-Speech-
"quoted or custom name of something"
(-Hunt Or Be Hunted-) Time skip or change of prespective
Chapter 6 Family Business
Izuku was hanging on the corner of the roof in a position he learned from copying Stain. He was observing as the sun was rising, beginning the new day. He sighed and opened his phone, quickly switching to his group chat with his sensei and other vigilantes. He scrolled for a while, catching up to the present. It seems they had
raided some yakuza compound again and destroyed a lot of trigger packages. Overall, it was a successful operation. He read the first couple of messages where
Knuckleduster whined about them being short of support vigilantes like Mei Hatsume and Lurker, for example, as well as Popstep from the original team. For now,
though, the Vigilante Aliance was only in name. Nobody else wanted to join them, mostly because vigilantes working on commission grounds are very cautious and
mostly lone wolves. There is a danger of heroes following after vigilantes instead of fighting crime. It is heard that HPSC is paying generously for every caught or 'stopped' vigilante that heroes find.
You know, it can't be that some vigilante is doing their job better than them, making them look like amateurs. And from the dark Mustafu and Kamino ward areas,
vigilantes are settled among big rings where the ring leader gives them many benefits already. So beyond the lunatics that Stain accumulates on a daily basis, they
basically have zero recruits. And from those that follow Stain, there is actually only one stable enough to be taken on any type of action. The guy is named Spinner, and he is apparently the administrator of Stain's website.
Stainfollower: I once again ask you for your financial support.
Brassbeatstheass: No, just no, you will just waste it on your sword like the last time you did.
Seethestar: Not to mention hazard you created after you changed that pro hero to litteraly porcupine with how many knives broke from your weapon upon impact.
Stainfollower:It was only once!
Cinamonbun joins the group chat under name broccolibush
broccolibush: Guess what happened today guys?
Brassbeatstheass: What you grew yourself balls already?
Purgethefakes: He actually did, I was almost proud with the conviction you presented. Especialy the black eyes and green irises.
broccolibush: What eyes? What irises? Anyway, whatever floats your boat. Here is the picture.
broccolibush sends a picture
Brassbeatstheass: And that is more like it! I knew you had this in you little man! Just one step to becoming a hero!
Seethestar: Yeah just one more step, one beating the classmate and taking the pictures later, yeah truly heroic and shut your mouth brass you are only saying that so you can indoctrinate him to your little pet project of yours.
Stainfollower: This blonde guy what did he did exactly?
broccolibush: Basically tormented me for ten years of my life for just being quirkless and today was the payback he deserved. :)
Purgethefakes: Basically ideal target, I would dream about wiping this STAIN out of our society.
Seethestar: No way Chizo, kid called the dibs earlier, you need to find yourself a new one.
Stainfollower: Kinda sad, I just got my new weapon already and I wanted to test things already.
Stainfollower sends a picture. On the picture is shown Spinner grinning madly in his vigilante gear that mimicks Stain's holding a huge amount of knives bundled
together with a duct tape and all sorts of things, he lifts it up like he is some executioner of some sort.
Brassbeatstheass: I swear if you used our funds to build this thing I pull on you United states of Smash.
Vampire queen: Wait are those my knives?
Stainfollower: Shit.
Stainfollower leaves the group chat.
Vampire queen leaves the group chat.
Hermit: R.i.p Bozo.
Brassbeatstheass: Somehow I do not pity him.
Purgethefakes: I've got a new contract coming up, this time it will be something big. You will all see this in the news, and maybe you will join my righteous
crusade too, after.
Purgethefakes leaves the group chat.
Hermit: Please don't tell me he is not going after Endeavor again, the last time he did it was all over the news, and his burned ass was literally everywhere.
Seethestars: I think he is going to do it again.
Seethestars sends a gif. On it is goofy all bloodied up and above it flashes ' I'll fuckin do it again' in red.
Brassbeatstheass: How many times he pulled out this shit already? It would be third time this year.
Hermit: At this point it is life cycle for him, like a moth to fire, Stain Attacks Endeavor Gets smoked Stain is Recovering Stain kills the fakes but also
wants to kill Endeavor Stain says to everyone he will attack Endeavor in a glorious battle repeat.
Broccolibush: Hang in there guys, I'll finish my breakfast and since today is sunday I will come to Junkyard since there is nothing on board anyway.
Brassbeatstheass: And what about your chores kid? This gear wont deliver itself.
Seethestars: May I remind that kid is NOT a part of Vigilante Aliance. Or you maybe want closer enocunter with my baseball bat and mrs Midoriya?
Brassbeatstheass leaves the group chat
Seethestars: Coward.
Izuku closes the phone and puts it back in his pocket. After some parkour jumps, he returns to his room window. Then he has breakfast with his mom, who is unaware of his vigilante adventures. They are all still alive, so that is certain. He quickly grabs his shoes and, after saying goodbye to his mom, sprints towards the shadier parts of Mustafu. He pulls up his hoodie to avoid being recognized. Although the base headquarters are located in Naruhata, it is too much of a hassle to visit them daily. Additionally, he cannot meet his mentor daily because HPSC went crazy on him after he returned to action. Moreover, his apartment has been raided and his stuff taken, so even if he could, he has nowhere to return to.
Taking a breath of fresh air, he arrives in front of the junkyard. Ah yeah, fresh air around here basically doesn't exist. People smoke everything they can to stay afloat in the winter, though it is not winter yet, the smell lingers. Anyway, he enters the place through a gate that is apparently left open, which means Lurker is inside or the other dangerous beast. He shivers at the thought of cross-like eyes and dread dreads hiding probably there among piles of junk. He looks around attentively, not wanting to be a victim of recent inventions by a certain pink head. He hears an explosion in the distance. His shoulders slump. It is not good, but at least she probably won't be anywhere close to him. The key word is probably. He still needs to be vigilant.
