"Mrs. Midoriya. As much as I would love to help you find your son, it's been several months since he's gone missing," Naomasa said. He brought down his hat, placing it on his lap. "There is just no information on his whereabouts, and we have no clue as to where he disappeared off into the first place."
"Then try harder!" Inko cried out, trying to cover the tears that formed below her eyes. "My son is gone, and I don't even know if he is dead!" She desperately wished for the police to find Izuku, but no matter how many times she visited, Inko always got the same story repeated to her.
The detective sat in silence. He understood Inko's feelings but was uncertain of how to explain to her what would happen in the next upcoming days. "Miss, there is something I need to tell you," he said with a defeated tone.
"The most crucial time to lead an investigation generally occurs around in the first three days after a person goes missing. It's when the trail is still fresh, it's when most of our effort is put into finding someone." He placed his hands on top of the table, crossing them together. "We were not able to find your son within that time frame, it was as if he completely disappeared."
"After extensive profiling with video security footage, potential witnesses, and many other things. In these past few months… we still could not find him. That is not something that we normally come across."
"Are you saying you are just going to give up?" Inko asked. Her voice trembled with anxiety.
"Of course not," Naomasa said with no hesitation. He leaned his back across the chair, resting his shoulders once more. "Cases of missing people stay up for years, but that does not mean we can guarantee that we will find Izuku Midoriya."
Inko looked at the detective, not knowing what to say or do. She felt as if the last ray of hope exited her. She knew that if the police could not find Izuku, no one else could.
"It only gets harder the longer we continue to search for your son," Naomasa continued. "We cannot strain so many of our resources for one person, especially for someone who has not appeared on our radar close to an entire year."
"The only thing I can tell you is that this case will be put on hold in the upcoming week. Unless we are presented with new evidence or receive eye witness accounts of your son, we will not be able to find him."
The tension seemed to rise higher in the room. Naomasa was concerned at how Inko would react to the news. She had visited the department every week after her son's disappearance, yet the only thing she was left with was the declaration that nothing would be done.
"I apologize for this mess, but do not give up Mrs Midoriya," Naomasa urged as he stood up from his chair. "I'm sure he is alive."
"How can you be so certain about that?" Inko asked, staring at the desk separating them.
Naomasa did not move to the comment. He placed his hat back on his head and turned to face her. "Because I believe in miracles," he said.
Something was different tonight. There was an edge to this quietness that made Izuku restless deep down. Two weeks he had been waiting for All for One to call him. Izuku passed the time by training underground, and occasionally make small talk with members in the league. Each day went by longer than the day that had come before it. Izuku wanted nothing so much as to study quirks and utilise the skills he was taught to see people suffer, but that was not a feeling he could share with anyone in the bar that day.
Especially not with the man they were waiting for.
Most of the members were called down for a briefing on the upcoming plans for the league. Kurogiri handed everyone drinks, while passing Izuku and Toga glasses of water.
Toga stared at the glass cup with disgust. Proceeding to slam her fist onto the table. "Kurogiri! What is this weak shit?" Toga asked with discontent. "Give me booze."
"I'd rather not, you are still a child," Kurogiri responded roughly. "And more importantly, we are about to start a meeting."
Toga seemed to not hear him. She studied the vast array of bottles behind the mist-like head forming out of the bartender.
Kurogiri sighed. "I suppose I can make something better," he paused. "What about a milkshake?"
Toga's eyes lit up from the moment she heard her favourite word. "Yay!" Toga blurted out with excitement. "Now that's what I am talking about my man." She then smiled at Kurogiri with dark intent. "Just don't do that again Mister."
Kurogiri ignored her and began to make the milkshake. "Can I just relax for one day without worrying that someone will get stabbed," he thought.
Izuku sipped from his glass, noticing that their acting leader was late. Tomura was the one in charge of leading the meeting and operation Izuku had heard of before from Kurogiri. Since their faithful encounter, Izuku had grown to dislike the way Tomura acted.
He suddenly felt a tap behind his shoulder. "Mind if I sit beside you?" the voice asked as Izuku instantly recognised it as Dabi's.
"Sure," Izuku replied quietly. "Make yourself comfortable."
Dabi pulled away the seat ahead of him, sitting down in a crude manner. "Getting used to the villainous aspects of life?" he asked.
"I'm getting there," Izuku said. "But I still have a lot of things I am curious about."
"Well it's definitely not the training side of it," Dabi observed. "I never suspected you to be doing missions already. Just not too long ago you were an ordinary civilian."
Izuku shrugged. "You flatter me. I only did it once, and it was against two heroes that couldn't snap a twig in two even if they tried."
"Easy or not," Dabi said, crossing his arms together. "The important thing is that you've gained the real leader's trust and thus mine. That is all that matters to me."
Izuku nodded slightly. "Was there any specific reason you wanted to talk to me? I find it a bit odd that you would sit down here, right before something important is about to come up. You generally don't talk to others." The boy's smile was daring.
