In a Company Building Somewhere, in a Distant Suburban City
In a meeting room, there was a long-nosed, orange-haired, balding man wearing a black and white striped business suit, sitting at the top of the long rectangular table. Three other colleagues were sitting near the table as well, two of them on one side of it and one on the other side. At the end of the table propped a large TV screen above where they were watching the whole scene...the scene of Joker electrocuting All For One.
They can hear All For One's agonizing screams while Joker laughs maniacally.
One of the colleagues, the lone one on the other side of the table, a light blue-skinned woman with long light purple hair who was dressed in a spunky-like attire, watched the scene in concern.
The other two at the other side of the table, a tall man with smoothed and slicked-back medium-length hair wearing purple sunglasses and a long dark trench coat and suit on, looked at the scene in slight shock.
The last one next to the other man, was a tall man who had long straight black hair, his bangs covering his eyes. He was wearing a black business suit. He was also looking at the scene with a grimace.
They all watched...silent as they saw Joker practically killing All For One.
"...Skeptic, turn that off," the man at the end of the table, whose elbows were on the table as his hands were clasped together in front of him, glaring at the screen.
The man with long straight hair, also known as Tomoyasu Chikazoku, grabbed the remote and turned off the large TV screen.
...They sat there in silence...
"...We seem to have a severe problem," the man in sunglasses said.
"Yeah...no kidding," the woman agreed.
"Hrm..." Tomoyasu, aka Skeptic, turned to the man at the end of the table, "What do you make of this, Re-Destro?"
The man, known as Re-Destro, also known by his real name Rikiya Yotsubashi, just looked on, thinking.
"...This Joker...skillfully just defeated the most infamous Villain in all of the world...by concocting a gas that erased all of the Quirks given to him…" Re-Destro narrowed his eyes, "...He is obviously a threat to our cause."
"That much is certain," the sunglasses man said, "What should we do about it? Should we gather the army into an emergency meeting?"
"I don't know," the woman said, "The studio is all the way in Tokyo if we're thinking of raiding the place. And we can't technically reveal ourselves to the public just yet."
"Then what are we supposed to do, Curious?" Skeptic asked in irritation, "This bastard is eliminating the most feared Villain in the underworld as we speak!"
"I know that!" argued Curious, also known as Chitose Kizuki, "But the Meta Liberation Army can't be discovered yet!"
"Actually...this could work in our favor," the sunglasses man muttered.
Skeptic and Curious looked at the man in confusion.
"Huh? What do you mean, Trumpet?" Curious asked him.
Trumpet, also known as Koku Hanabata, explained, "Well, if this Joker eliminated All For One once and for all, then we can be the saviors to apprehend Joker."
Skeptic sat there as he thought about that, "...We need to ask Re-Destro," he turned his attention to their leader, "What do you think we should do, Commander?"
Re-Destro was still looking straight at the screen, deep in thought as he relayed the events that happened. "...We could try to make ourselves known at this point to stop Joker...but that would be too risky. Sadly, the majority of the people are not too keen on Destro's ideology, and the police and Hero Public Safety Commission will try to silence us. I think we should just try to find an opening whenever Joker makes himself known. Until then, send in some of our members, including Geten, Slidin' Go, and Bat-Man to different parts of Tokyo since he has that Warp Villain with him now. See if they can find his henchmen as well. Either way, we shall find him...and make sure he never succeeds."
The three colleagues sat there as they looked at their leader, Trumpet nodding and saying, "Understood."
"Right," Skeptic said with a nod.
"Understood, Sir," Curious nodded.
Class 1-A
…All of the students looked at each of the selected students' phone screens...their expressions filled with a mix of shock and horror.
Once they heard the horrifying laughter of Joker through the screens as he was frying the All For One through an electrical ring device on his finger, the mighty, evil, and some say unstoppable All For One being reduced to an old and fragile man...they soon realized...
The great All For One is being killed right in front of them…by a Quirkless man...and it's happening now .
Momo looked at the screen in wide-eyed horror, just watching the sheer cruelty of Joker laughing as he was shocking and burning an old man, that man screaming in agonizing pain being All For One, the legendary Villain...
...Her whole mind was jumbled, her thoughts racing on how this could be possible...
Actually...with what Joker has done...should I be surprised?
Hagakure looked horrified, her hands up to her mouth, while Sato, Aoyama, and Shinso just looked on, wide-eyed at the inhumanity of it all.
Meanwhile, on Tsuyu's phone, she and Ochako were watching the brutality of All For One dying in shock, while Iida, Tokoyami, and Sero were just stunned. Ibara, Ojiro, Koda, Shoji, and Mineta all looked on in horror, while Todoroki, Ashido, Kirishima, Jirou, and Kaminari watched the scene in absolute shock and horror.
Nedzu's Office
...Nedzu spoke in shock, "My...My word..."
Aizawa looked at the screen with an expression that he didn't think he could feel at the time...absolute fear.
"...How...How can this happen?" Aizawa asked himself.
Yamada, also known as Present Mic, looked on at the scene as well with his mouth dropped open...for the first ever, he was just absolutely speechless...
Kayama, also known by her Hero name Midnight, also watched as her eyes went wide, the terror expressed on her features.
"...Is...Is this possible?" Kayama wondered, feeling very afraid.
Chiyo, aka Recovery Girl, just looked on at the frightening scene happening in front of her. "...Good Heavens..."
Other Heroes such as Vlad King, Ectoplasm, Cementoss, Power Loader, Snipe, and others watched the screen with such trepidation, letting the dreadful realization hit them like a ton of bricks.
All Might's enemy, All For One...is likely defeated ... for real.
...Everyone was silent as they heard the Joker's cruel laughter and the pained screams of All For One...
