TW: mild torture and minor mentions of infanticide.
- The Bar in Kamino Ward -
12:35 PM
The League of Villains and Joker's goons were all doing their things, either chilling or drinking from the bar (Rubber, Razor, Crystal, Thermal, and Mr. Compress), reading magazines (Turtle and Cham), playing cards with the other Villains (Loco, Whip, Toga, Mustard, Muscular and Magne), resting (Dabi, Moonfish and Twice), playing video games (Spinner and Shigaraki), or just sitting staring out into space (Twitch). Meanwhile, the wrapped-up All Might, Endeavor, and Eri, were all sitting in their spots, All Might near the screen where All for One commuinicates, Endeavor sitting near Twitch, and Eri sitting by her lonesome in the corner of the bar.
"You got any threes, sweet-cheeks?" Loco asked Toga.
Toga giggled, "You better watch what you say around me! I'm a minor. But nope! Go fish!"
Whip narrowed his eyes at Toga, "You're really good at this game, kid."
"Yeah, tell me about it," Mustard mumbled.
"I think she's cheating," Muscular grumbled.
"I don't think you can cheat in 'Go Fish'," Magne advised.
"Hehe! I'm just a natural~!" Toga boasted.
Meanwhile, the Villains at the bar area were carrying some of their drinks in bottles (Rubber, Razor, and Crystal) and playing a little bit of a drinking game, while Thermal and Mr. Compress talked a bit.
"So, you're the descendant of the infamous Oji Haruma, huh?" Thermal asked Mr. Compress.
"I wouldn't say infamous. He was a real Hero in my eyes, stealing from wealthy and corrupt Heroes and giving them to the poor and unfortunate. Like a real-life Robin Hood. I just continue on his legacy to do just that. I don't consider myself a Villain per se, although I am in a league of one, but I would think my comrades and I have the same goals just like everyone else here. And that goal would be to show Hero society's true colors."
"Huh...okay then. Nice," Thermal nodded.
Over where All Might is, he sat there, dreading what Joker and his two minions were going to do to Izuku and Katsuki...he didn't even have a lick of sleep last night. And being tied up in this rope material also made sleeping a bit uncomfortable.
This Joker...he's proven to be a dangerous individual...and with him being paired with All For One...I don't know how well this partnership will last, but as of right now, I have to expect the unexpected at this point...
The bar was filled with chatter as the Villains all went about their business...
...until Kurogiri's portal came swirling into existence near the entrance of the bar.
The Villains turned their attention to the black mist, the card players stopping their game, Dabi, Twice, and Moonfish gradually waking up, the drinkers stopping their drinking game, Thermal and Mr. Compress pausing their conversation, and Shigaraki and Spinner pausing their games to look over at the black mist. All Might and Endeavor also turned their attention to fearfully look at what will come out of the dark mist. Poor Eri is just sitting in the corner frightened, while Twitch...is just muttering to himself.
Out of the dark mist came...Hacker and Hare...and Joker...with Bakugou. Joker has his arm around his neck, a gun in his other hand.
All Might's eyes widened in shock, his thoughts going a million miles an hour as he was fearing the worst.
Young Bakugou? Wait...then...what happened to Midoriya?
Joker, of course, still has his mask on, but his wicked smile is exposed thanks to his mask being rolled up to his nose.
"Well, here we are, Bakugou! Meet your new friends!" Joker said with faux excitement as he expressed an evil smirk.
Bakugou just stayed silent as he fearfully looked around the bar at the different Villains that were there, from the Shigaraki guy to Endeavor...but there was one person that he noticed that he got his sole attention on.
"All Might!?" Bakugou called out in what sounded like pure desperation.
All Might gazed at the boy and saw the look in his eyes...they were scared.
Meanwhile, Shigaraki looked at Bakugou, the gears running in his head.
"Wait...he's that loudmouth kid at UA. The one that won the Sports Festival," Shigaraki realized.
"Right you are, Shigi!" Joker cackled, "And it seems from what I've observed from this brat, he's about as Villainous as the next guy!"
Bakugou snapped out of his shock when he heard that.
M-Me...a Villain?
"Huh. ...Was there any reason you captured him?" Shigiraki asked Joker.
Chuckling, Joker said, "Maaaay-be!"
All Might saw that Bakugou wasn't even trying to fight back...and that itself wasn't normal. He would always try to fight back...which meant...
"...Did...Did you take Young Bakugou's Quirk away?" All Might asked Joker, his suspicion creeping up into the possibility that he might've had.
