"Hey Dabi, how did you get those scars?" Cozy Glow asked as she sat at the bar with the new recruit.
"Why should I tell you?" Dabi asked as he took a sip from a glass of bourbon. "You're just a kid."
"I may be just a kid but I know a lot about how the world works." Cozy Glow pointed out. "You know, I was smart even as a little baby. My Quirk, [Master Control], lets me amplify, weaken, and nullify Quirks. I figured if I had such a cool power, I could get people to do whatever I wanted!"
Dabi arched an eyebrow as Cozy Glow continued her story.
"Course, I was a pretty lonely kid and I figured that if I helped amplify boring Quirks and weaken uncontrollable ones, I could make friends and become the greatest hero ever. Of course, people followed me, but then they all turned against me after a while...even three I thought were my real friends..."
Cozy Glow actually looked genuinely sad as she reminisced a painful memory. This gave Dabi pause as he realized he understood her more than he initially thought he would.
"So, I figured if nobody wanted to be my friend, I'd just be a Villain instead. So here I am, and I don't regret it!"
Dabi chuckled. "Well, guess I can respect you seeing just how disgusting this society is. What say we burn it down together?"
"You mean you'll be my friend? I mean, Tomura is a friend too but he's kinda my big brother, he sorta gets an automatic pass."
"Heh, sure, we can be friends," Dabi said. "Just as long as neither of us gets in each other's way, we're golden."
"Golly, this is so exciting!" Cozy Glow giggled.
Tomura rolled his eyes as he watched the exchange before snapping his fingers and having Kurogiri hand him an envelope to pay Giran for his service in providing the new recruits to their team. Giran opened the envelope handed to him and counted the cash inside.
"That's actually more than I was expecting. Didn't figure All For One would be so generous."
"No, that's more me than him..."
The wisened old voice alerted the League as they turned to see none other than Grogar stepping out of the shadows, a grin on his wrinkled face.
"THE Grogar?!" Chrysalis gasped.
"Master, you've returned!" Tirek said in surprise. "I thought you had died all those years ago."
"Grogar?" Cozy Glow asked curiously. "Doesn't ring any bells to me."
"It seems I've been away too long if my name does not strike fear into the hearts of a simple child," Grogar said as he loomed over the youngest member of the League, who shrunk slightly at his piercing gaze.
"Far as I'm concerned, you're just an ancient relic." Dabi scoffed. "What can you possibly provide for this tea-"
Dabi was cut off when Grogar lifted two fingers and skeletal hands suddenly erupted from the ground, grabbing onto Dabi as they snaked around him, covering his mouth and restraining his hands.
"My Quirk, [Necromancer], allows me to command not just the armies of the dead, but also the forces of destruction itself! I created many mighty beasts to serve me in my youth and I only amassed more power as I passed on my knowledge to Tirek and Mugen. But then their impotent brother Yoichi stepped in because of Mugen's foolish ego providing him the power he needed to stand against us!"
"I think that asshole has got the picture," Tomura said. "You can release him now."
Grogar chuckled and with a wave of his hand, freed Dabi from his restraints, the skeletal hands turning into dust and sprinkling the floor.
"Well, he's certainly quite powerful." Sliming Sadist chuckled. "My master, Crimson Death, spoke many great things about you during his time."
"I can assure you, he spoke the truth of what I am capable of," Grogar said.
"If it's all the same to you, I think I'll take a walk, maybe get a new video game or something," Tomura said as he stood up and began to leave the bar, pulling up a hoodie to conceal his face before stopping and turning to the Dazzlings. "Of course, if you girls are interested..."
"Oooh! Can we go to the mall? There's this amazing Taqueria that sells the best tacos!" Sonata gushed excitedly.
"You'll have to excuse her, she's obsessed with Mexican food," Aria said as the Dazzlings followed after Tomura.
"Congratulations to all of you on passing your final exams," Aizawa said to the class. "Some of you might have expected this, but me saying that those who failed would not get to go to training camp was another logical ruse."