-And why are you entering here, kid, like you are afraid of stepping on needles or something, kid? Did that Hatsume girl spook you so much?- He hears a strange manner of speaking behind him that only belongs to no one else but Lurker. To this day, he doesn't know how he is able to sneak up on him with his fat ass that is literally located in the back of the van.
- Ah, you know nothing. I just want some support gear without being blown up or tested on. - Izuku said casually, but his expression was anything but casual when he looked around for any signs of dread dreads appearing. Lurker chuckled at that and beckoned him towards their workshop. From the outside, it was a simple shack made
of metal, but on the inside... it was anything but simple. It was a tidy and sturdy workshop equipped to the brim with technology that he had never dreamt of. The floor was tiled and in some places mixed with rubber flooring. The walls were made of sound-absorbing foam, probably made by Mei. She can do anything from scrap. Around them were various workbenches with cranes of various sizes. From one of the cranes was dangling a mech made of scrap. Yes, a damn mech. They moved a bit forward and he was met with the lab part of the workshop.
There were various tubes connected to each other via transparent tubes. There was also a burner and a copper stand that looked new. Before he lost himself in the workshop with his wandering eyes, they finally met with the goal of their journey through this wonderland.
On the table in front of him were various heads of mannequins on them were caps, hoodies, glasses and visors all eqiupped in quirked support technology.
-You accumulated 9000 credits from your last job, which was almost three months ago, but you haven't spent anything. I bet Knuckleduster will be upset about wasting support on someone who doesn't need it. He's always a cheap person, but what do you expect from him? He wouldn't recognize support equipment even if it bit him in the ass. So you can choose whatever you want!- he said encouragingly. Izuku just smiled and dug in, looking at the equipment and notes in front of them. Yeah, throughout the year, he accumulated a huge amount of cash, but he never did anything big. It was almost disappointing to him. When something came up, like with the Yakuza and their trigger smuggling, Knuckleduster sniffed it out with his strike team.
From one point, it was frustrating; from the other, he felt relieved. But from another, he just wanted to help, so he caught small-time dealers left and right. It was never really exciting, if you think that common dealers have a huge guy behind them every time they go somewhere, you would be disappointed. They are cheap and greedy bastards, so much so that even Knuckleduster with his miser syndrome can't hold a candle to them. You know, on one hand, they are cheap, and on the other hand, they are just stupid, coming with a briefcase and nothing else to do the deals. So he had many easy targets. The only problem with them is that they are incredibly fast and mostly know the streets where they sell. So, like Knuckleduster repeats like a prayer, "never skip a leg day," and you are basically set.
Coming out of his thoughts, he came across a hoodie that he had been interested in earlier. It was a simple hoodie made with quirked technology that, when worn, turned the wearer's face and everything inside the hood into a black void. The only thing visible from the outside were the eyes of the person wearing it. So, it was pretty cool, but it wasn't everything. It also came with a built-in voice changer and light armor, or rather, a quirk-reinforced normal hoodie. Knuckleduster almost cried when he met the person in question. It seemed that the person worked for someone named Giran, and he normally didn't take on side jobs. So, Knuckleduster's celebration was short-lived. And when he actually learned who he worked for, he was actually glad he had nothing to do with it.
I still don't know what actually is wrong with the guy named Giran, but I guess it is one of the things I shouldn't ask. So he grabbed the hoodie from the stand and tried it on. He found inside the hoodie that there was some small device inside, which was probably why the hood of the hoodie was looking so stiff with all the electronics around. It was a HUD, a display showing his vitals. He looked around the hoodie with childlike wonder and saw that his arms had tightened and there were probably things that worked with vitals. He also had a mini map, yes, a functional minimap like in some video game in the corner. He found some controls and
discovered that he could manipulate the HUD and found out about many other functions, like a notebook and an actual map that could be moved around by shuffling his
wrists. He even had an actual internet connection. He gave a squeal that would be more akin to one of Himiko's when he learned about the notebook function. Now, even when he is on the run, he can take notes without looking like a moron.
That wasn't everything. In addition to those features, he also had a normal clock, coordinates, temperature of the air, his temperature, and a built-in flashlight.
He tested it, and it was shining through one of his pockets that he couldn't open. Well, if that works... He looked around and met a scene of his nightmares. Mei was staring back at him with her maniac expression. He tried to run, but she quickly grabbed him by his wrist. Strangely, she grabbed him in such a way as to not damage the equipment. She can give me bruises with that hold of hers, but when it comes to support items, she is suddenly going to be gentle?!
-Oh, there you are, Inoko! I was just looking for you to test our mandatory police-file, baby!- Never in his life did he imagine those three sentences placed next to each other, but he guessed everything is possible with Mei Hatsume. He didn't pay any mind to her butchering his name; she would just forget it anyway. It is still
better than what she calls Lurker. -Mr. Crabs found the components that I was looking for! Just now, I got a new batch of aluminum, silver, gold, or ready-to-use
computer chips! Isn't it marvelous!? I can come to improve this baby too, right away!- She said, and he slumped resigned to his fate, amidst the mumbling storm that is not far from his own but far more dangerous and explosive.
Before I knew it, I was strapped to some strange device and my poor newly bought hoodie was dismantled before my eyes. I tried not to cry, keyword being tried. Mei is a merciless monster that doesn't even classify as human. She is like the damn Terminator from old movies that mom loves to watch.
