Once the kids exit the meeting room, the Heroes in question all sat there, silent as they took in the situation they were tasked to do.
"...Nedzu, do you really think this is wise?" Eraserhead said again to the Principal.
"...Of course not," Nedzu says.
The Heroes all looked at him, gasping in shock.
"What!? Then why are we allowing this!?" Recovery Girl asked the Principal incredulously.
"Yeah! These kids aren't Heroes, they're students!" Hound Dog argued.
"Yes, I know," Nedzu agreed, "Which is why I will take extra precautions for all of them. All of the staff here at UA, as well as any Pro Heroes that are present around this time, will accompany at least two of the students in each Hero Course's 1-A and 1-B. That'll make twenty Heroes that will help out our students. I want to make calls to Hero agencies and give them the rundown of their tasks. And I mean it; no student in this school will be harmed. If they somehow go into the fray and try to fight these Villains, then I order you and these Heroes to knock them unconscious."
"But...why just let them go at all?" Power Loader asked.
"...We are an institution of higher learning...the USJ incident was a mind opener to these students of how these Villains work. Furthermore, they got a taste of what it's like facing these kinds of people..." Nedzu looked up at the Heroes in the meeting room, "And just to let you all know, I know they aren't experienced enough to face these types of Villains, which is why I ask for these demands."
"But then...why?" Eraserhead asked him.
"...All Might is almost every other student's idol, their one and only Hero that's their immediate go-to. I just couldn't let them go on with their school activities like nothing is wrong when there absolutely is something wrong that's going on outside of these campus walls. All Might, who is also part of our staff, is captured, and I have to keep their hope alive and try and let them be the Heroes they can be...I and everyone else here owe All Might that much."
Everyone went silent once more...
"...Well, we hope this is the right decision either way," Midnight said, "Those kids will be dealing with really horrible people."
"Hm...that I am fully aware," Nedzu nodded, "We can only hope and pray that All Might and Endeavor will be alright and safe until then..."
Meanwhile, Back with Tsukauchi and the Police
Damn it all! This has gotten crazy! All Might and Endeavor are both captured by Joker and that hand guy Shigaraki! And it looks like that Shigaraki Villain has new recruits! Tsukauchi thought angrily as he paced around near a cop car. He and everyone else from the force were trying to get their bearings and heal from their injuries.
His phone then rang. He got it out quickly and answered it.
"Tsukauchi here! What's happening!?" Tsukauchi exclaimed to the other line.
"Detective! I've called to inform you about Sansa!" said the person on the other line.
Breath hitched and eyes widened, Tsukauchi feared the worst.
Oh, please don't let it be more bad news.
"Sansa is alright!"
Oh, thank goodness...
"However, he's in critical condition right now. He's at the hospital recovering. He had a pretty bad stab wound to his chest cavity, near his heart, but they got it all stitched up in time with other Medical Heroes present. He just needs to rest for a while."
Tsukauchi sighed in relief, "Thank you. That's about the only best news we had all day," he went back into serious mode, "Have you found anything on the whereabouts of Joker and Shigaraki at this point in time?"
"Not as of yet. It'll probably take a good while if they have that warp guy with them."
"Yeah...damn it," Tsukauchi cursed.
"Detective!" said a cop as he approached him, "There's something happening a little ways out of Musutafu! Something about a fire in a neighborhood complex!"
Tsukauchi cursed again, "Shit!" He went back to his phone. "Gotta go! Something came up!" he hung up and turned to the cop, "Where is this fire?"
"In the Kishimoto neighborhood!"
"Well, this might be a detour from our objective, or this could lead us to where we need to go. Let's get moving!" Tsukauchi ordered.
- The Villain's Bar in Kamino Ward -
Toga, Mustard, and Muscular were all playing cards on the table. Moonfish was still in the corner muttering in a daze, talking to himself about 'consuming flesh' and whatnot.
"...Got any sixes?" Mustard asked Toga.
"Nope! Go fish!" Toga said with a quirky smile.
"Shit," Mustard then took a card from the deck.
"Fuck, man," Muscular muttered, "I wish I could've gone out there and waste everyone...pfft! I'm actually a little peeved, honestly."
"Hey, we gotta follow our so-called boss's orders," Mustard told Muscular, "Besides, it would be a bit overkill to bring us all over to that scene anyway. You'll get your chance soon enough, like I'll get be getting mine soon too."
"Don't forget about me~!" Toga said in a sing-a-long voice with a smile.
"Yeah, yeah, you too, Toga," Mustard mumbled.
"Tch! Whatever," Muscular muttered.
