La Brava was currently in her room watching one of Gentle's older videos, which depicted him talking about the iconic Villains of the past.
"There have been a number of heroes over the years who have left their mark on the history books. All Might chief among them, of course. But several villains have gained notoriety as well. Naturally the most well-known is the Dark Titan and the first villain, Thanoseid. There's also the late commander of the Meta Liberation Army, Destro. And the Peerless Thief, Oji Harima, who would steal from corrupt heroes and give the funds to the needy. In the days before the current society worked in absolutes, the lines between heroes and villains were not so well defined. There was chaos, yet also freedom. A raw, unfettered freedom."
"That was wonderful, my Gentle! Ah, you couldn't be more talented!" La Brava squealed in delight, falling over in her chair as Gentle himself came in.
"Do be careful, dear girl. Don't forget you're the lynchpin of our operations. And I'll be damned if I let danger befall you, out there or in here." He said before clearing his throat. "Have you completed the upload for our latest work?"
"It's all set up, but I had to make a new account to do so. We got deleted again."
"Fortunate we saved all our old videos. However, at some point, we'll actually need to take cash from one of our capers. We're starting to run low on memory space for the USB." Gentle noted before noticing the video La Brava was watching. "Ah, I see you're watching my debut video."
La Brava giggled. "Yeah. That one always gets me swooning."
Gentle gave a good-natured laugh. "Flattered as I am, we cannot always be looking to the past. Right now our eyes must be on the future, and our next shoot."
Gentle, real name Danjuro Tobita, had two goals in life. Fame was one, of course, even if it was through infamy. The other was acting the part of a noble criminal much like the legendary Arsene Lupine. To that end, he only targeted the most corrupt of businesses.
The convenience store he had previously robbed, J Store, had been under fire for mislabeling the expiration dates on their top-selling food items. Until recently they had managed to dodge any and all lawsuits but Gentle's recent attack on the store changed all that. While the video of his heist as a gentleman thief didn't rack up too many views, it did get the heroes and police investigating the company, which led to the corruption in the corporate chain being exposed.
"We went to all that trouble to expose this! Your video should have gotten a ton of views!" La Brava said indignantly. "And who gets the credit for exposing J Store!? The heroes whose butts you kicked! Yet your video is barely being watched! People on the internet have no taste!"
"Now now, La Brava, if you only blame others for your own misfortune, then you'll never live up to your fullest potential." Gentle chided. "After all, before I met you my early works were hardly at the level of famous YouTubers like say Markiplier or MatPat."
"I thought I could use my tech savvy to help up the quality of your videos, but then came that viral video from Hosu about the heroes who captured the Hero Killer Stain alongside their sidekicks." La Brava said sadly. "And then there was all the chatter and interviews with those who brought down the Shie Hassaikai. Now the only villains anyone talks about is the League of Villains."
Gentle sighed in understanding. "It seems that the extreme and violent actions of comic books fascinate the public more than the classic gentleman thieves of literature. Such conflict goes against the fiber of my being."
Suddenly the two leapt into the air as if they had been standing on a trampoline.
"That said, the facts are facts. Each video and social media talking about the League of Villains has over ten thousand comments on various topics concerning them. Meanwhile what few comments I have received show that the public has painted me as a nuisance at best. But no matter. My next plan will surpass all expectations!"
La Brava practically had hearts in her eyes at that declaration.
"I knew I could count on you! So what's your next big heist?"
"Much like great works of art, my caper should reflect the current times. I mentioned earlier that what we need is something that will spur the Heights Alliance to action. And what better way to do that than to target the very facility of their education... We shall target UA High School!"
The students of Class 1-A were currently planning out the details of their concert.
"Okay, first thing we need is to figure out who's playing what. I can't really teach from scratch in so short a time, so prior experience would help. I main guitar and can handle the singing." Kyouka said. "Does anyone else have instrument experience?"
"You got Kaachan on drumming!" Kirby happily said. "And trust me, he's a Pro!"
"Hell yeah, babe!" The explosive blonde smirked as he pulled off an expert solo that wouldn't be out of place at a metal concert.
"I also have training in piano, does that help?" Momo asked while snacking on a bag of chocolate-covered pretzels.
"Well, the keys aren't any different from a standard keyboard, I should be able to teach you the rest in a month," Kyouka noted. "That'll be synth taken care of. Now we just need someone on the bass and a second guitar."
"We also need special effects! Things like streamers and disco balls and other lights." Mina realized.
"Ooh, good catch!" Hilda smiled.
"Oui! The right mood would certainly make the General Ed students realize we're not just doing this to make ourselves feel better." Yuuga noted, "I of course can turn myself into a human disco ball, but I will need someone strong enough to lift me high into the air."
