"This is where I drop you off," Giran said as the lights began to glow around them. "Your new equipment should arrive by the end of the week."
"I take it I won't have to wait long for my instructor?" Izuku asked with just the hint of a smile.
Giran placed a hand over the top of his forehead. "Listen, kid," he said. "If I were you, I'd take all the time to relax before he comes."
Izuku sat on a small workbench staring at his feet. He could tell Giran was serious. "Is it really that bad?" Izuku asked softly.
"It's worse than whatever you can imagine inside your head," Giran said. "If you survive these upcoming months. Then I guarantee you'll come out as a completely different person."
Izuku had a feeling of what Giran and All for One had decided on for his future in the organisation. He wished it had been done with less secrecy. "Am I being trained to make up for what I lack with my quirk?" he asked.
"That is correct, Midoriya," Giran replied. "The boss wishes for you to gain experience in actual offensive and defensive combat. And with my suggestion, a few more things are being thrown in there for you to learn. That is why I called him here." His voice echoed through the large room.
"And one more thing," Giran stepped over to the exit. "Your teacher has a reputation for never having even one of his students stay alive past the second week. Make sure not to disappoint us."
Izuku looked at the underground expanse he entered moments earlier. It sported state of the art gym equipment, a fitness area with combat dummies, a shooting range, and many other things Izuku had never seen before.
He heard the door open once more. A tall figure appeared, wearing a mask that covered the entire face. Izuku attempted to greet the mysterious person, yet he was unable to speak a word. The atmosphere in the room darkened as the man walked closer to Izuku.
"Is it you?" he asked with a chilling voice.
Izuku nodded. It was the first time he had felt frightened by someone after the incident with Katsuki.
The mask stared at Izuku with silence. "What is your quirk?"
Izuku shared his unease. He did not have the opportunity to figure out everything before. The man in front of him stood impatient, waiting for a response.
"I don't know much about it myself. But from what I gathered, any injury inflicted towards me from another person is sent to them as well."
"In that case, we will personally test it now," said the mask. Without pause, he stepped on the boy's shoes.
Izuku staggered back, audibly crying out in pain. The man looked at his foot. "Indeed, it is as you say," he said. "What else do you know?"
Izuku placed his right leg back on the ground, his foot still throbbed. "I don't know." Before he could say anything else, Izuku felt a sharp sting enter his left upper arm. Izuku dropped to his knees, gripping his injured arm with his other hand. Blood began to drip down to the floor, exiting a large wound.
The instructor stared at the knife he had thrown towards the boy. Taking a mental note of what he had witnessed.
"Alright, that is everything I need to know for now," the man said dryly.
The knife was buried deep inside Izuku's flesh, yet no matter how hard he tried to yell out, nothing came out of his mouth. Izuku shifted his head down, his sight grew dimmer as each second passed.
"Stand up."
Izuku could hear the man talking to him, but his mind refused to pay attention. He began to breathe heavily until all of a sudden, he felt his mind and body regain their composure. Izuku opened his eyes to find the man removing the blade out of his arm.
"The only reason why you are still awake is that I am able to inject adrenaline into your system," the man said, taking out a roll of bandages. "This is the one and only time where you get help from me. Whether you die or not during training is none of my concern. I still get paid. Is that clear?"
Izuku lifted his head, staring at the mask with animosity. "Yes sir," he replied back.
"Good. You have the mental fortitude, but everything else about you is weak," the masked man pointed out, tossing the bandages to Izuku's side. "Cover your wound to stop the bleeding. We will begin training in two minutes."
Izuku covered his arm frantically with the covers the man provided him with. Even though his body had been pumped full of adrenaline, the wound still caused immense pain. "This resembles more of torture than training," Izuku thought, not knowing if he would make it out alive in the upcoming weeks. "God damn Giran wasn't kidding when he said I should have taken my time to relax."
He was interrupted once more by the man in the mask. "Do you know what I will be attempting to turn you into?" he inquired with an almost joyous tone. "I am training you to become a cold-blooded assassin. Not specifically the ones who kill left and right, blindly following orders they receive. No. You'll be the one that hunts those who kill." He grinned at Izuku. "The name is Zero, I look forward to seeing your progress."
He threw the knife at Izuku's feet, it was still covered in blood. "We will start with a sparring match. Try to kill me using the knife," Zero commanded.
Izuku picked up the dagger. He hesitated for a brief second before charging towards his teacher, pointing the edge of the blade towards Zero's chest. Izuku was instantly parried and thrown across the room, hitting the stone wall. The blowback caused Izuku to cough up blood, his arms shook wildly under his weight. Everything in his body hurt.
No matter how many times Izuku attempted to hit Zero, he found himself attempting to get back up on his feet.
"This is no good," Zero barked. He looked at Izuku with disgust. "No form at all. You only run towards me while dangling that knife like it's a toy."
Zero landed a kick into Izuku's stomach, causing the boy to fall down. Zero grabbed the knife from Izuku's hand before stabbing it into the mat floor, it stood one inch away from his face.
