Finally the most fuckable villains are here
Anyways, please enjoy this chapter. Here's the Discord: /cgFmXz3qJ5
"My dear viewers...I hope this video finds you well."
The video footage showed a man in a long jacket, walking into a store, with a camera woman trailing behind him. He approached the counter.
"Today...I dabble in armed robbery!" The narrator declared, adding some lilt and life into his words.
"What can I help you with today-" The balding cashier said, before the elegantly dressed man pulled out a knife. "...ah, sh-t."
"Censor that when we get back. Don't want to get demonetized." The sharp dressed man said.
"We're already demonetized, Gentle. We're robbing the place." His camerawoman said. "Youtube doesn't allow that."
"Goodness, so many rules..." Gentle huffed, shaking his head. He cleared his throat, before setting a briefcase on the counter. "I'll be needing a bit of cash before the heroes arrive. Make it quick. Ten 1,000-yen bills will do nicely."
[Note: 1,000 yen is 6.54 in USD. Gentle is stealing literally 65.40 bucks. I also had to update this joke. This was 7.44 last year. Man.]
La Brava began to move the camera around the store. "It's been a while since we've done a vid like this! The last one got 10k views..."
"Yes, and it's important that we do it with style and finesse. After all, we're not common criminals." Gentle replied, twirling his mustache. "Plus, I don't wish to become 'stale' with our content."
The cashier hurriedly handed over the cash, and Gentle sighed. "Besides, you can feel how every video is going to go. For example! The heroes ae going to arrive in...3, 2, 1..."
Two heroes burst into the store. "DROP YOUR WEAPON!" One of them yelled, pointing his gauntlet at Gentle.
"Wow, cliché." La Brava said.
Gentle laughed, unconcerned. "A mere pair of heroes should give me little trouble."
So cool! La Brava thought, sighing dreamily.
"DROP THE KNIFE!" The hero repeated, as backup showed up. 2 heroes was a challenge, but 5 heroes...
Gentle stared at the group of heroes. "...That is a lot." He turned to La Brava. "Shut the camera off- I need to take care of them."
"Okie dokie!" La Brava said, stopping the recording. Gentle turned back to the heroes, and gave a light smile.
"I will drop my weapon now." He declared, letting go of the knife.
As the heroes moved forward to apprehend him, Gentle quickly activated his Elasticity quirk. In an instant, the ground beneath his feet became a bouncy surface that sent the knife flying in the direction of the heroes. But, as luck would have it, the heroes adeptly dodged the weapon.
Not to be discouraged, Gentle quickly extended his quirk to the entire store. The walls, floors, and ceilings all become elastic, and the entire building began to twist and warp in unexpected ways. The heroes tried to move forward, but found themselves slipping and sliding across the malleable floors. They were caught off guard by the sudden shift in environment, and were quickly disoriented.
Gentle smirked, as he started to bounce up and down. "La Brava! We're making our exit!" He declared. La Brava quickly followed Gentle, using the elasticity of the building to propel themselves forward.
The heroes, still disoriented, struggled to keep up. They were unable to gain their footing on the constantly shifting floors, and found themselves crashing into walls and shelves.
"What the HELL is this quirk!? Why's it so strong!?" One hero yelled.
"THEY'RE GETTING AWAY!" Another yelled.
As the heroes approached, Gentle swiftly sprang into action, his mind racing with lightning speed. With unyielding determination, the valiant heroes charged ahead, their eyes fixed on the fleeing duo- but Gentle bowed.
And then an invisible elastic barrier repelled them with a forceful impact, sending them hurtling backwards into the nearby store.
"Wooow! Not even a scratch." La Brava said.
"Start filming again!" Gentle smiled, and La Brava did. Gentle fixed himself up, and smiled. "There! Heist successful."
"...but we forgot the money?" La Brava asked.
"Money? What on Earth do we truly need that for?" Gentle said. "Money itself is hardly a worthy goal. You know my goal- to leave my name in the annals of history!"
"Exactly," she said, smiling. "We'll make headlines with this one. The unstoppable Gentle and La Brava strike again!"
"Remember!" Gentle said. "Hit that subscribe button and that bell, and leave a like and comment! Have a good day!"
La Brava stopped recording. "We gotta seriously retool that outro. It feels a bit stale."
"We'll workshop it." Gentle said, as he heard sirens. "Now! Time to hot foot it out of here!"
And the two fled the scene.
From the era of Vigilantes to the present day, heroes and villains had left their names on the marks of history. On the positive side- All Might, Ben Tennyson, Star and Stripe, Summer Rose, Crimson Riot, The Speeding Vigilante and the Kinetic Vigilante. And on the negative- the names that lived in infamy- legendary overlord All for One, the Metahuman Liberation army leader Destro, the peerless thief, Oji Harima, and the Conqueror of Worlds, Vilgax.
Enter a man who wanted to make a name for himself- one by the name of
Gentle Criminal, real name Danjuro Tobita. Age: 32 years old. Quirk: Elasticity. He performs crimes for the sake of drawing heroes to him so he can put on performances that are put online for the world to see.
And then there was his lovely assistant, La Brava, Manami Aiba. Age: 25 years old. Quirk: ?. After she was introduced to Gentle through his early videos, she pulled herself together and decided to track him down and join him in his villainy. After meeting him, she became his sidekick and camerawoman...and romantic partner.
