As the light entered his eyes, Izuku tried to move his limbs back and forth, only to find that they were being restrained. Disoriented, Izuku made an attempt to escape once more, only for his efforts to be rendered obsolete.

Groaning, Izuku muttered to himself, "Guh..where in the actual..."

Oh yeah, where was that drunk guy? Shit. He didn't even get the chance to help him before they-

Then, the light panned to his face. Huh. Very dramatic. Izuku squinted his eyes to regulate the amount of light that was entering his light. Wow, whoever was in charge of detaining him here, he really had a knack for dramatic entrances.

"Okay, can you get that light off me for a second, please?"

"My apologies," a voice came as the door to the room opened. "I was merely inspecting your current condition. For documentation purposes, of course."

Izuku raised his brow, looking at the man in question who entered the room. He couldn't make out the full details of the person, given that his eyesight was not fully recovered yet, and his brain was still working itself into coming to.

Then, he asked in a slightly raspy voice, "Okay, who exactly are you, again?"

The man with smooth blue hair responded in a rather pious manner, "Forgive me for my lack of manners. I am Tenko, or as my endeared master would refer to me as so often, 'Tomura Shigaraki'."

Izuku paused for a moment, before asking, "Alright, can I talk to whoever's in charge? Because to my current observation, you guys are having a little misconduct here. Illegal detaining, hello?"

Shigaraki circled around the bed where Izuku was placed on. Then, he pulled out a jar. "Do you know what's inside of this jar, Mr. Midoriya?"

"Oh you know my name too. Great. Definitely didn't radiate that creepy stalker vibe," Izuku remarked snidely.

Ignoring him, Shigaraki continued, "Contained inside of this liquid is a sliver of a particle of what we classify as 'a quirk factor'. This is a sample that we've obtained from some of our unfortunate test subjects."

Izuku was having none of it. "Yeah, no need for any critical expositions here, I learned about what that is when I was in middle school."

"Well, the things that they taught you barely scratch the surface. You continue to remain in ignorance about what this," Shigaraki pointed at the jar to make his point. "could potentially do."

"Yeah? What does it do, exactly?"

Shigaraki glared at Izuku intensely. "If utilised with proper procedure, a quirk factor would be able to push a human's body beyond its limitations."

"Aaaand..?"

Shigaraki dropped the tense ambience by smiling as he said, "Mr. Midoriya, how would you like to have a quirk?"

"A...quirk-?"

"I've kept tabs on your life. Well, some of it. You wanted to be a hero, didn't you?" Shigaraki inquired.

Izuku raised his brow as he said, "I don't see how that correlates with anything that you just said."

"It does," Shigaraki said. "What we're currently working on is beyond anything in your wildest dreams."

Izuku's eyes sharpened in interest, though it quickly fell apart. He then said, "And why does this involve me? Why am I special?"

"Because you are special, Mr. Midoriya," Shigaraki's smile widened a little. "And this is your chance of a lifetime to be a hero among heroes."

Izuku was still sceptical about this. Rightfully so. What with this guy's rhetorics, vague statements, and the riddles, GOD, the fucking riddles. He'd rather just get this done with and go home. Unfortunately he wasn't in the position to make demands. He was strapped to a fucking soiled bed for crying out loud!

What would it take for him to just-

"I can sense the confusion brewing inside of your mind, Mr. Midoriya, and for that," Shigaraki then pressed a button in an area below the bed, as the things that bound him quickly unwrapped themselves almost immediately.

Huh?

"Why'd you-"

Shigaraki interrupted him with a snap of his fingers, "Walk with me."

Izuku followed suit, albeit reluctantly. As he took in his surroundings, he could see that he was in a fancy building somewhere in Mustafu. Then, he could see the logo 'LifeForAll' on every display screen.

I've heard of them, but not much. Wow. What the hell do people like them want with me anyway?

As they entered another room, there were multiple monitors surrounding the area. Shigaraki then pressed the button on the little device he was holding in his hands. Then, the monitors came to life, revealing a footage of multiple pro-heroes fighting in their field.

Izuku widened his eyes. "What is this? They're.."