Somewhere between Izuku's sobs and cursing his damn luck, Mei reequipped Izuku in his hoodie that seemed intact again. -There you go! Now you are fully equipped with our Alpha version of Compact Vigilante Standard Issue Equipment, in simple words CVSIE! CVSIE! Say something!- Mei exclaimed excitedly, and his reconstructed hoodie started humming ominously.
-It won't explode?- Izuku asked in teary expresion.
-No! Of course not! I didn't intended it to explode so it won't! - She says and they both see smoke coming from the hoodie and Izuku makes peace with god in the meantime. - Probably..- She adds looking at Izuku in her normal standard Mei maniac expresion. -Oh! Look it stopped smoking!- She says excitedly.
Izuku looks around and it matter of factly stopped smoking so Izuku lets out sigh of relief. -Welcome again SmallMight420 it is a true pleasure to meet you. How do I serve?- Something asked Izuku in metalic voice but it was soft and almost gentle. Before Izuku's eyes interface appears and he can see Mei in front of him with a smile that almost splits her head in half.
-What are you waiting for? Try it! Scan me!- She says waving her hands around like a maniac she is.
Izuku gulps.- Ekhm? Scan her?- As soon as Izuku says those words before him opens a panel of character with Mei profile picture next to infromation about her, Mei Hatsume, age 14, gender female, quirk Zoom, affiliation: Vigilante Aliance. Status: Alive -That is...- He takes time to process everything that appears on his screen and frowns at the last sentence. - convicted for... public exposure?..- Izuku frowns so much his face reminds of pug dog.
Mei actualy frowns for a while, Izuku snaps his sight on her to make sure he hasn't been mistaken but when he sees her she has the same grin again on her face as always, which is good, he was sure if she didn't had this grin on her face that would mean extinction of mankind. - Mhm! Which means it works obviously!- She admits shamelessly to it and continues like nothing happened.
Izuku walks off after she falls again into her storm of inventing or 'making babies' like she likes to say. So he evacuates before she has a chance to follow him and he sprints out of the junkyard, not even stopping at Lurker who just chuckles at him in his creepy laugh. He ignores him as well and quickly goes after the fire
escape of a nearby building. In no time, he is already on the rooftops, jumping left and right, testing his new gear. Previously, he made himself a waypoint to a
location that he wants to visit, so now he sprints through the rooftops and the A.I on board helpfully paints the upcoming obstacles in a shade of red.
This was my thing, jumping from roof to roof in the light of the moon, seeking those who needed help. Just as I thought about that, I heard some screams coming from the alley below me. Well, time for action. I quickly jumped down to a nearby fire escape and hung myself on the railing with one hand to observe what was happening
below. And as usual, it was a bunch of crackheads attacking a homeless guy.
I quickly jumped into action, landing on one of them. For a moment, they froze to look at what happened to their friend, and that was the moment I needed to make a
roundhouse kick on the one closest to me, cracking his ribs on impact and making him crash into a wall like a sack of potatoes. Damn, those guys are really fragile. One of them started gurgling like he was about to do something, so on pure instinct, I jumped upwards and caught myself on the fire escape. In the place where I had stood just moments ago, there was a large blob of acid melting everything in its path, making hissing sounds. I didn't give the acid guy time to reload and launched myself with both my legs, slamming into his chest and making him gasp and fall down. He folded like a chair and stayed that way. The last guy tried to take a hike,
but I threw an empty can at his head, knocking him unconscious.
I turned around to watch as the person they were kicking around slowly got up. He was wearing tattered robes, like some kind of lich or other creature. Besides the
fact that he stinks like a trashcan, he looks really cool with his tarred clothing. The guy has raven black hair, but from my experience as a vigilante, I'm sure he dyes his hair. His piercing blue eyes lock onto me with the same amount of disinterest that Stain usually has. He gives off similar vibes, although he doesn't have
the same presence as Stain and doesn't rant about conviction every five seconds.
He grunted and popped some joints in his arms and started... clapping? - Congratulations, hero... you just saved a group of crackheads from... - He tugs his
tattered clothing from the trashcan that got stuck. - ... getting smoked up. I guess I owe you now. - He says while smirking, and then he steps into the light and he can see him more clearly, the sight was... horrifying.
Not in a horror-like way, but more in a way that this guy is covered with horrific burn scars. What is also strange is that he holds his skin with staples. - Oh,
pardon. - He says and takes his hand and just digs up one of the staples, making black blood come out. Izuku gagged a little at that. Then he takes another staple
from his clothing and just staples his skin by force. For a moment, they just stare at each other.
-What? Are you in love or something?- He grunts out and scratches at his back lazily. Izuku tries to stammer out an answer and after a while he manges to do it.
-No, I just wonder, do you need help or something? You can call me One for All.- Izuku looks awkward by the minute, and the burnt man just stares at him like he just grew a second head, then he just sighs and starts rummaging through his clothing and pulls out a cigarette. He lights it up with his finger, creating a bluish flame, so that is his quirk? So the scars must be self-induced? But why would he do that to himself? What drives him? What is his conviction... then Izuku just stops and
thinks about how he turns to Stain more day by day. He needs to spend more time with normal people, for example.
-Jeez... and they say I have awful taste in naming.- He says and takes Izuku out of his mumbling. - My name is Dabi, good to know you kid, and yes, though my scars
are self-inflicted, it wasn't mainly my flames that caused them... It wasn't for me to decide about my body or future or anything at all... - He says and his eyes
light up with hate.
Izuku recognizes that hate, the one that burns behind Stain's eyes daily, and the one that shows Himiko from time to time, hopelessness, born from this rotten
society. -Let me take a guess Endeavor?- Izuku asks and all hell breaks lose.