Dabi chuckled slightly. "Assuming the meeting goes the way I've been told, then I would like to appoint you into the Vanguard Action Squad."
Izuku was confused. He groped for any memories surrounding that name, yet nothing came to mind. His eyes swept back and forth over the bar, his mouth starting to mutter incoherent sentences.
His thinking was interrupted by Dabi. "I don't expect you to know what it is. It's an impromptu group in which I was selected as the defacto leader. You'll understand what I mean soon."
"I'm actually already a part of it too," Toga admitted, slurping on the milkshake Kurogiri handed her. "Granted that I don't know anything about it."
Izuku placed his glass on the table counter. "I can already guess who the mastermind is," he muttered, low under his breath.
Footsteps were heard in the distance, prompting most of the villains inside the bar to look towards one of the entrances. The door slowly opened, revealing Tomura with a half-smile. A hand was still attached to his face.
"Greetings everyone," Tomura exclaimed. "Thank you all for coming on such short notice."
The young man walked over to the bar, stopping several steps away from the group. "As you might know, Master has given me the direct role in orchestrating the league's next objective. Our first task will be to make ourselves known to the world by attacking the U.A admissions exam. We will take them by surprise and kidnap naive heroes, and make them into potential recruits. When the world learns of how easily the hero system fails at their peak, it will be anarchy."
"Heh, you just tell me who not to kill," Muscular told him.
"This might prove to be difficult Tomura," Kurogiri said. "But it is still a great plan."
Snickers could be heard at the end of the bar table. It stopped shortly after all the heads turned to see who was laughing.
Izuku who was the only one still facing the bar turned around, holding the glass with his leather gloves. "I wouldn't bother doing that."
Tomura glanced over at Izuku. His face slowly began to twist with anger. "And why is that?" he asked with an annoyed voice.
Izuku placed a straw inside the glass and began to stir the ice gently. "Because the plan is shit."
"What?" Tomura questioned. He began to scratch the side of his neck. "What did you say?"
"I said it is shit," Izuku repeated. "It's not going to work the way you intend it to."
Dabi let out a small smirk, before returning to his calm usual expression. "That kid really just spoke out against the leader's pupil," he thought.
"What moron truly believes that attacking an examination full of hundreds of students would be a good idea. Do you even know who you want to take?" Izuku asked.
Tomura clawed at his throat, as visible marks appeared. "No, we don't, but it's still better to do so. In the end, we prove that heroes are useless. No one will be able to stop us with the group we have assembled."
"I see, so you intend on marching into the unknown and expect to just win," Izuku said. "Let alone the fact that you don't even know what kind of heroes will be present for the exam."
Several of the members whispered to each other, questioning the legitimacy of Tomura's plan. They did not expect the man to come in so unprepared.
Toga only stared at Izuku, her cheeks blushed at the sight of him badmouthing someone.
Tomura's rage only grew. "And how would you know what we're up against?" he demanded.
Izuku scoffed at what he heard. "Are you serious? You did not even bother to figure out what you were going up against?" He questioned, taking out the plastic straw from the cup. He swirled it around in the air before pointing it at Tomura. "I know it might be a little hard, but if you even put in a little effort to get a copy of U.A's database. You would have gotten it if you talked to the right people."
"OK, that does it," Tomura growled. He ran up towards Izuku, moving his right hand to grab onto Izuku's face. Before he could reach the boy, Tomura felt a knife prod at his throat. He stopped several inches away from Izuku, yet he could only see the boy stare at him with cold eyes.
"Let me finish," Izuku said in a ticked off voice, moving the knife's edge deeper into Tomura's skin. "I'd rather not have to make your self-inflicted injuries any worse." He smiled playfully, placing the glass back on the table. "You even made me drop my straw on the floor."
Twice whistled in surprise from what he had seen.
"Alright," Tomura accepted, not knowing if he would live. "If you're so smart then, tell us your plan and how it would be better."
"Sure thing, leader," Izuku said mockingly, releasing the knife away from Tomura's neck. The man stammered back before regaining his composure.
Dabi rolled his eyes, disappointed in having witnessed Tomura's behaviour and utter defeat. "Is this really the man I have to follow?" Dabi asked to himself.
"As I was saying," Izuku went on. "With the U.A admissions coming up, it's been confirmed that there will be twenty or more professional heroes attending it. One of which I understand will be All Might."
The entire group stayed still until one of them broke the silence.
"All Might? How the hell would we win against that?"
"That is exactly my point. Let alone the fact that there are twice as many of them, as there are us," Izuku asserted. "Going in now would be a fool's death wish."
It was then that Dabi asked a question. "That all makes sense, but Tomura made at least one good point earlier. How would we find a better opportunity to show the world the same kind of message?"