"Some of the most renowned pro-heroes, yes," Shigaraki nodded. "Hawks, Mirko, Mt. Lady, and yes, even Best Jeanist. Like you, Mr. Midoriya, they came from humble origins. A life devoid of quirks to propel them to the field of heroics, full of unfair malpractices and discrimination. But of course, we are here to recompense them for that."

Izuku then asked, "Why? What do you gain out of that?"

"There is everything to gain in helping, Mr. Midoriya," Shigaraki turned off the monitors, turning his attention back to Izuku. "One might say that it's beneficial for our branding as a practical answer--I mean, of course, that is one of the reasons why, but beyond that, there is a deeper cause."

"And that is...?" Izuku asked.

"Making a difference," Shigaraki answered as he pressed the button once again. The monitors came to light, showing different footages of varying people put into unfortunate circumstances due to their lack of quirk. "Our company exists solely to assist quirkless individuals in their attempt to survive in a world of heroes and villains, though vain their efforts may be. To that light, we've exploited one of the most integral piece of both worlds: the quirk factor."

Izuku stood in silence momentarily, taking in the words that Shigaraki just said. Then, he decided to speak, "That's...noble and all, but that still doesn't explain why you dragged me all the way to wherever the hell this place is. Involuntarily, might I add. Even if I wanted to be a hero, you could've just knocked on my doorsteps, have a civilised discussion over a pizza and- hey, wait, what happened to that drunk guy anyway?"

Looking past the last part of what Izuku just said, Shigaraki spoke, "Mr. Midoriya, don't you see the opportunity that I've presented in front of your very eyes?"

"I can see the merits, but I can't just trust you right off the bat," Izuku replied cautiously. "What do you say to giving me a few days for me to give this 'offer' of yours a thought?"

Shigaraki's expression tensed as he said, "Mr. Midoriya, there is no coming back from that decision. Once we've discarded you from our premises, we won't be there to take you back."

"That doesn't sound that bad, actually," Izuku bluntly responded.

This whole exchange seemed to grow even more to Shigaraki's ire judging by his expression. His deferent attitude began to fall out as he spoke, "So you'd rather go back to your life, live out your days of insignificance and mediocrity?"

"Well, certainly seems like the better option rather than accepting an oddly suspicious offer from a company that is equally as suspicious, considering that you guys did take that drunk guy to god knows where," Izuku said.

"You don't need to worry about that junkie-"

"What's his name, by the way?" Izuku questioned, earning a frantic expression from Shigaraki. "You do know his name, don't you?"

"He's not anyone that you should sully your thoughts with, Mr. Midoriya," Shigaraki said. "What matters is-"

"No, no, it matters. You want me to trust you, right? Everbody has to start somewhere, and with you, you can start by telling me the truth," Izuku replied.

Shigaraki closed his eyes for a moment, seemingly frustrated. Then, he spoke, "I am not in liberty to say. But I can tell you one thing, the man you saw from before is not someone that you want to be associated with."

Izuku was unconvinced. "Me being able to catch a whiff of bullshit from a mile away should be in your need-to-know basis, if what you said about keeping tabs on me is anything to go by," Izuku replied.

Then, he turned away in a nonchalant manner. "I'm off. Go find someone else to dupe, ya freeloading dozers."

However, as Izuku was headed to the exit door, two men came to the frame and stood in his way. "What is this? I was under the impression that I could skedaddle the fuck out of this place whenever I want."

Shigaraki sighed before saying, "I didn't want for it to come to this, but you've forced my hands, Mr. Midoriya."

"You mean those hands that you frequently use for 'toilet breaks'?" Izuku remarked with a snarky tone. "Shit, the post nut clarity must've been incredibly enlightening. Hey, just for future reference, bring some tissues the next time you wanna get it on, numbnuts."

Shigaraki clenched his jaw as he continued, "Putting aside your obnoxiously irreverent tendencies to spew out infantile innuendos like the simpleton you are, I'd like to extend my offer for one last time."

Izuku was still as Shigaraki approached him, feigning sincerity as he continued, "Mr. Midoriya, you can finally, finally..matter."