The mask moved over to Izuku's ear. "This is a weapon. Learn to use it like one."
Izuku stood up slowly, taking out the knife from the mat. Zero studied him. He noticed that the boy's reaction times were steadily getting faster with each attempt.
"Your quirk is useless if you cannot attack me or anyone else," Zero said. "You'll only be left as a punching bag."
Izuku regained his breathing. "You don't have to tell me that," he said after a moment. "I know I am weak."
"Why do you think this is important?" Zero asked. He pointed towards Izuku's chest. "Because if you train your body to overpower quirks by itself, and you combine it then with your powers. No one will be able to stop you."
Both of them faced each other, preparing for another standoff. "Only focus on using your body and mind," Zero stressed. He took out a switchblade from his back pocket. "This time I will be attacking back."
Izuku gulped. He did not have to imagine what the man would do if he failed to meet his expectations. He took a step forward before slowly circling around Zero, keeping the blade in front of his chest.
"He's getting down the basics after just an hour of him studying me," Zero thought. "He's a natural learner, but he still does not understand what it means to kill or be killed." He knew that Izuku was instinctively avoiding to fatally harm him.
Izuku rushed his right hand forward, slicing downwards onto the stomach. Zero dodged in time, placing one foot back on the floor, kicking Izuku into the chest with his left leg. Izuku's body launched up into the air, his lungs grasped for anything they could find.
Zero closed in, slashing Izuku's chest with one clean swipe. "You are afraid of killing," Zero growled. "That needs to change." He brought down his hand, stabbing Izuku's left leg, twisting the knife inside.
Izuku screamed in pain as Zero pressed on harder. "Where did all of your spirit go?" Zero asked. He felt his leg burning. "You are nothing you understand?"
He watched as the boy gritted his teeth. "Just say that you give up and I'll stop," he said. In his mind, Zero was prepared to kill the boy by throwing the knife if it were to happen. To his surprise, Izuku sent a kick that forced him to let go of the handle.
Zero looked at his leg, only to see it bleeding. "That is one nasty quirk," he said calmly.
Izuku stared at Zero with rage. He left the switchblade protruding out of his leg, preparing for the next round.
"All right, that is enough sparring for today," Zero said.
Izuku refused to stop, he rose his arms up. Zero could see the boy's eyes give off murderous intent. "He's in the zone," Zero said to himself. "This kid really is something. He's not even afraid after everything I've done to him."
Before Izuku could move, he was punched straight into the chest by Zero. He landed on his back, unable to move from the huge strain that was placed on his body.
"Big eye opener for how much my attacks hurt," said Zero, clutching his own chest. He walked over to Izuku who lay staring at the ceiling, breathing heavily. "Finally calmed down?"
Izuku did not respond, he could not talk even if he wanted to.
Zero sat down beside him, looking at the knife he stabbed Izuku earlier with. "He intentionally left it there, smart kid."
"In ten minutes, we'll be moving on to me actually teaching you proper fighting stances and techniques," Zero said, he looked at Izuku before removing the knife from the boy's leg. "As for your quirk, you should already know it's strengths and weaknesses by now. But I will say it anyway, so pay attention."
"Any direct physical contact from someone will result in them feeling the exact same pain your body does. This extends to any physical object as well, but only if the person is in direct contact with it when it hits you. When I threw the knife at you when we met, I felt nothing. But when I stabbed your leg, I got the same injury."
Izuku attempted to laugh but instead spurted out blood from his mouth. It began to cover his lips until a towel was thrown over his face. Zero looked at Izuku, the torn shirt revealed burns and scars across his entire torso.
"No wonder why you're so different from the rest," Zero noted. "Expect tomorrow to be harder."
Izuku could only think of how ridiculous it was for it to only be the first day of training. After everything he experienced with Zero, Izuku had never felt more alive.
He moved the towel away from his face. "Yes sir," Izuku muttered, smiling at the man.
The sounds of gunshots rattled across the room. Zero watched in silence as Izuku emptied an entire magazine into a target fifty yards away.
"You've gotten better, but you missed one shot from the heart," Zero pointed out.
Six months had passed since he started training Izuku. The boy that stood in front of him was no longer the same person he met when he first arrived. Cut off from the outside world, Izuku focused on training day and night. Learning how to expertly shoot guns, fight with a variety of close-combat weapons, and how to protect oneself barehanded. Along with other skills that would allow Izuku to stalk and observe targets.
Zero knew that his time was running out with the boy and that there were still many things for Izuku to learn. "In the end, it will all come down to getting more experience in real combat," Zero said quietly.
Izuku placed his pistol on the table, overhearing his teacher's comment. He turned to face him. "Sir, you make it sound as if what you taught me isn't as bad as what's out there."
"Yes and no, kid. There are many different types of people out there, quirks that might possibly overshadow you," Zero said. "You only get better at fighting that, when you do it for real."
Izuku looked at Zero, acknowledging his point. He wore a black suit vest the Gatemaster's company had made for him. Izuku had begun to wear it two months ago, and it still held up from the bashings he experienced every day.
