My Hero Academia – Under Pressure – Season 3 – Episode 7 – Take The District
In the lair of The Deck, within the office of The Dealer, the master of cards sat at his desk and checked some files on his computer.
Suddenly, a notification came upon his screen, and he personally checked the watch on his wrist to ensure that it wasn't wrong. As he knew, technology could be wrong in the right circumstances, and for a day like today, one mustn't be late, nor caught unawares of what was to come.
The Dealer pulled out his deck of cards and started to shuffle them with his Quirk. He watched with glee as they danced around in the air, until with a simple motion of his hand they all collected into one solid deck by the time his hand touched the reassembled cards on the table.
With very normal ability, he started to spread the cards out on the table in a pattern that was known only to him and how his mind worked.
"If you were to ask me what I do with my deck outside of my Quirk, the answer should be obvious: I play games. I often do it to amuse myself, and see how good I am at understanding the cards when I'm not using my abilities."
He continued to spread out the cards until a good number of them were on the table, he then gazed at them with a curiosity of a gamer, as if he tried to predict what cards were where and which he should turn over first.
"Despite what you might think, I never rig the cards when I shuffle them. Or at least, not when other people draw from it. When I draw from it, I make sure I pick a good card, like when I had to make a certain businessman go 'boom' to maintain our reputation."
The Dealer hovered his hands over the cards, as though he wanted them to speak to him in some way.
"But I never cheat, where's the fun in that? I live for the thrill of the game, even if it's one I might think I'll lose. Because everyone loses, the catch is whether you learn from the loss and make sure it doesn't happen again. That's how I run The Deck, and it's why most of the world doesn't know about us. But after today…that might change. Why…?"
His hand stopped over a card and his wicked smile grew upon his face, he turned the card over to reveal the Jack of Clubs.
"Because a big plan is being made. A villain of high repute asked for my services and I was happy to grant them. But things…escalated, and now a bet is on. If he can take over a district of Japan and maintain control of it despite the efforts of certain top Pro-Heroes, I'll give him my entire Deck to grow his empire. If he loses, he becomes part of my Deck. Delightful, isn't it?"
He picked up the Jack of Clubs and twirled it between his fingers for a time, a small chuckle came from him as his thoughts of what would happen grew.
"I wasn't lying when I said he was a villain of high standing, he is. He's The Dominator, a powerful villain who has gotten farther than most of his line. But like others, he's blinded by empty views on the world and what constitutes power. But I promised to help him and I did. Gave him free access to my Deck and outlined the rules of engagement carefully. As of right now…his plan will be starting…"
A good distance away, in the Kagawa Prefecture of Japan lies the Shozu District. What made this district special was not what was on it, but rather, what wasn't. It was a set of islands off the mainland that made up its district, and despite it having a decent sized land kilometers-wise, its population was under 40,000.
While this may not seem like the ideal location to stage an attack, the goal was beyond just finding the "perfect spot", it was about a statement being both made, and maintained. As The Dominator looked out over the town of Tonoshō, he could tell it would indeed be a good spot for his domination to begin. Not the least of which was that it allowed for his forces to work well and cause what he needed to via the town's "maze-like design" with its houses, its ports, and more.
The other major town in the district was Shōdoshima, but it wasn't as impressive despite the larger population, and it had a flatter landscape. This needed to be a spectacle, especially for the battles to come and the message to be sent.
Some figures appeared behind The Dominator, and they eagerly awaited his command.
He turned to some on his left side and said simply, "You may begin."
Back at the desk of The Dealer, he put down the Jack of Clubs card and again hovered his hand over the cards that remained. He eventually turned one over and saw the Four of Spades.
