Five Years Later...
I groaned, rolling over in my sleep, my crimson eyes blearily focusing on a crack running up the stone wall. My body ached from the previous days' exercises, let it be known I hated exercising, but needs must, right?
Five years had passed since I'd agreed to join up with All-for-One on the proviso that Zozo go with me, which had prompted a small detour to invade an orphanage and 'rescue' her. In that time, I had applied myself diligently to getting better. Stronger, faster, smarter, I'd focused most heavily on my mind over my body, but that wasn't to say I couldn't handle myself in a fight.
Well, really, I wasn't the best at fighting technically. I'd put more time into my speed and agility than my overall strength, but I reasoned that any fights I got into would boil down into those I wanted to kill, and those I didn't. If I wanted to kill them, my hands should more than suffice to send my opponent to the Shadow Realm, and if I didn't want to kill them, then my ability to injure them was a moot-point anyways.
I could almost hear some grand being laughing at my assumptions, but I'd cross that bridge when I came to it.
Rolling off the cot, I stretched my hands above my head, the satisfying pops and cracks echoing in the still room. The only light was a trio of computer monitors on a desk, only the central one alight at the moment, still showing the Game Over screen for the game I'd been trudging through last night, some RTS game called Champions of Valor.
It wasn't that widely acclaimed and it was easy to see why, the graphics were outdated, it lagged like the servers were off planet, and worst of all, the options were limited to three playable factions despite the game containing over 28 more NPC factions that all seemed to have better everything than the player.
Not even in terms of starting location, but they got more gold per turn, more combat strength, and faster speed, not to mention the titular Champions! The player could only have one Champion! at a time, while each of the NPC faction could support three, sometimes even duplicate Champions!
I swore the developers wanted the player to rage quit, much like Fromsoft's Souls games, but at least they boasted amazing graphics at the time, a good RPG system, and storytelling that hundreds of thousands of people were still talking about the lore years after it had come out.
I also swore that as soon as I beat every faction in the game, I was deleting it and throwing it in the fire for the betterment of humanity.
As I shook my head, straightening out my clothes as I exited my room and made my way to the bar, the newest occupant already hard at work cleaning a glass as I saw one of his large yellow eyes turned to spot my approach.
"Ah, young master Shigaraki, did you sleep well? Would you like something to eat for breakfast?" He asked, his haunting voice putting me on edge for a moment.
He'd arrived here about a week earlier with only 'He's been sent to take care of you.' as an explanation from All-for-One, although he insisted on being referred to as Sensei or Teacher so as not to arouse suspicions outside the little bubble.
But Kurogiri's arrival signaled something for me. I'd started running plans within weeks of being placed here in my own little wing of Limbo, most of them revolving around Kuro's Warp Gate Quirk.
For weeks Zozo and anyone nearby had heard my incredulous cries of "insta-cast Teleport is so broken!" It really was, the only weakness of Kurogiri's quirk addressed in canon was that he needed to know the exact coordinates of long-range travel. That left so much implied.
Did that mean he could go anywhere he wished, so long as it wasn't too far, allowing him to completely bypass building security. If so, I was already planning on sneaking out in the dead of night to rob as many bank vaults as possible. For that matter, might as well hit jewelry stores as well, auction houses, maybe even UA when the time came.
But it couldn't be that simple, given the evidence I had available to me. Kurogiri hadn't escaped prison as far as I could remember, although that could be explained various ways, whether by keeping him unconscious 24/7 unless they needed to ask him something in which case, I was sure Aizawa would be capable of keeping him locked down. The other option was that he was put in Tartarus, which was also probably accurate, and the personalized cell system they had along with the turrets would dissuade anyone from making a run for it. There was also that if someone got a hold of his body, Kurogiri's ability to form warp gates drastically decreased, but so long as we avoided combat that wouldn't be a serious problem. There was a third possibility, which was really a part of the second one, but it left a gaping plot hole or an implication that left me unsettled. I remembered a thought someone had brought up in a fanfic that it was possible to ward a room or house against warp-based Quirks via technology, so it was possible that Tartarus did that to stop not only people from teleporting out but also in, in which case bank vaults could have the same capabilities... but also if that was the truth, than Kurogiri warping the League into the USJ meant either this technology didn't exist or UA was so overconfident that they didn't consider that someone would even try to teleport in.
