Chapter 5 - Mall Encounter

Now having the rest of the afternoon off, Matthew decided to hang out at the mall. He went alone, since he wanted to think about the internships, the final exams, and what he was going to do for summer. He also was going to shop for clothes - he had forgotten to pack a pair of swim trunks before he left, and when he overheard about Class 1-A visiting the beach during the summer, he decided to buy a pair. So, there he was, at the clothing store, checking out the different pairs and designs.

He finally settled on a pair of swim trunks that were colored army green, and had the woodland camouflage pattern on them. After buying them, he left the clothing store of the mall, and checked to his phone to see if there were any incoming messages from his friends.

"Oh wow, it's someone from U.A, nice!" said a somewhat raspy sounding voice.

Matthew turned and saw the owner of the voice approach, and then throw his arm around his shoulders. The person was wearing all black clothing, and he had the hood of his sweatshirt up and over his head, so that Matthew could only see his hair and his face - there was something familiar the hair and the face, though Matthew couldn't put his finger on it.

"You're the one who won the World Sports Festival, right?" asked the person, his tone friendly.

"Yeah, I am," Matthew replied, trying to sound friendly, though he felt uncomfortable. "Do you mind removing your arm? I'm kind of uncomfortable with strangers in close proximity to me."

"A stranger?" The man asked, his tone playfully offended. "I'm kind of sad you don't remember me - after all, I made quite an impact on you when we first met."

The stranger then placed his hand on his shoulder, and then it clicked - Matthew remembered where he felt those hands before! He felt them at the concert attack all those weeks ago, and he turned to see who the man was. As he did that, the man's hand quickly wrapped around his throat, leaving only four fingers on, and his middle finger off! Matthew looked, and saw the man raise his head up, only to find that it was, to his horror, Tomura Shigaraki!

"Why don't we do some catching up, Matthew Noble?" Shigaraki asked.

"Tomura Shigaraki," said Matthew, trying to keep his tone calm. "We meet again."

"A classic hero line," Shigaraki replied. "But don't bother trying to scream - if I hear one cry for help out of you, I'll put all my fingers to your neck, and your throat will be the first to go. You know how my quirk works - after all, you experienced it first-hand, when I destroyed your shoulders. But wait, your shoulders are back to normal - how do you explain that?"

"Someone with a healing quirk fixed me up," Matthew replied, his tone somewhat strained, as he felt Shigaraki's hand wrap a little tighter around his throat. "You mind taking that hand off me, so we can talk like civilized people?"

"Didn't you hear me before? If I let go of you, you'll scream and run for help, or you'll take me on, and then we'll have a second round of what went down at the concert. And this time, Deku and your slimy friend won't be there to save your butt. So no, I think we're just fine like this."

"Seriously, I do a lot better if someone doesn't have their hand wrapped around my neck. So, if you do that for me and remove your hand, we can talk, and you have my word that I won't scream or run for help or fight you while we're here. After all, there are civilians here, and I don't want causalities while we fight."

"What good is your word anyway?" Shigaraki asked, his grip tightened a little more.

"How about… my honor?" Matthew asked, his tone now more strained from Shigaraki's tight grip. "Is my honor… good enough for you? I swear, on my honor, life, and word, that we… will not fight during our meeting… in the mall."

Shigaraki paused to think about it, and then he replied, "Alright, you've convinced me - I'll let go, for now."

He then let go of Matthew, who let out a breath of relief, along with a couple of coughs. After a few seconds of composing himself, he turned to face Shigaraki, who was standing there with his hands in his sweatshirt pockets.

"Thanks for letting go of my neck," said Matthew, rubbing the back of his own neck. "I'm quite fond of it - my mom and dad gave it to me. You want to get something to eat at the food court? It's dinnertime, and I'm a little hungry."

"Sure, I'll eat, but no tricks now," Shigaraki replied.

