Hello everyone! I have returned from deployment and I'm so glad to be back to writing Legion.
I just want to say thanks to everyone who favorited, commented, etc Legion while I was gone, though for this chapter I won't do a review answer on . (Remember I cross post).
Before we begin, I'd just like to give a quick message.
When I first started Legion, I did it for fun. That's the whole point of fanfiction, having fun and also, if you desire, improving writing skills, it's why I put a crap ton of references to other media, like transformers names for clones, and why I like to do tropes and other stuff, simply because I'm having fun with this.
And to be honest, for the longest time I wasn't.
It's why I got so delayed these last few months before deployment, I was getting burnt out by requests and ideas and stuff and while I was gone I realized that I stopped having fun.
Well, that stops now. I'm gonna do what I want to do, and while I'm always down for ideas and stuff, if I say it's not gonna happen, it's not gonna happen.
If you don't like that, then shame, but I'm not forcing anyone to stay but this is my story and I'm gonna have fun with it.
So without further ado,
Legion: Plans
"A plan is only as good as those who see it through."
Izuku woke up in the middle of the night. He was groggy and exhausted, and a heavy weight was on his shoulders.
The weight of his fail-
No wait…he could feel weight on his abdomen too…and his chest, his thigh, his left arm was nearly numb and the pinpricks nearly made him laugh.
'What?'
He craned his neck up and looked around, seeing himself surrounded by bodies.
'A sleep pile?'
Just about everyone from his closer friend group was here. They'd cleared out the common room of the dormitory and had settled a bunch of blankets and pillows.
'Must have dragged me in here after I passed out.'
Ochako was right next to him, her head pressing against his shoulder, meanwhile Tenya was above him, his side flattening Izuku's hair.
Denki's surprisingly heavy head was on his abdomen, making it slightly difficult to breathe and Kyoka was nearly on top of the other boy though she had one of her ear lobes gently wrapped around Izuku's hand.
Yuga's foot somehow ended up on top of his thigh, though thankfully there's a pillow that somehow got stuffed between the two otherwise his heel would be digging into muscle.
Around him he could see some of the others in the class, both classes actually all together in little piles surrounding his own.
He snorted as he sees Toka-...Setsuna, loudly snoring with a snot bubble coming out of her nose.
It rapidly became a special experience for him and he wad humbled by their thoughtfulness.
However…
'I don't deserve this…I fail-'
"Izuku…" A voice whispers and he slightly jerks before looking at Ochako, who stares at him with reprimanding yet gentle eyes.
He doesn't respond, lost in her gaze.
"We're with you…no matter what."
Izuku swallows thickly as tears prick at his eyes and he forces the negative thoughts down before nodding at her.
She smiles softly at him before leaning forward and kissing his forehead.
He flushes but remains silent as she snuggles back into his shoulder.
"Now go back to sleep…we can talk in the morning…don't worry, we'll get her back…all of them."
Izuku sighs and lets his head fully fall back into the pillow.
He stares at the ceiling for a bit longer, exhaustion creeping into the edges of his vision.
'What did I do to deserve such great friends?'
"Hrmph…I said go to sleep. No more self-deprecating thoughts!" Ochako grumbled.
Izuku blinked before chuckling.
"Okay…"
For now he'd rest…and he chose to believe in her words.
He…they would get them back.
In another city, Eri grunted as she was tossed into the room by Chisaki.
"A reminder of who pays the price for more disobedience."
She shudders and gets on her hands and knees before glaring balefully at him.
Overhaul narrows his eyes before slamming the door in her face.
"...Eri?" She hears someone call out and Eri gasps as she looks at the other children in the room.
"Noshiko?" Eri whispered, getting up but stumbling as she tried to walk. Fortunately, she was picked up by Gungi who carried her over to some loose mattresses.
"Yeah, it's us…Satsuki and Samidare are here too…" Noshiko whispered.
Eri groaned as she was let down before being given some food and water.
"Here…they give us enough to eat and drink…saved some for you." Noshiko said as she helped her friend regain some strength.
"...You're hurt…" Eri softly cried as she looked at the serious bruise on Noshiko's face. Her eye was barely open from the swelling and Noshiko winced every now and then.
"It…it'll go away…you're more important right now…what did he do to you?"
Eri trembled and looked away, clenching her fist.
"Nothing he hasn't done before." She muttered as she finished the food.
Satsuki and Samidare approached her next, the latter holding onto something.
"Here…I was able to grab this when you dropped it."
Eri gasped in surprise and relief as she saw the Mand'alor plushie that had been bought for her. She grabbed it and held it tight to her chest, sniffling slightly in grief.
"We…we're gonna be okay…buir and the others are gonna come for us."
"Save your breath, brat." Another voice called out and Eri jerked in surprise.
Looking around, she noticed that the room was a lot larger than she'd originally thought and was filled with kids of all ages, though the oldest seemed to be the ten-year-old that'd just spoken.
"Look around, we're all unwanted kids that got thrown out in the streets and picked up by these people…nobody's coming for us, and nobody's coming for you." He harshly spat, many of the other children softly muttering.
A few sobbed, but none disagreed with him.
"...You're wrong…" Eri retorted as she sat up, body shaking in pain but filled with resolve. "My buir…my dad is a hero…he'll come for me. He'll come for my friends, and once he knows you're here, he'll save you too."
The boy glared at her and stomped over, she flinched but held her ground.
"Oh yeah? Who's your so-called dad? What lame hero is he that's gonna take out all those people and "rescue" us?"
Eri narrowed her eyes in annoyance and a surge of protectiveness welled inside her. For the person who'd become her hero. Who'd adopted her and taught her what it meant to receive love and joy, who'd become everything to her.
She was young, sheltered and uneducated (though she wouldn't be able to use those words to describe herself) but she was learning what it meant to be free, what it meant to love, what it meant to have family and friends.
What it meant to have Hope.
"I am Midoriya Eri. Daughter of Mand'alor."
The room was silent before the kids exploded forward, surrounding her and pushing the other boy away much to their surprise.
"You know Mand'alor!?"
"Is he really like they say?"
"Is he really coming for us!?"
"Please, tell him to save us!"
Gungi stepped in front of the crowd and growled, motioning for them to back away which the children did, many fearfully.
"It's okay, Gungi…" Eri said, patting his shoulder and he relaxed, though still helped keep her steady.
"Sorry everyone…too many people…" Eri shyly muttered before clearing her throat. "But yeah…Mand'alor's my dad…he found me after I escaped Overhaul…he adopted me, showed me love, care, a family…"
Eri slightly teared up as she held the plushy tight.
"I know he'll be coming for me, same as his friends will come for my friends…and once he finds out about all of you…he'll make sure that you're safe too!"
The kids remained quiet, though the boy from before spoke up.
"You escaped from here?"
Eri nodded.
"Once…and I was lucky, buir found me soon after…I don't remember much, just that we were going really fast, there was lotsa noise and lights…then nothing…"
"Well…you'd need a lot more than luck now…it's impossible to escape…we've tried."
Many of the kids nodded at that…and Eri couldn't help but ask.
"Why are you all here? I was the only one here before…"
The boy snorted.
"From what I heard, these guys are some kind of gang…they make bad stuff like drugs but with blood…I don't know why. All I overheard before being caught was that they needed "more samples"...for what…I don't know…" he disdainfully muttered.
Eri teared up, guilt consuming her.
"I'm sorry…if I hadn't escaped-"
"You'd be dead or worse." The boy retorted. "A lot of us were already picked up by some other people…we just got…sold to them."
