23/11/2024
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The Emperor's Dragon
Dragon 71 - Dreams of the Future
Izuku blinked as he came awake. That had been such a weird dream. He rubbed his temples. He couldn't remember a lot of the dream but for some reason the Yakuza had been there. He'd dreamed of Kai before but in that dream, the man had been on a crucifix. This time, he was standing with his head hanging as Saisho Kijo yelled at him. It was funny, because while Saisho was formidable, there was no way she could have stood up to the Yakuza in combat.
Yet the man was definitely subdued in her presence. And standing at Saisho's side was a little girl. She had long grey hair and red eyes and a horn coming from her forehead. She was miming what Saisho was doing. The two women were fearless, as if they knew there was nothing to fear from the Yakuza and Izuku couldn't remember much more of the dream except for the absolute certainty that the two were safe.
If the Yakuza had tried to hurt them then… Something far worse than the crucifix awaited.
He shook his head slightly and dug his fingertips in. Sometimes… His dreams just made no sense.
Izuku yawned and then looked at the clock. It said 0730… He groaned. Usually, he'd have been up already but with the interrogations last night, he'd been up late and had obviously slept a little bit longer. It wasn't enough.
He was tempted to just crash back into bed and return to sleep but…
There was so much to do.
Before he'd gone to bed last night, he'd given Kurogiri three handwritten notes to deliver and hopefully their recipients would be happy with the message. He should check on that and then… He had to think of the plan for Tartarus.
Last night he'd realised that they would need a distraction, and the best distraction was probably going to be an attack that got the Number One Hero's attention. Dabi would be… If he tried to make Dabi go on the Tartarus mission, then the man would likely betray him again. So… Dabi would lead the distraction.
Izuku needed to talk to Yakuni.
With a sigh, he got up and flipped the covers back on his bed. It wasn't made, but at least the blankets weren't open and inviting. Hopefully Kurogiri was up… if not Unten… was probably still asleep. Izuku sighed again… Yakuni might be asleep too.
So… If he couldn't figure out a way to get to Yakuni's place, he'd find out if Gigantomachia wanted to spar or if there was any news on Garaki. There had been some news when the Doctor had been arrested but then there had been nothing.
Izuku went down to the bar. It was empty but just as he was considering going back to bed, Dabi appeared.
"You are up early," Izuku commented.
The fire villain started but then looked at him. "Later than you," he countered.
Izuku cocked his head slightly to acknowledge that point as they walked behind the bar, into the small kitchen that was behind it. Izuku grabbed some cereal while Dabi blinked at the coffee machine. It was a small machine, one that used pods. Kurogiri occasionally got a request for an espresso martini and while it wasn't, strictly speaking, correct to make it with pod coffee, it was much more cost effective.
"Do you want me to make you coffee?" Izuku asked. From the way the villain was looking at the machine, it was obvious that Izuku was far more awake.
Dabi looked annoyed but he nodded.
Izuku looked around for the pods as Dabi sat down at the little table. Izuku found them and checked the water in the machine. Thankfully it was full. He turned it on and while it heated, he grabbed the cereal box from the bench and put it on the table with two bowls. He got the impression Dabi would just eat the cereal from the box, but the villain took the hint and poured himself some. Izuku ran a rinse through the machine, using the water to heat a cup he'd found, before he discarded that and popped the pod in. A few moments later the kitchen filled with the aroma of coffee and Izuku put the cup in front of Dabi, before he fetched the milk from the fridge, grabbed two spoons from the drawer and sat at the table.
"You are good at that," Dabi murmured, as he reached out to pick up his coffer.
"Hmm?" Izuku asked.
"Taking care of people," the villain said.
Izuku snorted and grabbed the cereal to pour himself a bowl. Dabi sipped his coffee as Izuku poured milk on his breakfast and ate a spoonful.
"Are you awake enough to work on the plan?" he asked after he swallowed.
"To take out Endeavor? I'm always awake," the villain told him.
Izuku nodded and then ate another spoonful of cereal.