Izuku's eyes were trained on Shigaraki, as if he was thinking about the implications of accepting his seemingly gracious offer. But at the end of the day, this guy can't be trusted. Hell, he even had two of these morons to keep him at bay.

"Sorry, no can do. You didn't even put an effort to make me trust you, so let's just collectively forget that any of this shit ever happened," Izuku declined. "Oh right, I'd have these two whackjobs gunning for me the moment I step forward by even an inch. Classic villains."

Shigaraki crossed his arms as if he was waiting for Izuku to make the first move.

"But you know," Izuku turned his head over to the two guards. "Maybe complying wouldn't be so bad after all. I mean, it's the thing that I've wanted for so long."

Shigaraki raised his brow, prompting Izuku to continue.

"It's just a lot to take in, the implications of me being a hero" Izuku walked closer to the guards. "The power in the hero hierarchy is about to change forever. You know what I could be? I could be the Messiah. I could be... Japan's very own Jesus. I'll spread my arms and a herd of oblivious sheeps will follow. Countries will chant my name out loud like it's a damn mantra. And of course, don't forget the sacrifice play. An incredible retelling of the greatest story ever told!"

The guards raised their brows collectively.

"I just wonder what would happen if I just," Izuku quickly moved to snatch the gun resting in one of the guards waist. He then swiftly pointed it at his head, pulling the trigger and blowing his brains out.

The man collapsed into the ground with the contents of his skull scattered all over the floor. The other guard was frozen momentarily, before taking out his gun, pointing it at Izuku's head. However, before it could fully aim its direction properly, Izuku quickly dragged the man by his arm, placing the barrel of his gun to the guard's jaw.

Once again, Izuku pulled the trigger. The bullet went through the man's head, killing him completely as he collapsed into the floor. The gun flew into the air due to the shock, but Izuku swiftly caught it in his palm, before pointing both of the weapons in his possession at Shigaraki.

"Hah, sike," Izuku snidely said. "I'd rather stay in my lane. And kill you."

Shigaraki slowly raised both of his hands, though his expression remained as stoic as ever. "No need to resort to such beastly tactics."

"Trust me, I'm not above skewing a corporate fuckface into a fucking kebab and carving a dick tattoo into their carcass," Izuku said, his tone threatening.

Izuku looked at both the guard's corpses with contempt, as he spoke again, "Seriously though, hired guns? You'd think in this day and age you'd recruit someone with a quirk."

Unfortunately for Izuku, the doors to the room were suddenly busted open. Dozens of quirked men came to Shigaraki's aid, each of them activating their quirks.

"Well shit," Izuku muttered under his breath. "You guys are really pushing it. All this effort for little ol' me? Come now."

Shigaraki lowered his hands as he spoke, "I've given you too many chances, Mr. Midoriya. Had you accepted my offer like a grateful dog, it wouldn't have come to this."

"There it is," Izuku clicked his tongue as he continued, "Your mask's wearing off, Shiggy. The way you carried yourself like a sophisticated gentleman, I knew something was off you psychopathic son of a bitch."

"Get him," Shigaraki commanded his subordinates. The men rushed in to get Izuku, whom responded by taking the chance to flee.

He then used one of the larger men as a platform to jump to the vent near the ceiling. He squeezed himself through the cramped space of the vent. Nimbly making his way to the end of the vent, he dropped from the ceiling, landing neatly on the ground with both the guns still in his hands.

I lost them. For now.

Izuku tried to navigate himself through the unfamiliarity that is this area. The overly spacious quarters wasn't helping either. It makes it all the more difficult for him to make his way out of the building.

Then, the alarm sounded. The red lights blared throughout the room as the speakers on the ceiling activated, "Discretion is advised. Subject M-1dr6 has escaped."

Wow, these guys are up to no good at all

Izuku's eyes moved in the direction of a display case, where two katanas are being held inside of the glass. Izuku grabbed a piece of metal scraps from the ground before hitting the glass with it, shattering the display case.

