"Useless!" Tomura roared as he brushed his hands clean of the dust that had been one of his latest recruits.
"Young Master Shigaraki," Kurogiri said with a sigh as he picked up one of the glasses he had just gotten done cleaning and, seeing that it was now coated with dust from the unfortunate woman that Tomura had just killed, moved back towards the wash basin.
"What?" Tomura snapped. "What is it this time you want to complain about?" He glared at the other man even as he moved to sit down at the bar, grabbing a glass only for Kurogiri to snatch it, put it in the basin, and grab a clean glass for Tomura. The younger villain didn't say a word but instead merely grabbed a bottle and poured himself a drink. "You aren't going to defend that piece of filth, are you?" He shook his head. "Her ideas were fucking stupid!"
"She merely suggested that we consider-"
"She wanted us to leave Japan!" Tomura roared. "Leave! That would be admitting defeat! You don't stop one game and go play another one just because you are having problems with one level. That's what fucking noobs do. Am I a noob, Kurogiri?"
"Of course not," Kurogiri stated, though it was clear to Tomura he was only saying that because he knew that it was the right thing to say, not that he actually knew what a 'noob' was.
"Leave… leave just because things haven't been going our way." Tomura shook his head. "Going our way…"
Nothing had been working out like Tomura had hoped.
'First it was the attack on All Might's press conference,' he thought bitterly. 'That should have been the moment where I speared the very heart of this stupid society. Nomu destroying All Might, leaving him broken, and then as he gasped out his last I would have reduced him to dust!' But instead of that happening he had been taken out by the Number 1's brat.
Tomura had only recently recovered from the damage she had done to his hands and even then they still ached something fierce if he squeezed them too hard. He'd been warned that it could take months for muscles to fully recover from a traumatic injury like that and there would be days where everything felt perfect and fine and then the next the pain would return like he had reinjured himself and was starting all over. But the Doctor had told him he just needed to be patient and careful and eventually there would be a day where he would look at his hands and realize he couldn't remember the last time they had hurt.
He twitched his fingers, fighting the urge to massage them as hard as he could in hopes that maybe that would cause everything to snap into place and be better again.
'And then there was the attack on Hosu. That was supposed to reveal to the world how pathetic the heroes were, that they had no idea what was coming for them. And instead-'
"This is about Stain, isn't it?" Kurogiri asked quietly and it was only because he slid a coaster under his hand that he managed to keep Tomura from dusting the bar. Which was good because it would be a pain in the ass to deal with replacing that and he didn't want to let Sensei know he had slipped in his control.
"Stain… fucking Stain! I am so tired of hear about that god damn camper!" Tomura pressed his hand down only to find another coaster slid under his hand, which was reduced to dust. "I planned out Hosu… I made that city a hotbed of chaos and destruction! I proved that none of the heroes were ready for such an attack like that and even when they did rally their forces they still were left with injuries and despair. So many of the citizens that looked towards them for help were left broken, their lives destroyed, and their posing for the cameras and signing autographs did NOTHING."
Indeed, while the attack by the Nomu had been repealed in a single night the devastation they had brought about had been grand, far beyond what Japan had seen in nearly two decades. Thousands had seen their homes destroyed, countless businesses had been left burning, and the death toll numbered in the hundreds.
As for the heroes? Some had, much to his annoyance, managed to blanket themselves in glory. Star Might in particular had received glowing praise for her actions, choosing not to engage the Nomu but instead focusing on helping save as many civilians as she could. Some fucker named The Negotiator had been thanked repeatedly by the police for helping deal with several villain groups that had decided to take advantage of the situation while a no-name called Sir Steel had been spotted working with someone named Dualshot to take out their fair share of villains and harass a Nomu. And Mirko had ensured that she would rise up in the rankings by working with an intern to take out one of his Nomu.
But others? They weren't merely being booed for being clearly in over their head. No… they were being QUESTIONED. A far worse fate, in Tomura's opinion. So many of them thought they could do whatever they wished and never be pressed about it; to suddenly find themselves dealing with a public that was asking why they had made the choices they had? If they could trust them to protect the citizens?
Oh… it had to burn them.
"But all of that," he said aloud, "isn't on the front page! Instead it's the fucking Hero Killer!" He slapped at a paper (with the back of his hand) that was on the counter.
The news had broken that day, the Hero Commission unable to hide it anymore: Endeavor had been attacked by the Hero Killer. They kept saying that he would make a full recovery but Tomura had learned to read between the lines when it came to those lying fucks and he knew that in reality Endeavor was hurt badly. Very badly.