Oh no...please no. That boy is too deluded; if he doesn't have his Quirk-
"Why yes!" Joker answered gleefully.
All Might gasped, the horror expressed on his face.
"Well...actually, no. Hacker did that." Joker tilted his head to Hacker.
"But it was by my Boss's orders," Hacker raised his hand.
"Hm. That is true, Hacker," Joker nodded to him, "But either way, very nice observation skills, All Might!" Joker answered, "You probably should've used those skills on the battlefield, but eh, what are you gonna do?"
Bakugou's eyes were wide with fear, unable to move, unable to act...it was a horrifying feeling for the young man.
Toshinori just looked at Joker, staring at the man...he got the courage to speak as he asked, "What happened to Young Midoriya?"
Joker answered with a deranged grin, "Ah, yes, Midoriya. If you're wondering about the ol' tool, then no worries about him! He's perfectly fine! In fact...you could say he's practically normal."
Now, All Might's eyes widened in absolute terror, his mouth partly agape.
What? ...Oh...oh no...oh please God, no...
"And I must say, you should probably help the poor boy in that. He needs some guidance every once in a while," Joker said with an unnatural glee.
...What? He made it sound like...oh...oh...oh please no...then...Joker must know about...then...that means-
Shigaraki turned to All Might and saw his horrified face.
Hmm...just what is All Might's relationship with that plain kid?
Joker then let go of Bakugou by pushing him slightly, letting him stumble a bit as he stood there still in shock.
"Hare. Hit a homer," Joker told Hare.
"Sure thing, Puddin'!" Hare said as she projected a bat out of her left hand and held the handle with both her hands. She approached Bakugou and reared back the bat, aiming for the back of his head, and-
WHAAAM!
-hitting him upside with it hard!
"Bakugou!" All Might yelled out to him in alarm.
Bakugou went out like a light as he dropped to the floor.
"Turtle? Prop him up, please. And Whip? Wrap him up, also," Joker ordered.
"Sure thing, Boss," Turtle said as he dropped the magazine he was reading and went over to Bakugou's unconscious form to raise up his limp body with one hand.
"Oh, uh, yeah, of course, Boss!" Whip said as he got up from playing cards, going over to the boy that Turtle had him propped up and used his whip rope to wrap his whole body up.
Turtle turned to Joker, "Anything else, Sir?"
"Oh, no, just toss him over where Endeavor and Twitch are," Joker waved the area where the two were.
"Alright then," Turtle then carried Bakugou over to the area where Endeavor and Twitch were.
Toshinori's face morphed into a glare, "What are you planning to do with Young Bakugou!?"
Joker hummed in thought, "...You know, I'm not too sure! Or perhaps...maybe it hasn't come to me yet! Haha!"
The Villains from the League all looked on, a little perplexed about this sudden and unexpected little surprise.
Shigaraki then spoke up again, "Well, um...I guess we should tell Sensei about this development?"
"Oh yeah, sure, why not?" Joker shrugged nonchalantly.
Going over to the screen that All For One communicates with, Shigaraki pushes a button to summon him.
A few seconds later, the voice of All For One comes on.
"Yes? For what can I do for whomever?"
"Heya, A.F.O.! Brought in a snot-nosed little brat for ya!" Joker announced as he took his mask off, letting his hair fall out.
"Oh? Who might that be?"
"Oh, just the foul-mouthed little shit known as Bakugou Katsuki! Sorry, no Midoriya as of right now! I let the kid think about his life choices in the meantime. Haha!" Joker cackled.
"Really? I'm curious. How did you manage to bring the Bakugou boy in here? And what did you do to the one named Midoriya?"
"Oh, why one of my henchmen took his Quirk away! Boy was so shocked, that it practically left him speechless! As for the Midoriya kid, well, before the hack could come at me, I also shot him with a Quirk Erasure shot! Hoo-hoo! You should've seen the look on his face!"
"...You...shot him...with the Quirk Erasure bullet?"
"Why of course! The dope had it coming! He was rushing at me with everything he's got, but I shot him before he could get any closer! Haha! You should've seen him levitate when he was stopped by the shot! He fell to the ground with a thud! Hahaha!"
"...All Might."
Toshinori turned his head to the screen, sensing something from All For One's voice...
It was dread.
"...Please do be honest...but have you...given One For All to that Midoriya boy?"
...All Might sat there silently for a moment...
Shigaraki looked a little confused, "One For All?"