Villainous Ventures. Subscribers: 5,839. Videos: 72. Views per month? 7,000. Mainly focused on recordings of heists and react videos, with the odd upload of a cover from some broadway musical or pop song. And a few makeup tutorials.
...yeah, they were a WEIRD duo. But after that endless shlock Overhaul was screaming about, we need weird.
Don't get the duo wrong, they didn't do these crimes haphazardly. Despite their looks, they were smarter than one would assume. That robbery of the convenience store earlier was...more 'seedy' than one would think.
Their heist at the J-Store was not simply for personal gain but to expose the store's hidden secrets.
Through their meticulous research and investigations, Gentle and La Brava had uncovered some disturbing truths about J-Store. They discovered that the store had been intentionally selling expired and spoiled food products to unsuspecting customers. The scale of this deceit shocked them, as it not only compromised the health and safety of the consumers but also reflected the store's unethical practices.
Delving deeper, they unraveled another dark side of J-Store's operations. The company was found to be exploiting its workers, paying them meager minimum wages and subjecting them to grueling hours without proper breaks or compensation. It was a blatant violation of labor rights and a clear demonstration of the store's disregard for its employees' well-being.
The corporation feigned ignorance, naturally. Because that's what capitalism is made for- using unethical practices in pursuit of profit and putting the interests of shareholders and executives above the common good. Gentle passed judgment on those who acted most certainly ungentlemanly.
And it was maybe more 'vigilante'-ish than he realized, but the channel was already NAMED Villainous Ventures.
"Ah, dang." La Brava huffed, a few hours after their great escape. "Not a getting a ton of views! Lots of dislikes calling us fake and staged..." La Brava made a face. "And a few asking for some questionable images of me."
"A discourteous bunch." Gentle frowned, pouring La Brava a cup of tea.
"We need to go for a bigger spectacle, hun." La Brava said. Gentle paused for a moment.
"The value of any spectacle is in its impact, my love. It's a question for this current age. That is the answer I seek!" Gentle said. "What sort of spectacle can elevate me into greatness? A modern day gentleman scoundrel is always looking for-" Gentle paused, as he noticed La Brava smiling at him.
"Oh, am I doing it again?" He asked. Gentle always had a tendency to ramble.
"Yep." La Brava smiled. "Continue~"
Gentle smiled. "Ah, where was I? Oh yes, the value of a spectacle. You see, my dear La Brava, a great spectacle can capture the hearts and minds of the masses...but there doesn't seem to be enough of that today. Especially since Kamino."
"No shock about that," La Brava huffed. "That stupid Stain clip stole our lime light thanks to that reposter, and that stupid League of Villains is kinda redefining the current trends for villains. They're all grim! And gritty! And gross!"
"Indeed, indeed. Shocking acts of violence have a way of capturing public attention..." Gentle said. "But we mustn't let that discourage us, my dear La Brava. We must rise above the chaos and create a spectacle that is both captivating and inspiring. The next generation of villains shouldn't mimic some disgusting impaler- they should be what THEY wish to be."
La Brava swooned! Her love had such a way with words.
"Sooooo...what's our next plan, then?" La Brava asked.
"...I have no clue!"
He was dumb at times, but he was HER dummy.
With the school festival exactly a month away, Class 1-A and 1-B had to be cooking with gas on their materials. Let's break down our cast and crew, shall we?
Here's our cast list:
Ochako as Belle
Shishida / Izuku as Beast
Monoma as Gaston
Alan as Lumiere
Iida as Cogsworth
Tsu as Mrs. Potts
Tooru as Chip
Kouda as Maurice
Shoda as LeFou
Yuga as the Wardrobe
Pony as Philippe (The Horse)
Setsuna, Komori and Reiko as the "Bimbettes"
Tokoyami as the Stove
Ship as Sultan
Ibara as the Witch
Momo and Yuga were in charge of costumes. Momo had spent hours and hours looking at details of every costume she could find, and writing down meticulous notes. She could give Izuku a run for her money.
The group of dancers and stagehands had been split up; Mina led the dance squad, and Yui led the staging team. Mina was determined to make the ballroom scene as magical as possible, with twirling dancers and glittering lights. Yui was in charge of creating sets that could be moved quickly and easily between scenes, to keep the production running smoothly.
Especially when you factor in her quirk- Yui's method of set making was taking a bunch of miniatures, adding details, and changing their size to whatever she saw fit.
Midoriya was also the script writer. Somehow, within the span of a few days, Izuku had managed to transcribe the entire play into a big document on his Google Drive.
"There we go," Izuku said, finishing the last few lines of dialogue. "All done."
"Did you seriously transcribe the whole thing!?" Jirou gasped.
"I did!" Izuku grinned proudly. "And I even added some extra dialogue and scenes to make it more interesting."
"How!?" Jirou said, eyeing the multiple laptops around him. "...and what's with this setup?"
Izuku blinked, as Blackwhip suddenly came out of his arms. They started to type on the computers, all while he maintained eye contact with Jirou.
"...Holy shit." Jirou muttered softly, with feeling.
(A/N: I wish i could do that)
"Now I gotta print them out." Izuku said, as Blackwhip went back into his arms.