Just then, though, Kurogiri's black warp came into view in the bar.
"Ah. They're back," Mustard said.
When the black warp mist grew, out came Shigaraki, Joker(without his mask), and the other Villains, one by one as they stepped into the bar area.
However, three of Joker's henchmen were holding onto three different people. Turtle is holding a scared little girl over his shoulder, wrapped in a rope-like material, while Crystal is holding an unconscious Endeavor over his shoulder with the same material wrapped around him. Lastly, Rubber is holding a dazed All Might over his shoulder as well with the same rope material wrapped around him. The henchman then dropped All Might on the ground, letting him plop on his butt.
The three Villains playing cards looked at all the reinforcements with a blink.
"...Wow. That's a lot of guys," Toga spoke her mind.
"Ahem! There's a woman here as well, ya know!?" Hare retorted as she looked up from her phone at Toga with a scowl.
Toga just blinked.
Muscular though, noticed the three new visitors, "Hey...I know that's All Might there, but...is that Endeavor?"
"Whoa...for real?" Mustard asked in surprise.
"Yessir, for real indeed!" Joker said jovially said, "Don't worry, his Quirk is long gone, thanks to me and Dabi here! I have to say, though, Dabi came at the right time!" he gave Dabi a knowing grin.
"Heh. Just had a feeling some dopey-ass Hero was gonna come by and stop ya. And since it was this bastard Endeavor here, I was lucky, since my pain receptors are long gone," Dabi said with his thumb pointing at the unconscious Enji.
"...Huh. Okay," Mustard complied as he nodded, "So...who's the little girl?"
"That girl right there, my good man, is the ticket to beating all Heroes," Joker explained with a twisted smirk.
At the far back of the bar, the voice of All for One spoke.
"Ah. Joker. Welcome. It's a pleasure to finally meet you," All for One greeted, "And the one and only All Might. My, you're looking quite horrible these days. I wonder what happened?"
All Might gritted his teeth in anger as he sat there in his binds. "You..."
"Yes, indeed. Me. The years weren't too kind to me as well, I must admit. Having one's head ripped off can do that to a person. But that's nothing compared to having your stomach ripped out as well, right?"
I can't believe it...it really is All for One. Toshinori thought in disdain.
"Either way, you also brought Endeavor as well. I heard that his Quirk is erased?"
"Oh yes, most definitely!" Joker told him with an evil smile.
"Ah...two birds with one stone. That's quite excellent."
"Well, can't give all the credit. Dabi here pulled the trigger,' Joker motioned to Dabi.
"Ah, then. Well, great job, Dabi."
"No problem," Dabi smirked.
"Yes, superb job, indeed. As for the girl, I must ask, what is her story?"
Joker answered, "Well, this little tyke is known as Eri. She has quite the Quirk! She can rewind anything that she touches based on a certain strong emotion, to the point that they disappear! I concocted the Quirk Erasure formula out of her!"
All Might's eyes widened at that claim, shocked and horrified.
"Oh? Well, my, my. Now that sounds quite fascinating."
"I know, right?" Joker grinned sadistically.
"Wait..." All Might said, gaining the attention of the other Villains, "Are...Are you saying that the Quirk erasing substance that did me and Endeavor in...came from that little girl?" he asked in shock.
Joker smirked, "Why, of course."
All Might just...stared at the mad clown, stunned as his mouth was partly agape, unable to comprehend the sheer thought of using a mere child for someone's own twisted plan.
Toga looked at Eri, who was too wrapped up in a whip material for her to not speak, the rope covering her mouth, but her expression of fear says it all. She then began to notice that there was one last person that she couldn't find anywhere.
"Um...hey, where's that Yakuza guy?" she asked.
Joker turned her attention to Toga, "Oh, him? Well, ol' Overhaul is back at his old hideout contemplating on his life choices with his 'father figure'..." he grinned in a wicked fashion, "Moreover, he's basically thinking of...retiring."
Shigaraki then spoke with a knowing smirk of his own, "Oh yes. Joker made sure that little arrangement was quite the touching reunion between them."
"Haha! Oh, I see what you did there! Hahaha!" Joker laughed at Shigaraki's, unknowingly to everyone, clever pun.
Toga, Mustard, and Muscular blinked at all that was revealed. Moonfish basically was still mumbling about flesh.
"Oh, by the way, Hare, have you uploaded the video yet?" asked Joker to Hare, who was looking at her phone.
"Oh yeah, Puddin'! Just waiting for it to finish loading! Aaand...done!" Hare said with a pep in her tone.
"Video?"