Izuku kept running, picking up the pace as the atmosphere began to grow even more and more intense. As he reached a turning point that'd lead him to two different directions, several men came from every corner to intercept him.

"This game of cat and mouse ends here," one of the men who had the head of a fish stated.

"Au contraire, my little fish stick. It's only just the beginning," Izuku kept his guns holstered as he unsheathed the katanas he snatched from the display case.

This certainly is going to be fun.

...

Shigaraki was fuming in his office. Not only his subordinates didn't even so much as let him in on their little decisions, which could have possibly compromised the entire plan from setting itself on motion, but he also had a fucking gun trained on his face. He was almost there, on death's fucking threshold.

A man with a disfigured facial features entered the office with a cup of coffee in his hands, "Would you like a cup-"

"Get the hell out," Shigaraki interrupted him.

"Boss-?"

"You dunce, didn't hear a word I said? Get out. I don't need your coffee, much less your incompetent self hogging all the space in my office," Shigaraki blurred out.

"...if this is about-"

"Yes, this is about your decision that led to all this...whatever this is," Shigaraki gripped the sides of the desk in front of him. "Master won't be pleased with this. All of this is due to you hatching up a decision without my say-so."

The man sighed as he defended himself, "To my defense, both of them were there at the same time. I was simply killing two birds with one stone."

"And you didn't even think that this will add to his suspicion, you daft dog?" Shigaraki gritted his teeth as he stood up. "Do I need to shove a fucking manual book in front of your face? Drill all the obvious points into that empty head of yours so you'll be competent next time? I was clear when I told you to assess the situation first then report! Not capture them on the get-go!"

"Boss-"

Shigaraki cut him off, "You're lucky that my master has prohibited me from acting so rash when it comes to disposing a valuable asset such as yourself, Dabi."

The disfigured person only stood still, taking in the words like an obedient dog. "Now shoo. Take your damned coffee away from my face." Shigaraki said.

The man's brow furrowed for a moment, his hands quivering. But then, he regained his composure, releasing a wave of air from his nostrils. "As you wish, boss."

He then exited the office. Shigaraki clasped both of his hands together, staring absentmindedly at the desk.

"What a lousy sub-quest."

...

Izuku ducked under the enormous fist that was headed his way, before using one of his katanas to slice the man's abdomen open. The man in question collapsed into the ground with his innards scattered all over the building floor.

Izuku walked forward, his path was followed by a trail of blood, guts, and several carcasses adorning the floor behind him.

Another group of men intercepted his path. Izuku reacted swiftly, charging towards them with his blades. He kicked the nearby wall, before propelling himself forward, swinging the blades in their general direction.

Izuku pierced one of the man's with the blade; he pushed it harder as the man's head was severed from it's place. Izuku spun around as he evaded the other men's quirked attacks.

To create a distraction, Izuku sliced the nearby display case containing a fire extinguisher open, causing all the vapor to envelop the entire area. Consequently, the men's line of vision were obscured as they flailed their arms around in an attempt to look for Izuku.

That didn't last long as Izuku slashed their arms off one by one, as a collective scream echoed throughout the corridor. When the mist settled, Izuku landed onto the ground with multiple severed arms sprawled across the floor.

The once dry floor was then tainted with blood, and the helpless bodies of the henchmen that had their arms sliced off.

Izuku's eyes squinted as he focused on the men that were ahead of him, waiting by what looked like an emergency exit door.

"He's supposed to be quirkless!" one of the men ahead mouthed.

"How the fuck did he take out dozens of our men with swords and guns alone?!"

"DOESN'T MATTER, GET HIM!" the more dominant and commanding voice ordered them, as they rushed forward to apprehend Izuku.

Izuku snarkily remarked as he engaged the men, "I overheard ya. Somethin' about me being quirkless yet able to neutralise some of your unlucky friends back there?"

Izuku dodged another attack mid-sentence, continuing, "Well, you see, I've been trying to refine my mastery in the art of 'not-shutting-the-fuck-up-while-I-fight-" Izuku was interrupted yet again by a strong wind current blowing into his direction. He then continued, "Which I know will infuriate you guys to no end."