Dabi took another sip of coffee. "How much longer do you think is needed for information gathering?" he asked.
There was something about the way he asked that had Izuku on edge. He shifted slightly. "Why?" Izuku asked instead of giving a clearer answer.
"The Hero Billboard rankings will be out in 10 days," Dabi told him.
Izuku felt his eyes widen at the information. "And Endeavor will be officially granted the Number One Hero title," he murmured.
Dabi nodded, his face sporting a sly smile.
Izuku looked at the table as he thought. Ten days was more than enough… or it should be, for them to finish the interrogations and do some observations of Tartarus. Then… "The day after?" Izuku asked.
"I didn't like the thought at first, but it's grown on me," Dabi admitted.
"Taking him out the morning after does have a certain appeal," Izuku agreed. He'd forgotten the rankings would be out soon. "So… The Nomu will be ready, but I think there should be more."
The fire villain nodded. "Complete distraction will require a suitably large force," he agreed and then ate another spoonful of cereal as he thought. "I'll have to introduce you to the Nomu," Izuku said after he swallowed.
Dabi nodded.
"And I think I'll need to talk to Yakuni. The Doctor does have some Nomu but Yakuni knows where they all are, and I'm going to have to collect them for the Tartarus raid anyway. But for distraction a mixed force should be best, with the Endeavor specialised ones as the core," Izuku mused aloud.
Before they could discuss it further, Kurogiri appeared. The misty man was carrying three pieces of paper. "Your friends are up rather early," he said.
Izuku stared. He hadn't expected a response yet. "They agreed?" he asked eagerly.
"They have agreed," Kurogiri confirmed, as Dabi took another sip of his coffee.
"When?" Izuku asked.
"Whenever is convenient for you," the misty man told him.
Izuku laughed and then looked at Dabi. "Let's delay this until we can talk to Yakuni and work out which Nomu should be sent," he suggested.
The fire villain nodded his acceptance and as Izuku shovelled one last spoonful of cereal into his mouth as he took the bowl to the bin and tipped the rest out before he washed the bowl. "I'm ready now," he announced to Kurogiri.
The warp gate gave him a look before nodding and then he opened into a disk. "We'll work it out this afternoon," Izuku told Dabi before he walked through Kurogiri.
Dabi nodded and then turned his attention back to his coffee. He wanted vengeance on Endeavor but right now… coffee was good.
-ted-
Izuku was expecting to see his friends - Ochaco, Hitoshi and Mei - when he went through Kurogiri's gate, but he wasn't expecting to exit it into Ochaco's bedroom!
Thankfully she was dressed and was working at her desk. Ochaco was recovering but she trained to be a hero, and she whirled to confront him. Izuku smiled as he held one finger over his mouth.
Ochaco grinned and then launched herself at him to give him a hug. "Izuku!" she breathed his name softly, as she drew back.
Izuku gave her a smile. She was probably going to confront him about what he'd done but before Ochaco could say anything further, the familiar black disk that was Kurogiri appeared again, and two more people emerged into Ochaco's bedroom. Hitoshi and Mei.
Izuku snapped his finger to his mouth again. Hitoshi rolled his eyes but nodded while Mei looked thoughtful. He knew that look. He might only have known Mei in person for a few months, but he knew that look. He'd given her an idea for a baby.
"You can show off the baby next time," Izuku told her softly.
Mei just smiled.
"How have you been?" Hitoshi asked, scooting around to sit on Ochaco's bed. Mei followed, while Ochaco turned her chair around.
Izuku felt a bit like he was on show, but he'd gotten used to that feeling and there was space to sit on Ochaco's bed if he wanted but he needed his friends to listen. "Busy," he replied to Hitoshi. "You?"
His friend gave him a smile. "Busy," came the deadpan answer.
Izuku laughed. The response was so perfectly Hitoshi that he couldn't help it. He'd missed the easy camaraderie he had with them. That realisation made Izuku close his eyes and sigh sadly. "I don't know how long we'll be able to keep meeting," he told them.
When he opened his eyes, he was met with nods.