...That is until Nedzu says, "Change of plans, everyone. The Hero Course students will still be able to apply for their provisional licenses. Get their written tests ready. However, we won't let them go off on Wednesday. Until then...Snipe?"
"Huh?" Snipe turned to Nedzu, "Uh, yes sir?"
"...Prepare to go to the studio. Snipe, as of now, your mission...is that you must take out the Joker," Nedzu said grimly.
The Heroes, and Snipe, all looked surprised.
"...Um, Principal Nedzu, do you think this is wise? We might need some kind of plan to-" Aizawa said, but was interrupted by Nedzu.
"There is no time."
The Heroes looked back at the critter principal, his beady eyes showing a determination and resolve as he stared at the screen.
"This...has gotten severe. If one man, one Quirkless man, can concoct something like this and kill the most dangerous Villain in history with it...then we must move." Nedzu told them all.
The Principal of UA then reached for his cell phone, and called someone.
The Heroes looked at Nedzu questionably as he waited for someone to pick up.
Soon, someone did, and Nedzu began talking, "Hello, Tokyo Police? Yes, it's me. ...Yes, I've seen the program. I just want to ask, which Heroes are in the vicinity as of right now in your area? ...Hm. Alright then. Try to contact one of them and let them distract Joker and his gang so Snipe can take a clear shot. ...Yes, I am. This has gone too far, and we must do something now. If brute force won't work, then stealth and espionage will. Joker has become a maximum threat to everyone involved, and this must be dealt with immediately. Until then, try to contact one of those Heroes in the area. Thank you."
Nedzu hung up, and put away his phone. The Heroes all blinked at the Principal, while the cryptid turned to the Heroes.
"In all my years...I have never seen anything quite like this...this situation has managed to flip the script on all of us. ...I guess it's true what some people would say... expect the unexpected."
Meanwhile, in the Tokyo Skyline
As the three Heroes, Skycrawler, Ryukyu, and Hawks, were soaring through the high-rise buildings, the latter got something into his ear transceiver.
"Hm?" Hawks put a finger to his right ear to listen. "..." His eyes widened in shock, emitting a gasp. Once again, he stopped in mid-flight, which caught the attention of Ryukyu and Skycrawler, the former pausing in mid-flight and the latter stuck landing on a structure of a taller building.
"Hey, Hawks! What's up?" Skycrawler asked him. "We're almost close to the studio!"
"...I…" Hawks looked stunned, lowering his hand away from his transceiver in his ear. "...You guys...we got a serious situation at hand."
"Huh?" Ryukyu uttered, looking confused, "Well, yes, All For One is at the studio, of course it's gotten serious-"
"No," Hawks interrupted her, "It's...It's more than that..." he glanced at Ryukyu and Skycrawler, "All For One...I think All For One is...dead."
Ryukyu looked at Hawks in shock, "Wha-...What?"
Skycrawler blinked, a little shocked as well, but looking a little dubious, "You mean...wait, what? How can the All For One just...I mean, what do you mean? What happened?"
"...Joker...killed him," Hawks said, his tone soft and distant, like he couldn't believe it himself.
"He did!?" Ryukyu exclaimed in shock, "Wait, how!?"
"...I-" Hawks then paused. Putting a finger on his right ear transceiver, he listened to it.
...After a bit of silence, Hawks said to whomever on the other line, "O-Okay then...yeah...alright then, we'll do what we have to do. We'll wait for him," he hung up and told Skycrawler and Ryukyu, "I can't exactly explain everything right now, but at this moment, we have a new change of plans. Once we get to the studio, we're gonna wait with the police until Snipe arrives! Just keep going!" Hawks said as he flew forward.
Ryukyu blinked but obeyed and went forward.
Skycrawler just stood there, a little bit in shock at this turn of events.
...Whoa...how did...how did this Joker guy kill All For One?
Not wanting to be left behind, and wanting to know the answer himself, Skycrawler jumped and glided his way, following the two Heroes to their destination.
In An Apartment
Iwao watched the whole scene on his TV, his mouth dropped as his eyes slightly widened at what was happening.
"...My gosh..." he said with such shock.
This has...This has gone from bad to worse...
Class 1-H
Midoriya and Hatsume stared at the screen of the former's phone, both of them watching Joker basically frying All For One as the Clown laughed cruelly at the man's horrifyingly agonizing screams.
Hatsume looked at the screen with shock, her mouth partly agape, the level of brutality that Joker was emitting onto the infamous Villain.
Midoriya just looked at the screen, wide-eyed and stunned...
...This...This is happening...
"...This is...This is madness..." Midoriya said to himself as he watched this happening now.
The Joker...he...he's killing All For One.
The Bar at Kamino Ward
...All Might looked at the screen in horror.
Kurogiri, who was back at the bar, looked at the screen in wide-eyed shock...no pun intended.
The other three League members, Twice, Toga, and Spinner, looked up at the screen with stunned gazes, their mouths partly open...
Shigaraki...just watched in absolute horror...seeing his somewhat father-figure being electrocuted, burning ...as he was reduced to a very old and fragile man...
His screams rang into his ears...they were full of pain, agony, suffering ...
Until...the screams died out...like the person emitting the screams also died out ...
And only cruel laughter filled the screen and room...
The three Joker henchmen looked on at the TV with big grins on their faces.
"Aaand, that's that," Hacker said with a sly grin.
"Man, now that's entertainment! Haha!" laughed Loco.
Twitch looked up at the TV and gazed at the screen, twitching and fidgeting in his seat.
"Yeah, the Boss can surely put on a show," Crystal says with a smirk. He glances at the League members, "What do you guys think, huh? Pretty amazing, am I right?"
All the League members were speechless as they stared at the screen. However, when Shigaraki looked at the TV, seeing All For One tossed aside by Joker...laying there limp...not moving…
"...You...Y-You couldn't...Y-You can't..." Shigaraki said softly, his eyes wide in horror, "You...You didn't...kill him...he-he's not...he's not...he's not dead ...he can't be dead!"
