Chapter 12: Hard!

Making Decisions is Steam curled out of their fresh tea cups. Toshinori had been somewhat surprised to find Nedzu still working this late on a Saturday, but maybe not all that surprised. He wouldn't have gone looking at all if he hadn't thought it somewhat likely he'd find him.

"Ryu Sasaki?" Nedzu repeated.

Toshinori nodded. "I haven't fully decided, but I wanted to know what you thought of him." He may tower over the principal, but he always felt like a hapless school student again when in Nedzu's presence. Especially when he sat hunched on a stool like this, facing Nedzu on the couch.

Nedzu inhaled deeply and sipped at his tea. "I have many thoughts about him, but I want to hear why you're considering him, first."

To be frank, Toshinori was still trying to figure it out, too. Plenty of the students were smart, and many had that heroic instinct to save and protect above all else. He'd seen so many powerful quirks, so many that had such potential and could do incredible things if they had a power boost like One for All.

"Sasaki…has this presence, about him. It's not fully honed, yet, but when I watch him in class, or even at the USJ, I can't help thinking 'He's going to find a way to win, no matter what.' And for a future Symbol of Peace, I want someone people can look at like that. They'll see whoever I choose, and they'll know they'll be okay."

"You really think that highly of him already? You've barely known him two months, and only as a teacher."

Toshinori grimaced. "I know. That's why I came to you to see what you thought of him. I won't lie, he needs to work on his teamwork, and I'm sure there are other things I'm missing, but…" But he looked at Sasaki's beaming smile, and he saw Nana. "He reminds me of my predecessor."

"Ah, I see." Nedzu sipped at his tea again.

Toshinori wrapped his bony fingers around his cup. "It's foolish to choose someone based on that."

"You have an attachment to your mentor, and she was someone you looked up to. I think it's natural to want to choose someone that you feel lives up to your predecessor."

His fingers tightened. "I don't just want someone to be as good as me, I want them to be better. I want them to succeed where I couldn't."

This was his hesitancy with his second choice, Mirio Togato. The third year reminded Toshinori of himself, and it was easy to see him in All Might's place. But it felt too much like choosing All Might 2.0. And he'd had success in his life, a lot of them, he didn't deny that he'd done a lot of good, and he knew crime had gone down over the last two decades partially because of him.

But it hadn't stopped altogether. And in the last few years, ever since his injury forced him to cut back his hero work, it was starting to rise again. If it was already climbing when he hadn't even officially retired yet, he didn't want to imagine the chaos him stepping down will actually cause.

Whoever he passed on the mantel to, they'd need to be able to counter that chaos. Ideally, they'd be able to find the root that bred villains and do something about that, something he'd never been able to.

"You believe Sasaki can accomplish this?"

"I don't know," Toshinori shook his head. "I don't know that anyone can. It's…I'm asking so much, plus I've heard rumors All for One might still be around, and I hate the idea of placing that burden on anyone."

He'd been so sure he'd defeated All for One, and he'd been proud that he'd accomplished One for All's secret purpose. He was able to live with his debilitating injury and shortened life span because it didn't matter anymore. He'd done the most important thing he could ever do in his life.

Except he apparently hadn't, and now he wasn't sure he could. He was significantly weaker than he used to be. If he and All for One met in battle again, he wasn't sure he could win. It would depend on if All for One was weakened as well.

But to put the burden on someone else…that chafed him. He didn't like sending anyone else to fight his battles. It didn't matter if they were a student or a fully seasoned pro, if there was danger he wanted it aimed at him.

"Yes, those rumors are concerning," Nedzu said. He sipped his tea. "And if your chosen successor has to face off against him, then their chances of beating him must be taken into consideration."

Toshinori laughed. "He's so powerful, I can't even expect pros to handle him. I doubt I could stand against him at this point."

"Then the sooner you make the choice, the better," Nedzu summed up. "They'll need all the time to train and prepare that we can give them."

Toshinori nodded, staring into his tea. "Which brings us back to the start. What do you think of Sasaki?"

