07/02/2024

Just a post to say I'm still working on Dragon!

What if Ochaco had continued in the Hero Course and Izuku had continued on his path to villainy... how might the future have turned out? At least, between those two.

The Emperor's Dragon: Ochaco As A Hero

Underground heroes lived without comment. It was only in death that they were acknowledged. Then the details of their careers came out. The ranking of underground heroes was usually quite morbid since it was performed on the details that became available only after death. It meant the ranking was heavily disputed among Hero Otaku's since those underground heroes who actually retired, seldom released their career information.

As a whole, the general public didn't care. A few did, those who had been rescued or impacted by the underground hero and usually they just cared enough to acknowledge the passing of their savior, or jailer. As such, it was usually only direct family and other underground heroes who attended the funeral. Sometimes above ground heroes came too, but generally only classmates or those who had worked directly with the deceased.

Today was no different.

Kenji Yurei, better known in industry as the underground hero Phasma, was being laid to rest. His parents were in the front row, both dressed in black with their heads bowed. Behind them other family members gathered. On the other side were the heroes and at the back were a few civilians. Most of the heroes were unknown, underground heroes but this particular funeral had been mentioned in Hero Weekly because the Number 8 ranked hero, Uravity would be in attendance.

She was standing near the front of the mourners, with her head bowed. By her side was her long standing boyfriend, Izuku Ayirodimu, a young man who was making serious waves in the business world and who many tipped to be the next Bozos, Gates and Jobs combined.

"Oh Izuku," Ochaco said softly, fighting back tears as they listened to the elegy. "I can remember the first time he came to our house," she murmured.

Izuku gave her hand a squeeze to indicate he'd heard. "I remember," he whispered. He wasn't on the verge of crying.

He remembered the first time Kenji had come to their house as well. The arrogant twat had walked in like he owned the place but Izuku had seen he was awed by it. Their house was large but he saw no reason to settle for anything smaller. It gave them both their own space to live in with enough area for them to mingle. He loved it. He knew Ochaco loved it even if she was concerned it was too large.

The underground hero had tried to hide his surprise at the size and then had bristled when Izuku had given him a knowing smile, and offered him a drink from the bar. No, not that bar, the other bar because of course his house had two bars. Didn't everyone's?

Kenji had had to fight back his jealousy but Izuku knew he still felt it. It had been in his eyes, in the way he had looked at everything with that covetous gaze.

"You don't think it was his case that killed him?" Ochaco murmured.

Phasma's dismembered body had been found in an alleyway. What was unusual was that his various body parts had been phased together. It almost looked like his quirk had been used on him! Except his quirk didn't work like that. He could phase items, not himself.

"Was he working on something that dangerous?" Izuku returned her question.

The bastard had been, but to the outside world it didn't look that dangerous. But then, the outside world didn't know the Hikigane Trigger+ smuggling ring was connected to Dragon. It was better that way. Dragon was just the supplier, not the distributor and had no interest in keeping the Hikigane gang members safe. That was their own responsibility.

Phasma had been taking them out but the Banji group were ready to take over and the hero hadn't done anything about them. Another underground hero, Eraserhead had, but Phasma hadn't even thanked the man, instead he'd simply declared that he'd go after the boss over Hikigane and Banji… the Dragon.

From all reports, Eraserhead had tried to talk sense into Phasma. Dragon was not a target to go after alone, if indeed Dragon was a target and not just a villain boogie man. Phasma was not the type of hero to listen.

"He had to have been," Ochaco responded, before sniffing. "Why else would anyone want him dead?" she whispered.

Izuku didn't reply but he could think of a few reasons. The oily way he spoke to everyone as if he was superior. As an underground hero he couldn't play up the fact he was a hero but he didn't hold back on his beliefs. He certainly believed himself to be superior. The way he would curl his lip at the smell of coffee, claiming that he didn't require such a plebian drug to function. Even when the beans had been flown in that day and freshly roasted not two minutes before. The way he'd looked down on Hitoshi's Cat Cafe, even though the small shop was perfectly respectable. Plasma had claimed it stunk and had even lodged a health complaint against it. That had gone nowhere. Izuku had more influence with the inspectors but it had been annoying. Hitoshi had been worried all for the ego of one arrogant, mediocre underground hero.

The way Phasma looked at Ochaco when he thought no one was looking.

There were quite a few reasons to want Phasma dead.

"I don't know," Izuku consoled her, pulling Ochaco close as she shuddered. The gesture meant her head was against his chest and she could cry properly. With the slight shield of his body, she did.

"I'm going to get them," she hissed in between her sobs.

"Who?" Izuku whispered in return.

"The bastard who killed him," she replied.

"Ah," he responded delicately as he recalled another memory of the hero Phasma.

"Dragon!" the idiot had roared as he'd run through the corridors. For someone who was supposed to be a stealthy hero, Phasma failed at that. Izuku had been waiting anyway. The entire complex had been set up for Phasma to find and so he simply sat at his desk and worked until the door crashed in.

