28/01/2023

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The Emperor's Dragon
Emergence 42 - Erosion

Bakugou glared at everyone who crossed his path. While the villains initially appeared stupid they knew what they were doing when they restrained someone. The chair was sturdy and even with all his wriggling and straining he hadn't felt the joins moving. His hands were in some sort of box, and he couldn't explode it to get out. The shrapnel would hit him and he'd damage his hands. He was fastened to the chair by straps over his shoulders and another around his chest. He couldn't slip out of the bonds with the way the box was chained.

They appeared stupid but they knew what they were doing.

Probably.

He didn't know where Frosty was but figured he could find him once he got free.

Because he was going to get free and he was going to take down these fuckers who thought they could take out All Might. These were the same villains who'd attacked the USJ. All Might had beaten them there, he'd just have to do it now.

They were a motley collection and he couldn't see them all. The one's behind him were making the back of his neck itch so he was concentrating on figuring out everything he could.

He was facing the bar and the wispy fucker who'd been at the USJ was cleaning glasses and drawing beers. Sitting in the corner of the bar, near a small old fashioned TV was the USJ leader. He had a hand on his face and was nibbling at one thumb. He was perched on one of the bar stools with one leg brought up to his chest.

There was another person at the bar. He thought they were female but he couldn't be sure. She had a mutant type quirk and looked like a cross between a butterfly and a human. He couldn't say she was drinking but she did appear to be delicately sipping from a glass with a tongue that coiled and uncoiled to sample the drink. There were lumps on her back which weren't normal. Froggy looked mostly human, this woman looked mostly insect. She even had compound eyes.

An older woman had come past him several times. She was probably in her forties, with black hair in a single braid and a red dot on her forehead. She kept taking beers to those behind him and drinking a shot at the bar every time she did it. Bakugou was ashamed to admit that he hadn't realised he couldn't hear her until she'd gone past him for the third time. She was absolutely silent. The morons behind him weren't but… he couldn't even hear her footfalls. No one was that silent without a quirk.

From the noise behind him he thought there were three men there. A fourth had been there earlier but they'd left, walking around the bar and staring him in the eye before leaving. Bakugou hadn't been able to figure out much about him. He wore a high school gakuran and full face gas mask. He'd carried an old style helmet. He was a freak, though no more freaky than the others, except Katsuki thought he was younger than the others.

One of the men behind him was noisy and obviously drinking a lot. The others were more softly spoken and slower on the beer. The loud one was boasting that he'd killed heroes. Some rescue group. Bakugou wasn't sure the others were pleased with that but they weren't saying anything against it, though one kept on contradicting himself. It was annoying!

A blonde skipped in through a side door. "She's back," someone from behind him groaned.

"Dragon said I was a good girl!" She chirped.

"You aren't still going on about that?"

Bakugou couldn't tell who asked that but they appeared to be getting annoyed. While a fight between the villains would suit him, he wasn't in the best position for it.

"He said I was a good girl!" She repeated. She was holding something up to her mouth and Bakugou could see the grin she was sporting. The girl was wearing a high school sailor suit with a covering cardigan. Her hair was in messy buns and she was actually jumping up and down in happiness. She didn't look much like a villain until he saw her eyes. They were kind of deranged.

"Keep moving," another guy said, coming out from the door as well. This guy did look like a villain. He had black hair and was covered in burn scars. Bakugou snorted. "Lost a fight with Endeavor?" he growled.

The man growled, actually snarling at him and the other villains quieted somewhat to look. "Don't ever say that," the man said through clenched teeth. His black hair actually quivered and Bakugou could see that his eyes were a startling blue.

"Shut up, it's starting," someone else said, and the tension that had been building faded.

The burnt guy stalked to his chair and none too gently grabbed the back, spinning it on one leg ninety degrees so that he was facing a wall. Bakugou could feel how hot the man was and it wasn't just from the burns because Bakugou could feel the heat radiating from him. The man released the chair and walked away. Pity. He'd been hoping to provoke a more violent reaction. Being hit would have sucked but might have weakened the chair, or stretched his bonds.

On the wall was a slightly larger TV and it appeared to be showing a news conference. It took him a moment to realise it was showing Principal Nezu and the hobo. It was probably because the hobo was actually wearing a suit.

"What?" He demanded.

The villains laughed. "They're apologising for not keeping you ikkle students safe," one of the villains explained.

"That's your fault," he retorted.

"Ah, no, no, no. It's a school's responsibility to keep its students safe," came the response.

"Not when villains attack," Bakugou reiterated his previous intent. Really, UA could do all they wanted but if villains attacked then how was that their fault.

"You really don't get how the world works, do you?" the villain with the hand on his face asked him before jerking his head towards the screen. "Watch and learn," he ordered.

