25/04/2023

Thank you to everyone who reviewed, you are the greatest!

The Emperor's Dragon
Emergence 67 - Interview

Hitomi Yaoyorozu sat quietly in a waiting room while her husband Daiki paced. She was just as nervous as him but wasn't going to show it. It shouldn't be this hard. They'd both addressed thousands before. They presented to stockholders and company meetings often enough. And they presented at conventions. They were not strangers to presenting to a large audience.

Except this was different.

When they presented to stockholders and company meetings, even when there was an issue, then the people were expecting them to present answers, or to listen to their ideas. When they presented at conventions, they were showing off their ideas. This was something new, something that they never thought possible. This time they were asking an individual to do something. They were going to…

They might even have to beg for what they wanted but…

Hitomi sighed softly. If they had to beg then that would be worth it. And she didn't think that anyone would think them weaker for it. What had happened to Momo… She shook her head. It wasn't just unthinkable, it was inconceivable.

When you became a hero, you were told, right at the beginning, that you could be injured in your chosen profession. You were told you could be killed. You accepted that. It was what a hero did. You were never told this. No one even thought it was possible. People lost the use of their quirk, sometimes through injury or trauma but they still had their quirk. They still had a quirk factor.

Momo didn't. She had some quirk factor but… When All Might himself told you what happened, you tended to believe it. And All Might had been present when Recovery Girl had told them what happened. The Number One Hero had verified her medical information with more personable information. He'd explained who Mitei Chui really was, except he wasn't really Mitei Chui. They knew Windy Chui. She'd been arrested by the HPSC. Shunin from Reikokuna had been by her side as her legal representative almost before she'd been brought in.

It had quickly become obvious that she had no idea who Mitei was, and the Commission had to release her. Shunin was going to have a field day, not just against the Commission but against whoever had used her name to enroll Mitei as her supposed son. They'd have to figure out who that was first.

Hitomi didn't care. Not really. All she wanted was for Mitei, or whatever his real name was - All Might said it was Izuku - to give back Momo's quirk. Daiki would be doing the talking. They'd questioned All Might about Izuku. They'd questioned all of the teachers at UA. The boy was smart. All his grades said that. He was skilled. They'd seen that at the Sport's Festival but… He could have been a magnificent hero. His quirk, if it was as All Might said to take and give quirks then he would have been a great hero, better than Eraserhead because he could use the villain's quirk against them. But…

Even if he gave Momo's quirk back, Hitomi didn't know what would happen to Izuku. Even if he gave all the quirks back things wouldn't go back to the way they were. She shook her head. She couldn't focus on that. It was one of the things others would need to determine. She had to focus on Momo, and that meant getting Momo's quirk back, no matter what it took.

They knew that Izuku had a good relationship with his Father, so Daiki was going to do the talking, which was why he was pacing. He knew what was riding on this.

Hosa poked her head in the door. "It's time," she said shortly before pulling back and disappearing.

Daiki gave her a look. "You'll do fine, Dear," she told him.

"But what if-" he didn't complete the sentence. Doubts were not like him.

Hitomi gave him a smile at the same time as she shook her head. He knew what it meant. As they had told their daughter, they just had to do their best. She got up and offered her arm to her husband. Daiki took it and she could feel that he was trembling slightly. She wanted to tell him that even if things didn't go well, then Momo would be fine. They had wealth enough to ensure she did well in the world but suggesting that would be tantamount to failure and she couldn't think that.

They walked from the walking room together, and along the short corridor to the room set up. A table was in place with cameras in front of them. There were three major networks here, and dozens of other journalists.

Word had gotten out that they were going to talk about something related to All Might's battle from earlier in the week and with the reveal of All Might's true form and the revelation that a villain of that calibre existed, there was a lot of interest. There had been rumours flying around about the students who had been at Kamino, the two who had been kidnapped and the rescue ones but nothing solid. The public was desperate for knowledge. Hitomi hoped the public would be eager to show off their knowledge as well.

Someone out there knew where Mitei Chui had gone. Someone could help them get to him and then… if he wouldn't give back Momo's quirk then, maybe they could work out a deal. He gave it back in exchange for no prosecution or something. They hadn't excelled at business by not knowing how to bargain.

Hitomi sat next to Daiki at the table and looked out at the cameras, keeping her expression serene. She couldn't actually see the cameras because of the lights shining at her but she could hear them.