"Now, you might be curious as to how long it might take a man like The Dominator to truly take a district. Well, given who he is, he'd want a quick victory, or at least attempt it to be quick. So, he'd go somewhere small to start, and pick the right people to take it over in a hurry. As you'll soon see, everything that happens in this day will start and end by the time night falls. But how can you do such a takeover so quickly? Simple, you start by taking away basic things from the people. Such as…"
A man and a woman stepped to the edge of the spot where The Dominator stood. They were dressed in a unique matching set of black and purple garb, and an odd mist poured out of them at key spots. They held hands and jumped high into the air. Then, they started to spin in place once they were high in the sky.
The mist that came from them soon turned into full-on billow clouds of smoke. It expanded in the sky, and started to pour out in all directions.
"You see, people have a basic set of things they feel they need to be safe or comfortable. You ever notice how people get antsy when it gets dark and cloudy? It's because they often don't want to deal with the rain, and that puts them on edge. So now imagine a place that's normally very sunny suddenly getting covered in an odd batch of smoke…"
As the people saw the smoke start to spread and then fall to the ground, a mix of emotions came across their faces. Many were perplexed, others were slightly scared as they weren't sure what was going on. A few already started to head inside or flee to safer areas.
"The irony of this is that for some, this wouldn't instantly read as an 'attack', which is no doubt why The Dominator asked the Cloud Twins to be a part of his team. They may be two people, but their power only works together, hence one card in case you were curious. Anyway, they were the setup, the 'boundary layer' if you will for the attack that is to come. The second step in taking over a district, is to make sure the people know just how much trouble they're in. Or in other words…you cause a panic."
Back in the District, The Dominator smiled as his plan was now in motion. He motioned to the other 11 Deck members and they all put on a set of special goggles, ones that would let them see through the cloud fog.
After his were on, he turned to them all and addressed them with authority and intent, "It's time. You know your assignments. You five will take the lesser town and take out any threats you see. You six will be with me and we'll raise havoc in Tonoshō so that when the major Pro-Heroes arrive we're ready for them. Do not fail your tasks. Now go!"
With simple nods they all departed in one form or another, all save for one, who remained in place and merely stood next to The Dominator. The man was very odd looking in regards to how simple he dressed, yet he had a face that was cracked near his forehead, almost as if you could see inside of it.
The man extended one hand toward Tonoshō, and touched his temple with the other.
As the people of Tonoshō were now covered in smoke, they talked to others or themselves and wondered what to do. Their indecision was met with pain as a loud screech pierced their minds and caused them to clutch at their heads to try and make it stop.
Just as suddenly as it started, it stopped, and the people looked to one another for answers, only for them to be met with another blast of the screech.
The Dealer turned over another card, the Nine of Diamonds, and smiled as he thought about another of his members.
"Mindblast. I shouldn't have favorites, but he is one of them. His ability lets him create an explosion of noise that sounds like a massive screech in your mind. He can cripple people where they stand for as long as he wants. But that's not the plan today, his plan is to make the people panic, and trust me when I say, they'll panic after a few blasts from him."
Sure enough, once the screech stopped long enough for them to move, the people of Tonoshō scattered to all corners of the town. They raced to the various parts of it to try and get away from the chaos and confusion.
They ran to their homes, to their workplaces, to key public areas, wherever they felt they could get to. They didn't know what was happening, all they knew was that it was bad, and that they couldn't stop it.
Unfortunately for them, this was just the beginning of all that was to happen.
From where he stood, The Dominator extended his arms and soaked up the energy that poured to him, the energy that gave him strength, as so many people's wills were broken, all without him having to throw a punch.
"Hmph, and he thinks I'll fail," he said to himself as he felt his power rise even more now that his confidence grew. "Well, time to enter the fray myself as the Pro-Heroes of the district will show up soon enough…"
As he slowly walked down from his high spot and approached the town of Tonoshō, the other members of The Deck started to cause chaos of their own beyond the smoke and the screeches.
They tore up the roads, slashed at buildings, wrecked landmarks and other items of importance, whatever it took to up the ante and cause the maximum amount of fear. The people did their best to keep away from the villains, and to their benefit, the villains weren't attacking the villagers openly. Some did get caught in the crossfire, but none died, only injured in certain ways.