The hero followed it in short order!

"Dragon! Your time is up!" Phasma had snarled.

Izuku had finished signing the document he was on before he looked up, raising one eyebrow at the pronouncement.

"What?" Phasma had stuttered. "What are you doing here?" came the demand.

Izuku smiled. "I work here," he told the underground hero. It had been funny to watch the self assuredness on his features twist into shock and then doubt.

"You work here?"

"I do," Izuku confirmed, taking a deep breath as he leaned back in his chair. He'd had his desk brought in from his real office so it was rather incongruously plush compared to the other furnishings of the complex.

He could actually see Phasma connecting the dots in his mind. It was in the way his eyes darted from side to side as he took in the furnishings. It was in the way he twitched when he remembered little things. "You're Dragon?" he growled the question, bringing his hands forward and gesturing to use his quirk.

Izuku allowed his smile to twist into something superior. "When it suits," he replied before chuckling. "And I don't really think that's going to work," he added. Phasma's preferred move to capture someone was to make what they were sitting or standing on intangible, which made them fall through it, giving him an opening to strike.

Of course, that only worked when he had a quirk.

Phasma made the gesture again, his surprise now turning to panic.

"Is something meant to happen?" Izuku inquired, barely holding back laughter. He lifted one hand himself and copied Phasma's gesture. The now panicking underground hero sank into the floor.

"What did you do?" He demanded.

"Simply what you would have done to me," Izuku told him.

"What?"

He frowned. "Do you know nothing?"

"You are just a villain."

Izuku laughed. "You really didn't research Dragon?" He could hardly believe he was asking that question but the answer was obvious.

"You are just a villain who pretends to care for Ochaco!" Phasma responded.

Izuku got up and walked around his desk before he reached out to grab the now trapped hero's face and pull it towards him. "You mention her name again, and I will rip out your heart," he whispered. "Now, do you really know nothing about me?" he rephrased his question.

"I don't need to know about you."

Izuku shook his head. "True, you don't but perhaps you should have found out what my quirk is?"

"Some sort of copying thing," Phasma snarled, reaching for something on his belt. He finally remembered he had some tools.

Izuku gestured towards him again. He didn't need the gestures but he had discovered if he didn't use them people never seemed to believe he'd done something. This time, several chains wrapped their way around the trapped hero. "My Quirk's name is Hoard," he told the man who was only now beginning to appreciate how doomed he was. "It allows me to take, keep and use other people's quirks. Permanently." He smiled. "Thank you for the addition."

"You can't do that!" Phasma objected.

"I think you will find I have," Izuku replied, turning back to his desk.

"You'll be found," the man changed tactics.

At that, Izuku did laugh. "By whom?" He challenged. "The people you are meant to tell about your missions but don't?" he asked pointedly. "Those who will look for you?" He shook his head. "They'll find your corpse but nothing else. After all, it's not like you fill out paperwork."

The reality of the situation was dawning on Phasma. He was looking around for anything that might save him.

"Akagiri," Izuku called. A red swirl appeared beside him and materialised into a small misty being. "Please take us to that alleyway I showed you the other day, and then take my desk back to the office," he instructed.

The black eyed being nodded and then expanded, enveloping them both and depositing them where Izuku had instructed. He turned his eyes to Phasma.

"You don't have to do this man."

Izuku shook his head. "I don't have to do it personally, but I'm going to," he said, flexing his fingers.

"What about Ochaco?" the underground hero begged, calling upon the one name that might stop him.

Izuku backhanded him. He didn't bother to hold back his strength and wasn't surprised at the crack he heard as Phasma's head snapped to the side. The man was still alive but his jaw was shattered. "I told you not to mention her," he informed the underground hero quietly.

"Ochaco will be sad at your passing. She always is when her friends die, but as I've told her, they are in a dangerous profession. She'll get over it. She always does when I help her," Izuku told Phasma. It was pleasing to see the man actually understand that.

"Elastic-" he managed to say the word. "Slider. You killed them."

"Only when they made the same mistake you did," he acknowledged. "Now hold still, this won't take long," he added as he stepped forward.

Phasma screamed but with his jaw broken he couldn't project and as Izuku had promised, it didn't take long.

Izuku rubbed Ochaco's back. He crooned softly, giving her what comfort he could. "I'm sure you will," Izuku told her. "I'm sure you will," he repeated.

He knew she'd catch someone.

He'd make sure of it. After all, he was her good Little Dragon.

-ted-

This one was fun to write :D Izuku is devoted to his job and his girlfriend and she is a great hero! Dragon knows it!

My discord is on this code: TcBnRN7aDn FFN will remove links but you should be able to figure that out. There's a heap of other authors there, so come along and chat to us all!

-ted-

Loved it? Hated it? Found a spelling mistake? Let me know please!