Suddenly an alley all around him is bursted up in flames and his ways of escape are closed shut by a wall of flames. -How do you know...- Dabi says looking at Izuku maniacaly. Izuku gulps and stammers out, but over the years he learn to control it so he quickly comes up with an answer.
-Hm, yyy you see, when people talk about getting burns from heroes, and from your expression I can say that you have great hatred towards heroes. Your reaction
towards me shows that as well. I'm not the hero, by the way. Statistically, 60 people are getting injured yearly in Endeavor's rampages. So when you said that, I
caught up to this quickly. And and...- At the end of the explanation, Dabi's flames dim rapidly until they extinguish completely. For a while, he just stares, losing interest, and then he just leaves with his steps echoing in that alley.
For a while he couldn't comprehend what happened and his board A.I highlighted him as potential hostile after the interraction, showing his information, Alias/Name: Dabi age 17-25? Gender: Male Quirk: Blue Flame Affiliantion: Villain Status: Aliv- Deceased data actualiztion in process... 5 individuals with similar quirk has been found Shoka Todoroki, Helios The Villainous Vigilante, Toya Todoroki, Steven Fierce, Torch The hellbound hero. Further studies are required to uncover hostile identity.
He didn't knew how long he stayed there but it was at least long enough to get a call from Lurker about his test drive and how it went. After getting himself together he made a step, and then another, before he knew it he was already on the roof, so he took out his mask. and Inhaled.
-What the fuck just happened?-
-Hunt or be Hunted-
Deep underground beneath a factory compund is a room. From time to time light flikers showing what's inside of it. But then suddenly room is bathed in light for good.
-And why do you think I'm going to agree to this? Your rates are 5% higher each year. At this point, I'm going to need a new supplier. I cannot rely on you anymore if it stays that way.- The simple iron door opens, and nobody else but Knuckleduster enters the room. He leaves his duster on the factory line hook hanging from the ceiling, but he doesn't seem to care much about it. Around the room, there are some simple worker lockers and a steel table with a chair with a back torn off. He walks up to it and sits on it, still holding the phone to his ear.
-No, no, I don't need you to remind me, damn it, I will call back when I make up my mind. Rot in hell.- With those words, Knuckleduster ends the call and slams the phone onto the steel table, looking at it. On the table, there is a map of his entire network, his network of Vigilantes.
For now, it was only Naruhata and his old contacts, but he wanted, needed to expand. Otherwise, he will end up in Tartarus or like those rings inside Mustafu and Kamino Ward - too scared to save people, too scared to leave their safe havens, imprisoned in their cages. Thanks to them, Mustafu and Kamino are calm, but that doesn't give them a place to improve. They are fighting fires without putting out the source of it first. He looked at the documents sprawled on the edge of the map. They were the same printed out documents from Detrenat support company and recently police reports on a group known as Shie hassaikai. Their influence grew and grew since the second coming of their new leader. In truth, they were playing a far longer game. Just now, they started lifting their ugly heads. Besides Nighteye agency trying to pour a glass of water on the fire in hopes of extinguishing the city's large arson, nobody else is doing anything about it.
-*Sigh* And what do I do? - Knuckleduster thought about his actions, how he is basically chasing his own tail in hopes of finding MLA and their slippery leaders. He looked carefully at the photo of the suspected Re-Destro. The man had a triangular face and a long nose, Rikiya Yotsubashi. He didn't have any proof, any leads even. He just had that feeling from years of experience being a vigilante, "this guy not only stinks, he freaking reeks of villainy." So here he is, looking at the photo like it holds the answer to the secrets of the universe, not knowing that a certain rat half a city away is doing exactly the same.
-What does my cause need?- He asks himself and it comes to him like it was obvious. -Society... always needs a pillar somebody all people look up to, individual groups are no different, and it seems my infamy isn't enough.- He mumbled to himself, a habit he picked up from his student many months ago, Popstep considered it cute and she never let him live that down to this day. He groaned on instinct when he thinks of her antics.
-It is fairly simple: we need a symbol, somebody our people would look up to, and a beacon for others to join our cause. But this doesn't stop there. We need someone who can be a beacon for the people as well, the people we want to save, and an unwavering torch that dispels the darkness and shows those hiding in it that we are here to stop them.- He says to himself. And just as if on cue, he hears clapping behind him coming from the door. He groans louder.
-Oh my~, I didn't know you were such a poet, Iwao! - He turns his head around to see Popstep in the door frame, looking at him with her eyes shining. He almost wants to snuff out this expression of hers. God, she is annoying, but without her, this group is basically over. Not like he would abandon her, it is just his intrusive thoughts every time he sees her. She means too much for him to discard her just like that. This group needs a constant influence of nutjobs because only people like them are making significant changes, he guesses from experience... it is not like he is normal person either.
-What do you want- He deadpans and she pouts.
-You know what I want, I also know your plans for the boy, why do you think I would let you strangle him into that group huh?-
He sighs- No, I do not want to rope him to anything. Look, just... ahhh! Listen, we are short of people. From the moment I met him, I got this feeling that this is where he belongs, what he was born to do, and he agreed with me! And now, I just do not know what to do. It appears he could not be quirkless, and loopholes in laws are not shielding him anymore. Besides, now he is going to his dream school, Yuuei or something, I don't care. I am also sure he will pass with flying colors and absolutely decimate the competition. But... but..- He stutters for a while, and Popstep lifts her eyebrow, looking at him strangely.