"Hold on," Jirou said. "I wanted to do a quick meeting with everyone about the music. Do you have any experience?"
"Me?" Izuku said. "Uhhh...I played...clarinet in middle school. Briefly."
"...I don't think that's what I'm looking for." Jirou said.
"Didn't the movie itself use a full orchestra?" Momo said.
"Oh...shit, I think it did. Ok...uh," Jirou hummed in thought for a moment.
"If need be, I can help there. Pull a few strings."
Jirou blushed. Cool. She thought, as the rest of the class gathered. Izuku's eyes went over to Ochako...who was in costume.
"S-sorry, Yuga and I were doing a fitting," Ochako said, as the class took in the sight of their princess Belle. The dress was a bit different from the one in the movie, with some motifs from Ochako's costume integrated in.
Izuku's face turned red. "Woah."
"Woah is right," Ochako frowned. "I feel like I'm wearing a million yen..."
"Oh come now, it wasn't that expensive!" Yuga said.
"How much was it?" Mina asked, curious.
"Well, since I made it...and mimicked the fanciest materials I could...I'd say around 500000 yen." Momo hummed. "And that's me lowballing it."
[AN: 3270.68 in USD.]
"That's still a lot." Ochako said, as Izuku walked over.
"It, uh...looks nice." Izuku complimented, avoiding eye contact.
"A-ah. Thanks." Ochako blushed.
Yuga smirked. "Anything ELSE you like, Midoriya~?"
STOP WINGMANNING, YUGA. Izuku and Ochako thought simultaneously, both of their faces going red at the implications.
"So prettyyyyyyy!" Mina gushed.
"You look amazing, Ochako!" Tooru cheered.
Ochako covered her face. "T-thank you..."
"So, Beauty and the Beast has some GREAT songs." Jirou said. "And there are some cool rock covers of some songs- the biggest one is 'Be Our Guest.'"
"A rock version of that song is gonna sound AWESOME with our theatrics." Tetsutetsu grinned.
Jirou nodded in agreement. "Yeah. I'm gonna need a crew to work with me, though. And the heart of a band is...the drums."
"The drums? Why them?" Ibara asked.
Jirou grinned. "Because they set the rhythm and the pace. They're the backbone of the music."
"Interesting," Tetsutetsu said, stroking his chin.
"You knooooow." Kaminari grinned. "I know someone who plays the drums..."
"Really? Who?" Jirou asked.
Kaminari grinned, as he turned to Bakugou, lounging on the couch. "Say hello to Class 1-A's very own Neil Peart!"
"Are...you serious?" Jirou asked.
"Answer's no," Bakugou scoffed.
"Wha- but we didn't even-!"
"Still no."
"I thought you wouldn't turn down any challenge," Sero taunted.
"...get me a damn drum set," Bakugou practically ordered.
Somehow, a drum set was found and quickly assembled. Bakugou walked over, looking ready to destroy. "Did you know he could do this?" Iida asked Izuku.
"Nope, but can't say I'm shocked. Bakugou said he wanted to be the best at everything back then..." Izuku said, expecting a spectacle.
Jirou and the rest of the class watched in amazement as Bakugou effortlessly brought the drums to life with his playing. His hands moved with incredible speed and precision, hitting every note perfectly. The drum set shook under the force of his playing, but Bakugou remained focused and in control.
Rush's Der Trommler!? That's an insane piece to just showcase. It takes years of precision and rhythm to even nail it. How is he doing this?! Jirou thought.
When he finished, there was a stunned silence in the room. Jirou was the first to break it. "P-perfect."
"The talented Mr. Bakugou strikes again..." Monoma smirked.
"So, it's settled. You're on the drums!" Kaminari said.
"...fuck no."
"WHAT?!" the students yelled in unison, probably covering up the sound of mental glass shattering. He was perfect for this and he was turning it down?!
"Bakugou, please! I'll owe you one if that's what it-" Jirou pleaded.
"Nothing's gonna happen!" Bakugou yelled back, cutting her off.
Aaaand there goes his character development, Monoma mentally sighed.
"You're selling this as stress relief for the other courses, right?" Bakugou asked, "Just a more polite of saying 'self-gratification.'"
"The whole point is to help those other kids chill, right? But what's stessing them out to start with is how caught up we are in our own little world." Bakugou said. "They ain't like this, coming from a bunch of people they hate."
Jirou flinched.
"Dude, come on!" Kirishima frowned. "That's no way to look at it."
"You didn't even pitch in at any of the other meetings too." Todoroki pointed out. "What gives you the right to say that?
"What gives me the right? Nothing. But I'm not giving my courtesy to people who don't deserve it. I mean, what, do they think we enjoy getting smacked around villains? Why should we have to care about pleasing everyone? That's fucking impossible! If that's your actual goal for this, quit while you're ahead," Bakugou countered, each word making Jirou flinch a bit more.
"Dude." Shinsou frowned. "Come on."
"What? Don't tell me you buy into this crap." Bakugou huffed.
"I can't forget where I came from. Those kids need something. Anything. If you're not gonna do it, then I guess...you're just not up for the challenge." Shinsou frowned.
"...so you're saying to treat this like a fight then?"
