24/06/2023
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The Emperor's Dragon
Emergence 81 - Know The Future
They'd gathered at the far end of the warehouse. It was still in sight of their nominal boss. He was sleeping on one of the pallets they had decided should be used for sleeping. If anyone came close though, his eyes snapped open. The knife he'd used last night was under it.
"How did it go?" Mr Compress asked.
They were all interested in the answer. The kid admitted he was young. He admitted he was inexperienced but he had asked Himiko to help him rectify that. Whisper was a little disappointed the first thing he'd thought to learn was how to kill but she was also a realist. If he could do that, then he could probably do what else would be necessary. So as much as she was disappointed she was also slightly impressed that he had the intelligence to see that and the guts to try to do it.
Whisper watched as Himiko glanced towards the sleeping teen. Himiko appeared to be in her teens as well, with her fondness for wearing uniforms and Whisper was inclined to believe she was that young. But she also had experience. The activities inherent in villainy did not bother the blonde woman.
"It went well," Himiko replied seriously.
"He did it? He didn't do it?" Twice asked.
"He did it, though-" she paused, thinking about something.
"What is it?" Whisper asked softly.
"He still had to have defined emotion."
At the explanation Dabi nodded, as if he understood and then turned away. Whisper knew he'd already made a decision.
Mr Compress looked thoughtful and Whisper couldn't tell what Twice was thinking. The man always wore a mask. Butterfly just snorted. She was waiting to leave, though she might come on the mission they'd promised the boy for the cash.
"He's going to be great," Himiko said. She sounded sure of it.
The unstated part of that sentence was that he was going to need people to help him be great. No villain could do everything alone.
"I suppose there is some advantage to being associated with Dragon," Mr Compress murmured speculatively.
Whisper realised it was in their power to either make or break Dragon. If they left, they could destroy Dragon's reputation but if they stayed they could play to it. They could enhance it, and develop it and make it seem as if he'd always been there. It was a heady feeling. She thought for a few moments but knew she still didn't know exactly what she wanted. Whisper thought she'd have to talk to the boy herself.
Himiko just looked at him.
"Has he decided on a mission?" Butterfly asked.
Himiko shook her head. "Not yet. But soon," she promised.
"It better be," the other woman growled.
Himiko glared at her and Whisper could tell that the teen girl didn't like the older woman.
"We'll be ready," Mr Compress said, before he turned away. Apparently he had heard what he wanted. Whisper had no idea if he'd follow the teen or just thank him and go on his way.
She tended to agree with Himiko. The boy could go far but… Or he could crash and take them with him…
On the other hand… that was the same for any boss. She shouldn't give that possibility more credence because of his age.
Whisper nodded to herself. She had to think.
-ted-
Izuku woke up all at once. And then he remembered what he'd done. He swallowed hard, pushing the bile back down. He'd killed her because he wanted to, because she deserved it. He repeated the line in his mind, hoping that if he said it often enough he'd believe it. Himiko didn't have this problem so he knew there was a way of doing it.
He sat up and looked around. The warehouse was unchanged. Mr Compress was playing some sort of card game with Dabi and Twice. Himiko was sitting near him sharpening a knife. Whisper was nowhere to be seen and Butterfly was up in the rafters. She appeared to like it up there. He reached for his phone before he remembered that the Doctor still had it.
"You're awake," Dabi drawled.
"Yep," Izuku replied before he yawned and stretched. He got up, and folded the blanket, puting it at the end of the pallet.
There was a sink near where they were playing. He went to it and splashed water on his face before drinking some. "What are you playing?" Izuku asked curiously.
"I am reading the cards," Mr Compress replied even as Dabi said, "Poker."
Izuku knew Poker was a gambling game but that was all so he chose to focus on Mr Compress' reply. "Reading?" he asked curiously.
"He's counting them," Dabi sounded disgusted.
Izuku moved over and looked. He was careful to remain at an angle where he couldn't see what cards they were holding, only those that were down on the crate. Most of the cards appeared to be in front of Mr Compress.
"Shall I read yours?" the man offered.
Izuku cocked his head slightly and then shrugged. "Sure," he allowed.