"Oh don't worry, it just stars me, Overhaul, and his so-called father figure! Although, Shigaraki here helped me with something to get it all set up," Joker said with a twisted grin.
"Yes, it was a little...cruel, to say, but I think Joker got the message across either way," Shigaraki chimed in, "He said it was to send a 'message' to Heroes and law enforcement."
"Oh? Why, do tell. I would love to see this video."
"Well, hey, there's a computer over there! Let's all watch it, shall we!? You too, All Fool! Hahaha!" Joker cackled.
All Might just looked on at all the madness that was happening around him. He didn't see where Joker and Shigaraki went when they were at the apartment complex, and even when they came back, they hurriedly got out of the complex.
Toshinori was gonna be feeling really sick upon watching this video, wasn't he?
- Midoriya -
Midoriya, along with Yaoyorozu, Uraraka, Jirou, Todoroki, Iida, Ashido, Kaminari, and Asui, all exited the campus of UA. Much was happening in their school and town, and soon, the news will relay what happened in today's events regarding All Might and Endeavor. Midoriya was already getting notifications on his phone about the 'capture of All Might and Endeavor' and the 'new Villain Joker'.
His friends also were getting notifications on their phones, to which Kaminari voiced his opinion.
"Ugh! Alright! Stop reminding us!" Kaminari said to his phone in a frustrating manner.
"Man, every news station has to cover this story, huh?" Jirou mumbled.
"Well, it is a pretty eye-catching headliner," Tsuyu commented.
"Still, it just causes more panic," Yaoyorozu mumbled.
"Hm," Iida nodded, "I'm actually afraid of what the trip back home will be like," his face looked downcast, "All Might didn't deserve to be humiliated like that...it's kind of like my brother all over again."
Todoroki was quiet throughout the whole thing.
Mina looked at Todoroki, a little worried, "Hey, um...you gonna be okay, Todoroki?"
The kids turned to Shouto, who in turn looked at them all.
"...Everything just went by so fast...the revelation that my brother is still alive, my father loses his Quirk, him being kidnapped...I...I don't really know how to handle all of this," Shouto said, his face looking like he was in a stunned daze.
Midoriya then spoke up, "Hey, Todoroki...we...we just got to stay strong," he frowned at how he said that, "I mean...I know, not the best advice, but...what other choice do we have? We just need to focus on the task at hand and stay strong."
Yaoyorozu nodded, "That's right. What Joker did to me and my staff back at the mansion really put me in a dark place for a while...but, I had to move forward. I wasn't going to let him take away whatever I had left to hope with."
"..." Todoroki just looked down in thought.
Mina, though, put a hand on his shoulder, "Yeah. We all just got to stay strong. And hey, Todoroki. Whatever happened in your family won't change how we view you."
Todoroki looked at Mina and then looked at all of his friends...he nodded, a ghost of a smile on his lips. "Right."
Midoriya and the others all gave out soft smiles at Todoroki.
Then, another notification hit Kaminari's phone.
"Ugh! Man, I swear, I think I just might need to silence this phone altogether!" he said as he got his phone out. He looked at the screen...and soon his eyes widened in horror as his face looked to be in shock.
"Uh...g-guys?" he said.
Jirou turned to Kaminari and saw his expression. Worried, she asked him, "Whoa, Kaminari, what's with the look?"
The rest of the kids looked at Kaminari, with Midoriya saying something to him when he saw his expression, "Uh, Kaminari?"
"...Guys, look at your phones for a minute. Like, now," Kaminari uttered.
Jirou, Midoriya, and the rest of the kids looked at the blonde in concern, but they all looked at their phones either way, getting them out of their pockets. When they looked at their screens, they saw one notification that caught their eye.
"Huh?" Midoriya uttered. He then read the headline, "BREAKING NEWS: Musutafu Police found...a Yakuza hideout!?"
The kids all looked up from their phones, their eyes widened in shock as they exclaimed, "What!?"
"Wait...was that Overhaul character a Yakuza member?" Iida asked anyone.
"I think so. I think he was supposed to be the leader," Tsuyu nodded.
Midoriya tapped on the notif and read the article, "The neighborhood complex known as the Kishimoto Neighborhood was set aflame. The complex was soon discovered as a Yakuza hideout," the dread started to pull on Midoriya, but he kept reading, "Nobody was spared as approximately two-hundred Yakuza members were killed, including their leader!?"
"Wait, what!?" Mina exclaimed in shock, "You mean even the Overhaul guy was killed!?"
"M-Maybe!?" Midoriya kept reading the article, "The leader of this Yakuza group, from what authorities can identify, was the one that was working w-with the Joker!"
The kids gasped at that information.