Loco looked at the TV screen and at the limp form of All For One. "...Nah, he ain't movin'. I would say he's pretty much dead, kid."
Kurogiri just looked up at the screen in horror and despair...he glanced down at Shigaraki, "Shi-...Shigaraki...I...I'm so sorry...I'm so, so sorry."
Shigaraki still stared at the screen...his eyes still wide as he looked to try and process what he had just witnessed...
All Might turned to Shigaraki and saw the look of shock on his face. Frowning at how... hopeless he looked, Toshinori couldn't help but feel...sorry...he felt sorry for Shigaraki. Although he was shocked to see that his most hated enemy...seeing All For One finally being... dead, there was a part of him that was...glad, but...he in his good conscience just couldn't voice his relief, mostly because of Shigaraki...this conflicted the Symbol of Peace.
It was then, All Might uttered to the Joker henchmen, "Turn that off."
Hacker, Loco, and Crystal turned to look at All Might.
"Hm?" Hacker hummed the query, not looking like he was interested in what All Might was saying.
"I said turn that off !" All Might exclaimed, angry at how nonchalant they were acting.
Kurogiri glanced at All Might...and for once, he agreed with him. Turning to the henchmen, he said to them, "Yes, just turn it off! Shigaraki doesn't need to see this! You're only damaging the boy even further!"
Crystal shrugged, "Hey, if anything, this lets the kid learn that even the mightiest fall."
"Exactly," Hacker said, "It's a good wake-up call for the guy. It shows that you can't go in powers-a-blazing. Gotta use the intellect."
Before All Might could yell at them, Kurogiri beat him to it.
"TURN IT OFF! MASTER WAS THE ONE WHO BROUGHT HIM IN! HE'S BEEN THROUGH SO MUCH!"
"Hey, no yelling," Hacker snapped his fingers, triggering the shock coming from Kurogiri's headpiece.
BBRRRRZZZZZZT!
"AAAAUUUUUGGGGH!" Kurogiri yelled out in pain.
Shigaraki snapped out of his horrified trance and turned his head to Hacker and Kurogiri, yelling out, "NO! STOP IT! STOP HURTING HIM! I DON'T WANT TO LOSE ANYONE ELSE AGAIN! NO MORE! PLEASE, JUST NO MORE!"
The Joker henchmen turned to Shigaraki, while All Might and the other three League members looked at him in shock. Twitch just kept looking up at the TV screen, twitching all the way.
Kurogiri groaned in agony, propping himself up with his arms and knees. He shakily raised his head up and looked at Shigaraki, moved by his statement.
"Shi-...Shigaraki..."
All Might gazed at Shigaraki, his eyes widened as the feeling of sympathy and despair for the young man was beginning to surface. Seeing as he was Nana's grandson, and even though All For One was his most hated enemy, he still wanted to try and give him comfort as well...but sadly he didn't know how.
Hacker just looked at Shigaraki for a moment, almost as if he was processing his words...
That was until Crystal said, "Hey, Hack, not that I'm feeling bad or anything, but maybe you should lay off on shocking the Warp guy. He is our transportation now, ya know?"
Loco nodded to this, "Yeah. Besides, we don't want the Boss to get mad at us if we really damage the guy."
"...Eh. You're both right," Hacker said, "Sorry about that. I was having a real power kick back there."
"Eh, just a little, but no worries. It's pretty understandable that you got a kick out of taking control and shocking someone," Crystal said.
"Yeah, don't worry about it. The Boss is probably rubbing off on ya, ya know?" Loco assured him.
"Heh. Yeah, you can say that he is," Hacker smirked, "Really, if he didn't save me from my dead-end job of being a cubicle worker, I would've gone insane just from doing pencil pusher work!"
"That's nothing! Back in China, I had to do manual labor at a mine! I was wasting my skills back there!" Crystal told them.
"Oh you think you two have it bad? I had to be a ride for some bratty kids back in Russia at some amusement park! The pay was okay, but I never felt so humiliated! Tch! It was really insulting..." Loco sneered at the thought.
"Yeah, yeah, all of our past jobs sucked...well, I think Whip was like some sort of drifter or something, I don't know," Hacker put a hand on his square chin, "Although...I heard Hārē was once a psychiatrist."
"You don't believe that, do you?" Loco asked him.
"Well, she said she was born in Japan, and had a degree in psychology...I don't know, sometimes I'm afraid to ask her."
"Hey, I don't blame ya. She can almost be as scary as the Boss," said Crystal.
"Heh. Like that you said 'almost'," Hacker said. He then turned to Kurogiri, "By the way, no-can-do on turning the TV off. We got to know when the Boss Man will give us a signal to pick him up," he walked up close to the injured Warp Man, "And you're going to do so, or else I'm gonna keep static shocking you into oblivion, and if you still won't do as I say, then maybe me and the guys will beat up some of these here kids and folks. Who knows, we might just end one."
"..." Kurogiri grunted.
Hacker then turned to All Might, "As for you, you'll stay there all wrapped up in Whip's bindings."
"Uh, actually...hey, Hack, how many days have they been wrapped up? All Might, the Eri girl, and Endeavor included?" Loco asked him, his expression looking almost anxious.
Crystal winced, "Oh yeah...uh, Whip's, uh...rope stuff doesn't hold on too long."
All Might blinked, "What?"
Kurogiri also looked interested in this, as well as the four League members. Shigaraki, while still frightened by what he just saw on the television, had to stay focused and try to get out as best as he and everyone else could.
Hacker groaned, "Seriously, you guys? You didn't have to mention that part out loud!"
"Wait...do these bindings weaken after a certain amount of time?" All Might asked them.
