Chapter 17: First Domino Falls
Chapter Text
A soft knock was heard on the hospital door before it was slid open. Tsukauchi was stood in the doorway with his hat off, covering his breast in a slight bow.
"Pardon the intrusion, I was told by the nursing staff I could find Sachiko Namba here?" Tsukauchi greeted.
Sat up on the bed was Namba, the real one, awake but still slightly dazed. Dressed in a hospital gown with her brown hair looking flat. Sat on the chair present in the room was an older woman, clearly her mother. She had elbow-length brown hair in a low ponytail, wearing a long sleeve V-necked shirt, with a strip of black following the collar and light blue jeans.
"I didn't know we were expecting guests," the mother replied.
"My apologies, I probably should have introduced myself first," Tsukauchi bowed again, "I am Detective Naomasa Tsukauchi with the police, on temporary assignment with the Musutafu Police Station. I was wondering if I could ask your daughter some questions regarding the situation with which she found herself here."
"I see. My name is Hitomi Namba," Hitomi turned to look at Sachiko, "Are you alright with answering his questions?"
Sachiko nodded but didn't reply. Tsukuachi gave them both a nod before moving to make himself more comfortable. Hitomi did the same as she moved to sit on the bed, squeezing her daughter in support.
"I'll try to keep this as brief as possible. Namba-san, are you aware of the circumstances surrounding your daughter's hospitalization?"
She shook her head, "Not the full story, I was only told she was found unconscious and brought in. The tests the doctors ran said that they found trace amounts of an 'unidentifiable substance' in her blood." She said this with air quotes, "I know she doesn't do drugs, so that didn't make sense to me. What exactly is this about?"
Tsukauchi nodded, jotting down notes. He raised his head to look Hitomi in the eye, choosing to rip the band aid off now, "We believe your daughter was ambushed and attacked by villains."
Hitomi blanched and hugged her daughter tightly, tears starting to form. Sachiko hugged back, still not saying a word, "Will she be alright? She isn't a target is she?"
Hitomi started to rapid fire questions at Tsukauchi, who could only answer and placate where possible, "We don't believe her or your family to be in any immediate danger, but we are willing to place you in temporary protective custody to ensure there won't be any retaliation or follow ups."
This seemed to calm both of them down, but their worries still plastered on their faces. Tsukauchi allowed them a little time to find their bearings before continuing.
"Why me?" Sachiko quietly asked.
Tsukuachi gave her a reassuring smile, "That's what I was hoping you could help me figure out as well."
Sometime later, Tsukauchi walked out of the hospital, his little notepad tucked into one of his jacket's inside pockets. He looked up in the sky, the sun still shining brightly. Over the sounds of the city, he could just barely make out the roar of the crowds still watching the Sports Festival, no doubt the third event had already begun. He made a mental note to find the recordings later and watch it back.
Still under the hospital's awning, he pulled out his phone and dialed Nezu. It rang once before it was picked up.
"Detective!" Nezu greeted, "Wonderful to hear from you again. How did your talk go?"
"I've got good news and bad news," Tsukauchi reported, "The bad news is that Namba is a dead end. It was most likely a one-off attack and she's completely clean, no connection with the League at all. She was on her way to the Festival when she was attacked, and has no memory of what happened between getting off the train and walking a few blocks up until she awoke in the hospital."
Nezu hummed, "That is most unfortunate. And you're certain that she was in the hospital the entire time?"
"Positive. According to the staff, she was unconscious until maybe an hour before I arrived."
"Then that means the intruder is either a body double, a clone of sorts, an impersonator, or a shape shifter. Any one of those options will prove to be very troublesome when trying to find the original face. What is Namba's quirk?"
"Good Fortune, a passive quirk that makes her slightly luckier than the average person."
"That eliminates Namba as our intruder. It is extremely ironic that she came under such ill circumstances, though."
"Ironic and extremely fortunate, actually. Pardon the pun," Tsukuachi chuckled, "The doctors ran tests to see if they could figure out why she was unconscious and found something in her blood. When she woke up again, they tested again to see if anything changed, and they said the amount of the substance still present should've kept her down for much longer. The concentration of whatever it was that was used was a few steps short of fatal."
Nezu's expression turned grim hearing this, "What about the good news?"
Tsukauchi cringed at his response, "I was actually leading into that. They reported the substance as 'unidentifiable', meaning it didn't line up with any of the standard chemicals or drugs that are generally used to render someone unconscious. Nine times out of ten, when they can't identify the substance, it's believed to be quirk-based."
In his office, Nezu's ears quirked in excitement at the news. "If it's quirk-based, then we have a better chance at finding them. Did the hospital keep a sample of it?"
Tsukauchi noted the change in Nezu's tone and hurriedly wrote down a note to check, "I'm not certain, but I can go ask. I haven't left yet."
"Yes, please do so. Do you have anything more to add?"
"Assuming Namba was attacked by someone with a poison quirk and she was confirmed to be at the hospital in the time frame you're working with, I don't believe them and your intruder to be the same person. We may be looking at more than one intruder, which means…" Tsukauchi trailed off.