- But?-
-But... I'm afraid they won't let a quirkless like him participate or worse... they sabotage his scores on purpose.- He says it like this is a huge weight lifted from his chest and Popstep wants to say something but he continues.- You know what happened to me, before... before that, I had everything, I had a powerful quirk, I was a hero that basked in fame and attention, I didn't even think of people below, didn't know about the existence of quirkless individuals, until a rude wake-up call hit me like a hammer. And to this day, in some way, I cannot gather myself together.- He said with his shoulders slumped. - I really want this kid to succeed, I really do, but from the start, I cannot leave it, I have a feeling that something would go horribly wrong and he will end up just like me, so even then I unknowingly made him prepare for our job, even if he would never actually do what we do.- After the last sentence, he felt a surprise hug from Popstep from behind him.
-You could have said that earlier, dummy. *sniff* You were suffering and you didn't tell us. What a friend I am that I didn't see that earlier.- She is in full tears now, meanwhile Knuckleduster tries to wake up from his depressed mood. And, like earlier, it returned to him the moment he learned he lost his quirk, and it will never come back. When it happened, he sat the entire day on the couch unmoving, like a paralytic. And now this feeling swarmed him again.
-But it is over now- says Knuckleduster, returning to himself. -Now, we need to find a new supplier since the old one is unreliable with his price and schedule. If it continues like this, Mei will not have the gear or materials to make her support items. Without support items, we can't go and help people. Well, we could just buy it like normal people, but it would attract attention towards us. Additionally, some materials are simply unavailable. I'm afraid we would need to consider Charon's offer for now.- He ends his evaluation with a bombshell, and Popstep looks at Knuckleduster, boring holes in his skull.
-What? What do you expect me to do? Everything is coming towards fame, even here. We need recognition and respect to attract suppliers who would want to make a deal with us. And you know, Giran is different. I know your opinion of him, and I share it with you. But for now, we don't have many choices. He is a snake who probably supplies more than half of the villain underworld. However, he isn't picky, so he is our only option for a reliable source of supply and black market gear.- Knuckleduster ends his explanation, and both of them visibly deflate.
After a while popstep she peeled of him and stared at him. -So what now? As you said we need to take action, jobs so we can gain recogniton, but it cannot be aquired without heavy hitters and as you said a 'beacon'.- She ask him and he grabs the chair and sits in front of the steel table with the map.
-For now we wait, and as for our future, only time will tell...-
-Hunt or be Hunted-
Izuku was worn down and was getting ready to give his tested gear for further improvement when he was stopped at the entrance of the warehouse. He was met with Lurker without his shell, now wearing a jumpsuit. He had never actually seen him without his shell before, and now he saw that halfway up his torso, it rolled up into strange hooks on the end. He was frozen for a while at this sight. But now he realized that his attention should be focused elsewhere, on the carpet where Mei was clutching some device and crying huge crocodile tears.
-UUWWWAAAAH- Cried Mei- I can't belive *sniff* that I did it *sniff* - She cried making a good impression of a Midoriya signature tears. He almost got suspicion that they were related for some reason, but he shaked that thought off.
-And what did she do this time? Did she lose her favorite wrench or something?- He mentioned that one time Mei cried because she lost her favorite wrench and trashed the whole warehouse in hopes of finding it. In the end, it turned out she had her wrench with her the entire time. When she found it, she instantly switched moods and returned to work, leaving them both stunned by her sudden change. The worst part was that they needed to clean up the place after Mei's rampage.
He prepared to restrain her just in case. - Not this time kid, our little gremlin just got herself into U.A Hero course! - Announced Lurker like a proud father, which he truly was, considering how much he cared about her. That left him stunned, but how? Entrance exams are a month ahead, unless... ah right, he forgot that the support course has a different time for exams than the hero course and general course. They need lots of time to create and submit their inventions for evaluation by examiners from HPSC and the school.
-That is... great! Maybe we prepare something to celebrate?- As soon as Izuku finished this sentence Mei stopped crying like a flip of the switch and before he knew it she was on him looking over the tested support gear, her previous device completly forgotten.
-Oh! And how does it work?! Does it overheat? Is the A.I glitching? Maybe it exploded? No, if it exploded, you would probably be dead from the meltdown... oh! I know, maybe the health monitor got busted, it short circuits every time, it could potentially blow up too...- And he was hit with a barrage of words, and half of them were about exploding, which was impressive to be fair, but still, he couldn't help but break into a cold sweat. Before he could protest, she peeled him like a banana, taking off his hoodie and stealing it for herself. She was already working on it in the nearby workshop. She had already begun dismantling the device she was clutching, and he recognized it as a holoprojector from U.A. Many people keep those as souvenirs or family heirlooms, and she just dismantled it like it was a common piece of machinery for her...
He looked helplessly at the Lurker that chuckled in its strange, creepy way. He decided that Mei's antics were not worth losing his sanity over, so he backed off with slow, deliberate steps to avoid aggravating this potential predator. Mei was mumbling something, looking like the lunatic she is. - Like I need celebrating... that would be a waste of time I could spend on making new babies! - Yup, she is truly insane. But maybe that is what this dysfunctional vigilante alliance needs...
He looked around at them, at the lurking Lurker who tried to distance himself as much as possible by standing in the corner. Poor man and his paradoxical needs of social interaction. On one side, he needs to talk to someone, but on the other, his animal instincts are telling him to go away. And there is Mei, a complete nutjob, a friend, a crazed gremlin, and the best support hero that Vigilante Alliance ever had. Then there is Popstep, who is now peeking up from the corner of the entrance. She was there all the time, like a crazy aunt that you cannot dislike in any way. She would take you to concerts, dye your hair to your mother's dismay, and later on show you the best cat café that is in this city so far.