"Oh, man..." Uraraka felt unease as she felt hugged herself for comfort.
Midoriya kept reading, "There are no whereabouts for this new Villain and his men, although it seemed the Joker left a message behind! The message was spraypainted on a wall outside of one of the houses...it-it said, 'SEARCH FOR 'JOKER' ON YT'!"
"YT?" Jirou wondered.
"Oh! Dude! YouTube!" Kaminari exclaimed, figuring it out.
"YouTube?" Iida asked, "Then...that would mean..."
...The kids were silent...
Then, Yaoyorozu got her phone out and started to go to her YouTube app, searching for 'Joker' in the search engine...
...Her eyes soon went wide with horror.
Noticing this, Midoriya asked her worriedly, "Y-Yaoyorozu...?"
"...Everyone. We need to get on YouTube. Now," she said urgently.
Confused but on edge and scared of what they might find on YouTube, they all went to their YouTube app. Uraraka had a flip phone, so Tsuyu had to let her share her phone with her.
Once they typed in 'joker' and pushed enter, a video came up.
It was titled: = A MESSAGE FROM THE JOKER =
The video was uploaded by someone that goes by the name of Harlequinn.
They all stood there, in shock.
The thumbnail image was a big pile of...something that was on fire.
...Feeling very uneasy to tap on this video, Midoriya gulped.
Everyone else felt the same...
...Todoroki then said, "We need to stay strong. I...I don't think...I don't think All Might and my...Father would be there..." he looked up at Midoriya, "The article didn't say anything about them, did they?"
Midoriya quickly went back to the article and fast-read it again.
"...N-No, I think...I don't think they're mentioned in it," Midoriya told him, letting a breath out that he didn't know he was holding.
Yaoyorozu looked at the thumbnail on the video...gathering her courage, she raised a finger and was about to tap it...when she said, "Todoroki is right. We need to watch this. Every one of us."
The kids all looked uneasy, but know that they were future Heroes in training. In order to know what's happening, they must have knowledge of the situation...
They just hoped All Might and Endeavor are still...alive.
"Okay...then let's do this on the count of three," Midoriya said to everyone.
Nodding to that, the eight kids got ready to view the video.
Midoriya counted down, "One...two...three!"
They tapped on the thumbnail.
The camera was most likely a smartphone.
There was a pile of...money that was stacked high.
Prop lights were shown on the stacks of money. The room looked like it was dark, hence the lights that were set up.
The money was piled around twelve feet...but there was someone on top of that pile.
A man was tied up by the wrists with a rope material as he sat there crossed-legged, not once budging.
It was Overhaul. Kai Chisaki.
"And weeee're on, Puddin'!" said the heavily accented voice of Hare.
"Oh thank you, Hare!" said the voice of...the Joker. "Keep the camera on Kai, will you?"
"Sure thing, Mr. J!" Hare complied as she kept the focus on Kai.
"Just get it over with," muttered Kai darkly up on the pile of money as he was lowering his face to be unseen.
"Oh don't you worry, we will," Joker 'assured' him, "But first, I want to give out a message to all the wallowing Heroes that are drowning in money right now, as well as the police! Okay, Hare, focus on me."
Hare lowered the camera to a back shot of Joker as he looked to be...taking a drag on a cigarette. He also looked to be wearing the same mask that he was wearing at the confrontation back at the docks.
Joker looked to be putting his mask back on when he finished taking a drag from the cigarette. Walking in line with the view of the camera, he began talking.
"I want to tell a story. A story about a man, who was quite ordinary to the point that he was average. But, what made this man special, was that he had a dream! A dream of helping people, to be a Hero! Long story short, after so much hard work, he finally achieved his goal! He obtained fame, wealth, and respect! However, that alienated him from the ones he loved and respected most! So much, that he became...egotistical. Prideful. Self-righteous. Almost to the point where he doesn't know what's right and wrong anymore, because he's so self-centered! Basking in the glory and money that is being thrown at him, not once considering the people's problems as important anymore, unless it's a big headliner."
Joker turned away from the camera and lifted his mask up to take another drag on his cigarette. Once he did, he lowered his mask on his face again and continued talking.
"Then, one day, a Villain was planning on blowing up an elementary school. He told everyone to get out of the school while he finds the bomb. And soon he finds the bomb in a janitor's closet...with one of the kids inside, tied up with a bomb tied planted on him. Facing a dilemma, he tried to disarm the bomb...but soon he found out that if he took the bomb off of the child, it will detonate, killing him and the boy. The boy knew that the Hero could save him...and the Hero told him that he'll get a bomb squad to help him out. It was timed by the way, too. So he hurried out of the school...and the child waited...and waited...and waited...until he realized, that the Hero wasn't coming back. Long story short, the bomb exploded, killing him and leveling the school. They gave the Hero all the praise pon saving their children...until the authorities saw the remains of the boy...upon questioning the Hero why he didn't save him, he told them to keep it quiet, and that he tried and it was a lost cause. So...they did."
