Hey hey! Chapter 16 is finally here! I had to take a little break to think about the content, but here it is!
Hope you enjoy!
But before that, the reviews.
Guest: They're sacrifice shall not be forgotten. Honor to the fallen vods that gave their life that day...
Chapter 16: USJ Aftermath
/
The return to classes was... peculiar...
For Lock's brothers, it was the beginning of moving into their new quarters after tearful goodbyes... Even though they would see each other again in the evening for... the funeral... Nezu had sent a message the day before to announce it...
Lock, having had to leave for classes with Momo, couldn't oversee the installation... Nor even see the temporary quarters... He would probably do so after classes...
As the two walked in deep and heavy silence, Lock thought about something...
How would they manage? Now that they were in a different universe, where they couldn't have supplies or reinforcements… What would they do?
Until now, he hadn't thought about that... But after the losses at the USJ... It was something that troubled him... Mirdip and Uco had each used up a canister of Shlav gas... Well, he couldn't say 'fortunately,' but in terms of resource management, the fact that Mirdip was immobilized would allow them better management of resources for the flamethrowers.
The losses, though unfortunate, would allow the company to save as many resources as possible... For some time… It was in this pensive state that he walked, at the same pace as Momo, who was looking at her vod with a curious, yet worried gaze… And above all...
Sad...
In Lock's face, she saw her fallen vods, and it pained her heart to know that the person, even though he was right in front of her, was not like the ones she had lost...
She wondered if this was what Lock felt sometimes… Her gaze lingered on his face, and she noticed how his eyes were as hard as stone, though lost in thought.
"Lock...", Momo murmured, but Lock didn't respond...
"Lock?" the raven-haired girl called again. Her vod still didn't respond, nor did he seem to react...
"Vod...?", Momo said as she gently placed a hand on his shoulder. She felt her brother's muscles tense, but his eyes refocused, and he raised his head to look at her.
"Did you say something?", the captain asked, raising an eyebrow. The raven-haired girl nodded.
"Yes, I called you...", Momo replied, "I have... a question for you, vod..."
Lock hesitated for a moment… Wondering what the question would be… Before sighing and answering…
"Go ahead.", the captain indicated...
"How… How do you cope with the losses?"
Lock looked away... It was a complicated question... Very difficult to answer without seeming like a heartless monster...
"I…", Lock began, swallowing, "I can't say... that I don't care, I'm just as distressed as everyone else because it's my fault that we just lost several vods… But… It's just another number on the scale…"
He heard Momo suddenly stop and turned his head... The raven-haired girl had frozen, looking at him with eyes full of disbelief...
"W-What?"
Lock's heart tightened at the tone, and he cursed himself inwardly.
"One vod more... one vod less… They're soldiers; we're all just soldiers... It's just a statistic... One more death… I'm ashamed… Very ashamed... We must honor the memory of our fallen… But have I done that? No. I don't remember those who died four or five years before we arrived here. We fought for the Republic, for our fallen vods… But do we remember their names or numbers?"
He fell silent... Before finishing...
"… No…"
Momo stood there, stunned...
"We march on like that… It's the harsh reality of officers. It's the harsh reality of the clone army. Forget, count, make them fight, if they die, so be it, it's just another number, another statistic. They survive? Okay, good for them. That's logistics to manage, ammunition to request, armor parts to order… And new men to command."
He started walking again, his footsteps echoing in the silence... In the distance, he could hear the voices of students entering through the school gates... Momo followed in his steps, though she kept a heavy silence… Pensive...
"Sometimes… Being an officer like me… It has its advantages…"
"Lock… Please… Stop…", Momo murmured softly...
Sensing the pain and shock even more intensely in her voice… Lock fell silent… They walked the rest of the way in silence until they reached the entrance of the massive main building…
"Your view… is indeed cruel...", Momo said...
"War is a disgusting thing that shapes the mind through violence, sadness, and trauma... To avoid going insane… Some use even crueler methods to forget and move on… In some, it has gone so far as to desecrate the memory of the dead to avoid bearing the weight on their consciousness…"
Silence settled between the two once more, and they walked through the halls, climbed the stairs, in a silence that contrasted with the surrounding atmosphere. Students were talking and laughing lightly, some casting sideways glances at them that Lock had no trouble noticing, even though the gazes' owners tried to conceal them.
