I am making great time with this. That week off plotting stuff for my commission left me feeling energized and with extra time on my hands to write. As I started with this chapter on Monday, if all goes well, I'll keep this momentum and be able to finish that chapter for Code Bakugan Brawlers early as well.

When it came to writing this chapter in particular, I needed to contend with some issues, seeing how, again, the Thunder are not members or real allies of the League, and their contract ended with the mission. But I couldn't just gloss over the events of the following arc either, so I found a healthy compromise that further builds on things and introduces hints and intros to other stuff that'll come later.

Also, this is chapter 50! Party time, people, I made it to the 50th chapter of this, I can't even believe it!

Chapter 50: A New Game

In the hour after the villains attacked, emergency services arrived in numbers. Firefighting planes flew low and poured their cargo onto the raging forest fires, while teams of paramedics rushed in to locate students and any other injured. They were escorted by dozens of law enforcement officers to protect them and detain any captured villains.

That only came out to be 3. Moonfish, Muscular, and Mustard. The last of which hardly put up a fight when he came to and found himself cuffed, while Moonfish was restrained like the mad-mad he was, fixed to a gurney and loaded into the back of a police van. Muscular proved the hardest, taking several officers to force him in before he could be taken away.

Muscular was one of Japan's most wanted, and Moonfish was a deadly serial killer who was already sentenced to death when the League managed to smuggle him out of his prison. Capturing both should have been cause for praise and joy, but on that night-no-one could even smile, not when they hadn't escaped from that burning forest untouched.

As it was mainly class B out in the forest, they took the brunt of the poison gas, as 14 of them were left unconscious and in serious condition due to overexposure. Awase, Yaoyorozu, and Todoroki were all pretty badly hurt, and Uraraka watched as they were all loaded into ambulances and rushed to the hospital…with Bakugo missing, kidnapped by the League.

Their teachers weren't lucky either, as Ragdoll, along with Bakugo, was never found. Just the spot where she should have been was a concerningly large blood splatter. Tiger, Pixie Bob, and Mandalay were also seriously injured by the villains and needed to be taken to the hospital for treatment.

The villains might not have had an absolute victory, but this was their victory.

Not even 24 hours had passed since the villain's latest attack, and the pressure was already on. It was summer break still, so most students weren't on campus. It was a good thing, too, that when the press descended on them, it was easy to get those few students in and keep the media out. But that didn't stop them; it never did as instead, more gathered, demanding interviews, answers, or heavily biased questions aimed at the school for 'allowing' their students to be attacked yet again.

"The training camp was meant to prepare students to confront villains and react to these changing times. I would appreciate the irony more if it wasn't such a cosmic joke." Nezu started, enjoying the fact that they couldn't hear those reporters this deep in the building. "We knew the League wouldn't keep their heads down for long, but we lacked a fundamental understanding of their plans and goals."

He, as always, sat at the head of the table, and the rest of his first-year teaching staff, bar Vlad and Eraser, were present. The two missing staffers were still being questioned by the authorities. At his side was a freshly brewed cup of tea that he hadn't touched. "They aren't like other villainous groups; they don't care for territory, reputation, or wealth. Their goal is to destroy our hero society, and they've already made their opening moves."

How funny was it that he longed for those simpler days yet again? Humans, sadly, weren't as primal as some would claim. And this was the result of that. Careful planning and people to carry out those designs had led them to this point. Perhaps they would garner more power in the underworld, but Nezu knew it wasn't just that they wanted.

Midnight frowned as she thought over his words; only then did she reply. "But could we have truly prevented this attack? We knew they connected to the Thunder, but Moonfish, Muscular, and this Mustard? We had no means to even suspect they were in the same circles. How can we predict their moves when we don't even know their pieces?"

"Besides, All Might put a stop to most organized crime; we've hadn't a threat like this in years, and hate to say it, we'll all rusty." Midnight admitted, as bitter a taste that was, but for many of them, they had been born into the age of All Might. The oldest among them was Power Loader, and by the time he got into middle school, All Might had already cemented himself as the top hero and driven crime to its lowest in centuries. The rest were even younger and could barely remember days before their shining Symbol of peace. Midnight certainly couldn't.

All Might, for his part, remained silent as he had been since he got the news right as he got out of the tub. He had thought he would have a relaxing night and maybe try to find some hobbies with his time as a hero growing short. Now, he just felt like a fool and a failure.

