I don't own One Punch Man, nor do I own My Hero Academia. Each Franchise i owned by their respective owner..
ENJOY!
...
Blast hovered above the abyss of the fantastical vastness of the other dimension, floating endlessly with his comrades.
The seal was repaired. It was distorted momentarily by a mysterious bulge on the other side of the earth, causing the earth's magnetosphere to go haywire, but they managed to repair the seal. The creature he came into conflict for nearly a century was stripped off of his chance to break free.
However..
He still could feel something. The threads of reality were dissolving piece by piece, a a disturbance in the flow of time.
"Boros." Blast looked to his right, to see his one-eyed comrade looking back at him with fondness.
"Hm?"
"Do you feel that something might be wrong with the flow of the timeline?"
"The flow of the timeline?" Boros asked, "And why do you ask?"
"...On the basis that I use my feelings, I'd simply brush it off as a hunch but..."
"But?"
All he could think of is that mysterious man wearing the yellow jumpsuit.
"There was a form of spatial manipulation in the earth's magnetosphere a few days ago as we know already. I suspect that the initial catalyst consists of two certain combatants, I believe one of their names were Garou." Blast said, "And the other..."
"All Might." An elf woman cut into their conversation, "The strongest man to ever set foot on planet earth, however, where his powers were originated from..it still remains a mystery."
"Their...clash caused quite the ruckus on the fabric of space and time."
"And the seal as well." Blast said, "However, one anomaly remains..near the end of their fight, I feel something is being ruptured."
"Hm?"
"It's like...something is merging into our universe and coercing itself into it, or if I put it in another way..an entire horde of countless universes are merging into our own." Blast's mind trailed into something else, following with a deduction that seemed less plausible than a fairy tale, "I think...something happened right before their fight ended, and...this might sound outlandish, but, I think..time travel isn't out of the question regarding the timeline distortion."
His allies bared their eyes into Blast in collective shock.
"Oh my...looks like we've gotten ourselves into quite the hassle." One of them managed to mouth out despite the reeling shock.
"Not even a few seconds in and we're already diving into a concept that we know scarcely about." Boros remarked.
..
Garou could feel the calming rivulet of the waterfall wash him over, stretching his arm to the front, as the sun's radiance envelopes him in it's warmth.
His eyes closed, barricading his vision from the blinding dusk. He then took the initiative to open one of his eyes, only to reveal the overhead figure of a familiar person standing atop the higher ground.
"Hmph." Garou snorted, "Didn't know you'd go to such lengths to find me."
"Back then, I used to keep tabs on your usual routines when you were still in my dojo, and this is the most notable out of them all." Bang said, "You really escaped from the rehabilitation center just to have a little bath in the middle of nowhere?"
"Shut up. That place was getting a little cramped, what with all the loud-mouths and the idiots..Besides, why was I there anyway? The crimes I've committed is basically a one-way ticket to land myself a permanent vacation to a jail cell." Garou chuckled.
Bang jumped into the ground, overlooking the lake, "One way or another, you would've ended up in a rehabilitation center anyway."
"Why's that?"
"It's a new policy conducted by the Commission. Any villain, primarily the ones with redeemable qualities, are to comply to a probation period until further notice." Bang replied.
"That's just simply annoying." Garou huffed, "I don't want to be rehabilitated."
"I can see that, but it's kind of a necessity if you want to regain your status as a citizen."
"If that's what they've been fussing about, I could just live in the wild and not bug them. Far away from the reach of any civilisation." Garou concluded.
"Come on, don't be like that." Bang approached him, "I've been thinking about starting from scratch with us both."
"Hm."
"I'm well aware that my negligence towards your welfare might have gradually altered your mindset in a negative light. I was too preoccupied with my duty as a principal and I..completely disregarded you and left you in the care of another person that you're rather not fond of..so for that, I apologise from the bottom of my heart." Bang said.
Garou's eyes perked a little, opening it slowly, shifting it's gaze towards the older man with a sincere, yet melancholic look.
He exhaled, smiling a little, "You know, you don't have to be so downcast about an issue as trivial as that. It's not like I was a part of your obligation, anyway. I'm a grown adult, and you know damn well that I'm well equipped to make decisions on my own without outside interference."
"Any students of mine is my responsibility." Bang corrected, "And you are no exception."
"You've got a little something going on in another city, that's fine. Not everyone is compelled to be glued to one person at all times. It's fine, really, old man, but I appreciate the gesture." Garou said softly.
"...what changed?"
"You might want to elaborate on that." Garou raised his brow.
"The way you're speaking... it's not like you."