It should have been a grand day for him but instead… all people were talking about was Stain!
"He's like some newb with his daddy's credit card who buys all the best gear from the Micro Transaction Store!" Tomura complained. "Then waltz in and takes down all of us that actually put the effort into leveling up. And now I got these fucking NPCs coming in here saying we should change games and play something else? That's not how you win! That's-"
A phone rang behind the counter.
Tomura froze.
He… knew that ring.
Kurogiri quietly pulled out the phone and answered it but already Tomura was tense, knowing what the call was about.
"He wishes to speak with you," the warp gate creator said once the call was done.
Sensei.
Tomura swallowed.
~MC~MC~MC~
The computer screen taunted him.
Well, that wasn't true. After all, the computer wasn't alive. It couldn't actually taunt him. Though he did wonder if, perhaps, there was a quirk out there that-
He shook his head and reached for his coffee cup. He was tired and that was causing him to not be able to focus-
Mirai let out a soft groan when he realized his mug was completely empty. He tossed it aside and moved towards the minifridge in the corner of his office, pulling out an energy drink… only to find that it was empty as well.
A glance at the clock (not the window… his office didn't have windows. Windows were a danger for they allowed for anyone to enter) revealed that he had been sitting in his office for nearly 20 hours straight.
'No wonder my back hurts so much,' he thought as he slowly stood up and stretched, feeling his muscles scream in agony over the sudden movement. 'Foolish… the time I gained here will cost me three times as much now.' He knew that even if he did manage to drag himself into the office the next day he wouldn't even be a tenth as effective as he would have been if he had ONLY taken a break.
He sighed and felt his stomach clench in pain, demanding food.
'There is no excuse for any of this,' he thought as he left his office, not surprised to find his agency empty. At this point Bubble Girl must have assumed that he had gone home already, used to him working late hours. And it was well past time for her to clock out. Gathering his things, he was almost out the door when he realized he didn't have his wallet on him; that cost him more time but eventually he was back on track to find SOMETHING to eat and then, hopefully, bed with a heating pad.
He took a step and winced in pain.
Several heating pads.
'Perhaps I should invest in that mattress that Mirio suggested,' he though, remembering how his intern had shown him special mattresses that could heat in certain areas, allowing for full body comfort.
And, as was always the case whenever he thought of that mattress and then of Mirio… he thought of Yagi.
'Who is she?' he pondered as he continued down the street towards the 24 hour convenient store that sometimes he'd go to when he was forced to pull All-Nighters. 'Who is this woman that you have decided to gift your quirk too?'
It was frustrating to no end that Mirai had no idea who Star Might was. Not even her name. His attempts to research her had discovered nothing. Facial scans had shown him very little, coming up with thousands of women she could be.
'American,' he thought. 'With that accent she has to be American. Eastern European ancestors, according to scans. But there are too many women she could be and that is assuming she isn't wearing some kind of disguise.' He shook his head in frustration as he entered the store and moved at once to the small warming rack that was filled with different premade wrapped breakfast sandwiches. He grabbed a maple sausage one and turned, only to suddenly change his mind and spin back towards the warmer and grab two more.
And then another.
And finally every one they had.
Snagging two bottles of orange juice he handed his purchases to the cashier and carefully counted out the exact amount before heading out, already unwrapped one sandwich and biting into it. If he had been more awake he would have probably found it disgusting but at that moment it was the tastiest thing he'd ever had.
With the food in his belly came the brain cells in his mind, his thoughts beginning to fire up all the quicker.
'He has passed the quirk along to her but that doesn't mean all is lost. I can see reach out to him and ensure that he didn't make this decision foolishly. And then, when this Star Might doesn't meet the standards she should have to be the next Symbol of Peace, she can be forced to pass the quirk to Mirio.'
Mirai knew that his student was the best person to take the quirk. He just knew it. The boy was the perfect hero to continue on what Yagi started.
'I just have to get Yagi to see that,' he thought as he munched on his food before he suddenly changed directions. 'I can't sleep… I won't be able to sleep so long as this remains unsettled. There is only one choice.'
Waving down a taxi Mirai slipped inside and, between bites of his food, said, "Might Tower."
~MC~MC~MC~
All For One sat in his chair and waited for Young Tomura to appear on the screen. Not that the Demon Lord could actually see Tomura… All Might had robbed him of that sense and his work to find a quirk that would allow him to get around that was bearing some fruit. There was someone with a location quirk that would be rather nice, allowing him be able to move about a battle field and know where he was going, but there were still other issues. He was someone that understood that quirks had their limits and that one had to think of every strength and every flaw when it came to a quirk. Everyone should have been thinking about that but All For One had to be VERY careful with that as there was no telling how two quirks would react. What should have been an easy blend could turn into a disaster.