The news had spread quickly. Of course, as always... Apparently, a conference was being organized for tomorrow...
The two Yaoyorozus arrived at their classroom, and Momo opened the door. The raven-haired girl entered first, followed by Lock... who immediately noticed something...
An almost complete silence filled the room... Everyone was there, but few were talking, and many were staring at the wall, their gazes vacant... Most hadn't yet processed it; being attacked and fighting for their lives had left a huge impact on their minds... Lock went to take his seat, passing between the few pairs or trios who were whispering to each other...
Soon, however, the bell rang, and everyone sat down. The door opened, and to everyone's surprise, it was... Aizawa who entered.
The tired teacher, covered in bandages from head to toe, was also surprised by the silence, looking at his class, which he was used to being noisy... But his gaze became stern again pretty quickly...
"Good morning. Today we're going to talk about something specific... I won't go back over what happened, except for one important point."
Ochako spoke up.
"But... Sensei... Aren't you supposed to be resting instead of teaching?"
"Uraraka-san is right... Any serious injury should not be followed by physical exertion until it's fully healed." Lock remarked in a neutral voice. "And with all due respect, sir, the state in which Slunt got you and assisted you before the medics arrived... wasn't very stable..."
The class silently agreed... But Aizawa responded.
"I won't let a few injuries stop me from working and teaching you. If I'm here, it's to make you into heroes, and I have no intention of letting any class go by, or else, it's your guaranteed death on a mission."
Lock wanted to respond, and apparently so did Midoriya, judging by the way he tensed up.
That's not how it worked, sure, battles had evolved since ancient times for the people here... And compared to the universe Lock came from... But that didn't mean that death wasn't inevitable with the slightest mistake. If that were the case, the Clone Army's losses wouldn't be as... 'minimal'... But he kept quiet; there was no point in arguing.
"And speaking of death, let's get to the point I wanted to address...", Aizawa closed his eyes and lowered his head slightly before sighing... and speaking in a grave voice, "Yaoyorozu Lock...", all eyes turned to him, "Can I know what you were thinking by not obeying my orders?"
Momo was about to respond, but Lock's gaze met hers, signaling that it was up to him to speak...
"My brothers were just fulfilling their duty, Sensei. And I did the most humane thing toward my comrades, which was to help and protect them... My brothers sacrificed themselves so that my comrades could survive, and they did so knowing they might not come back. That's the way of the soldier, and that's how they were designed."
Aizawa remained silent...
"Did you think about the danger you could have caused your comrades?"
Momo abruptly spoke up.
"What kind of argument is that? Do you realize what you're implying? That my vod is dangerous? Just because my brothers carry weapons doesn't make them highly dangerous. They know how to handle them, otherwise, they wouldn't. And meanwhile, there were no casualties among the villains, or us, if my vods hadn't intervened, it would be very likely given the opponents we faced."
Many students lowered their heads... Some of the criminals they had faced were wanted... They had only been lucky to beat them, and it was thanks to the clones that they had managed to do so.
Drillstorm and Tesla in the mountains...
Nereus, Torpedo, Oxy-man, or Sharkyonara in the aquatic zone...
Psytron in the ruins zone...
Black Bolt and his gang in the collapsing terrain zone...
Firestorm in the fire zone...
And finally, Stromcloud and Silver Rain in the storm zone...
Names known to the police and the public for a few high-profile crimes.
Aizawa's gaze, however, hardened as he turned to Momo.
"Lower your tone, Yaoyorozu Momo. There's one particular point I want to address... And that's the flamethrowers."
Silence...
"Despite the madness you committed, relatively few injuries are reported among the villains, except for a few broken bones, minor injuries, or concussions. Except. In the collapsing terrain zone."
Lock gritted his teeth; that's where Uco and Mirdip had been sent... And he knew exactly what was going to be said.
"You're lucky that Detective Tsukauchi and I know each other, and that I could call in a favor, otherwise you could have been seriously attacked in court for crimes against humanity. You didn't cause any deaths, luckily, but the injuries inflicted on the villains are severe enough to handicap them for the rest of their lives."
