Tomura hummed as he idly looked through the page he brought up on his laptop.
Searching through the website for some loot for his party this coming event season.
He wouldn't be able to get them anything in the same class as Deku's loot drops but that didn't mean he couldn't get them both something that would be helpful.
Unfortunately, the item descriptions weren't helpful in determining the exact boosts that the items had or gave once equipped.
He could read between the lines, but Tomura still disliked the vague wording of the boosts.
At least Tomura knew what items and bonus stats he needed to find for the two of them.
Green had some nice coats with cold resistance, but Tomura had plans for buying a nicer one with a larger cold resistance and a charisma bonus if possible.
There were some modders out there that could make some custom gear skins that would be more reflective of his party members tastes.
He did recall that their kit had asked if the shoes he wore came with a Lucario theme instead of his Yamper one, so he already had a base idea was just what their kit would love to have on his new gear for casual play.
He just needed to find the perfect accompanied character roster for the theme.
Deku had placed a lot of thought into the characters he added to his loot, and he wouldn't to skimp on either of their gear.
The mods for Green though were going to be a bit more complicated though.
Because he wanted the loot he got them to be either practical or for casual play, and the casual gear would be rather easy, but finding custom practical gear would be a touch harder for both of them.
Green was an engineer class in IRL with a sub-class as a rouge, something he was very proud of his ranger for managing so well, but that left him a bit stumped in getting practical stuff.
He was not fully familiar with the programming track of the engineer class that Green picked, Green complained about some of his tools but that didn't give him a great idea of which ones would be useful or even the good kind of tools.
Price did not mean it was the best option for his ranger.
Currently his best idea would be to have a custom pair of goggles made for Green that would protect his eyes and maybe have a night vision option.
However, most of the mods focused more on the theme of the gear they were making and not the bonus that could be added.
And he hadn't found a theme that wouldn't be too bulky, making its debuffs too much hassle for proper usage in the day-to-day.
Miles' practical gear was easier to find but came with the tradeoff of picking which one would specifically be 'the' right one for their kit.
It felt like choosing which of the eeveelutions should be the first one picked up if they were all so easily accessed.
Miles had plans to be in the hero class but there were a lot of sub-classes and Miles hadn't locked into which one he wanted yet, the gear he gave the kit would likely influence which sub-class he chose.
He had a few thrown out already just based on Miles current alinement, as fun as it would be to have all of their party as rouges in class or sub-class Miles wouldn't hack it in the heroic sub-class of rouges.
He knew that the hero rouges handled things that would be too much for Miles to mentally handle.
But an engineer sub-class wouldn't be good for him either, having an interest in tech was different from being able to work the field and he could see that Miles would be easily frustrated over all of the actual work that came with the class.
He was torn on whether the Berserker sub-class would also be too much violence for their kit but didn't toss it aside completely yet.
Hence his current surfing through the net for better ideas for the loot he could give and some stronger leanings for Miles' future sub-class route.
He did leave pins on a few pages with gear aimed towards the fighter and monk classes as a backup since they most aligned with his current exp points collected and routes chosen.
Tomura still had time to browse the shops, the event season wouldn't reach its peak for another twenty days, he'd need to ask Deku for some more investigation exp though so he could better sniff out what sub-class Miles would fit best in.
A timer went off on his phone and Tomura sighed, putting his laptop in sleep mode and set it on his desk before leaving his room to get himself something to drink.
Even if his health and status bar were doing better the imposed breaks were annoying, still he was glad his skin was doing better and that it didn't flake off or scratch himself as much.
The bath bombs did make up for the usual boring bathing cutscenes though.
Walking down to the bar Tomura walked behind the bar, carefully moving around Giri to find the correct bottles and made himself the correct beverage.
"You're getting better with your mixing Master Tomura." Giri mentioned and Tomura puffed his chest a little, proud that he had been getting better with this skill tree.
He was so glad that Deku pointed out how his favorite games all shared a similar skill tree and that he could have Giri help train him in it since Giri was already a master of it.
It was surprisingly easy with Giri's help as a tutorial and he did love the mini games it opened up to him in IRL.
Tomura sat down at the bar and considered whether he wanted to make some food as well when the tv gave a warning hum that it was going to turn on.
Somehow, in an instant all of Tomura's good mood was shot down.
The awful creeping sensation that now followed their interactions made Tomura's tongue feel heavy in his mouth.