"Of course, I made a promise, and I intend to keep it - no fighting during this meeting between us. But next time we meet, however, there will be no promises - after all, you're a villain, and I'm a hero."

"I understand - after we leave, you're free from your promise."

Matthew started walking to the food court of the mall, with Shigaraki following behind him. It felt a little weird, having dinner with a villain, especially one as notorious as him. But still, Matthew thought it could give him an idea as to what Shigaraki's thinking process was, and maybe, he could learn some more information about him, his plans, and the other villains too. Though it was going to be a big risk, since there were civilian lives on the line, and even his own.

But Matthew didn't mind - being quirkless, he was a born risk-taker.


After ordering dinner at one of the stalls in the food court, Matthew and Shigaraki sat down at a table. Despite there being a heavy tension between the two, they were able to eat their dinners, without causing any turmoil or worry for the other. It was a weird feeling - here they were, mortal enemies with each other, just sitting and having some dinner, which was burgers, fries, and sodas.

"So, why have you come to the mall?" Matthew asked, eating one of the last of his fries. "You shopping too?"

"No, I came to find you," Shigaraki replied, taking a quick sip from his drink. "I came to warn you."

"About what?"

"Not what, who - tell me, have you ever heard of a villain who calls himself The Architect?"

"The Architect? Never heard of him, and that name is not really all that scary - I mean, intimidating and mysterious, yes, but scary, no."

"I said that myself, and he asked me what Architects do."

"And what do Architects do?"

"They build 'over' things, as in, they take what can't be accomplished, and accomplish it."

Matthew instantly felt threatened when Shigaraki said that, and he gulped down hard the food he was eating.

"What does he want with me?" Matthew asked, now sounding somewhat worried, though he was trying his hardest to hide it.

"He's gained an interest in you," Shigaraki replied. "He's a lot like you - a quirkless, who can hold his own against those with quirks. He makes plan and tactics, but most mysteriously of all, he wants to play a game with you, a game with three levels."

"A quirkless? A game with three levels? What kind of levels?"

"From what he told me, quality of mercy, quality of deliverance, and quality of sacrifice. He said that the wheels are set in motion, waiting for the right moments to strike, pulling the strings to lead to your demise."

"Do you know what he plans on doing, within these three levels?"

"Yes, but I will not tell you, for he has promised me something, in exchange for my assistance."

"If you're not going to tell me, why even bother warning me?" Matthew asked, his tone somewhat offended.

"As much as I need his help, I don't like him," Shigaraki replied, his tone darkly vicious. "He thinks he can just walk into my League and take control, using our resources for his own doings - I don't like that, so I'll be willing to impart some knowledge to you. Let's see if that smug miscreant can see this coming."

Matthew winced a little and said, "Don't take this the wrong way or anything, but you are a strange dude, Shigaraki."

"None taken, and likewise to you, Noble." Shigaraki replied.

"Hey Matthew, how's it going?" A familiar male voice called out.

Matthew let out a gasp of worry, as both he and Shigaraki turned to see who called to him. It was Yusuf Kingston and Nemo Brooks, his two American classmates from Class 1-B! They were coming over to him, unaware that he was sitting and talking with Shigaraki, the leader of the League of Villains!


Name: Yusuf Kingston

Gender: Male

Age: 16

Place of Birth: Scarborough, Maine

Nationality: American

Quirk: Weight Change - Allows the user to change the mass and weight of whatever they touch, including themselves. Only drawback is using too much power can drain energy fast.

Hero Name: Weightman

Hero License: Provisional

Original Place of Education: Justice High - Queens, New York

Love Interest: Itsuka Kendo

Yusuf had dark purple hair that was cut into an undercut haircut, fair skin, purple eyes, and his clothing consisted of a black sweatshirt, purple gym shorts, and white sneakers.


Name: Nemo Brooks

Gender: Male

Age: 16

Place of Birth: Honolulu, Hawaii

Nationality: American

Quirk: Fish - Can do whatever a fish can do: swim, breathe underwater, telepathically communicate with fish. Only drawback is too much telepathic communication can cause massive headaches.

