Izuku POV, aged twelve
I decided to celebrate my twelfth birthday above ground. Leaving the safety of the compound was a rather rare thing for me these days. The last time I was outside was months ago when Kurogiri, Eva, and I decided to spend some time in our beachside villa in France. It was originally owned by Father and was carefully maintained by a well-paid group that did not ask questions. We admittedly only spent a few hours there, but the brief break from my work and studies was very satisfying.
This time, however, I gave the decision for the location to Eva. I have been working on giving her more choices recently, as she often struggles to make decisions that could conflict with my own. Making choices on my behalf is something I desire for her to be able to do comfortably. I wish for her to be a friend, not a servant.
Kurogiri clears his voice.
"Are you ready, young Master?"
I double-check to ensure I have my phone on me, with Eva doing the same. The phones have panic buttons that would alert Kurogiri if something goes wrong. Eva should also be able to deal with combat if it comes to that. If not, I have some rather destructive quirks at my disposal, although that was the last possible option. Going all out in a residential area would be… not great for our image.
I nod to the shadowy figure beside me.
"Yes, we are ready now, thank you Kurogiri."
Kurogiri forms a portal and Eva takes point, leading me through. It was unfortunately a necessary precaution. While the Heroes believed that Father was dead, if they discovered that he had a son… it would not end well for us. I am not yet ready to face All might.
My thoughts on the man were very mixed. Over the years I have spent much time reading up on Hero society, and my opinions on society had… matured somewhat. In the beginning, I had blindly wished to carry on Father's legacy, but these days I am not so sure. Despite my aspirations towards villainy I couldn't help but respect true Heroes and what they stood for. Those who fight to rescue and protect those in need, rather than the "Heroes" who simply exist to fight villains mindlessly.
All might killed my father. That is a fact. But, it felt difficult to judge him for it. It was All might's duty to protect the innocent, and Father was very much a threat to society. I would like to meet the man who wielded One for All someday and ask questions for myself. Or perhaps, I would wait for him to choose a successor whom I could then question?
While One for All and All for One were fated opponents, I wouldn't mind gaining some understanding of the other side. I'm sure there must be at least something going on in their heads, despite what my Father claimed.
"Izuku, you are doing it again."
I exhale softly and shake the heavy thoughts from my mind.
"Thank you, Eva."
Eva was slowly softening up as time passed. I wished to converse with her as an equal, not as a subordinate. She struggled with the concept at first but over time she was getting better at it. I would prompt her to make decisions for me, even if it were small things like asking which shirt I should wear for the day.
Speaking of decisions, Eva gestures to an ice cream stand across the park.
"I would like to eat some ice cream."
I grin.
"Just don't eat too much, Kurogiri would get upset."
She seems vaguely offended at the idea of her making a mistake so simple. I don't bother to tell her it's a joke. The two of us go to the stand and join the queue. After a few customers make their orders, we take our turn. I nudge Eva on the shoulder and prompt her to speak.
"Greetings. We will each have a cone that contains a double scoop of chocolate ice cream."
The girl running the stand dutifully ignores Eva's strange speech patterns and scoops us our ice cream. After depositing the money required for our purchase, she hands us the cones with a big grin on her face.
"You two make a wonderful couple, enjoy your day!"
The two of us travel deeper into the park and enjoy our treats with the sun beating down. Thankfully, the two of us have durability-enhancing quirks, so sunburn is of no concern. Unfortunately, our poor ice cream does not possess such protections. Eva licks at her treat with the softest of smiles on her face.
"Mhhm. Tasty."
I giggle, causing her to gain a confused expression. She still struggles to understand a lot of social nuances, but we're working on that. The concept of humour was… very much lost on her. I had already determined that teaching her to stop speaking in her monotone voice was a lost cause.
We spent the next hour enjoying our time in the park. We explore through the bushes and throw some bread at the ducks. Eva throws some a little too hard and the ducks fly off. At one point a dog runs up to us but thankfully I am able to convince Eva that the creature is not an enemy. She seemed to enjoy petting it once I convinced her the dog would enjoy such things.
After our adventures, we decide to go to the playground to finish up our day. Neither of us have ever actually been to one, but my internet research declared it an enjoyable location for children.
As we approach I immediately notice something is wrong.
"Izuku, we should interfere."
There is a boy curled up on the ground while a half dozen older boys surround him. They are kicking at him and jeering, yelling things loud enough I can hear them from here. No one is doing anything to stop it. With a wordless decision, we both run over to the group. They don't even react to our approach. They simply continue their beating of the purple-haired boy as if there was no concern in the world. Eva speaks first as we approach.