Present Mic agreed with her on that, but he had other worries that the attack had only amplified. "Yeah, deep down, we all thought we'd be riding Easy Street till retirement, but I don't think it's just that. You say they're moving pieces we didn't know they had; well, I would say it's a lot worse as it's like we can hardly see the game board…" He looked them over, the jovial, energetic radio host in full hero mode.

"And yet, our enemies seem to be able to see what we're doing just fine." The rest glanced at his words, a silent conversation to join the voiced one they were having.

"And what are you implying, Mic?" Thirteen asked.

Mic didn't mince his words. "Don't act like I'm the only one thinking it, but with the USJ and now about training camp, it's obvious that the villains are getting inside info about us, and there's only one way they could—a spy."

His statement wasn't a welcomed one by any means, as they all looked at him with a level of anger or bafflement that he would say such, but he wasn't so blind that they didn't all think it. If he had to be the bad guy by saying it out loud, he'd happily do so. Anything to ensure they didn't have another Shirakumo and if, by some act of the devil, one of his fellow teachers could be implicated in such…

He wouldn't regret what he would do.

He laid it out in explicit detail. "Only we teachers and the Pussycats knew where the camp was being held, and we picked a spot that was way out of the way. No way the villains just lucked out and found us. Sure, one of the students could have messaged them-"

"Mic, stop," Midnight told him, but he turned towards her, not stopping his tirade.

"What's the problem? We need to find the leak before the villains make another move. Things are terrible enough; the last thing we need is a dead student, " he told them.

"And how, pray tell, would we vet each other, Mic?" Snipe asked him, drawing attention to himself as the cowboy-themed pro continued. "We were all screened before we were hired and got through just fine. Who's to say you're not the spy or me? How would we tell whose genuine and whose the fox in the chicken coop?"

Most jobs require background checks, especially in Japan. The background check was intense for anything related to hero work, from working paperwork at small support companies to working directly with heroes. Above that were people who worked directly with heroes, and as pros and teachers, they all had to have records without fault.

Did that mean they had to be spotless? No, that would be impossible for most heroes when their jobs required them to get involved in messy situations and make complicated, if not controversial, calls. But what Nezu looked for was character, intent, and a genuine desire and capacity to teach.

It was why someone like Aizawa could be hired despite his lackluster demeanor and extreme methods, why Midnight was allowed to teach despite her brand being rated R, and why Snipe was employed there despite cases against him about excessive force—all dropped or ending in his favor, but the point still stood.

Present Mic knew all that and kept quiet, as none of them could even fathom that someone could get past such scrutiny and remain undetected for years, as before All Might. Their last new hire was Eraser a couple of years ago.

"If we start doubting each other, we'll do the villains' work for them. We don't even know for sure if we have a mole. With how insane some quirks could be, the villains could be using that. After all, we still have no information on anyone who matches Kurogiri or Shigaraki. They could easily have other members that we just haven't seen yet," Snipe offered.

Grunting, Mic still sat down as Nezu took things from there. "That is all excellent points, and for what it's worth, I can say that I trust that none of you would betray my faith or the faith of your colleagues and students."

"However, if trust is the topic, then we need to first work on regaining it, as with this latest attack, the villains managed to take the public's faith in us along with Mr. Bakugo," Nezu added, as things were bad for them, incredibly so as with news of the entire Wild Wild Pussycats being defeated, people calling their judgment into question were louder then ever as if villains could take them out, why did U.A. allow their students to be in harms way? As if they had known such an attack was possible.

Still, he didn't fault them. People were scared, and when in large groups, things like nuance and complexity lost meaning. It was the nature of most creatures that when scared, they boil down information to basic things like whether this was good or not. It was made worse by, as Mic and Midnight pointed out, the fact that such an attack like this was unprecedented, and they, as heroes, just weren't ready for it.

"Though there's some blame on us as a school. Our decision to continue with the Sports Festival was meant to show we weren't shaken by their opening gambit," Snipe conceded, if only in hindsight. "It's clear that they just saw it as provocation, and we were unprepared for an escalation like this."

"Yes, we'll need to adjust accordingly; this isn't some run-of-the-mill threat, but a well-organized, connected, and motivated force moving against hero society." Thirteen added that as they were playing a new game, they needed to learn the rules and master them in record time before more damage could be done.

"That's been something most news outlets have highlighted as they condemn us for the incident. Though it's disconcerting what they're saying about young Bakugo." Nezu noted as he lifted his tablet, showing that one of the biggest news sites in Japan was running with the headline 'U.A's Greatest Failure: Hero Student on Path to Evil?'. It wasn't the only one, but it was concerning that such a reputable source would run with such a tagline.