Nedzu stalled by sipping his tea. "Sasaki would be an interesting choice. While skilled, he's not particularly powerful."

"There's more to being a hero than strong quirks," Toshinori stated.

Nedzu smiled. "Of course. Sasaki has worked hard to overcome his limitations, and he has more combat experience than most first years."

"I've wondered about that. He's a little too used to fighting."

Humming, Nedzu took another sip of tea. "If you're seriously considering him as your successor, then there are certain things you need to know about him."

It sounded like Nedzu knew quite a bit more about this student than normal, and it sounded like Toshinori wasn't going to like what he was about to hear.

Ten minutes and an explanation later proved him right. His insides squeezed together painfully. Sasaki-Midoriya, had been through so much. A villain for a father, a vigilante for two years, and still in a sort of witness protection program to keep him safe.

It was a lot to think about.

He made more tea.

"I do agree that Midoriya will make quite the hero one day," Nedzu said. "That was why I offered him a place here when he was finally apprehended. It would have been a waste to send him to jail, and he'd never have been allowed to try for a hero license."

That was true. When put in a bad situation, instead of keeping his head down and protecting himself, Midoriya had chosen to go out and save others, and in a way that meant he was rarely thanked or praised.

The disregard for the law could be troublesome. Heroes had to walk a fine line between model citizens and doing what was right.

But if Toshinori wanted his successor to bring about a major change in society to curb the rise of villains altogether, maybe that gray morality was what his successor needed. He'd be able to reach out and understand part of the population that a lot of heroes looked down on.

"I know you probably wanted to dissuade me from choosing him, but I think you did the opposite," Toshinori admitted.

"On the contrary, I wasn't trying to influence your decision at all. I wanted you to have all the facts. And, there's one more thing to consider before giving someone in Midoriya's position a strength boost like this."

"Yeah?"

"His vendetta against his father."

Ah. Yeah, that was something to consider, alright. It wasn't a good idea to give an avenger the power to actually avenge things.

When he thought of Sas-Midor-whoever he was, he couldn't imagine him seeking anyone out in cold blood like that. And if the kid really wanted to kill his father, what was taking him so long? It had been two and a half years, and as far as they knew the kid had never seen his father. He'd sent anonymous tips about his father's activities, but he'd never gone after Dragon himself.

"I think…I want to talk to him about this," Toshinori said. "I won't bring up One for All, yet. But I want to know how he really feels about his father, and why he wants to be a hero."

"Very well," Nedzu agreed.

Toshinori left the principal's office more conflicted than he'd gone in, but at least with a plan to move forward.

Xx

Izuku was enjoying his peaceful Sunday morning in the living room. After the mall incident the day before, he enjoyed this peace even more. Hizashi had been out late for his radio show the night before, and neither he nor Aizawa had emerged from their room yet. Izuku had settled himself on the couch with his laptop, some of the cats slowly curling up around him, when there was a knock on the door.

He glared at the door for a moment. Nine thirty wasn't technically that early, but things had been so calm and quiet. Who would have shown up unannounced anyway?

The knock came again.

With a sigh, Izuku set his laptop down on the coffee table and extracted himself from the cat cuddle pile.

"Don't you dare," Aizawa stated, appearing in the hallway behind him.

"You couldn't have come out before I moved the cats?" Izuku grumbled.

"I needed pants."

Izuku returned to the couch, ducking down so he could barely see over the edge of it, while Aizawa opened the door. It was standard procedure when they had unexpected company, even if it felt kind of pointless after all this time.

"Good morning!" All Might's voice boomed.

Izuku perked up.

Aizawa did the opposite. He dragged a hand over his face. "What the hell are you doing here?"

"I was hoping I could speak with young Sasaki for a bit?"

"Me?" Izuku kneeled on the couch.

"That's right!" All Might grinned. He was in disguise, wearing a ball cap over his hair and basic sweatshirt and pants, but Izuku wasn't sure how anyone would be fooled. His size alone was pretty rare. "I have something very important I need to discuss with you."

"It couldn't have waited until later?" Aizawa groused.