Dabi waved at another crate, indicating he should sit. Izuku moved to it and picked up the cards Mr Compress had dealt towards him. Izuku was a bit surprised to find they were just regular playing cards.
Mr Compress' smile told him he'd seen the look of confusion before he'd schooled his features into something neutral. "The first hand is a reading. The second we'll play. Pick one card now," he instructed, holding out part of the deck.
Izuku obeyed, giving the man a wry grin as he selected a card and added it to his hand.
"That card was yours," Mr Compress told him. "The rest… I don't know who they are, you will know."
"One card for people I know?" Izuku asked.
"Yes."
He looked down at the cards. He had four now, but that wasn't enough. "I'll need more."
"How many?"
"Including you lot?" Izuku asked cheekily.
Mr Compress chuckled. "No. I think we will need to wait for that," he advised.
Izuku nodded. "Five more cards," he said.
Mr Compress cocked his head. There were five of them - himself, Dabi, Twice, Whisper and Butterfly. "I will say the names, so you know it's not you," Izuku said.
"Say them now, before the cards are dealt," Mr Compress ordered.
"Myself," Izuku said, pointing at the card he'd taken. "Ochaco, Hitoshi, Mei, Dad, Gigantomachia, Garaki, Inasa and Himiko."
For a moment Izuku wasn't sure if Mr Compress would accept his names, but then the man nodded and held out his hands to the others. They gave up their cards and Mr Compress shuffled them into the deck before dealing Izuku five more.
"Don't tell me the name, but think of it and I will tell you the meaning."
"How will I know, who is who?"
"The card's will know, and you will know," came the response. It was typically cryptic and Izuku wasn't the only one who huffed at it. He heard Himiko's soft laugh.
He pulled out a card and put it down, thinking that this one was Himiko's.
"The Queen of Diamonds," Mr Compress said, as Dabi snickered. Izuku could only imagine what the hell they'd be thinking of the Queen of Hearts had come out. It was a good thing they didn't know who he thought each card was.
"That one is easy," Mr Compress murmured. "A flirty young lady, the Princess Himiko."
Izuku gave him a challenging look but didn't deny it. Instead he picked out another card, thinking that this one was Hitoshi.
"Interesting," Mr Compress said. "The two of spades. I do not know this one, but a friend, one who is facing tough decisions with the possibility of deceit. And like all things there is change."
Izuku bit his lip as he thought about Hitoshi. They'd spoken but he'd put his friend in such a difficult position.
"Accurate, no?" Mr Compress almost laughed.
"Accurate," Izuku admitted. "We will see where the deceit lies," he added. Hitoshi had promised to follow him and in doing so he'd have to deceive others. Deceit was not betrayal.
The magician gestured and Izuku pulled out another card. Thinking of Hitoshi, made him think of Mei and as he put down the card he could see it was the nine of hearts.
"Ah, another I don't know but a good card, a hopeful card," Mr Compress said.
"What?" Dabi laughed.
"Card's are hopeful. Card's aren't hopeful!" Twice said.
"The cards are what they are," Mr Compress said. "In this case, there is a wish… It may yet come true," he said.
Izuku nodded at that. It sounded about right. He needed to talk to Mei to find out where she stood after all. He thought she'd agree with him. He hoped she would because it would be messy if she didn't but… It was something that had to be done and it was something he needed his phone for. The last time he'd seen his phone it was with the Doctor. Izuku held up one hand as Mr Compress gestured for him to take another card. "Kurogiri!" Izuku called.
The misty man appeared from one of the rooms at the end of the warehouse.
"Yes, Izuku?" he said.
"Kurogiri, how long is the Doctor going to have my phone?" Izuku asked.
"The Doctor doesn't have your phone," Kurogiri replied.
Izuku looked at him. "Yes, he does," he said.
"Oh," the misty man said. "Why did he take it?"
"I left it with him right before I saw Tomura," Izuku told him. He couldn't shy away from talking about that.
"Ah," Kurogiri said softly. "I will fetch it," he indicated.
"Thank you," Izuku said before turning back to Mr Compress. "Sorry. I really need that phone back."