"Oh…" Eri said, the conversation dying at that.
"They must have really wanted you back…none of us have been held longer than an hour…you were gone the whole day since that's how long your friends have been here."
Eri shuddered, hunching in on herself and nodded.
'I'm brave…I'm brave…I'm brave…'
She took a deep breath.
"It has to do with my cur-quirk."
That's right, quirks are quirks…not curses. Izuku had taught her that, during her earliest nights in his arms after waking up from nightmares.
"Thought so…same thing with all of us…our quirks make us important to them."
"What's your name?"
The boy blinked before coughing in slight embarrassment.
"It's Boba…"
"Nice to meet you, Boba…"
Boba sighed.
"Yeah…nice to meet you too, wish it was different though."
"Yeah…"
They remained silent for a moment before Eri yawned.
"You should sleep…all of us should sleep…"
Various noises of agreement rang out and they settled into the mattresses, what few blankets there were being shared amongst them.
Eri found herself in a sleep pile, Gungi and Satsuki holding her tightly, Samidare holding onto his sister and Noshiko burying herself into Gungi's fur.
Eri felt exhaustion seeping in and her hands twitched as she remembered what had been done to her, over and over again…
"Please come soon, buir…"
"What have we found out so far?" Izuku, no, Mand'alor demanded to know as he entered the War Room.
It was honestly a regular room, originally at least, before being given to the Vod'e to use as a planning center 'just in case'.
Unfortunately, that 'just in case' came far too soon and far too costly.
Horn Company was gone, only a handful of survivors from the initial attack.
One died at the scene and two others passed on the way to the bacta tanks, the rest were in critical condition…
A few didn't make it through the night and a few more weren't expected to last much longer, even with RG and bacta.
In front of him were the commanders of the Vod'e, who'd been doing research and review of the events that'd happened.
In particular, the new droids and technology used against them.
"We've been reviewing the footage from the attack, mall cameras, street cameras, even phones from people recording as well as what we could get from our own." Cody said as he brought up the mentioned videos.
"...It seems the Clankers have been busy…" Rex muttered under his breath as he saw the visuals of what had attacked them.
"Knew that it was too quiet…should have known. This is war strategy 101, enemy has something new? You develop a counter…" Izuku muttered.
"I'm seeing two kinds of these flying droids. The one bomber that Mand'alor punched in its face. It's fast, but trackable…the other two are slimmer, my guess being like fighter jets. They outflew the LAATs without a care in the world and shot them down." Bly explained.
A particular focus was made towards their behavior.
"Check this out, they were circling around the mall, picking out pockets of resistance…like vultures."
"And the big one laughed at me." Izuku muttered as he focused on it. "I couldn't tell in the beginning, but looking back, it was definitely laughing at me…either they're sentient, or they're programmed that way."
"Let's hope it's just particularly good programming…and not some kind of AI."
"I shudder to imagine droids that can actually grow to the level of AI…" Cody grunted, various noises of agreement ringing out in the room.
"This has the markings of General Grievous, we've been studying his tactics during his crusades against the enemies of the Kaleesh. He's known for using fear, intimidation and ambush tactics to quickly overwhelm and destroy his opponents…usually before facing them himself."
Izuku grimaced. Even working together with Yanagi, he'd barely survived the encounter with Grievous back at the camp. It was only thanks to his aerial support that they were able to drive him off.
"These things are meant for both literal and psychological warfare. My question is once again, just where and who they're getting these things from. They can't just create all of these droids out of thin air with a flick of the wrist." Wolffe muttered, crossing his arms as he looked over at the table where they had both a map and pictures placed. "Even we take time and resources."
More mutterings were heard from around the table.
"Any idea where the Yakuza hideout is? If we find that, we find the kids, but with these things roaming around, it won't be easy… We can't just march up to them unless we have something to cover us from the air." Fil noted, as he put his hands on the table, placing another pin on the map which looked like it had chicken pox at this point, with all of the pins they had placed to try and pin down the location.
"Can't we extract data from some of the droids?"
"Wish we could. The bastards fried their own cpu's the moment they took damage. We have been left with nothing but sand that is trickling through our fingers." Keeli growled, slamming the table. One of his pod-brothers had been part of Horn Company and had been killed during the attack.
"How many survivors are there at this point?"
"Right now? Ram, Sagittarius, Minotaur and Rookie…"
Megatronus, who had up until this point been silently tapping his arm, slammed his fist onto the table hard enough to make some of the contents take flight.
"This bloodbath will not stand." he snarled, blood trickling down his fist after digging his nails into his palm. "The Yakuza must pay for what they have done. Killed innocent civilians, our brothers, taken the children."
"We concur, brother. But remember, we mustn't kill them, otherwise we'll be inviting dire consequences on ourselves." Orion said, putting a hand on his brother's shoulder who could only nod.
A few muttered disagreements, there'd been rumors of new war doctrine being discussed, though now wasn't the time nor place.
"That said… That doesn't mean we can't make them feel the hurt." Orion said, a fire blazing in his eyes as he looked towards Izuku.
Izuku nodded in agreement.
"As much as I want to destroy them utterly, all of our actions have to be above board, we're already in hot water thanks to those idiots and Camino.""
"Not to mention the HPSC is keeping a tight eye on us along with that blue bimbo who I refuse to believe is related to Chuchi." Fox snarked.
"What we need is information and good information at that." Ponds spoke up. "Yakuza are underground networks. Driven underground networks thanks to the All Might's hunt of All For One's supporters back in the day, so that means we need to look at different sources."
"Eraserhead has already sent us all he knows…the Shie Hassakai are old, one of the last Yakuza families from the Dawn, though they fell in power throughout the centuries, even more so in the last few decades with the rise of All Might." Cody began as the holographic table projected the flower symbol that represented them.
"We've actually put some feelers out and Eraserhead helped us some more with a few of his contacts. Shie Hassakai have been suspected of being involved with the drug trade, they're supposedly the supplier of Trigger." Ponds continued, showing the drug, its so-far discovered chemical compound (Izuku didn't understand the science of it, leaving it for his engineering corps) as well as some incident reports in the last few months.
"We've reason to believe that they were working on something else, something big, but we don't know what. Only that it involves Eri and losing her probably set them back by months."
Izuku growled but for the moment he leashed his anger.
Now wasn't the time nor the place.
But soon…
"Any theories on why they needed her?"
"Considering the state that she was found in…the…medical precision with the scars, I'd say that they wanted her DNA, more than likely something to do with her quirk."
If he grit his teeth any harder they'd crack.
"Human experimentation…among the lowest of the low, I thought the Yakuza were about honor!" Megatronus snarled.
"They were, but there was a change in leadership a few years ago. We don't know what he did but Chisaki Kai, Overhaul, took over and led the Shie Hassakai to what it is now."
"Hmm…"
"If…if we'd managed to get her to use her quirk, we might have the information needed to plan a good counter to whatever they're developing…but it's pointless to speculate now." Ratchet softly said.
"Whatever her quirk is must be either extremely powerful or extremely unique."
"...Cursed." Izuku muttered, catching everyone's attention. "She said that he would call her cursed."
"That's…not something you would say to your most precious…resource." Orion hesitantly said, trying to maintain objectivity.
"No, but it is exactly what you say to maintain control." Cody retorted. "Nezu's been having me study up on psychological tactics, warfare, things like that…I'm not good at it but he says that it's best that I know what to look for, what we know what to look for. If Overhaul's manipulating her into thinking she's cursed…then he could have built himself as the only way to keep her safe, even at the cost of her body, the only way to keep her and/or others alive."