And there is our glorious leader and my sensei, Knuckleduster. I do not see him but smell cigarettes nearby and his smell of smoke that he carries with himself. This man has lit more cigarettes in his life than I have eaten Katsudon... and that speaks for itself. On one side, he is a ruthless psychopath, but on the other, a caring father for us all. He is always there for Lurker when he has his soggy days or when he finds a better shell and gets an existential crisis. Knuckleduster was always there to just be. He is here when Mei goes on her rampages to rein her in, or when she gets her genius overloads where she can stand for hours unresponsive with her saliva dripping from her mouth, he is there to wake her up. He was there when I was unloading my emotional burden and Katsuki's bullying. He is here to keep everybody safe and steady. He is a true beacon to us all, though Popstep needs to temper him from time to time,especially his greedy tendencies.
This feels like a place he belongs, he feels like he finaly found a family, not one like with his mom... nothing can replace her ever, this is like his second family of true friends.
He now knows that when the time comes he will be prepared, even though he no longer be helping them in their vigilante activites, he will help them as a hero, all of
them, no matter who they are or where they are. He will help those in need.
He will be a hero for all.
-Hunt or be Hunted-
Deep inside the void, there was a barren landscape. On this landscape, 8 thrones were placed, overlooking a giant mirror or portal. Sat upon these thrones were 8 figures that glowed in various colors. It seemed that all of them were captivated by what was happening in the portal. Some were drenched in cold sweat, some were disgusted, and one particular skeleton man looked like a kicked puppy.
It was a clear what was a cause of their distress, because soon voices could be heard coming from the portal.
In this portal were a boy with a bushy green hair laying on the ground burised and with tattered shirt, looked like it was literred with explosions, the boy eyes were wobbling and his down lip trembling.
-AND WHAT DO YOU KNOW ABOUT BEING A HERO SHITTY DEKU?! YOU THINK YOU CAN LOOK DOWN ON ME?! STOPPING ME FROM SHOWING ANOTHER LOSER HIS PLACE?!- A distant yet loud
voice could be heard booming from the portal, it was distant and muffled, yet still loud and clear. It was clouded by the memories fog.
-Kacchan please, stop, this is not kacchan I knew and been friends with.- Boy begged for naught as the demon before them grew in size thanks to boy's imagination.
-Yeah?!- Demon stuttered like he was hit by something he didn't expected or struck by bluntness of beaten boy's words. - YOU THINK SHITTY DEKU YOU CAN ORDER ME AROUND?! I WILL SHOW YOU... I WILL SHOW YOU WHAT FRIEND I AM... GET HIM SHITTY EXTRAS- Demon comanded his minions and with rows of jeering and impish laughing they lifted him up, then they stripped him of his clothes and dumped him on a boat.
The scene changed, and the boy was now on a boat in the middle of an endless water reservoir. As far as the eye could see, there was only water and silent crying. There were lights far ahead, but they didn't give any hope. They showed how far the little boat was from the coast, and they faintly reminded him that no help would come, as always. Only silent watching and waiting. The boat started getting wet from the inside and slowly started taking on water.
At the sight of that, Nana Shimura released a strangled gasp, as if she were the one being drowned. The bald guy, for once, wasn't chewing on anything and only stared as if he were somewhere else, where only he could be. His light green face, for once, showed some drastic emotion - utter disgust and disbelief at what he saw. The red one watched, hiding his face between the collar of his clothing with shaking eyes. Toshinori Yagi was crushed into his chair, looking around frantically as if seeking confirmation that what he was seeing was not actually what he was seeing. The white flamed one looked like he was having flashbacks from some war - in fact, he did have flashbacks from the war when the quirks appeared.
And now they are watching the consequences of their actions. It seems quirks have come full circle. In the beginning, those with quirks were outcasts. Now, the quirkless are. In the meantime of chasing after All For One, they have forgotten their true purpose: protecting society from evil, no matter where it comes from. The white-flamed one wiped sweat from his eyebrows. When he looks at it from this perspective, they have failed miserably. Somebody with bad intentions could manipulate people like Izuku to serve their needs. AFO is going to have a field day with all of that. And this is all their fault. How did it slip their minds?
-We fucked up big time aren't we?- Asked the white flaming one looking around.
-Yeah we are.- Said bald one seeing how ever stoic and soft spoken person like him is using curses right now, well soft spoken if he is not chasing his ass after him eating snacks, it is not entirely his fault he can conjure food and he cannot.
-How could this happen? I saw it all at once at the begining but now, it plays every time he sleeps like some sort of family drama, this is getting ridiculous! This is pure torture!- Nana wails.
- And now, HPSC has destroyed everything true heroes stand for, creating places like Mustafu and Kamino Ward, where quirkless individuals and those with 'weak' or 'villainous' quirks are seeking shelter. It disgusts me, what they have done. If I knew, I would just smash their building to kingdom come.- Toshinori says and coughs up some blood.- Damn it, even there my mistakes haunt me.- He says and looks up at his bloodied hand, while others watch this with amusement.- But at least he is gone, and we have a new goal.
You are right Toshinori, even if AFO is dead, it doesn't mean that his evil is not present. There are still his generals and servants, like that guy with the ink mask or something... I don't remember his name... I remember uncovering that he was one of their agents. It's good that HPSC didn't make his involvement public and took my warnings seriously. - Told one with red clothing now surrounded in purplish fog as his quirk activated.
The others noded while Bald one snapped his fingers.- He is waking up.- Next thing they saw was how boy was awoken shaken, all cowered in sweat and tears in his eyes. They could hear him mumbling to himself, though they were muffled they could hear his thoughts.
-I'am not here, he is not here, there is no water, I'am not on that boat, I'am not on that boat.- He was repeating to himself like a mantra.