Izuku ducked under another barrage of attacks, his katanas still intact in his hands. He prepared for the right moment to strike. "But if you're interested, I'm always up for a little practice session. I can give you a few pointers, let you blow some steam, relieve yourselves- oh wait that sounds a little off-putting-"

"SHUT THE FUCK UP ALREADY!" One of the men who had the quirk to enlarge his arms slammed his fist onto Izuku's chest, sending him barrelling against the wall.

He smirked triumphantly as he said, "Not so talkative now, ain't ya?"

"Nope," It was Izuku's turn to smile. "Cuz you fell right into the bait, you gullible brute."

The man's smile faltered as he heard a beeping noise in his chest. He slowly looked down and..

"OH FUCK-"

An explosion erupted, causing the exit door to crumble down, leaving Izuku with a viable way to escape this shithole once and for all. "And just like that, jackpot." Izuku mouthed, before making his escape.

However, before he could step even further, a sizzling flame blasted out of the roof, scorching the floor that was just inches away from where Izuku was standing. A man descended from the hole, landing on the ground with grace. His gaze landed on Izuku, as his lips twitched upwards. "Midoriya Izuku. For a measly quirkless runt, you sure put up a decent fight. A shame that you've decided to utilise that talent of yours to be a pain in our necks.

Izuku's guard was up as he prepared himself with a stance. "Just as I was about to score a homerun."

A ring of fire began to swirl around the man's palm as he said, "I can't have you escaping, little runt."

"Aw fuck," Izuku cursed under his breath. Dealing with fire-based emitter quirks was not right up his alley.

I guess I'll never know until I try.

He waited for the man with the grotesque facial features to make the first move, and he did. The man rushed forward with his arms spread.

Izuku prepared for what was come, until something hit him in the torso. The man was fast. Unbelievably so. He didn't even have the time to comprehend the villain's movements, much less dodge them.

Izuku tried to grab hold of what struck him, only to see a small needle-like object lodged deep inside his skin. He slowly tilted his head to the man, who was standing behind him. "Hey, you didn't...pull a fast one on me, did you?"

The man simply huffed, clapping his hands as if to say that his work here was done.

Izuku's strength faltered as his knees buckled. His consciousness began to drift apart as he muttered, "You son of a..."

"It had to be done," the man said. Izuku then collapsed into the ground, darkness enveloping his vision.

...

His ears were ringing as his line of sight began to return. Izuku groggily opened his eyes, taking in the dim lights from the ceiling and the unfamiliar faces looking at him.

Well, except for that one particular disfigured face.

The one that pulled that cheap stunt. "Hey..where..."

He was on a stretcher, which was being moved by the guys in white coats surrounding him. Jesus, talk about being shady. He tried to move his hands, only to find that the strains were immobilising them.

"Hey... get me off these things," Izuku demanded, albeit groggily, but the doctors kept on moving the stroller.

Not much of a listener, are they?

"Stay put," that same disfigured man said. "Or I'll have to make you."

Izuku pushed against the strains, gritting his teeth. He then spoke, "And just where do you think you assholes are going to take me?"

They didn't speak.

"Hey! I asked you a question!" Izuku yelled, but still, they didn't answer. "You wanna be a brooding, stoic guy now? Talk or I'll show you how fucking terrifying I can be."

The disfigured man stifled a laugh, though the amusement could still be seen with the way he talked. "You're the one who's being strapped to a gurney, brat."

"Then I'll break out of them and bash that fucking hideous face of yours in," Izuku spoke threateningly.

"I'd like to see you try," the man retorted.

Izuku tried to wriggle out of the restrains, but it was no use. He really was trapped. God damn it. He really let his guard down. Otherwise he wouldn't have been stuck in this godawful circumstance. What was he going to do? Annoy them into letting him go?

Not long after that, he was already in a room full of 'patients'. Unwilling ones, that is. He could only imagine the torment that they had to go through. No, he was imagining what he was going to go through. Fuck!