The image of Sensei came across the screen, revealing the man's scarred face and parts of the machines keeping his Sensei's many status effects from ending his character as well.
"Ah, it seems that I have tuned in at an opportune time." Sensei commented with a grin "Saves Kurogiri the time of fetching you from your room Tomura." Sensei teasingly said, making Tomura's stomach drop even further.
Normally when Sensei was looking to talk with him it meant that either a mission had come up or it was time for one of the doctor's very infuriating mini-games.
Neither would be good.
The doctor's mini-games would always take weeks and the hints of what he needed to do were very unhelpful now that he could tell the hints were just meaningless dribble.
A mission on the other hand was one that would probably be better if only just a little bit.
Killing people could be messy and before he wouldn't have blinked twice.
He still could do that, but it would be the nightmares afterwards that would make it hard to maintain his sleep bar.
The nightmares were probably an unexpected debuff of Quirkless-Ally, it was the only reason he could think of why they would only pop up now after all of these years.
He really wished those cutscenes were skippable.
Watching Deku melting away under his hands always made his sanity bar dip dangerously low and that was before the dreams got worse and the ashy pulp of Deku re-shaped itself to different Nomus afterwards.
"Oh," Tomura muttered, playing off his discomfort as bored annoyance by putting his face in a free hand.
"You going to give me my seasonal loot drop early Sensei?" Tomura asked, lightly scratching his neck since his not doing that would look suspicious.
Sensei chuckled.
"I suppose you could look at it that way Tomura, though I believe you will be much more excited for what I have to tell you." Sensei informed him.
Officially thrown off guard Tomura sat up a little straighter.
Sensei would not say that if it was a mission or one of the doctor's mini-games.
Sensei knew and acknowledged that he hated the mini-games and would have been apologetic about it and promised him a bigger loot drop for event day.
And if it was a mission that he would still apologize for how boring things were and tell him about the mission as a way for stress relief.
This was unknown territory.
"You see, Tomura it is finally time for you to begin our main quest line and I have a little gift for you to help you along the way." Sensei told him with mirth.
Tomura's eyes went wide, his mouth falling open slightly.
He was going to start the main quest? After all of this time they were going to start the main quest?
The one to tear apart hero society?
They were going to start the quest without Sensei even telling him how the quest was supposed to end?
Sure, in a lot of roleplaying games you are not supposed to know everything or even the direct results of what each action you take has, but the players still had some idea of what the end goal was.
And he still didn't know what his Sensei's end goal of tearing hero society apart was.
Well, Sensei did mention that he would be giving him something that would help him, maybe it was the quest's full storyline or some kind of plan they would be trying to follow for an end result?
"What kind of gift?" Tomura tentatively asked, making Sensei grin.
"Well Tomura, I'm sure you know how I feel about the commercial nature of heroes. Much less their stranglehold on the power in our country" Sensei reminded him, and Tomura obediently nodded without speaking.
It was one of the few points that still comforted him about his Sensei, that he and Deku both agreed that the heroes of today were more like prized cattle than humans working a very tough and dangerous job.
And he personally hated how people looked at heroes as if they were untouchable angels, beings of impeccable morals.
A hatred that had only been reinforced once he saw that the heroes were so cruel to Deku.
"And the best way to unroot their ties and put them in their proper place would be to shake the public's trust in them, no?" Sensei asked.
Tomura felt his guts turn about how much the question made him feel baited into answering the way he could see his Sensei wanted him too.
"Yeah." Tomura replied.
"So, the best way to do that would be to show everyone the truth of how the heroes truly are." Sensei told Tomura.
He wondered how they were going to do that, maybe gathering years' worth of evidence of heroes wronging the people, Tomura knew of more than one place where they could get the footage.
Tomura would like to see the public's outcry once they were forced to watch one of their 'darling' heroes assaulting and falsely accusing civilians because of their quirks or even abusing their status to force their fans into doing something awful.
Deku would probably be proud of him too for doing that too.
"And what better way to do that, then to show how recklessly the heroes are treating the children that are so lovingly put into their care?" Sensei said with an even larger grin and a chuckle that sent a chill down his spine.
Tomura stared at Sensei glad that the man couldn't see the brief flicker of horror on his face.
He couldn't be reading his Sensei's intentions right, his Sensei wasn't a saint, Tomura had long accepted that fact.
But he just couldn't believe that his Sensei would want him to attack a school of children, a group of kids that could be just like Miles.
To harm a bright-eyed kid that just wanted to help like his party member.
