nodding. After a moment of consideration, he found that he wasn't at all surprised. The government would have still been after him no matter what the police report said, 'Whatever. I expected as much.'

Knuckleduster grunted, 'So now that Shocker is taken out what are you going to do now?'

'Well turns out I got a lead on the League of Villains. I'm going to follow it and see where it goes. Maybe I can take them down too.'

Knuckleduster scowled, 'Don't get cocky, kid. Shocker was a mean son-of-a-bitch, but he was a businessman at heart. For him everything was calculated, cold, and logical. The League of Villains won't be so predictable. Who knows what they're thinking?'

'I'll keep that in mind.' Izuku said, 'Anyway we should split before some hero decides to arrest us for loitering. See ya'.'

At that he turned away from the large man and started towards the ledge before he stopped.

'Oops.' Izuku muttered to Knuckleduster as he turned and began walking down the ramp, 'Force of habit.' he said and Knuckleduster tisked behind him.

Now to go clubbing.

The foundations of "The Den" nightclub was practically shaking loose as the packed dance floor throbbed and swayed from the young crowd of jostling revelers. The heavily distorted bass reverberated through the walls, penetrating every available space with its persistent rhythm, punctuated by hundreds of stamping feet.

The Den had a dark reputation for its rough crowds, hedonistic raves, and overly "liberated" cliental. Drugs flowed freely, and any attempt to disrupt the party, whatever that might entail, was usually resolved with violence. The regulars here weren't the sort to blink at a little bloodshed, and nobody would ever call the cops.

Tonight, Izuku was going to put that to the test.

With a crash the heavy doors to the club floor burst apart as the doorman went flying through. Smashing into a crowded table, he collapsed to the floor with the remains of the table's drinks. Everyone stopped their frantic pace and turned to the entrance. Standing there, trying his hardest to cast an imposing figure, was Spider-Man.

Izuku stood still for a moment to let everyone see him in his costume before turning towards the bar.

As he strutted over, the people around him broke out into excited chatter.

'Holy shit! That-that's Spider-Man!'

'Really? That's Spider-Man?! He looks puny. I bet I could take him!'

'Dude, he wasted Shocker! He gutted his boys! If you want to take him on, then be my guest.'

Walking through the crowds, the people in front of him hastily moved aside giving him a wide berth. Izuku grinned. He would be willing to bet that if he wasn't wearing his costume they would just assume he was a no-threat, goodie two shoes loser. Put on the mask though, and everyone treated him with respect. He recognized that it was petty, but notoriety certainly had its benefits.

Stopping at the splintered bar counter, he leaned over and waited. The club was pretty infamous among the seedier individuals in the slums. If the message in the graffiti was to be believed, surely this place was as likely as any to be monitored by the League of Villains.

As he waited, he felt a crowd of men and women moving in behind him. He was only mildly surprised. Under normal circumstances, taking out the doorman should have been enough to discourage random acts of idiocy, but there were plenty of violent drunks about and it wasn't like he was popular with the criminal world. Hell, he probably busted half of the people in here at one time or another. With all the subtlety of a stampede, the surrounding stools quickly emptied and the bartender backed away, pointedly looking in the other direction. Izuku could feel the shadows of the aggressive mob crowd behind him.

'Hey Spider-Fuck, yous get lost or somethin'? You ain't welcome 'ere.' said a deep, stupid voice.

Izuku sighed.

'Spider-Fuck? Really? I-' Izuku started as he turned but then he stopped.

He was speaking to a belt buckle. Looking up, he had to crane his neck backward to see that towering far above him were a pair of heads joined on a massive body. The twin headed giant was stooped over almost on his knuckles as he leered down. Izuku cleared his throat.

'Um, as I was saying. I'm expecting someone, so if you don't mind shoving off please…?' he said waving his hands as though to shoo him away. The crowd behind the giant laughed derisively.