Lock didn't show his surprise... Despite studying almost everything related to the military... They had that here? In the galaxy, on all the planets that existed and where he had been... Even though the Republic sought to protect its citizens... There had been instances where civilian populations suffered more losses than both sides combined... Or even entire populations had to be sacrificed without further trial to secure a victory... It wasn't pretty... But it happened.
Thus, Lock, who had no knowledge or awareness of this... was surprised...
"I understand, Sensei.", Lock replied.
"Good. Be careful with that, it could cause trouble for your reputation in the future... Or even for your family.", Aizawa warned.
Well, it's not like he knew anyone who had the same reputation... Endeavor... Lock found it crazy now. He was being criticized for having his brothers armed with flamethrowers roast some villains. If the clones sometimes killed civilians in their battles, they avoided it as much as possible and tried to find a solution.
And yet...
Endeavor? He burned civilians like candles and didn't get anything in return, no crimes or anything like that were pinned on him.
He wanted to bring this up, but Aizawa continued.
"Now that this has been said, we're going to move on to another thing... Something that's very important. The UA Sports Festival."
Izuku raised his hand, and Aizawa allowed him to speak.
"Sensei, is this a good idea? We've just been attacked by a hostile force, and many of my classmates aren't in the necessary state, nor do they have the mindset to participate in an event that will expose them in such a condition."
A very good point from the green-haired boy, Momo thought, before she herself spoke up.
"Also, wouldn't this allow our attackers to learn more about us? If they managed to infiltrate once, they could do it again, and by knowing everyone's quirks, they could better organize their attack."
"That's true, if they had known, they wouldn't have sent me to the aquatic zone knowing I'm a frog...", remarked Tsuyu...
"Or me with my sonic attacks.", Jiro said, crossing her arms, "Or even Pikachu."
"Hey!"
"IF THEY HAD KNOWN I WAS WAITING FOR THEM, THEY WOULDN'T HAVE COME AT ALL, THAT BUNCH OF EXTRAS!" Bakugo shouted, letting off an explosion, "I DON'T CARE IF THE VILLAINS KNOW MY QUIRK, LET THEM COME, I'M WAITING FOR THEM!"
Many rolled their eyes.
"You bark more than you bite, shut up, it'll help us sleep better tonight.", grumbled Izuku, as Bakugo's blazing gaze landed on him.
"SHUT UP, DEKU! DO YOU WANT TO DIE?"
"Go ahead, I'm waiting! I've already seen death once and spat in its face, do you think it scares me now?", Izuku responded fiercely.
At this point, Aizawa sighed... He didn't know the history between the two, only that they were horrible to each other. He decided to ignore them and let the two rivals quiet down on their own, though they occasionally shot dirty looks at each other.
"I completely agree with you, but Nezu wants to show the world that what happened at the USJ won't stop us. Even if there are deaths to mourn."
Ochako gave a strangled gasp.
"But... What about the clones who sacrificed themselves...?"
"That's... dirty...", murmured Kirishima...
Momo suddenly felt disgusted by the situation...
Aizawa sighed...
"I understand your feelings, but Nezu, even though he is as concerned and saddened as you are to know that children, even mere clones, had their lives taken from them, the school has an image to maintain, and he wants to show that UA will continue and won't let an incident hinder it..."
Momo glanced at Lock, the captain was completely closed off... She knew why... He recognized that mentality in one aspect... Sacrificing almost all of one's humanity in times of crisis to keep moving forward and not letting it hinder their actions...
"The Sports Festival will also serve as a stepping stone for you to find an internship at a hero agency, which will allow you to complete a discovery internship..." the tired man indicated, "Now that this has been said, you have the rest of the hour to yourselves, don't wake me from my nap."
/
"Watch out! Be careful!" Torda warned as Virr and Omen passed the step placed right at the entrance of the building where they would be staying.
At first, Torda had been surprised by the appearance of the building. From the outside, it looked like some sort of two-story bunker.
It was isolated from the main campus, but still close enough for them to go there if needed, and its robust and austere structure commanded a certain respect. Its walls were built of dark gray bricks, reinforced by visible metal beams that gave it a fortified appearance. Large, double-glazed windows, with thick black frames, lined each floor, letting in just enough light without sacrificing security for functionality.
The main entrance was secured by a thick double metal door, which seemed like it could be locked, although they didn't have the key.