"So what now, are you guys going to turn me into a superhero now?" Izuku spat out. "What, by torturing me senseless? I think that should speak volumes about how much of a psychopathic asshole your boss is. I shudder to think about what that dude does in his spare time. Probably something inappropriate. Hey, I'm always up for something inappropriate, but not to that extent-"

The disfigured man clamped Izuku's mouth shut with his hands, "Do us a favour and shut your mouth for once, runt. Still think we're here to shit out no-good goody-two-shoes? Then you've got another thing coming for ya. We're not here to turn you into a superhero, Midoriya. Quite the opposite, in fact."

"Mmmpph...!" Izuku's unintelligibly said through his pained muffled voice.

"We are here," the disfigured man leaned close then continued, "to turn you into a super-slave. To put down the hero society once and for all. No more symbols, no more hope, only despair. We'll hold up a mirror to show this dreadful civilisation how utterly hypocritical they are."

The disfigured man released his iron grip on Izuku's mouth, before walking away. The men in white coats moved in to inspect Izuku.

"Hey!" Izuku gritted his teeth. "Get the fuck back here! Release me!"

The disfigured man ignored his demands as he exited the room, closing the door promptly.

Izuku's breathing began to increase it's frequency, his heartbeat rapidly fluctuating as the doctors closed in on him.

...

'Fuck being a hero.'

That was the last thought Izuku had before he experienced some of the worst pain he'd ever faced in his entire life.

...

He lost the track of time. Had it been weeks? Months? Or hell, years? Izuku hadn't had the faintest clue. The excruciating pain that the had to endure for the time prevented him from having clear thoughts.

The guard that stood before him, he'd seen his ugly mug so many times that he remembered every single detail of his faces. Right from the messy beard, the contemptible and unsightly goatee that he sported, the goddamn wrinkles, the dry lips, everything. Too bad he never bothered to remember his name. Pretty sure he'd mentioned it like fifty times already?

Jesus. Fifty times.

'How long have I been here?!'

"Upsy daisy, green," the guard said the name as if Izuku were his pet. "C'mon, you've got another tough test to go through."

Izuku spat on his face, much to his surprise. "Fuck off." Izuku blurted out.

"Now's not the time to grow a backbone to talk back. It's for your own good," the guard spoke maliciously.

"What is it this time?" Izuku said under gritted teeth.

"We can give you the gritty details later, but the gist of it? We're gonna drown you," the guard replied, before dragging him by his wrist.

Izuku braced for the pain that would follow.

Izuku couldn't breathe as they wrapped the plastic around his head. Feeling the oxygen depleting from his body, Izuku struggled to suck the air through his nose.

He couldn't do this anymore.

This was just as worse as drowning.

God he couldn't take it anymore.

Izuku was pretty certain that at least two years had passed. His body was now filled with fading scars and some new ones too.

One thing he'd noticed was that his wounds were starting to heal a little faster than before.

A feat that he wasn't even sure was real. Perhaps he was a little too disoriented to comprehend reality. Hallucinations were pretty common in this kind of state.

Hah..

He missed his mom already.

'I wanna go home.'

'Being dead is far more preferable than whatever hellish experience that's being concocted for me right now.'

Izuku found himself scribbling on a withering paper. The pen was barely working. Of course, he'd picked it up from a trashcan.

He'd only hoped that this letter would find its way to his mom. Izuku found himself laughing bitterly. What kind of fool was he, that he'd think a letter would somehow miraculously find its way to someone that could be on the other side of the world?

What a fruitless endeavour. Izuku threw the pen against the wall. The letter wasn't complete yet. It was just filled with pointless ravings of a confined man.

Before he could decide what to write on the letter, the door to his cell opened. Yup. He was definitely getting fed up of having to see that repugnant face again.

"You're up next, Midoriya Izuku," the guard said.

Izuku groggily stood up, his eyes fluttering as he struggled to stand firm on his feet. "You're at your wit's end, ain't ya?" the guard taunted, gripping him by his wrist.

Izuku didn't even bother to resist. It was pointless to attempt to at this point.

"Fret not then, because this will be the last test that you'll have to endure," the guard said rather softly.

Izuku's eyes shot up a little in a gleeful manner, hope sparking in his pupils.