"Nonsense! Time is fleeting, never procrastinate!"

Aizawa narrowed his eyes. "Fine, whatever." Opening the door, he retreated to the kitchen. The coffee maker started not long after.

All Might only took a few steps into the apartment. "Ah, would you mind coming with me? Just to the roof?"

Izuku tilted his head, curiosity growing. What could All Might possibly want to talk with him about in private?

"Please," Aizawa called from the kitchen. "You're too loud for pre-coffee."

"Okay, let me just…change." Whatever this conversation was about to be, he'd feel better if he wasn't in his pajamas. Aizawa reminded him to grab a hat, and he shoved it over his hair as best he could. It had been re-dyed before finals, but he hadn't wanted to cut it again and the curls didn't get along with hats very well.

The roof was lined with clotheslines, but no one had any washing out on it yet. All Might folded his fists against his hips and took deep inhales of the fresh air.

"It's a beautiful morning, isn't it?"

"Yeah," Izuku agreed. He'd been thoroughly enjoying it on the couch before All Might had shown up. Not that he was complaining! He still loved All Might, and there was a part of him geeking out over this entire situation, but a lot of the shine and novelty had worn off over the weeks of having All Might as a teacher. "Um, not to be rude, but what did you want to talk about?"

"I needed to ask you something," All Might said, his voice dropping to more normal levels. "Principal Nedzu told me about your past and your current situation."

Izuku's blood ran cold. "So you know…"

"I know, young Midoriya, A.K.A. Alley Cat."

Izuku's inner voice was nothing but a shrill shriek. All Might knew. He was probably here to yell at him, tell him he'd never be a hero, that he'd convinced Nedzu to expel him and send him to jail.

"Don't look so scared!" All Might said. "You're not in trouble!"

Breathing was still difficult. "Then why…"

All Might's smile slipped a bit. "I wanted to ask you how you felt about your father, and what drives you to be a hero."

The panic faded a little, replaced by the deep melancholy he usually felt when thinking about his father.

He stared down at his shoes. "I…don't know what to feel about my father. He's a villain. What he does hurts people, and he tried to kill me, but…he was still my dad. He took me to the movies, and amusement parks, and taught me how to use my quirk. He tried to teach me how to tie a tie, but I never really caught on to it…"

Izuku wouldn't claim his dad had ever been 'Dad of the year,' but his father had cared about him. Until Izuku was no longer useful and became another tool to throw away.

"Do you want to make him pay for trying to kill you?" All Might asked.

Tilting his head at the question, Izuku tried to figure out what All Might was trying to get out of him. "Of course I do. But I'm not going to try and kill him, if that's what you're asking."

All Might did seem to relax at that.

"I want him behind bars, where he can't hurt anyone anymore. I want his empire in the black market destroyed, and…" I want to see my mom. He didn't feel like it was safe to see her while his father was still at large, and he knew he'd never feel it was safe until his father was caught. But he'd gone so long without even a real hint of his father, and his mother had never been closer, it was getting harder to stay away.

"So you do want your father punished, but not necessarily by you. That's very noble, Midoriya."

His name sounded strange. He'd grown used to his alias without even realizing it. "I guess. I've been trying to find him ever since I ran away, and I send any tips I can to the police, but nothing seems to have worked yet."

"That's good. When I learned who your father was, I was worried you'd be angry and be out for revenge."

Izuku shook his head. "What he did does make me angry, but mostly it makes me sad now. It drove apart our family."

All Might nodded and put a hand on his shoulder. "And my second question? What drives you to be a hero?"

Answering this question was always hard. It had been all he'd ever wanted for so long, trying to put words to the emotions was difficult.

"I want to protect people. I want people to see me and know they're safe, that I can save them. That was why I kept being Alley Cat, even when I knew I shouldn't have. The look of relief on people's faces when I dropped in, I loved that feeling. Just showing up made everything better for them."

He missed that feeling. He loved UA, and he was happy to be working towards an official license, but he'd had a taste of what it would be like already.