"You really think I'm that depraved?" Garou's throat foamed with laughter, "Look, I might've been not in the best state of minds, but..to simply put, I got over it. Although...I still see the merit in my plan, I just.. don't know how to realise it, I guess."
"Got over it? It's that simple?"
"Yeah, I mean, being the Absolute Evil..? I didn't even have the guts to.."
Something ached in his mind as he said that. A flash of a scenario that he was unfamiliar with played in his mind.
It consists of..
A gloomy landscape, raining with black droplets of water pooling the ground until it formed a tiny reservoir.
...
"You know, old man, there's something that I need to tell you." Garou stood up, "But not here. What say you if we take a stroll on the forest for a bit?"
Bang nodded, "Sure. Whatever it is you're going to say, I believe it must be crucial."
...
Amai Mask couldn't quell the headache from hearing all the bickerings between the committee's, yelling back and forth about the state of their organisation.
"We're still in the middle of the morning, and you fools are already crowing and being noisy." Amai Mask yawned, then he spoke, "If the government wants to replace us for another organisation, one that's actually competent, I can't say that I'm appalled at such an idea."
"But we can't just-!'
"The Commission is already being dragged through the mud by the director the moment he decided to raid an organisation without further elaborative schemes, such as subtlety and espionage, which, could've averted the destruction of Yokohama City as a whole." Amai Mask exclaimed, "I have no comment regarding this, so if you'll excuse me-"
"HOLD ON JUST A MINUTE!" One of them slammed the table, "You can't just bail out on us like that! You..do you even know the influential power you hold over the Hero Public Safety Commission?! If you leave.."
"Then everything crumples into dust, I'm well aware." Amai Mask chuckled, "Ergo, my latest statement. This industry is unreliable, and it's time for a change."
"YOU!" One of the committee's lunged at him, "Don't forget the shell that you crawled out of into fame, you fucking-"
Amai Mask caught his hand and slammed him into the ground, pinning him into the floor with the tip of his shoes.
"Errgh..! Let me g-"
"What was that?" He leaned closer, "Did you say something about me clutching to this pathetic excuse for a hero organisation to acquire something as irrelevant as fame? Let me tell you something, this organisation could've went out embarrassingly the moment Metal Knight was presumed dead all those years ago, so don't spit out things about matters that you barely have a grasp of, understand?"
He then kicked him away, as the man crashed into the wall, forming a large crack behind him.
He walked out of the Committee Board room, "I believe I have said everything that needed to be said. The rest is up to you."
He then slammed the door aggressively, and the room was drenched in awkward silence.
...
"What were you going to say?" Bang asked, eyeing his disciple very carefully.
...
"Have you ever felt like you've missed something crucial that happened, yet, you completely have no idea in the slightest about what it is?" Garou asked.
"Like a...like a deja vu?"
"Oh. That. I could've said that instead of being so convoluted.." Garou laughed, "Anyway, yeah, do you?"
"Hm. Well, I guess I do. Once. I even dreamt of it." Bang shrugged, "It was about you, of course."
"Me?"
"Yeah. Just not too long ago."
"...what did the dream show you?" Garou asked, his eyes litting in suspicion.
"What's with that look? Are you honestly-"
"Spill the beans, old man." Garou interrupted.
"...Well, I can't delve deeper into the details, it was very brief and foggy..but I saw you standing over a corpse with, well, a heart in your grip. I can't make them out, but there were also two other people as well."
"...Huh. How.."
"What's wrong?" Bang asked.
...
Garou shook his head as he waved his hand upwards, "Not a thing. I thought yours were going to be a bit more... identical."
"Nuh-uh, you looked like you were piecing something together." Bang shook his head, "What was it?"
"..."
Fine.
The old man's in for a really, really lengthy explanation.
...
His visions were shrouded under the blanket of darkness, the humidity of the room suffocating him. Aizawa didn't know how many hours, how many days he had spent in this very cramped room, but all he knew..
Was that his problem child is probably still in danger.
The Commission and their little schemes, and their endeavour to put him at bay like this..
He didn't exactly like where this was going.
He needed to get out of here.
And maybe resign on his way out.
The Commission is out of control, and a preventive measure must be conducted in order to avert further complications.
"Aizawa Shouta."
The door creaked, as a ray of light shuffled through the gap, revealing the silhouette of a man in a businessman suit.
"Kishimoto Hakata..." Aizawa uttered the word with a bitter taste in his mouth.
The man closed the door, diminishing the light. In his hand was a plate emitting a delightful smell.
Aizawa's stomach grumbled, but he knew better not to take anything from these men, especially the food.