"It's quite simple," Izuku responded. He sheathed his knife back. "We target specific students that have gotten accepted after the exams. Figure out the ones who can be easily manipulated and bring them here. Granted that we only do it when the teachers are present. That will give off the same message you all want to show."
Tomura stared at Izuku, livid at how the boy embarrassed him in front of everyone.
"Would it not be perfect?" Izuku asked with a slight grin. "The students who get accepted will definitely have stronger quirks."
"That is a good point, yet one big problem we'll face, is that we still don't know anything about how they operate," said Dabi. "We'll be going in blind if we don't learn their quirks, and not even know when to strike at the best time."
Izuku shifted one leg across the other. "I do actually have a solution for what you just mentioned Dabi," he said.
"Oh? Please indulge us."
"If someone were to apply to U.A and get accepted," Izuku stated. "We would get everything we need."
"So now you're asking all of us to trust you?" Tomura asked, speaking for the first time in a while. "What makes you think you would be able to do this while none of us holds any trust in you. You're just a brat who's standing on his high horse."
Izuku glanced over towards the man. "I thought I made it clear that your plan is complete utter trash," he said calmly. "If you want an actual plan that holds some merit, then I ask you to shut up." He then placed one finger over his lips and let out a small sound. "The grown-ups are talking."
Tomura was left speechless. He felt as if all the eyes in the room were laughing at him. He wanted it to stop.
"I want to make something clear to all of you," Izuku announced. He got off the bar stool and turned to face all of the villains. "I have no intentions of taking credit or even leading this operation." He pointed with his thumb at Tomura that stood frozen beside him. "This man is our leader, and that was decided by you know who. I only wish to help, and I am offering to put my life on the line for this."
"Goddamnit Izuku, you'll start making all of the ladies fall for you," Toga said to herself. The thought of her crush being with someone else was repulsing to her.
No one in the room objected to Izuku's proposition. Even Kurogiri who had generally always taken Tomura's side was quiet.
Izuku suddenly felt a hand place itself on top of his head. He initially thought it was Tomura but was surprised to see the man with light coloured hair had never moved. Only that his eyes showed surprise at who was behind Izuku.
"Master!" Tomura exclaimed, getting down on one knee.
All for One waved his other hand for Tomura to stand up. He looked at the green haired boy in front of him and then to the group sitting beside the bar.
"I take it the meeting has gone well so far?" All for One asked. Everyone was quiet, uncertain of how to respond back. Until they heard the man chuckling. "I see. I suppose that was a pointless question since I had overheard everything from the start regardless."
All for One removed his hand from Izuku's head. "An infiltration plan into the U.A?" he asked with a lighthearted tone. "You really do surprise me, young man."
Izuku was as baffled as everyone else who had heard what All for One said. Izuku turned around to face the tall looming man. The mask hid all emotions for Izuku to read.
"I thought you were the one who hinted me to do this All for One," Izuku asked with uncertainty.
"You are not wrong to think that, however, what I had in mind was something completely different," All for One explained. "What you've come up with was something that never crossed my mind."
"Master, please understand that we can't trust everything onto this boy," Tomura said.
"Silence, Tomura," All for One commanded. "I do not think anyone in this room disagrees with Izuku's plan. Let alone question his abilities."
"But Master-" Tomura stopped. The sight of All for One's deathly presence frightened him.
"What Izuku has proposed will now be set in motion. However, that does not mean there will be no consequences if this fails," All for One announced. He looked at Izuku through the mask, wanting to test the boy's resolve.
"If you fail, you will be the one held responsible, and death will likely be the punishment. With that being said, do you still wish to hold onto your words?"
Izuku stared at the black tinted mask with no hesitation. "When Am I free to go?"
All for One began to laugh, with the sound echoing throughout the entire room. He smiled, thinking for how much longer the boy would entertain him. "Very well, you will begin the preparations," he said. For a moment he felt pride.
"What about us?" Muscular asked, raising his arm up. "Are we just to sit around and do nothing?"
"For a little while," All for One said. "Surely being given a better opportunity to survive, outweighs everything else."
Muscular looked at Izuku, gulping down the last of his beer. "Kid, just make sure I get to kill a lot of them."
Izuku smiled. "No worries, I'll save the strongest ones for you."
"Now that's what I like to here," Muscular responded back. He stood up and walked towards the exit. "Don't take too long."
The door slammed shut.
"Tomura," All for One said unexpectedly. "Since I still wish for you to lead this operation. I ask that you work with Izuku and prepare a proper invasion force once all of the keys have been set in place." He walked over to an open area in the bar, releasing a portal in front of him. "Do not disappoint me again."
"Yes, Master," Tomura replied.
A/N: Another fun chapter to write. We finally get to see Izuku stand up against Tomura, and now everything is starting to play itself out. For the story, I plan to keep it similar to how it occurred in the actual manga. However, I will be obviously changing up things, so it makes sense and it fits Izuku's villain character more. Cheers.