"Yes...Yes, Shigaraki...that...that was supposed to be a special Quirk that I was going to take back...unless...All Might...you didn't give One For All to the boy...did you?
The Villains, both the League and Joker's henchmen, all looked around at each other in confusion, while some of them, like Moonfish and Twitch, just mind their own business.
"Give? Ya mean like...giving the kid a Quirk?" Dabi asked either one of them.
Before All For One could answer, All Might answered for him.
"Yes."
They all turned to All Might. Even Joker, who was...still smiling...
"...Yes...I gave One For All to Young Midoriya," Toshinori said in a despaired tone.
...The silence was deafening...
...Until Joker said, "Hm. Now that's an odd name for a Quirk. Reverse that and it sounds like your name, A.F.O.! Huh...I almost wonder what this Quirk actually entails-"
"You...You fool..."
"Hm?" Joker looked at the screen with a nonchalant expression.
"You...erased...One For All...my One For All...he...was supposed to be mine!"
Raising an eyebrow, but still smiling, Joker said, "Oh? He?"
All Might looked on at the scene, a little in curiosity and dread himself.
...This could go...in many directions…
Shigaraki also looked at the screen All For One occupies, "He?"
"Joker! Do you realize what you've done, you...you ingrate!"
Joker's henchmen were suddenly feeling a little uneasy, as well as the League Villains. Joker just stood there, however...calm as he can be.
All For One's voice grew in rage, "Not only you erased ONE FOR ALL, but you also ERASED THE ONLY MEMBER OF MY FAMILY THAT I OWN!"
"Oooh? Really?" Joker said with interest as he kept his evil grin.
"Master, your condition!"
"YES, REALLY! AND SINCE YOU'RE NOT TAKING ANY OF THIS SERIOUSLY, THEN I HEREBY ORDER YOU TO GET OUT OF MY SIGHT BEFORE I ORDER MY LEAGUE TO FINISH YOU OFF!"
"Oh please, AFO, I can get this One For All you're raving on about back! No worries at all!" Joker said as he stuck a pinky finger in his ear, wicked smile still intact and all.
"...WHAT?"
All Might's eyes widened in shock at that.
Wh-What!?
Shigaraki and the League Villains all blinked in surprise. Joker's henchmen glance at each other, feeling a little anxious. Endeavor also listened on in interest.
"Of course! I mean, if you really want that Quirk back, I can reverse the effects of the formula easily! It will, though, take a while, but it's not all gone, AFO!" Joker assured.
"...Are you serious?"
"Serious as a dead body! I can cook up a reverse formula and bring back your precious One For All, and everything will be all hunky-dory!"
"..."
...It was all silent again...
"...You can do this?"
"Indeed I can," Joker said with a sinister grin.
"...Then do so. Prove it to me."
"Oh, I will. I might even put it into All Dud here and show it to you! Haha!" Joker cackled.
"Hmm...actually, use it on this Midoriya boy. If it brings back One For All, then I might spare you."
"Oh but of course!" Joker said as he bowed in a showman style to the screen, "I assure you, I'll bring back what's yours!" He lifts his head up at the screen with a smirk, "In the meantime, I only ask you to keep the end of our bargain! You know, the talk show thing."
"...Hm...I will. And you will see to it that you bring back One For All."
"Absolutely," Joker said with an evil smile.
"...Hmph. Shigaraki?"
"Huh? Yes, Sensei?" Shigaraki asked All For One.
"...You and the League keep a close eye on Joker and his crew. Make sure he keeps his end of the deal."
"Um...yes, Sensei," Shigaraki nodded.
"Hm...I will rest for now."
And then, the transmission cuts off.
...Joker then said, "Well! I think now is a better time if any to set up the stage!"
The League Villains all looked at Joker in confusion, while Joker's henchmen seemed to know what he was talking about. All Might and Endeavor looked on in seemingly unknown dread.
Hacker, though, spoke out hesitantly, "Uh...you want to set up here?"
"Eh, either here or an abandoned warehouse somewhere. Doesn't matter to me!" Joker shrugged nonchalantly.
Shigaraki looked puzzled and also spoke, "What are you setting up?"
"Why that, my handyman, would be setting up a show for that girl right there, Eri!" Joker pointed to Eri over at the corner.
The League Villains looked over to where Eri was, the girl looking a bit afraid of everything...
Toga then asked Joker, "Uh, what's...the show?"
Joker's smile became demented as his eyes shifted to a wrapped-up unconscious body...