"His violent tendencies and rather atypical approach to hero work have put him on the villains' radar. Should they turn him, it would be another critical blow to society's faith in heroes and destroy U.A. as a institution." He added, having read through the articles before the meeting, something he suspected his staff must have done, if only with a couple.

"I have faith that he would never yield to their offers." All Might, for however, how despondent he was over his inability to protect his students, was sure about that fact. Was Bakugo…rough? Of course, he could see it in him; that boy's drive to be a hero was as solid as iron and burned hotter than the sun. He had even noticed that he was making changes and being more congenial to the others, even after his apparent falling out with young Asui.

Nezu agreed with him there. "And that's what worries me, All Might. I, too, doubt that Mr. Bakugo, for all his faults and rough edges, would be swayed into a life of crime. However, once the villains realize they have lost a major reason to keep him alive, In that situation…"

"I think we can all get the picture, boss." Midnight cut him off. They could all imagine how terrible that would be—not for U.A., but for their students. What happened to Iida was already a significant blow to them, and if they were to lose another classmate…she didn't want to think about how much it would hurt them.

"Right. Now, I understand that, as heroes, your instinct would be to join the hunt for Mr. Bakugo. Still, we must leave that to others and focus on what we should be doing here, ensuring the safety of our student body. To that end, I have a proposal I would like to run through you before I bring it to the board…" Nezu started, changing the topic.

Outside of the U.A., those same news articles were circulated, printed, and sold in the tens of thousands, while online sites hosting them saw visitors in the hundreds of thousands.

It wasn't just written but a news broadcast to the entire country, picking up the topic of the attack and tackling different aspects. From how long it took emergency responders to arrive, a student being kidnapped despite the presence of several pros, how it was the same group that attacked them at the USJ and reared their head again during Hosu, with rumors already out what like both prior attacks, the Thunder was present.

It framed itself as just spreading facts and healthy debate. Still, to Shigaraki and the rest of the League watching all of it from their bar hide-out, it was shameless profiting over U.A.s tragedy. Really, these people frame it like attacking the U.A. was easy; it was not. He would like them to admit that they're among the toughest dungeons. But nah, it's better for their little minds and their ratings to act like U.A. and the heroes were just slacking off, and if they hadn't, they could have won like they always do.

It sucked, but if it got the sheep to question things, to question the 'peace' their precious Symbol gave them, he wouldn't complain.

"I'm so grateful to the media for all the free attention. Don't know why big companies pay an arm and a leg for that." He turned the TV off and turned towards their guest, who was probably restrained to a heavy iron chair. Of course, they couldn't have him getting funny ideas. "Wouldn't you agree, Bakugo Katsuki?"

Bakugo had been silent since he was captured, brought to this shitty bar, and restrained. His hands specifically had been locked in a steel clamp. He could probably bust out with a strong enough blast, but he would need to be a bigger idiot than these losers to do that when his hands are enclosed.

He ignored Shigaraki and turned his gaze to the two villains he recognized. "Where is he?"

"Hmm?" Slice, feeling his gaze on her, looked up from her phone.

"Where the hell is that pyromaniac?" Bakugo asked, as he recalled she was with him that day, that she and the big bastard were members of Midoriya's little gang. He had thought he would see him here when he was dragged through the portal, but neither he nor that Mummy-looking fucker hadn't appeared.

"Hey, don't call Dabi names!" Twice called out, defending Dabi, who rolled her eyes as she nursed a cup of iced cola. "Well, she does love setting stuff on fire."

"Not her. Where is Pyre?" Bakugo clarified, to which Chimera and Slice shared a look before smiling, as this just seemed like a great time to mess with the asshole.

"Oh, isn't that adorable? You want to talk with your old friend again?" Slice teased him, loving how he flinched at that. Midoriya had already come clean about his past, not just All Might's numbered days but also his past with Bakugo. It had been a surprise to learn he had been the target for the mission, and probably a good reason that Chimera or her hadn't been the ones to capture him, or else they would have recovered him after they roughed him up a bit.

Snorting, Slice stood up and stretched, keeping her smug grin on him as she did. "Sorry about that, love, but he's not here. You'll just have to deal with them because we're leaving."

"I just spoke with Giran; the money has been wired," Kurogiri responded before creating a portal for the two to exit through.

"Then our contract has come to an end. It was a pleasure doing business with you," Chimera said, finishing his cigar before putting it out in the ash tray and walking towards their exit.