"You will stop attacking the individual on the ground immediately or else there will be appropriate repercussions for your present actions."
A few of the boys look up, before freezing. One of them (presumably the leader of the group, judging from how he stands) seems especially mesmerised.
"Woah…"
Eva glares at them.
"I hereby demand that your group leaves at once."
The head boy gives a lecherous grin and steps forward. He appears to be attempting his best effort to look suave.
"What, don't you know who that is? That's Hitoshi Shinso, that kid has a villain's quirk! If you reply to him he can mind control you with just your voice! We're teaching him a lesson you see. Imagine if he tried to do something villainous to a pretty girl like you... Maybe I could protect you and you could ditch your scrawny little boyfriend here?"
The older boy sends a sideways sneer at me. He seems to be daring me to do something about it, presumably expecting me to be intimidated. I frown. I don't want to blow our cover but seeing them bully this boy is frustrating. Especially for a reason so contrived as having a "villain's quirk", whatever that means. A verbally activated mind control quirk would be a fantastic quirk for a Hero. The possibilities are endless. Capturing villains would be effortless and hostage negotiation would be a breeze.
Ah well, nothing more to it. I turn to Eva.
"Break his ribs, but not too many."
Before the moron can so much as blink Eva lightly throws a palm into his chest. He soars through the air before landing on the ground with a crash. I turn to face the sniveling goons before me and channel my best impression of Father.
"I best suggest your group vacate this area. I have little interest in dealing with petty thugs."
I intone my voice into a bored lilt as I reach the end, making it clear they were little more than exasperation to me. It works perfectly. The group runs away, leaving their victim on the grass. I take a moment to regard the figure on the ground. He looks my age, with purple hair and a rather stringy build. I must admit, the figure has me curious.
I straighten myself and clear my throat.
"Hello, are you alright?"
The boy sits up slowly. His hair was disheveled, looking closer to an explosion than anything else. He has bags under his eyes and bruises on his skin. I can see scars. Clearly, this is not the first beating he has received. The boy scowls.
"What, don't you know that I have a villain's quirk? That I can control you with just a word?"
The boy is shaking like a leaf. Eva takes a step back and allows us to converse a little more personally. I cock my head as I regard him.
"That is what those ruffians said, yes."
The purple-haired boy hisses.
"Then why are you replying? Why are you still talking to me when you know about my quirk?"
I had a quirk running that protected against mental quirks, but he didn't need to know that.
"Well, do you intend to use it on me?"
The boy freezes for a moment.
"N-no I wouldn't use it on you-"
I press the advantage.
"Then I fail to see the problem. Any individual with a quirk has the potential to cause harm. I have no reason to doubt you, nor to assume that you intend to harm me."
The boy looks at me with shock. There's a pregnant pause as he sits in place, presumably considering his next words.
"Hitoshi Shinso. That's my name."
"Izuku."
"Eva."
Hitoshi palms at his eyes.
"Fuck. I don't know why you're doing this but thank you. Fuck, they're going to be extra mad next time, aren't they? Shit."
Eva's expression sharpens. She seems to have a big of a personal vendetta against this behaviour.
"Next time?"
Hitoshi lets his palms drop and glares at the ground.
"Yeah. Next time. Everyone hates me, the kids at school, the kids at the orphanage, everyone. My own parents left me, are you surprised? Ever since my quirk came in it's been like this."
He says it so matter-of-factly, clear emotional disconnect in place. I pause as gears begin turning in my head.
"If someone were to offer you the opportunity to leave your current life and start anew, would you take it?"
Hitoshi didn't even need a full second to think about it.
"You kidding me? Fuck, I would do anything to get out of here. I'm just… done with it all. I wanted to become a hero, just to spite them, but…"
Hitoshi sighs.
"Now I'm not so sure."
A smile forms on my face. I know exactly what to do.
"Well, I believe we may have a mutual interest between us. You wish to leave your current life and strike back at the society that has wronged you. I am in inheritance to a rather great fortune but have a rather desperate need for help with my projects. I suspect that someone of your talents would be perfect for the job."
Hitoshi to his credit puts the dots together quickly. He doesn't even seem surprised.
"You two are villains, aren't you? It's pretty sad that the first people to have ever treated me as a human are villains… this society sucks."
Hitoshi seems oddly calm about it. He looks almost… resigned.
I let out a hum.
"Well, we are still working from the shadows as it is. You would be our first recruit and our fourth member in total. You would be working with us full-time, fully compensated of course. I assure you that your salary would be adequate for your needs, funding is very much not a limiting factor."
Hitoshi seems rather surprised at that.
"Wait, villains have a salary?"
I raise an eyebrow.