"Why...Eri is going to see a full-grown teenage boy cry!" he said with a wider grin.
All Might and Endeavor's eyes widened in horror, the former speaking out, "Wha-...What do you mean?"
"Well, what do you think I mean, All Might?" Joker challenged as he turned his head back to him with that same smile. He then got closer to All Might, getting up in his face with the same wicked smile that sent chills down Toshinori's spine. Joker then said with a whisper, "I'm going to beat the shit out of the boy and let the girl watch."
Toshinori's eyes went wider than ever in shock. "Wha-...what? But...wh-why!?"
"It's the only thing that can make the girl produce the formula! Strong emotion through adrenaline and such!" Joker explained simply.
...The No. 1 Hero couldn't believe it...it was too inhumane...
"N-...No. No, Joker, d-don't. H-He's just a boy! And that girl, she can't watch that!" All Might tried to reason with him.
"Oh, is he now? A boy who ridiculed, insulted, and basically beat up your successor all because he thinks he's superior to the lad?"
Toshinori kept quiet for a moment but trudged on as he said, "Even so, you can't just...i-it's inhumane!"
Joker grinned, "And that's what makes it fun."
The rest of the League VIllains looked on, a little disturbed by Joker's reasoning, to Mr. Compress, to Spinner, to Toga, to Twice, and even to Shigaraki.
Goodness...well...if this is for the League and to get on the boss's good side, then...I guess this is necessary. Mr. Compress.
Man...that Joker guy...he doesn't have a Quirk, but...the guy is on a whole different level of savagery. Spinner.
...You mean...that girl, Eri, will have to watch that kid get beaten up? ...That's...a little harsh... Toga.
"Damn...Joker's...a little deranged," Twice muttered, "Yeah. He's insane."
"And yet...he's a dreamboat," Hare said with bedroom eyes at Joker with the knuckle of her index finger between her teeth.
The Joker Villains just looked at Hare...and shivered.
"Eugh. Whatever helps ya sleep at night, Hare," Hacker mutters.
All Might just stared into Joker's eyes...and he sees it...
He truly sees that he's staring into the eyes of a madman...
No...
He was staring at the eyes...of a Devil.
- Back at Aldera Middle School -
...He lost it...
...He...lost...
...He lost One For All.
Izuku...felt grief...
He lay there...helpless...hopeless...
Defeated.
"Kid?" said the voice of Gran Torino. Even he too sounded shocked.
Knuckleduster stayed quiet, unable to say anything, whether he was also in shock or if he was just studying the situation.
Izuku...just looked up at the sky as he lay there...a million thoughts going through his mind...
...But one thought came to him.
"...K-...Kacchan..."
...Bakugou was in trouble.
One For All may be...gone...but...right now...
Izuku sat up and struggled to get up in a hurry, surprising Gran Torino and Knuckleduster.
"Kid?" Knuckleduster said a little hesitantly.
Once Izuku found his footing, Izuku turned around, having the most fearful look on his face.
"W-We got to find Kaccha-I-I mean, we got to find Bakugou! His name is Bakugou Katsuki! We got to find him!" Izuku told the Vigilante and Pro Hero.
Gran Torino looked at the boy stunned, "But...y-your...your Quirk, kid."
Izuku paused for a moment upon hearing that, but cleared his head as he went back to the subject at hand, "Th-That doesn't matter right now! We got to find Bakugou! We have to find-" he then paused, and soon, he got his phone out and opened it, going to his contacts to call his Mom.
"Midoriya?" Torino said to him in worry.
"H-Hold on," Midoriya said to Torino. Once he pushed the number, he put it up to his ear to hear the phone ring.
Come on, Mom, pick up!
After the second ring, Inko picked up.
"Izuku!? Honey, what happened!? Where are you-"
"Mom! Call Auntie Mitsuki! Kacchan's been kidnapped!" Izuku blurted out.
"Wha-What!? Katuski has been kidnapped!? Wh-Where are you!?"
"I can't explain everything right now! Just call Auntie Mitsuki! Please, this could be a life or death situation!"
"WHAT!?"
"Just call her and tell her what I said, please! I got to go!" Izuku then hung up and turned to Gran Torino and Knuckleduster, "W-We got to find him!"
"Whoa, hold on, kid!" Torino halted him, "From what we saw, they entered through that misty portal guy! I don't know what he did, but if he transported them somewhere far off, then we could be going on a wild goose chase around here looking for them!"
"The mist guy is known to warp people from place to place," Knuckleduster said gruffly, "Also, I heard his name from Joker. Kurogiri. I'm certain that's what he said."