"Let's begin," Daiki said and the little rustlings and murmured conversation ceased. "I'll make a short statement, and then be open for questions," he told them before turning his gaze to the table top briefly. Daiki gathering his thoughts before he looked up again, looking directly at the middle camera. Hitomi knew what he was going to say but words were… It was going to be the tone and emotion he put into them which would make a difference.

"It's safe to say that five nights ago, when All Might fought that villain, the world changed for many of us," Daiki began.

The original speech called for him to then say that a villain of unimaginable evil had been subdued by All Might but since Izuku was meant to be that villain's son, the line had quickly been removed. "For us, the real change was three nights ago," her husband continued. "Our daughter, Momo, was one of the students who went to Kamino to rescue their friends," Daiki explained, unnecessarily. While most of the media attention had been on All Might and the reveal of his real form, there had been a fair amount of interest in the students, especially as they'd been seen attacking one of the villains.

There had been calls to expel them but only one student had been expelled, and she hadn't even been on that mission. All Might indicated that it was the expulsion of that one student, Ochaco Uraraka, was probably the trigger which had pushed Izuku over the edge into villainy. In hindsight… there should have been some more punishment of the students who had gone to rescue their friends. It was a good gesture, a heroic gesture but it was also a clear case of vigilantism. But, Izuku or Mitei shouldn't have taken the law into his own, very young hands.

"While she did not attack anyone, she was part of a vigilante group and it was one of her friends who suffered the consequences," Daiki said. There was a murmur from the journalists though they held back their questions.

Hitomi knew people would find this speech too sympathetic to villains but it wasn't directed at them. It was directed at Mitei Chui. It was directed to those who might be sympathetic to his cause but not necessarily loyal. They hoped he'd come forward but she'd accept someone turning him in.

"There have been rumours about what happened at UA when the students, our daughter included, returned but there has been little information. When the students returned, they were challenged by another student, one who had not made his true name or true quirk known. He took their quirks," Daiki said seriously.

At the statement, Hitomi heard the gasps from the journalists but she could also tell there was an undercurrent of disbelief. Her husband held up one hand. "I do not mean he copied them, or that he borrowed them. I mean he took them. Permanently." There was a particularly heavy emphasis on the final word.

"That's not possible!" Someone snapped.

Hitomi couldn't see who but Daiki shook his head. "We have quirks today that allow people to do things we should consider close to miraculous. We are so used to thinking of a quirk as ours, that it is unthinkable that we can be separated from it. But that is what happened."

They had the medical tests to prove it. They trusted Recovery Girl and All Might but when you were told something like that, you got a second opinion. The Yaoyorozu Doctor was astounded at the results but he had confirmed Recovery Girl's diagnosis. Momo wasn't able to use her quirk because it was no longer there.

Daiki looked back at the camera, leaning forward with his hands on the table. "I come here today to ask that Momo's quirk be returned. Please. Things have not gone too far. You can return the quirks, and this whole thing can be put aside. People use their quirks every day, even when they aren't meant to," Daiki said, making a small joke. "That's all this has to be. We can work through this, we can move on. You don't have to go down the path you are on," he said, making an appeal to Mitei.

They didn't know much about the boy but… they had to offer him a different way. If they just treated him like a criminal, like a villain then he would be. But if they could show him that he could live in society, that he could be a hero then… While they were focused on Momo, Hitomi knew there was far more at stake here. It would require careful handling by all involved.

"Who took the quirk?" the question was shouted, even though Daiki hadn't indicated he was finished.

Hitomi reached out and put her hand over his. Her husband looked down at her and she nodded. He wasn't quite finished but there was no point in saying anything else and he should now answer questions. Daiki gave her a wan smile.

"Another student," he replied to the question. "His name is Mitei Chui," he continued, looking clearly at the camera. "However, we also believe that he is the missing child, Izuku Midoriya, who was taken from his mother when he was four and a half by his Father during a domestic dispute."

She wished there was a better way of saying that. It sounded as if they were blaming Izuku's Father and given that he had been raised by his Father, he was likely to consider him fondly. They hoped he had simply acted in the heat of the moment but it was more likely he had some sort of plan. They had no idea what. Especially since the other villain would be involved.

"Have you contacted his mother?"

They hadn't. It was not their place to and it seemed too cruel to tell the woman that they had found her son just as he was becoming a villain. Hopefully Izuku would be prepared to work with them and then there could be a reunion between mother and son. It might be tearful but it should be happy tears. The Police should have contacted her.

"No. I have not," Daiki answered honestly.

"Will you?" came a follow up question.

He shook his head. "It is not my place. My message is to her son," he reiterated.