"Of course, if you managed to pass this test, you'll have to work for us as...in Dabi's words, 'a super-slave'," the guard ended on a rather bad note.

Oh yeah. He'd forgotten about that.

Shit.

Izuku was then pushed into some sort of test tube with the label 'oxygen' on it. It felt like he was being put into some sort of death casket, which at this point should be what he was thinking since he was heading straight to a possible death.

Then, a man entered the room. That same man with the disfigured face who thwarted his attempt to escape all those years ago. He was chewing on some kind of match stick, too.

An idea popped up in his head.

"Great, now you've decided to show your face," Izuku said with an expression of resentment. "The prodigal fuckface returns. Last time I checked, I told you to release me, didn't I? And you didn't. For that, you're now officially at the top of my shit list."

"You look rather famished," the man, who Izuku came to know as 'Dabi', replied, ignoring Izuku's ramblings. "Perhaps you'd like for us to provide you with a little dish before we proceed with our test? You have to replenish your energy before putting it through an extensive experiment, after all."

"Take your food and shove it up your ass," Izuku spat out.

Dabi frowned as he heard that. "I expected for you to be a little more grateful than that."

"That's about as grateful as I can be," Izuku said in a snarky tone.

Dabi sighed as he motioned for the men to proceed. "Very well then."

"Hey, before that, I gotta tell you something," Izuku said, halting the men from continuing forward.

Dabi only raised his brow.

"I gotta say man," Izuku's lips twitched upwards in a sly manner as he continued, "Childhood must've been rough if you had to stoop this low."

"What ever do you mean by-?"

Dabi was cut off when Izuku spoke, "I mean, you had the luxury of being the offspring of a renowned hero. And you had the guts to waste all that away because daddy dearest wasn't the nicest? Could have used his status to propel yourself to the top. You could've been at the summit of the hero society."

Dabi was caught off guard by Izuku's words. However, he regained his composure quickoy, before telling his men, "Close the tube."

"Got nothing to say, Touya?" Izuku's smirk widened. Dabi's eyelids twitched as he moved in closer to Izuku's space. Izuku did likewise, before headbutting him. Dabi was startled by the sudden move.

"CLOSE THE FUCKING TUBE!" Dabi yelled as his men swiftly followed his orders. Then, he locked eyes with Izuku. "We're going to decrease the level of oxygen until your heartrate excessively fluctuate. This will either unlock your quirk factor, or you'll die. Either way is fine by me. If we succeed, we'll get you into shape quick to be a super-slave. If you die, well, I won't have to put up with your loose mouth forever. Though I prefer the latter the most."

"Still adamant on that super-slave thing?" Izuku clicked his tongue as he continued, "That won't be happen because I'll bust my way out of this shithole and hunt you all down."

"Whatever you say. Enjoy your weekend, Midoriya," Dabi said in a taunting manner as he exited the room, watching from the transparent walls.

As the tube was closed, Izuku was left to his own devices. The oxygen meter was dropping at a rapid pace. He found himself unable to breathe properly. God damn it. The plan wouldn't work if he wasn't able to focus.

But that was only the tip of the iceberg. As he remained longer in the tube, it felt like something was ravaging his skin. No doubt the work of whatever was happening here. He felt like he was in a vacuum while being devoured by some sort of parasitic organism inside him.

Only it wasn't really a parasite.

Izuku felt his green hair falling out of his head. Looking at his arms, he could see various bumps and deteroriating skin tissues tainting the view. Smooth, delicate skin was jumbled into a tightly twisted wrinkle with bumps and scars spreading throughout his body.

'What in the actual fuck are they doing to me?!'

Izuku could feel his panic surfacing as he hopelessly tried to escape out of the tube. He couldn't afford to have this happen to him.

Just as expected, though, it was futile.

When the process was done, Izuku could see a glimpse of what his face looked like then.

...

Dabi returned to his side, smirking as he took in the result of his 'handiwork'. "Splendid! Marvelous! The transition is complete!"

"THE FUCK DID YOU DO TO ME?!" Izuku screamed.