Turning around to face Toshinori, Hacker aimed his gun at him.
All Might froze at the gun barrel staring at his face.
"Don't get any ideas, All Fart. You ain't got no Quirk, the Eri girl is a little too defenseless and damaged to do anything, and even then, Endeavor lost his Quirk and is surrounded by my Boss and my other pals, who have guns and Quirks. So with that, I suggest you don't think about escaping."
Toshinori gritted his teeth and glared at him.
Twitch then pointed up at the TV screen, "L-L-L-L-Look!"
Everyone else looked up at the TV.
Back at the Studio
...All For One's screams faded as his voice turned into a pained gargle from all the electricity that kept shrouding his skin. Now his lifeless body convulsed from all the shocks, his skin burning, as well burning the fabric of his suit. With one final low drone coming out of his scorched throat, the kneeling Villain lay limp, his arms hanging by his sides. The limp body didn't move as All For One's head was still in the palm of Joker's hand, twitching from all the electricity coming out of his buzzer weapon, the shocks emitting from the device on the man's middle finger...
...Everyone watched in horror, not believing what they were seeing.
The audience members, Mount Lady, Mr. Compress, Dabi, and Endeavor all watched as the single most powerful Villain in history...was reduced to a frail old man...and was being taken down by none other than a Clown.
Mr. Compress and Dabi just looked on, unable to process that their true boss was...dead.
Endeavor looked at All For One's unmoving body as he took his last breath, his eyes wide and in shock, stunned that the Villain he took the most difficulty in trying to fight and defeat was...truly gone ...he was dead at the hands of this...this crazed man.
Joker still grinned in a sadistic way...mesmerized by how All For One's body was burnt and sizzled.
As soon as All For One was quiet as he lay limp, Joker tossed the shriveling body to the side. The Villain lay there, smoking as his skin was cooked, dead to the world as he could be.
Joker turned his whole body to the camera, which Whip was controlling, grinning all the way and giving out a showman's bow to the audience.
"And that...was how to make an exit," Joker said to the camera and audience, his evil grin still intact.
...Everyone was silent...
...Joker then said, "I know, it leaves me speechless too! Hahahaha!" he cackled.
"YEEEAAAAH!" The henchmen and Hārē all cheered.
"WAY TO GO, BOSS!" Rubber complimented.
"YOU TOOK NO PRISONERS!" Razor exclaimed.
"THAT'S MY PUDDIN'!" Hārē cheered.
"Well done, Boss!" Turtle congratulated him.
"Heh, looks like All For One is All And Done, am I right?" Thermal said with a smirk.
"Ooooh, nice one!" Cham laughed at Thermal's joke.
Whip gave Joker a thumbs up and a smile behind the camera, "You did great, Boss!"
Joker took continuous bows, loving the attention he was getting.
"Oh why, thank you, thank you! Thank you all! Really, I thank all of you! No, seriously, it was a group effort! But honestly, thank you all for the kind words!" Joker said with one last bow, and as soon as he stood up, he looked back at the camera, and said with an evil grin, "Now, since we've gotten that guest out of the way, I think now would be a good time to start back where we left off!" he turned to his other henchmen, "Fellas! And Hārē! I do hope you have more bullets left in those guns, because I'm thinking we should test ol' Endeavor to see if he's really what he claims to be!"
The male henchmen glanced at each other in confusion.
"Uh...what now?" Rubber asked.
Hārē sighed irritably at the men, "He means take anyone hostage while my Puddin' is doing his little interview with Endeavor!"
"...OOOH!" they all exclaimed as they began to realize what she meant.
"Oh, uh, yeah, okay! ...Wow, I'm gonna be on TV," Cham said with a smile.
"Yeah, yeah," said Hārē dismissively, "Either way, Turtle, Rubber, get Endeavor and Dabi over here to be propped up and facing each other, will ya?"
Turtle nodded, while Rubber said, "Yeah, sure!"
The two heavy hitters of the crew went over to Enji and Touya, Turtle to the former and Rubber to the latter. Turtle picked up Enji from one of the bindings of the wipe-rope, and carried him like a suitcase. Rubber just picked up the sitting Touya by the hair and pulled him up.
"ERK!" Touya grunted. He then was forced to stand up by Rubber, wishing he could fight, but his arm was twisted and broken.
"Get moving!" Rubber said as he got a gun out and pointed at his face.
Touya, though, didn't comply...he just stood there, silent. He looked like he was just in...shock. Shocked that his real boss was dead, shocked that his Quirk was gone, shocked that...he had nothing to achieve...
"Hey! I said move!" Rubber demanded.
Turtle, who was carrying Enji by his wrappings, looked at Touya for a second, and said, "Hm...I think he's trying to process all that's happened."
Whip, who was still behind the camera, said to Turtle, "Hey, careful with my whip-rope! It's been three days already and it could wear off any moment!"
"Yes, yes, I know. Which is why I'm handling it gently," Turtle told him.
Rubber, though, took what Turtle said about Dabi processing everything and mocked him, "Oh yeah, you lost your Quirk, you lost your Boss, and you lost your whole purpose in life, haven't ya? And not only that, you probably lost your dignity too! Haha! Yeah, pretty much of a shock, ain't it?"
...Dabi didn't say anything. He just looked on...distant...
Not liking being ignored, Rubber growled and yelled at him, "Hey! Stop ignoring me!" He raised his gun hand back and struck Dabi.
WHAM!
Dabi dropped down on the floor like a sack of potatoes.
Enji's eyes widened as he saw his son being harassed, "TOUYA!"
...Thermal, Razor, Cham, and Hārē blinked.
"Wow...he's more broken than I thought," Thermal muttered.
Rubber also blinked. "...Well shit," he turned to Joker and asked him, "Hey, Boss, do you think Dabi here would even want to participate in this interview here? He's just...not doing much."