Everything in this building literally exuded a military theme, but he couldn't blame the staff too much… And besides, it suited them perfectly. They shouldn't lose their roots, never; they were soldiers and would always remain so at heart.
"Once inside, place that in a corner where it won't obstruct anyone's movement, until the team inside can retrieve them... As soon as they can."
/
The flashlights illuminated the dark and silent corridors.
Dengloy could have sworn it was literally like a horror movie. What an idea too, the generator hadn't been placed outside but inside, and the staff had turned it off to save electricity while they settled in. This meant that he and half of the troopers present had ventured into the dark building, guided only by the flashlights they could attach to their helmets.
Behind him, Brexx opened yet another door before reporting back.
"Nothing, another empty room."
"Map it if you can, label it as a storage room.", ordered the lieutenant. On one side of his HUD, a map was slowly being drawn, showing the real-time positioning of his brothers. Occasionally, communications would come in to report one or two things that could prove important to them, such as a potential chokepoint location that they could set up just in case.
Finally, after about twenty minutes of searching room by room, the radio activated.
"Lieutenant, we've found the generator, powering it up in a second."
As indicated, there was a crackling sound from the lamps, and when Dengloy flipped a switch, the corridor lights came on. For the first time, the lieutenant noticed just how much the hallways resembled those of a bunker. The light was pale and did nothing to warm the cold atmosphere that reigned in the building.
It was somewhat reminiscent of the atmosphere of the Venators. Thinking about it made him slightly nostalgic, but it wasn't a big deal.
"Thank you, Sergeant Hope," Dengloy said over the radio, "Ask some engineers to check the generator's power to see how long it can last. Part of the men will stay here to establish the building's layout, the rest, go get the equipment our brothers placed at the entrance and start distributing it in the designated rooms."
A chorus of affirmatives rose from the radio.
/
"And… There, it's sent...", Nezu murmured as he pressed the button to send the email he had been working on.
The principal then leaned back in his chair, sighing as he closed his eyes and rested his head against the back of the chair...
He was exhausted... The chimera reached out for the cup of tea resting beside him on the desk... This kind of event had been completely unexpected, and so in addition to the mountains of paperwork, 'furious' lawyers' complaints, and emails from journalists flooding his inbox by hundreds… Grabbing the cup, he slowly sipped the hot drink.
He expected, sooner or later, a message from a predator lurking in the shadows. A terrifyingly patient predator. But Nezu was even more patient. Patience was the key to everything, and so he knew that this tentacled predator would soon reveal itself... With its plans.
Several police officers had caught the chimera's attention with their behavior. Slight signs, a glance lasting a second too long… It betrayed them.
These members of that predator who showed themselves in broad daylight. He would wait for them, play their game as he usually did, and then turn it against them and make it collapse. He had everything to make them hesitate, even completely retreat…
Ah. There they were finally.
A small notification, far too quick for an inattentive eye to notice, but Nezu was always attentive. He quietly placed his cup to the side and launched his own programs. What he had seen was a decoy, for sure, to divert his attention to less interesting places, but the chimera was not fooled. He knew what they were aiming for. And how.
It was finally time for them to change their techniques.
Ah... Those HSPC members, those buffoons of the worst kind… He pitied their stupidity.
/
"Our hacking teams have just begun their operations.", informed Isozaki Yozo, Director of the HSPC's IT department.
Madam President slowly nodded, looking at the man with an icy gaze before turning to the rest of the room.
Seated around an oval table made of solid oak, in the middle of this dark and hostile room, illuminated only by the few rays of light that the black fabric curtains allowed to pass through, eight people were seated.
Isozaki Yozo, Director of the IT department
Ikehara Kingo, Head of the HSPC's Rapid Response Squads
Minami Ryo, Deputy Chief of the Rapid Response Squads
Inaba Marise, Director of the Logistics department
Rai Seiho, Director of the Propaganda department
Yutani Kei, Chief Human Resources Officer
Sada Rika, Director of the External Affairs Department
Morino Kiyoshi, Director of the Internal Affairs Department
And herself as the ninth person. The President's icy gaze swept over everyone one last time before she began to speak.
"As you know, UA was attacked a few days ago, and several of our agents were sent there under the guise of police officers to assess the damage and note anything that could be observed. This brings us to several points."