"If you're not here to release me, then get lost." Aizawa shooed him away, looking at the ground as the sweat droped from his forehead.
"Come on, don't be like that. We were just very concerned about-"
"I don't know if sedating and chaining me to these walls is what one would call being concerned." Aizawa spat out, "I know you're here for something."
"Heh. Very perceptive, Shouta, very perceptive, as always." Kishimoto puts the plate on the ground, near where Aizawa was chained, "You know, I've always heard that you were the most strict teacher in the UA grounds, yet from what I've seen, if anything, you're coddling and sheltering your students from the ugly world that they must face eventually."
"Coddling? It's called being rational. You can't exactly send a couple of inexperienced teenagers and expect something good to come out of it." Aizawa scoffed, "Looking at the most beneficial methods of molding heroes, ours seems to be the most viable one."
"Is that so?" Kishimoto shook his head, "Once upon a time, that would've been the most sensible method, but looking at our situation as of this moment..not so much. You see, evil, they don't take a rain check. Murder, extortion, rape, robbery, actions that subverts itself from the law, it's in the duty of the heroes to stop them, the very same heroes that had left their occupation for the past few years due to our unfortunate decrease in financial compensation."
"We deign to restraint ourselves from using children as the means of a.. let's say, a backup defense, but not this time. We need more manpower more than ever, and it doesn't matter if the chosen individuals aren't adept in this field, we will give them an exclusive training." Kishimoto leaned forward, "As for you and your hefty little code, they are unneeded and inane."
"They are children, not soldiers."
"Does that even matter, Aizawa?" Kishimoto chuckled, trying to get his point across, "Those 'children', as you so specified them as, knew what they were getting themselves into the moment they chose this career as their future livelihood. Don't treat them like a helpless infant. They might perceive it as an insult." His tone leeching with animosity and sarcasm.
"Putting that aside, let us skip the theatrics and get to the main reason why I'm here. I've heard that you are witholding some secrets regarding the formation of a new hero organisation." Kishimoto said, "Details that could entail it's formation plans, how it would be structured, individuals of importance, and most importantly...where it's headquarters would be precisely located. It's exact coordination."
Aizawa's eyes perked up momentarily, before shifting to it's default state.
"Does it ring a bell, Aizawa?"
"I have no idea what you're talking about."
"This is what I despise the most," Kishimoto cupped Aizawa's head up by his chin, coercing his eyes to meet his piercing gaze, "Bluffing your way out of this when you're putting the stability of this country at stake-"
"The stability of this country," Aizawa emphasized, "Has been compromised the moment you deployed most of your manpower to wreck havoc and caused countless casualties to Yokohama in the process."
"Oh please, as if you know a thing or two about the methods we use to maintain stability and order! The Monster Association could've broaden it's influence to the country had we not take an immediate action and went for the offensive!" Kishimoto ran his fingernails across his suit.
"A far more competent organisation could've averted the disaster you caused." Aizawa spat back.
"And what kind of organisation is that? The newly planned organisation that you're trying so hard to rat out? Hah! The hilarity!" Kishimoto kicked the dust out of the floor.
In mild frustration, he pulled his hand away, "Fine. Carry on. Keep that information concealed inside that thick brain of yours, however..." Kishimoto's eyes narrowed insidiously, "It won't last."
He turned around, before walking away into the door with a slight gap between the door and the wall, causing a dim light to pass through.
"We have devised a plan." Kishimoto's eyes glinted sharply as his head tilted backwards, "There will be a mass abduction on the UA grounds that will be conducted by the HPSC personnel."
"W- wha-?"
"And it will be at the time where they least expect it." He opened the door, as it creaked slowly, "This plan will be carried out soon, and oh...there is one student that we have set our sights on, if you would be so kind as to guess who it is?"
The realisation dawned on him. No...
"Don't you fucking dare..."
He had to get in touch with Yagi. Now.
The door creaked as his frame began to gradually fade out of the hero's sight, "Oh, and if you think they're being cautious about our arrival..think again. The old man has retired, and he's had his most trusted companion to take his position, and trust me...I don't believe he's as cooperative as you think he might be."
N- no...Nezu?! But..he couldn't be...
The door was tightly shut, leaving Aizawa with barely any light source to even identify the environment around him. He couldn't move, nor could he reach for any device to contact anyone from the UA faculty.
He should find something, anything, to escape. A dire situation like this can't be simply overlooked.
Looks like he needed to devise a plan to escape from this shithole. For their sake.
...