"Which means that me rescuing her probably broke her from that manipulation." Izuku gasped, a slight spark of hope igniting within him. "She called me buir, right before the attack…"
"About time."
A knock on the door and a somber Fives walked in.
"Fives? What's the matter?"
"Got more news, we were finally able to recover the data from all the helmets…found Lock's too."
Izuku gulped and gently took the helmet. Caressing the crest, the empty visor reflecting his stare.
"[You completed your duty with honor to the end, of that I have no doubt…rest brother. We shall take care of the rest.]"
The others muttered their own words of remembrance before plugging in the helmet.
Izuku watched with immense pride as he saw Eri stand up to her tormentor and felt his blood pressure spike as she ran at him, her horn glowing and tackling the man at the knees, knocking him down, the latter screaming in agony.
Then his heart stopped as she exploded.
And he managed to breathe when Overhaul put her back together.
"Single touch kill. Confirmed. Recommendation: Dismemberment." Another clone spoke. He had an odd manner of speaking, but as the Vod'e's Communications Officer.
"Noted, Soundwave." Izuku muttered.
And extremely tempting.
He nearly teared up as he heard her declare her freedom but the room erupted in gasps as they heard and saw Overhaul's threat to the other children.
The way they were whisked away…the way that Lock gave his last stand before the helmet gave out completely.
Izuku was nearly consumed with grief.
"We'll find them, Vod." Cody says, a hand on Izuku's shoulder. "And we'll be right beside you when we get them back."
Izuku nodded before giving a thought.
"The others should know about this, their siblings are also on the line."
"We'll have them briefed…privately."
Izuku nodded and Cody sent the messages out for them to be escorted. "You should make sure that Kyoka is there with Denki, she'll keep him calm when he sees that slap."
Cody nodded and the room went silent for a moment.
Another knock on the door and Toshinori walks in with a somber gaze.
"Hello, buir." Izuku greets, giving the man a soft hug, relishing in the warmth and the slight amount of Peace it fills him with.
"Hello, son…I won't bother to ask how you're feeling, I know the sting of failure all too well, however, I've come here on some other business." Toshinori explained, catching the attention of the others.
"What's going on?"
"I have a lead…or rather, I know someone who does."
Izuku narrowed his eyes.
"You're hiding something, or rather, you know it's not gonna be pretty who this lead is."
Toshinori grimly nodded.
"It's Sir Nighteye, he's been investigating the Shie Hassakai for over a year now, ever since the Trigger jumped from a small back alley drug to something big enough to cause rampages in the streets."
"Rampages? Why haven't I heard of this?" Izuku asked, his brow raised questioningly.
Toshinori raised his hand.
"A slight exaggeration, but enough attention came from it that Mirai was put on the case. His agency has been working hard, and they've got a lot of information…information he's willing to share."
Izuku glared.
"He offered an exchange, didn't he?"
Toshinori nodded.
"He wants to meet with you, alone in his office…he wants to offer you a position in his agency as part of a work study. I've already warned you of his misgivings regarding you and I…and, I've warned you of how he's trained young Togata…but before you go in, Izuku. I have to warn you about his quirk and what he'll want to do."
Izuku paid close attention and nodded as Toshinori began his explanation.
When Toshinori finished, he thanked him, offering a drink but the older man declined and left.
"Izuku." Toshinori began as he reached the door.
"...Yes, buir?"
"I know that you're angry, beyond anything you've felt before at this point. I can see it in your eyes."
Izuku didn't answer. What could he say?
"Remember what I told you, my boy. Anger, Hatred, they're merely emotions. Don't let them blind you…" Toshinori idly traced his scar and Izuku sagged.
"You must remain in control."
Izuku sighs and nods.
"I know you might not be up to it, but I highly recommend that you speak with Hound Dog again, you don't even have to do it alone…on another note, Negotiator has come by and has asked to speak with you as well."
"Negotiator?"
"Indeed, I feel that he would be a great resource."
Izuku sighs and nods.
"Alright…I'll give it a shot…to both suggestions."
"That's all I ask." Toshinori said, heading out. Ponds muttered, tapping his arm as he looked at the holographic display on the table.
"I don't like it. Nighteye's been against us since the beginning."
"Even so, he's our best chance at getting her back…I will go." Izuku said as he stood up. "Lemillion works directly under him. So I'll head over with him the next time he goes."
"Be safe, Vod."
Izuku nodded before leaving the room, leaving his brothers to continue their plans.
It took a bit to find him, but explaining the situation was quick enough and Mand'alor soon found himself taking a train to Nighteye's Agency.
Lemillion had tried to start up some small talk but gave up upon seeing Izuku's lack of response.
Many of the people in the train also realized that Mand'alor was not in a good mood and had mostly refrained from bothering him.
Eventually they'd made it to the agency, though Mand'alor had to seriously reconsider his options upon opening the door and finding Bubble Girl being tortured with a tickle machine.
"What kind of workplace BDSM osik is this?" Mand'alor couldn't help but ask. "Lemillion…I seriously suggest you reconsider where you're interning."
Lemillion gawked.
'That's not the kind of humor I was talking about!' He shrieked in his mind, specifically telling him to break the ice with a joke.
"S-sir, I'm sure he was just joking-"
"Enough, Lemillion. Humor was never going to save the situation here." Mand'alor cut him off, raising his hand. The older man narrowed his eyes and with a press of a button, released Bubble Girl from her confinement.
"Nothing will change who I am to him." Izuku finished.
"...Bubble Girl. You're dismissed." Sir Nighteye said after a pause.
The two could feel the tension and she nodded before leaving.
"You want him to stay?"
"It is important that he is informed." Nighteye sighed before walking over to his desk and sitting down, offering Mand'alor a seat.
He refused to take it.
Mand'alor stood before Sir Nighteye…although All Might had warned him of what was to come…he needed this work study, needed this information.
There was too much at stake otherwise.
"Sir Nighteye," Mand'alor greeted, the empty glass reflecting Nighteye's face.
"...Mand'alor," Nighteye coldly greeted in return.
The two remained like that for a moment, Lemillion nervously scratching the back of his head as he thought of a way to break the ice.
"I already know what you want, Sir Nighteye," Mand'alor began as he raised his hands and took off his helmet before setting it down on the table.
Clunk.
"So…" he continued, as he took off his hand guard and removed a glove. "Let's get this over with already."
Nighteye stared at the offered hand, before looking up and seeing Mand'alor's eyes boring into his own.
"Toshinori told you then." It was not a question, merely a statement of fact.
"He did."
"You had the advantage then, could have remained in your full armor…why give it up?" Nighteye queried.
"Because I have too much to lose," Izuku solemnly replied, his mostly green eyes flickering even more yellow, a testament to the constant rage he was feeling due to what had occurred only days prior. "And I cannot lose any more time."
Nighteye blinked before taking his hand and staring into his eyes.
He seized.
Mand'alor rising against a beast of metal and flesh, an abomination of abominations, lightning blotting out the sun as blue hellfire rains down from the heavens.
A warrior and a dragon, fire and lightning clashing as many waters fell around them.
Armies, fighting to the death led by their champions to the bitter end.
Then the vision split.
Mand'alor, marching with his armies in the streets, the people cheering for him. Clones showing off drill formations and spinning their rifles to the amusement of the crowd.
Mand'alor, marching up the steps of a building, a body sorrowfully carried in his arms, as his armies marched up with him, guns at the ready, the menacing footsteps echoing across the city, his eyes forever yellow.
Step. Step. Step. Step. Step. Step. Step. Step. Step.
