Chapter 19: Seeds Are Sown
As the third day of the Sports Festival was coming to a close, All Might found himself in Nezu's office, sitting on the couch opposite of the principal himself.
"Yagi, now that you've had a chance to look over who and what UA has to offer outside of class, have you come any closer to making a decision?" Nezu inquired.
Yagi took a sip of his offered tea, considering his words, "I can see that we don't have to worry about the future at all. All the students showcased brilliant displays of talent, skill, and ingenuity."
"But…" Nezu prodded.
"The third years are amazing and strong. All of them have the drive to become top heroes in their own rights. The second years are still a little rough around the edges, but I'm seeing a few diamonds in the rough, and the first year is full of promising students."
"Yagi, you're deflecting."
Yagi sighed, suddenly feeling his age, "I can definitively say that I will not be passing One For All along to any of the third years."
"Oh? Can you elaborate?" Nezu perked up.
"I've already touched on it a little," Yagi placed his tea down and cupped his chin, "But the third years have a solid grasp on how best to utilize their quirk. If I were to introduce One For All in the mix now, they'd need to learn how to use a brand new quirk to the same skill and proficiency as their original one in under a year so they don't fall behind. I just don't believe that anyone is truly that talented. I, myself, took years to master the quirk, and I was able to utilize most of its strength almost immediately."
"You make good points," Nezu conceded, "It would be rather counterintuitive to send an already promising hero into the field with the knowledge and skill as a five-year-old. I take it that means that you will be declining Sir Nighteye's request, yes?"
"You knew-" Yagi cut himself off, hanging his head in defeat. "Of course you did. It would be foolish to think otherwise. All Might's one and only sidekick takes on a student that has one of the brightest smiles for a work study. It's not the most subtle move."
"If not any of the third years, then perhaps a second year?" Nezu continued, ignoring the comment.
Yagi shook his head, "I would prefer it to be a first year. That way they will have the entirety of their time here to grow into the quirk and I'd be able to have a direct hand in mentoring them. There were some promising students, but none of them had it."
Nezu sipped his tea, nodding at Yagi, "And what is this 'it'?"
"That's just the thing," Yagi frowned in thought, "I don't know what 'it' is either. Calling it a gut feeling is wrong, but I don't think there is any other way to put it."
"Perhaps you're looking for someone that reminds you of yourself?" Nezu pondered, "Someone that has a dream, but no feasible way of attaining it without the extra help?"
Yagi crossed his arms, "I'd like to assume I'm not as self-centered or idealistic as that, but it is possible. I'm just afraid that I missed the chance to meet the one I would proudly declare as my successor."
"It is a worrying thought, but we have no control over that, just like how we have no control over the future. We can only hope to be prepared enough to confront it." Nezu finished his tea and hopped on the coffee table, stopping in front of Yagi. "Whether or not you find the perfect successor, I do want to advise that you at least have someone in mind, should the worst-case scenario come to pass. They don't need to be your final decision, but having someone to watch over would be helpful. I know you have a personal stake in Shimura-san, so why not consider him?"
Hearing the suggestion, Yagi's expression darkened, "Absolutely not. I am not considering him because I have a personal stake. I refuse to willingly place an even bigger target on his back by giving him the one thing that man wants more than anything else. He has already lost so much."
Nezu studied him, his beady eyes searching the other's face for the words not spoken, "So you truly believe he is still around."
Nezu spoke it with the solemn finality one would hear when receiving news that their loved one didn't survive the surgery. What anger and frustration Yagi may have felt dissipated as he heard his worst fears vocalized.
"What other explanation is there? If you have one that would suggest otherwise, please enlighten me. I just-" Yagi nearly pleaded. He stopped himself to take a deep breath. "Once I am certain that he is dead and I see his body reduced to ashes with my own eyes, then I will consider Tenko or anyone else. I will not send my mentor's grandson to face off against her killer, nor a bright-eyed child to their early grave."
Silence fell upon the room. The two stared into each other's eyes, Yagi daring Nezu to say otherwise, Nezu searching for a crack in Yagi's resolve.
"Very well," Nezu eventually gave in. "But do remember that this fight is just as much Shimura-san's as it is yours, and everyone here is learning to be a hero. It's rather grim, but every hero is one step closer to the grave than everyone else, no matter how strong or careful they are. I cannot pressure you in to finding a successor quickly, but the sooner you do, the more secure the future will be." Nezu hopped off the coffee table and made his way back to his desk, his chair moving and spinning as he jumped on it. "I believe that is all that I have for you today, Yagi."
Yagi took the dismissal gladly, the topic having devolved into a rather depressing one. He stood and bowed slightly at Nezu before walking to the door. Before his foot left the room, he heard Nezu call out to him.
"I do wonder if you're keeping Shimura-san away as a way to protect him, or yourself?"
Yagi turned his head to look back at Nezu, his attention now focused on some paperwork. He didn't deign to respond, only nodding silently to himself.