It was something he had tried to teach his-
The TV let out a crackle and a pop.
"Sensei," Tomura said.
"Good morning," All For One said. "I do hope you slept well."
He knew his student hadn't. He had been up late… not even playing his video games, which All For One allowed because they helped build up dexterity in his hands as well as taught him strategy. His… unfortunate… use of "gamer slang" was something All For One would have to try and get him to stop using but otherwise they were quite helpful.
'Yet another reason to regret the lose of my eyes,' he thought. 'Such games would allow me new ways to strengthen my already devastating strategic mind in real time. To be able to match wits with anyone in the world… and the recruiting potential! Tomura has told me that such things attract the outcasts of society, who find homes amongst the 'clans' and 'teams'. A perfect breeding ground for a new inner circle of like minds… hmmm…'
Perhaps he should tell his informants that finding him a quirk to get him new eyes should have a greater emphasis?
After Tomura finished telling him about his studies, as was expected on these calls, All For One stated, "Have you seen the papers concerning Endeavor?"
"I… have," Tomura said and All For One KNEW the boy had wanted to curse so very much. But he had told his student that only the ill-bred resorted to dropping such vulgarity on the regular. A true mastermind could be far more creative in describing their emotions. "Stain-"
"Is not what I wish to discuss," All For One said, cutting the boy off. "We have talked before about this obsession with Stain. He doesn't matter. He is a useful distraction."
"A distraction?" Tomura blurted out. "But Sensei… the papers focus on him and not us!"
"And the TV news and the internet," All For One said because, while he had been the one to drill it into Young Tomura's head that the papers were what one should look at first… sometimes he liked to completely ignore his own advice, just to see how the boy would react. "But why should we care about that?"
"We want the world to fear us!" Tomura proclaimed.
All For One shook his head. "The World will know of us when we are ready for them to know of us. When it is the greatest moment for them to realize that we have walked amongst them. They will be the swimmer thinking they are out for a leisurely paddle… only for the moon to suddenly shine on a pale white body and reveal they have ended up right next to a Great White Shark. But not a moment too soon." He paused. "I allowed you to take the Nomu out twice now because we needed to test them. It was a calculated risk, as that does allow the heroes to study them and learn about them but the Doctor is hard at work taking what he has learned and improving upon it. Hosu was a grand success, Tomura… the next Nomu will be glorious thanks to all that we learned that night. You should be proud."
"Yes sensei. Of course."
All For One knew his student didn't feel that way at all. He was young… his mind still filled with desires of fame and notoriety. Which was fine… understandable. With age all the young learned that it was better to step away from the spotlight. A young man wanted the world to scream his name and cheer him on. The old man wanted to be left to his projects and not be bothered by such wasteful things.
"Stain is killing heroes… but he also directing the Hero Commission towards him and not us. And in their desperation to stop him they will begin squeezing their fingers around those they feel might be a danger to them. That serves us well, Tomura. Pearls are made from pressure. Diamonds too. The weak are culled and the strong rise. Yes, there would be more of our kind if the Hero Commission was gone… but they would be weak and useless. The Commission is allowing for the evolution of a better breed of villain. Remember that." He paused. "Remember… when we are in control… that we will be the ones that must be careful how we squeeze our hand, lest we make the rebels against us stronger."
His thoughts turned to All Might and all those that had come before him.
"So we get all the benefits of the Hero Commission overreacting and installing new rules and regulations that will drive the people to hate them… without having to worry about them hunting us." He paused. "People have this view of the lion as noble… but it is more often than not a scavenger. It allows the hyena to make the kills and then they come in and claim the spoils. That is what we are… we are lions… Stain is the laughing Hyena. He will never have the love of the people… a few will flock to him but he is too strange and off putting to ever truly create a movement. We instead will be the noble alternative, reaping the benefits of his work."
Tomura didn't say a word.
"But as I said, we are not here to discuss Stain. I wish to talk about Endeavor."
"Yes," Tomura said, his voice growing pleased. "He's crippled. The Number 2 Hero's career is done! We have shown them as being weak!"
"And this… pleases you?" he asked.
His student was utterly taken aback by the comment.
"I… why wouldn't I be?"