The President raised two fingers.
"Specifically, two key points. The first is that this position of weakness of UA must be exploited. We will wait until the press conference they will hold to send journalists loyal to us to corner them in front of the entire country. Then, we will fully enter the game by publicly demanding an audience to drive the nail in deeper. They won't be able to refuse when all of Japan knows about it, unless they want to arouse suspicion towards the institution, which would cause many heroes to divert their students away in search of internships. This will allow us to get our hands on this thorn that has been bothering us for so long."
The President lowered one finger, leaving just one raised.
"Then we come to the second point, the most important one. It was noticed by the agents that one of the students seems to have a quirk that allows him to do many things, primarily creating heavily armed clones. Our goal will be to take him, or some of his clones, under our control. This way, we will have complete control over all his actions, and his quirk could be beneficial to us if we can integrate him or his clones. We would thus have a fully loyal defense and intervention force due to the pressure we'll apply on them, well-equipped and operational at all times."
Morino Kiyoshi was the only one to move in the room, leaning his elbows on the table, his chair creaking slightly.
"Madam President, are you sure about this? Aren't you afraid this could end in another fiasco like with Nagant?"
Ikehara Kingo leaned back and settled comfortably in his seat. If he could have put his feet on the table, he would have.
"On the contrary, it's easier. Our mistake was welcoming Nagant with open arms without a plan in case things went south. She was trained, but also pampered by her parents, wealthy people who frequently sent us funds that kept us afloat. When she turned against us, she knew her parents were untouchable because they were excellent allies for us. We wouldn't dare touch them. And that was the case."
Yutani Kei spoke up.
"In that case, Hawks could be a danger for us—"
"Shush, not another word, newbie.", Minami Ryo cut her off, "It's obvious you're new to the board. Let me tell you something, little one. We saved Hawks from a life of misery; his father was in prison, and his mother was a complete alcoholic. We saved him, and he is eternally grateful to us. There's no chance he would betray his new family, which gave him a purpose and a chance in life."
Kei remained silent...
"What makes you think these clones will accept?"
Sada Rika let out a cold laugh, as cold as ice.
"Simple, we know everything. We'll keep them in check, blackmail them, in a way. The boy in question is the adoptive son of the Yaoyorozu family. We learned this from reliable sources. All we need to do is threaten his family. Given our power to cause unfortunate accidents, he'll have no choice but to accept. He'll simply be overwhelmed by our power. It'll be a precariously balanced agreement, but in the end, it'll be a win for us."
The council remained silent...
"In that case, we can proceed.", said the President, exhaling softly as a small smile formed on her face, a cold smile but full of meaning. The plan could finally start.
"We can begin Operation Achilles."
/
Battery at 69%
Proximity Alert
Analyzing…
Analysis Complete
Unit Besh-Xesh-179 Identified
Activation Successful
142's optics activated, blinking a couple of times as the image he saw pixelated and adjusted.
At least, the image from his right optic. His left optic, struck by the blade of the sword held by the leader of the Illusion Centurions, had shattered the optic and damaged its circuits. The only thing constantly displayed was an error message.
The droid captain lifted his head, and his optic met those of 179, who stood there, patiently waiting for his captain to awaken.
"What is it?" 142 asked as soon as his vocoder was in the green.
"Tomura Shigaraki requests your presence in the surgical room.", 179 indicated in a flat tone before turning and leaving the room.
It took a few extra seconds for 142's systems to come online, and soon enough, he was operating at 92% capacity, only one servo in his neck was acting up and needed recalibration. He raised an arm and, with a sharp pull, removed the charging cable from the port at the base of his head, letting it hang from the electrical panel where several other BX units from the group were connected, charging, waiting for their turn to activate.
142 left the room. He wasn't in a bad mood—a machine couldn't have moods—but he was irritated that his charging had been interrupted. After greeting 179 and 732, who were guarding the door to the room in deafening silence, the captain navigated through the decrepit and dirty corridors of their section of the LOV's HQ.
The wallpaper was torn in several places, and the wall was sometimes cracked, revealing damaged electrical wires or pipes dripping with sometimes stagnant water. He had to duck to avoid hitting a pipe hanging from a corner, but as he passed underneath, a brownish mass fell from a hole.