Hero Name: Fish Hero: Fisher

Hero License: Provisional

Original Place of Education: Justice High - Queens, New York

Love Interest: Tsuyu Asui

Nemo had a high-domed head, blue skin, and yellow goggle-like eyes. His clothing consisted of a dark green muscle shirt, black sweatpants, and he wore no shoes.


Yusuf look confused at who Matthew was eating dinner with, and asked, "Uh, who's your friend?"

This was bad - Matthew needed to think of something fast, 'cause if they found out it was Shigaraki, they would all be in trouble!

"This is Teki," Matthew quickly lied, trying his hardest not to sound panicky. "He's a fan of U.A, and he wanted to talk about me winning the World Sports Festival. Teki, this is Yusuf and Nemo - they also go to U.A with me, but they're in Class 1-B."

"Hello," Shigaraki, posing as 'Teki', replied in a friendly tone. "It's a pleasure to meet you."

"Same here," Yusuf replied, extending his hand from him to shake, only to pull it back awkwardly, when 'Teki' didn't extend his own.

Nemo looked at 'Teki' strangely and asked, "Have we've seen you somewhere before? You look really familiar."

"I was that guy you bumped into, when you're were getting popcorn at the World Sports Festival," Shigaraki lied. "You remember, at the popcorn stand that was near the top?"

"Oh yeah!" Nemo replied, before thinking about it and saying, "Uh, nope, I don't remember that - I don't think I even eat popcorn."

"Oh, that's interesting," Shigaraki said, keeping the friendly tone. "Well, thanks for buying me dinner, Mr. Noble, and we'll see each other again… very soon."

The way Shigaraki said that was intimidating to Matthew, as he got up from the table, and then moved past Yusuf and Nemo. He took his soda drink with him, and was about to continue on his way, but Matthew stopped him, when he was good few yards away from the three.

"Hey Teki, I have a quick question for you," said Matthew, getting up and going over after him. Then, in a low voice, so that Yusuf and Nemo couldn't hear him, he asked, "What has the Architect promise you, in exchange for your help?"

Shigaraki flashed an evil grin at Matthew and replied in an evil tone of voice, "Why, he's promised to free my teacher."

Matthew's eyes widened in fright and he asked, "All for One?"

"All for One," Shigaraki replied. "Good luck, Noble."

Shigaraki then walked away, taking a sip out of his soda drink, as Matthew watched him leave. Yusuf and Nemo then came over to speak with their friend, but they also watched as the guy they knew as 'Teki' left.

"What a strange dude," said Yusuf, a look of confusion on his face. "So, what was that about?"

"I'll explain it later on," Matthew replied quickly. "What are you guys doing here?"

"The two of us were shopping, when we saw you having dinner with your new friend," Nemo replied. "I can't believe you bought him food, though."

"It seemed like the polite thing to do, and I was a little bit hungry myself," said Matthew, before trying to change the subject. "So, what are you guys shopping for?"

"Oh, supplies, summer clothes, you know, the works," Yusuf replied. "You want to join us on our shopping spree?"

"Sure," Matthew replied. "I already got what I was looking for - some swimming trunks here, but I'll come along with you guys, since it's the company that matters."

"Great, let's go!" said Nemo, his tone cheerful.

Nemo took off walking through the mall, with Yusuf and Matthew following. But though Matthew tried to look cheerful, he couldn't help but think about what Shigaraki had told him - he thought about the Architect, his game, and how he was planning on freeing All for One.

From what he had heard from All Might about him, All for One was the supreme bad guy, and freeing him was probably akin to bringing on the apocalypse! He would need to stop this Architect, and also Shigaraki, from enacting their plans, but he knew he wouldn't be able to do this alone - he needed to tell Midoriya and All Might about what had happened, and he would need to do it before the internships started! Otherwise, with all the hustle and bustle that would be going on, he could probably forget to tell them!