"Let me handle that, Friend Aoyama!" Penny said. "I have plenty of functions that could provide assistance in that matter!"
"Brain Blast!" Mina suddenly shouted. "We can have a system where Uraraka makes some of the concert-goers float!"
"With the right lighting, we can have Kirishima shave a chunk of my ice to create a glitter effect." Shoto noted.
"I can pull double duty with the keyboard and streamers," Momo added.
"Some of us will need to break off from the dance at certain points to act as a crew working behind the scenes." Tenya pointed out.
"Who will we have on the vocals?" Ochako asked.
Kyouka cleared her throat as she handled a mic Tooru handed her.
"~You know everyone... Wants to sparkle... At the stars... In the... Night sky... In this wondrous place... Filled with all the dreams... I've been wishing for... Waiting for the chance...~"
The song was so melodious it was like Kyouka had been shining with a light strong enough to make the sun look like a candle. Yuuga shed tears at the sheer beauty of it while Minoru clutched his heart, which was rapidly pounding in his chest.
"It's like my ears are being kissed by angels!" Tooru exclaimed.
"It's resonating with me on such a powerful level!" Penny said, a bright blush on her freckled cheeks.
"If I wasn't already dating Penny, I'd get down on my knees and ask Jirou to marry me on the spot," Ben said.
"Guys, come on..." Kyouka blushed before shaking her head. "Anyway, we still need two guitars with me on bass."
"I know how to shred!" Denki chimed in, playing a quick and impressive solo on one of the guitars. "I've been playing electric guitar for years thanks to my Quirk!"
"I've been told I have the singing voice of a death metal rockstar," Kirby said. "Not exactly in the best ways, either."
Fumikage picked up the other guitar and played a solo worthy of a Rock & Roll legend like Ozzie Ozborne.
"I must say, Heavy Metal certainly fits your character." Shouji noted.
"I was the top musician back in middle school, but I put down the axe when I got bested by the accursed F Chord," Fumikage admitted. "But with Jiro's help, I feel confident I can overcome this demon in time for the concert."
"Alright, we're rocking it now!" Kirby cheered.
The class spent the rest of the time planning out how the concert would play out. Kyouka would have a month to write out the lyrics for the song, but she already had a good idea on where to start.
"Looks like we have our roles!" Hilda smiled. "Wanna list us off, Izu?"
Izuku nodded. "For the band we have Jiro, Kaminari, Tokoyami, Yaomomo, and Kacchan. For the effects team we have myself, Hilda, Ben, Penny, Koda, Kirishima, Sero, Todoroki, Occhan, Tsu, and Aoyama. For the dance team we have Kirby, Iida, Shouji, Oujiro, Hagakure, Ashido, Mineta, and Sato. We can start and end with everyone on stage, but choreography will be important to time it right with the song.
"Sounds like a plan!" Ben smiled. "Let's get some rest. Tomorrow we start our preparations."
As the month went by and Class 1-A continued to plan out their concert, Kyouka successfully completed her song, which she called "Hero Too". She wrote out the lyrics to be an expression of everything she wanted to be as a hero, a sentiment which the rest of the class agreed with.
Mina kept training the dance team on the choreography. The real tough nut was Tenya, who was still only doing a good impression of the Robot, but even he was slowly learning to loosen up with his dance.
Currently, Mirio was watching while hiding in a nearby bush with Morgana and Futaba.
"Check this out, guys. I'll swoop in with a gag that'll leave them in stitches."
"What kind of gag?" Ben asked as he suddenly appeared with the three.
"BAH! How did you get here?" Futaba asked in surprise.
"Muffin Button."
Mirio pouted. "Aww man, way to spoil the fun."
"Well, we did bring a surprise along." Morgana smiled. "Come on out, Eri!"
Eri stepped in, now wearing a white dress shirt with a frilled collar and a plain red pinafore with two large, golden buttons on either side of her chest. Under this, she wore gray tights, a large set of tan boots, and a small dark red messenger bag with the strap sitting over her right shoulder, and a little floral pattern decorating one of its sides.
"Awwww, baby sis~!" Hilda sobbed as she picked up Eri and squeezed her, Ochako also sharing in gushing over the child.
"Principal Nezu let her come on campus to explore so she doesn't get lost during the festival," Futaba explained. "We just need to keep an eye on her since she's been separated from normal society for who knows how long."
"Shouldn't be too much of a problem with Dad-zawa watching out for her," Ben said, gesturing to how Aizawa was nearby, keeping an eye on things.
"Don't call me that, brat. Honestly, as if Uncle Sho was bad enough..."
All around the campus, every class was hard at work setting up their attractions.