His processors analyzed the substance and informed him that it was human excrement, which didn't help his irritation at all, he absolutely needed to report this pipe for repair.
Note archived as 'priority'
His processor indicated.
As he walked, he brushed the filth off his shoulder with his hand, startling a rat that scurried away as quickly as possible, its fat and likely infected body fleeing his path.
Then, 142 opened a door, and the environment changed entirely. From the poorly lit corridors in terrible condition with a few dying lightbulbs, he entered a well-lit, maintained area, but with an ambiance that remained dark. This was the section that the members of Unit Mu-74 called the 'human' zone.
Shigaraki had placed them in a dilapidated part of the building, aware that machines didn't need comfort like humans did. 142 could now see a few paintings or shelves covered with vases and other items. That was Kurogiri's doing, giving the place the feel of a hotel. If Shigaraki had his way, everything would be covered in video game posters.
He finally arrived at the surgical area. He could hear screams behind the door, screams of pain and agony. He analyzed the sound, deduced that it wasn't anything serious, and opened the door to enter...
His optics scanned the room, a typical operating room with a bed and medical equipment that might seem outdated at first glance but apparently still worked. Blood splatters, both fresh and dried, were scattered throughout the room.
There were four people in the bloodied room. Shigaraki stood silently in a corner, covered by his hands, though the one he usually had on his face was held in his right hand, with the thumb lifted to avoid disintegrating the hand.
The man's face never ceased to intrigue 142. Pale, worn, almost ashen skin, giving him a cadaverous appearance. Pale blue hair, disheveled and falling in uneven strands around his face. Deep-set eyes, with dark circles of cracked skin around them, making his red irises glow with a disturbing intensity, contrasting with his dull skin. The captain assumed this was due to his quirk.
Near him, seated on a chair, was BX-079, holding a datapad in his hand, dressed in a beige hoodie with the hood down, revealing his balaclava, black on one side, white on the other, black pants, and black sneakers. The hacker of Unit Mu-74 was focused on the screen, typing on the keys, and checking the cables connected to the datapad, which were linked to...
A jet of warm blood splattered onto 142, who raised his left arm to wipe the blood off his functioning optic.
"Calm down, the pain is only temporary.", said BX-623, the group's 'doctor,' dressed in clothes that made him look like a mad scientist, with a long, blood-soaked white coat, the scarlet liquid also dripping from the machine's head as it inserted a cable into the thoracic cavity of its victim, a man around twenty-five years old, strapped to the bed, whose upper body clothing had been removed, revealing a torso that looked like a hedgehog with all the cables and other tools protruding from his body, which 142 was convinced most weren't supposed to be there. The man screamed in agony, and 623 tilted its head to the side, a spark of curiosity glowing in its optics.
The machine reached out, grabbed a notebook and pencil, and began jotting down notes, though 142 couldn't read them from where he stood, the writing obscured by the blood dripping from 623's hands.
"BPM at 23 per minute.", stated 079 coldly, "It seems the blood loss is finally affecting him."
623 turned its head and let out a small sigh of frustration.
"Pff... It was just starting to get interesting..."
Complained the unit's 'doctor', dropping the notebook to the floor before leaning over the victim.
"Let's make it simpler.", the doctor moved the surgical lamp closer to the man's face, who weakly whimpered and closed his eyes.
"Why don't you tell us what we want to know? And this small experience ends right now..."
The man stammered a strangled response, coughing up blood, which 142 couldn't hear, but 623 suddenly straightened up, knocking over the lamp, which illuminated 623 in a way that made him look even more terrifying.
"You don't know! You don't know! In that case, we'll find out! 079?"
The hacker looked up, nodded, and connected a new cable, which he handed to 623. The latter grabbed it, and 142 noticed the horror and terror filling the man's eyes on the table before 623 plunged it in with a sharp thrust.
The man convulsed, back arched, throwing his head back, and blood spurted from his mouth like a geyser. The man's body then collapsed onto the bed, and 079 announced:
"BPM at 0 per minute. You probably damaged the heart."
"Aww… Such a waste…", mumbled 623.