Izuku and Torino looked at Knuckleduster, the former saying, "Wait, I haven't seen you before...are you a new Hero?"
"Nah. I'm a Vigilante. Call me Knuckleduster, kid," Knuckleduster introduced himself.
"A Vigilante!?" Izuku exclaimed in shock.
"A Vigilante, huh?" Torino muttered, "That's kind of frowned upon, you know?"
"So is attacking Villains while using your Quirk in civilian wear," Knuckleduster said.
"...Fair point," Torino nodded.
"Wait a minute..." Izuku studied and looked at Knuckleduster a little closely, "...Are you…" his eyes widened, "Wait, are you Oguro Iwao!?"
"Hm. Nice job on the observation skills, Midoriya," Iwao congratulated.
"Wait, who?" Torino asked confused.
"He's the guy I met on the train!" Izuku explained. He turned to Iwao, "You followed me here!?"
"The town is in lockdown, kid. Not saying people can go out, but it's still weird that a boy like you is going anywhere on the train all by yourself," Iwao told him.
"Exactly! What were you thinking, Midoriya!?" Torino exclaimed at him.
"I..." Izuku looked down, his face slowly going into despair upon realizing that the exact reason behind this meet-up was to tell Bakugou about his Quirk...
But ironically...he was there to lose it...
...Looking back up at them, he said, "Look, it-it doesn't matter right now. Kacchan is kidnapped by that madman, with no Quirk, and he'll do who-knows-what to him! We got to call the police or somethi-!" Izuku then paused. Turning his phone on again, he dialed the emergency number 110. Putting it to his ear, he waited...
"Hello, 110, what's your emergency?"
"Give me the police! Someone kidnapped...m-my friend! Someone kidnapped my friend! His name is Bakugou Katsuki! He's been kidnapped by Villains!"
"Okay, young man, we will. We'll get them on the line. Can you tell me what happened?"
"W-Well, we...we were meeting up somewhere and got ambushed! Oh! I-It's also the Villain known as the Joker who got my friend!"
"What? Oh my...okay, don't worry, we'll find your friend. I got the police on the way now. Where are you right now?"
"I'm-I'm at Aldera Middle School! I'll flag them here!"
"Okay! Don't worry, everything will be fine, young man."
"Thank you! I-I'm gonna hang up now! Thank you again!" And with that, Izuku hung up and turned his attention to the Heroes, "I called the police here!"
Iwao grunted, "Then I probably should get going then," before he could turn around, he said to Izuku, "And kid?"
Izuku blinked, "Y-Yeah?"
"You're stronger than you think..." Iwao got a paper card out of his coat and gave it to him, confusing the boy even further, "Just in case. And don't tell the cops I was here," and with that, Knuckleduster ran off, leaving Izuku and Torino bewildered.
"...Uh..." Izuku glanced at the piece of paper.
Torino watched Iwao run, humming in thought, "...Knuckleduster, huh?" he then turned his attention to Izuku, seeing him looking at the paper card, "...What did he give you?"
"...Uh...a business...card?" Izuku said, looking over the paper card.
"...Hm..." Torino pursed his lips, "...Don't get involved with Vigilante stuff now, ya hear?"
"Huh?" Izuku looked back up at Torino, "What? N-No! I-I'm not! I-I'm a He-..."
...Oh...
"...My...My Quirk..." he muttered softly, "...That's right...it's…i-it's gone."
Torino frowned solemnly at that, "...I...I would think it is, kid..."
...They were both quiet...
...Torino went over to the boy and placed a comforting hand on Izuku's shoulder...
...Izuku stood there...the reality now coming back to him...
...His Quirk is gone...
One For All is gone.
- Ten Minutes Later -
The police had arrived, along with Tsukauchi, who came as fast as he could.
Everything was marked off, police tape and all, as the detective went over to the two, while the other officers combed the area.
"Midoriya! Sorahiko!" Tsukauchi called out to them.
Izuku stood there in forlorn silence, which stood out as a warning sign for Tsukauchi.
Oh no...the dispatch caller said that a boy called in for his friend being kidnapped. While severe, even more so when the Joker is involved, Midoriya wouldn't call that number if something really bad had happened...
Not wanting to jump to conclusions, Tsukauchi came up to them, his notepad and pen out, and said, "What happened? We heard there was a kidnapping caused by the Joker!"