"If you wanna look at it that way, sure," Shinsou said.
"Well if it's a fight then...everyone better get the hell on board," Bakugou said, "because I'm gonna knock everyone at U.A. DEAD with my sound!"
"I wonder if he was going to say that from the start," Kaminari wondered.
"Yeah, he seemed way too easy to turn," Mina nodded.
"S-shut the fuck up." Bakugou huffed.
"Alright, so Bakugou's our drums..." Jirou said. "What about the rest of you?"
"I have experience with piano." Momo said. "I'm not sure if that's relevant here, but I'd be happy to help."
"I've got experience was bass guitar." Shinsou said. "So...I dunno."
"Two people on bass?" Jirou asked.
"Wait...you too?"
"Yeah," Jirou rubbed the back of her head sheepishly, hoping she didn't just crush Shinsou's dream there.
Shinsou hummed. "...you know, I've listened to some bands with two bassists. Sure, it's...a little redundant, but it works."
"Really?" Jirou said.
"Yeah. My favorite band, Godspeed you! Black Emperor- they've got two bassists." Shinsou said. "They've got complex arrangements, concept albums, and lengthy songs. Still, they manage to incorporate two basses into the mix. It can be hard to make sense of it due to the many layers in their music, but here one bass is playing a typical bass line and the other is used as a lead instrument-"
Shinsou blinked. All eyes were on him.
"...what?"
"You're a music buff?" Sero asked.
"Is that so surprising?" Shinsou asked in return.
"It is when you haven't really told us much about yourself," Tooru said.
"I like to uphold a veil of mystery." Shinsou said.
"Uh, on the topic of music...we have a problem." Ochako said. "I...can't sing."
Mina flinched. "Oooh, yeah. You absolutely can't! You were like, the worst at the karoke night we did at the start of the year."
"I have trouble with all notes." Ochako bitterly confessed.
"I mean, can't you take music lessons?" Todoroki asked. The girls flinched.
"Todoroki, you poor, sweet, aloof bean." Mina said, putting a hand on his shoulder. "...there's no fixing that."
"Come oooooon." Kaminari said. "It can't be THAT bad."
Ochako took a deep breath. "You really wanna hear?"
"Yeah! Go for it." Kirishima said. "Just sing anything- I bet you're just being self concious-"
And then Ochako let out the most death metal screech known to mankind. The impact blew the class away. It was like Ochako was half-Nosedeenian the entire time. Everyone in the class was left stunned, their ears ringing from the shockwave of Ochako's vocals. Ochako looked around at everyone's stunned faces and burst out laughing.
"See? Told you!" Ochako rubbed her throat after it was over. The boys stared at her incredulously.
"...what the hell was that!?" Sero yelled.
"That...that was supposed to be...an A note..." Ochako said.
"A mad banquet of darkness...personified into a voice..." Tokoyami murmured.
Even Izuku couldn't hold back his shocked expression. "Good Lord."
"If we need to make beast noises, I know who to turn to." Shoji hummed.
"Okay, so in this situation- I think we need to lipsync you with another singer." Jirou said. "Any takers?" A few girls- Pony, Tooru and Setsuna- they raised their hands.
"Alright, let's hear them." Ochako said. "I feel like I should get a final say in the matter since...it will be MY singing voice."
"Right, right." Jirou said, as Pony warmed up her voice.
"Okay- here's a little something..." Pony began.
"'Cause I'm just A gIrl, oh, little old mE
Well, doN't let me ouT of yOUr sIght
Oh, I'm just A girl, all preTTy and petITe
So don't let me have ANy rightS!"
Ochako and Jirou made a face. "...okay, okay. That was good! That was good. But, um. A little off key."
"You have great song taste, though." Jirou said.
"Aw, well." Pony said, passing the mic off to Tooru.
"Okay~! Here I go~!" Tooru said, taking a deep breath.
"𝓣𝓱𝓪𝓽'𝓼 𝓪𝓵𝓵 𝓽𝓱𝓮𝔂 𝓻𝓮𝓪𝓵𝓵𝔂 𝔀𝓪𝓷𝓽
𝓢𝓸𝓶𝓮 𝓯𝓾𝓷
𝓦𝓱𝓮𝓷 𝓽𝓱𝓮 𝔀𝓸𝓻𝓴𝓲𝓷' 𝓭𝓪𝔂 𝓲𝓼 𝓭𝓸𝓷𝓮
𝓞𝓱 𝓰𝓲𝓻𝓵𝓼, 𝓽𝓱𝓮𝔂 𝔀𝓪𝓷𝓷𝓪 𝓱𝓪𝓿𝓮 𝓯𝓾𝓷
𝓞𝓱 𝓰𝓲𝓻𝓵𝓼 𝓳𝓾𝓼𝓽 𝔀𝓪𝓷𝓷𝓪 𝓱𝓪𝓿𝓮 𝓯𝓾𝓷~!"
Ochako hummed. "...a bit too high?"
"Very high." Jirou said, as Tooru handed the mic to Setsuna.
"Third time's the charm, right?" Setsuna joked.
"maybe i should try harder
you should lower your expectations
i'm no quick-curl barbie
i was never cut out for prom queen
if i get more pretty
do you think he will like me?"