So, he was dead, the captain was honestly surprised he didn't died of blood loss with the amount of the carmine liquid splattered everywhere. 142 stared for a moment before turning to Shigaraki. The latter seemed to have lost all interest and had apparently noticed him, as he started walking towards him. The villain with the hands walked past him and said, "Follow me, we need to talk." The blue-haired man's voice was surprisingly calm, 142 had gotten used to him being irritated and always ready to reduce everything to dust.
The two of them walked through the corridors for a while before 142 spoke up. "You promised us the opportunity to attack UA and accomplish our objective."
"We need more people, more recruits.", replied Shigaraki. 142 noticed in his voice that the irritation was still there, but this time he was trying to hold it back. "I know I promised you that, tin can."
Ah, maybe not after all.
"So, what are you doing instead of recruiting?" asked 142.
"That's the problem, my persuasion skill took a hit after the quest failed, I can't convince anyone to join us anymore. Well... not as long as I have a bad reputation among all those NPCs factions. Sensei suggested something."
That Sensei again, this man was a real mystery but had proven to be very intelligent.
"And what is that? I don't see how it concerns us, these are your problems. We're working together for one reason only, the fact that my unit can accomplish our objective."
"It's reciprocal, then.", spat Shigaraki. The blue-haired villain thought the same about them. "However, if I've called you to work with me, I expect you to do it. If you don't, you won't accomplish your objective, and neither will I."
142's processor analyzed the data.
If he accepted, he would be putting his objective on the back burner.
If he refused and the League of Villains gained renown and members, he'd miss a golden opportunity to have punching bags to take the hits for them.
Calculating...
Calculation complete
"Very well.", 142 began in a cold voice that betrayed a tone of defeat, "What do my troops and I need to do?"
"Get Stain.", Shigaraki replied, striking his palm with a clenched fist. "The guy has a hell of a reputation in the criminal world, and his followers are numerous and ready to follow him and anyone he's affiliated with. I want to talk to him and convince him to join the League."
142 remained silent for a moment, his processor calculating.
"Very well, I'll send two BX units to contact him."
In his mind, he had already chosen who would track down the man.
/
The bell rang, signaling the end of class and the start of the break... Everyone stood up and silently headed for the door. Izuku took his time, putting his hands in his pockets, mulling over what had been said.
The Sports Festival...
It was a chance to make a debut for him. He'd have to train even harder. At least learn to master One For All at 5%. He had a few weeks to do it. Okay, he'd start in two days, in the morning, to check that he had everything, talk to All Might, and inform Warden and Focus.
Yeah. He'd do that.
However, a cry of exclamation from Hagakure snapped him out of his thoughts. A horde of students stood at the classroom door, staring at them.
"The hero course chose a girl like that? Her quirk is even more useless than mine, and they chose her? Damn!", someone in the crowd exclaimed, and Hagakure recoiled slightly. Mina approached and scolded them.
"Hey, don't talk about her like that!"
Several people recoiled in disgust at the sight of her.
"Oh, crap! She's pink!"
"Get out of the way, freak!"
Mina seemed to freeze in shock, and tears started to stream down her cheeks. Kirishima immediately stepped in front of her, using his body as a shield, his red-haired eyes burning with deep anger.
"What's your problem? You want me to call you lightbulb head?", the boy retorted.
A student with a lightbulb for a head indeed stepped out of the crowd, the bulb flashing furiously.
"Say that again?"
The two stared each other down... Well, as much as the other could.
"WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON?", Bakugo's voice thundered through the room, filled with irritation as the angry blonde finally forced his way to the door.
"WHAT'S WITH ALL THESE EXTRAS?!", the blonde continued to shout, irritating Izuku at the same time.
"Who the hell are you, pitbull?", someone in the crowd said.
"HUH? YOU WANNA DIE?"
Everyone recoiled at that, and Bakugo glared at each of them with a murderous look. Everyone backed away, frightened.
"NOW LET ME THROUGH!"
Bakugo took a step forward, and a silent corridor formed to let him pass, only to close again after he walked through. Then, all eyes turned back to them.
A boy with disheveled purple hair and dark circles under his eyes approached and said.
"Impressive, I'm honestly impressed by your 'heroic' class... Threatening other students?"
From the back of the group, Kaminari sighed, "Great, now we're going to be stuck with this image for the rest of the year?"
Several people silently agreed.
