24/09/2024

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The Emperor's Dragon
Dragon 54 - Public Service Villainy

It was safe to say that none of them expected that and Izuku was pleased to see that even if Mr Compress was sore from yesterday, he was quick to react. He had thought the door was locked! Izuku was willing to bet that Gigantomachia thought the door was locked too, or he would have been on guard.

The woman who had cried for help ran further into the room and the door slammed again as two men entered. Izuku activated Scales and Hardening as he brought his other quirks to the fore.

"Help me!" the woman cried, and Izuku realised he recognised her. This was Kamoni, the woman he'd helped and who he'd then seen again at the check out when he was first buying groceries when they'd moved here.

He looked at the two men. They were muscular, wearing sleeveless shirts, even though it was winter. No doubt it was to show off their muscles and the scars that were visible. There was a particular arrogance with the way they moved that Izuku didn't like.

"Kamoni?" Izuku said softly.

"Please!" she begged. "I won't go back."

It didn't exactly explain the situation.

"Look, you are making this harder than it's gotta be," one of the men said. "Just come with us."

"No!"

"The lady does not wish to," Mr Compress told them. He was standing and actually looked odd without his walking stick and hat. Izuku could see several pearls between his fingers, and wondered where they had come from. He didn't appear to have any pockets in what he was wearing. He knew what he'd be told if he asked. A magician did not reveal their secrets.

"It's not up to you," the other guy snapped. "Her husband just wants to see her."

"Ex!" Kamoni spat. "I'm not going back!" she yelled, her voice full of desperation.

When Izuku had first met Kamoni, he'd never asked what the issue was. Instead he'd given her some fruit and the address of a shelter. He'd known she was in some sort of trouble but he hadn't ever been really curious as to what and then the second time he'd seen her, she'd never volunteered the information. It wasn't something that was his business.

But now that she was here, in front of him, in his bar, it was his business. As far as he knew Kamoni had regular shifts at the supermarket and she was moving on with her life. These guys wanted to drag her back and it was obvious she didn't want to go. He could knock them unconscious with Dragon's Hoard if he grabbed their quirks, but then they had to decide what to do with the bodies, and they'd get no information.

"I don't believe she wants to see her husband," Mr Compress commented.

Himiko snorted but didn't move from where she was.

"If you leave, I'll forget this happened," Izuku announced, bringing attention to himself. He'd chosen one of the back tables to sit at and knew that he wasn't immediately visible because of the shadows and because, while it was winter, it was light outside, and their eyes would still be adjusting to the relative gloom of the bar. He could see fine. Between Cat's Eye and Perfect Night Vision, he could see everything as if it was under clear, white light.

"Her husband just wants to talk."

"No!" Kamoni yelled.

Izuku had no idea who her husband was but when one of the men took a step towards her, he reacted. He reached out with chain, wrapping them around the arms and legs of each of the men. Then he pulled them tight. That pushed the two men off balance and they fell to the ground, looking like huge, chain wrapped caterpillars.

"Mr Compress, if you would please?" Izuku asked.

Atsuhiro knew what he wanted and quickly moved forward to touch the two men, and they disappeared. Izuku watched as the pearls containing them disappeared and he still had no idea where Mr Compress had put them.

"Kamoni," he said, letting the scales fade, "are you okay?" he asked.

She was staring at the place the men had been, breathing heavily. "I…" Kamoni swallowed, obviously gathering herself. Izuku waited as she took several deep breaths and he saw that she was trembling but it was fading. "I will be," she finally said. "Thank you."

"Izu, who is this?" Himiko asked curiously.

"This is Kamoni," Izuku introduced her as Mr Compress helped her to her feet. "She's one of the check out ladies at the grocery store," he explained how he knew her. Technically speaking Kamoni wasn't a check out lady as more the theft prevention woman. Most places could track what was in his basket and while they could fully automate, sounding an alarm if someone left without paying, most places had people there. Stores had discovered that making sure they had employees led to a reduction in theft since people no longer believed they were stealing from a big, faceless corporation but from someone. They'd done all sorts of studies, and people being present made all the difference.

"Kamoni, what happened?" Izuku asked her as he came forward into the better lit part of the tap room. He'd let Hardening and Scales fade so that he looked normal.

"My husband," she said, shaking her head.

"He's the reason I first met you?" Izuku asked.

Kamoni nodded.

"Who is he?" Mr Compress asked, as he led her to a table and held a chair for her. He was every inch the gallant.

"His name is Kaigiin Shigi," Kamoni told them, making it sound like they should know who he was.

Izuku glanced between Yakuni, Himiko and Mr Compress but he could tell none of them recognised the name.

"He's a City Councillor," she continued.

"Oh," Izuku said.

"Possessive?" Himiko chuckled.

Kamoni nodded. "I knew he wouldn't like it when I left but I had no other choice. And I know he hasn't found me until now."

Izuku nodded. It was safe to say that if her husband had found her earlier then the men would have been sent earlier. They could make the men disappear, without killing them simply by leaving them in Atsuhiro's pearls but that wouldn't solve the problem of her husband. Men like them were a dime a dozen and even though he was a Councillor, he obviously had some connections.