Mand'alor and Lemillion fighting alongside/against each other. Blue and Black dancing under the rain/enshrouded by fire and lava.
Green/Golden eyes staring straight into Nighteye's soul.
A few moments later he collapsed over his table, much to the shock of those in the room as they saw a frazzled, Nighteye panting in exhaustion, blood dripping down his nose and he stepped away from those trying to help him back to his feet.
He stared at Mand'alor in a mix of confusion and fear.
He had never had a split-vision before.
And that terrified him.
Mand'alor however was quick to act and got the man back up to his chair, actual concern in his eyes.
"...I almost don't want to ask…but I think I need to know. What did you see, Sir Nighteye?"
Mirai trembled as he stared into Izuku's eyes, only seeing the potential devastation that could occur.
"...Everything."
It took a bit, but Mirai eventually came to his senses yet he could tell that Midoriya couldn't ignore how the man would look at him with blatant fear. For privacy's sake, he'd finally sent Mirio away as well.
"You're not going to tell me what you saw, are you?" Izuku asked.
Sir Nighteye paused. He was going to tell Toshinori, if only to reiterate the fact that he chose wrong, but considering how much affection the man held for the boy in front of him (and his mother, from the woman's protruding stomach) it was most likely, no, it was most certain that he would tell Midoriya.
"...You split my vision."
The way that the boy's eyes widened in shock and the beginnings of horror at least let him know that he knew the seriousness of such an event.
"That shouldn't be possible…"
"Indeed."
Another silence remained between them.
"I'm sure you know how my visions work. How the further I look away, the more vague it gets…I did not intend to see so far, so I can only assume that what I saw occurs…could occur within the year, especially since it seemed that the vision…bounced around for lack of a better phrase." Nighteye began, steepling his hands.
Izuku remained silent.
"I saw you fighting against a creature made of flesh and metal, lightning streaking across the skies as they trembled, blue hellfire raining down as if it was the apocalypse."
Izuku grimaced.
"I saw what I assume was you fighting a dragon of fire, rain pelting you both ceaselessly…it could be literal, it could not, that portion was more vague."
Izuku tilted his head in contemplation, and Nighteye was glad to see that the boy was taking things seriously at least.
"I saw armies clashing in the streets of Japan, led by their leaders, bloodshed and tragedy trailing behind them."
Izuku gulped, slightly paling at the revelation. What Nighteye was describing sounded as if Japan was going to be plunged into war.
"At that point my vision split, I saw you and your clones marching in a parade to the cheers of the people…and at the same time I saw them marching behind you as you carried a body, destruction left in their wake as you moved forward with golden eyes…I saw you and Lemillion fighting together at the same time that I saw you practically trying to kill each other."
Izuku clenched his fist.
"I saw your eyes…in the Light, they are green and steadfast, in the Dark, they are cold and burning, the world turning to ash alongside them."
"...Thank you." Izuku sincerely said.
"It was not for you."
"I know."
This was bigger than the both of them…Izuku didn't take much stock in Nighteye's future vision…but he would be foolish to ignore the warnings.
Another silence permeated the room.
"...My agency has been tracking down the Shie Hassaikai for quite some time now. We have information dossiers on each member of the Bullets, including Overhaul himself, as well as some information on their operations and allies. They recently branched out, started working with another organization that deals with international quirk trafficking, most likely after you took the girl."
Izuku bristled, quirk traffickers were among the worst of the worst.
"Noted…any chance to take down both organizations at once?"
Mirai could appreciate the ambition, were he a decade younger, were Toshinori, a decade younger or better yet, not injured at all, he would have pushed for the same.
"Ambitious but unfortunately impossible. That particular organization is international, it would take more time and resources we currently don't have to root them out. However, we can put a stop to their local operations, which would cripple their East Asian front."
The boy nodded.
"...I have locations, information, everything you might need…and truth be told, I'm organizing a team of heroes to conduct a raid that would eliminate both organizations in one fell swoop." Nighteye continued. "I may be persuaded to allow you to join my agency for the work study, incidentally allowing you to join in on the raid…on one condition."
The boy huffed.
"You want me to give Mirio One For All."
Mirai nodded.
"Yes."
Izuku sighed as he held a hand to his temple, trying to drown out the headache of the thousands of voices in uproar as well as Nana uncharacteristically cursing, OFA himself murmuring in dissent and even Mavan of all people snarling.
'My mind is such a mess.'
"Can everyone please shut up for a moment so that I can answer?" He grouched and to his satisfaction, the voices settled.
Izuku faced Nighteye who raised a brow.
"You can imagine the uproar I'm hearing from that."
"Ah yes, your Mindscape…I heard much about that. If nothing else, I will admit that your quirk is certainly one of the most versatile ones in existence. In terms of physical power, objectively it is weak, your clones only offer base strength by themselves, your weapons are deadly yet useless without someone to pull the trigger, your machines are advanced but ultimately not indestructible…but the versatility of it, the scale, the way you apply tactics and strategy…I admit, you are not as foolish as I first thought you were."
Izuku chuckled.
"I choose to take that as a compliment."
"And it is. Your quirk, by itself was weak, boosted by OFA it still would have been useless. You have a mind and you use it and that is what makes it powerful."
"But you still want me to give up OFA to Mirio."
"Yes."
"Why? And have you even considered that he might not want it?" Izuku asked tiredly.
Mirai forced himself to ignore the same traitorous thought that had popped up ever since he started training his protege.
"Permeation and One For All combined would render him practically invulnerable, a Second Coming of All Might. Combined with his disposition and perspective, we wouldn't have to worry about losing the Symbol of Peace."
Izuku could understand it, logically it made sense after all.
But still.
Izuku sighed.
"I can't."
Nighteye's gaze narrowed.
"I thought you would have done anything to get your 'daughter' back, it seems I was wro-"
"Don't." Izuku barked, the shout rumbling the room as lightning briefly sparked. "Put words in my mouth. I said I can't, not that I wouldn't."
Nighteye paused before leaning forward.
"Explain."
"You know what happened in Camino, how I cut off All For One's arm before he attacked me?"
"Yes, I admit, I took great pleasure in seeing that man scream in agony."
Izuku blinked in slight shock.
"Okay…moving on…cough*BDSM*cough." Izuku muttered as Nighteye levelled an unamused glare at him.
"Your point?"
"The attack he levied against me damaged me on a physical and mental level, he attacked my DNA to make it unstable and literally shattered my mind into pieces…I'm…still recovering from both. It's why I've got to watch my anger…and why my eyes turn yellow now."
Nighteye let him collect himself, contemplating the answer.
"For what it's worth, I'm sorry you had to go through that. Despite your unsuitability, you are still young, and should not have had an encounter with him."
"...Thanks, I guess…but anyway, my friends and schoolmates were forced to enter my Mindscape thanks to Nana-"
"Nana? Shimura Nana? How is this possible?" Nighteye interrupted.
Izuku blinked.
"Has…has buir not told you anything at all? The vestiges? Nana? One For All being alive and with a personage of its own?"
"One For All is alive!?"
"Ah dammit, buir…" Izuku sighed. He knew their relationship was broken but Nighteye should have at least been able to make an informed decision.
"Alright, listen up, it goes like this."
He then spent the next half hour explaining how One For All was alive, how the vestiges had developed throughout the decades and eventually became strong enough, thanks to hitting Singularity, that he now had access to their quirks, and how the quirk itself had even developed a personage of his own.
"This is…remarkable to say the least…but how does that tie in to how you apparently can't transfer the quirk."