His kit.
His Sensei could not be going with this the way he feared his Sensei was.
"It will be such a scandal when the world's best hero school will be publicly known for a villain attack where their students were harmed, or how delicious the outrage would be if one of the students died during the attack. How else could they react when the parents start demanding answers for their children's blood?" Sensei teasingly asked him grinning.
Tomura though felt something in his heart utterly shatter as he stared in open disbelief at Sensei.
Sensei wanted him to attack U.A.
The school that was protecting Deku and he knew was Miles's dream school to attend next year.
The school where so many of Deku's students were willing to openly stand by Deku's side and defend him from the bigoted heroes in the system.
Sensei wanted him to hurt those kids.
To kill them for what? Prove a point?
Tomura knew that it would make the majority of NPCs lose faith in the heroes, it would probably absolutely shake the very core of the country if not the world if he did kill some of U.A's students.
But Tomura couldn't do that.
The idea of it alone made him feel wrong in ways that he didn't know he could.
How could he ever look Deku in the eye after doing something like that, knowing that Deku would know he was behind the attack instantly?
How the fuck was he supposed to explain what he'd done?
Much less ever be in the same room as Miles without wanting to throw up from the guilt of what he'd done?
And if Miles found out what he'd done?
His kit would never forgive him.
"Of course, Tomura, I would never expect you to do this alone. You've grown quite a bit these last couple of years but attacking U.A. is still quite above your current skill level," Sensei mused on waving his hand carelessly and moving on despite Tomura's silence.
"But there's this old joke that I'm sure you know of," Sensei before he called out for Giri.
"It's dangerous to go alone, take this." Sensei quoted as Giri opened a portal and Tomura felt tense expecting a Nomu to leave the portal.
But what came out was so much worse.
A young blonde boy timidly was forced out of the mist, his steps unsteady as if he never went through one of Giri's portals before now and he looked rather terrified as he held his stomach.
He could not be any older than Deku and immediately Tomura could tell from the shoes the boy was wearing that he was quirkless.
"This is Aoyama Yuga," Sensei said introducing the trembling, pale boy.
"Think of him as a, pawn. He'll be our eyes and ears inside U.A. next year after he passes the entrance exam, until then though he'll need to stay with you." Sensei informed him and Aoyama ducked his head shamefully
"Do make sure not to break him before then." Sensei jokingly ordered no doubt referencing how he used his quirk on villains that Sensei had sent before and annoyed Tomura in the past.
A small whimper from Aoyama making it clear the boy also knew what Sensei meant and the sound made Sensei chuckle.
The sound another stab to his heart as Sensei's cruelty was so boldly rubbed in his face.
"I'll check on how he's settling in later, I have a meeting with the doctor that I need to get back to. Play nice with your new toy Tomura." Sensei teased before the tv cut out and went dark.
Leaving Tomura to stew in the all that had been dropped so suddenly on him.
Alone with the boy about to start crying at any moment and a silently watching Giri, and Tomura sitting at the bar unsure what he should do with himself.
Unable to take his eyes off of Aoyama as his mind raced.
He couldn't do this, he couldn't accept this quest no matter how much he worked for it Tomura could not go through with something like this.
But this wasn't a game, Tomura couldn't push a button and make this whole situation go away and just forget about it.
And if he refused to go through with it he knew deep down that Sensei would never accept that.
Sensei would make him do it regardless or... Sensei would just replace him with someone that wouldn't have his newfound hangups.
Someone that would not hesitate to rip through Miles without blinking.
The very thought made his tongue feel like it was covered in the ashy-bloody pulp of one of his victims and he had to hold back from gagging.
What the hell was he supposed to do?
A soft sound of Aoyama's tears hitting the ground somehow cut through his thoughts and brought his mind back to the boy standing in front of him, a boy that was probably even more terrified than Tomura could imagine.
His mind immediately being reeled back to the day of the sports festival and how broken Miles looked that day as he cried.
Tomura's hands clenched.
"Giri go make me something, I don't care what I'm hungry." Tomura told Giri, his voice feeling so thick as he spoke.
"As you wish Master Tomura." Giri replied, disappearing to the kitchen and leaving him alone with Aoyama.
"Aoyama come over here, now." Tomura ordered.
Aoyama gulped and hesitated but ultimately walked over, clearly absolutely terrified of getting within arms distance but more scared of disobeying him.