"Do you have anything you can use against him?" Izuku asked carefully. If they just let Kamoni walk out of here, then there was every chance her husband would try again, and this time she might not make it here.

Kamoni looked at the table and her expression soured. Izuku figured she had something but didn't want to use it. "I left him because he was an abusive, selfish prick and I could take that. It was when he started with other women that I-" she didn't finish. "In some ways I was happy, because it meant he wasn't focused on me but then he wanted me to be there too! To have sex with them as well and-" Kamoni shook her head.

Izuku was reminded of what his dad had told him that time. Like everything his father had told him, it could be viewed in several ways. His dad had never mentioned using sex as a weapon, but Izuku wasn't that naive now. He knew it could be but he also knew that if sex was being used as a weapon then his dad wanted him to be the one wielding it.

Just do not be forced into anything you aren't ready for.

He wasn't going to be, and it seemed Kamoni was the same.

"What happened?" Himiko asked without any trace of shame. She sounded genuinely curious but equally completely non-judgmental.

"I went along with it. He had a camera set up so I made sure he-" she paused, searching for a word, "-engaged first and then when he said I should join, I grabbed the camera and ran."

Himiko laughed. "Good for you!" she congratulated Kamoni.

"That's the day I met you?" Izuku asked.

"Close enough," she replied and from the answer Izuku figured there'd been a few days when she'd been wandering the streets.

"Why didn't you blackmail him with the film?" Yakuni asked.

The question seemed insensitive but it was sensible. "Because he'd insist on negotiating in person and once I was there-" Kamoni shrugged as if that explained everything. Once she was with her husband, he would no doubt demand the film, or keep her incarcerated or any number of things. And sure, Kamoni could have lined someone up to take a copy to the Police or a Hero or someone but with her husband being a Councillor… The film would go missing and it would be a he said, she said case and he had the more respectable role.

But his position was not unassailable.

"What do you want?" Izuku asked her.

"I just want him to leave me alone!" Kamoni declared.

There was silence in the bar for a few moments as Izuku thought but he already knew what his answer was going to be. Seeing Kamoni had reminded him of how good it had felt to help her that first time. "I think I can arrange that," he told her.

She gasped and looked at him with wide, disbelieving eyes.

"You keep the original video safe, but I'll need a copy of it," Izuku said as he thought. Blackmail was a crime, and if he was engaging in villainy then like murder, he really should have some experience. "Then I'll have a chat with your husband. At that point, I think he'll see things my way."

"But you're-" Kamoni didn't finish but he knew what she was thinking. He was so young.

Yakuni laughed at that, so did Himiko while Mr Compress discretely looked away.

"I have more resources than you think," Izuku replied. "And… to prevent him sending any more thugs after you, I think you will need a bodyguard," he reflected. If this worked out right, he'd have a Councillor under his thumb and the cost of paying for a bodyguard would be cheap!

"What?" She demanded.

"Someone who can discourage other thugs," Izuku said as if it was obvious. He even knew who he'd ask to take the job. The guy who'd found that vigilante. He was quirkless but Izuku remembered he was well muscled and already experienced if he needed the favour to get a job with one of the gangs. He'd likely done enforcer work before and being a bodyguard couldn't be that much different. He'd adapt.

"I can't pay for that," Kamoni said.

"It's on me," Izuku told her but was aware that he had to give her a reason he'd make that outlay. "I owe you 'cos you haven't reported us," he explained. It wasn't the truth but it would do.

"Of course not!" Kamoni seemed offended. "You guys being here actually means the neighbourhood is safer!"

He cocked his head to ask for an explanation.

"The usual toughs don't know who's here, they just know that you guys are bigger than them, and they've steered clear. It's helped that you haven't gone out much but it has made a difference."

"Huh," Izuku said. He hadn't thought about things like that. He needed to. "Well, hopefully we can remain discrete," he said. "I think for today you can go back to your job since your husband won't know they failed yet. And I'll make arrangements to see him and for that bodyguard," he said.

"You are serious about that?"

"Yes," Izuku said. There was no point in lying.

Kamoni got up and bowed to him. "Thank you." Her voice trembled but he could tell she was sincere.

"I want to change society to be better," Izuku told her. "While I admit, I thought changing society would look a bit different, how can I say I truly want to help people see that things can be better, that should be better, if I can't even help one person?"

She gave him a smile and another nod but said nothing.

"Send me those files, and do not worry about your husband. He won't be bothering you again," Izuku reassured her as Kamoni opened the door to leave.

"Thank you," she said once again before slipping through it and disappearing.

The thud of the door closing sounded heavier than it was but it marked silence in the tap room.

"What was that?" Mr Compress demanded.

"An opportunity," Izuku replied. "We just discussed that it would be necessary to get someone in government."

"We did not!"

"By implication," Izuku agreed, waving away the objection.

Atsuhiro huffed. "By implication," he accepted the words. "But you can't really believe that a corrupt Councillor would be the person you need in government?" he pointed out the very obvious flaw in Izuku's thoughts.