Yagi tapped the floor at a swift pace, his eyes lingering on the form of the 'exotic sentient animal' standing before him, taking ahold of his newly acquired principal position...
"The old man retired and, like, you're kind of like, the sole manager of this school?" Yagi raised his brow.
"What a questionable choice of term to describe the position of a principal, Yagi-san." Nezu chuckled a bit, "But yes."
"No vice principals and stuff?"
"Nope."
"How does that even work?" Yagi's left brow curled upwards, "Like, a position of power should be scattered to different individuals to avoid an unwanted-"
"Power trip. Yes. I'm well aware." Nezu leaned forward, "But Silverfang-san figured it would be efficient if I were to be the only one who manages to faculty, if we're taking my keen on intelligence into account."
"Ah, right." Yagi shrugged, "So, you uh, called me here for...whatever reason it is, I assume it might be dire."
"Yes." Nezu nodded, "It's about Young Midoriya."
He didn't like where this was going.
"What about him?"
"I need you to be open-minded about this one, Yagi-san, but...would you agree that the boy has more than enough in his hands to become a legitimate professional hero?" Nezu asked, with his arms crossed, "And again, please, do not lash out or condemn this sentiment. I simply need to see your perspective."
Yagi stayed silent for a few moment, not finding the suitable words to express his distaste for the idea..
He couldn't anyway.
The rat was nice at times. He couldn't just...yell at him. Besides, there are some...truth to his words, even if it's outrageous.
A literal teenager entering the world of the professionals sounds completely batshit insane, no matter how strong they are. They need proper guidance. Jesus Christ, he really needed Aizawa on this one. He has his way with words..
Speaking of which, where the fuck has he been for the past few days anyway?
He exhaled, before deciding to speak his mind, "I strongly...disagree."
"And why would that be?"
"Not to discredit his strength or anything, but I've seen how reckless he could be. He needs proper guidance for the time being." Yagi said.
Nezu sighed, "That could be taken care of, if that's your concern."
"Elaborate?" Yagi said.
"The Hero Public Safety Commission has an exclusive training for fresh pupils like him in order to hone and refine his skills, to further explore his potential." Nezu said, "If, he were to cooperate, he would be-"
Yagi tapped the desk lightly, but it was enough to create a dent in the middle of it, "You know, Nezu, I really don't like where this is going."
"Yagi, as I've said before-"
"Open-minded. I get you. But isn't the whole point of the dormitory system is to supervise the students and to shelter them from the Commission's grasp? Why on earth would you suggest for one of them to partake in..whatever this exclusive training is?" Yagi asked, a bit wary.
Nezu ran his fingers through the desk, "We admit..we may had a slight relapse in our judgment at the time, but now that I'm the principal... I believe I can keep everyone in their best interest."
Yagi abruptly stood up, "I'm done."
"Yagi-san, wait-"
"I don't know what the old man was thinking when he handed you over the position, but you must've been quite the charming guy." Yagi spoke in slight hostility, "I knew from the start that something was off about you, rat."
"Ah. Back to the incriminating name-calling it is, then." Nezu grunted lightly, "Please. Sit down."
"To discuss about whether or not we should turn Izuku into an exploitable soldier?" Yagi's eyes bared into the principal's own, "Not to mention going against our own program. We are not handing over Izuku to the Commission."
"You have a miniscule understanding regarding this situation, Yagi-san." Nezu narrowed his eyes, "What little choice do we have besides this? Our industry lacks in manpower, and if this continues on, there's no telling what sort of atrocities that would ensue. The world will be consumed in chaos."
Yagi snorted, "Right. That there, that's the red code. You're one treacherous jerk, aren't you?" Yagi approached with his fist clenched, "I could just punch you into kingdom comes if need be."
"Let's not resort to such barbaric methods, shall we?" Nezu admonished, "This is unbecoming of a professional hero such as yourself."
Yagi scoffed as he brought himself closer to the rat's space, "Oh believe me, I'm not above turning you into a rat mincemeat if you so much as touch a single strand of hair from Izuku."
"Threatening your superior is an unwise course of action, Yagi-san. Need I remind you that I have the power to revoke your status as a teacher, and as well as your pro-license? Not to mention I could turn you into a fugitive to the wider world." Nezu warned, his words came out as sturdy and firm as it is threatening.
Yagi stared at him for a moment. He was acting a little rash, yes..
Fuck, what am I doing?
As the pause stretches out, consuming the room with silence, Yagi pulled his fist back. With a sigh, he walked out, "I need to get some fresh air."
"Good day to you, Yagi-san. I will give you some time to process this."
And with that, the door was aggressively slammed. He needed to find Izuku.