"I know exactly what you mean," All Might said. "It's similar to why I originally wanted to be a hero. I wanted to be a symbol for others to rely on."

"And you are!" Izuku couldn't help butting in.

All Might chuckled. "Indeed. The Symbol of Peace. I accomplished what I wanted."

Why did he sound sad about that? Or, not sad, exactly, but…nostalgic. It was how Mrs. Ishiyama used to sound when talking over dinner about 'the good old days.'

"All Might?"

The hero sighed. "I have another question for you, and I want you to answer as honestly as you can."

"Okay?"

"Imagine you were as strong as I am. If you were to run into your father again, and if you were angry, angrier than you've ever been, what would you do?"

Izuku looked down at his hands, thinking the question over. If he were as powerful as All Might, and his father were in front of him? He would absolutely take his father down. Any hero who knew about him would. That wasn't the real question.

The real question was how badly would he hurt his father in the process?

"I wouldn't kill him," Izuku said quietly. "I know I can't kill him. I…won't lie. If I had your power, I'd get in a few good punches. And if I had your power, I wouldn't wait for him to come to me. I'd look for him, so I could take him in and stop hiding."

All Might nodded. "Thank you for indulging my questions."

"You're welcome. Can I ask one now?"

The hero nodded.

"Why were you asking me this stuff?"

All Might looked out over the city. "You'll make a great hero one day," he started carefully. "But someone in your position can be easily swayed onto darker paths. I wanted to check for myself you weren't the type."

Izuku blinked. "You were worried I might turn out to be a villain?" He would laugh if he wasn't so shocked at the idea. He'd risked his life when he was twelve for crying out loud to try and stop his father.

"Not a villain. I know you well enough to know you wouldn't go that far. But it's easy to grow bitter at your situation and let negative emotions get the better of you sometimes."

"I won't let that happen," Izuku said. "The night I ran away, I thought my dream of being a hero was out of my reach forever. I made myself be content with being a vigilante, because I thought it was the closest I'd ever get. I never expected this second chance that Aizawa and Principal Nedzu gave me. I won't disappoint them."

All Might squeezed his shoulder. "That's what I was hoping to hear." He turned towards the edge of the roof, looking out over the city, and put his fists on his hips again.

Izuku joined him for a few minutes, and they enjoyed the view in silence. He had a feeling All Might wasn't quite done, just trying to figure out how to ask his next question.

"You know, I've been thinking of retiring soon," All Might admitted quietly.

Izuku's brain short circuited. "What?"

All Might chuckled. "Don't look so surprised! I've been in the hero business for over thirty years, that's longer than most!"

"But…but you…you can't retire! You're All Might!" He couldn't imagine a world without All Might. He didn't want to imagine one.

"I am. I'm also human, and I'm long past my glory days."

Izuku was on the verge of a panic attack. "Don't say that."

"It's part of why I took up teaching this year. I'm not the hero I used to be. I won't be around forever."

Everything was blurry. Izuku's lip trembled. He was going to burst out in ugly sobs in a second if All Might didn't stop talking nonsense.

"I'm trying to find the next hero to take up my mantel and carry on for me," All Might said. "When I do retire, I want to make sure there's a new Symbol of Peace waiting to take my place."

The tears spilled over. "But…you can't."

"It's a reality all heroes have to face eventually," All Might said. "I'm one of the lucky ones who have time to prepare for the end of my career."

Izuku liked the implications of that even less. He rubbed furiously at his eyes. "Why…why are you telling me this?"

"You haven't figured it out?" All Might asked with a chuckle. "You're one of the ones I'm considering to be my successor."

Izuku peeked over his arm. He must not have heard that right over his sniffling. "What?"

"I keep telling you, you're going to make a great hero. When you told me why you want to be hero, you practically described what I see being the Symbol of Peace as. Your presence means safety for others, your reputation scares villains from attacking, you're a symbol for others to rely on."

"You really think…there have to be better people…"

"I haven't fully decided yet," All Might admitted. "You're the first one I've talked to about this, because, to be honest, you remind me of my mentor."

