Chapter 24: Doubting the Demon

Izuku wanted to throw up. His mind wanted to do the same. The teen had a hand over his mouth as he slowly walked out of the office, locking it behind him as he shuffled down the stairs. His hand then went up to his forehead, his eyes shaking as he walked into the kitchen.

'Why is one of those masks in Mister Li's office? Why does he have a secret room there? Why is...he would never...Mister Li is so nice, why would...I don't...' his mind raced, the teen's eyes twitching as he kept thinking about what he had just saw, 'Mister Li...are you a villain?'

And as that question entered his brain, it was replaced with a quote from a certain elderly hero.

"And when you go down that rabbit hole, you'll never get out of it. You'll keep going in over your head and it won't stop."

It happened. It went exactly how Gran Torino had told him it would go. From gang wars, to the hero killer, and now this. It was like dominos in his brain, just one crazy thing after another. The thought alone made him stumble, not noticing a certain snake-headed lady walk up to him.

"Yo! Did you find the-" Gloria's words came to a stop as he turned to her, his face's expression making her flinch, "Uh...you okay?"

Izuku's mouth mumbled for a second, only to just show the woman a handful of keys. She raised an eyebrow at this, soon grabbing them and stared at each one. "Hmm...here it is." She then handed the keys back, "Go put these back in the office for me, would ya?"

Izuku looked down at the keys, Gloria blinking as she saw him just stare at the keys, "Izuku? Kid? You okay?"

"I uh...I don't know." He slowly replied, Gloria tilting her head at this, "Sorry. I just...freaked out there for a second."

Gloria stared at him for a second before shrugging, "Okay. If you need a second, take it. We're not in a rush."

"Oh um...thanks. Say uh...when is Mister Li coming back?"

"I think tomorrow. Why?"

"No reason. Just...wanted to know." Izuku responded before spinning around, quickly running back up the stairs. He felt his form zipping into the room and putting the keys up in a flash, his mind blank as he did this. The teen hopped down the stairs next, quickly getting back to the kitchen as he lifted up the boxes. A second later, he was taking them to the bus, Gloria just now opening the vehicle.

"That was fast." she commented as she opened the back, Izuku quickly putting the boxes up. And as he walked back into FEAST, he found his mother standing at the front door.

"Izuku, what's wrong?" She asked as he came to a stop in front of her.

"Um..."

"Gloria told me you looked like something had frightened you. What happened?"

Izuku flinched at those words, his eyes darting around before leaning down and whispering, "Let me finish helping Gloria and I'll tell you. Its...Spider-Man stuff."

Inko raised an eyebrow at this, only to sigh, "This doesn't mean you're gonna do something reckless later, are you?"

Her son shook his head, "No. Yes. I...I don't know. I mean, I don't think I'll do it today but-"

"Izuku..." Inko started to glare at him, "What's going on?"

And before he could reply, Gloria walked up to two, her tongue slightly slipping out. "Hey Izuku, we still have some room in the bus. Ready to put one more round into it?"

"Uh...yeah." Izuku responded before gesturing his head to his mother, Inko rolling her eyes before nodding. He then went inside with Gloria, soon taking out the last few boxes to the bus. As he did this, Gloria got some volunteers to drive and they were soon gone, Izuku telling Gloria he was going to stay at FEAST with his mom.

And after they left, Inko took him aside, the two walking out of the building. As they did this, Izuku and Inko found a small table with chairs to sit down on. The two made themselves comfortable, Inko glaring at her son as she asked, "So what is this all about? Why were you acting like that earlier?"

"I um..." Izuku muttered out, shaking his head for a second before saying, "I...I think I saw something in Mister Li's office that I shouldn't have."

Inko tilted her head at this, "What do you mean?"

"Well, you know those masked guys you've seen me fight on tv?" Inko nodded back, "I uh...I found one of those masks in Mister Li's office."

Inko went wide-eyed at this, "What?!" She squeaked out.

"Yeah. I know." Izuku replied as he put a hand over his face, "When I saw it, I...I...I didn't know what to do. I mean, if he has that mask...that means Mister Li is a villain."

Inko just stared at him, letting out a long sigh next as she slumped down into the chair. She saw her son twitch in his seat, the woman able to tell that his mind was swimming. She slowly reached over and grabbed his hand, pulling it off his face as he stared right into her eyes. "Oh Izuku, I'm so sorry."

"I can't escape it, can I? You asked me to not jump into everything, and then this happens." Izuku bitterly chuckled.

Inko let go of his hand and took a deep breath, her head slightly shaking, "I'm sorry. I wish I knew what to tell you."