"I'm surprised it's held up for so long," Zero said, pointing out Izuku's outfit. "The look of a true professional, and yet even it's durability surprises me," he said. "Where can I get one like that?"
"You would have to speak to Mr Giran about that sir. I had no part in making it."
"Speaking of that man," Zero remembered. He still wore his mask to protect his identity. "I've told him your training is complete with what limited time we had. I will be leaving today."
Izuku stared at the man who trained him to near death experiences several times. Even though it was hell to endure everything thrown at him, where at times Izuku wanted to murder that man. He still felt deep respect.
"Thank you for everything Zero," Izuku said, letting out a seemingly warm smile.
Zero was startled at Izuku calling him by his alias for the first time, but he felt the same.
"And thank you for the money!" Zero replied.
As they shook hands, both contemplated how they would kill each other in the near future.
Izuku sat on the couch beside the bar. It was the first time he had come back after he had been sent down to train. Kurogiri was seen wiping the already cleaned glasses for the third time.
"Sometimes I wish we had actual customers," said Kurogiri, "the bar is already small in itself."
"While I haven't seen a human face for half a year," Izuku teased him.
Kurogiri placed his hands on the bar counter. "Well in that case, why don't I catch you up on what's going on," he said sincerely.
"Alright," Izuku moved over to the bar seats. He readjusted the tie around his neck.
"Splendid choice on the outfit, not many go for that route anymore," said Kurogiri with pleasure. "Apart from the suit, I see that your demeanour has changed as well."
"That tends to happen when you're at death's door every minute," Izuku replied, placing his hands on his lap. "Now everything just seems clear to me, but it's difficult to explain."
"In other words, you've matured," Kurogiri chimed in. "It's quite obvious. Well anyways, glad to have you back."
Izuku smirked. Kurogiri had not changed at all since he last saw him. He had wondered what Giran was up to as well, "Probably smoking a cigarette somewhere."
"Hey Kurogiri, get me a pint of beer," shouted a voice in the distance. "Oh and look who it is."
Izuku turned around to find Muscular approach him. "Glad to see you actually alive and well you know, here," he said, laughing to himself.
"I haven't actually thanked you yet for introducing me here Muscular," Izuku said with a delighted look. He reached out his hand towards him.
"The pleasure is all mine," Muscular responded, shaking his hand. The force alone almost caused Izuku to fall off his seat. "Still writing down quirks and scaring the shit out of people?" he asked.
Izuku laughed, pausing to look at the wooden pattern on the table. "Not as of yet, haven't had the opportunity to."
Muscular stared at Izuku, and then to Kurogiri. "Haven't you told him what's coming up soon?" he asked with a confused expression.
"Well, I was about to until you came in and took the floor," Kurogiri countered. He placed the glass of beer in front of Muscular. "In the next few months, we'll be starting our advance and making a name for ourselves."
This caught Izuku's attention, he had always wondered what the League of Villain's major goal was. "Just for fame?" he asked Kurogiri.
"Not fully, but it's more about showing the world that the society of heroes is that of a broken system."
"It means we get to kill people," Muscular said with excitement, "Almost anyone we want."
Izuku stayed quiet, there were definitely people he knew deserved what was coming for them, but he also did not want to involve innocent people getting mixed inside the crossfire. "It's heroes that act for their self-interests… that I want to deal with personally," he thought.
The bar phone rang. Kurogiri walked over and picked it up, listening for a few seconds before closing the line. "The Master wishes to speak with you as soon as possible Midoriya. Same room as last time if you remember."
This excited Izuku. He had been preparing to do something meaningful ever since he had joined. It was his chance to make a good first impression on the man who had given him his quirk. Izuku stood up and walked over to the door, waving goodbye to the bar.
Inside, stood a desk with a television monitor that was turned on. In the background, Izuku could make out a figure that was sitting in a giant chair, waiting for him.
"Welcome, welcome Izuku Midoriya," it said, "it has truly been a while since we last spoke. Please, take a seat."
"All for One, was there a reason for calling me?" Izuku asked impatiently, barely holding in his enthusiasm.
"There is always a reason if I am involved," All for One stated. "I see that you have completed your assimilation into the league. And so, I am here to inform you of two tasks I wish you to complete. One is short-term, and the other one a bit more complicated."
"Of course, what would you like me to do?" Izuku asked.
All for One moved his hands across the screen. "For the first task, you and Toga Himiko will be subduing and eliminating two heroes, that of which I will provide you with the names for tomorrow. The other I will explain to you in more detail once you return but know that it will be an infiltration mission that only you can pull off."
"That is all. You may rest for tonight," All for One advised. "I will send Kurogiri all of the details you will need for the job."
"Understood," Izuku responded immediately. The conversation was short, yet Izuku was delighted.
A/N: Not much to say for this chapter apart from just major plot points being set up. We get to see a bit more character progression with Izuku and how that will now translate with his work and relationships with other characters. Thanks for reading as always and leaving a comment/review. Love you all.