Izuku couldn't handle any more mind blowing revelations. His brain was crashing like an overheated computer.

"There's…more to being my successor than just being the Symbol of Peace. It's not a burden I want to give to anyone, and I want to be absolutely sure that whoever gets it can handle it."

"No, I get that, you don't have to explain it. I'm only a first year hero student, someone older is probably a better choice. Maybe one of the Big Three?" He'd never met any of the Big Three personally, but they had to be impressive if they'd earned that title.

All Might nodded. "Yes, I've been considering some older students, as well. I'm sorry to spring this on you when I haven't fully decided yet, that's not fair of me."

"Don't apologize. I'm honored to even be considered, even though you know who I really am." It was starting to sink in. All Might thought he was worthy of being his successor. He could die right this second and be perfectly happy about it.

"Still. I didn't intend to say anything about it at all, especially after interrogating you about such personal matters."

Izuku shook his head. "I understand why you needed to know that if you actually think I could be your successor. My answers could have totally dissuaded you."

"Exactly. I'm going to decide soon, hopefully by the end of summer, so you can start training as soon as possible."

"Okay. And don't feel like you have to pick me, just because you told me about it," Izuku said. "You have to pick the person best for society. I'll understand if that's not me."

All Might's eyes started watering. "I appreciate that, thank you. Now, I think I've taken up enough of your Sunday. Enjoy your day!"

He launched off the roof, flying over the city and dropping down out of sight closer to UA. Izuku stayed on the roof awhile longer, lost in thought, until Aizawa came up looking for him.

Xx

Izuku stayed lost in thought for most of the day, until Kaminari and Mineta invited him to the pool that afternoon for some endurance training.

The lighthearted break was exactly what he needed.

He stretched out by the pool. The sun beat down, and the water had never looked more refreshing.

Katsuki joined him, eyes glaring at something on Izuku's side.

Izuku glanced down and saw the scar from the stab wound. He gently traced it with his fingers. "Ah, yeah. It doesn't hurt, I promise."

"It shouldn't have happened," Katsuki growled.

"Whoa, Sasaki, what happened to you?" Sero asked.

"Ah, I got stabbed last year, it's no big deal!" Izuku waved his arms, like he could distract them from the mark.

"You got stabbed?" Mineta shrieked, which of course caught everyone's attention.

"It's really not a big deal!" Izuku insisted. It wasn't like he was the only one with a scar. Todoroki and Kirishima had the obvious ones on their faces, and Shoji had a line he wouldn't explain on his back.

"It's kind of a big deal," Ojiro countered.

"It really wasn't! I was in the wrong place at the wrong time and wasn't paying attention, that's all!"

Katsuki sighed and crossed his arms. "That doesn't make this better, idiot."

"Literally nothing you say is going to make the fact you got stabbed better," Kaminari said.

"I mean yeah, it kind of sucked, but it was a while ago! I got better?"

"It 'kind of sucked,'" Katsuki repeated.

"These are the types of injuries we will likely have to face as heroes," Iida pointed out. He'd been stabbed through the shoulders himself during Hosu, but the doctors there had quirks better designed to healing over scar tissue.

"There's really no point to getting so worked up about it," Todoroki added. As he was basically the expert on scars, it was his words that made everyone finally calm down.

"I guess," Kaminari said, giving Izuku's scar one last frown. "Seeing the scar just makes it…real, y'know?"

"I definitely recommend not getting stabbed if you can help it," Izuku said. "Now, are we going to swim or what?"

That was all it took to get the class back on track. Of course, because it was their class, it ended up being a competition. They raced to see who the fastest swimmer was.

It was definitely unfair when some of his class used their quirks. He cried foul with many of the others who didn't have suitable quirks for this. It wasn't like he could pull fire out of the water, and asking Todoroki felt more like cheating than if he'd been able to make it himself.

The final round was cut short by Aizawa. No one was happy about it, but no one dared oppose their teacher, either.

Katsuki, Todoroki, and Iida bickered in the locker rooms about which one of them would have won. Izuku stayed happily out of it.