The other villains sniggered but nodded. Izuku pulled another card. The Doctor, he thought in his mind and saw the ace of spades on the tabletop.
"Spades are interesting cards," Mr Compress said. "They represent struggles that are to come. This one is not good. It is the end of the suit, so there are endings and misfortune there."
"Like death?"
"Like many things," Mr Compress didn't confirm or deny his question.
Izuku looked at the card and then shrugged. He didn't have to believe Mr Compress and if it was a card of ending, then… well the Doctor was old, he could die, or it could simply mean that he ended an experiment in misfortune. Kyudai had always told him that experimental science mostly ended in failure. He pulled out another card, thinking of Inasa. He hadn't thought about his… He wasn't really a friend but an acquaintance for a while. And with the news, he had no idea what Inasa would think of him. Izuku quirked his lips as he thought. Inasa had gone to another hero school and there was no way he'd accept what Izuku was doing. Izuku wasn't even sure if Inasa saw the way the world was. He put the card down, bracing for a bad reading. It was the four of clubs.
"Who are you thinking about?" Mr Compress demanded, frowning at the card.
"Bad news?" Izuku preempted the reading.
The magician nodded. "Deceit and betrayal by one you once called a friend," he announced.
"Is it really betrayal if you are expecting it?" Izuku quipped.
Mr Compress reached out and touched his forehead. "The head knows but betrayal is of the heart and so you will feel it."
Izuku held his eyes for a few moments before he nodded.
"You don't believe that? You do believe that?" Twice seemed shocked.
Izuku tapped the card. "This particular person will not agree with what I'm doing," he explained. "So it's not a matter of belief this time, it is just what is."
The masked man gave him a look and Izuku wasn't sure if he'd just lost his chances with Twice but eventually he nodded and gestured for Mr Compress to continue.
Izuku picked out another card, thinking of Gigantomachia as he realised he didn't have a card for Kurogiri. He should have twigged to that earlier. This time the card was the seven of diamonds.
"There's trouble at work," Mr Compress said.
"What?" Izuku gasped looking down at the card. That made no sense for Gigantomachia! "Trouble at work, for him?" He asked.
Mr Compress nodded serenely.
Izuku laughed but it was short lived. There was trouble for Gigantomachia. His father had been taken and… He didn't know where Gigantomachia was. The Doctor had said that his dad had sent him away before the fight so there had been trouble at work. "Okay, that does make sense," he allowed after he thought.
"They are not always obvious," Mr Compress advised. "And what comes as a surprise for one, may just be reality for another."
Izuku nodded and pulled out the third last card, thinking of his father. The ten of spades.
"So many difficult things," Mr Compress murmured, echoing Izuku's thought. He'd been exasperated that it was yet another spade! "Still it is good to see you are not focused on the vagrancies of the heart," he added as he looked at the card. "This one I think is close to you. Your father," he announced.
Izuku nodded, realising that Mr Compress hadn't said who the other cards were for and hadn't asked him to share. "It is sufficient for you to know who each card is," the man said before he could ask about that. "This one is simple. There is bad news and imprisonment," he said with a shrug, as if to apologise that the reading was so straight forward.
"That will not be forever," Izuku growled.
"Then I will read when things have changed," Mr Compress allowed.
Izuku pulled out the second last card, realising it was the one that he'd been told was for himself. It was the five of hearts.
"You are so easy to read, Dragon," Mr Compress laughed. "And it is so obvious that the cards could not have given you anything else but this.. Or maybe the four."
"What is it?" Dabi demanded. The villain had been watching with interest.
"There is major change coming," Mr Compress announced.
Izuku laughed at that. "It's that simple?" he challenged with amusement.
"At this point, for you, what else could be shown?" The magician replied, cocking his head slightly to ask if he had any other alternatives.
"True enough, I suppose," Izuku said and put the last card down and thought about Ochaco. Of all his friends, she'd been the most impacted by events and by now she should be back in Tsu with her parents. She'd be looking for a new school because she knew the importance of education.
Mr Compress looked sad. "I thought we'd end on a good note," he muttered.