"The festival is still only a month or so away," Penny noted. "And yet everyone is doing their best!"
"We're hoping to blow last year's festival out of the water," Ryuji smirked. "And it takes a lot of work to pull off a Plus Ultra like that."
"Oh, hello!" Mipha's voice was heard.
Everyone turned to see Class 1-B carting around fake animal heads, with Shinso carrying a detective costume.
"What's up, guys?" Hilda asked.
"Our class decided to put on a theater production. I had an old screenplay I wrote back in middle school, so I tweaked it so the entire class could have a role." Hitoshi explained. "I call it, 'The Dead Man's Will'. It's basically a mystery story taking place during the reading of a will, with the leading detective trying to find out who's been rigging the will in their favor, starting with the deceased's murder."
"What about you guys? We heard you were doing a concert." Nimona asked.
"Yeah, but right now we're helping Eri here. It's important that she get used to the campus first before the festival." Izuku said.
"Very good thinking." Nia nodded as she crouched down and rubbed Eri's head. "Hey there, kit. Doing dandy now?"
Awase chuckled. "Imagine if Monoma was still in our class. I think he'd do something irredeemably stupid like combine all the iconic parts of Harry Potter, Lord of the Rings, Star Wars, and Romeo & Juliet into this grandiose play."
"Ugh, I can still hear his annoying as-hell laugh," Rebecca grumbled.
"Speaking of which, where's Friend Kendo?" Penny asked. "Shouldn't be providing assistance as well?"
"She's off prepping for the beauty pageant. She didn't even mean to enter, but while we were shopping for supplies, we saw this dress at the mall and some of us said she'd look good in it. So she decided to try it out at the pageant." Tetsutetsu explained.
Izuku put a finger to his chin. "Huh, Aizawa-Sensei didn't mention anything about the pageant. Then again... He was talking with the girls about something."
"Yeah, he did tell us about that. He wanted to keep Mineta locked out of the loop so he didn't try any stupid pervy crap." Hilda said.
"Oh, that reminds me!" Ann perked up. "Nejire is also entering. She entered last year and managed to get second place. It's her last chance to compete since we'll be graduating soon."
Speaking of Nejire, she was trying out several outfits, largely going with a bright green dress to show off a little.
"She's so pretty..." Eri noted while being carried in Hilda's chubby arms. "Why did she only get second place last year?"
"It's mostly because of the star of the Support Course, Bibimi Kenranzaki," Fio explained as she waddled by. "Like most Support Course students she doesn't have the most showstopping of Quirks, just one that can let her weaponize her eyelashes. She calls it [Lash Grow]. But mostly she works for the spectacle, and it works for her. Nejire tried to do the same thing last year and it only got her runner-up. Bibimi just has far more access to the tools needed to perform that sort of spectacle."
"She's big just like you, big sis," Eri noted to Hilda as Fio giggled.
"You must be Eri. I've heard so much about you, sweetie."
An explosion was heard going off in the Support Lab, Fio wincing as she quickly headed off to check the damage.
"Oh, man! Sounds like Hatsume's inventions blew up again. She's been getting closer to making it just right, though."
The day ended at Lunch Rush's Eatery. Eri was enjoying the food. While she still didn't have a smile on her face, it was reassuring to know that was enjoying herself, since her eyes were bright and wide.
"I'm really getting excited for the festival now."
"Awww, that's great, baby sis!" Hilda cooed, hugging Eri close.
"There were a few issues with the police though, from what my big sister told me." Makoto said. "They seem to feel that canceling the festival was important to the safety of the students. All-Might put his foot down, however."
"Yeah, and Sae helped him out too," Akira added. "As part of the added security, all Hero Course students are permitted to use their Quirks if they spot any sort of intruder."
"Hopefully this new concert will dispel any hard feelings," Penny said. "I am certainly looking forward to having a sensational performance with everyone!"
That evening, everyone was enjoying a special tea blend that Yaoyorozu's mother sent over. It was a very rare type known as 'Golden Tips Imperial'.
"Man, your family just has connections everywhere, don't they?" Ben noted as even he couldn't help but enjoy the tea.
Meanwhile, Izuku was looking through the internet on his phone.
"Oy, Deku, what are you looking for?" Katsuki asked as he leaned over.
"There's something interesting I wanna show Hilda." Izuku said as he showed the phone to his rival. "Turns out, All-Might once used a Support Item back in his prime but it didn't suit his style so he ditched it."
"Huh. Well, holy shit."
Izuku suddenly accidentally clicked on one of Gentle's videos. It started with a teacup that looked like someone had spilled too much of it. Izuku wasn't paying too much attention, other than that the current blend was called Royal Flush and that his next caper would set off alarms.