"The League is recruiting," Nezu finished, "This time they're adding villains that are good at their jobs. Thank you, Detective. You've given me a lot to think about."
Tsukauchi sighed, "I'm sorry I couldn't give you anything more. I'll keep you updated as things progress, however."
"Not at all, Detective," Nezu consoled, "You have given me much insight into the matter. I just hope that we won't be too late in putting a stop to this before more people get involved, both innocent civilians and new villains."
A hero clad in white armor came down from the air, jets of air pouring out of exhaust pipes on their elbows, blowing as they slowed the hero's descent. His armor most notably having a protruding V starting at his collar bone and helmet having a horn-like shape. On his left shoulder the letters "ING" were clearly visible.
"I've found him!" he proclaimed, "The Hero Killer!"
Stain paused, his back half turned so he can get a look at the hero, "Ingenium. Eldest son of the Iida family, current head of Team Idaten."
Ingenium fell into a wary battle stance, "It seems my reputation precedes me. Sorry, but you gotta forgive me if I'm not as friendly right now."
Turning his back on Ingenium, he started to make his way out of the alley. Stain quietly growled out a response, "I have no quarrel with you, Ingenium. Leave."
"Your string of murders ends here, Stain. You're surrounded and have nowhere to go. You have crimes to answer for, Stain."
Stain stopped walking, "And I will answer for them, as soon as my job is finished and my dream a reality."
"If you don't surrender right now, I will be forced to engage. I don't want to fight you, but I will if you resist."
Stain heard the metal of Ingenium's armor shift. Before, Ingenium took on a balanced stance, but now he's shifted his weight. Ingenium placed his left leg forward into a runner's stance, quietly priming the thrusters in his arms.
"This is your last chance, Ingenium. Leave now, or you shall become my next victim." Stain brought his left arm up, grasping hold of the katana on his back.
"Running away while having the power to stop people like you isn't what a hero would do."
"But it is something that you should do."
Before Stain finished his sentence, Ingenium shot forward, right fist aimed in the small of Stain's back. Stain spun, swinging his right arm backwards, knocking the fist off target. Stain retaliated with a swing of his katana, going for an overhead slash, but Ingenium followed the changed momentum of his punch, arcing his left leg out for spinning hook kick. The blow landed, sending Stain a few steps back.
Stain grunted but immediately jumped back in, his katana in his right hand. He swung the sword laterally, looking to bisect Ingenium, but he backflipped out of the way. As soon as Ingenium's feet were on the ground, he shot forward again, this time making it inside Stain's bubble. Using the engines in his arms, Ingenium started a flurry of punches, getting a few good hits in. As he brought his right arm back for a heavy blow, Stain slipped the punch, swinging his left arm up with a dagger in his hand.
Ingenium winced behind his helmet as he felt the blade cut through his right shoulder pad and into his arm. Stain got behind Ingenium and followed with a devastating sidekick to his spine. Ingenium flew forward, his arms splayed out as he landed hard on the ground. He tried to move but his body seized. Nothing was responding to his call. His arms weren't moving, his legs were frozen, his head was plastered to the ground. He screamed in pain as he felt a blade stab into him.
The fight was over not even a minute after it started.
"Fame…" Stain growled, his foot stomped on Ingenium's head.
"Money…" a kick to his ribs.
"Power…" the katana was twisted and yanked out, the slightly chipped blade ripping everything in its path.
"Impostors calling themselves heroes. Heroes acting like celebrities. Heroes acting like villains. Dragging the title of Hero through the mud. They are fakes. Bastards that use their quirk for their own self-interest, only helping if there's a camera pointed at them."
Stain walked and crouched in front of Ingenium where he could see.
"I know who you are, Tensei Iida. I know where you came from. You became a hero out of obligation to your family, not for the people." Stain reached down and yanked Ingenium's helmet off and throwing it to the side, revealing the face beneath. What he was met with was a square face with big grey eyes, thin eyebrows that ended in an arrow, and spiked blue hair, now matted with sweat and blood. A rivulet of blood ran down his face where Stain stomped on his head.
"That's not true!" Ingenium refuted, "It may have started like that, but it's different now! I help everyone I can, from the little boy who lost his balloon to the old lady crossing the street to the police who need my help bringing down a dangerous villain! It brings me genuine joy seeing their smiles after I help them."
Stain let Ingenium stew in his anger before replying, "I know. I've been watching you. You've shown yourself to be a true Hero, which is why you will not die today."
Ingenium didn't let himself feel any relief, he knew that there was a catch.
"Had you walked away when I warned you to, you could've continued being a hero. A paragon in your own right, but you didn't. Instead, you chose to remain true to form, giving it your all to bring down a dangerous villain so that others may live in peace. You walked right into the face of danger and didn't back down, as a Hero should."
Ingenium's face drained of color, picking up on Stain's particular choice of words.
"You may be a true Hero, but you aren't worthy enough to take me down. The only one that can do so, is All Might. May you find solace in knowing your sacrifice can help forge the next generation of true Heroes, Ingenium." Stain's blade came down once again, right into Ingenium's spine.