Joker looked at Dabi on the floor, staring at his unmoving form...
…He smirked at the eldest Todoroki and told Rubber, "Hold on for a second," he then approached Dabi. Squatting down to Dabi's level, Joker said to him. "Now come on, Dabi . Or should I say Touya ? Be nice to everyone at home and stay on script, hm? So you lost your Quirk and you have nothing to avenge yourself against your old man with. But all is not lost! You can still humiliate your Daddy by asking him questions while we take some of the audience hostages! Of course, I used you as bait for your Dad, but let's really test your Daddy's Heroism, shall we? I know we had our differences, uh...around ten minutes ago, but you truly do hate your father, right? Hell, I can even give you a gun to use on the audience while you ask those hard-hitting questions to him! Come on, sport, why not just really give it to your old man? One last 'hurrah'?"
...Touya just laid there...until he muttered, "I would...but...the fun is just not there anymore."
Joker stared down at him, his smirk still in place.
"...Right now...I just want to kick your ass," Touya said as he began to prop himself up by his working arm. He got up on his knees and turned his head at him, glaring at him intently.
"I may have lost my Quirk...but I haven't lost my pride yet!" he exclaimed.
Touya got up and swung his working arm at him, which Joker side-stepped. Touya staggered, but kept his ground, turning around and sending a sweeping kick at him, which Joker also backed away from. They continued to dance like that for a moment, punches and kicks that missed the target of the nimble Joker, that is before Touya took another swing at Joker-
"Hey! Quit harassing my Puddin'!" Hārē yelled out and cartwheeled over to where the two were, and used her arm to transform it into a blunt-looking bat to swing at Touya's head.
WHAM!
It made a direct hit on his skull.
Enji shouted out once more in panic and concern, "TOUYA!"
Touya, although staggered by the impact, still stood strong as he kept his guard up.
"Rubber, Turtle!" Joker called out to them, his smirk still intact, "I think we need to teach this boy some manners! Assist Hārē, will you two? Don't shoot him, though, just rough him up a bit!"
Rubber planted a fist in the palm of his hand, "Gladly!"
"Hm," Turtle then dropped Enji on the ground, causing him to grunt from the landing, "Wait here, please."
Touya, a little disoriented from the hit, stepped back, with Hārē, Turtle, and Rubber coming in close. He raised his working arm up, wishing he had his other arm up to fight these guys and this woman...
Wait...what am I doing!? This is nothing!
He grunted, getting his broken arm to raise up to defend himself.
As the broken arm was going up, Hārē, Turtle, and Rubber looked at Touya in shock as they saw him struggling to get his broken arm up.
"Hey! You can't be using that arm! My Mr. J broke it! I heard it crack !" Hārē confirmed.
Touya then got into a defensive stance as he glared at them. "Thing about frying my whole skin off, is that the pain receptors don't work as properly. That includes nerves. I'm always constantly in pain everytime I use my Quirk, even after I'm done using it. I use it so much that I feel like the pain is a part of me, like it's my best friend. This pain never cools down. I'm always feeling it... always . Even when I sleep, the pain still lingers...it still metaphorically burns my already dead skin...so in other words, if I can take all of that, then I can take one measly broken arm. I keep moving even when I'm in pain . It's the least my Dad taught me when I was young, right Old Man?"
Enji looked at Touya, his eyes expressing shame, shame for his own self as he didn't reply to his son's mocking words.
"Feh!" Touya then got ready to face the three henchmen, "Either way, I'm not going down like this. So come at me, you stupid fucks!"
Turtle frowned, "I don't like that you associate me as someone stupid. I'm usually the nice one, but you yourself are about to get an ass-kicking for that."
"Ditto! Except for the nice guy act, I just want to beat the shit out of you, kid!" Rubber said as he cracked his knuckles.
"Well, enough talk, then! Let's beat his ass, boys!" Hārē told them.
They all charged at Touya, who was ready to fight them. Hārē went first and swung her right arm-bat at Dabi, which he dodged by backing away. Dabi then swung a punch at her, which she deflected by using her left arm-bat and blocked his punch. He swung his supposed broken arm underneath him and uppercut punched Hare in the stomach.
"Oof!" Hārē grunted, the wind knocked out of her. Dabi then spun around and used his right working arm to side-strike the side of Hārē's head.
WHAM!
"ACK!" Hārē exclaimed as she was hit, being sent over to the side, dazed and disoriented a bit.
Turtle and Rubber came in close, the former coming up first and berating him, "Now, that's not how you treat a lady!"
"I don't know if you can call her that," Rubber mumbled.
Dabi sneered at the two Villains, and he rushed over to Turtle, which he delivered a few fast punches at his stomach.
"Urf!" Turtle grunted as Dabi kept punching his rock hard stomach, "Oof! You know, this is only just annoying me!" He raised a clawed fist and swung it down.
However, Dabi backed away from the punch, Turtle missing him. He then jumped and kicked Turtle in the face!
"URK!" Turtle exclaimed in pain.
Rubber scowled at Dabi, "Okay then, Hot Shot, you want to beat up my homies!? I'm gonna bounce a bunch of punches on your pretty little face!" He then jumped high, over Turtle, and tried to land on him.
Dabi dodged Rubber's landing by jumping to the left side. As Rubber landed, he raised his left fist and swung it at him.
"RRAUGH!" Rubber exclaimed.
He blocked Rubber's fist, but another fist was aiming right at him. Dabi kept dodging and blocking Rubber's fists, until he got an opportunity to strike, he got down and swiftly swung his leg at and kicked Rubber's legs from underneath him.
"ACK!" Rubber exclaimed and landed on his back hard, bouncing a bit because of his rubber skin.
"Hey, mind if we tag in!?" said the voice of Razor!