Pausing the flood of thoughts, a small memory from my host's childhood bubbled up of his/my favorite red sneakers, near identical to the ones Izuku wore. That combined with the word vomit, as All Might had put it, brought a sad smile to my face. What had this world stolen from Tenko Shimura?
My thoughts trailed off after that as I felt someone poking me in the head as I turned to look at the third and final member of our Trio of Villans, trademark pending, Zozo.
She changed both the most and the least since coming here. Her hair fell down to her shoulder blades, but the main part on her head still looked like she swept it back and forth until it laid down, it reminded me of another anime character, but I couldn't remember which one. She seemed to have devolved even further in terms of her dialogue, rarely speaking more than a sentence or two. Both of those combined with her worn clothes would've led most to believe she was still living on the streets.
"Good morning, Zee, and I've told you to call me Tomura when we're in private Kuro. Do we have any eggs, or do we have to make a trip to the grocers?" I asked, Kuro's yellow eyes not blinking as he looked at me.
"We have eggs, would you like something... Tomura?" He finally got out and I could feel the sweat drop run down my face.
"Scrambled eggs and toast are fine, and do you have any orange juice left or did those guys from last night finish off your supply?" I inquired as a glass appeared on the bar top, orange juice pouring into it. Given that I couldn't see his hand, it looked like the orange juice was coming straight out of one of his gates.
"Thanks Kuro." I said, the foggy bartender turning to a stovetop, my requested breakfast already half done.
I didn't remember him being so... passive, I really hoped that was only a side effect of having recently being created because I couldn't carry all the conversation around here.
"Hey Kuro, I was wondering, how does your Quirk work? I mean I get that you can form gates from the fog on your body, and that you need specific coordinates for long-range ones, but can you just warp through a wall so long as you're close to it?" I asked, taking a sip of my orange juice as Zozo watched the byplay of breakfast.
"It's a bit more complicated than that. He needs exact coordinates to be able to visualize his gates appearing, he also needs a clear space of at least one meter." The aged voice coming from the television in the room caught my attention.
"Good morning, Teacher, Doctor." I exclaimed politely.
"May I ask why you're inquiring about our creation's Quirk?" That one was the other half of the Dynamic Duo, I couldn't tell which one was which yet, even after all this time, but it would come to me one day, most likely after All Might smashed All-for-One's face in.
"I was considering robbing a bank tonight. If Kuro's Quirk allows us to just warp inside the vault, we could steal the money before anyone even knew we were there, and we'd leave no traces, assuming of course the inside of the vault doesn't have cameras, but if so, we could take them out." I said conversationally.
"That wouldn't work, as I said he needs to be able to see where he's creating his warp gates, and he needs enough clear space to open them." The first voice said, I was pretty sure that was the Doctor given his superior tone, but I could've been wrong.
"Hmm, well they say you should never use your first draft since it's the least thought out so..." I trailed off as Kurogiri placed a plate in front of me.
"May I ask why you want to do this? We have plenty of cash at our disposal?" The one I assumed was All-for-One.
"No, you have plenty of cash, I, on the other hand, have the petty cash from Kurogiri's bar. Which if it had time to accumulate would have some potential, but I have plans too, and for them I need some money." I huffed, taking an angry bite out of my toast as I refused to look at the screen covered in static.
"What plans, young Tomura Shigaraki? What plans help further you towards our goal of killing All Might, of you becoming the Symbol of Fear?" I could almost hear the contemplation in his voice, and that scared me because I knew it was about to fall.
"I want to develop a video game." I said it, the silence more than an answer, but a mercy.
"You would risk everything we've worked towards. Our plan for you to kill All Might and become the next Symbol of Fear to make a video game?" I could feel the air getting heavier by the breath as I tried to dredge up that night in the alley, but it just slipped away.
"I'm not going to kill All Might." I said, trying to get away from the thick air around me, not that my statement helped.
"What did you say? I think the static must be messing with our connection?" That was a straight up lie, he heard me loud and clear and now I was going to die, he would appear out of thin air, and the air was getting really thin wasn't it.
"I said, I'm not going to kill All Might. I can't not because he'd the Symbol of Peace and whatever tripe they're peddling these days, but I won't get the chance. He can rearrange the weather with a punch, unless I spontaneously develop the ability to Decay the air and wind currents, I can't beat him, it would take years to be able to fight on that level, on your level! No, I've got a different plan, one that I can achieve given enough time and resources." I began spouting, my words refusing to be stemmed now that I'd pulled the plug.