As The Dealer flipped over more cards he chuckled and ruminated at the thought of what was going on in the district.
"The various wars of our world have tried to teach you that it takes an army to get anything done in terms of conquering, those were ancient times though. Long before the Quirks of the world emerged. Now, all it takes is the right plan, the right people, and you can get things rolling in a hurry. But, you must also plan for resistance, and the unexpected. After all, no battleplan survives contact with the enemy, right?"
High in the sky, the Cloud Twins continued to spin around and kept their Quirk active. But what they didn't know was that someone watched them from ground level that wasn't on their side. An armored individual who reared back and threw something into the air.
Quick as a flash, the male twin got slammed into hard by something, it drilled him right in the back, and caused him to yell in pain. His sister grabbed onto him, but the impact affected her too and they both plummeted from the sky, their Quirk stopped as a result.
The Dominator saw this and grunted, "Unfortunate, I had hoped that no one would be able to reach them for a while yet, oh well, looks like I'll be getting my reps in early…"
He shifted his position and moved to where the twins fell.
They landed hard on the ground within the town and both struggled to get up, and as they attempted to, they looked for what hit them.
"Don't bother getting up," came a voice from a source they couldn't see. "I'll just put you down again."
Eventually, from the back of the male twin, a spec jumped off of him and grew to reveal that the Pro-Hero Compact had hit him.
"I know, you didn't see me coming, that's kind of the point. Now, you two are going to tell me who you are and what you are doing to Tonoshō. As well as who else is here because I know you aren't here alone based on all the chaos that's going on currently."
"You mean the chaos that is going to continue, little hero," came a different voice.
Compact turned to see The Dominator march toward him, this took the Pro-Hero aback, "Dominator? What are you doing here?"
"I could ask you the same thing, this isn't the prefecture you're known for being in."
"I was visiting a friend and helping him on a personal case, good thing I did that, I guess. Since when do you work in a team?"
An evil grin grew on Dominator's face, "Not a team, they're part of my strike force, one that will help me takeover this district before the day ends. The glorious beginning of my empire."
Compact scoffed and readied himself for battle, "There might not be that many Pro-Heroes on this island, but it'll be enough to take you down and whatever other people have with you."
"If you really believe that, then please, come forward and try to strike me down."
A brief pause filled the space, both sides gazed at the other to see who would make the first move.
Compact was the first to do so, he rushed forward and prepared to strike, The Dominator reared back and threw a punch, which was what the Pro-Hero wanted.
He dodged the punch, slid behind the villain, then did a quick run up towards his back. Just before he jumped to kick him, he shrunk in size, and drilled him in the back not unlike he had done with the Cloud Twin before.
Just like before, he connected, but unlike before, The Dominator didn't go down hard. He was pushed forward quite a bit by the kick, but whether it honestly hurt him was debatable.
The Dominator waited for a moment or two before he turned to Compact and grimaced at him, "I'll admit, I briefly forgot about that Quirk of yours. Guess I am as arrogant as they say."
"You said it, I didn't," joked Compact as he prepared to strike again.
"Then allow me to have the next words, I'll enjoy squashing you with my bare hands."
With a roar he rushed at the Pro-Hero, and once again the hero dodged as he used his Quirk to shrink out of sight before the villain could hit him.
"Those games will only work for so long!"
That was put to the test when Compact drilled him right in the face, and once again got Dominator to stumble away. He bared his teeth as he rubbed his chin and proceeded to try and strike again. Compact again did the same technique, but this time, the villain was ready for him.
Dominator pivoted from a punch to spinning in place, and a tornado of motion was made. Unfortunately for the Pro-Hero, it was easy for him to get caught in this torrent of motion, and it eventually led to him getting drilled by the villain's fist and being sent into a nearby wall. A wall that cracked when he hit it due to the force he exerted on impact.