Izuku took a step forward to handle the situation. "Please excuse Bakugo, he's just like that. There's nothing we can do..."
"Pff, like that? Come on, you're all like that in the hero course. Arrogant, always the favorites... Tsk... I'm stronger than most of you. Including you, bone breaker."
Izuku felt offended to be called that, it was true, but he was doing his best to improve.
"Why are you here?", Izuku asked, "Are you just here to insult other students?"
"No! We're not that low! Unlike you...", said someone in the crowd
If the training had removed one thing from Izuku, it was his tolerance.
"If you're not here for anything concrete, get lost. I don't have the patience or kindness to deal with you.", growled the green-haired boy.
The purple-haired boy stuffed his hands into his pockets and let out a small laugh.
"You see... Everyone here wants one thing, to get into the hero course. The entrance exam wasn't kind, and the sports festival is a unique chance for us to get into this course. The light at the end of the tunnel. We're here to size you up... But more importantly..."
Izuku narrowed his eyes. The next sentence would either make him snap and punch the guy or make him think.
"... To declare war on you."
Silence fell over the class. Then...
A laugh.
"BAHAHAHA!"
The entire Class 1-A turned to Lock, who was laughing to the point of tears before calming down and stepping forward. Soon, he stood in front of the boy, right next to Izuku, in the front row. His laughter had now disappeared, and the way he stood, the aura emanating from him, was heavy with a past. A past of death, a past of blood, a past littered with bodies.
"Do you really think you know what war is?"
The purple-haired boy hesitated... and opened his mouth, but Lock cut him off.
"You talk about war like it's a game, a contest where the losers can just go home and try again next year."
He took a step forward, closing the distance between him and the boy.
"But war, real war, is much more than that. It's the blood that spills on the ground, the screams of those who will never return home, the sacrifices you're willing to make to protect what truly matters. It's the burden you carry for the rest of your life, the weight of the lives you've saved... and those you couldn't save."
The silence in the class was absolute, each word from Lock resonating like a death knell.
"So, you want to declare war? Fine. But don't think for a second that it will be a walk in the park. We're in the hero course for a reason, and it's not because we're favorites or were born with incredible powers. It's because we chose to bear the burden of those who don't have the strength."
This struck like a nail. The boy's face twisted into a grimace of hatred.
"Don't get it twisted," added Lock, "The sports festival might be an opportunity for you, for us, to prove our worth. But don't think of it as a war. Because if you do, you might find out just how unprepared you are for what really awaits you."
"We'll see.", the boy finally spat out, "We'll see who's really ready. Your speech means nothing. If you think you're scaring us, you're wrong."
"It's not a speech, it's a warning.", Lock said, his voice heavy, resonating like thunder in the silence.
"If you really want to play at war, be ready to face the consequences. War isn't just a festival or even a competition between students. It changes you, it breaks you, it brings out the worst in you. And believe me, you're not ready for that."
This hit like a cold shower for many. War was often discussed in history class, after all, humanity's path had been built on millions of corpses throughout all eras... But usually, the subject was approached lightly.
Here, in front of everyone, Lock had just exposed something. Even though Izuku felt that Lock hadn't gone into detail... he had the impression that his classmate had done much more—he had opened a window into a world of horror, a world that the boy, by whatever means, had seen.
In the class, many asked themselves the same question at the same time.
'Who is this guy?'
"How do you know all this? Who are you?" someone in the crowd asked.
"A survivor.", Lock answered bluntly, "The survivor of a massacre. And believe me, your pitiful image of an apocalyptic world is very pale."
Momo appeared next to her brother.
"Vod, stop, you've done too much.", Lock looked at her, nodded, and stepped back to stand behind everyone. The entirety of Class 1-A followed him with their eyes. The terrifying calm with which the boy stood at the back made more than a few people uncomfortable...
"As for you, move along. If you're only here for your pathetic attempt at intimidation, leave. You may hurt us mentally..."
The raven-haired girl gave a particular look to Mina, who, even though she was looking at Lock with the same astonishment as the others, had indeed been hurt by the earlier comment, as had Hagakure.
"But you cannot break our determination. We've all. All. Looked death in the face, we've all been forged by the USJ, a mark that will never leave us."
See you all next time :)!