All For One let the question hang in the air for several moments. Sometimes it was best to let Tomura think about what had just happened… and remember that he was still the student and All For One was the master.
"Endeavor is the worst kind of hero, is he not?" he asked.
"Of course! He represents all that is wrong with the world of heroes!"
"Then why would we want him removed?"
Tomura clearly didn't understand, based on the slight huffing sounds he made.
"Endeavor is a constant reminder for the world of how society has fallen. Someone we can point to as the reason we do all that we do. We have built our entire platform on the fact that he will one day be the Number 1 Hero… one whoses methods are no different from us. He is merely one given government approval… which shows how THEY have fallen. So why not us? Why should we not be in command if they put HIM in command? In fact we are open Tomura in what we do… does that not make us better?
"But now… he has been punished for his sins. He will no longer be a hero. He was our greatest asset and now we must find others. It is a setback. Had it been the likes of Hawks or Mirko or Gang Orca… that would have worked to our advantage. Show them as weak. But now all of Endeavor's sins will slowly be bled out and he will no longer serve us. That is the problem."
Tomura was silent.
"I want you to use the next few weeks to think on all of this. Strategize on how we can make our next move… but quietly. Cunningly. Build up our forces. And then… act."
"Yes Sensei."
The TV turned off.
'I am so close… so very close to completely at long last my magnum opus. Nearly everything is in tune, the sheet music has been written out, and now all I need is to determine who will be first and second chair for each section. Once that is done… we shall begin the final rehearsals before our performance.' But the Demon Lord frowned, squeezing his hand into a fist. 'Yet… what has happened to Endeavor… it is a lost page in the sheet music. A movement I must eliminate and work around and bridge if I hope to each my ending.'
These new players… they were sour notes.
'The Negotiator has been working hard to change UA. Already I have heard that even the Third Years are reconsidering how they approach heroics. Endeavor's move to embarrass UA has instead allowed lower ranked heroes, those less consumed with glory, to be able to rise up by being selected by promising UA students.'
For years, despite what they might claim otherwise, UA had utterly failed at creating the heroes they desired. Many of their teachers were seen as glory hounds, with the likes of Midnight and Present Mic seen by the public more as celebrities than true heroes. Others, like their therapist Hound Dog, only fueled the distrust the public had with those with Mutation Quirks, making it clear with his own hero costume that he wasn't safe to be around. Snipe and Vlad King… well, he couldn't truly get a read on the first one but the second fueled the competition amongst the students and ensured that, later on in life, they wouldn't be able to work well with those outside of their personal circle, which is what All For One desired. After all, it was so much easier to pick off the sheep when their herds were small. Eraserhead's standoff ways and willingness to crush dreams (even if he did work with students later to help them return to the world of heroics) bred the kind of disgruntled people that held grudges that could be quietly nurtured when they were adults. It also taught them to never trust another elder hero and that they couldn't rely upon them.
'But the Negotiator… he is working with them far more than most Heroics Teachers.' Young Aoyama had been VERY clear on that in his reports. That he was taking time to meet with every student, to help them grow, and most worrying of all how to work better with the public. To not see themselves as above them but a part of the greater world. 'And he is utterly clean… not a single skeleton in his closet.'
All For One didn't like it when people didn't have secrets he could exploit.
'And then there is Vader… the vigilante is slowly removing the criminals that I might have brought to Young Tomura… and he is doing so in a way that prevents me from using him as a way to drive more to my cause!' With most vigilantes they fell into one of two categories: glory hounds or those that simply wanted to cause pain. Vader though… he was ruthless, yes but he was also willing to target criminals that others wouldn't ever dream of going after all on their own. 'Too many criminals are refusing to try and rise up and fil the power vacuums that are forming. Vader has scared them all so greatly that they would rather hide in the shadows.
'Most important of all… Star Might.' He felt his quirks tremble within him at that. 'Star Might… the child of my most hated foe. I have had little opportunity to try and corrupt you and turn you against your father as I did with your precious mentor's grandson. I MUST find a way to separate you from your father… to bring you here and show you why it is your only choice to join with me.'
He took a calming breath before settling back in his chair.
'Delays. That is all these are. Delays. But soon… it will all be handled. The performance will go on and all will happen as I have designed.'
He just knew it.
He knew it.
~MC~MC~MC~
Thrawn smiled as he stepped into his office, setting his warmed tea down on the side table.
He had found that there were many good and bad things about this planet he had found himself trapped upon. They were certainly behind the times in most technology, which could be frustrating, but at the very least because it was only a single planet it wasn't as difficult as it would have been back in his home galaxy and not having the Galactic Net.