"The heroes expected you to visit me on the last night in hospital," Ochaco told him.
"Why?" Mei asked.
"To change my quirk back," Ochaco explained.
"That's stupid," the other girl replied. "I mean, he can do it at any time, can't you?" Mei looked to Izuku.
He nodded. "And I'm sorry I took your quirk without asking Ochaco," he told her.
"It was a bit weird," she admitted. "But the one you gave me is fantastic! I got out of the hospital so much faster because of it," Ochaco explained.
That caused Izuku to cock his head slightly as he thought… "Oh, when you were in rehab, it kept fixing things to be better than they were?"
Ochaco nodded. "So, I could do multiple rebabs in a day, without straining myself."
Hitoshi sighed heavily. "I needed that quirk," he muttered.
"Hitoshi?" Mei asked.
"You know what I've been doing," he said, breathing out heavily.
It took Mei a moment to make the connections, but Ochaco and Izuku were still lost. "Yeah, you definitely needed it," Mei agreed.
"How?" Ochaco demanded.
Mei chuckled. "Aizawa has had Hitoshi running everywhere as training."
"Oh," both Izuku and Ochaco said as they understood. A quirk that fixed your muscles didn't negate the need for training but did mean you could advance faster, as Ochaco had proven with rehabilitation. Hitoshi had to get fit and toned the hard way.
Hitoshi gave Izuku a look. "Do you have that quirk?" he asked.
It wasn't something Izuku had been expecting but he probably should have. "I have a copy of it," he admitted. Izuku knew Hitoshi could turn around and tell the heroes what quirks he had. Ochaco and Mei could do that as well but… they were his friends. If he didn't trust them, then they had no reason to trust him and that was not friendship.
"That's why you are never sick!" Mei said as if it explained something.
Ochaco frowned. "You have that quirk?" she asked. "How can you have it, if I have it?"
Izuku gave her a look and then realised that Ochaco didn't know quirks could be copied. She didn't know a lot of things… "Oh dear," he whispered.
"What aren't you telling me?" Ochaco demanded.
Izuku looked at Hitoshi and Mei but they just shrugged to tell him he'd better explain. "You know my dad is more than just a villain, right?" he asked her.
It was a loaded question, but Ochaco just nodded. "He runs some businesses," she replied. "I still remember. The air conditioning was great," Ochaco told him. When she was five, air conditioning was the height of luxury.
"One of his businesses does quirk research, and they figured out how to copy quirks," Izuku explained, knowing he wasn't giving them the full details. "So, I have a copy of the quirk I gave you," he painted the picture to make it very obvious.
"Oh," Ochaco replied, leaning back on to her desk. "That explains why you are so fit."
"I haven't always had it!" Izuku objected with a laugh. A bit of levity now would help, even if these were his friends.
"But long enough," Hitoshi concluded.
Izuku sighed theatrically. "Long enough," he allowed. "Business now?" he prompted.
"I suppose so," Hitoshi agreed as the ladies nodded.
"Hitoshi, I have your quirk copy for you," Izuku said.
"What?" Ochaco frowned.
It took them all a moment to remember that Ochaco had been unconscious when they'd had this conversation.
This time Hitoshi took pity on Izuku and motioned to say he'd explain. The purple haired teen looked over at Ochaco. "You want to help Izuku, don't you?" he asked.
She bit her lip but nodded.
"And I'll bet he said you should think about it," Hitoshi continued with an expectant tone.
"How did yo-" the gasp was enough for Hitoshi to know he was right.
"It's Izuku," Hitoshi deadpanned.
"Okay," Ochaco allowed.
"You aren't the only one who wants to help but if I didn't take the Hero internship there'd have been questions… So I asked Izuku to copy my quirk," Hitoshi explained simply.
Ochaco stared at him for a few moments before she nodded. They'd been friends for a long time, so she understood his desires.
"And I've got it," Izuku broke in. "And yours, Ochaco," he added.
"Wait a second… Mei?" Ochaco prompted.