But still, he didn't want to cause a panic, that the leader of the League of Villains was in the mall. So, it would be best not to tell them just yet, but to wait a little bit, and then tell them. But also to tell them in secret, as to not draw any suspicions from Shigaraki, the Architect, or any of their fellow villains.

Needless to say, this was all confusing, but cooler heads prevailed, and that's what Matthew needed to do - keep a cool, calm, and collected head about this.


The Mirko Hero Agency building looked like an office building from the outside, but on the inside, it looked more like an MMA gym. It had several weights, exercise machines, punching bags, gym equipment, an MMA ring, training dummies, and the color scheme of it all was white, dark purple, and yellow - the colors that Mirko herself wore. Speaking of Mirko, she was working hard during her evening training, attacking a dark purple punching bag with a variety of powerful kicks, punches, and combo attacks.

Rumi Usagiyama, also known as 'Rabbit Hero: Mirko', was a 28-year-old, dark-skinned woman of average height. She had red narrow eyes, and straight white hair that was cut to just below her jaw (it was a lot longer once, reaching all the way down to her thighs, but then she decided to cut it, as it was getting in the way of her fighting). She also had long white rabbit ears that pointed upwards above her head, and a small and white round tail.

She was slender and curvaceous in frame, but she also had a lean, athletic, and well-defined build, especially in her arms and legs. Her training outfit consisted of a black tank-top, black gym shorts with two white stripes on the sides, and tan-colored athletic tape wrapped around her hands and feet, kind of like a Muay Thai fighter.

Mirko continued pounding the punching bag, until one extremely powerful kick sent it breaking off the chain, and flying across the room, right into the wall! The kick had also torn a massive hole into it, causing sand to start pouring out of it! In response to this, Mirko only gave out a brash grin, and she started hooking up a new punching bag - she'd get one of her new interns to clean up the mess when they came. After she hooked the new one up, she started attacking it again and again, until she heard a noise behind her, and turned to kick the assailant! She stopped her kick short, however, as it was one of the heroes who worked under her, and her leg barely touched his face. However, the hero didn't even flinch - he had gotten used to her vicious, brash, all-out style, so nothing surprised him.

The hero was known as Weapons Hero: Centurion.


Name: Maro Haramoto

Gender: Male

Age: 31

Place of Birth: Yokohama, Japan

Nationality: Japanese

Quirk: Weaponry - Can turn and combine any inanimate objects he touches into a melee, throwing, or ranged weapon, depending on what style of weapon he thinks about, and what supplies he can find.

Hero Name: Weapons Hero: Centurion

Love Interest: None to his knowledge.

Maro Haramoto had short black hair, a light goatee, fair skin, and light grey eyes that looked bored. He had a lean, yet muscular build, and he wore the clothing and armor of a roman soldier: a gold and brown helmet with a red mohawk-like tuff, gold armor, brown under-armor, brown fingerless gloves and wrist protectors, a red tunic, a brown belt with a gold buckle and pouches on the sides, black tights, and brown boots. There was a futuristic feel to his armor, and it was stylized, so that he could move a lot easier.


"Didn't your mom ever tell you not to sneak up on people?" Mirko asked, her tone brash and cocky.

"Yes she did, but I never really listened, rest her soul," Centurion replied, his tone indifferent, as he carried an iPad in his hands. "And I have the list of sign-ups for the internship."

"Give it here," said Mirko, putting her leg down, and taking the iPad from him. After a few seconds of scrolling through it, she asked in a somewhat angered tone, "Where's that kid that won the World Sports Festival? I thought for sure he was going to sign up with us!"

"Unfortunately, somebody else got to him - some quirkless squadron from America." Centurion replied, as Mirko handed the iPad back to him.

Mirko let out a snarl of annoyance, and started unwrapping the athletic tape from her hands, while asking, "Kid wants to be with his own kind, huh? Rather spend his time with quirkless? Why are the good ones always hard to get, Centurion?"