Stain's extended stay in Hosu didn't go unnoticed. Shortly after the fourth dead hero was found, while still a tragedy, the city let out a relaxed breath. Precedent showed Stain killed four heroes before moving on, so everyone felt a huge weight lift off their shoulders. When the fifth body was found, they were apprehensive, thinking it was a new player or one of Stain's crazed followers trying to pick up where he left off. When the sixth and seventh turned up, the police felt it best to initiate a curfew and unofficial lockdown, urging the citizens to stay indoors as much as possible, but did very little to enforce it. The heroes continued their patrols while the sun was up, but as soon as the sky showed the tiniest hints of a sunset, they all called it a day. The absence of heroes at night sucked up the last bits of warmth in the city.
Dabi laughed at the misplaced fear.
Citizens were and will never be the target for Stain's crusade, they don't need to be in fear of falling victim to his blades. Only fake heroes and the occasional villain that was back out on the street because of the corrupt system. Every hero that stopped patrolling once it got dark was evidence that they were never safe to begin with. After all, a Hero's job is never over.
Dabi was skulking around the streets, making sure to keep his head down and his ears open. The sidewalks were emptier now than they used to be, save for the groups of friends making their way to the next bar or the people still trying to live like nothing was happening. With less people on the street, it was harder for Dabi to stay inconspicuous, so he was forced to stick to alleyways.
The back alleys of Hosu were winding like a maze. He took a random right and came up to a dead end, back tracking he kept moving about aimlessly but with a purpose.
Dabi huffed as he came upon another dead end. Checking his phone, the clock showed twenty-hundred thirteen in military time. He dropped the phone in his pocket as he stared at the buildings' facades, the orange-pink hues of sunset reflecting off the multitude of windows. It had been two days since Kagero gave him the task of finding and setting up a meeting with Stain, and Dabi hadn't had any luck so far. Every slight whiff that he could've gotten was blown away as quickly as he caught on to it.
How the hell did I find him in the first place? I found him easily enough once I- Giran.
He made his way back closer to the main street, walking an alley that ran parallel until he came upon his destination. He was faced with a nondescript door, with a sliding panel at eye height. He banged on it three times - pound, pound, knock. Two solid thumps with the meat of his hand and a normal knock with his knuckles.
The panel slid open immediately. Although he couldn't see them, he knew that there was a pair of eyes beyond. The panel slammed shut and he heard a latch unhook. The door swung open inwards. Walking in, he nodded at the door man who sat on a stool, grey skin like stone with his burly arms crossed, his face obscured by shadows. Dabi felt, more than saw, a single nod from him in acknowledgement.
The interior looked like any other lounge with a bar. Multiple sets of leather chairs facing each other with a table in between them made from half of a barrel. The patrons all paused their conversations, their eyes all looking at Dabi, all of them assessing the potential threat before going back to their conversations.
Dabi meandered up to the bar and sat himself down, a glass of water immediately presented itself in front of him.
"Can I get you anything?" the bartender asked.
Dabi tapped the bar in thought, "Bourbon. On the rocks." The bartender nodded and turned around to prepare his drink. "Is Giran around?"
The bartender didn't respond, instead he placed a napkin down first, with a message scrawled on it. Dabi read it quickly and flipped it over. His drink followed soon afterward. He took a sip, relishing the burn as he felt it trickle down his throat before standing up again. He slowly made his way to a booth situated in the corner. Sitting on the bench with his back to the wall he found Giran in a dark suit, smoking a cigarette and reading some papers while idly spinning his lighter shaped like a revolver around his finger. Dabi walked up and unceremoniously dropped himself in the seat opposite.
Giran looked up, surprise evident in his face before he schooled it, "Dabi! Long time no see, how have things been with the young master?"
"Young master? Gross. Don't call him that," Dabi cringed, "Outside of creeping on quirks, his extremely vague statements, and crazy girl's incessant flirting, it's working out fine. I guess I was on some kind of probationary period since he's had me cooped up for a bit, but now I get to stretch my legs some."
Giran chuckled, "Oh ho, sounds like you're really enjoying yourself. So what brings you here? Don't tell me he's got you on shakedown duty."
"I wish, that'd be fun." Dabi took a sip of his drink, "But no, he's got me and crazy girl on a mission. He wants to meet with Stain again. You know how I can find him?"
Giran took a drag of his cigarette and blew the smoke in Dabi's face. He clicked his tongue in fake disappointment, "I've said it once before, but I thought he was smart one of the group. Stain's a ghost, a shadow passing over the wall at best. If he wants to talk, he'll find you, not the other way around."
"But you got me him before. Just call him again."
"That was a unique situation." Giran shook his head, "But that's just not how it works, kid. My advice? Do what Shigaraki did and take out some heroes. He's bound to notice you then."