Hitomi braced at the expression on her husband's face and quickly she squeezed his hand to remind him that he couldn't speak completely openly here. He squeezed back and Hitomi could tell he was changing what he wanted to say. "He doesn't have to go down the path he's started on," Daiki said.

Considering what he was probably going to say, that wasn't too bad.

"Does Mitei Chui have any relationship to Windy Chui?"

"Not that I'm aware of," Daiki replied.

"What about the villain All Might took down?"

Daiki nodded. "We believe Mitei Chui is his son," he said. There was no point in denying that since it would come out eventually.

There were some snorts from the back of the room. Hitomi knew what they were thinking. Like father, like son.

"So are you saying, this kid, Mitei Chui has a quirk that lets him take other people's quirk?" There was more than a little fear in the question.

"Yes," Daiki confirmed. "But I would point out that he has been a part of UA's Management course since the beginning of the year, and until now, has not taken anyone's quirk. He has been through Middle School and never took a quirk. His quirk, while unusual, is not any more dangerous than any other quirk."

They couldn't afford to have anyone suggest that Mitei had a villain's quirk. That would be insulting to him and they were not trying to insult him. They just wanted him to give back Momo's quirk. And the others.

While Hitomi couldn't see the journalists because of the light but she knew at least some of them would disagree. To them quirks were either good or bad, and if you had a bad one then you were just one short step from a villain. Media sold on the black and white of villains and heroes. Shades of gray were far more difficult to sell. They needed them to show the gray now.

"So you are saying if this kid, Mitei Chui comes forward, and gives back Momo's quirk, you'll just what? Sweep his illegal quirk use under the carpet?" came another question.

At that Daiki actually chuckled slightly. "I do not think I am in a position to be throwing stones," he said.

"What do you mean?"

"My daughter was on national television, where she very much shouldn't have been. She was with a group who were filmed using a quirk illegally," Daiki pointed out. "I would advocate for my daughter's friend to be reinstated to UA, and for an appropriate punishment to be determined for those involved."

Hitomi gave a grave nod at those words. A suspension should serve to tell the children what they did was wrong. It was heroic, but against the laws they, as heroes, were meant to protect. But Hitomi well knew that when people began thinking of others as villains, or as having connections to villains, then rational thought was often the first victim.

There was a snort from the background.

Daiki shook his head again. "All I want is for Momo's and the other's quirks to be returned. I do not believe that Mitei Chui should be considered a villain for his actions. He is understandably under a great deal of stress. And the Yaoyorozu's are prepared to work with him and advocate for him so that he can go down a more law abiding path," he concluded quietly.

There was silence at that.

Hitomi took the opportunity to stand beside her husband. "Thank you for your time, but that is all we will say at this point," she said firmly, reaching out to take Daiki's hand and lead him out. They passed through the door and went back to the room they'd been waiting in.

Daiki collapsed into the chair she had previously been sitting in. "They're vultures!" He growled.

She didn't deny it. "We've done our best… Hopefully, something we said will get through to him."

He nodded but Hitomi knew how he felt… They'd done their best but, sometimes, that wasn't going to be enough. All she could hope was that Mitei Chui wasn't too far gone, that he would realise that being a villain was not a good path to take. He was intelligent. He knew what happened to villains, and he knew what would happen to him if he was caught as a villain.

But he was also only sixteen… to him, he might consider it worth it. He might have some vague thought to go out in a blaze of glory. He'd think he would be remembered. That wouldn't be the case. It never had been and it was never going to be. All that supposed glory would simply be pain for those who survived, and for his mother. It wasn't fame. It wasn't memory. It was nothing.

Hitomi hoped he realised that. She hoped he'd see the truth but…

All she could do for now was hope.

-ted-

Hitomi and Daiki - suggested by mad lads

And yes, they told the world about a quirk that can take other quirks... Let's face it, keeping the fact that there is a quirk like that secret for however long All For One has been around for, has not done any good, so maybe the other way will work. I can see why at the dawn of quirks you might not have told people - All For One would have had a rush of people either wanting quirks removed or wanting a quirk and thus he'd put the two groups in touch with each other - and they'd all owe him favours! He'd have liked that.

But as quirks became mainstream... hiding his ability just gave him the ability to move in the shadows... People are protective of their quirks so as in the past, they are going to look at an AFO style quirk and see the possibilities. But unlike at the dawn of quirks, where people wanted to use those possibilities, the new time period means people are going to look at the quirk, see the possibilities (of them being quirkless) and run!

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-

Loved it? Hated it? Found a spelling mistake? Let me know please!