He was slipping his shoes on when he noticed Mineta peering through a hole in the wall and mumbling something about girls.

He frowned. He could normally ignore his classmate's ogling. As long as the ogling stayed a respectful distance away from actual girls and within Mineta's head, Izuku was hopeful he'd grow out of it as they continued training.

If Mineta was about to start acting on these fantasies, they were going to have a problem.

Something poked Mineta in the eye, and the boy jumped back cursing. The muffled voices of the girls came through the wall. At least they could handle themselves against Mineta, even though they shouldn't have to. Izuku would have to bring it up with Aizawa later.

Other than that brief incident, the afternoon had been great. It distracted him from his conversation with All Might, which was what he needed more than anything. He could already tell it was going to be a topic he overthought late into the night for the next few weeks.

(He wasn't wrong)

Xx

Izuku gave up on sleeping that night around four in the morning. He'd been tossing and turning all night, dozing off only to startle awake from a nightmare. It wasn't worth the aggravation anymore.

He slipped out from his covers and went to the kitchen to make some tea. Maestro curled around his feet while he waited at the counter for the water to boil, and Mo sat in the hallway and glared at him.

He picked Maestro up and held him with one arm while he made his tea with the other, and then he carried the cat into the living room and sat on the couch.

It was just…too unbelievable. All Might couldn't be serious about considering Izuku. What had Izuku done to impress him? Just because he'd survived for two years as a vigilante didn't mean he'd make a good Symbol of Peace.

He wasn't sure he could handle the attention, honestly. He was so used to lying low, it would probably give him a heart attack if people started paying that much attention to him.

He sipped at his tea and stroked Maestro, letting his thoughts spiral into all the ways he'd be a terrible successor to the number one hero.

He didn't even know he'd fallen asleep until he woke up a few hours later, a blanket draped over him and the sun shining through the curtains.

The rest of the cats had found him, and he was buried under four tiny bodies. It was unfortunate that he really needed the bathroom.

After taking care of his business, he found that Hizashi had gone out and only Aizawa was home with him, which didn't seem like an accident.

He got through breakfast before the man came out of the office to interrogate him.

"So, couldn't sleep last night?" Aizawa asked, crossing his arms and leaning against the kitchen doorway. He was in gray sweats and an old white t-shirt, the design on it so faded it was nothing but blobs of dull color now.

Seeing him wear anything other than black was still weird. "Yeah. Mind wouldn't shut off." Izuku washed his bowl and set it in the drying rack.

"Still thinking about whatever All Might told you?" Aizawa asked.

Izuku nodded. He hadn't told them anything of their conversation. It didn't feel like it was his place.

"What's going on?" Aizawa pressed.

"It's nothing, really." By the end of summer, All Might would choose one of the third years to be his successor, and it really would be nothing.

"Not if you're losing sleep over it," Aizawa countered. He pushed off the doorway and took a few steps closer. "You know you can talk to me or Hizashi about anything, right?"

"I know." Izuku fidgeted with his fingers. "It just didn't seem like this was something All Might wanted me to share."

Aizawa raised a brow. "Did he talk to you about being his successor?"

Izuku's head snapped up.

It was confirmation enough. Aizawa sighed and ran a hand through his hair. "Of course that lunatic would choose you, why am I even surprised?"

Wait. Did Aizawa think it was already a solid decision? And what did all that mean, 'Of course he'd choose you?'

"He didn't…it's not official. He's still deciding, but he was asking me about my dad and stuff."

"If he's still deciding why the hell did he even bring it up?" Aizawa demanded.

Izuku shrugged helplessly. "I'm still trying to figure out why I'm even a choice."

Aizawa dragged his hands over his face, muttering darkly. "I'm going to have some choice words with that man the next time I see him. No wonder you couldn't sleep."

Izuku shrugged again, shuffling his feet a little on the floor.

For a moment, Aizawa just looked at him. Then he sighed and stepped forward to pull Izuku into a hug. "We've got to work on your self-esteem. You've got a big heart, and you're going to make a great hero one day. That's why All Might is considering you."