"Beats the heck out of me, and I mean the question, not you." Centurion replied with a shrug, his tone still indifferent.

Mirko let out another snarl of annoyance, as she knelt down to unwrap the athletic tape from her feet. After she did that, she stood up and asked, "Who are the ones that signed up?"

"Two students from Class 1-A, same class that the kid is from," Centurion replied, scrolling through the iPad. "Top students, and both of them are fighters, very impressive."

Mirko let out an annoyed 'hmph', grabbed her water bottle and towel, and walked into another room, with Centurion following her. The room was like the locker room of a gym - it had lockers, benches, shower stalls, bathroom stalls, sinks, driers, a steam room, and large tubs, one of which was filled to the brim with water, and a lot of ice.

"All students that come from U.A are 'very impressive' as you say," said Mirko, as she put a leg into the tub filled with water and ice. "But that kid who won the World Sports Festival was someone that I found worthy of joining us - it was either him, or none of them!"

Mirko now had both legs in the tub filled with water and ice, so that she was standing at one end of it. She then sat down, with the frigid cold water going up to her chest, and sat with her back against the tub, and her arms out on the sides, not even letting out a shiver from how absolutely freezing that water was.

"I know, I know, you wanted the best, and not having a quirk makes that kid one of the best," Centurion replied, pulling up a stool and sitting beside the end of the tub where Mirko's feet were. "But like I said, these two are pretty good, and from what I've heard, one of them is close friends with the quirkless kid, so I think you'll like them."

Mirko let out an annoyed groan, closed her eyes, leaned her head back, and replied, "Read me their names and quirks - we'll see what we have to deal with."

"First one is named Milo Shiloh, and he's one of the American kids in Class 1-A," Centurion read off the iPad. "Has a slime quirk - can produce a thick, orange-colored slime from body, and has control over how soluble and how viscous it can be. Slime can be used for variety of different uses, and can also produce orange-white crystals from the slime, and also crystalize it. Second one is named Eijiro Kirishima - has a hardening quirk, can turn his entire body into rock, and is able to take even the most lethal of attacks."

"What are their hero names?" Mirko asked.

"For Shiloh, it's 'Slime Hero: Orange Fury' and for Kirishima, it's 'Sturdy Hero: Red Riot'." Centurion replied. "So, should we take them?"

Mirko was quiet for a few seconds, pondering what decision to make, before she looked back at Centurion and replied in a brash tone, "Okay, it's better than nothing - say that we'll take them both on as interns. And get out of here while you're at it - I'll finish up my ice bath, then I'm gonna get washed up, and I don't want you in here."

"Right - if you need me, you know where to find me," said Centurion, getting up from the stool. "You want me to leave the iPad?"

"Yes, bring your stool over here, and put it on it," Mirko replied. "I want to take a look at them."

Centurion obeyed and then left the locker room, while Mirko picked up the iPad and looked at their pictures - Milo had a friendly, laid-back look, while Kirishima looked determined, and ready to train as hard as he could. Right off the bat, just seeing these two, Mirko started to have hopes for Kirishima, but it was a different story for Milo. She had a feeling that Milo was going to require some 'extra attention' to help toughen him up - she hated having to give 'extra attention' to those who couldn't take it. But she could be hopeful about him, hopeful he would turn out to be a fighter, like Centurion had said - all he, and his friend, would need were pushes in the right direction.

Mirko then turned off the iPad, put it back on the stool, and then put her arms in the ice bath. She then let herself sink deeper, till the frigid water was up to her neck. After several minutes of resting like that, she then got out of the ice bath, shook the water off of herself, and then climbed out. Training was done, for now, and in a couple of days, the interns would be coming. Only those two, however, since she wasn't a supporter of having a team - she believed that heroes needed to rely on themselves, not on others, to get the job done.

Little did Milo Shiloh and Eijiro Kirishima know, they were in for a wild ride with her.