'You ain't meeting no one 'cept the cor-or-oner.' said the left of the two heads and the other nodded in dimwitted agreement.

'Okay, you must be the brains then.' Izuku said, focusing on the left head, 'I don't-'

'Squish!' hollered the right head.

At that the hulking behemoth brought his enormous hands clapping together. Izuku jumped up over the thunderclap and landed on the two headed man's shoulders. The heads twisted around to look at him in disbelief.

'Ogh?'

Izuku rolled his eyes. Grabbing the pair by their scruffy hair, he slammed them together. With a satisfying *KLONK* the giant's heads collided and he (they?) began staggering backwards. Tripping, the colossus fell pinning a number of his fellows who had been too slow to scurry away.

'Get this-' started a woman angrily, but Izuku was already moving.

With a slap apiece, he sent the remaining goons flying. In less than two seconds the crowd of punks lay stunned on the floor or gasping beneath their fallen champion. Dusting himself off, he turned back to the bar.

'Right.' Izuku said as he perched himself on a stool, 'Excuse me?' he called out to the barman who had moved to the far side of the counter. 'Can I have a coke please?'

'S-Sure thing, Mr. Spider-Man. Coming right up.'

He settled in on his stool and waited, lightly drumming a beat on the bar counter.

If the League doesn't make a move soon, I'll go check out another bar.

Taking his drink from the bartender with a courteous toast, he went to take a sip when he suddenly felt another presence rushing towards him. Twirling around, he was grabbed hard around the chest by a blonde girl.

'What're you-'

'Wow!' gushed the girl, pushing herself into him, 'That was great! You took those guys apart so easily! I thought they'd at least scratch you or something!'

'Uh, who're you?' Izuku said, shoving the girl away. Evidently he didn't know his own strength as the girl went stumbling backward. Tripping over a stool, she went crashing hard to the floor.

'Oh, sorry!' he said sheepishly.

He made to go help her up, but stopped as he felt his spider sense flare dangerously. Lifting her face, the girl looked up at him and gave him a toothy smile. She had long blonde hair done up in twin, messy buns on either side of her head. Her eyes were yellow and alive, yet exhausted looking. Almost as though the only thing keeping her going was energy drinks or drugs. Most striking were her front canine teeth. They looked very sharp. While most of the people in the Den were wearing leather and studs, this girl was wearing a high schooler's uniform.

'Such a gentleman!' she giggled, 'Don't worry about me.' springing up as though nothing had happened, she straightened her skirt and fixed him with another toothy smile, 'My name's Toga!' she said, beaming, 'I volunteered to keep an eye on this place in case you showed up, and boy am I glad you did! I was starting to get soooo bored. I love your costume by the way, it's so nice and tight! What's with the mask though handsome? Can I sneak a peek?'

Without warning Toga sprang forward, faster than he was expecting. However, before her hands could touch his mask, he pivoted off his stool leaving her to stumble into the empty chair and collide with the counter.

'You're a slippery one!' she said laughingly as she pushed herself off from the stool and advanced towards him, 'You've got some nice moves...'

He gulped as she continued to advance. He wasn't used to this. Was she just messing around or was she fighting? Either way, his spider-sense was buzzing.

'What do you mean you were keeping an eye out for me? Are you from the… the you-know-what?' he said, trying to keep her at arms length.

Toga stopped creeping after him.

'Mmhmm! You got it. My "boss" wants to speak with you. Hell, we've all been dying to meet you, but you're just so hard to find!'

'Well…I like my privacy.'

'Stalker problems? I can relate. The world's filled with freaks, isn't it?' she sighed and rolled her eyes helplessly, 'Normies like us are a dying breed. Well, I'd ask for a dance, but we'd better not keep the boss man waiting. Here.' she slapped her bare leg and beckoned to him with her hand like she was calling a dog.

'Come on! Come on! Don't be shy, Spidey!'