"...a little flat there, Setsuna." Ochako said.
"That's how she sounds in the original, I swear." Setsuna said, putting up her hands.
"I got an idea~!" Mina declared. "Jirou! You should be Ochako's singing voice!"
"W-what?" Jirou blushed, covering her face.
"Yeah! Like, you're the complete OPPOSITE of her voice." Tsu said.
"Ohh, yeah! When you were showing us some of your music skills in your room, your singing was super cool!" Tooru pointed out.
"C-c'mon..." Jirou blushed.
Momo gave a warm smile. "You do have a rather pretty voice..."
Jirou snagged the mic, making a hush fall over the crowd. "I wonder what she sounds like..." Manga muttered, his head showing a 'question mark' to show off his confusion.
Jirou took a deep breath.
"Been there, done that messed around,
I'm having fun, don't put me down,
I'll never let you sweep me off my feet!
This time, baby, I'll be bulletproof
This time, baby, I'll be bulletproof..."
The sound blew everyone away. As Jirou continued singing, her voice filled the room with a captivating energy. The lyrics flowed effortlessly from her lips, capturing the essence of the song and infusing it with her unique style. Each note resonated with power and emotion, captivating the audience and leaving them spellbound.
As the song reached its climax, Jirou's voice soared, hitting high notes with precision and control. Her performance was met with thunderous applause and cheers of admiration. The crowd couldn't help but be awestruck by her talent and the unexpected beauty of her singing voice...
And Momo was blushing hard.
Jirou was blushing harder. As the crowd erupted into applause, Jirou's cheeks flushed a deeper shade of red. The overwhelming support and admiration from her friends and classmates filled her with a mix of pride and embarrassment.
"My ears died and went to heaven!" Alan declared. "That voice! It's so..."
"Perfect," Ochako agreed, blushing. That was the most beautiful voice she'd ever heard. "It's not 'princess-y', but...then again, neither am I!"
"It's unanimous! Jirou's our singing voice for Ochako!" Kendo declared.
"G-great. Well, with, uh...that out of the way..." Jirou said. "We need two guitarists."
Kaminari grinned. "Get me a guitar. It's time I show off how hard I can shred!"
Once again, a guitar was brought to center stage. Kaminari took it, flexed his fingers, and began to strum-
No, that's not even the best way to describe it. Kaminari unleashed a storm of electrifying riffs, his fingers gliding effortlessly along the strings. The melody he created resonated through the living space, each note brimming with energy and passion.
[A/N: Look up "Touch and Go" by INTERVALS.]
Kaminari's electrifying solo came to and end, as he wiped some sweat from his brow. "Whew! Haven't been able to do that in a while."
"...DUDE." Tetsutetsu said, eyes wide.
"Where the hell did you pull THAT from!?" Bakugou said.
Kaminari grinned, his excitement shining through. "Well, you see, ever since I was a kid, I've always had this dream of incorporating a guitar into one of my super moves. So, I started learning the guitar from my cousin, who's a musician. It took a lot of practice and dedication, but when that day comes? I will SHRED."
"...that is so on brand with you," Jirou said, still processing the solo she just heard. "So, who's gonna be the second-?"
And she was suddenly cut off by the sounds of another guitar, strumming a somewhat upbeat song. It had a catchy melody played mostly on the high strings. The guitar riff was simple but effective...it was kind of an earworm.
[A/N: Boys Don't Cry by The Cure.]
Jirou's eyes widened as she saw Tokoyami, shredding on what had to be his own personal guitar. Black in color, sword-like in shape, angel wings- totally on brand with Tokoyami.
"What a melancholy riff..." Kurorio hummed.
"You can play?!" Iida asked.
"Why didn't you say anything earlier?" Izuku asked.
"I set aside the axe after the F-chord defeated me..." Tokoyami closed his eyes. "But I revived."
"Looks like everybody's been assigned a role, then!" Iida declared. "Now, all we need to do is get those scripts printed, and do a table read ASAP!"
"Then I'll go take care of it!" Izuku said, holding up his laptop. "I'll have them printed soon!"
"YEAH!"
The mood between Class 1-A and 1-B was a mix of excitement, anticipation, and camaraderie. The unexpected talents displayed by their classmates had ignited a newfound energy within the group. They were eager to bring their performance to life and showcase their individual strengths...
A few of the printers in the copying room were working overtime to get out all the scripts needed for the 1-A/1-B Beauty and the Beast co-production. Already, the printers needed to have their paper refilled at least twice now. Izuku was watching over all of the copies, paper-clipping the scripts together and writing the names of who they were meant for down on the top right corner of the first page.
"Ok there's Kaminari's...Koda's...Ochako's..." Izuku listed off.
"I AM HERE!" All Might suddenly called out, peeking his head into the copying room and very nearly making Izuku mess up the next script, "Hopefully not interrupting something this time!"
"Oh! Hey, All Might." Izuku said, sorting out the scripts.
"Are these the scripts for your Class play?" All Might said, walking over. "Did you do all this?"
"Yeah!" Izuku nodded. "I had Blackwhip sort of...help me out, so I guess Banjo can take some credit."
"You've gotten the hang of Blackwhip in no time flat..." All Might hummed.