(And he knew he was in a different Galaxy… a quick look at the stars had confirmed that. He wasn't for sure HOW he had ended up in the galaxy he was in now, or what had happened to his men after he had confronted that rebel boy, but he was here now and he had no way to get home and he had accepted that)
Transportation was behind the Empire. Weapons as well.
But… culturally he had to admit that they were steps ahead of the Empire. Too much of the Empire had been human, afraid of bringing in those that looked different who might have wise ideas. He had clawed his way to the top but he knew there were plenty of others who had never been given the chance. While there was bigotry against those with mutation quirks they were more accepted than they were in the Empire, which was rather pleasing.
And… how they handled their food and beverages was also superior.
The ability to get food quick and easy was truly wonderful. The Empire had always had problems with rations and the like but here he was able to get whatever food he wanted, hot and ready, and if he chose he could eat it as he walked or worked without stopping whatever task he was engaged with. For breakfast he had bought a warm bran muffin and a yogurt cup with fruit and of course his tea in its sealed cup.
'Truly magnificent,' he thought to himself as he settled down, booting up his computer as he pulled out his muffin and carefully laid out the napkins he'd requested over his desk to protect it. Nimble fingers tore into the pastry and he popped a small piece in his mouth, humming to himself as he brought up the document he had been working on recently.
MIDORIYA IZUKU SPHERE OF INFLUENCE
The boy had the potential be one of the greatest heroes of Japan. Proof that anyone could be a hero. What excuse did someone with a quirk, even one that was seemingly meaningless, have if a quirkless boy could not only be a hero but one of the most important ones? One that operated with the focus and control of the best Imperial Officer…
Thrawn needed to know more about him. Needed to ensure that he was one the Commission should bet on. It would do no good if it turned out there was a skeleton in his closet that would cause him to crash and burn.
Thus his project.
'Friends still need to be filled in and looked over,' he thought as he looked at that section. 'Perhaps it would be wise to look at his entire class, since he interacts with them so much. That would allow me to see if there are any others in his social circle that I can recruit… or if I need to cull them away, much as one trims the smaller, misshapened flowers of a Kowakowa bush to allow the prized one to have all the nutrients for itself.' He shook his head though and popped another piece of muffin into his mouth. 'But later.'
The danger of such projects was to find one's self becoming sucked into it. They were like bogs: you had to take it slow, covering each square of land, making sure your footfalls went where you wanted them and not all over the place thanks to distractions. That's how you found yourself lost and drowning otherwise.
"Now then," he said aloud, "let us see… father is Midoriya Hisashi. Fire Breath quirk, currently living in America, separated from his wife. Senior Salesman for the Toromoki Company. Grandmother is Midoriya Himori, Super Heated Breath Quirk. No father… hmm, will need to research that.
"Mother is Midoriya Inko, nee Bando, Item Pull Quirk. Separated from Hisashi, currently dating Captain Rex, Pro Hero Dualshot. Quirk allows him to change the color of his internal organs. Hmmm… no wonder he has been working with young Midoriya." Thrawn pulled up a photo of Dualshot and wasn't surprised to see the familiar features of a Clone Trooper. "He must have somehow ended up on this planet, same as I. Good… very good." Thrawn had never agreed with Tarkin's desire to get rid of the Clone Troopers… perhaps a slower phase out but they had proven themselves to be dedicated soldiers and could have been used to teach new recruits. Thrawn attributed many of the issues the Empire had to improper training. "I will need to meet with Duelshot… find out when he arrived." He could tell by the man's looks it must have been from the Clone Wars, for he was far too young to have been around in the Empire. The armor he wore was also Phase 1 with a Phase 2 helmet.
Duelshot could prove to be VERY useful… so long as Thrawn handled things properly.
He returned to the list. "Midoriya Inko. Lawyer. Daughter of Bando Yuto, Puffball Quirk, and Bando Aimi, nee Genizumi, Polish Quirk. Hmmm…" He rubbed his chin, leaning forward. His instincts had been bugging him since the night before that he was missing something…
20 minutes of digging later and he had it.
"Adopted," he murmured. "Of course. She was just a baby… most likely doesn't even know herself." He pulled up the forms and frowned; someone had worked VERY hard to cover up the adoption, to make it appear that Midoriya Inko was the Bandos' flesh and blood daughter, rather than one they had chosen. "I wonder why…"
He made note of the names on her birth certificate.
"Daughter of… Goromo Bo, Quirkless… and Shimura Nana, Float Quirk."