"Three reasons." Izuku said, raising his fingers. "One, humans aren't meant to have more than one quirk. Only man who can is the guy we both hate, all the others are nomu…I'm only able to thanks to reason two but the fact is that having more than one quirk kills people or rapidly ages them…it's how the Fourth, Hikage, died. So unless you want Mirio to hit forty before he's even eighteen, no dice."
He gestured to his head.
"Reason Two…and the reason I'm still alive and not a drooling mess is because of what happened in the Mindscape…One For All and Legion were slowly achieving synchronicity before Camino. If it'd been allowed to continue as normal, I'd be around 40% right now but the attack forced the former to speed up the process so that I wouldn't die and shot my control to hell again…but…it bonded OFA to me on a deeper level than the other users…I…I can't pass on the quirk anymore."
Sir Nighteye stiffened as shock and anger started to run through him.
"One For All will die with me."
With a trembling hand, he took his glasses off and pinched the bridge of his nose, his thoughts racing as everything had been practically ruined by the boy in front of him if it was true.
"...And reason three?" He managed to bite out after a moment.
"Even if you had convinced Izuku, I would not have left."
Mirai gasped as he looked at the boy in front of him, completely different in stature, though physically he remained the same. The power in his gaze was otherworldly, almost beyond his comprehension, an ancient wisdom in his eyes from decades of service and experience.
"...You are…"
"I am One For All…and I will not leave my Champion."
"How do I know this isn't a trick."
'Izuku' narrowed his eyes.
"Sasaki Mirai, on your first mission with My Eighth Champion, you had been caught in a windstorm and slammed into him, revealing your-"
"STOP!" Nighteye raised his hand, blushing furiously.
It was the one thing that he and Toshinori agreed to never bring up again and he refused to believe that he had told the boy from the sheer humiliation it would bring the two of them.
"I…I believe you." Mirai stuttered before regaining his composure. "But surely you must see why it's important to keep a Symbol of Peace-"
"I care not." He interrupted and Mirai nearly bit his tongue. "Truth be told, I care not for the world of Heroics, if I could I would ensure that Izuku was safe from danger as I wish that I could have kept my previous Champions safe, but as long as my counterpart lives, he will always be in danger. And so I will lend him whatever power necessary so that he may live."
Nighteye was struck silent.
Mirai was frustrated, nothing was how he was expecting it to go to hear that…One For All itself was refusing Mirio…
Izuku gasped, shuddering as he felt the power recede.
"Damn…I haven't ever felt him that pissed off…" Izuku trailed off as he saw Nighteye with his head in his hands.
He sat back in his chair.
"...I suppose we don't have anything else to talk about, do we?" He asked.
Nighteye sighed before managing to lift his gaze.
"No. I suppose we do not."
He steepled his fingers again and Izuku grunted.
"You're not gonna let me join your agency, are you." He stated, rather than asked.
"No. Regardless of your decision, your connection to the girl affects your emotional state. You're a liability." Nighteye stated, trying to regain a semblance of his previous control.
Izuku's knuckles cracked from how hard he was clenching his fists.
"My Vod'e and technological advantage far outweighs any liability."
"Our heroes are more than enough, and we will be prepared for such a confrontation."
"At what cost!?" Mand'alor growled. "How many lives would it take?"
"At any cost." Nighteye retorted. "That is what we signed up for. That is what you and every single one of your clones signed up for. Including Jango."
Mand'alor stilled.
"Good luck keeping me out." He stiffly replied before storming out of the room.
Nighteye wanted to say something, anything to warn Midoriya away from the raid, but his mind was still too rattled.
Every single one of his plans had gone up in smoke…
A knock on the door and Mirio entered the room.
"You alright, Sir? Mand'alor just left the agency and he did not look happy." Mirio said as he walked over with Bubblegirl who had an equally confused expression on her face.
"The chances of this raid ending in disaster has gone up by at least twenty percent. Mand'alor has made it clear he won't be taking no for an answer." Nighteye sighed in dismay.
'And he has the numbers and clout to make good on his threat.'
It was another reason why he was apprehensive of the boy. His tactical mind was excellent, he shuddered to think what his power would have been like on the side of evil, or worse, on the side of a Personal Crusade.
'Mand'alor has the potential to take over the country within a matter of days, his resources far eclipse the SDF and his numbers and weaponry nearly make heroes a non factor.'
He looked outside his window.
'And right now, he is a father enraged…there's no telling what he will do.'
Elsewhere, a few hours later
Mand'alor. The Rising Symbol of Hope. Fell to his knees in supplication.
"Please, I beg of you." He said, bowing to the second man who'd offered him a work study. Mand'alor had explained the entire situation and had sought for help.
"Help me save my daughter."
The man narrowed his eyes and slammed his polearm on the ground.
"Raise your head, young one." Yoroi Musha declared as he cracked his neck. "It is not fitting for a warrior like you to beg."
Mand'alor quickly stood up.
"A child has been taken. Innocence has been lost. To not act now would be to bring great dishonor upon ourselves." Yoroi Musha declared to his sidekicks.
"Mand'alor, I accept you into our fold and together we will crush the yakuza and rescue those children."
"Thank you, Yoroi Musha."
"You will thank me when you have your daughter in your arms. In the meantime, we will train."
Izuku suddenly gulped as Yoroi Musha's presence intensified.
"After all, I believe we have some unfinished business from your license exam to take care of." the giant of a man said, towering over the teenager who had started to sweat profusely.
At the predicament he found himself in, Izuku could only form a single word in his head.
'Crap.'
After a few days, Yoroi Musha had sent news that he'd been confirmed as a part of the upcoming raid. During that time, Izuku, Melissa and the Engineering corps had been working on making a counter for the vulture droids.
After all, Legion naturally adapted to the circumstances. Now they were trying to influence the creation of something new by purposefully designing it instead.
What they needed was something that was swift, agile and would be able to keep up with the new flying droids that had attacked them at the mall, but they also had to take several things into consideration, such as fuel, how long it took to be able to fly the machines, not to mention the g force that said pilot would experience.
So far this had been one of the most difficult challenges to tackle yet, as none of the clones actually had any experience in flying anything that wasn't something not meant for transportation.
That's when Itsuka had recommended her mother be a part of the deliberation which was quickly agreed upon.
They had also pulled Z4ch into this one, with the clone having been using most of his time delving into the functions of blasters and even slug throwers from all the way back to the time before quirks.
What they had come up with at this point was something sleek with sharp edges, the cockpit being placed in between two sets of foldable wings, a pair of twin blaster cannons on each of them while the machine itself would be propelled by two engines stacked on top of each other, taking up most of the space in the back.
The thing was only big enough for one person and was currently among one of the smaller vehicles that had been created, the craft being small even compared to the fighter jets that other countries used.
"Are we sure this thing will work? It's a rather unconventional aircraft."
"Conceptually it does, in real life? Maybe not. But the same thing can be said about all of Izuku's machines. Only place that has technology that matches and exceeds his is I-Island, but that's years of dedicated research and testing to even get prototypes to work. Even my own materials are based off the work of others and took years of study to achieve. What we're doing is cheating a bit, we've created a physical blueprint and I'm hoping that even if we don't get it off the ground with our work that Izuku's quirk will fill in the gaps."
"My biggest complaint is the armament of this thing. Only two twin blaster cannons? Oh sure they're rapid fire, but it makes each shot significantly less powerful, not to mention this more or less makes this something that belongs back during the Second Great War from before the Dawn of Quirks! If you ask me we should add missiles to this thing, lots of them and preferably internalized so they won't explode in case they get hit in a dogfight, which by the way is also an extremely outdated way of doing aerial combat. Not to mention there isn't even an ejection system!" Z4ch said, noting down some of the things he thought could be improved upon.