"Yeah." Izuku let out a moan at this, "Gran Torino was right. I don't know what I'm doing." He tapped a finger on the table, the two sitting in silence for a few minutes. And as the time passed, the teen bit his lip before asking, "So uh...what do you think I should do? I mean, if Mister Li is a villain..."

Inko blinked at this, her mind going back to all the times she had been around Martin Li. She remembered how much he tried to help people, helping others around FEAST and doing whatever he could. The thought just didn't sit right with her, making her say, "Well um...do you really think he could be a villain?"

Izuku stared at her, knowing what she was thinking. "I...don't know." He glanced down at the table, "I just can't see it, but...but Gloria has been saying he's been constantly gone recently." Inko frowned at that, only for him to add, "I did ask Gloria and she said Mister Li is gonna be back tomorrow."

His mother bit his lip at this, "So, what are you gonna do when he comes back?"

"I uh...still don't know."

Inko shook her head, "You really jump into everything, don't you?"

"Yeah..."

Inko closed her eyes for a second before reaching out and grabbing his hand again. The teen slowly looked up at her, showing nothing but confusion and despair in his eyes. She could tell his heart and mind was messed up, probably more than she had ever seen before. She let out a long breath before saying, "You can be Spider-Man tomorrow." He went wide-eyed at this, only for her to add, "Try to figure out what's going on, okay? And if he really is a villain...well, we'll figure it out, okay?"

"And if he isn't?"

"Then we'll try to figure out how to help him."

Izuku did a slow nod, "Okay."

The next day...

A small pale finger circled around the top of a glass of whiskey, a low growl escaping the finger's owner's lips. His long white hair drooped over his face as he took the glass and slugged it down in one go. He felt the liquid burn down his throat before glancing up at the bartender, a man that looked like a purple mist.

"Something wrong, Master Shigaraki?" The bartender asked as Tomura let out a sigh.

"Shut up, Kurogiri." Shigaraki hissed as he glanced up at the tv in the bar, showing what he considered to be another news report of Spider-Man and the hero killer. He could feel his eye twitching at this, one of his hands going up to scratch the side of his neck. "Why do those two get all the attention?!"

"It seems the Nomus you used did not do their intended effect. Perhaps its because the hero killer and Spider-Man's methods are more subtle?"

"Tch." Shigaraki grumbled as he pushed the glass from before away. "Whatever."

"Master Shigaraki..."

"Shut up." Tomura hissed, only for a small television in the room to turn on.

"Now now, Tomura." a voice glitched out of the screen, "Do not be discouraged. Even if the public do not acknowledge you now, that only means you must aim higher."

"I know sensei." Shigaraki responded, "But I don't know what to do next. I mean, I could totally try to mess over UA again, but that ended in total party wipeout last time. And the rest of those minions that didn't get wiped bailed on us!"

"Agreed. That is why you must do what I did back in my prime."

"What was that sensei?"

"Recruitment." the voice replied, Shigaraki knowing his sensei was smiling behind that screen at this, "And you need to make sure they are not normal, basic thugs. This time, go for quality over quantity."

Shigaraki scratched the side of his neck again, "Sounds like a pain." He then turned to Kurogiri, "Call Giran."

"Of course, Master Shigaraki."

Izuku's morning was the most robotic thing he had done in a long time. He barely remembered what his morning was as he did this routine, quickly preparing his Spider-Man costume under his clothes, putting the rest of it in a backpack before going off to FEAST. His mom had to go to the hospital, a few emergencies going off last night and she had to help with the clean-up.

As such, he did the slow method to get there, riding the train alone. He had spent all last night thinking about how Li could be a villain. He was such a nice guy, always encouraging him and helping others. The very thought felt...wrong. And as he thought about it, the harder it was to consider it being real.

And yet, when he went home last night, he remembered his first encounter with Li. The man had said he had a villainous quirk, something that Izuku didn't believe in. The teen had always believed no one had a villainous quirk, but that thought had stayed in the back of his head. He still didn't know what Li's quirk was, and that thought was the scariest part about all of this. 'What is Mister Li's quirk?' he thought as he felt the train rumble, making him glance up.

The train came to a stop, the teen slowly getting up and leaving the car. He shuffled his feet as he walked down the sidewalk, his mind drifting as he looked ahead. The FEAST building was already in the distance, the teen not realizing just how much time had passed. But as he stared at the building, he felt a wave of dread cover him before letting out a sigh.

'You can do this Izuku. You just...suspect someone you admire to be a villain. A villain that's part of a gang you've fought like six times now.' He took a deep breath as he walked up to the stairs outside the building, 'Just...maybe consider this like another case? Start with an investigation and find some clues. Or something like that.'