"Definitely not," Izuku confirmed. "But I am interested in him for the contacts he represents. He may be able to lead us to someone who is more of a paragon of the people," he explained.

"That's a long shot," Mr Compress was doubtful.

"It's better than my current shot," Izuku replied.

The magician stared at him for a few moments before he snorted, and actually laughed as he sat back in the chair. "You got me there," he allowed.

"This will also foster more good will in the neighbourhood," Izuku noted.

"Just so long as we don't make it too clean," Atsuhiro retorted. "Then the heroes will want to know who cleaned up and that wouldn't be good."

"True," Izuku nodded his agreement. "Anyway, I'd better make some phone calls," he added. He had to call Giran to get the details of the quirkless guy… and he really shouldn't think of him like that but Izuku realised he didn't know his name. And Yakuni had best get to his warehouse for the day and he had to talk to Kurogiri about the Police Captain and…

"Atsuhiro, do you know if anyone has found anything about Tartarus?" Izuku asked, as he pulled out his phone to type a message to Giran. Are you free to talk? He sent.

"Nothing really useful," the magician replied immediately. "I can tell you where it is, how to access it, but beyond that-" he shrugged, and then winced at his muscles protested.

"Do you think we could find out who one of the guards is?" Whisper asked.

They whirled to face her.

"How long have you been there?" Himiko demanded. Whisper was sitting at one of the back tables with a fresh pot of tea in front of her.

"I came in just as the lady was leaving," she admitted.

Izuku hadn't even sensed her presence, or smelt the tea, so he gave her a congratulatory nod. "What were you thinking with grabbing one of the guards?"

"They will have information about the defenses," Whisper said.

"They won't give it up," Yakuni pointed out. "At least not without being persuaded… though-" He fell silent as he thought.

"They are likely to be monitored," Atsuhiro said slowly. "I think I recall hearing once that if you become a Tartarus Guard then it's not like other prisons, you are always on duty."

"Really?"

"Not quite literally," he allowed. "But before you are allowed back on site, they are questioned about their downtime."

Izuku's phone buzzed with a message and he looked down at it. For you, Dragon, always. He grinned and typed a reply. I'll come over then. That would give him time to finish this conversation and then go and find Kurogiri to take him to see the broker. He needed a driver! For those times when he needed to go places and Kurogiri wasn't available.

Yakuni pulled a face at Mr Compress' information but he continued thinking. "I think there are ways around that questioning, but I'd definitely want to know more."

"Ways around it?" Whisper asked.

The young scientist nodded. "Dragon took Confession, which can force people to answer truthfully, so you could use that to know the guard isn't lying. Then there's quirks that can make people forget, and if we could find out what biometric scanning they do, Himiko might be able to imitate one of the guards."

"I think their scanning will be too good for that," Atsuhiro said, shaking his head.

"Probably," Yakuni agreed with a shrug.

"There's also what can be learned across a pillow," Himiko put in.

Izuku's eyes went wide and he turned to look at her. "I can'-" he couldn't finish.

Himiko huffed and rolled her eyes at him. "Izu. I sleep with who I want, when I want but I wasn't suggesting that," she shook her head. "Just bug a bedroom and get the woman to ask, then there isn't anything done to the guard."

Izuku blinked and felt oddly relieved. Himiko was right. She could sleep with who she wanted, whenever she wanted. That was her choice and if she asked him, he'd be more than happy to- And this was not what he should be thinking about. "That's a good idea actually," Izuku admitted. And it was an easy idea. It might not get them much information but it could perhaps confirm something they knew.

"Could I ask you guys to start finding some Tartarus guards?" he said, looking around

Whisper and Mr Compress nodded. He might have asked, but they knew it was an order. Himiko grinned and Yakuni sighed. "I'll look into quirk combinations that could be useful," he indicated.

"Please," Izuku agreed. "I'll go and see Giran to sort out Kamoni," he indicated with a grin, picking up the teapot Kurogiri had delivered earlier and snagging the cups.

"What do you want to do with the morons?" Atsuhiro asked, showing off two pearls that he pulled from the air.

He'd almost forgotten about them. Izuku grinned. "Let's keep 'em for a couple of days, and then just drop them off somewhere," he decided. That seemed to be the easiest solution.

Mr Compress grinned and nodded.

"Right, now, to work!"

The statement was light hearted but it was the truth. Being a villain was as much work as being a hero. If you did it right.

He was going to do it right.

-ted-

Yeah, this wasn't meant to happen with Kamoni. She was meant to be a throw away little feel good moment to show that while Izuku is a villain, he's still a caring person. The back storying with her POS husband was the same but yeah... then something came up... and this was at least part of the result. But Izuku establishing a little kingdom in one suburb is a good start to establishing a larger kingdom. He can get practice on the small scale and the people will appreciate it.

More language butchering: 市議会議員 = Shigikai giin = City Councilor

Discord is on this code: TcBnRN7aDn FFN will remove links but you should be able to figure that out. There's a heap of other authors there, so come along and chat to us all! Not just about MHA.

-ted-

Loved it? Hated it? Found a spelling mistake? Let me know please!