Dabi turned to the voice and quickly dodged Razor's razor-induced swipe by ducking under his swing. He got on his right hand, his good hand, and lifted his body to let his right foot kick Razor in the stomach.
Apparently, Razor felt that, as he grunted in pain, "URF!" he was sent back a bit.
Standing back up, Dabi jumped and sent a side-kick to Razor's head.
"GAH!" Razor was knocked to the ground to the side.
But then, Dabi felt an invisible force wrapped around his body.
"Hah! Gotcha!" said the voice of Cham, who has his invisible cloak on.
"Urk!" Dabi tried to get the chameleon man off of him by using what little strength he could muster.
"Alright, good job, Cham," Thermal said as he got his goggles off, "Now hold him still. I'll be lighting the little bastard up just like he got his Quirk back. Heh."
Dabi grunted, and then quickly back head-butted Cham, whose head was behind Dabi's.
"GAH!" Cham yelped, "My nose!"
That worked as it loosened Cham's grip on Dabi, which he got free quickly and grabbed Cham and tossed him at Thermal.
"Hey-AAAH!" Cham yelled out as he flew forward after Dabi tossed him.
Thermal blanched as Cham was coming toward him. "Oh shit-ACK!" he soon got hit by Cham, and they both were knocked down on the floor.
Dabi scoffed, "Is that all ya got!?"
"Oh, I beg to differ," said Turtle, whose voice was behind Dabi.
He turned around quickly...and dodged Turtle's swinging fist by ducking his head back, letting it soar above him. Dabi then got back up and used his broken arm to swing a punch to Turtle in the face. He delivered another right hook to Turtle's face, and another from his left and right arms, which he completed his barrage of attacks with a front jump kick to his face once more. Soon, Dabi heard someone landing behind him. Spinning around to face his opponent, it was Rubber, who used his rubber Quirk to jump high and softened his landing to get the jump on him. Rubber raised his fist back and threw a punch straight at Dabi, who dodged to his left, and used his working arm and hand to palm Rubber's arm upward, delivering two swiping kicks to Rubber's stomach. Then, Dabi then jumped and spinned in the air, using a spinning air kick to hit Rubber in the face and knocking him onto the floor.
As he landed, Dabi sensed that he was going to be attacked by Turtle again, and quickly turned his head around to see that he indeed was going to attack, rearing his fist back and taking a swing at him. Once again, Dabi ducked forward and used his right fist to punch Turtle in the stomach. Although it didn't do much, thanks to Turtle's hard scales, it did stagger him back, letting Dabi to continue using kicks to try and strike Turtle as he guarded himself from Dabi's kicks.
However, Turtle had enough and flung his arms open and opened his mouth to let a green glow emerge from it, ready to fire his green nuclear energy blast.
Dabi paused for just a moment.
But that was all the time that Turtle needed.
He snapped his mouth back down and surprised Dabi with a downward fist on his head!
WHAM!
"UGH!" Dabi grunted at the hit.
Then Turtle sent a left hook to Dabi's face.
WHAM!
"URK!" Dabi was sent to his right side.
Then, Rubber came to his right side and punched him in the face as well.
WHAM!
"Ha! Yeah!" Rubber shouted in triumph.
"Out of the way! He's MINE!" Hārē then jumped and leaped over Turtle, doing somersaults in the air and raising her bat-stick arm down on Dabi's head.
WHAM!
That time, Dabi had to be on his knees to balance the aching feeling he had in his head as he tried to stand.
Razor got his razor fingers out as he growled, "Let me at him!"
"Oh no, me first! He tossed me over to Thermal!" Cham said as he walked over to the fight, cracking his knuckles with an angry scowl.
"You know, I'll just rest my vision for a second. I never punched anything for a while," Thermal muttered in disdain as he was walking beside Cham to the fight.
"Hmm...how about we all beat him up?" Turtle suggested, "Let's dogpile on him."
"I agree! All in favor, say 'Aie'!" Rubber announced.
"Aie!" the Villains shouted, Hārē being the loudest.
"I'll start!" Hārē said as she swung her bat-stick arm at Dabi's left broken arm.
WHACK!
"ERGH!" Dabi exclaimed.
Then, Rubber punched him in the face!
WHAM!
And Turtle delivered a punch to his stomach!
BAM!
Thermal punched Dabi in the face also!
BAM!
"Yeah! Man, that felt great!" Thermal shouted.
Dabi staggered, trying to fight back, but was hit in the back of the head by Cham's tail.
WHAM!
He went on his knees from the brunt force of the hit.
"You know what? I'm not even gonna cut ya. You ain't worth it!" Razor exclaimed back-fisted Dabi in the face!
WHAM!
The hit swung his face to the side, blood now leaving out of Dabi's mouth, his injuries now becoming known.
"Ya tired yet, Daddy's Boy!?" Hārē mocked him as she reared her bat-stick arm back and swung it hard on Dabi's head again.
WHAAAAM!
"UGH!" Dabi was on his hands and knees, trying to fight the numbing sensation of his head being wrecked over.
"Still going!? I don't see why you still are!" Hārē exclaimed angrily. She then used her bat-stick arms to whack Dabi in the back multiple times.
WHAM!
WHAM!
WHAM!
WHAM!
WHAM!
WHAM!
WHAM! WHAM! WHAM! WHAM! WHAM! WHAM! WHAM!
WHAAAAM!
Dabi still was on his hands and knees, shaking from all the blows that he had gotten. However, he was still trying to prop himself up, even when he was bleeding, beaten, bruised, and battered.
Meanwhile, Enji looked on in horror, seeing his eldest son being beaten savagely...the feeling of regret piling on him...
...He felt the bindings getting weaker...they felt worn over time...
Once Hārē delivered the last blow to Dabi's back, she stood there with a sneer, "Tch! You know, if you just played along with my Puddin's show, you wouldn't be in this mess, ya brat!"