"There was," Torino said with a nod, "The Joker and two of his lackeys took Midoriya's friend through a guy who had a warping-mist-like Quirk on him! They disappeared through the mist on that wall there!" he pointed at the far end wall of the school alley.
Tsukauchi nodded, "Alright then. Had anything happened during the scuffle?"
"Well..." Torino looked grim for a second, but continued on, "I came in at the right time before he and his goons did anything. I...may have used my Quirk to stop some of the Villains."
Izuku winced at the word 'Quirk'.
Tsukauchi saw that...he didn't like that one bit.
"...No worries. You're a veteran Hero, so we'll let that slide," Tsukauchi said to Torino. When he turned to Midoriya, he asked, "Did...you use your Quirk, Midoriya?"
"...I..." Izuku grimaced, "...I lost it."
Tsukauchi's eyes widened and let out a gasp.
"I...I lost my Quirk...to Joker," Izuku admitted.
...It took a moment to let that sink in...
"Oh...oh, kid, I'm...I'm so sorry..." Tsukauchi said with every drop of pity and despair in his tone.
No...then...that means...One For All...
"...We're going to make him pay, Midoriya," Tsukauchi said firmly, completely set on catching Joker.
Izuku could only scowl as he thought of that mad clown, "...Right..."
Nodding in agreement on that, Tsukauchi then asked, "Is there anything else that I need to know?"
Torino filled in, "Just that Midoriya's friend also got his Quirk taken away from him..."
Midoriya briefly glanced at Torino in slight confusion.
What? He's...not going to talk about Knuckleduster? Iwao?
Tsukauchi glanced at both witnesses for a moment...
...Hm. I feel like Gran Torino is hiding something...
"...Okay then," Tsukauchi closed the notepad and put it and the pen away in his coat, "Well..." he drifted his attention at Izuku, a frown on his face, "...We'll get this bastard. And we'll find your friend too."
Izuku looked up at the detective, almost feeling hopeless...but nonetheless, he nodded, "Right..."
"Come on, we'll get a squad car and drop you and Torino off at your place, alright?" Tsukauchi offered, "I'm certain you...you need to process everything..."
"Yeah..." Izuku mumbled.
As he and Torino were sent to a cop car to drive back home to the Midoriya residence, Izuku sat there in the back seat, his head low as he mulled over this recent event.
It was all so bizarre to him...he had power, but only for it to be taken away from him again...
He's...Quirkless...again...
In fact, now that he thought about it...how can he go back to UA?
He can't be a Hero anymore...he can't see his friends anymore...he can't see Yaoyorozu anymore...
...He has nothing.
...Just...where do I go from here?
"Hey, Sonny," the voice of Torino interrupted his thoughts.
Izuku raised his head up and turned his attention to the old Pro Hero.
Torino looked at the boy with a stern, but somewhat comforting expression.
"...It's gonna be okay...I may not predict the future, but...it'll be alright..." the old man paused, "...That detective is right, though. We'll get that bastard."
"..." Izuku stared at the old man...his gaze expressing some sort of daze, like he couldn't grasp the situation...but he could at the same time...
Torino continued, "And just so you know, I didn't...talk about that guy, because..." he turned his head forward as he lowered his head, thinking about what to say next...
...Izuku blinked...
"..." Torino looked back at Midoriya, "Look, just don't do anything stupid, alright? Just...be strong...be strong for...for your friend, and...for your mother...and for All Might."
The boy's mouth was partly agape, his eyes a little wide.
...Be strong?
Almost like he heard his thought, Torino told him with more emphasis, "Be strong."
"..." Izuku looked at the old man, wondering what he was really trying to say.
"...Again, just don't do anything dumb," Torino said, looking at the boy intently.
"...A-...Alright..."
Nodding at that, Torino looked at the window next to him.
...Midoriya was confused...
...Be strong? But...how...?
...
...He still had that card in his pocket...
...
...The squad car drove the way to the Midoriya residence...
- In an Undisclosed Abandoned Warehouse -
1:50 PM
...Bakugou groggily woke up.
He tried to speak...but only for him to be gagged, a white cloth wrapped around his open mouth and around the back of his head.
He tried to move his arms, his legs, but they too couldn't move...
It was then he realized, he was bound to a chair by some kind of rope material. It was around his torso, around his arms and the arms of the chair, and around his legs at the legs of the chairs.
What the...? How the...what the fuck am I doing here?
"Aww, looks like sleeping beauty is finally awake!" said the voice of...
Bakugou jerked his head up to see who was in front of him.