"Nothing much. Just giving you what you've always wanted: a quirk," Dabi smiled as he said that.

Izuku clenched his fists as he struggled to escape. Tears threatened to swim down his eyelids, but he tried to keep his composure. His face. He looked like...

He wasn't even human anymore.

"Now that's all said and done, I'm gonna need you to sit down like a good boy and wait for your next errand, got it?" Dabi spoke in a condescending manner. "Who knows, I might get ya a bone or two."

Though Izuku remained quiet.

"Got nothing cheeky to say this time? I'd say that is to be expected. We ruined your perfectly beautiful face, after all," Dabi laughed out loud as he continued, "People may call you plain, but the way I see it, all sorts of ladies would've been swooning all over you had you kept your face safe."

"Fuck you," Izuku said with a low tone foe the first time ever since he was detained here.

"That's the spirit," Dabi smirked as he walked to the door. "Try to be at your best behaviour though, Midoriya."

As the door closed, Izuku looked at the match stick that he managed to snatch away from Dabi. He'd already spat it out earlier and made it land on his left hand.

Perfect.

He then used his nail to cause a friction on the match stick. After several attempts, fire began to engulf the top part of the match stick. Izuku then flicked it to the oxygen bar, letting it interact with the substance released.

After a few seconds, an explosion erupted, destroying the very room that Izuku was in.

Izuku rushed out of the room, ignoring the flames that threatened to burn him. He wasn't able to see through the thick fog. Then someone tackled him into the ground.

It was Dabi.

"You little fucker," Dabi growled as he put Izuku into a chokehold, "The fuck kinda stunt did you pull?"

"Told you I'd be busting my way out of that fucking cage you put me into," Izuku said through labored breath.

Dabi used his quirk to burn a chunk of Izuku's face. "Then you won't live long enough to see it through to the end."

However, Izuku's charred skin began to rapidly regenerate, putting it back into its original state as if nothing ever scathed it.

"Oh would you look at that, we've turned you into an immortal," Dabi laughed.

Izuku responded by hitting him square in the jaw, disorienting him.

He then gripped Dabi by his neck, rolling around to put himself on top. "You're gonna fix it."

"Oh will I now?"

"Yep. Cause I don't know what I'm gonna do to you if you don't," Izuku said with a threatening tone.

"You don't intimidate me in the slightest," Dabi bluntly said.

Izuku's lips began to form into an unhinged smile. "You will be."

Dabi struggled to break free, but Izuku was surprisingly stronger than he is. He gasped for air, trying to wriggle free out of Izuku's iron grip.

Izuku, on the other hand, wouldn't let himself have his grip loosened. "Tell me how to fix it, or so God help me-"

"You can't," Dabi laughed. "And you will never ever-"

Izuku elbowed him in the forehead, causing him to almost lose his consciousness. As soon as Dabi regained his bearings, he used his quirk to burn Izuku, only to see that the wounds were healed instantly.

"Keep doing it. It's pointless. I'll keep healing," Izuku's smile began to grow even more and more deranged. "We're stuck in a loop, you and I, so might as well spill the beans and die with dignity."

"Can't tell you, cus I don't know even know what the hell is going on to begin with," Dabi said.

"Let me guess, you're just following orders?" Izuku asked. "At the very least, give me a name. Someone who could give me the schematics."

"Don't know that either. I'm just a fucking faceless henchman, Midoriya," Dabi replied. "And even if I did have the information you need, telling you would be the last thing I do."

"You're not helping yourself, fuckface," Izuku said. But before he could interrogate him further, a group of men approached them amidst the fire. It looked as though they were wearing a fire resistance armour.

"Stop him!" the more dominant voice said.

Izuku loosened his grip on Dabi. "I'll be back to wring that information out of you, asshole."

"Try me," Dabi smirked.

Without responding further, Izuku made his escape by jumping through the window. With his newfound regenerative abilities, surely he would survive such a great fall?

As he plummeted through the air, Izuku could see the dumbfounded looks of the guards.

Hah, they must've thought he was suicidal. A leverage that he could use.

As he violently hit the solid ground, darkness enveloped his vision.