As he propped himself up as best as he could, Dabi was silent, trying his best to get back up. He then said with a grit of his teeth, "I mean it...I don't feel anything...you can punch me, kick me, even give me a concussion, but I still won't back down...so you might as well be punching a wall at this point, ya bitch."
Hārē growled and exclaimed, "Oh, you're calling me a bitch, when you can't even stand up, Mr. Big Shot Man!?" she raised her arm-bat and struck Dabi in the back.
WHAM!
Dabi grunted, feeling the blow, but he didn't falter, still propping himself up in defiance...
Gritting her teeth in aggravation, Hārē growled even louder, "Okay, you are pissing me off! You want another round!? Well, prepare to be pummeled like a pinata !" she prepared to strike him again, when-
" Hārē !" called out...Joker.
The henchmen and Hārē stopped at what they were doing and looked at where Joker was.
Joker stood by in the sidelines as he watched the whole thing play out. His demented grin was plastered on his face, looking like he was enjoying the show.
"Um...yes, Puddin'?" Hārē asked him.
"...I think I'll take a shot at ol' Dabi here," he told them.
The henchmen and Hārē blinked.
"Take five, Hārē. Turtle, Rubber? Hold him for me, please?" Joker asked them.
Both bigger henchmen glanced at each other, Rubber shrugging to Turtle. They went to Dabi, picking up the damaged man by the back of his shirt and wrapping their arms around his arms, holding him as they propped him up. Dabi was still recovering from the hits that were inflicted on him, sluggishly lifting his head up to look at Joker.
The Clown came up to Dabi, his grin still intact, and stopped in front of him. He didn't have any face paint on him, none over his eyes, on his face, and on his lips, as it was just his pale face with smeared makeup on it.
"..." His grin then lessened into a closed-mouth smile, "...Let me ask you something, Dabi . Oh, wait, should I call you Touya instead? I mean, that is your name, right?"
Dabi sneered at Joker.
"...Aaah, you're right, who cares at this point?" Joker waved his hand dismissively, "I mean, you don't even know who you are anymore, am I right?!"
Glaring at the Clown, Dabi gritted his teeth.
"Oh don't get me that look! It's true, isn't it? You don't care! You're just the shamed son of the, ahem , 'famous' Endeavor who wanted revenge on being wronged by his Daddy and the people of this society!"
"..." Dabi's glare softened a little.
"...Let me ask you a different question," Joker asked with a smirk, "...what's the very worst thing that could ever happen to you now ? I mean, sure, being forgotten by not only your Daddy, your whole family , and all of society is a tragedy in itself, but what I'm asking is...what's the worst thing...that could ever happen to you now ? Like right at this moment?"
...Dabi just looked at Joker in slight confusion.
"Go ahead... tell me ," Joker egged him on.
"...This?" Dabi answered but sounded a little unsure.
"Oh come on, now, be more specific! 'This', what?" Joker goaded him.
Looking at the man like he was actually crazy, Dabi just said, "Being beaten by your thugs and tricking me into being on this show, which is live right now?"
"...Aaand?" Joker continued to egg him on.
"..." It was then Dabi realized there was another thing that happened to him recently that he almost forgot due to the scuffle, "... You taking away my Quirk," he said with a scowl.
Joker's smile broadened back into a grin and began to chuckle...and then went full-on laughter.
"Hm-hm-hm-hm-hm...hahahahaha! HAAAAA-HAHAHAHAHAHA-HAAAAAAA!" Joker kept laughing, "Ahahahahaha! Ooooh, you would think that, wouldn't you?!"
"...What?" Now Dabi looked confused.
Joker chuckled, "Ohohohohoho-hoooo...but no, really...you're lying to yourself, bub."
"..." Dabi was puzzled.
Now grinning at his confusion, Joker asked him "You want to know what I think is the worst thing to possibly happen to you right now at this moment?"
...Dabi just continued to stare at him...
"...It's you being delusional ," Joker spelled it out to him.
"...What?" Dabi asked, now even more confused.
"I mean, think about it! Your Daddy supposedly never loved you, but now you figured out that he does in a way! Meanwhile, you're too busy playing martyr to notice that maybe, just maybe, he did regret everything. But you...you didn't care . You just wanted revenge . You wanted to punish your old man, so much to the point that you didn't want to hear him say sorry ."
...Dabi went back to glaring at Joker and said, "Yeah. What's your point?"
"...Let me put it in simpler terms," Joker smirked, "Basically, you wanted vengeance on your father, as well as maybe your little brother, since your father chose him to be his successor. That was the plan, was it? That was all it ever was to you at that time. Revenge . You want to burn them all—your father, your brother, the whole damn world! ...But you don't have your Quirk anymore, do you? Even then, when you did have it, you never asked yourself the bigger question when you want to kill your father, brother, and everyone. And that question is: ...Now what? What comes after the flames?"
...Looking like he was putting the pieces together, Dabi's eyes softened, his glare turning more into a look of realization.
"... Nothing , that's what. I mean, you can't sign up to be a Hero after all this, can you? Of course not! The endless void of self-fulfillment will wither away, and you will have nothing . And really...you knew there was nothing. All this time, you knew your quirk was killing you, and you didn't care! And now that you don't have your Quirk, then...what next?"
…Dabi was silent as he heard Joker's every word.
In an Asylum
Rei looked at the TV screen, her eyes widened at the brutal treatment Joker and his gang were giving to her oldest son.
The doctor and nurses also watched the TV, worried for not only the people on the program but for Rei's mental health as well.
Somewhere in a Hallway in an Elementary School
Fuyumi had her hand to her mouth, her eyes widened in horror over what she was witnessing as she looked down at her phone screen. She had to step outside of her classroom to watch the program, telling her students to pardon her for a moment.