What followed was ten minutes of mostly me rambling towards a staticky television screen, but at the end it was silent until...
"I don't approve... but at least if you should fail, it would be entertaining... assuming you are capable of pulling it off, young Tomura. Convince me of your plan, and we shall see what happens." All-for-One said, and I rubbed my neck nervously.
"Umm, that's the thing, I kinda need another favor." The withering silence was still a world better than the heavy air minutes previously.
"Yes?" On the other hand, the fact that he wasn't answering but letting the Doctor do it didn't speak kindly of my chances.
"I know you can take people's Quirks away and put them in other bodies..." I paused, glancing at Kurogiri although whether he noticed I didn't know. "But I was thinking, what if we captured a hero and stole their Quirk, and you gave it to Zozo?" I said, the redhead looking at me in shock.
"Hmm, did you have someone in mind?" All-for-One asked as I looked to Zozo, who returned my gaze.
"I'll defer to Zozo's choice. Better that she be comfortable with her new Quirk, that way it would lead to a more efficient outcome. It could be bad for team composition for the Barbarian to be someone who doesn't enjoy fighting. Like Kuro, he doesn't enjoy getting offal in his gates, and he's someone who shouldn't be on the front lines, so it works out in the end." I said, devolving into a tangent about stable team balance.
"Hmm, she's not an active hero. But it would allow some vengeance as well." I heard Zozo mumbled under her breath.
"Wow, you already have someone in mind Zee?" I inquired, momentarily surprised that she was capable of picking that quickly. I certainly wouldn't be, or maybe I would. Much like most people, I'd thought a long time about what power I'd like in my past life, and I could only imagine that held true for Quirkless children as well.
"I heard several of the older workers at the orphanage talking about how the Matron, Ms. Gaol used to be a Pro Hero before she retired. I think her name was..." She paused, trying to remember as I pulled out my burner phone, connecting to the Internet in seconds.
"The Jail Hero, Iron Maiden. Quirk looks like something with metal, probably iron given her nom de guerre so it's pretty versatile so why didn't she... ahh I see. Apparently, she had a career ending fight with a weather villain who reportedly conjured a lightning cloud which went as you'd expect. If that's the approach we take, I'll have to think of some counters for electric heroes." I added on to the conversation, locking my phone as I replaced it in my pocket.
"Well, if all parties are in agreement, we'll head over tonight to check out the orphanage and make sure she's still working there. Hopefully by this time tomorrow, we'll have her in hand and Zozo will have a Quirk soon." I said, trying to smile for Zee, who still looked shocked as she looked at her hands, clenching them into fists.
Flashback (Zozo POV)
"I had such high hopes for you Ms. Zoe. I thought I saw something of myself in you, but it appears I was mistaken." Ms. Gaol said, walking around Zoe's restrained body.
"You helped one of my charges escape, as if this is a prison. I suppose that makes you my prisoner. Do you know what happens to prisoners that try to escape?" Zoe could hear the thwack of Ms. Gaol's paddle on her hand.
Rather than make a sarcastic remark, she grit her teeth and braced from the impact on her hands or legs.
"They get put in Solitary. Take her to the Sunroom, maybe all the exciting toys in there will convince her to tell us what we want to know!" The matron ordered as a teenage helper answered in the affirmative, easily lifting a now struggling Zoe as he walked through the orphanage towards one of the backrooms.
Her struggles led to no avail as he put her down, only a moment to react before her window closed, the helper pushing her forwards into the aforementioned Sunroom. She had a second to take the whole room in, which was much longer than necessary before the door clicked behind her.
When Ms. Gaol had mentioned all the exciting toys, Zoe had honestly expected some kind of torture devices, especially judging from what she'd heard between the whispers of the other kids, but she didn't see what was so 'traumatizing' about the Sunroom. It had a nice wooden floor, if a bit dusty, and plain offwhite walls, and a single window through which the sun was visible, probably the reason for the name. Other than that, there was nothing, no tables, no chairs, not even a bed.
She sat there for who knows how many hours, her only clue was that the sun was no longer visible through the window, the sky darkening. In that time, she had only a niggling thought as to the true horror of the Sunroom. It was incredibly boring.