Reluctantly, he followed her. Leading him out past the bar and into a backroom, the pounding bass became muted as they went down a dingy hallway. The whole while Toga kept up her act, smiling at him warmly though he couldn't help but notice that one of her hands was busy behind her back. For a split second he caught sight of a pink cellphone. She was texting someone.

'Who're you messaging?' he asked suspiciously.

'Our ride.' Toga said, totally unabashed at being caught, 'We can't walk there like regular people. Nobody trusts us. Weird, right?' she pouted before grinning again, 'But I've got a sixth sense for creeps, Spidey. And I can tell that you're one of the good ones. Hey! We should hang out later! I'll even let you keep the mask on, but that might limit the fun...'

Blushing furiously beneath his mask, he had no response but to shake his head mutely much to Toga's amusement. It was easy to see what Knuckleduster had meant when he said these people weren't like Shocker's group. Shocker would have had someone like Toga killed long ago.

Coming up to a door, she opened it for him and gave an exaggerated bow. Carefully stepping past her, he walked inside, ready for anything. However it was only a storeroom. Crates of audio equipment and party supplies were stacked against the walls amongst faded posters of bands and performers. They were alone and besides the door they came in from, there was no exit. Confused, he turned back to Toga and she snickered.

'The League has a teleporter. It should only be a moment.' she explained, 'So what's your deal? Super strength, super senses, maybe a little speed mixed in? I don't know how else you could have detected me coming up behind you…' her eyes glittered dangerously.

'Well, you are wearing perfume.' Izuku pointed out. Toga's eyes widened and she tucked her nose under her cardigan. After taking a few experimental breaths she popped out of her collar and gave him a perplexed look.

'What? Am I wearing too much perfume? What's the nose news buddy, do I stink or something?'

'No, you don't stink at all. Its just…well you didn't smell like Mr. Two-Heads-Is-Better-Than-One back there.'

Toga twirled a keychain loaded with charms around her finger and frowned slightly.

'Rookie mistake…' she muttered in a barely audible voice.

For a split second he saw her eyes grow hard and her face was no longer carefree and giddy. In that instant she went from a ditsy schoolgirl to a dead eyed predator. He realized then that she was much different from the low-class thugs he had just beaten in the other room.

Before either of them could say anything else a swirling purple mist suddenly appeared from the wall blanketing it in a strange glowing energy. From out the mist stepped a sharply dressed man. He was wearing a vest, tie, and dress pants while his skin appeared to be composed of shifting purple flames. Yellow eyes glowed from his head above a thick metal collar that seemed to float above his body. He was certainly an imposing figure.

That purple energy looks exactly like the energy that was around Thirteen at the USJ! Was this the guy who attacked her?

'Ah, Miss Toga, you have found Mr. Spider-Man. Hello, my name is Kurogiri.' the man said in a polite voice as he bowed, one white gloved hand gently held before his breast, 'I see you received our invitation. Would you come with me, please? Master Shigaraki is waiting for you.'

Toga sprang over to Kurogiri's side. Locking her arm around Kurogiri's, she motioned for him to join her.

'Come on, Spidey! Teleporting is fun!'

He hesitated. How could he be sure he wouldn't be teleported into outer space or something? Before he could make up his mind Toga spoke.

'Aw, don't be scared. Hold my hand, babe. It'll be okay. I promise!'

He didn't seem to have a choice. If he wanted to take down the League of Villains, he'd need to have faith. Taking a deep breath, he stepped forward. Ignoring Toga's offered hand, he stood next to Kurogiri opposite her. Kurogiri raised his arms and Izuku saw the swirling purple energy engulf him.

As quickly as the purple energy had arrived, the mists receded and Izuku stumbled out into another room. He hurriedly glanced around and took in his surroundings.

He was in another storeroom not unlike the one back at The Den. Shelves lined the walls; neatly stacked with crates of non-perishables and sundries of food stuffs or alcohol. One of the boxes even held tiny little drinking umbrellas.