After seeing this Nana got up from her throne and floated downwards where his vestige was being present and unmoving, since he was not present in the mindscape, and she hugged him.
After that, the white flaming one did the same, with Toshinori following. Then, the bald one with a slight reddish tint on him placed his hand on his shoulder, like a father trying to calm his son. The purplish one with red clothing moved his quirk smoke to envelop Izuku in his embrace. The green one released his presence and activated danger sense, knowing that in some way, being connected to him through OFA, he can calm him down by sending calming thoughts through danger sense that the boy now has, unbeknownst to Izuku.
His rapid breathing started calming down and Izuku felt like he was surrounded by a comforting blanket of love or hug from a friend, or loving embrace from his mother. And his panic attack recided. He sluggishly come up to his door to began the new day.
-We are with you Izuku , no matter where your journey takes you.-
-Hunt or be Hunted-
Izuku was standing in the middle of the park with his hands in his pockets. Nearby, people were gathering around a barriered event. He tapped his foot and waited for someone to arrive. That was the moment when he felt hands wrapping around his neck, and a happy squeal could be heard behind him. He smiled, recognizing that squeal. Turning around, he was greeted by a divine sight. In front of him stood his girlfriend, wearing a tank top cleverly designed to show off her stomach. She also wore jeans with punctured holes, giving her a fashionable and stunning appearance in Izuku's eyes.
-Hyo! You didn't expected me this early Zuzu!~- She said in her sing song voice with standard Himiko antics like swaying on her feet and blushing profusely.
-To be fair, I expected you because I invited us here! We are going to a concert!- He said while flashing her with two tickets for the concert. She squealed again, making Izuku blush as she snagged them, examining them carefully. While she was examining them, he took her by the arm and started leading them towards the entrance. He quickly learned that Himiko greatly treasures everything that is given to her as a gift, no matter how small. The first time was when he gave her ice cream with his blood, and the next time was when they went to the cinema to watch a movie. She clung to him throughout the entire movie. Once, he made a mistake by asking her why she acted this way, and she looked traumatized. He had heard her talk about her parents in her sleep. Those people... his fists clenched in barely restrained rage, as he was almost certain they were the reason for her current state and spiraling insanity. Maybe she treasured gifts so much because nobody had ever given her one before?
The more he thought about the reason the more he wanted to United States of Smash her parents to kingdom come. It doesn't matter he is quirkless, he would do it anyway. With his reality bending bullshit powers in his imagination. Yes, the image of their inevetable punishment that he vowed calmed him down a little.
But now, it's not the time. Himiko is happy. He is happy. They just arrived at the gates, and we showed our tickets. For a while, she must have given away her gift, and she honestly looked like a kicked puppy. This churned his stomach, and after a while, they got them back. She clutched the ticket to her chest like it was the best gift she was given in her life. After a while, when they were moving towards the stage, he recognized something. She had a purse, and when she opened it, she still had the same tissue from the ice cream he gave her the first time. He actually teared up from that, and she placed the ticket next to that and closed her purse, looking around like she was guarding an actual treasure. For the love of God she is so precious. His instincts instantly told him to protect her at all costs.
-Cute.- He said invoultarily.
-What's cute?- She asked looking around.
-Nothing, let's go to the concert. It is beginning to play.- He said, and they moved to the first stands and moved away to the corner where people were scarce, sitting as far away as possible for maximum privacy. Himiko melted herself into him, and they listened to the opening speech of the concert. They didn't pay any attention to it; they came here for themselves and to remember.
-*Gasp* No way!- Himiko said after unwrapping herself from Izuku's hug. -You remembered.- Her eyes shined like stars. This was the band Himiko was with her parents before her quirk manifested. Because of her quirk, her parents didn't take her anymore for any social events, and she really wanted to go to that concert badly. Himiko couldn't stop herself and hugged Izuku tightly as he tried to rasp out 'you're welcome' and failed miserably as his lungs were squashed of air. Himiko couldn't stop herself as well and on instinct sunk her fangs into his arm. After a while, she remembered where she is and what she is doing. -I'm sorry.- She said a little sheepish.
-There is no problem.- He answered and for a while they listened to music being played and singing of popular singer, Izuku was sure her family name was Kyoka or something, it is probably worth thing to remember for future outings.
-You know I wanted to ask you a certain thing.-
-Mhm?-
-Why naked apron?-
And she froze, and after a while, her entire face was red. -I read a book, and it said it is a good strategy if you love somebody- she said, trying not to burst into giggles and failing miserably. She opened her purse and gave that book to him. He wasn't angry at her. In the month of their relationship, he explained to her her own feelings and wants and separated her quirky created wants from real love. It took a while, and he probably was stabbed at least once, but it was certainly worth it. She passed the book to him and he opened the pages and skimmed through it, then a thought struck him. - Himi... how do you actually read that book? Do read it? Or...-
-Oh no, that would be boring and not cute to do. I only have it because it has cute pictures,- she said. And everything was clear to him. She didn't actually read anything. He should have known that. He facepalmed when he gave her his notebooks at the cinema. She didn't really read it, only commented on the cute drawings. Then a dreadful thought struck him.
-Himiko... can you actually read? - He asked her looking her in the eyes and she lowered her head in shame. How? How she cannot? Or is it some autistic behavior, that resulted from brain damage... no... it would mean... it would mean that after not ingesting blood for at least 8 years of her life she suffered some damage from deficency of blood.
-Himiko after the concert ends I'am taking you to the doctor.-
-But I don't wanna!- Himiko childishly pouts and puffs out her cheeks like a woman-child she is.