"Well, people don't work for nothing. I intend to provide for my employees in any way I can. You would be provided full medical care, even dental. We wouldn't force you to do things you do not wish to, although we would obviously want for you to perform things that may be out of your immediate comfort zone at first."
Hitoshi chews his lip.
"How much would you be paying me exactly?"
I think back to the spreadsheet Eva had made.
"As a new recruit, we have a base salary of one hundred thousand dollars a year, all without pesky taxes of course. If you become a permanent member after the trial period we can review your salary and discuss any benefits that you would like. We can provide almost anything you want within our complex. One of my subordinates has a mass-scale warping quirk and can teleport things in from anywhere on the globe."
Hitoshi is silent for about half a minute.
"If… If I become a villain, I want to reform society. I don't want people to suffer like how I did. I want to know your goals."
It's my turn to take a deep breath.
"To be honest, I'm still thinking it through. I want to reform society, seeing what happened to you in the flesh has been… enlightening."
I pause as something in my mind suddenly clicks.
"I… I want to create a higher class of villain. I want to take the filth that has accumulated at the bottom of society and cut it out. I want to force the Heroes to create a more fair society, and then I want to take control of the underground and do the same to it. No more human trafficking, no rape, no terrorism. Hero society needs a Symbol of Peace, villain society needs a Symbol of Evil, or else we have chaos."
Hitoshi gives me a lopsided grin.
"Ah fuck it, I'm in. I want to take those bastards down with me. The Heroes who let this happen, the corrupt bastards who are nothing more than bullies. To be honest I don't even care about your methods. I'm just mad at the world and want the world to know about it."
We shake hands, a great smile on my face. I can sense this will be a fruitful relationship. Somehow, I know I just gained a valuable ally.
Hitoshi pov:
I watch as the two walk through the black spiraling portal. I'm not entirely sure what to expect once I step through. I have never exactly seen a villain's lair before. For all I know this is some sort of trap and I am seconds away from being kidnapped and tortured. Then again, why would they bother being nice if that were the case? Eva very clearly has some kind of strength quirk, they could have just taken me whenever they wished.
Fuck it. No point worrying about possibilities. I might as well get this over with. I take a step through the portal.
"Woah…"
Eva and Izuku are clearly far, far more wealthy than I initially estimated. The room I am in is vast, perhaps 40 meters across, 80 long, and about 20 high. The walls looked to be cut from a single block of beautiful white marble. There was a set of a half dozen pillars that ran from the ceiling to the floor, each carved in a beautiful spiraling pattern.
The floor was tiled in a rougher black stone with gold trim on the inlays. On one end of the room was a beautiful-looking bar, a vast wall of liquors included. Throughout the chamber, there were various entrances branching off, although I had no idea where they went. This was without a doubt the most beautiful and awe-inspiring place I had ever seen.
Izuku nods his head in a manner I assume is courteous.
"Welcome to our base of operations. It's rather empty as you may have noticed, but we shall grow with time. How about I take you on a tour and you can decide which room you would like?"
I nod, too awed to say anything. Izuku leads me through the complex.
"Each living area has its own kitchen, so there's four in total. We have laundromats and infirmaries as well as combined rooms for destressing and relaxation. There are a lot of gaming consoles in them, that is all I know. "
This place is incredible. Izuku leads me to a large door further back in the compound.
"Ah, and here is the primary storage facility."
Izuku pushes open the double door and I'm immediately greeted with what appears to be a vast warehouse. I spot hundreds of crates stacked throughout the facility, although most of the space is empty.
However, none of that is what grabs my attention. Instead, I'm drawn to the pallet resting in front of me with stacks of gold ingots resting atop it.
"Most of the precious metals are in storage. Eva has been working with finances in order to ensure we are able to sell it off at a continuous rate to overseas buyers. Unfortunately, we lack the network required to sell it in any great capacity yet. We don't want to risk crashing the market."
I crouch down and grasp one of the ingots. It has '10kg' stamped on it, and it certainly feels like it. There looked to be around 100 ingots, meaning I was standing in front of a metric tonne of gold. I have never seen so much money in my life.
I turn and regard Izuku. He's a rather distinct-looking individual. I would say his emerald green hair with white roots is his most distinct feature, but his big green eyes are truly striking. He holds himself with a certain poise and air of confidence that I could never hope to match. He has an aura of… power, one that I have never witnessed. I have seen Heroes before at school events and such but none of them felt like this.
I pinch my nose and chuckle softly.
"You know, I got a feeling that you guys were rich… but nothing like this."
Izuku seems amused.
"I hope you are suitably impressed?"
Somehow I find myself not regretting becoming a villain.