"It was an honor." Spinner bowed to the two allies of Pyre.

Toga was a lot less formal with her goodbye, waving like an elementary student. "Bye! See you soon!"

Shigaraki grunted but didn't fight them on this. "I might have more work for you going forward."

"Hey, as long as you're paying…" Slice replied as Chimera walked through. She was about to do the same but thought about how she could mess with the blonde brat. "Don't worry, Kacchan,"

Bakugo's eyes shot open at that nickname, the past it implied, and the connection it represented. All of that was being mocked by this hair-obsessed bitch. Slice's smile grew wider under the intensity of his glare. If looks could kill, indeed. "We'll tell the little arsonist you said hello." With that, she stepped through, and the portal closed.

"Oh, color me intrigued." Compress, who was cleaning a little pocket watch in the corner, spoke, as while Pyre wasn't an unknown, his story had plenty of gaps. But it seemed like one part of it had fallen into their laps.

"You're telling me that was so mysterious and shocking. Our little wild card of a baby hero knowing an up-and-comer in the villain scene." Magne added, "Oh, she wished Bakugo was more talkative; she had many questions!"

As always, Kurogiri didn't drop them exactly where it was because he didn't know that information. Using some sneaky paths, they returned without being seen with Slice and Chimera walking through the door to their hide-out, where Pyre was ready to greet them.

"Welcome back, guys!" Pyre chirped, giving both of them a hug. They returned it as they walked into the living room, finding Mummy had made them something to eat.

"We saw the news; it looks like you made a mess of things," Mummy noted, though the TV was off at present as the four sat down, Koharu slithering off of Pyre, so cozy up with Chimera.

"Could have been better; my clone got a better fight than I did," Chimera stated, not minding that large snake curling around him as he drank half the juice Mummy had poured them.

"We can talk about work later; right now, we have plans!" Pyre said, buzzing in his seat with energy, which made the two look towards the one who had been left with him.

Mummy merely shrugged. "Don't look at me; the kid made me promise not to talk about it."

"Get dressed. We're going to need to go out for this." Pyre called out, only for Slice to bop him on the head.

"Later, Izu," She told him, not moving from her seat as she dug into her meal, enjoying it a hell of a lot better than the fast food crap they ate while out on their mission. "We barely slept last night; we volunteered to keep an eye on Bakugo."

"Oh…well, we can head out later, then. Wait, Bakugo?" Pyre stopped when he heard the name, looking at the two in confusion.

"Yes, he was one of the targets," Slice stated, but saw that even Mummy was bemused by that answer.

"He wouldn't know that; it was just you and me who were told, remember?" Chimera reminded her, to which she nodded as she understood the confusion.

"Oh right, well, long story short, Shigaraki ordered that we kill or capture some brats. Of course, we ignored the kill order and focused on the capture. One of those happened to be Bakugo." She gave them the cliff notes of the issue.

"Why did he want Kacchan?" Midoriya asked as the best thing he could think of was his quirk. But this job came from Shigaraki, not AFO, and maybe that was the point—mask who was really ordering things…

"Something about attacking hero society and turning him to his cause," Kon replied, as Shigaraki hadn't provided a detailed explanation, not that their allies had cared all that much.

"That'll never work." Midoriya shook his head, relaxing into his seat and kicking his legs about. "Kacchan and I were close and…well, he's not someone who can see societal issues. As long as I've known him, he idolized All Might and how he always won. That's what being a hero means to him, defeating villains. So, there's no way Shigaraki convinces him to join him because that means accepting that he had a better argument."

"What, does the whole 'it's the right thing' matter to him?" Hasaki asked him.

"Midoriya frowned, as he wanted to say yes, but…well, did that mean Kacchan thought it was right for him to lord his power over others, to hurt to prove he was the strongest? I don't know."

"Well, that's too complicated. All I can hear is that Shigaraki's plan's gonna blow up in his face, literally." Kon paused that conversation, though he suspected it would continue later. "Any word from Nine?"

"He'll be back in the country tomorrow night," Makihara replied. They had been in contact with Nine the previous night, their leader still escorting their stolen goods back to Japan, and as far as he knew, there were no hiccups or possible delays.

"And after he eats some real Japanese food, it's back on the grind. It seems like we never stop." Hasaki chuckled as she could imagine he had been dining on whatever they could get. While he hardly emoted, she would bet he was frowning more often than not when he got his food.