"I KNEW IT!" Tony snapped as he stood up from his desk before sighing and sitting back down. "Can't you be honest with us once in your damn life?"
"Hey, he figured by now that we'd figure him out!" Elleanor said to her brother with a shrug.
"Honestly, I was expecting at least some of you to need to take the escape option. The fact that each of you successfully captured your teachers when the opportunity presented itself is an excellent display of both your decision-making skills and how far you've come in terms of controlling your Quirks. Especially Ashido and Kaminari."
"But of course!" Trixie proudly said. "One as amazing as I couldn't possibly fail!"
"Even if the teachers were holding back, they still gave us plenty of opportunities to pass if we could find them," Kira noted.
Aizawa nodded. "ow then, regarding the training camp. Naturally, the point will be the improvement of your Quirks and combat abilities. Expect this to be your toughest bout yet. Additionally, it will be joint training with Class 1-B. You'll be interested to know they all passed their final exam as well, using a similar method to how we tested you."
"Wow, I wonder how that went," Twilight said.
"I hate to think how they decided to counter Shinso," Sunset noted.
"The training camp will be held at the end of the month, just as summer vacation ends. You'll be staying a full week, so pack accordingly." Aizawa explained. "You'll have a bit of a break before then. The I-Expo is coming soon, and each of you has been offered tickets. Some will even get the chance to see the preview. You'll be notified of whether that was the case. That's all for class."
"Whoa Nelly, I-Island?!" Applejack exclaimed. "Now that's a trip I wasn't expectin'!"
"I'm gonna need a bigger suitcase..." Flash decided.
"Huh, well holy crap..." Katsuki said.
"I didn't even pack a bathing suit!" Denki cried.
"That's so muffins!" Derpy cheered. "I can't wait!"
"If that's the case, let's all go shopping!" Tooru suggested.
"A most excellent idea, Hagakure." Jotaro smiled. "We've never really hung out as a class."
While at the Kiyashi Ward Shopping Mall, the class all split up into groups to cover the most ground over what they wanted/needed for the upcoming trip. Tenya ran into Mei, who took him, Kira, and Jotaro shopping while Shoto and Momo went to have some drinks with Trixie, Starlight, Sunset, and Flash.
Izuku had decided to take the time to have an impromptu date with Twilight, Katsuki having the same idea with Elleanor. The entire class was also recognized by people who had watched the Sports Festival, some of them even getting the chance to sign some autographs.
"Oh! There's this book I really wanted to get!" Twilight excitedly said as she made her way to the bookstore. "I'll meet up with you and the others back at the food court!"
Izuku smiled and nodded as he watched Twilight runoff. Turning around, he went to continue exploring the mall when he bumped into somebody wearing a dark hoodie.
"Oh, sorry, I didn't mean to-!"
"You're Izuku Midoriya, right?" The hooded guy said. "Gotta say, I'm a big fan..."
Izuku's eyes widened as he recognized the slight rasp in the guy's voice. As soon as they made eye contact with each other, he fully realized who it was.
"Shigaraki?!"
"You remember me? I'm touched." Tomura chuckled. "I saw you with your girlfriend earlier. I wanted to tell the girl thanks for cutting off my hands but...I could tell the two of you were busy."
"What are you doing here?" Izuku asked cautiously, his eyes narrowing.
"Nothing, really. Just needed to get some fresh air, get some new video games for the lounge..."
It was there Izuku noticed Tomura's new black crystalline hands, studying their composition and deducing they had to be Quirk-made.
"The new hands?"
"Oh yeah, I got patched up real good by a friend. Sadly, I can't use my Quirk anymore but I feel a little grateful. Makes it easier to touch things without having to worry about destroying them."
"I see...is there anything else you had in mind?"
"Figured we could sit down and have a nice talk. Your girlfriend may have been the one to 'disarm' me, but I've been watching you and you're the real star of the show."
The next thing Izuku knew, he and Tomura had sat down and were sharing lunch in the food court. Tomura stirred the straw in his soda before letting out a sigh, breaking the silence between them.