"If we do add them they'd have to be micromissiles. Everything in this fighter is meant to be lightweight and compact for tight maneuvers and speed. We can try and develop heavy hitters in the future, but right now speed is our ally."
"Could we design something else? A heavy hitter?"
"If you want to, go ahead. But we won't have time to design, fabricate, and test it even with the resources we have in time for the Raid. So we'll have to focus on the V-Wing." Izuku said before motioning to the pilot inside.
"Oddball, you ready?"
#Ready, Vod! I'm honestly impressed at how quickly Melissa made a manual for this!#
"Standard protocol at I-Island."
"Alright, let's begin testing!"
The first test is marginally successful, in that at least the thing turns on before sputtering. The next few tests are slightly better in that at least Oddball is able to move the thing a few feet.
#So glad that Nite Owl gave us those simulators, they're not 100% accurate to this thing but at least I'm not splattering myself across the hangar.#
But suffice to say, it was nowhere near ready for combat.
But they'd planned for that.
After Oddball exited the vehicle, Izuku came up to the small fighter. This was to be the moment of truth, an experiment to see how much he could influence his quirk when it came to developing things.
Izuku laid his palm on the smooth metal, focusing his quirk as sparks began to fly. With a small shudder, a portal appeared beneath the ship that made it disappear.
Izuku gave a short breath of exertion, maintaining his control as he felt something change within him before he opened his hand again and focused.
'I need to make this work…'
He could feel his power answering his call, and noticed how something shifted right before the portal opened and the ship manifested itself again.
It was noticeably sleeker now, the more noticeable defects in the hastily made ship now gone and Izuku knew deep inside him that something was off with Legion because none of this should be possible.
But he chose to keep moving forward.
'Regardless of how broken my quirk is…I am using it for good.'
But in the back of his mind he realized why so many people were afraid of him, afraid of his potential.
Were he anyone else, he'd be afraid too.
A part of him is afraid.
Afraid of the incessant rage that burned within him, afraid of letting his fears control him, afraid of letting his hatred take control.
He shuddered as Mavan snorted in the back of his mind, but recently he'd been quiet.
However, if it is any consolation. The one thing he didn't fear was his power.
One For All surged beneath his skin, warm and thunderous yet calm and collected.
'We'll make it through this.'
"Alright, how about we test this out again, huh, Oddball?"
Oddball nodded excitedly, practically shaking in his armor.
The tests were much more successful this time.
The students of U.A., from all courses, could tell there was a sudden change in atmosphere, as if the entirety of the Vod'e was preparing for war.
Mand'alor stood before his friends and fellow warriors.
"Yoroi Musha has kept quiet about my involvement, and thanks to U.A. we know who's going where and how."
In front of him were Uravity, Buurenaar, Bes'laar, Red Riot, Gevaudan, and Froppy.
"The Raid will consist of multiple heroes, sidekicks, provisionals, and collaboration with police forces, not to mention the Vod'e."
"Sir Nighteye is leading the operation, but he underestimates what's going to happen. If the yakuza are working with the League, that means that they can expect droid resistance. We have the capacity to overcome their aerial superiority and their numbers while minimizing the potential loss of life."
They grimly nodded at him.
"We have our main objective: retrieve the children, damn whatever Nighteye says but more than that I want us all to come back home alive. You do whatever is necessary to come back home, you hear me. K'OYACYI!"
"OYA!"
At that moment, Cody walked into the door with a grim expression on his face.
"Mand'alor. You have a call waiting for you."
Everyone turned to look at him.
"Who is it, Cody?"
"...It's Shigaraki."
Everyone looked at Cody in shock and disbelief, Izuku taking a deep breath before grabbing the offered phone.
"What do you want, Shigaraki?"
They could hear the other man laugh.
"Now…is that any way to greet the man who's about to lead you to your kid?"
Izuku narrowed his eyes and clenched his fist.
"...I-"
"But that is better than what I expected. So let's get down to business. There's a package waiting for you in Dagobah Train Station, locker 15A. The key to it is going to be above the locker all the way in the back."
"...What's in the locker?"
He could feel Ochako's glare and looked to meet it.
You're not seriously considering this!?
I have to.
"My droids are inside the compound and have been transmitting data to me, you'll find a data disk containing everything you need to properly plan out an assault."
"Why are you telling me this? Why should I even believe you?"
"You don't have to, you could do anything you want with this information, doesn't matter to me. But as for why? Let's just say that I like my characters intact, Overhaul destroyed something that belonged to me. And his little operation risks intruding on my own after all, can't really change society if quirks aren't around anymore."
Izuku hummed.
"Overhaul wants to destroy quirks?"
"It's all part of his plan to resurrect the Yakuza. Quirk Eraser bullets and Trigger to both sides with them holding the monopoly. And guess what special ingredient is needed for the quirk erasers."
Izuku's blood chilled.
"Eri…"
"Exactly. I'll spare you the details, but Overhaul's made her a lab rat, same with a bunch of other kids. Apparently he's been working with another organization, the Scintel Family."
Izuku hissed.
"The quirk traffickers."
"You know your stuff."
"...Why, Shigaraki?" Izuku asked, though the question was different this time.
"...You're my Player Two, Mand'alor. And I can't take you on if you're not at your best. One day we'll fight, an honest, true fight. And that fight will decide everything…I can't help but be selfish about it."
"...Locker 15A, key on top." Izuku restated.
"Correct. Hope to see you again, Mand'alor."
Izuku hated this man with every fiber of his being. He had caused, directly or indirectly, the deaths of thousands, including Jango…but…
"Tomura. Thank you."
It was as close to amicable that he'd ever be and just served to emphasize the juxtaposition of their relationship. They were rivals, archnemeses, and hated each other to the core of their beings due to what they represented.
But there was a modicum of respect there.
"...You're welcome."
The call ended.
Izuku looked at the phone.
At first he thought Shigaraki was nothing more than an animal. Just your standard villain with murderous tendencies and without a single care for the world. Only the desire to destroy it.
Then came their conversation at the mall…and his observations when he'd been captured.
Shigaraki had made an appreciable change in how he treated his subordinates, for disregarding their lives at the USJ to apparently willing to eradicate an entire organization for the murder of one of his own.
Judging from his words, it was more out of a perverse sense of ownership, much like a child that did not like to share its toys.
But it was something.
…
Perhaps it was a kindness out of selfishness, an oxymoron if ever there was, but it was one that Izuku felt he could appreciate.
"Hmph…yet, when people need them most is when they fail to live up to that ideal."
Shigaraki had said that…and a part of Izuku wondered if he'd once been in Eri's place or some other kind of similar situation.
'...If the circumstances had been different, either in my life or yours…' He almost dared not to broach the subject, but couldn't help it. 'Could we have been friends?'
"Izuku?"
Ochako's voice knocked him out of his thoughts and he turned to face his friends.
He looked at Cody.
"Send Delta Squad to retrieve the package, full platoon on standby. Quickly and without being seen, I want it back within the hour."
Cody snapped a quick salute and sent the message.
"Izuku, are you sure about this?"
"...No, not really. It could be bad information. Hell, it could even be good information that just turns useless at the last minute. But if there's even the slightest chance that this helps, then I'm going to take it." He said as he set the phone down.