Giran took one last drag before putting it out on his ashtray. He holstered his lighter under his jacket and stood up, finished with the conversation, "I'll count that as a free consultation. The next time you find me, expect to pay double. And tell the young master I've a few more people lined up. If he wants, I'll bring them to Buraka like last time."
Dabi growled but didn't move from his seat. The talk went about as well as he was expecting, but at least instead of being at square one, he's now at square one and a half. He downed the rest of his drink, leaving a bill on the table.
"Maybe Shigaraki will let me borrow some of those files he mentioned," Dabi asked himself as he walked back out into the city.
Shimura was hunched over in concentration as he fiddled with the controller in his hands. His character, Kamui Woods, jumped in the air and attacked with a flying kick. His enemy bounced off the floor and into the air, leaving him wide open for Shimura to unleash a combo.
Shimura's fingers seemingly blurred as they input the proper combination, Kamui Woods on screen unleashed branches from his arm, wrapping around the opponent and swinging them around before slamming them on the ground. The character bounced again, Kamui Woods shuffled forward leading with an elbow strike, followed by a knee to the gut before swinging around an arm with a branch that looked like a flail. His opponent was dazed from the attack, letting Kamui Woods grab their arm and perform a judo flip.
The flip took out the last sliver of health, leaving his opponent standing dazed.
"Shimura, be a bro and don't do me like this!" Kaminari cried.
Shimura turned his head, a smirk on his face. He stared Kaminari dead in the eyes, "Suffer."
Shimura's fingers blurred again as Kamui Woods performed his super move, the screen changing to a cut scene. The Kamui Woods on screen screamed out, "Preemptive Binding: Lacquered Chain Prison!" The branches wrapping around the opponent before throwing them into an Iron Maiden off screen. Kamui Woods quipped, "That's enough of your dastardly deeds, villain," before stylized words fell from the screen saying "HEROIC TAKEDOWN".
Kaminari fell over in dramatic fashion, "How could you do this to me!? After all that I've done for you, this is how you pay me back!?"
Shimura threw a pillow at Kaminari's head, "Just get better. You should be happy I didn't use my main on you."
"He wasn't your main!? I was only able to get one hit on you."
"You were button mashing the entire time," he deadpanned.
"Well, when you put it like that…"
Someone passed by Kaminari's open door that caught boys' attention. They peeked their heads out of the door to see who it was. What they saw was Iida rushing out of the hallway with a bag packed and his phone to his ear.
"Yo Iida!" Kaminari called out before Shimura could stop him, "Where you headed off to?"
Shimura elbowed Kaminari for his bluntness.
Iida looked up, surprised, before muttering into his phone and placing it to his chest, "Ah! Kaminari-kun, Shimura-kun, I'm sorry if I disturbed you. There has just been a family issue that I need to attend to, I should be back by tomorrow for class, no worries."
Iida gave them a smile that was obviously fake. Shimura could see pain in his eyes, and even a bit of anger. He bit his lip, worry starting to creep in. He wanted to reach out to Iida, but felt that it wouldn't be appropriate.
"I hope everything's alright," he replied instead.
"It should be, mother just wanted me home to go over some things," Iida gave a sharp nod, "It's nothing to be worried about, I assure you."
"If you say so." Shimura reluctantly agreed, "But if there's anything that we can do to help, let us know."
In his peripheral vision, he saw Kaminari nodding his head as well, "Yeah man, that's what friends are for right?"
"Thank you, both of you. I'll be sure to keep that in mind." Iida pressed the elevator button, "But if you'll excuse me, I must be going."
The elevator dinged and the door slid open and Iida walked in. Shimura and Kaminari turned to each other before retreating into the room closing the door behind them.
"I wonder what that was about," Kaminari asked.
"You didn't hear?" Shimura pulled out his phone, already searching for something. He finally found what he was looking for and passed it over. "Iida's brother was attacked by the Hero Killer."
Kaminari took the offered phone and looked it over. His expression dropped as he finished reading, "Dude. That's just- Wow. Ingenium's really fast too. To think that even he couldn't take Stain down, that's…"
Kaminari couldn't find the words to express his shock and sadness for Iida. While he wouldn't go so far as to say they were close like Shimura was, he respected Iida enough to consider him a friend-by-extension.
"I hope Iida will be fine," Kaminari decided to settle on.
Shimura muttered quietly, "The ones who refuse to bend are the ones that are easily broken."
"What was that?"
"Nothing!" Shimura replied too quickly, "I was just saying we should probably check in on him tomorrow when he gets back."
Kaminari eyed him suspiciously before letting the topic drop, smiling to ease the tension, "Ha ha! Yeah, you're right. No use worrying about it if he won't let us in right? Now come on! I wanna see what it's like when you use your main."
"Your funeral," Shimura smiled.
Kaminari kept the smile on his face as they continued playing. While he was definitely trying his hardest to pay attention to the game, he couldn't help but think about what he heard Shimura mutter.
What did he mean by that?