The Dominator saw this and lunged forward, "Got you!"
He threw a mighty punch and Compact barely dodged by returning to full size and moving just enough away.
The building that was hit was not so lucky though, it cracked heavily and part of it buckled due to Dominator's strength. Though this made the villain pleased, it unnerved the Pro-Hero.
"You're lucky no one was in that building!" called out Compact.
"…there are always sacrifices when building an empire."
"You'll build nothing here! I'll make sure of it! Special Move: Shrink Blitz!"
As he shrunk once more, he did a different tactic than before. He bounced off the various surfaces he could reach within the street area and made sure that every time he hit The Dominator as hard as he could, then bounced off the villain and started the process all over again.
Ironically, this was a major weakness of The Dominator, one he had faced in the past with his struggles against the Pro-Heroes. He knew that he could match-up against them in strength and endurance, but that wouldn't mean anything if he couldn't hit them back.
Compact's small size and impressive speed exploited that. If he was alone, this would've arguably doomed his plan…
…if he was alone…
"That's enough of that…" came a lighter voice from a nearby roof.
A feminine hand reached out and glowed. The still small Compact suddenly found him drop to the ground, and unable to get up, or to shrink out of his tiny state. His eyes moved enough though so that he could see a woman in a dark-haired in a skin-tight leotard on a roof, her hand glowing, and a wicked smile on her lips.
With The Dealer, he flipped over a ten of hearts and laughed once more, "Momentum, another favorite of mine. She's honestly really charming, but her Quirk can literally make you stop in your tracks by getting rid of the energy you were using to move in any direction. Not that you need to know this, but she uses that Quirk to prank the other members of The Deck…they hate it…I don't."
The Dominator quickly recovered from the now finished onslaught and gave a grateful bow of the head to Momentum, "Thank you, dear Momentum, I knew I was right to put you on my team."
"Flattery gets you everywhere," she said with a flirty wave of her free hand while she kept Compact in place.
"Good to know. Now, as for our Pro-Hero 'friend'…"
He looked down at where Compact laid. The Pro-Hero struggled to move, but Momentum's Quirk refused to let that happen. The Dominator couldn't help but chuckle at his foe's state.
"I did promise to squash you with my bare hands, but now I must admit, I'm curious how long it would take to squash you out of existence!"
With quick precision, he slammed his foot upon Compact, and crater formed where his foot was. Compact was alive within the crater, but he clearly felt it. As such, Dominator stomped again and again, his smile and strength grew with every attack.
If he was alone, Compact would have been killed…if he was alone…
A geyser of energy slashed across the ground and hit The Dominator, which forced the onslaught to stop. Another slice hit the building that Momentum was on, and caused it to partially collapse with her still on it. Her Quirk not in effect, Compact was able to regain his full size.
The Dominator didn't go down, but he did turn to see who dared attack him.
It was the armored individual that helped take down the Cloud Twins. That armor of his was traditional Samurai armor, and just like a Samurai, he wielded a long katana. But this one was clearly different as it shimmered and glowed in a way that was unnatural.
"You will not lay another hand, or foot, on him," spoke the Samurai.
The Dominator grunted unamused, "The Slicer emerges. I knew this was your home turf, and I admit, I wanted a challenge. I'm guessing it was you who brought in Compact?"
"Not that it matters, but yes, I was dealing with a villain here and needed his assistance. You though, now have my full attention…"
He pointed his sword at him, then withdrew it to be in more of an attack position. Dominator smirked and prepared himself for battle.
"Who doesn't like a good showdown? It almost feels like a movie, doesn't it? The daring hero trying to avenge a friend from a villain who cares not for life? Oh, you almost have to wonder how it's going to go…almost…"
This time, it was The Dominator who made the first move. He blasted toward the Pro-Hero, who did nothing but wait. As he did though, his blade charged up. The closer the villain got, the more it glowed.