"I know! I'm...honestly just as surprised as you are," Izuku admitted sheepishly, "When we first learned about it, I was...a little scared, honestly. Honing the normal powers of One for All was one thing, but then I get a second Quirk? But, now it's almost second nature to me."
"...Nighteye helped you hone it a bit, didn't he?"
Izuku paused. He took a deep breath. "He...really did, yeah. But...I feel like I could be doing more. Even though I have a great handle on Blackwhip, I...still don't have a way to go against Long Range Combat attacks. Blackwhip's range can only go so far..."
"Well...if Blackwhip's range is limited as a counter," All Might said, "Why not make your own ranged moves?"
"M-my own?" Izuku repeated.
"Oh come on. Surely you remember how my punches weren't always for offense," Izuku's mentor smirked and just like that, the pieces clicked together. Or they would have if a new voice didn't join in.
"I AM HERE!" Yang called out, making All Might jump. "Stealing your catchphrase, Toshi!"
"Mrs. Xiao Long!" Izuku stammered.
"Sorry! Couldn't help but eavesdrop a bit." Yang said. "You knoooow, your fighting style does remind me of mine...ever consider adding some shotgun shells to your weapons?"
"W-wha?" Izuku said.
"I don't think we're gonna do that." All Might said. "We aren't gonna give him something that drastic.
Yang pouted. "You used to be fun...remember that one time we had Heatblast detonate a bunch of fire dust? That was YOUR idea, I recall."
All Might chuckled. "Oooh, yeah! And we somehow singed Kevin and Albedo's eyebrows off- oh, those were the days."
"...dust..." Izuku repeated, suddenly deep in thought.
"Only someone with an Aura can use it though. Unlocked Aura, I mean," Yang added.
"Like Kaminari..." Izuku hummed.
"Wait, can't you do it?" All Might asked.
"I coooooould." Yang said. "But first, let's let him develop this long range technique."
"In that case then...how about a change of scenery?"
All Might had taken his protégé and one of the new U.A. teachers to the forested area right outside the school, but still considered on campus.
"20%?" Izuku asked, "Right now?"
"Yes! Let's see that Full Cowling," All Might encouraged.
"Get to know what I'm working with, too," Yang crossed her arms and grinned.
Izuku powered up, also letting a bit of Blackwhip out. It wrapped around his arms, reinforcing his power. Yang hummed.
"Not bad, not bad at all," she commented. "Your Blackwhip looks like it's really coming along too."
"I'm actually using Blackwhip to reinforce my arms," Izuku explained. "It allows me to control my power output better while also providing additional support for my limbs. Using it this way, I can launch powerful attacks without straining my arms as much."
"But you can do better than this, can't you, kid?" Yang asked, a twinkle in her eye.
Izuku grinned, feeling the adrenaline coursing through his veins. "Of course! I'm just getting warmed up..."
"Well don't keep us waiting," Yang smirked, "But, added twist. Don't move from that spot."
"Don't move," Izuku repeated, before jumping in place and moving into a spinning kick, the Smash-like move firing off a blast of condensed and powerful air pressure, rustling the leaves and throwing around a small cloud of dust.
"Nice," Yang said, moving some hair out of her face due to the sheer force of the air.
"Looks like you didn't realize it," All Might said, "In the last fight, you were too focused on defense. You can fire off a blast of wind without hurting yourself!"
"That's only thanks to Blackwhip supporting me like an...exo-skeleton or something." Izuku huffed.
"Keep that one in the oven," Yang hummed.
"Now, ignoring Blackwhip for a moment, as useful as it is, think back on your journey up to this point," All Might advised.
That made Izuku think back on the milestones he's reached ever since his internship with Gran Torino. 100% with just one part of the body, control the output in that part, then control the output throughout the entire body continuously, Shoot Style, raise the upper limit from 5 to 8% and finally, going all out with 20%, even if it was for a limited amount of time.
And then all the pieces clicked together.
"You weren't using 100% full time, were you?" Izuku inquired.
All Might clapped. "Bingo. If I was, I'd be constantly making wind blasts with every punch."
"Without Blackwhip's reinforcement, I doubt I could move at 20% for long...but just for an instant, when I'm striking..." Izuku muttered. Yang smirked as she could practically hear the gears turning in the kid's head, all the mental calculations being run through.
"A bit easier said than done, though, even with your Blackwhip exoskeleton," All Might.
"Bit more of a brace really."
"Either way, for a brief moment, you'll be bursting past your limit and that'll take control, far more than what you're used to."
"So, I should focus on the parts of my body I can move precisely, right? That's managable." Izuku said.
"More than managable. It's smart," Yang smirked. "Imagine what you could do if you added Dust to your arsenal..."
"Very insistent on that aren't you?" All Might chuckled.
"And I shouldn't be? Imagine one of your Smashes infused with fire or ice."
"Carrying around the crystals could be cumbersome...but Momo did say Dust can be woven into clothing," Izuku wondered.
"It's an older technique, but yeah," Yang confirmed.
"I think that could be efficient." Izuku said, imagining the black parts of his costume lighting up. He already had the 'dust' mechanism in mind, it was some spinning disc on his back that could rotate between the four basic elements-
"DEKU!"
Izuku snapped out of his dream, when he saw someone running over- it was Mirio!