"Was that Gentle?" Kirby asked. "That guy passing himself off as a gentleman thief?"
"I've heard of him, but he's not very famous or well-liked. Police and heroes have no idea how to classify him." Ochako said. "He causes trouble, but so far he hasn't done anything truly villainous."
"Tatsumaki and Fubuki-Neechan have actually told me about him. Even some of the S-Rankers have had a hard time tracking him down." Izuku noted.
"It's quite odd indeed. Despite him having put out videos for years, he hasn't been caught yet. And some of the best out there have tried." Penny said.
Gentle placed down his quill and took a moment to rest.
"You've been working so hard. You've skipped tea breaks for a week. Are you alright?" La Brava asked as she came over.
"Just trying to work in all the angles. Having watched the UA Sports Festival I know what the Hero Course students are capable of, but by now their training will have made them more difficult to handle." Gentle said. "And of course avoiding the faculty and any other possible security measures will be tricky."
"There's a lot more innocent children who will be affected, though. If we're not careful we could be labeled genuine villains." La Brava pointed out.
"That's why I don't intend to disrupt the festival itself, merely enter the main school and raid it for anything that might seem important. Documents, student files, that sort of thing. All of which will be shredded once we return with the spoils, of course." Gentle clarified. "Can't have that sort of information spread around. The point is to give the heroes a wake-up call, and thus encourage them to grow stronger!"
"Inspiring youthful minds! That's so cool, Gentle!" La Brava swooned.
"Please pick yourself up before you get a concussion, my dear. I need your help opening the criminal folder. You know how helpless with tech I am." Gentle said as he laid out his plan, using a route that had the least number of hero agencies and traffic. "At 5:00 AM, we'll use this side road. Using my Quirk would be out of the question, since no doubt the skies will be patrolled by flying heroes. The route will take us to a park just outside the campus. With careful movement, it should take us just over an hour to reach the other side. Then we'll stop by this charming cafe just next to the hardware store."
"Isn't that risky?" La Brava asked.
"There's little risk in staying here for tea time. The owner is over seventy years old, his business is sadly struggling, and he only has five or six regulars, none of whom are part of the UA faculty. That early in the morning the chances of us being recognized are slim. Most people only see this place as a run-down home. That said, the reason I must drink there is because it is one of the few places to serve Gold Tips Imperial, a rare black tea blend."
"Oh, now I get it! Such a rare blend would be perfect for celebrating this caper!" La Brava realized. "You're so smart, Gentle!"
"Even better, because of the owner's advanced age, the cafe opens early at 7:00 AM. That will give us a good ninety minutes of tea time. Once done, we continue through the backstreets and past the construction site to a forested mountain." Gentle continued. "The mountain has a low incline, and on top of it rests UA High School. At that point, a wide berth is necessary, since Hound Dog will most likely be acting as security around the forest. We will need to disguise our scents using dirt and leaves. The next step will be the UA Barrier."
"But wasn't that destroyed by Tomura Shigaraki?" La Brava asked.
"Yes, months ago, but enough time has passed that they've likely repaired it. Even with my Quirk passing over it will be impossible. Not only is the metal made of telekill alloy, a material capable of negating Quirks, but it also comes equipped with an energy field in case of flying intruders. That's where you come in."
La Brava smiled and nodded. "Right. I'll hack into UA's database and disable the sensors. I'm a master hacker, even better than those with Hacker Quirks."
"I'm grateful for a partner like you." Gentle smiled back as he placed a hand on her head. "And I mean that. If anything were to happen to you, it would break me completely."
He wasn't lying. When Gentle first started out, he was lucky to get fifty videos after a month of them being up. But a ringing of his doorbell changed all that. La Brava had hacked into Gentle's account to get his address, to meet him in person. For Gentle it was the end of his melancholy. Ever since that day, Gentle was starting to see more views. First triple-digits, then quadruple-digits. These days, despite not getting as many views as other important events, it wasn't unusual for him to see numbers in the quintuple-digits.
"La Brava, I am betting my soul and my prized mustache on this audacious festival scheme! For the world, society, and my courageous dream!" He smiled once again. "And to honor the feelings you hold for me."
La Brava felt tears run down her cheeks, hearing the man she loved acknowledge and perhaps even return her feelings. Gentle smiled as La Brava glomped him in a big hug.
"For the sake of her heart, and well-being, I'll make certain nothing stops me. We will succeed!" Gentle vowed in his head.
Is it wrong to ship Gentle x La Brava? They are honestly pretty cute together.
Also, don't worry, no more Overhaul torturing but we will see him again at some point. Then again, there won't be much of him left by then.