"You know, I envy you Midoriya. You grew up with loving parents, friends you could trust, and stability...but I grew up with a father who hated heroes and would lash out at me for even so much as mentioning them. Then my Quirk came in and when you're a young kid frustrated with life and a destructive power... well, accidents happen."
"Is that when you fell in with All For One?" Izuku asked.
"Guess you learned about him, huh? But yeah, that was more or less it. I was alone on the street and no one would help me because everyone expected some hero or other to do it for them. Society, am I right?"
Tomura chuckled bitterly as Izuku frowned, getting a better understanding of the one who had led the attack on the USJ all those months ago.
"A long time ago, I wanted to be a Hero just like you are now...but that path is closed off to me. Now, all I can do is build up the League of Villains into a proper organization to make our mark on the world." Tomura admitted. "Of course, there's also these three girls that I've taken an interest in... ever heard of The Dazzlings?"
Izuku perked up. "Yeah, they're a trio of thieves who have pulled off all sorts of heists using their Quirks and singing talents to charm everyone around them!"
"Well, they wanted to go big as members of the League. Can't say there's anything official between us yet...but I like to think we've found a spark."
"Is there any other reason you're sticking to being a Villain?" Izuku asked.
Tomura scowled. "Take a look at everyone around us, Midoriya. All of them walk around blissfully unaware of the suffering people like me have faced. The peace that All-Might and Celestia made has blinded people and I aim to pull the wool over everyone's eyes. If that means I have to lie, steal, kill, and destroy... so be it."
"I can understand you must have suffered terribly, with nobody there to help you when you needed it..." Izuku said sympathetically. "But there's no way I'm going to let you tear the world down in the process."
"Heh, guess you are meant to be my nemesis," Tomura smirked. "You're the ego to my id, the reason to my madness. The Mario to my Bowser. It honestly couldn't be any more perfect!"
"You certainly enjoy your video game lingo."
"Hey, when you've grown up as a gamer like me, you tend to word things that way too." Tomura chuckled. "Took me a while to learn how to play without dusting my controller, though."
"How do you play games that have a morality system? Do you go for the bad option automatically?" Izuku wondered.
"To be honest; No," Tomura confessed. "Playing the villain in a video game might bring short-term satisfaction, but it can hurt you in the long run. Take Bioshock for instance. Yeah, you get more ADAM harvesting the Little Sisters, but you still can't buy everything in the Gatherer's Garden. But for every Little Sister you save, they offer you a supply of ADAM later down the line, and a new Plasmid. It ultimately results in a much larger net gain by the end of the game."
"I'm guessing you've also done the best possible endings for Detroit Become Human and Heavy Rain?"
"Sure thing. It helps me better picture the kind of society that I want to make you understand. You have much more open-mindedness than anybody else and I can respect that, at the very least."
Tomura then got up and walked off, his hands in his pockets.
"Thanks for the talk, Midoriya. I think I've gotten some insight into how to work things in my favor." He turned his head to give a sinister smirk. "Also, don't try and follow me. I may no longer have my Quirk, but I can still kill plenty of people before I get taken down."
Tomura demonstrated his point, by turning his crystal fingers into sharp claws and making a cutting gesture over his throat. Izuku narrowed his eyes as the man who was now officially his nemesis disappeared into the crowd.
"Where did you go?" Adagio asked as Tomura regrouped with the Dazzlings. Sonata was munching on several tacos while Aria had gotten a new book to read.
"I bumped into Midoriya and we had a little chat. It helped me realize something along the way." Tomura explained.
"Oh, and what's that?" Aria asked, looking up from her book.
"Society needs its eyes opened. It needs to realize the true connection Heroes and Villains have. For every bright-eyed brave Hero who comes along to keep the peace, a Villain comes to oppose them because society didn't treat them right... or maybe they just want to have fun and cause good old-fashioned chaos. Either way, I have a plan...a plan to become the new kingpin of villains!"
Naturally, Izuku had to report Tomura's appearance to the police, as well as the fact that the Dazzlings were now affiliated with the League.