"Mirio? What's going-?"
"We need to go! Something huge is happening and we have to make sure everything goes off without a hitch!" Mirio explained, talking as if the end of the world was happening in the next few minutes.
"W-what is it?!"
"Another villain attack?!" All Might asked.
"Red Fang this time? Those bastards had not better not-" Yang started.
"What? No, no, nothing as dark as that!" Mirio corrected.
"Then what is it?" all three asked in sync.
"Eri's asking us to visit in the hospital!"
"Ohhhhh my god," Izuku realized.
It'd be a while since Eri had seen anyone who wasn't Albedo, Aizawa or a nurse. So, to have the three heroes who rescued her be there was...a nice change of pace.
She didn't even know their names, outside of Lemillion...
Now, at first, the doctors wanted to keep people involved in the incident away, save Aizawa due to how integral his Quirk was in keeping things under control. They believed she might lose control again, but as it stood, she simply didn't have the energy.
When the trio of heroes-in-training arrived, the first thing they noticed about the girl they had saved was her horn. Or, rather, lack thereof. It was little more than a bump on the side of her head right now.
Her quirk was tied to her horn...she's probably at low power right now. Ochako thought. Better keep it laid back...dunno what sets it off.
"Heya, Eri," Mirio opened up, "Brought you a fruit basket! Want some?"
"Oh, uh, sure," Eri said softly as she took the basket in her hands.
"What's your favorite? Wait, don't tell me! Iiiiiit's peaches! Right? You look like a peach lover to me."
"...apples," Eri corrected.
"How are you feeling, Eri?" Ochako asked.
"I'm...okay." Eri said. "The whole time, even when I had a fever, I was thinking...about how you guys saved me."
Ochako and Izuku smiled a bit at that.
"...but, uh. I...don't know your names?" Eri confessed.
"Oh! Uh, I'm Ochako Uraraka, And he's Izuku Midoriya, but you can call him Deku." Ochako introduced herself.
"Where's the crystal woman? She saved me too..." Eri said.
"Oh, uh, that was me," Ochako said.
"It is?"
"Mhm. In addition to my Quirk, I...have this," she held up her wrist to show off her Omnitrix.
"Pretty..."
"It's a gift from someone very special and it lets me turn into aliens. The crystal woman was one of them, but under that rock, it was still me."
"Oh! Does...she have a name too?" Eri asked.
"I call her Diamondhead." Ochako said.
Eri made a face. "She didn't look like a Diamondhead..." The girl took a deep breath. "...you three, and the nice guy with glasses...you all got hurt because of me...I'm sorry."
She doesn't know about Nighteye... Izuku thought.
She'd only blame herself if she found out, Mirio mentally lamented.
"I caused you all...so much pain. I-it's even my fault you lost your powers, Lemillion..." Eri continued. Tears were already welling up in her eyes, threatening to spill over any minute. Mirio quickly put a stop to that himself by gently placing his hand on the young girl's head.
"No one here blames for you," Mirio said reassuringly, "Not a single person. You wanna know what everyone really thinks?"
"H-huh?"
"We're all just so happy that you're safe and sound," Mirio smiled, "Doesn't make sense, apologizing to people who don't exist, right? We all fought to put a smile on your face, after all."
"A...smile?" Eri repeated. And then the poor girl started to attempt a smile, but nothing really came of it, even when she tried pulling at her cheeks to form a smile that way.
"S-sorry," Eri sniffled, "I'm not so good at smiling."
And that just broke the trio's heart. This girl hadn't yet been freed from Overhaul's influence. As long as she couldn't smile or have fun, she wasn't saved.
What could...free a girl from these shackles?
And then an idea came to Izuku. It'd need to be approved but, if he could get a yes, that might bring back the girl's smile and rid her of Overhaul's shackles for good.
"Just for a day, sir," Izuku asked Aizawa, who was standing out in the hall just in case they needed his Quirk again.
"Hmmm...it should be possible. We're looking into finding her a proper home right now." the Class 1-A homeroom teacher nodded, "...why? What are you planning?"
"Sir...she hasn't been saved yet."
"How do you-?"
"Mirio said we fought to put a smile on Eri's face, but she can't even do that right now."
"Because of Overhaul?" Eraserhead reasoned.
"I think so, yes," Izuku nodded, "So, in order to make sure she smiles...do you think she can attend?"
Aizawa paused for a moment. He pulled out his phone. "Let me ask Nedzu and Albedo." Aizawa said. "For the moment, Albedo is her acting guardian."
"Wait, really?" Izuku said.
"Yeah...plus, they do kinda look related." Aizawa said.
"I...can see that, actually," Izuku said, thinking about a side-by-side with Eri and Albedo. White hair, red eyes...
"It's a slim chance, but I think they may allow it." Aizawa said.
Please, Nedzu, Albedo. Please let her, Izuku mentally pleaded as Aizawa called up Nedzu first.
Aizawa didn't really know what Nedzu would say. He agreed with the authorities on Eri's quarantine- especially now, since she was still a potential 'hazard'.
But then the principal answered and-
"Well that sounds like a perfect idea! So long as her doctors and you sign off on it, of course," Nedzu answered.
"That...was surprisingly easy," Aizawa muttered.