Dagobah Train Station, That Afternoon
Boss peeked around one of the many corners at the station, his helmet scanning for any signs of movement inside that weren't organic. Besides the trains that were driving back and forth, there wasn't a lot of mechanical creatures in the station.
Motioning for Scorch and Fixer to move forward, he signaled Sev to be ready with his blaster and shielding in case the Yakuza struck again or if the League had set this up as an elaborate trap.
"I still don't like this. Whatever that crusty bastard says is hogwash." Sev grumbled over the comms as the three others made their way further inside the back of the station.
"Zip it, Sev. None of us like him, you know that, but we need to be pragmatic about these things." Boss replied as they quickly made their way into the abandoned locker room where the information supposedly was.
With Scorch in the lead, the quartet quickly swept the room, finding no signs of either villains or droids in there and proceeded to make their way down the room towards the locker with the disc.
"Is it just me, or was this too easy?" Fixer said, his voice full of suspicion considering that Murphy's 13th law of combat stated that if an attack was going well, it was a trap.
"Let's just get the data and get out of this place. I don't want to take any chances. Fixer, get that lock open and check for booby traps."
"And as usual, I'm the one who has to have my back to the enemy…"
A few minutes of tampering with the lock which was surprisingly advanced, Fixer opened up the locker and took a look inside, before he found a small portfolio and picked it up, opening the paper container and stuck his fingers into it and fished out what looked like a small chip.
"Boss, found this chip." he said and handed it over to his leader who began to inspect it and handed it back to their tech specialist.
"Check it for any bugs when we get back to UA. Knowing Shigaraki, he will have placed at least a few in it to try and gain any edge over us, even if this ultimately helps us. I don't want him to get any sensitive info on us."
"Roger."
The trip back to UA was uneventful, surprisingly enough. Though their nerves were still slightly getting the better of them it seemed that Shigaraki truly hadn't had anyone or anything nearby to watch them.
"...It's clear." Fixer said in slight disbelief. "I've checked three times, no bugs, no hidden viruses, just a passcode with not even a simple encryption and there's a hint that just says what the passcode is! What's his game?"
Mand'alor hummed before looking at the terminal.
"Perhaps this isn't a game…it would be impossible to trust Shigaraki for any reason, but perhaps his motive really is as simple as him wanting to be my only rival. My nemesis."
"It's an obsession."
"One that serves our needs. Shigaraki will fall one day…but for now, he's helped us."
Fixer entered the passcode, opening up the files on an isolated computer (and once again running checks for anything malicious) before showing the data discovered.
"...Vod…this is…"
Everyone stared quietly at the screen.
"This is everything…how did he get this? Every file, every bank account, offshore accounts, hideouts, fronts, allies…even heroes and cops on their payroll with receipts…how?" Fixer stared slack jawed.
"It seems that Shigaraki is far more dangerous than we realized…he understands now the importance of information. With this we can put just about every single member behind bars for good and cut off their support." Izuku muttered. "We could eradicate the Shie Hassaikai."
"Yes, but this means that he now also will always be prepared for us, maybe even one or five steps ahead if he has finally started to get serious about learning more than just rushing ahead." Cody interjected and it was a sobering thought for many of the Vod'e present.
Like Izuku, they thought Shigaraki was nothing more than a dog to eventually be put down.
Now…that dog was very much turning into a demon.
Fixer projected the compound to the screen and shared the files to the other terminals, allowing the commanders to look through them as well.
"I've got the Compound…that complex is just offices, looks like they have an entire maze below ground."
"There's a general layout, but there's a note here saying that the Shie Hassaikai's General Manager, Irinaka Joi, aka Mimic can boost his quirk and take trigger to manipulate the tunnels."
"Blast it. Even with the Darksaber's ability to cut through just about everything, it would take too long if he puts an entire damn wall between us and them… Hm. Get Breach in here. We might need some of those experimental rounds he's made that we banned him from ever using."
"Lemillion will be useful for that, and I can just punch through walls."
"I doubt that punching and Breach using those rounds will do us any good. The chances of the tunnel system collapsing are too big." Fordo said, crossing his arms as he didn't have any plans on dying in a cave-in caused by his brother.
"Fox has reported to us that Chuchi has our back throughout this. Told us she would cover our asses in case this goes south." Rex said, his arms crossed as he looked at the plan."
"We can go about this in a few different ways but it is up to Ori'vod on how we go about this."
Looking over at Izuku who was sitting in the infamous 'Gendo pose', the clones in the room held their breath as they awaited the answer for what action they should take.
"We will move in with everything. I do not care what Nighteye will say, we are getting Eri and the kids back. If they want to stop us? I'd like to see them try." He sneered, his body sparking from the barely contained rage of One For All with several of the clones inside of his mind more or less demanding to be let out to fight.
"Copy that, Ori'vod. We will move out with everything."
"Didn't you say you had the engineers cook up something special for this occasion?" Spartan asked, his golden visor glinting slightly as he looked over at his oldest brother.
"I did, yes. I have Oddball and a few others currently testing them so the kinks can be worked out."
"Excellent. When do we leave?"
"As soon as we have prepared what we need for this raid. Pack your carbines and pistols, not rifles or high explosives, if we fight in an enclosed space like this underground complex, then the shockwaves from explosives will end up bringing more harm than good."
"Copy that."
"I'll be meeting with Yoroi Musha then heading over to the Raid meeting, be on standby but it'll be a few days before we actually move out."
The clones nodded and fell out of the room.
"We're coming for you, Eri."
Sir Nighteye Agency - Conference Room - 0900
"What do we know of the Shie Hassaikai?" one of the officers present asked as they looked over the plans for the raid, several heroes being present including ones from the Top 10.
Mirai was leading the meeting but admittedly, he was surprised by the last minute addition of Yoroi Musha, who was running late but was glad for the extra assistance.
He had a bad feeling about this.
He was not blind to the fact that of the heroes that had been selected for the Raid, all of them had close friends of Midoriya with them.
Ryukyu had Uravity and Froppy.
Fat Gum had Red Riot.
Eraserhead had brought Buurenaar and Bes'laar.
Gevaudan was with another similarly animalistic themed hero…damn it, all these students were either directly or tangentially involved with the kidnapped children.
All that was left was-
"Apologies for the tardiness, my student and I were delayed by traffic."
Sir Nighteye closed his eyes and internally seethed.
And in walks Mand'alor with Yoroi Musha.
'Petulant child.'
Mand'alor merely nodded his head as if nothing waa wrong before taking his place next to Yoroi Musha.
Nighteye sighed…as much as he wanted to kick the boy out, it would be pointless to do so if what Toshinori warned him about was true.
At least he was doing this legally.
"This is the information that we have so far."
Everyone was presented with their own information via holoscreens and were reviewing it, Nighteye courteously allowing them to do so.
"I respectfully request to add some more information that I discovered." Mand'alor spoke up after a few minutes of silence.
Mirai paused but let his professionalism win out.
"Granted."
Midoriya grabbed a datastick and inserted it into a slot on the table.
His eyes widened as he saw file after file after file appear in front of him.
"...How?"
"An inside source contacted me…someone separate from the Yakuza but who was slighted by them enough that they went through the trouble of gathering all this." Mand'alor explained and the heroes muttered to themselves.
Nighteye was forced to admit that he was impressed. The information they had would send them to jail but this…this would end their entire organization and had ties that could even hurt the traffickers based in Japan.
"They're working with slave traffickers…the Scintel Family, that's not a small connection."
"Children…orphans, homeless, just snatched from the streets…"
"...According to this they've been using them for different variants of trigger and other drugs…child experimentation."
"The Eight Bullets…at least now we've got a better understanding of them."