I must be in another bar. Or a restaurant.

'Mr. Spider-Man, if you would follow me please.' Kurogiri said, motioning to the door with his hand. Izuku stopped and looked around again.

'Where's Toga?'

'Oh, I sent her elsewhere. I didn't think you would appreciate constant interruptions while you spoke with my employer.'

'Ah…that's very considerate of you.' Izuku said.

He followed Kurogiri into a wood panelled hallway. Wherever they were was very still and silent. The only sound was the creaking of the hardwood floors beneath their feet. Izuku looked around at everything he could, trying to find some clue as to his whereabouts. He could tell from the light fixtures and the doorknobs on the closed rooms they passed that wherever they were, it was a fancy place.

If this guy can teleport I could be in Canada right now for all I know. The stockroom merchandise was all in Japanese, but whose to say he didn't teleport all that stuff too?

Eventually Kurogiri stopped in front of a curtained off doorway. Parting the curtain for him, Kurogiri bid him enter. Stepping into the room, he saw that he was in a small, softly lit dining area. On one side of the room was a bar with a large, polished wooden counter opposite a line of dining booths. Both the bar and the booths were deserted save for a booth near the middle of the bar that was occupied by a lone man.

The man in the booth looked decidedly unhealthy. Despite his obvious young age, his long, unkempt hair was an unnatural white and deep bags hung under his eyes. From the glow of the tablet in his hands, Izuku saw that his skin was parched and cracked. Izuku felt dry just looking at him.

This guy needs moisturiser.

'Mr. Shigaraki? Here is Mr. Spider-Man.'

Shigaraki reluctantly glanced up from the tablet he was hunched over and studied Izuku. After a few seconds he appeared satisfied. Tossing the tablet aside, he beckoned to the booth seat across from him.

'Here, sit.' Shigaraki said in a quiet voice.

He walked over to the booth and sank down into the offered seat. For a moment nobody said anything as Shigaraki continued his silent appraisal.

'You've got a nice costume.' Shigaraki said finally, 'Professionally made if I'm not mistaken. Who'd you have build it for you?'

'I built it myself.' Izuku answered readily, 'I had access to the equipment.'

'Oh? So you're a tinkerer are you? That's interesting. For someone so young, you're quite talented.' Izuku took a breath and prepared to argue, but Shigaraki continued, 'What about those devices around your wrists? Did you build those as well?'

He involuntarily looked down at his web-shooters. He was surprised Shigaraki had noticed them. They were barely visible against the patterning of his costume.

'Yes, I did.'

'Hmm. Interesting.' Shigaraki started scratching his neck. Izuku couldn't help but notice that the skin around his throat was rubbed raw.

'You're quite the infamous person, Spider-Man. You've been making the news regularly for over a year now and despite the best efforts of the government and the heroes, you're still at large. Most impressive.'

Izuku acknowledged the praise with a small wave.

'Thanks. Though to be fair, I've mostly just confined myself to the slums. The whole Glass Way Tower thing was an outlier.'

'Yes, I'm aware of your beef with Shocker. As I understand it you fancy yourself a vigilante.' Shigaraki said, resting his hands palm up on the table. For some reason, Izuku found the gesture oddly threatening, 'And yet you've attacked heroes, murdered criminals, and caused not insignificant property damage to the city. Tell me, what exactly are your motivations?'

'Uh..m-my motivations?' his mind raced as he tried to come up with something plausible.

What would someone like Shigaraki want to hear?

'Well, basically I think that our whole hero focused culture is a farce.' Izuku said slowly. Shigaraki said nothing so he elaborated, 'Er, weak and quirkless people are oppressed and held down by society and the heroes are sort of the ultimate expression of that, right? They get like, commercials and, um, are worshipped by everyone just because they were born stronger. But there is more to our society than having a strong quirk. D-Do you know what I mean?'