-We need to, after what happened to you, I don't want for your health to decline ever further.-
-But I'am healthy!-
-No, you are not.-
-I don't wanna needle!- She hisses like a cat.
-There will be no needles.-
-Promise?-
-Promise-
In truth there were needles.
-Hunt or be Hunted-
Izuku was walking out from the doctor office happily, with multiple stab and bite wounds but happy, because his kitty was healthy, his kitty? She really behaves like a cat sometimes, he remembers when he wanted to take away a blood vile she found somewhere in the trash and she acutally scratched him with her fingernails and hissed at him, he wasn't mad at her though, is this how cat owners feel like?
-ITS BETTER FOR YOU BOTH IF I NEVER SEE HER THERE AGAIN!- Yelled out Stitch behind their back as Himiko separated from him coming her own way, to cool down. She
will be fine later. Probably. Maybe after she stab him one more time she will be fine.
Ah yes, he was kind of angry after she literally danced around his operating table when he tried to take a blood sample from her. It seems Himiko likes taking blood from someone, and it doesn't go both ways. Good to know. Maybe it is a safety measure developed from her quirk so she doesn't drink herself out of blood? Maybe. It is good to add to notes about her. In truth, he had a special entry on her in his notebook. Notebook number 13# is almost finished, and he will place it next to the other ones on his bookshelf.
Before he could delve deeper into that thought, he heard yelling. Looking around, he saw a group of four people ganging up on one guy with purple hair. He sighed. It is not Musutafu, nor is it Kamino Ward, to move around as he pleases. In truth, he never met a hero or a police officer during one of his patrols when catching simple thugs. In truth, it was one-sided when he used ambushes to his advantage, like the first time when he was on patrol with Knuckleduster. But now he has to think fast. He doesn't have his vigilante gear on himself. The only thing he has are brass knuckles. Yes, brass knuckles. His sensei beat into him that moving without a weapon is a foolish endeavor, even when you are not a vigilante these days. As for the choice of weapon, he doesn't like knives because he doesn't want villains to die on his watch. They are people too.
Gathering himself together and steeling his resolve, he rushed into the alley where thugs surrounded a purple-haired guy. Jumping upwards, using his momentum, he found himself on the roof within minutes. Knuckleduster called it Aizawa's special, but when Izuku asked him who Aizawa was, he didn't answer. Now, he hangs on the corner of the roof in Stain style, leaning slightly more forward than him to look down and assess the situation.
He clicked his tongue. It wasn't good, and he didn't have much time. The first thing he saw was two guys with Mohawk hair holding a boy. Yes, he appeared to be a similar age to him upon closer inspection. Then, one of the thugs in front of them said something to him, and Izuku listened. -Guess justice finally caught up to you, villain! You thought you could run around and brainwash people, well not on my watch!- he yelled, spilling his saliva everywhere. The other guys seemed to be holding the boy by his jaw to prevent him from speaking. It seemed like they were more scared of what he could do with his quirk, probably voice-activated brainwashing. They didn't seem too careful earlier when they yelled and jeered as they dragged him into that alley.
The fourth one was watching the exit, so nobody would interfere, pretty smart for a bunch of street thugs and to add salt to injury quirkists, those are the worst kind of people, he hates them the most. Then he sees as one of the thugs brings his palm infront of the purple haired boy head, it was glowing like a...
-Shit! Its termite!- What to do?! What to do? The time he supposed he had is running short and if he doesn't do something drastic this guy could be shorter by the head. So he does what the most responsible vigilante would do.
TRASH
Everybody froze on the spot as one of the large trash containers burst up with dust and trash all around them. They, for a moment, stopped their attention at the boy, at which he capitalized on by kicking the termite hand guy in the crotch. He released a scream like something from a cartoon, clutching his mutilated manhood, before the rest of them woke up. The purple-haired one elbowed one of the thugs holding him in the jaw, and just as the second captor retaliated, he got hit in the back by a fully body slam kick, causing him to fold like a chair and lose consciousness. Izuku ducked as a sharp pain alerted him in his brain to dodge. He didn't know why, but he felt like he needed to do it. Next to him, on the wall, a pair of hooks made of bone embedded themselves with shattering force, sending bricks flying around. He looked upwards at the short guy who now had meat-like chains for hands, which ended in those hooks. It seemed like quite a weakness to have. If he were Knuckleduster, he would grab him by them and strangle him with them.
You know what, he is actually doing just that. So he ran and jumped onto the fleshy chains, running on them with impressive agility, showing his unwavering sense of balance. He slammed his shoes into the man's face, causing him to recoil and land behind him. This time, he was guarding the entrance of the alley, not letting anyone escape. The purple-haired boy was trying to dodge wide swipes from two Mohawk thugs. It seems they are twins and have the same quirks - blades protruding from their elbows. Not good. As the one in front of him struggled to stand up, he lifted him up by his retracted meat chains, forcing them out of his body painfully, making the guy scream in agony. Then he lifted the guy and threw him like a shot put, slamming him into the backs of unsuspecting villains, breaking them apart like bowling pins. It seems all of them have fallen unconscious, and the only guy left is...
THUD
Just when he was about to rush towards the last thug and the first he stroke, he collapsed as somebody landed on him slamming him into the ground with a pityful groan. It was a figure shrouded in darkness, wearing black attirre, the only distinctive detail was a white scarf, he knew that scarf.
He slowly looked more upwards and saw a yellow googles dangling from the mans neck and he looked even farther and saw a the most tired looking eyes he saw in his life, and a storm of black hair that looked very unkempt.
They stare at eachother, one with tired eyes and the other with his mouth agape and wide eyes.
Staring contest ended when Izuku opened his mouth to speak.
-Hunt or be Hunted-