"So what sort of epiphany do you think he came to? What sort of goal did he find?" Detective Naomasa asked.
"I'm not sure, but I think he's come to a conclusion that Heroes and Villains fundamentally need each other for society to truly function."
"So he's basically acknowledged that there will always be good and evil forces opposing each other." Naomasa nodded. "It doesn't give us the full extent of what his endgame plans are, but at least he seems to have an understanding of what he wants."
"Young Midoriya!" Izuku turned to see Toshinori approach. "I heard what happened from Young Twilight and the others. I'm sorry I couldn't come any sooner!"
"It's okay, All-Might. You're here now, at least." Izuku smiled.
"IZUKUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUU!" Pinkie cried as she tackled Izuku to the ground, hugging him tightly and rubbing her cheek against his. "WE WERE SO WORRIED WHEN WE HEARD SHIGARAKI WAS THERE!"
"Did that rat try anything on ya, pardner?" Applejack asked as she helped Izuku to his feet, Pinkie still clinging to him.
"No, we just talked. He was actually pretty civil."
"Thank goodness that's all he did..." Twilight said before embracing her boyfriend. "Don't ever scare me like that again, okay?"
Izuku smiled as he hugged back. "I don't know if I can actually promise that considering our career choice."
"Hey, if I was there, I would have caught him in a snap!" Marco chuckled before turning to see Click giving him a look. "Hey, don't give me that look!"
"It warms my heart to see you all safe and sound." Celestia smiled softly. "Speaking of which, Toshi and I were contacted by an old friend from America recently. We'll be heading to the I-Expo next week and we're hoping to bring you along."
"I've always wanted to see the extent of your technological capabilities!" Marco smiled. "From what I've seen so far, it's all much different from my home dimension!"
"Oh, this is so exciting! I really need to dress my best for this!" Rarity said. "Thankfully the mall is still open for a few more hours! Come on, let's make haste!"
Izuku, Marco, the rest of the Mane 6, Toshinori, and Celestia all had a good-natured laugh as Rarity bolted off to the clothing store.
"Things are proceeding well," Dr. Ujiko said. "The League of Villains' roster continues to grow."
"That is very good indeed. And the former allies of my old friend Crimson Death have joined as well." All For One said. "Still, it's rather disconcerting that Tomura is growing away from me. I must find a way to bring him back under my wing or else there will be nobody to replace me."
All For One then smirked as he tapped a button, allowing him to come into contact with one of his many associates.
"Of course, considering the I-Expo is coming next week, perhaps it will do some good to stir up a little chaos of my own..."
In the next chapter, we cover the first movie! It'll be the longest chapter yet but if mtnetsurfer could cover it all in one chapter, so can I!
-BIO TIME-
[Trixie Lulamoon]
Hero Name: The Illusion Hero: Magician
Quirk: Spatial Illusion
Quirk Description: Trixie is able to manipulate space to cast all sorts of illusions. She can create clones of herself and others, teleport, bring in items to and from various locations in the blink of an eye, disappear into her hat, hide in impossible spaces like inside someone's clothes, and manipulate people's perceptions of her illusions to make them essentially pseudo-real.
[Eijirou Kirishima]
Hero Name: The Manly Hero: Red Riot
Quirk: Hardening
Quirk Description: Eijirou is able to harden any part of his body. This allows him to withstand otherwise lethal hazards without suffering so much as a scratch. Aside from increased defense, Hardening also grants Eijirou offensive power by turning his hardened body rough and sharp like rock, increasing his physical strength and allowing him to cut enemies.
[Sorahiko Torino]
Hero Name: The Jetstream Hero: Gran Torino
Quirk: Jet
Quirk Description: Gran Torino has open holes on the soles of his feet that can expel air, allowing him to fly around a limited range as well as move faster than the eye can follow, even on the ground.
[Giman 'Cozy Glow' Guro]
Villain Name: Cozy Glow
Quirk: Master Control
Quirk Description: With a touch, Cozy Glow can amplify, weaken, or outright disable someone's Quirk. The effects are only temporary and eventually wear off after a set period of time.