He slowly went up to the front doors and opened them, his eyes darting around for a second. He let out a breath he didn't know he was holding before walking into the main area, only to see the usual bunch of beds and chairs like always. Several seniors were sitting around a tv, all arguing over the news while two of them were at a chess table. They were the usual there, Izuku having played against them both several times. He watched them move a few pieces, his mind telling him who was going to win before going to the kitchen, only to see no one was there.

'Odd. Gloria's usually here.' he thought before leaving the room and glancing upward, his eyes settling on Li's office on the second floor. The teen shuffled over to the stairs, slowly taking them as he walked up to the room. And as he got there, he saw the man he was looking for just outside of the office. It was Maritn Li, who was currently talking to Gloria.

"You sure?" Gloria asked, "I mean, I don't mind taking over, but is it really that bad?"

"It is." Li sighed, "I have a group running the second location now, but as for here...you're the only one I got. I...I need you to look over it because...because its the best part of me."

Gloria glanced away at this, her fork tongue sticking out for a second before looking back, "Alright. I'll do it."

"Thank you." Li slightly bowed to her, only to turn around and ask, "Oh! Hello Izuku. How long have you been there?"

"Um...I just walked up the stairs. What's going on?"

Li let out a long groan at this, "I have to leave for a few days and wanted to make sure everything is fine with FEAST." He rubbed the side of his head at this, Izuku realizing this was the first time he had seen Li actually look frustrated over something.

"Turns out, some guys want to buy our building." Gloria chimed in, making Izuku turn to her with wide eyes.

"W-w-what do you mean?"

Gloria shrugged as Li spoke up, "Don't worry about it. Its...just something I'm trying to solve." Li glanced back at Gloria, "I'm gonna go ahead and get going. You good?"

"No prob." Gloria responded while nodding.

"Thank you." Li replied before looking back at Izuku, "Sorry to leave so early, but duty calls."

"Um...okay." Izuku squeaked out before the man walked past him, slowly going down the stairs.

As he did this, Gloria went up to Izuku, "Hey kiddo. Sorry to say, but I got nothing for you to do today. Just the usual is happening here."

"Oh." Izuku glanced down at this, "Okay."

"Sorry."

Izuku shook his head, "No, its okay. I just...had a day off and thought I should come help."

"I get ya. Welp, I gotta go downstairs and talk to Wanze. I'll talk to you later."

"Okay." Izuku responded as the snake lady walked over to the stairs, Izuku following her. And as she walked into the kitchen, the teen quickly shifted over to the front doors of the building. And as he opened them, he saw Martin Li walk to the side of the building, Izuku blinking at the sight. He tiptoed to the side of the building as he followed the man, only to see Li get into his car.

'I can't believe this is happening. I mean, I didn't expect him to leave this quickly.' Izuku thought as he reached into his backpack and pulled out a spider tracer and his web shooter, quickly putting it on and firing the device at Li's car. The tracker hit the bumper, the sight making Izuku almost smile. 'Got it!' He took the shooter off and put it back in the bag a second later, taking in a deep breath. 'Okay...now to change into Spider-Man.'

He looked back at the FEAST building one more time, the sight making him take a deep breath before slowly walking into a nearby alleyway. And as he tiptoed down it and glanced around, making sure no one was looking, he turned invisible and crawled up the wall. A second later, he was on the rooftop before changing into his vigilante alter-ego, equipping his web shooters as he whispered, "Alright Mister Li, let's see what you're really up to."

Nezu's eyes were glued to the screen before him. He was in his office at UA, a large screen on the other side of the room as it showed every bit of footage Naomasa and the police had collected on Spider-Man. When he had confronted the detective and Aizawa, he had been very precise in terms of what theories he had on the vigilante, but also made sure to not say his true intentions.

However, as he stared at the screen, this one showing Spider-Man fighting the gang war that had happened while the UA sports festival was going on, he shined the biggest grin as he watched it for the third time. The sight made him light a cigarette, the tiny white stick soon touching his lips as he chuckled to himself.

"I must say, this Spider-Man truly is intriguing." He said to himself, "To think a hero like this is possible. And considering everything I've looked over, I still don't know your identity."

That thought made Nezu want to do backflips. One of the biggest problems Nezu had with trying to solve puzzles is that they were always too easy. As Aizawa had stated earlier, his investigations always had success. The stoat's quirk allowed him to easily figure out any puzzle, whether it be logic, science or the inbetween. However, this case was different.

He let out a puff of smoke at this, his mind creating a profile in his head as he spoke his thoughts aloud, "The problem here is the logic. We have a teen, which considering his body type and what little we have in terms of his voice thanks to the Scorpion incident, probably a teen around the age of the students here...that somehow failed. I've looked over all our footage in the heroic exams and found nothing. All the files show no one like him. That should make it easier, as that would take out suspects, but somehow...it doesn't."