"Well, we need to strike when the iron's hot. Besides, we're gaining a bigger reputation by the day. We already have gangs paying us protection money, and Giran says he's got plenty of clients waiting for when we'll accept a job." Midoriya replied, and the broker contacted them as well. Like always, he was slimy, but Midoriya believed he got some favor from the man.

"Knowing All for One, he probably has plenty for us as is," Makihara noted as they continued their meal.

After their last job, they had the chance to eat up and rest, so they decided to get ready and leave, all wearing disguises. They could have left later in the evening, but Midoriya looked like he could hardly contain himself. "So, any reason why we're out and about?" Hasaki asked, the woman having tied her ironic hair into braids and hid them with her shirt and a beanie.

"I wanted us to get something done," Midoriya responded. Wearing a black and yellow tracksuit, Koharu wrapped around his body, hidden by the jacket, with only her head pocketing out, but one would need to get close to see.

"Work?" Kon, who merely dressed differently as there was no point for him to pretend, asked. The streets weren't as busy as they had been, but with it being afternoon, most people were eager to get to work and could ignore things around them, like his size.

"Nope!" Midoriya chirped as he led them along, humming a little mantra as he went. They glanced at each other, wondering why their youngest member was so excited about this, but decided it wouldn't hurt to wait. He led them down back streets and alleys for a while, the roads being less than upbeat and clean with more shady characters cropping up, yet none dared to engage them. Maybe they recognized them; maybe they could just tell these weren't people they wanted to mess with.

Whatever the reason, they faced no opposition as they walked out of an alley and turned the corner where Midoriya stopped and looked up, a smile on his face.

"Here we are. I found the place when I was strolling about the other day," Midoriya stated as the rest looked up at the building. It was small, two stories tall, and had seen better days. The sign-out front calls the place 'Salamander Parlour,' which is the artwork of nails, a hair dryer, and a tattoo inking pen.

"A tattoo parlor?" Hasaki asked as this was surprising; Midoriya never came off as someone who was into getting ink.

Midoriya nodded as he turned to them. "Well, since we became…well, us, I thought it would be nice to get some sort of mark of that. Don't worry about the artist; they don't ask questions and won't report us. I already asked Giran about them." Truth be told, he was looking for a spot that could manage his new look, as it wasn't like he could fly back to Manila every time, and this place came up.

The best part was that they regularly worked with villains, mainly villainesses, who wished to look their best, so the people who worked there could be trusted not to rat them out, provided that they didn't do the same.

"Do you even have an idea of what we'll have?" Makihara asked, though Kon wondered if Midoriya could get a tattoo as he burned himself to ash each time he fully transformed. Would any ink remain when the flesh itself was burned away?

"Of course I do. I spent a long time designing it, but I think it'll be great." Midoriya pulled out his notebook, which they had just accepted the kid could hide anywhere, and flipped it open. After turning a couple of pages, he presented his design for their tattoo.

The picture that they saw was a stylized lighting bolt with the number 5 at its center. The tattoo, at least on paper, was composed of five colors…no, not five colors, but five layers of lighting bolts, each the color that represented them. White seemed to be Nine, Black for Kon by process of elimination, Red being Hasaki was a given, same as Green for Midoriya and Orange for Makihara.

"It's not a bad design; let's see what the experts think about it," Kon stated as they entered the parlor, finding its interior to have been painted and decked with black and red, furniture looking like burnt wood. There could be seen in the saloon part, at least for hair, where a couple of people worked on a few clients, who, as Midoriya expected, were both women. One of them looked like she benched two him with scars across her arms.

Seeing them, the two other customers nodded and turned away; there was no need for competition here. Especially when they approached the receptionist. The person manning it was a woman with fair skin, red, somewhat baggy eyes, and white hair styled into a messy bob. For clothing, she wore a red button-up shirt with sleeves folded just below her elbows and a black, buttoned sleeveless vest over it. They couldn't see what she was wearing for pants, but they could see the 3 thin black bangles on each wrist.

However, what stood out about her was a pair of short black horns emerging from her hair and a forked tail twisting about behind her.

"Welcome to Salamander's parlor. Do you have cash?" the receptionist bluntly asked, her words sour and her breath thick with alcohol. Clearly, this was a woman who knew her way around a bar.

"What a way to open things," Hasaki asked as the woman looked at them like they had dragged her kicking and screaming out of bed and forced her to work.

She reached below the counter, produced a bottle, and poured herself a glass, downing it without flinching. Slamming it onto her table, her expression didn't change. "I don't have the interest or energy to pretend to be happy to see you people. If you're not here for tats, nails, or hair, fuck off."