"I'll follow the highest bidder," the Support Course student said.
Ochaco gasped.
"I'm the highest bidder," Izuku told his oldest friend.
Mei nodded her confirmation. "No one else is even close!" she announced happily.
Ochaco looked like she was going to need more details but nodded slowly at the information. "So, I can get back Zero Gravity?" she asked, going back to the quirks.
Izuku nodded and held out his hand. It was an invitation for Ochaco to take it. She looked at it for a moment. "It's not a copy?" Ochaco asked suddenly.
Izuku frowned. "I can make one," he told her.
"You've already had one made," Ochaco accused.
"She knows you," Hitoshi told Izuku.
"She does," he admitted. "I have," he told her.
"Give me that one. Keep my quirk," Ochaco told him. "I want to help you, and … It's not much but-" she didn't finish.
"You are sure?" Izuku asked.
"I'm sure," Ochaco confirmed, reaching out to take his hand.
Izuku rubbed his thumb over her skin and grabbed regeneration from her as gently as he could, before he called up Zero Gravity. It was a nice quirk and while he hadn't used it much, it had always been easy for him to use. He called the copy as well. It was easy to tell which was which. They both felt like Ochaco, but the original was more developed. Izuku figured it was because Ochaco had it for longer. He pushed the copy to her.
Ochaco closed her eyes and took a deep breath. "There it is," she whispered, feeling her quirk return. She shivered slightly. "Now I can help my parents again."
Izuku squeezed her hand. It was sharp. "Ochaco," he said. "Don't…" He sighed. "I'm sure they will be happy for the help but I'm equally sure they won't want you to limit yourself," he told her. "Think about what you want to do as well," Izuku encouraged.
"The way you have?" she accused.
"Okay, fair," Izuku allowed. "I am, sort of still helping my dad, but I am doing this because I want to do it," he added firmly.
She glared at him and then nodded,
"Me now?" Hitoshi broke the mood.
Mei snorted. "You just want the attention," she grumbled.
"Always."
Hitoshi held out his hand, and Izuku took it after he released Ochaco's. "You are sure?" he asked.
"I'm positive," Hitoshi told him, glaring into his eyes.
Izuku nodded and then pulled up the copy of Brainwashing he'd had Yakuni make for him before he gently took the original from Hitoshi and slipped the copy into him. Hitoshi didn't shiver but was aware the change had happened.
Hitoshi smiled and for a moment Izuku was content to be with his friends. It felt nice.
"I guess now we'll find out what it takes to change the world," Hitoshi announced.
"What do you mean?" Mei asked.
"Izuku knows," Hitoshi told her.
The green-haired teen frowned, and then recalled a conversation he'd had with Hitoshi many years ago. It was just after All Might had returned to active duty after almost killing his father. They'd been almost 10 at the time.
"It won't be one event," Izuku recalled what they'd discussed. "But I think we have seen the beginning events," he added.
Hitoshi smiled and nodded.
"And we will see the closing events," he confirmed.
"All of us," Mei grinned, holding out her fist. Glittering from between her knuckles was her green scale.
Izuku grinned and generated a scale as he held it against hers. Hitoshi drew out his and touched it to them.
Ochaco gulped. "They took mine," she said in a small voice.
Izuku felt his lip curl back in a snarl, but it was an easy task for him to generate another scale for her and he offered it to Ochaco.
"You made them?" She gasped…
"Literally," he confirmed.
Ochaco took it and held it against Mei's and Hitoshi's as Izuku once again moved to hold his with theirs.
"All of us," he repeated Mei's line.
"All of us," they confirmed.
It felt good.
-ted-
Okay, so now we have an 'in fic' time limit until Tartarus and as I'm sure everyone knows, a lot can change in 10 days!
And Ochaco has her quirk back, and so does Hitoshi. There's a reason Ochaco doesn't get accepted back into a hero school and all the switching around of her quirk is contributory especially as it will be much safer for her to say that she was asleep when Izuku did it.
Dabi is fully onboard now and really can't wait for the 10 days to be over.
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!