Shigaraki was silent. Eventually he raised one his hands back to his neck and began picking at the scratches under his chin. Izuku forced himself to remain still while Shigaraki appeared to be considering his answer. Eventually he nodded slowly and Izuku felt himself relax a little.

I knew job interviews were tense but this is ridiculous!

'Interesting. Let me cut right to the chase. I have a proposal for you. I'm putting together a team to attack the heart of our corrupt society and I need elite fighters. Are you interested?'

Izuku blinked. This was quite sudden.

'I'm not sure I follow.' he said slowly, 'What are you trying to do exactly?'

Shigaraki drew himself tall in his seat and fixed him with a firm look.

'I want to destroy society. More specifically, I want to destroy the vision of our society perpetuated by All Might.'

Shigaraki stared at Izuku as though he expected something from him, but he had no clue what to say.

'O-Okay. So, you want to what, kill All Might?' Izuku asked uncertainly.

'Eventually, yes.'

Izuku leaned back and resisted the urge to scoff. He had known that the League had wanted to kill All Might, that goon he had detained back at the USJ had confirmed as much, but he couldn't help but act surprised at the sheer audacity of the League's goal. All Might had defeated every supervillain and evil organization that came his way. What chance did these guys have?

'I've got to say,' Izuku started carefully, 'I have my doubts.'

'Explain.'

'Well, for starters it is All Might you're talking about.' Izuku paused for emphasis, 'I really don't see how to defeat someone like him.'

He cleared his throat. He would have to be careful how he revealed his knowledge of the Nomu. The last thing he wanted was for the League of Villains to figure out he was a student at UA.

'I heard that you guys have access to genetically modified creatures.' Izuku started slowly and Shigaraki glanced over at the bar, his expression unreadable. 'From what I understand you had one purpose built to defeat All Might and it was taken out all the same. So…unless you have some sort of plan…'

'I do.' Shigaraki said confidently, a tinge of a smile on his cracked lips, 'But I am not willing to divulge the details of my plan to just anybody who asks. How did you learn about the Nomu?'

'I heard about it from the attack at the Unforeseen Simulation Joint at UA.' Izuku said with a shrug.

'That information was not made public though. Do you have a source at UA?' Shigaraki asked.

'Not a person, no. I got my hands on a student's cellphone.'

Izuku was grateful for his mask. Without it he was certain that Shigaraki would see through him instantly.

'I see. Well yes, it's true. My Nomu was defeated by All Might. A miscalculation on my part, but the battle was very close. All Might is becoming weaker by the day and I can always build more Nomu. However, I'm not planning on attacking All Might directly this time. You see, I'm planning an attack on All Might's legacy itself.'

Izuku resisted the urge to fidget. Could that mean another attack on the school? He needed more information. Before he could ask him any more questions though Shigaraki spoke again.

'That is all I am willing to say for now.' he said, straightening his shoulders against the red, cushioned booth, 'So. What say you? Are you interested in joining the League? We have considerable resources at our disposal, and it seems as though our goals align. I'm tired of dealing with incompetent henchman and I think that someone with your abilities would be well suited to accomplishing my goals.'

'Do I, uh, get paid?' Izuku asked uncertainly. He didn't know what else to say.

'If you want money.' Shigaraki said casually as though such a thing as money was pointless, 'Or we can help you out in other ways. Allies can come in handy and I promise you; I am a powerful friend…and an even worse enemy.'

He gulped. 'A-Alright. Uh, so like when is this happening or…?'

'Check in with us next Friday at the club where you found Toga. I should have the rest of the team assembled by then.'

'Um. Okay.' Izuku said tentatively, I'm in just like that? 'So-'

'I will return you to wherever you would like to go, Mr. Spider-Man.' Kurogiri said behind him. Izuku looked around to the bartender than back to Shigaraki. He had picked up his tablet again. Evidently the meeting was over.