...What he sees, a little way in front of him, is a little girl, who is also bound to a chair by the same weird rope. There were two guys on each side of her as well, one a casually dressed lanky man that had knobs on the top of his wrists(Whip), and a man who looked like a human robot(Hacker) but was also wearing casual clothes.
The girl that was sitting on the chair was small, and had long white hair...and looked horrifically afraid.
...Huh?
Then, all of a sudden, from his left peripheral vision, a woman appeared as she walked down the way, her scantily-clad attire with her shorts, top, and long boots on. Her blonde hair was also in pigtails and her face was full of white makeup.
The woman who spoke, Hare, turned to Bakugou with a fake, but somewhat evil smile, and said to him, "Well, it's a good thing you're awake, brat! Cause you have an appointment with my Mr. J!"
Then, something fell on his lap. Bakugou looked down at where his lap was.
It was the clown mask that the Joker wore.
"That's right, Hare!" said the voice of Joker.
Then, in Bakugou's right peripheral vision, he saw the dark purple-suited clown himself. He could see the back of his head, which he had long stringy shoulder-length green hair.
The hair color almost looked like it belonged to...
"Well, well, well, well, well..." said Joker who had his back facing Bakugou, "We finally meet at long last, Bakugou! Face..." he turned his whole body around to let Bakugou actually see his grinning face, "...to face!"
Bakugou's eyes widened...but then, they narrowed in hatred.
He...this...this mother fucker...he took my Quirk away!
The blonde kid struggled to get out of his bindings, rocking and bouncing the chair a bit.
No! My Quirk can't be gone! It isn't! There has to be a way to get it back! I refuse to accept that I'm some...some weakling! I can still fight! I can take this fucker down!
"Oooh, we got a fighter here!" Joker taunted with a smirk, "Hare! Get me a chair."
"Sure thing, Mr. J!" Hare happily said as she skipped off to the side at Bakugou's left.
"Now, you're probably wondering why you're here, hm?" Joker asked Bakugou with amusement.
Bakugou glared at the man, his words loud and muffled as he yelled out at him.
"Hmm. Well, whatever you said, I can only tell you that you're right! You are here to entertain this little girl!" Joker used his arms to show the girl behind him.
The blonde looked at the girl for a moment as he quieted down.
"Her name is Eri! And she's very special! So special, that she's basically a weapon herself! What does she do? Oh, you shouldn't worry about that! The only thing you need to worry about is..."
Hare came back with a chair and set it behind Joker. Soon, Hare walks away from the mad clown and goes behind Bakugou. Joker sits down on the chair and scoots forward to be face-to-face with the boy.
Joker's evil grin was plastered on his face, while Bakugou was glaring at him ferociously.
"...is to give me...suggestions." Joker finished.
Bakugou kept glaring at him until he felt a tug from the back of his head. Then, the cloth from his mouth came off and he could speak.
"GO FUCKING KILL YOURSELF!"
...Joker just chuckled darkly.
"Heh-heh-heh-heh-heh-heh-heh-heeeeeh...that's not a very Heroic thing to say there, kid," he said, "Besides, we have a little girl here! You don't want her poor little ears to be tainted by such language, do you?"
Bakugou just sneered at him but didn't say anything.
"But I do want to go back to that. When you say 'kill myself', what do you have in mind, hm?" Joker asked.
Scowling angrily at the clown, he glared at the clown.
His whole pale white complexion and the red circle on his nose, to the painted diamond eyes, to the red smile painted on his lips, he gritted his teeth in fury. However, that damn green hair just reminded him of...
"...You should take a swan dive off a roof, you fuck," Bakugou growled.
...Joker's grin grew.
"...Who else do you think should take a swan dive off a roof?" Joker asked him.
Bakugou's scowl went away, replaced by a look of shock and confusion. "What?"
"I mean, it was very specific...almost like you said that to someone before," Joker goaded.
...The boy looked at him, almost speechless.
Joker once again chuckled, "Hm-hm-hm-hm...just to be clear, I'm nowhere near like that Midoriya kid...but you don't like him, do you?"
At any point in time, Bakugou would answer him with a vehement 'Hell no!'...but Bakugou was either too much in shock or he really had to pause and think about it...
But Joker beat him to it. "Well, you know, kid, some people aren't too lucky. And from what I observed from that little twat and from your relationship with that idiot, he had a tough life...and you contributed to it."
...Bakugou didn't say a word...
"...You know, from what I heard from Hacker's recording of your conversation, you made a promise to the boy, right?"