Izuku sank into the hug. Hugs from Aizawa were rare, and there definitely wouldn't be any during the training camp the next few weeks. "It's a bad idea for me to be his successor, isn't it? I mean, everything with my dad, and then if people found out about Alley Cat, that'd be pretty bad…"

"Not going to lie, the media getting ahold of that one would be bad for any hero. But hopefully Alley Cat will be long gone by the time any of this happens, and no one will think to connect a pro to an old vigilante." He pulled away from the hug a little to ruffle Izuku's hair. "Especially after you finally get a growth spurt."

Izuku groaned and stepped back. "If I could will myself to be taller, I would!"

Aizawa chuckled. "You work on that. Let All Might worry about his successor. You have a training camp to pack for."

"Bold of you to assume I'm not already packed."

"Are you?"

"…No."

"Then get to it."

Izuku scurried off, feeling a little better about everything. Aizawa was right. The decision was All Might's, and Izuku was sure the man would see all the reasons Izuku was a terrible choice. He didn't need to worry so much, because he wouldn't be All Might's successor in the end.

Not to mention this training camp really did need more of his attention. Aizawa had been promising for weeks it was going to be hell.

If this didn't distract him from overthinking, nothing would.

Xx

The man on the couch looked far too comfortable for Kurogiri's liking. Sensei had brought him in, but he hadn't explained why.

The two photos the man set on the coffee table between them were the explanation. One was Ryu Sasaki, a still photo of him in the stands during the sports festival. The other was a family photo of the man before him with his wife and son, Izuku Midoriya.

"What's your point, Dragon?" Shigaraki demanded. He extremely short tempered tonight.

"I want my son back," Dragon said. "You've managed to break through UA's security before, so I'm willing to bet you can do it again."

"Why should we?" Shigaraki asked.

"I can pay you money, if that's what you want," Dragon offered with a shrug. "I've also got a contact I can introduce you to that you'd find…useful."

"What contact?"

"He's part of the Yakuza. They've been developing a serum for a few years now that will erase a person's quirk."

Kurogiri perked up with interest, though he knew it was hard to notice with all the mist swirling around his features.

Shigaraki scratched at his neck. "Erase a person's quirk, you say. Permanently?"

"Not yet, but he claims he's close to a permanent serum."

More scratching. "What do you think Kurogiri?"

"I think it's worth looking into. It doesn't hurt to have back up plans." In truth, erasing All Might's quirk would be the better plan for their goal, but Shigaraki wouldn't like the implication. Calling it a back up plan let Shigaraki think his original plan was still the superior one.

"So do we have a deal?" Dragon asked.

"We'll think about it. It's a lot of work to get through UA's security, you know," Shigaraki said. "And this doesn't seem like a very big pay out. I'm not sure it's worth it."

Smoke drifted out of Dragon's mouth. "Then consider this offer: You get my son, alive and in one piece, and I don't burn your hideout to the ground."

He would never have the chance. Kurogiri would warp him to the middle of nowhere before he could even light the couch on fire.

Shigaraki wasn't impressed with the threat, either. "Kurogiri, get him out of here. I'm bored."

Dragon's protests vanished into the warp gate, leaving blessed silence in the bar.

Shigaraki's laughter replaced the quiet soon after. "I can't believe one of All Might's precious little students is the son of a villain. And he was a vigilante for years!"

There was a kind of irony to that, and Kurogiri smiled.

"He had a lot of interesting things to say yesterday. I'm starting to get why you were so obsessed with the brat," Shigaraki went on. "I want to flaunt that fact in the big hero's face! I want to see it break him!"

"Do you want to consider Dragon's offer, then? Kidnapping the boy would bring him to the media's attention, and the secret would undoubtedly be revealed."

"That's true. And just imagine that stupid school trying to explain how they let a villain in as a student!"

Kurogiri smiled to himself. Shigaraki was finally coming around to his thinking, and they'd ultimately end up with a better plan if they had this quirk erasing serum. Besides, they were already planning to kidnap one student, what difference did one more make?