Stain quickly removed the blade, flicking off the excess blood. He walked over to where he tossed Ingenium's helmet, placing it right in his view. A reminder of who he used to be. He walked deeper into the alley. Just as Stain disappeared from view, a team of Ingenium's sidekicks came around the corner.
"Ingenium! We came as fast as we could…" one of them called out. Their sentence dying in their throat as they came upon the bloody scene. "Quick! Call an ambulance, now!"
Ingenium felt the hold that gripped his body release, and he breathed a sigh of relief. He finally let himself relax as he knew that he was no longer in immediate danger. As he slipped to unconsciousness, he noted to himself that he could no longer feel his legs.
Kagero, Toga, Dabi, and Mustard all moved from the bar into the living room above it. As the day grew older, the bar would be seeing more patrons, and none of them wanted to deal with a loud, obnoxious, and drunk crowd.
The room had a massive 203-centimeter flat screen TV mounted on the main wall above a white TV stand, highlighted by a strip of amber light in a cut out alcove. Facing it was a coffee table that stood on skinny legs, beyond that was a matching pair of a dark grey sofa and loveseat, nestled at the corner where the two seats met was a small round table.
Kagero, Toga, and Mustard all sat on the sofa while Dabi claimed the loveseat for himself, sprawling over the arms. Kagero sat on one end, leaning against the arm wholly invested on the TV while Toga was not-so-subtly inching herself closer to him. Mustard saw what Toga was doing and instead of risking her shifting her focus to him, he pressed himself up against the other arm as much as possible. Dabi was watching it all go down and smirked, winking at Mustard.
The TV was showing the third event of the Sports Festival, the stage had just finished being fixed up by Cementoss after the fight between Bakugo and Kirishima. Kagero noted that Kirishima's quirk was amazing, but how he was applying it was a waste of its potential. Instead of applying his quirk to his whole body the entire time, he should've only hardened the places that were affected.
On screen, Present Mic was announcing the first round of the semi-finals would be between Shimura and Iida.
"Oooh, Shi-kun," Toga asked, turning her head to look at him, "Who do you think will win? Shimura-chan or the other one?"
Kagero tapped his chin in thought, "It depends on if he can last longer than Iida's special move."
Toga's eyes sparkled, "Oh, you mean that one where he went super fast in the cavalry battle?"
He nodded, looking at Toga as he responded, "I'm not sure, but it looks like it only lasts for maybe ten seconds. If Shimura-chan can avoid high speed attacks for ten seconds, then his win is in the bag. If he can't, then the fight will be over immediately, just like when Iida went against Shiozaki."
Toga nodded in agreement and turned her attention back to the TV. Kurogiri materialized shortly after, whispering a message in Kagero's ear before disappearing just as quickly.
Kagero puffed out a small plume of smoke and chuckled, "Let's hope Shimura-kun does win, then."
He said it quietly, more to himself than anything. Because Toga was all but directly laying on him, she was the only one that heard. She turned her head curiously to see if he would tell her. Kagero noticed, but didn't say anything, simply waving as if it were nothing.
Maybe I should meet up with Stain again…
Changing his mind, he spoke up, "Hey Toga, Dabi. Do either of you want to find Stain for me and set up a meeting?"
Toga jumped up and faced Kagero while Dabi leaned in closer, obviously interested as well.
"You mean it!?" Toga squealed, "Are you really going to be working together this time!?"
"About time I did something worthwhile," Dabi replied, trying and failing to hide the joy in his voice.
Mustard complained, "Why didn't you ask me that?"
"We'll even make it a little interesting," Kagero teased, "First one to set up the meeting, I will do you exactly one favor. Within reason."
Toga squealed even louder, Dabi sported a wild grin, and Mustard groaned at being ignored.
"You better not bitch out when I set it up," Dabi warned.
"Are you going to work together!?" Toga asked again, jumping on Kagero.
Kagero caught her wrists standing up and threw her onto the couch, Mustard scrambled to get out of the way, "That depends on how the talk goes, Toga. Dabi, do you honestly think I'd go back on my word? Imagine how that'd make me look. And Mustard, because you're a kid and you're just starting out. You have no connections yet."
"I'll hold you to that," Dabi responded, already on his way out of the door to get a head start.
Toga was still laying on the couch where Kagero threw her, as if in a daze. He looked at her with a question on his face, "What, you're not going to try to catch up with Dabi?"
She just shook her head, too busy fantasizing about what would happen when Kagero and Stain worked together. She could just imagine the streets running red. Kagero shrugged, taking his place back on the sofa, moving Toga's feet out of the way and letting them rest on his leg.
In the corner of his eye, he could see Mustard brooding, saddened that he's being left out again. Kagero sighed and shook his head, "Mustard."
The boy perked up at being called.
"If you really want to be involved, you can come with me if or when we meet with Stain. I'll show you a few things about how to make a deal."
Mustard smiled, nodding his head, his happiness coming back to him. Kagero gave him a light smile and nodded as well, turning his attention back to the TV.
Sat in his chair at the Nomu warehouse, All For One listened in on the conversation and smiled to himself.
Yes. Kagero is developing quite nicely.