"What do you mean?" Izuku demanded, looking down at the jack of diamonds.
"Diamonds are usually about finance."
Izuku felt his eyes widen. Did the card mean that Ochaco's family were going to have problems again? He didn't want that and they shouldn't. They were good builders!
"In this case I think it's more personal," Mr Compress continued.
"So what is it?"
"This is the bearer of bad news."
Izuku bit at his lip. "So is she or-" he didn't know how to ask.
"It could be either," Mr Compress allowed.
There wasn't much he could say to that except that he really wanted his phone now. He wanted to talk to his friends.
"How much of that is real?" Dabi demanded and Izuku realised what he was saying. These were just playing cards. How could they have such information?
"All of it is real," Mr Compress replied. "How much is true, is the matter to discuss. Each card has its meaning and each card applies it in different ways. What may be true for one, will be different for another. Take the trouble at work, for an example. That can mean different things for different people. The bearer of bad news may not apply to the person who brings it and may not apply to the one to whom it is brought but will be bad news for someone," Mr Compress explained.
Izuku nodded and looked down at the pile of cards. They were just paper. They were just cards. There was nothing there to say that they spoke the truth and what Mr Compress had said each time could be interpreted so many different ways. There was always a way to make what he said apply to each person Izuku had thought about. That's how fortune tellers worked. They said something so vague that you could interpret it multiple ways but never definitively enough to actually do anything about something before it happened! This was the same.
He was distracted as a disk of swirling darkness opened near him and Kurogiri deposited his phone next to him. "Thank you!" Izuku said as he picked up his phone, eager for the distraction. "Urgh," he groaned. It was flashing 10 % battery. "Anyone got a charger?" he asked before remembering that he had an electricity quirk now. He wondered if he could charge his phone. The answer was probably yes but the reality was that he'd need practice so he just nodded when Twice said he'd get one.
Izuku opened his phone, noting the messages but there were also a couple of news alerts that had pinged while he didn't have his phone and there was one about UA. The headline was 'Two First Years Attacked' and the first paragraph was partially displayed on the notification. Two UA first years have been attacked in separate incidents. One was the expelled- The line ended because that's all the space the alert had and Izuku felt his eyes widen as he tapped the alert to open the article.
The villains watching saw him go pale as he read and Dabi stretched out to see the article.
Two UA first years have been attacked in separate incidents. One was the expelled Ochaco Uraraka who is in critical condition at Mustafa General Hospital. The other is Katsuki Bakugou, who is one of the six students who have reportedly had their quirks stolen by Izuku Midoriya, also known as Mitei Chui.
He didn't read anymore. He didn't need to.
"Oh, so that's what it meant," Mr Compress murmured softly.
Izuku put his phone down and felt his hands form fists. He swallowed hard. Ocahco…
He took several deep breaths. He wanted to rend something. He thought he'd want to hurt someone when he saw Tomura that night. That was nothing. That was just… He really wanted to hurt someone now…
"I think I know what I'm going to ask you guys to do," Izuku announced.
"Oh, the Dragon is angry," Dabi noted.
Izuku almost snarled but realised it was true. He was angry and he did have a mission for the group. He didn't care if he lost them because of this… His father had anticipated this when he was establishing Dragon. No one hurt his friends and got away with it.
No one.
-ted-
So the end is what people wanted to see... but a nice hint of the future for the beginning.
I used a couple of websites for the card meanings which FFN won't let the links go up. So... here are the meanings. I'm sure you can find others out there too.
Ochaco - Jack of Diamonds - Bearer of Bad News
Himself - 5 of hearts - Major change is coming to your home or family, such as a loved one moving away or a new home
Gigantomachia - 7 of diamonds - Trouble at work
AFO - 10 of spades - Bad news, worry, imprisonment
Garaki - Ace of spades - Endings and misfortune
Mei - 9 of hearts - The wish card - which may come true
Hitoshi - 2 of spades - Tough decisions, deceit and change
Himiko - Queen of diamonds - An outgoing, flirtatious woman with light hair
Inasa - 4 of clubs - Deceit or betrayal, potentially by a friend
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!