Eventually, once The Dominator was in range, he let loose a yell and slice the air with his blade, "AIIYAHH!"
The energy poured out of the blade and hit The Dominator square in the chest. Even he was impressed by the power that this one strike had, as it pushed him back, and took much of his strength to shake it off without an injury to his body.
The Slicer didn't react to this, he just brought his blade back up and charged it one again, this pleased The Dominator, "Good, I want a challenge that's more my speed…"
The two went back and forth in their strikes, The Dominator used his brute force power and endurance to good effect. He would punch the ground and then hurl chunks of it at The Slicer, who stayed true to his name and literally sliced it to pieces.
The Pro-Hero fought back and used his training to dodge the blows of the villain and would get small slices on his foe's body. It wasn't much, but it was enough to unbalance him. What's more, every strike that would land would make The Dominator angrier.
As The Slicer learned in his own training, an angrier opponent is a sloppier opponent, which made dodging attacks much easier for him.
Still, the fight was not easy, as The Dominator still had his immense strength and could shrug off even decently charged strikes from the Pro-Heroes blade.
But what he forgot to do was mind his surroundings, because when he reared up for a punch, he felt the familiar sensation of being hit in the back.
He stumbled forward, and after he regained his footing he turned to see a damaged but still upright Compact smirking at him, "I'm sorry…did you forget about me…?"
The Slicer faltered in his resolve in that moment, "Compact, no! You're too hurt, stay back, I can hold him off until others arrive."
"Sorry buddy, but I had his number before, and with us working together? We'll beat him."
"…very well, but if you push yourself too hard, retreat immediately."
"Sure thing."
The Dominator groaned dismissively at the dismissively at what he was seeing, "The comradery of Pro-Heroes, how disgusting. Fine, if I must take you both out, I will!"
Pride getting the better of him, The Dominator rushed forward and attacked the two Pro-Heroes, but this was foolish, as the two had a bond that let them work well as a team. As such, the two could distract The Dominator long enough for the other to do attacks on him.
The villain didn't give up, nor admit that he was getting taken advantage of, but rather, kept pushing through. The power he had was still great, all he had to do was land a shot on them and it would be over.
…but that proved rather difficult given the Quirks of the two he faced.
"You know the phrase 'pride comes before the fall', right? Well, this is why I know that The Dominator will ultimate fail in his task. He told me himself that the numbers game was always his weakness. Yet what does he do when confronted with a challenge? Take on two Pro-Heroes at once. So sad. Thankfully though, if there's one thing stronger than pride, it's desire. As in a desire to prove you can do what you promised."
As the attacks continued on the villain, The Dominator got angrier and angrier, and eventually, it led to a moment of clarity where he knew it was time to pull in the others.
With a roar, he slammed the ground with his fist, which unbalanced the two Pro-Heroes, he then gave out a command, "Mindblast! Cripple them!"
The mental villain was in his same spot as before, and had been focused on the people and other smaller heroes, as that was his task. But upon hearing the call of his current master, he switched tactics and used his Quirk to blast the two Pro-Heroes with his screech.
Both Compact and The Slicer fell to their knees in pain at this. The Slicer was forced to drop his sword due to the intensity of the screech, which unlike before, didn't let up.
The Dominator took a moment to collect himself, and as he did, the energy of the two before him funneled into him. The pain broke their wills, and now it was time to break the rest of them.
"Gentlemen," he said with renewed confidence, "I thank you for the challenge, but I believe it's time for you to go."
He picked up Compact, who was in fully-sized form again, and punched him hard in the gut. He then did the same to The Slicer, and punched so hard it heavily cracked the armor he wore.
Content with this, The Dominator picked the two up and held them together in one arm. He then aimed carefully and launched the two into the air.
"Consider yourselves the first exiles of my new empire!" he yelled as they flew into the sky.
The Pro-Heroes couldn't move for various reasons, and soon, they splashed down into the waters near the island, but far enough away that they wouldn't be a threat for a while.