Standing, Izuku looked down at Shigaraki and hesitated. He had a thousand questions he wanted to ask, but he didn't want to appear too nosy. This was a golden opportunity that he couldn't afford to screw up. With any luck he could have the whole league defeated in one fell swoop. Deciding to play it safe, he left Shigaraki undisturbed. Instead he turned and went over to Kurogiri who was busily polishing the gleaming bar surface.

'Uh, can you send me back to the slums please? A nice quiet place, if you don't mind.'

'Certainly.' Kurogiri said and with a wave of his hand Izuku felt the purple mist envelope him once more.

When the mists receded Izuku found himself standing outside in the dark. Checking his surroundings, he saw that he was under a highway overpass next to an astonished camp of homeless people who had taken refuge near a gurgling storm drain.

'Ho, man! Y-You see that?' squawked one of them in amazement, 'It's Spider-Man!' The others muttered uneasily and shared nervous glances.

Izuku ignored them and instead took a moment to get his bearings. Across the storm runoff canal, he could see the Grey Towers looming off in the distance. As long as he could see those he was in familiar territory.

Shooting out a web, he took off swinging from column to column across the bridge and back towards home. He needed to think things through.

A few minutes later he was climbing back through his bedroom window. He couldn't deny that his meeting with the League of Villains had been a success, but what had he gotten himself into? The League definitely wasn't operating like a normal criminal syndicate, and he had no idea what might happen during their next Friday meeting. Changing out of his costume, he climbed into his bed and sighed. He would need to work extra hard this weekend to make up for his new obligation as a super villain. Honestly, he was amazed that he still had any time left in the day at all.

'Double...lives...are...so...hard.' He mumbled before drifting away to sleep.

Meanwhile, Dr. Akatani was seated on a high stool in front of a microscope at his old Tartarus laboratory, puzzling over some of the tissue samples that he had extracted from the Nomu. He had originally planned on using his first couple of days at Tartarus to get all of his old equipment back up and running again, but to his delight everything was exactly as he had remembered it. According to his escort, once his program had been cancelled all those years ago rather than move his research apparatus into storage, the guards had merely sealed off that wing of the prison and left everything untouched.

And so with little else to do, he had immediately began pouring over his latest specimens. He wasn't sure what it was about the cold, damp, darkened stone of his Tartarus Lab, but he had always seemed to do his best work there. Even now after being absent for over a decade he was able to immediately pick up where he had left off. Maybe coming back to Musutafu was exactly what he needed.

'Excuse me, Dr. Akatani?'

He jumped. Looking up from his microscope, he saw a uniformed guard standing beside him. He hadn't heard the man enter.

'It's after allowed hours. You'll need to accompany me to the exit now.'

'Eh? Is it closing time already?' He squinted across the room to the wall mounted clock. To his surprise it was past midnight. He had been so immersed in his work, that he had lost track of time.

'Afraid so, doc.' said the guard, tucking his thumbs into his pistol belt, 'Whatever you're working on, it will have to wait until tomorrow.'

He nodded before shutting off his microscope and stepping off his stool. He didn't bother trying to argue with the man. At Tartarus, the security protocols were sacrosanct. Walking out of the lab, he and the guard passed by a large glass holding cell. Inside it, the hero killer Stain was sitting with his legs crossed and his eyes closed; meditating.

I wonder how he will respond to the treatment? Dr. Akatani mused as he shut off the lights in his lab.

In his experience, even the most stoic of subjects cracked under the strain of his mutagenetic serums. What was more interesting was how Stain's body would react. Experience told him that he would simply mutate and die on the operating table, but this time he felt sure things would be different. He wouldn't have to wait long to find out. The last remaining batch of his prized spider serum was arriving on Monday.

'So doc, if I may ask…All these medical experiments; you tryin' to cure cancer or somethin'?' asked the guard as they walked down the quiet hallway.

Dr. Akatani chuckled, 'Or something. Yes.'