Reluctantly Bakugou looked back at the screen. What the fuck was Aizawa doing?

The hobo was actually bowing. He found himself riveted by the screen as the sound icon appeared and was turned up. Even Nezu looked like he'd bow and while that wasn't right, Bakugou could see the little rat doing that as part of a larger plan.

"We will now take questions," the Principal said.

"Ow! We missed the apology!" one of the villains muttered.

"It will be on repeat," another replied.

"Where's Mustard?"

"He went to bed."

"Shut up!" The guy with the hand on his face snapped.

The villains complied.

That was interesting. He really was the boss. It had been implied at USJ but… Bakuguo didn't think more as the noise from the television took his attention. The screen focused on Aizawa. He looked unimpressed at the question being asked. Some moron was asking specifically what measures were being taken to address the situation. As if UA could tell them that! You didn't just lay out your defense plans in public! What a moron!

Nezu took the question and while the answer gave nothing, Bakugou could tell the reporters weren't happy with the response. The villains were. They chuckled. Nezu was giving answers a politician would. It didn't sound convincing.

The rat should have told the reporters to shove it. He'd shown weakness and they were like sharks with blood in the water. They sensed weakness and they were going to attack.

"Could you also say the same for one of the kidnapped students, Bakugou?"

He jerked at the question.

The villains laughed again and he could feel eyes on him. They wanted to see his reaction. Bakugou stared at the screen, paying attention to the reporter. Oh, he was so going to give that one a piece of his mind. How moronic was this one?

"Winner of the Sport's Festival, His acts of resistance against the powerful villain from the Hedoror Incident. Because of his personal history, one might think that he's got a tough hero personality, but-" the reporter shook his head. "On the other hand, we saw the wild, violent nature he displayed in the finals. His attitude leading up to the award ceremony and whatnot. He has exhibited signs of mental instability."

What? Bakugou wanted to roar. If he'd been free there would have been explosions already coming from him, both figuratively and literally.

"What if his abduction was intended to exploit that behaviour? What if deceptive words taint him, leading him astray to his kidnappers' path of evil? Please tell us on what basis you can say that he has a future?"

"Oh I like him," one of the villains behind him laughed. Bakugou heard them shift but when the woman came by again, he didn't hear her. This time though the men came with her and he got a view of them. Two had thin to medium builds with one in a form fitting jump suit and the other in a trench coat with a top hat. The third was huge and had something over his eyes. "What do you think of it?" the huge man asked, proving he was the one who'd spoken earlier.

"Fucking deluded!" Bakugou growled.

The villain laughed again and they watched the response. Katsuki could tell Aizawa was pissed at the question. The man didn't like the media but the blond could also see that the Hobo was controlling himself. He really didn't look comfortable in the suit… or rather the Hobo looked like he wished this encounter could occur in a dark alley. Especially when he bowed again.

"What transpired was the result of my own shortcomings," the Hobo said while still bowed. "However, what happened at the Sport's Festival , that points to the strength of his ideals. There is no one else more in pursuit of becoming the 'Top Hero'. If villains perceived that as a weakness to exploit, then I would say that they are being foolish." Aizawa was looking up as he said that.

"Do you have a firm basis for your position? This is not a problem of how you feel. I am asking if you have a concrete plan for this matter."

The camera went to Nezu again. "By no means are we standing by and doing nothing. We are currently carrying out an investigation in collaboration with the police. We will absolutely get our students back."

"Ha!" Bakugou cried. "UA and the teachers, you heard what they said. That's how it is, you shithead alliance!" He wasn't stupid. These moron villains might have grabbed Frosty and himself but that was an investment. It could be just to kill him and Frosty but that didn't seem right. Maybe Frosty but if they were going to kill him, then there was no point in letting him see them. So… he was an investment and… They needed him alive which meant…

For the moment, it meant nothing. He was still restrained but if they let them off then, oh yeah, he could fight. He'd kill a few and get out.

The blonde girl giggled. "They don't know where we are."

"So they aren't going to come. Yes they are!" said the villain in the full jumpsuit. His face was covered as well as he'd been contradicting himself all night.

The one with the hand on his face waved one hand. "It won't matter, even if they do come," he said with certainty. "It doesn't change anything. The heroes are still getting criticized because their response was a bit slow, and they didn't do their jobs."

There was a titter of laughter from the one who looked like a butterfly. "The moment that protecting people began to merit some compensation, heroes were not heroes anymore. That's Stain's teaching!"

A couple of the villain's nodded. "It's stupid converting human life into money and selfish pursuits! And a society that codifies that suspect thinking into its rules and then criticizes those who question and cast them out! They should be cheered on!"