"Look at me." Tomura said since the boy hadn't dared to raise his head and Tomura knew this interaction would need eye contact to make his dialogue choices really land.
Watery blue eyes met his, the fear there deeply etched itself into Tomura's heart.
Maybe it was another side-effect of Quirkless-Ally that neither he nor Deku knew of before, or perhaps it was how easy it was to see Miles in Aoyama despite the boy's foreign features, but some distant part of his mind could not stand for it.
"You were quirkless before, weren't you?" Tomura inquired, the boy immediately winced, and his shoulders hunched together.
Aoyama nodded his head very slightly his arms drawing tighter around his stomach.
"How'd Sensei get his hands on you?" Tomura asked.
Aoyama looked away from him, his hands tightly clenched.
"My parents don't want that kind of life for me." Aoyama timidly answered, his voice very soft and deeply accented.
Tomura scowled, already able to see what must have happened.
The boy's parents must have gone to Sensei in order to get Aoyama a quirk of some kind and of course Sensei would take advantage of them.
"Is Sensei holding them over your head?" Tomura guessed not needing the boy's answer to know it was true, but Aoyama's nod was appreciated, nonetheless.
It would make things more complicated than, he had no doubts that securing Aoyama's parents would be a necessity to keep the boy alive and earn his trust, a loyalty mission like for the mass effect trilogy.
But there must be a way to get through this, it was just going to suck and Tomura would need to be very careful with all of his choices and how to spend his resources now.
"I know that Sensei has been very clear about your role and what you have to do to keep your parents alive," Tomura stated standing up from the stool he was on.
Aoyama ducking his head instinctively and flinching as he stopped himself from stepping back and away from him.
"But I have no intention in attacking U.A. and we will not allow Sensei to either." Tomura whispered to Aoyama, just in case.
Giri was in the kitchen, but he didn't need to risk something like this.
The boy's head snapped back up to look at him, mouth open to ask something and Tomura covered Aoyama's mouth with his hand, the boy freezing.
Tomura watched as fear bled into confusion no doubt expecting to fall apart with Tomura's bare hand on his face.
"Be quiet, Giri will keep this a secret but he's a Nomu and will need plausible deniability if Sensei directly asks him." Tomura warned under his breath.
Giri was already keeping Deku underwraps, but he didn't want to risk this being one of the things that Giri had to tell Sensei.
Aoyama's face didn't change and his confusion was still front and center.
"Look I don't have enough time to explain everything to you right now, but you don't want to hurt anyone and want your parents free right?" Tomura questioned.
Aoyama nodded rapidly.
"And I don't want to attack a bunch of hero brats, so we'll form a party for now and we'll pretend that we're going along with it for now until I figure out some way to get us both out of this mess." Tomura told the boy.
Disbelief was clear on the boy's face.
Tomura knew that Aoyama's reaction was no doubt deserved, he'd earned himself a reputation.
"Just do your best to keep your head down and pass along as little as you can get away with, I'll handle everything else, got it?" Tomura questioned.
Aoyama nodded again, still afraid but Tomura could see that there was a bit of hope deep down.
And the longer that Tomura saw the fear the more it rankled something in his chest.
Tomura removed his hand from Aoyama's mouth and gently ruffle Aoyama's hair with the same hand.
"And know that you can come to me for anything, we are a party now and I will always take care of my party members no matter what. We are both in this together now, and I will have your back Aoyama." Tomura promised the boy.
Aoyama's lip trembled, his hands clenching his shirt.
Tomura didn't hesitate to pull Aoyama to him and let the boy quietly cry into his chest, resting both of his hands on the back of Aoyama's head to avoid his quirk destroying Aoyama's clothes, Tomura resting his chin on the top of the boy's head.
Giving Aoyama a small part of the shelter that Deku given him so often since they first met.
Aoyama: I have been threatened and spent most of my life as one of AFO'S playthings expecting at any moment he might turn me into a nomu and now I must infiltrate a foreign hero school to allow myself and my classmates to be attacked by the same mad man
Tomura: Fuck that shit I'm adopting you, you'll match my other kit new companion
Aoyama: Aren't you supposed to be threatening me too?
Tomura: What part of you are my party now don't you get?
Kurogiri returns with two plates and a drink, passing the second plate and glass to Aoyama, who is surprised but thankful for the food.
Oboro: What do you think our new son's class would be?
Kurogiri:... Bard, with a warlock subclass and noble background.
Oboro: Ooh, that would be interesting.