"I understand her predicament, but she is -still- a child, Eraser. She deserves some fun in her life."
"And you're sure about this?" Aizawa asked.
"Not a doubt in my mind!" Nedzu said.
"I see...alright then," Aizawa said, before calling up Albedo and asking the same question.
"So, your opinion?" the Quirk-cancelling hero asked.
"...let the girl live a little," Albedo said. "Neo and I will gladly attend the fair as well, to make sure she remains stable."
"So long as you're sure."
"Considering how happy Neo seems to be, yes, I'm sure," Albedo smirked.
"...You seem awfully laid back for a situation like this," Aizawa said. "If I recall, All Might called you the biggest stickler for authority way back when."
"Neo rubbed off on me," Albedo shrugged.
"Looks like it." Aizawa said. "Oh, before I forget, what's the latest on-"
"Nothing." Albedo spoke. "But I won't give up until I find what I'm looking for."
"Sure thing," Aizawa replied. "Keep me in the loop."
"Okay," Albedo said and ended the call.
"What was that last part about?" Izuku said.
"Adult stuff. Don't worry about it." Aizawa said. "Go tell Eri."
"R-right!" Izuku said, walking back to the hospital room. Ochako and Mirio were enjoying some of the apples with Eri when Izuku came back in.
"What's the word?" Mirio asked.
"We got the green light!" Izuku said. "Eri can come to the festival."
Mirio's face lit up. "R-really!? That's awesome!"
"Festival?" Eri asked.
"Oh! Yeah, we have this big thing at UA called a school festival." Ochako said. "It's a super duper fun time for students, by students. My class is putting on a play! You ever watch Beauty and the Beast?"
"No..." Eri said.
"Then don't go spoiling yourself on it!" Mirio said. "I bet Ochako's gonna be the best princess ever!"
"C-come on..." Ochako said, shoving Mirio a little.
"Oh! Apples! I bet they'll have candied apples!" Mirio said.
"Candied?"
"You like apples now?" Mirio grinned. "They'll be even sweeter once they get the candied treatment..."
"Even sweeter?" Eri said, trying to comprehend a concept such as that. The girl was even drooling at the thought of it.
"Well, Eri? What do you say?" Izuku asked, beaming.
"...I was thinking about...how you all saved me...and I wanna be your friend." Eri said. "...so I wanna go to a big friendly event..."
"Yeah! That's the spirit!" Mirio grinned. "Let's all have fun together at the festival and make even more happy memories!"
Ochako smiled at Eri. "We're all friends here, Eri. We'll make sure you have the time of your life."
Eri's eyes sparkled with excitement as the group continued to talk about the upcoming festival. Nothing could ruin the mood...
Except maybe some party crashers. But what are the odds of-
"Dear Gentle Criminal- am I the jerk for telling my sister I can't go to my brother in law's funeral?" Gentle read, on a sheet of parchment. La Brava had gone the extra mile for this- she even wrote it out with ink and quill. Gentle paused. "Well, going off of THAT title, I assume you have other duties to attend to."
La Brava watched from the camera, carefully keeping it steady- their tripod was a bit screwy, but still reliable. This was a new segment on their channel; 'Villainous Ventures Weighs In'. Viewers would send in their worries, and Gentle would give his opinion.
"My (f23) sister (f28) husband recently passed away in an accident. This is a shock and absolutely devastating for us. The funeral is coming up soon." Gentle sighed. "I am terribly sorry for your loss."
La Brava held her breath. She knew what was coming next.
"I'm sure all of you know Taylor Swift is currently on tour, and tickets for that were notoriously difficult to-" Gentle paused. "...La Brava, I'm not sure I like this story."
La Brava's face fell. "I'm sorry, Gentle. I thought it would be a good one to discuss."
"We're supposed to give advice, not judge people's choices," Gentle scolded gently. "...but this is quite sickening."
"I know! I was shocked when I read it!" La Brava said, stopping recording. Gentle sighed. "Do you want some tea?"
"Yes, yes...can you get the...Matcha?" Gentle hummed. La Brava paused for a second.
"...that's our scheming tea. What are you scheming, hun?" La Brava grinned, interested to hear.
"It's Fall. The peasants celebrate with dance and song, the joy of a rich harvest. And, full of Bacchus's liquor, they finish their celebration with sleep." Gentle recited. "Fall is a time of celebration, and nowhere is it more obvious than in a school."
"Oh, yeah! School festivals are happening." La Brava said. "Such a fun time..."
"In one month's time, UA will hold a festival." Gentle said. "Like always. But the school has improved it's security in light of recent attacks. The school that symbolizes heroism itself in this era..."
"Where are you going with this?" La Brava asked.
Gentle grinned. "We shall penetrate their defenses...and show them a spectacle for the ages!"
La Brava's eyes widened in excitement. "Ooh, what do you have in mind?"
"First, we need to gather intel on their security measures. Then, we can plan accordingly and create a diversion while we carry out our true objective." Gentle explained, sipping his tea.
"And what's our true objective?" La Brava asked, leaning in.
Gentle paused.
"That is why I require the tea, honey."
"Oooooh." La Brava said. "Coming right up!"
As she scurried away, Gentle grinned to himself. Surely, this plot (whatever it was) was going to be his finest!
...potentially.