The stoat puffed again as the cigarette twiddled in his paw, "This vigilante is a scientific impossibility crossed with a profile that makes no logical sense. His quirk seems to have a mutant aspect to it, but also has multiple emitter quirk abilities with the webbing and electricity. There's also a transformation aspect with invisibility, which means the quirk registry we have here will probably be different than what his quirk really is. After all, the closest I've found in terms of our records for the exams is an invisible student and a student that uses electricity, and I know it's not either of them. There was also no spider mutant quirks that participated in the exams. That can only mean that they went to another hero school."

Nezu put the cigarette in a small ashtray at this, "But why would he do that if he's obviously in Musutafu? Almost everything he's done has been in this city, so he has to live here. Financial problems, perhaps? Even so, the rate for him to move around from here to another hero school would be almost the same expense as trying us. No...that means he failed to get into UA."

The stoat tapped a remote next, the footage switching to what little it had on the hero killer fight, watching Spider-Man flee as Endeavor went after him. The sight made him smile, "But you also believe the world is against you, and that's a mindset that has to be created, not learned. Though it does makes sense why you would switch to vigilantism for that. After all, if you truly did fail like Iida said..." Nezu's grin got even wider at that, "The hero commission wants you taken in. In fact, I wouldn't be surprised if they'd put you away in Tartarus just because of the good you've done." He then tapped the remote again, shutting off the footage. "Not a chance. I want you for myself."

And as he said this, the stoat began to laugh, his staff now all feeling chills go down their spines despite not even being around him.

Izuku had found that web-swinging was a bit too fast for tailing, especially in a city where cars are constantly starting and stopping. This also made Izuku not want to learn how to drive, as he felt web-swinging was so superior that it made cars look...boring.

As such, after an hour of following Li's car, mainly just running on rooftops, which he found no one really seemed to notice, only for the vehicle to come to a stop in front of a building. Izuku saw it looked like an old car garage crossed with a warehouse, something that a man dressed like Martin Li, who was in an expensive looking full black suit, wouldn't exactly walk into. Despite this, Izuku swung over to the building's roof and perched there, watching the man get out of his car. He saw Li tug at his suit before closing the driver door, only to walk up to a small orange door on the side of the building. Li glanced around at this, only to take out a key and opened the frame. Seeing this, Izuku turned invisible and slowly crawled down the side of the building, getting down at the door and grabbing the knob. However, he saw it was already locked, making him grimace before crawling back up the building.

'Guess I gotta find another way to get in.' He thought before looking the building over, 'There's no windows...maybe I can find a vent?'

A few minutes later, he found exactly what he was looking for, a small duct that he found he could crawl through. Once again, he found his body could easily slip through, glad his new reflexes made it so simple. He zipped through the vents, his ears picking up the familiar sound of a language he couldn't understand. Hearing this, he picked up his crawling pace, only to find an open vent.

The teen's eyes squinted as he leaned his head down, trying to view what he could of the room below him. And as he did this, his went wide. Below him was a room filled with boxes and masked men, the vigilante seeing several open the boxes to reveal tons of rifles and guns. The sight made him flinch. 'Weapon smuggling?' He watched them open another crate, this one showing an RPG. 'Holy...how did they get all this stuff?!'

But as his thoughts kept swimming at the sights below him, his brain came a to halt as a new figure walked into the room. It was Martin Li, the man slowly striding through the place as the masked men all came to a stop and bowed to him. Izuku's eyes went wide again as he saw this, only to see Li tug at his suit...and then activate his quirk.

Martin Li's skin suddenly turned black, his black suit became white, and his eyes went completely black with white pupils. The sight made Izuku barely lean back, now seeing even Li's hair change from black to white. And as Li did this, his hands turned black before a familiar looking black and white energy sparked around them.

'What the...' Izuku thought as he saw Li flex his hands, the energy now sparking even more out of his fingertips. And as this happened, two masked men walked up with a third man, this one not wearing a mask.

"A new volunteer, sir." one of the two masked thugs said.

"Excellent." Li replied before touching the man. Energy flowed out of his hand and into the third man, the individual letting out a small scream, only to go silent. Izuku then saw the person twitch for a second, his body turning a shade of black before going still. And as this happened, Li spoke up, "You are now one of us. One of the Inner Demons."

"Yes master." The third man replied before another thug walked up and gave him a mask, the man quickly putting it on.

And as this happened, Izuku put a hand to his face, his whole form shaking as he stared at Martin Li. The man began to speak again, issuing orders to the others, but Izuku wasn't listening. Instead, his mind was racing as he thought only one thing.

'Mister Li...is the leader of the masked men?!'