In a University Classroom
Natsu just looked at his phone screen, where other students crowded over him to see what was happening on the program. The college student watched as his eyes went wide with shock and horror.
Class 1-A
Shouto looked on, the feeling of dread in his eyes as the unease shrouded his very being.
Mina was next to him, worried for her friend and his family as they watched the program, letting her hand tighten over his hand in comfort.
Everyone else watched on, the trepidation lingering...
Back at the Studio
"...You know what I see whenever I look at you?" Joker started, his smirk still on his face, "...I see a sad little boy who thought nothing worse could've ever happened to him," his smirk turned into a smile, "I mean, you hit rock bottom, how much more can you take? You didn't think it could get any worse...but surprise! Life just keeps digging !"
...Dabi was silent...
"You've been burned alive , thrown away by Daddy, even patched back up together like some cheap school experiment! All to be tossed aside by All For One himself!"
Eyes widened, Dabi looked at him in shock.
"Oh yes...I pieced together your sad tragic story. I mean, when I think about it, AFO wanted a successor for his old ass, so he went to save you from that fire and see if you were fit to take his place. You have a burning hatred for this society like that Shigaraki kid, am I right? ...I mean, I'm only guessing. But it would make sense. However, you were so burnt like toast, he didn't see any value in you at all! Really, how messed up is that? Even the Big Bad himself didn't want you! I would even think with how you look, you would make regular people just sick to their stomachs! Maybe even your comrades thought you looked like a freak, a reject to society, a failure! Now that's harsh, I would say!" Joker's smile then opened into a small grin, "You thought you had it all figured out, didn't you? First, kill your father, then maybe your little brother, then all of this worthless society. Even the people who wronged you! ...But now? It's gone...your Quirk is gone. It's all gone! No Quirk, no revenge, no purpose! Even if you kill your Daddy and everyone else the old-fashioned way, what then? Would you go to Vegas in America and party hard all day and all night? What could you possibly DO NOW!?"
...Everyone was silent...the audience looked on, curious as to what Dabi, Touya , would say.
In fact...everyone that was watching...the henchmen, Whip, who was recording the whole thing, were all hanging by a thread, wanting to know the answer...
...Touya didn't answer...he looked...lost...
...Joker then asked a different question.
"You want to know what I think you were really looking for this whole entire time?" Joker asked, his small grin still intact, "Why, I think it's quite simple, really! ...I think you weren't looking for revenge, kiddo...you were just looking for death...and you've been dead inside for years now, haven't you?" Joker's small grin turned into a full-blown maniacal grin. "You're just a shell. A walking undead shell. But not only you're just a shell...you're truly indeed a shell of a failure. To your Daddy, to All For One, to society, hell, maybe even to your own family! But most of all...to yourself. You've been clinging to that big lie, that big, bad, lie about getting revenge and being avenged...that you fooled yourself...you were lying to yourself. When all you ever wanted...was to die in your own way."
"...I..." Touya was speechless...his face full of shock, the realization hitting him...
...I...I was just searching for death, wasn't I?
"...You're probably feeling it now, aren't you?" Joker said, "The feeling of being... nothing . Less than nothing, actually. Not even a corpse! Just...a waste of air..."
...Touya's eyes...something was happening to them...they were wet...but no tears were coming down.
...He...wanted to cry though...he really wanted too...
I...I am worthless...I truly am...
"Oh don't look so sad!" Joker mocked, "I'm here to help! I mean, you want to feel better, yes? You want to be less than nothing, am I correct?" He then reached into his suit and got out...a small handgun.
Rei's eyes widened in horror.
"No!"
Fuyumi gasped, horror on her face.
Natsu looked at his phone screen in horror also.
Shouto looked on in terror, while Mina squeezed his hand to calm him, but she too was afraid of what might come next.
Joker pointed the gun at Touya.
Touya didn't react, but he did look down at the barrel of the gun...the feeling of despair and brokenness weighing his body.
Giving out the same crazed grin, Joker said to Touya, "Well then, I'll just make you into a plain ol' corpse instead! That's a lot better than being nothing ! At least you get to properly die this time! And that's what you wanted, right? To die . This could be how you wanted to go, honestly. A grand finale to your life. A proper ending to your sad little tragedy," his grin became even more intent as his eyes narrowed at Touya, "I could cut your strings...set you free...free from this painful existence you have. And that's what you wanted all along, correct? Originally you wanted to go out in flames, instead of just... fading away , forgotten from people's minds...but now, I'm giving you a better death . Everyone is watching, live, on the edge of their seats, waiting with baited breath, to see your inevitable demise...I mean...you should thank me ."
Touya's eyes widened...his spirit broken...unable to process anything...
"...I'm just giving you the final push," Joker said with his evil maniacal grin still in place, "So, go ahead...thank me."
...
...Silence...so quiet you could hear a pin drop...no one made a sound...
...
"...Eh," Joker shrugged, "Whatever, kid."
Joker raised his gun, aiming at Touya's head.
"NO! TOUYAAAA!"
BANG!
BANG!
BANG!
BANG!
BANG!
...
...
...
...
...
...
...He was shot.
...Enji jumped in front of Touya...
...
...
...
Endeavor was shot.
So...I just want to thank Reza for helping me out on this chapter! :D LOL, so, um...yeah, what a cliffhanger, am I right? :O
But yeah, do tell me what you all think! Give me a review, a fave, and a follow! :)
Don't worry, Joker and his gang will get what's coming to them. In fact, in the next chapter, one Villain could very well die! …Oops. Well...I don't know yet, we'll see. XP
Thank you all for reading and I'll see you all in the next update! Until then, keep on rocking everybody! :D
(Oh, also, just letting you all know, I've decided not to include the other Batman Villains in the story. Yeah, after a talk with Reza, I feel like it wasn't really necessary. D: )
-TSP