"Oh, don't be like that, Malinka. A happy customer is a returning customer." Another woman came up, wrapping an arm around the first, whose face somehow grew more twisted in annoyance. Seeing the two, the Thunder concluded that they had to be sisters because of how similar they looked: a short woman with pale skin, red eyes, white hair, black horns, and a black arrow-tipped tail.

It seemed like the only difference was cosmetics, as the newcomer styled her hair short, covering most of her left eye. She also sported black eye shadow and piercings on her mouth, ears, and nose, with an arm brace on her right hand and a wrist cuff on her left. She wore a white cross-neckless and black chocker, and her attire matched that of what could only be her sister. Only she didn't wear a vest, and her shirt wasn't fully buttoned, showing off some cleavage.

The former grumbled but didn't bother to speak more as she left that to her annoying other half. "Don't mind her; she's been a sour bitch since we were little. Name's Zdrada, we run this place together." The newly named Zdrada was introduced.

"And what are you?" Makihara asked, as from how the first woman didn't respond to the sour bitch comment, it was either a common enough insult that it didn't register, was the truth, or she was just too uninterested in correcting it.

Taking a drag at her cigarette, Zdrada let out a thick puff cloud into his face, getting him to curse as he waved it clear, leaving the white-haired woman to crackle at him. "Me, just a regular bitch. Point still stands tho, if you ain't paying, you can get out."

"Afternoon, we wanted you to give us tattoos; here's the design." Midoriya stepped up, holding out his notebook for the woman to look over. Her red eye turned to him, her face remaining easygoing, or more flippant and disrespectful, would be the better description.

"Well, isn't that something? Been a while since we got a brat around these parts; wait," She cooed at him, making him pout as she blinked, looking closer at him for a moment before she crackled again. "I recognize you; you're that pyromaniac tearing through shit! Oh, that's just too funny." She continued to laugh, her sister looking towards them, spotting Koharu's head before she looked over the rest of them.

"So that's why you want the design, you're them?" She asked.

"Would that be a problem?" Kon answered with his own question, to which she rolled her eyes.

"As long as you don't stiff us, it won't." They were the biggest names they've had as clients. Still, she and her bitch of a sister, Zdrada, prided themselves on their professionalism, at least what they could agree on, as God knew neither could function in regular society. Were these guys dangerous? Yes. Could they kill them? Naturally, most of their clients could, so she'll just do her job like always. Then, she can head upstairs to her room and play TTB games with her online guild.

"Well, I'll have to make some creative changes for them, but it's doable. Come on, we'll be working in the other room." Zdrada turned and walked off, leading them through the store to the back, where there was a smaller room.

Inside, they found the typical tattoo stuff, at least as far as what they'd seen in media. There was a chair for the client and some tools for the artist set to the side. Along the walls were pictures of previous, presumable, happy clients and their new ink. "I wanted to know, but how does your tattoo process work?" Makihara asked though he gave her a glare for that little smoke trick.

"My quirk, Smoulder Smoke," Zdrada explained as she breathed out another cloud of smoke, but this one took the shape of a set of keys. Making it into other shapes, even other weapons, she sent a dagger of the stuff into the wall, but it lost shape on contact. "I can manipulate smoke into whatever the hell I want, so I use it to carve my designs into your very bones. It makes for killer tats, but good luck getting them removed 'cause I sure as I can't."

"Is that why you're smoking?" Midoriya asked, the woman flicking the A-rank villain in the forehead.

"Nah, I just love the taste." She snorted as Kon chuckled at Midoriya's experience.

"Not everything is related to quirks, kid. But speaking of Pyre," They both ignored how Midoriya sounded offended by that comment. "Would that work for him? His quirk kinda leaves no flesh or bone." Kon pointed to their youngest member.

Zdrada shrugged as she got some tools, recently cleaned, ready for action. "As long as he's still him, it should work, as I've had clients whose quirk messes with their bodies in all kinds of screwy ways."

"Is this going to be a multi-session thing or?" Hasaki asked, looking over some of the designs on the wall and seeing how intricate they could get. The woman seemed to have some full-back tattoos for what looked like Yakuza.

"Oh, it's sweet you want to spend more time with me, but I don't work like that. Malinka gets pissed when I mix business with pleasure. We'll be done in an hour." Hasaki blushed at that implication of the white-haired woman's words but held back the urge to shoot back a comeback as Midoriya was the first to step up for his tat.

The next chapter will be out March 19th

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