The boy eyes's widened at that info.
"Oh yes...I heard every word," Joker smiled, "Let me guess: You all swore to be the best Heroes around, thinking the boy would have a cool Quirk to his name when he turned four so you could have someone to be rivals with...when he had no Quirk to his name. And then, that little promise was broken, which made you feel like you had to take it all to yourself to be the better Hero, maybe even having a superior complex along the way thinking you're hot shit, when in the end...you're nothing more than a stupid, inexperienced, deluded, and downright horrible person. Hell, maybe if you were a Hero, you would've still been the worst Hero there ever was!"
...Bakugou narrowed his eyes just a bit to glare at him.
Joker, though, just smiled still. "And meanwhile, your 'friend' Midoriya had to suffer through a hard life, never having that feeling of acceptance, never having to know what it's like to be the new normal...and if I were to guess, you made his life a living hell."
...The blonde didn't say a word...he was still glaring at him.
"...You want to know what I call people like you?" Joker asked him, his smile turning into a grin again, "...Fakes...a true, absolute, and undeniably...fake."
"...Go die, you fucker..." Bakugou gritted out.
"...Okay. How about I show you something?" Joker then reached his hand inside his suit, "Do you...happen to like..." he got some pictures out, "...baby pictures?"
Bakugou looked at him, puzzled.
"Cause you see, life is quite sacred...you wouldn't want to tell a baby to die...do you?"
...Bakugou didn't like where this was going...
"And come to think of it, you are kind of like a big baby yourself. A loud and defenseless...little infant." Joker, with a grin, picked one picture off the row of pictures and showed it to Bakugou.
...The blonde's eyes went wide...bile was almost emerging from his throat...
"...Yo-...You...You sick fu-" Bakugou began to say but was interrupted by Joker.
"And if you think that's bad!" Joker tossed the picture behind him and showed him another photo.
"..." Bakugou had to look away.
"Oh come now, Bakugou, aren't they adorable?" Joker sadistically jested, "Why, it makes you think, doesn't it? How you tell someone to 'die', when these poor little souls didn't have the chance to see their mommy and daddy!"
"J-Just stop! Stop showing me the pictures!"
"Oh, but you need to see one more for the road! You might want to look at how peaceful they look lying dead on the floor!"
Bakugou continued to look away, closing his eyes shut, his face scrunched up, deeply disturbed...
"Come on, kiddo, give it a look! I promise after this one, it'll be over! Hahahahahahahaaaa!" Joker cackled.
But Bakugou continued to look away...
"...What's the matter? Afraid to see the helpless look in their eyes, knowing that they were too weak to do anything to be saved? Much like you?" Joker goaded.
"I'M NOT WEAK! I'M NOT WEAK, YOU SON OF A BITCH, MOTHER-FUCKING EXCUSE OF A CLOWN, PIECE OF DOG-SHIT, HORSE-SHIT, FUCKING SHIT!"
WHAM! WHAM! WHAM! WHAM!
Bakugou was punched by what felt like brass knuckles...
"AUGH!" Bakugou tasted the irony taste of blood, his face hurting from the blows that he was dealt with.
Standing before him, was Joker, wearing brass knuckles on his fingers, as he looked down at Bakugou with a truly wicked smile.
"Hare. Gag him," Joker ordered Hare.
"Sure thing, Mr. J!" Hare then wrapped the cloth around his mouth and tied it at the back of his neck, all the while Bakugou was groaning from the pain.
"Well, kid, you just gave me an idea!" Joker said as he rolled his shoulders around to get ready to swing, "I might as well just entertain the little girl with a little dancing!"
Bakugou looked up at the madman clown who was about to inflict harm on him, his eyes wide as he realized that he was now royally screwed.
"Now tell me, Bakugou..." Joker's smile then became a manic grin, "Have you ever danced with the Devil in the pale moonlight?"
And that...was when the pain began.
WHAM! WHAM! WHAM! WHAM! WHAM! WHAM! WHAM! WHAM! WHAM!
"HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! HAAAAAAAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAAAAAA! HARE, BEING ME A BAT! IT'S TIME I SHOW OL' BAKUGOU HOW TO SWING! HAAAAAAAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAAAAAAAA!"
Okay! And...that's the chapter!
...I didn't disturb anybody, did I? D:
Well...either way, I hope this chapter was...interesting...to say the least. XP
But yeah, tell me how I did! :)
Thank you all for reading and keep on rocking everybody! :D
-TSP