Joker walked in the other direction of the room, the camera following him.
"But the parents didn't know what happened to their boy and soon asked the Hero questions...to which he answered that he didn't see the boy in the school. Knowing something is amiss, the parents tried to get to the bottom of this. But as they were sleuthing, they were taken by the police...and murdered. They were hushed by the police and the Hero...but then, the VIllain that was taken into custody actually had a change of heart and made the claim that he put a bomb on one kid, which he thought the Hero was going to save! Imagine his surprise when he heard from one of the drunken officers that he didn't even save the boy!"
Joker turned to the camera, his mask on his face and as he neared the camera phone Hare was holding.
"And do you know how this story ends?"
Joker snapped his fingers.
One of the bigger henchmen, Rubber, tossed a body-sized bag...near where Kai was.
Kai looked confused...until his eyes widened at what this body bag could contain.
"Well...it's bittersweet," Joker said, "You see, the Villain pretended to not hear the drunken officer, faking to be asleep in his cell. Then, when he was put on trial, he revealed this information, as well as the parents' death to the people at the court, exposing the Hero to what he really is, as well as the police force. Fakes. Seeing the evidence being piled up against him, the Hero then made the bright idea to kill the Villain while he was still in court! An uproar commenced, and soon the people realized, there is truth to be had here. They became betrayed by the Hero, up to the point where they think he should be punished."
Kai used his hands to take the zipper and starts to pull it down...his face looked on at the body in horror, his mouth dropped in shock, and his eyes showed complete despair. Absolute despair. He froze where he sat, as his lower lip slightly quivered.
Kai was in the shot as well as Joker, whose masked face was present. The camera, though, went a little closer to the opened body bag in question...the person being a rotting face of an older man, his eyelids disintegrated as his eyes were shown, his teeth also bare for the world to see. The skin was brown from rot, almost looking like a decomposing corpse...and it might as well be one.
The camera zoomed out and went back to the Joker, with Kai still in the shot.
"So they all brought him to his home...gathered all his things with him on it..."
In the background, two of his henchmen, Cham and Hacker, poured gasoline on the money pile. Kai didn't notice this, as he was still in horrific shock as he looked at his now mutilated father figure...
"...And then..."
Joker turned around to hide his face as he lifted up his mask and smoked one last drag of his cigarette. Lowering his mask down, he came up to the pile of money.
"...they burned it all down."
He flicked the cigarette at the gas-soaked money pile.
And it lit aflame.
Kai didn't say anything. He didn't even scream. He just sat there, traumatized by what he was seeing, looking at the only person that gave him a home...laying there with him, dead as he can be.
Joker then turned around to view the camera of Hare's phone and made his way gradually to it.
"You see, the moral of this story is...kids these days want to look up to a real Hero. A Hero that wants to truly inspire! A Hero that sends the right message! A Hero that's not about fame, glory, not even money! With that, I think it's time I show...what a real Hero can do. Cause again, it's not about fame and money...it's about sending a message."
Joker looked at the camera...and began to chuckle...until he fully laughed.
"Heh-heh-heh-heh-heh-heh-heh-heh-heh! Ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha! HAAAA-HA-HA-HA-HA-HA-HA-HA-HA-HA-HAAAAAA! And cut!"
The video ends...
...The kids all stood there, appalled at what they saw...
"...I...don't think I saw All Might and Endeavor in the video..." Iida informed slowly.
Midoriya looked at his phone's screen in horror and could only think of one thing...
...Things have gotten way more real, haven't they?
Okay! Short chapter! But I hope it sets it up and gets it across really nicely! :)
Yep, Overhaul is dead now. And so is Pops...and the Shie Hassakai. Now for the League of Villains! What will happen when Joker is now a member? We'll have to see next time! :D
And don't worry, we'll get to the talk show soon. I'm planning on letting it be the next day in the next chapter when Midoriya and Bakugou have their talk. ;)
I do have to mention though, that I'm going to a camp as a helper next week, so writing might not be as much from this point on. I come back home around next Saturday or Sunday, so you'll all have to wait until then.
But tell me how the chapter is! Leave a review, fave, and a follow! I love them so! :D
Thank you all for reading and keep on rocking everybody! :)
-TSP