While that would be a problem for most kids, who were used to running around playing Tag or Hide-and-seek, or talking with the other kids, Zoe had grown up at least partially on the streets with only Tomura as her companion. Before that she was a Quirkless kid in a foster home, where she was largely ignored or belittled. The silence was welcome, and loneliness was her friend, not enemy.
Apparently, that thought hadn't occurred to the matron who showed up a few hours passed that with a bedroll under her arm. She asked the prerequisite questions, which Zoe refused to answer and then left the bedroll as well as a bowl of lukewarm soup for dinner.
It was neglectful, if slowly showing. A helper came by every few hours to ask if she was ready to talk, she'd say no, they'd leave. She got a bowl of lukewarm oatmeal for breakfast, a basic cheese sandwich for lunch, and a bowl of room temperature soup for dinner. She was given five bottles of water a day, one with breakfast, two with lunch, and the same with dinner.
It might as well have been a roach motel in terms of accommodations, but that was still a far cry better than living on the streets, the memories of her aching stomach and cracked lips still fresh in her mind.
This wouldn't break her.
It was fourteen cycles later, the closest approximation to a day she had, when she was released from her mundane prison. The door was opened, a young girl on the other side with Ms. Gaol stood behind her, the girl's face drawn back in a terrified expression.
Apparently, having decided that the Sunroom wasn't bad enough to convince her to break, Ms. Gaol simply ordered her back to her room, a new 'prisoner' to take her place.
Flashback End (Tomura POV)
"Okay so the first step is grabbing Ms. Gaol. We need to grab her without alerting the helpers at the orphanage since they could be anyone from a well-meaning teenager to a Pro Hero trying to earn some public relations points. Even if they were Pros though, they could still alert the police or the actual Pros to our plan. We need this to go off as quietly as possible so as to allow us as much of a head start as possible." I started, pacing the wooden floor as my compatriots watched.
"We need to have time for Sensei to both extract her Quirk, as well as transplant it into Zozo, which could take an unspecified amount of time," I paused, hoping for All-for-One to fill in the blank, but no such luck.
"The second step is us casing and robbing a bank, possibly even multiple banks, depending on how much lead time we get. This step also hinges on being able to get as much head start as possible before the police realize the money's gone, which will in turn allow us to enact the third step." I continued, looking at Zozo and Kuro for reactions, but I wasn't getting any. Tough crowd.
"The third step needs to be coordinated with the first step, as well as the second, it's what ties it all together. Utilizing the money we've stolen, hoping that we can get away without the police sending up signals that's it's dirty, we can use it to bail the orphanage out once they realize Ms. Gaol is gone. This can be facilitated by either waiting long enough for them to draw their own conclusions or by returning her dead body once we're done with it." I said, stopping as I heard someone clear their throat.
"You'd kill her just to force your enemies to react the way you want. And I thought you were above that." The mocking voice of the Doctor creeped out from the televisions screen.
"While I generally prefer solving my problems without violence, my options are severely limited in this case. We can't release her if she has even a clue as to Sensei or my identities, that would blow our cover. Besides, judging from Zozo's expression, I doubt she's someone that will be missed by the children..." I trailed off, actually noticing Zee's introspective look.
Shaking my head of the questioning thoughts, I'd just ask her later if it was something I needed to be concerned about, "This leads into further development of establishing a 'false' paper trail for both me and Zozo."
"Didn't you just say you didn't want to blow your cover?" I was happy that Kuro was getting involved now.
"I don't, but I'm also aware that it's impossible for me to gain power the same way as Sensei. People whisper his name in back alleys and as bedtime stories to make kids behave. I'm no one in comparison, which in turn requires me to get my name out there eventually. This... has nothing to do with that." I said with a tone of finality, purposefully looking away from the watching screen.
"Until that day, I have to find my own way of doing things, being able to walk among civilians and being able to 'legitimize' my identity is a part of that. Controlling the orphanage allows both me and Zozo to found our paper trail in a way that will pass scrutiny of people like banks and business owners while crumbling under the more intense investigations of police or heroes, so as not to lead back to us." I lectured, pausing as I tried to think of an analogy to help it fit the narrative I was spinning.
"Think of it like a pitfall trap. We need to set it up so as not to trigger when we cross it, but if an army were to attack?" I purposefully left the statement open ended so they could each draw their own conclusions.
"All the same, we head over tonight to draw and get some information on the target, and hopefully by this time next week, we'll be much richer and Zozo will have her very own Quirk." I said, smiling, although the glee never quite reached my eyes.