The hand villain got up. Bakugou remembered he'd called himself Tomura Shigaraki at the USJ. He hadn't really been listening then and while he really couldn't be bothered listening now, there was no choice. "Our battle is one of questions. What is a hero? What is justice?" He asked, coming close. "Is this society really just. We want everyone to think about these things," the hand guy hissed.

The guy pulled back slightly. "Dabi get the other one," he instructed.

"I'm still working on him."

"Get him," the hand guy ordered. "If we're gonna recruit them, then we shouldn't leave them in chains," he instructed.

Bakugou kept his expression clear after hearing that. As much as he didn't want to admit it, if Frosty was here, then they'd have a better chance together. And if even one of them could get away, then… Yeah, he didn't want to think about that.

The scarred villain sighed and nodded before walking to the back of the bar, disappearing through a door that was there.

"I'll free the two of you together. That's fair," Shigaraki indicated.

Bakugou jerked his head down. It would be best to wait for that. And then…

Then it was on.

-ted-

"Hello Shouto," Dabi said as he entered the room his brother was in.

His brother was restrained similarly to Bakugou, though there was metal in the restraints. If his brother tried to freeze the restraints, he'd give himself a serious case of metal burn, just the same if he tried to melt them. "Have you had a chance to think?" he asked, leaning against the door frame.

His brother looked over at him. "Enji wouldn't risk killing All Might," he said. "He'd be too afraid of the consequences."

Dabi laughed at that. "But if he thought he could get away with it?" he pushed.

Shouto sighed. "He'd do it," he admitted.

He nodded and gave his brother a slight smile. "And what about regular villains? Would he kill them?" Dabi asked. It was important that his brother realised the only difference between Enji and them was the costume.

Shouto's mismatched eyes assessed him. "With, or without an authorisation of lethal force?"

Dabi snorted. "What do you think?"

His brother rolled his eyes. "He already has," he replied.

"So what makes Enji different from a villain?" Dabi pressed.

"That's Enji," Shouto told him. "Other heroes are better."

That was the argument he was expecting. "Which ones?"

"All Might," came the immediate answer.

"All Might is an exception, Enji is more representative of the whole," Dabi dismissed his brother's answer, holding up one scarred hand. "Oh, they won't have told you that at your precious UA. They will show you the nice heroes, those who have good reputations. They won't show you the reality, those who will do whatever the Commission wants. Those who are little more than sanctioned killers but you know them already… You've seen it through Enji. So what makes a villain any different, beyond the thin veil of social acceptability, which would burn if the truth was known?"

His brother didn't answer.

Dabi sighed. He couldn't delay any further. "The boss wants to see you," he said, moving into the room and tapping the chair restraints. He grabbed the restraints on Shouto's hands to lead him out.

"So what do you have against Enji?" Shouto asked as he followed. Dabi was thankful that his brother wasn't fighting him.

He looked at Shouto through narrowed eyes. "More than you'll ever know," he replied. "Way more than you'll ever know," he repeated. "But maybe one day I'll tell you."

He felt Shouto's eyes on him, no doubt looking at his burn scars and drawing the stupidly obvious conclusion. That was okay. That was good. Let Shouto think that, and not anything else because he wasn't ready for anything else.

As they reached the bar, Dabi took a deep breath. He wasn't sure what Tomura was going to do and he already knew that the guy hated All Might with a passion. He didn't follow Stain's teaching but he had backing and for things to happen, you needed backing. "Just remember Shouto, that All Might is an exception, most heroes are like Enji, and so there's no difference between them and villains and make your decision accordingly," he said as he led his brother into the bar.

"Finally," Tomura said when they came in. "We can get on with this," he added when Dabi pushed Shouto to stand next to Bakugou.

"Take off their restraints," Shigaraki added. "If we want them to join, we have to treat them as equals," he explained. "And besides…" he looked around. "They know they can't win, so let's see if they will acknowledge the truth or if they are just another pair of heroes," he spat the last word.

Dabi looked at Tomura and nodded even as he felt his guts go cold.

God, he hoped Shouto would make the right choice but for now he couldn't do anything more. Sometimes, you just had to have faith.

-ted-

So the press conference has been run and Tomura is running through the canon play book... Everything seems to be going fine for the villains but we know the Heroes are on the case... So while it looks good for the villains, we know that is an illusion. Still, this might eventually be the battle that in the end, decides the war. I wonder which side will claim victory? (Wait... I know but oh well, you can wonder :P )

Shouto doesn't have a high opinion of his Father even though we know that Endeavor is a far better hero than is made out above. But this is from the POV of two people who don't really like him, though in Dabi's case, that's an understatement.

My discord is on this code: TcBnRN7aDn FFN will remove links but you should be able to figure that out. There's a heap of other authors there, so come along and chat to us all!

-ted-

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