One obstacle out of the way, The Dominator went over to where Momentum was and got her out of the rubble she found herself in.
"Thanks for the assist," she said as she dusted herself off.
"That is a line I will be saying to you all throughout the day more than likely. You and Mindblast were a major help in defeating these Pro-Heroes. I must remember to use you all wisely as the hours go on."
"That's why we're here, to help you succeed."
"Indeed, and success on the first level is nearly complete. Shall we continue on?"
Back in her flirty state, Momentum curtsied to him, "Lead the way, O' Mighty Dominator."
With a more pleased grunt, he indeed walked down the path with her in tow, and made to fight the others that stood in their way.
"No pun intended, but when you have momentum, you want to do all you can to keep it going in order to ensure that you don't waste it. With my Deck in tow, you can bet that's what kept pushing him forward. The drive to not waste what he now had."
The next hour or two was nothing but chaos in the district. As The Dominator and his Deck followers went from spot to spot in the two towns and made their presence felt.
Pro-Heroes within the area did show up to help, but unlike Compact and The Slicer, their Quirks weren't nearly as helpful or effective against the villains. The Dominator personally took many of them out of play with a set of punches and kicks.
The members of The Deck helped out as well. Things only got better for them when the Cloud Twins recovered and they were able to continue their cloud cover to ensure that battling back would be a very hard endeavor indeed.
The group moved effectively in their two parties, and soon enough, the towns of Tonoshō of Shōdoshima fell under the power and rule of The Dominator. The Deck members were even able to hack into the communication system and blasted a message throughout the island.
One made by The Dominator himself, "I am The Dominator, top villain, and the new ruler of this district. Your local Pro-Heroes have been defeated and cast out of my empire, and now you are all my subjects. The good news for you is that I won't be forcing you to do much for right now. You may live your lives as you see fit. But when I or my subjects come around, you will do as we say."
The people couldn't believe the message they heard, their district was small, and arguably inconsequential in some ways, but to them, it was their home, and the last thing they wanted was their home to be lost because of villains.
"As my first order to you all, I ask that you stay inside. The fighting is not yet done, and I would hate for there to be…unfortunate losses. Then again, I can't guarantee that the fight won't come to your doorstep eventually…"
He laughed loudly, which put the people even more on edge.
"But fear not, I don't want this island destroyed," he said after he regained his composure, "on the contrary. I want this to be the new capital of the empire I build. An island fortress that none can penetrate, or escape from without my permission. So be ready, ladies and gentlemen, by nightfall, my mark will forever be placed upon this new land I'm making."
With his message sent, he left and walked out upon the grounds of what he felt was his domain.
Eventually, he made it to a port where he walked out on a dock and gazed both at the island itself, and the waters.
As he enjoyed his view, The Deck members wandered above and within both parts of the island. They knew what would come, and they would all be ready for it.
"A few hours, that's all it took to take that island. As I said, with the right people, you can get anything done quickly."
The Dealer quickly scooped up some of the cards from table, mainly the ones that had been overturned before, and held them in his hand.
"Quite a set just to start, but there is always more to be revealed…as well as more cards from a different deck to be played."
He sensed something, and went back to his deck and filled out the holes that were missing. The Dealer laughed at a joke only he knew and looked lovingly at the cards before him.
"Planning, the right players, causing confusion, panic, and then taking care of those who would interfere. That is how you take a district in Japan. But the bet is not won. Oh no, no, no. That was just phase one. Because not unlike in a game of cards, it's about waves of play. You make a move, then your opponent does, and so on and so forth until the game is really done."
With a smirk, he turned over the cards he had just laid down, they revealed a variety of numbers, suits, and face cards.
"The first hand was dealt, and the victory went to The Dominator. But now, word spread, pleas of help were sent. Now it was time to see…just how the Pro-Heroes would respond, and who they would send to stop them…"
*credits*