Nighteye was almost seething again.
Was this Mand'alor's game? To try and usurp the operation? For what? His pride? To humiliate him?
"I know this might come as a surprise to many…but wars are won on the information that is known. I could not in good conscious disregard any of this nor allow any of you to go in unprepared. There's too much at stake."
Mand'alor's visor met Nighteye's gaze and he forced himself to calm down.
As irritating as it was to be shown up in his own meeting, the boy was right. Information was priority, and the completion of this operation took precedence.
"...I must say, good work…Mand'alor."
At the very least, he deserved that much.
Mand'alor paused before nodding.
"They have a contingent of those flying droids that bombed the mall…none of us have anything that can handle that." Rock Lock said before hesitantly looking at Mand'alor.
"What about you, kid?"
"After what happened we've developed a counter. I have a squadron of clones that have been training in a new class of fighter from my quirk."
Nighteye nearly choked.
'Another adaptation? It's only been two weeks since the mall incident!'
A hologram appeared of the small fighter-like aircraft.
"These are what me and my brothers came up with, fast and maneuverable. They'll be intercepting any vulture droids that pop up." Mand'alor explained. "I've also got one ATTE on standby, though it'll be hidden a ways away. I've also got the 501st ready for action."
Rock Lock gawked as the other heroes murmured.
"Now hold on a minute, kid. I get that you're helpful and all and sure those clones are useful but that should be it. Why are we even involving kids in the first place? They shouldn't be here-"
Mand'alor stood up.
"My daughter and her friends were kidnapped. Almost an entire company of my brothers were murdered alongside dozens of civilians at that mall. All of us so-called children here, were present at the summer camp and Camino, we've all seen war and death, I bet more than some of these heroes combined."
He cracked his neck.
"You still want to doubt us?"
Rock Lock glared at the kid before he felt a chill run up his spine and looked around.
Every visor was staring at him and he could feel their disdain.
"I held Lock in my arms as his body was practically disintegrated due to Overhaul's quirk. I alone heard his last words." Uravity solemnly declared. "Do you doubt me?"
Rock Lock swallowed but before he could retort another voice called out.
"I was tortured by my own uncle, he practically…he violated my body with my own quirk. I went insane and nearly killed my mom. Bes'laar still can't speak due to the damage to her throat. Do you doubt us?" Buurenaar asked, almost shaking if it weren't for Kyoka holding his hand.
"I watched many clones die, watched many civilians fall in Camino even as I desperately tried to save them. What about me?" Shishida asked.
Froppy merely stared at the man, unimpressed.
"Ribbit."
Rock Lock tch'd and looked away.
"I retract my objection."
The meeting continued after that, with notices of how Trigger was starting to become more and more prolific on the market and more incidents were occurring.
"Last week, Red Riot and Suneater were involved with an incident. Suneater ended up losing his quirk for an hour though fortunately the criminal at hand was easily stopped by Red Riot. Good work, young man."
Riot flushed but nodded, especially seeing the fellow approval of his friends.
"Although the evidence is slightly moot…we were able to confirm the presence of human DNA inside the quirk eraser bullet that was attempted to be used on Red Riot." Nighteye said as he held up the mentioned bullet.
"...They didn't waste a second…" Uravity growled, infuriated at how they must have already started tearing Eri apart for her DNA.
Mand'alor rumbled, the slightest hints of emerald sparking across his skin as he gripped his gauntlet.
Plans were made, though it was generally agreed that no plan would survive first contact with the enemy, at the very least they had a general idea of what they wanted to happen, who would target who, and how to achieve their objectives.
When the meeting ended, they moved out, though Mand'alor was the last to go.
"Were it not for the uproar I'd have you banned." Nighteye stated as the younger hero reached the door.
"And as I told you…good luck trying to keep me away." Mand'alor retorted.
"So even if you hadn't managed to wrangle Yoroi Musha, which I admit, is slightly impressive, you would have barged in? Even at the risk of your license? Your reputation? Your future? Vigilantism is no small matter."
Mand'alor stared at him through the visor.
"Neither are those children. For them, I'd risk everything."
Nighteye sighed.
"Well…far be it from me to deny you this. But I'm warning you now Mand'alor, this is my operation. I will not tolerate you going rogue. I understand your desire to save your adopted daughter, but we cannot risk everything because of you charging ahead by yourself. Understood?"
Mand'alor glared at him but nodded.
"Clear…but I'm letting you know right now Sir Nighteye."
Mirai could see the yellow peaking through the visor with its intensity and the sight sent a chill down his spine.
"When we find Chisaki…he's mine."
And with that, Mand'alor left the room.
For once, Mirai didn't know what to think. For the first time in his life he was unsure of the future simply because of how polarizing Mand'alor's future could be.
For once, he hopes that the future isn't set in stone.
Because Mand'alor's currently wasn't, and he desperately wished for him to remain on the side of good.
Because if he Fell…
It was the secondary reason why he was so adamant of Mirio receiving One For All, he knew Mirio, knew that without a doubt he would remain steadfast despite whatever challenge came his way.
And despite his argument with Toshinori he had studied the boy. Analyzed him to the fullest extent possible.
Intelligent, frightfully so, as evident by his tactical mind and sense of strategy. He was of decent character, that he would admit. The boy was kind and had a sincere desire to save people…but he was prone to anger, to a deep, not quite so buried rage that could very well consume him, lead him to make a mistake that he could never come back from. Never mind the fact that Legion combined with One For All…
If Mand'alor were to fall…
Nothing would be able to stop him.
Day of the Raid - 0700 - Hospital
Denki sat on the chair, his chin resting on his fists, knees supporting his elbows as he stared forward.
Beep…Beep…Beep
His tears had long since dried, though the guilt and sadness remained, amped up by the attack on the mall.
He felt Kyoka's hand rest on the crook of his elbow and shifted so that her fingers could intertwine with his.
"...Mom…not a day goes by that I don't regret what happened. But…I think you'd be happy to know that Kyoka…Uncles…my friends have been helping me pull through…I still can't help but feel weak sometimes but Kyoka and Izuku have been telling me that I'm still standing, so that means I'm still strong…"
Her thumb was idling caressing the top of his knuckles and he gripped tighter.
"But no matter how much they say it wasn't my fault, I still failed you, Mom. Then…and now."
He was shaking a bit and another palm rested itself on his shoulder.
Kyoka's parents had been really supportive through everything and he was glad for it.
"But I won't fail again."
He stood up and walked towards his mother, still sleeping, still dead to the world in the coma that he'd put her in.
He gently moved the hair from her face and palmed it.
"I'm gonna get her back, Mom. When you wake up…all of us will be here to celebrate."
He kissed her forehead before heading out.
"That's a promise."
The small group left the room, leaving the Kaminari matriarch to rest.
…
…
…
"...Denki…"
Denki met up with the others at the lobby of the hospital. Everyone was in their armor already, as was he.
"Are we ready to go?" He asked as he approached, Kyoka hugged her parents goodbye as they grouped up. During the time that they'd waited in the lobby, the other parents had also come.
This was the hospital designated for the Raid after all.
"Transport is waiting outside. Scouts report no signs of increased activity. They still don't know we're coming." Mand'alor said as they walked forwards to the transport outside.
"Your package come yet?"
"Should have. Timed it so that it would arrive 30 minutes before we do."
"Then let's rock."
And so the group exited the hospital, heading towards their mission.
Meanwhile at U.A.
Various clones were finishing up their final preparations.
"Brothers." Rex said as he addressed the 501st. "Today, our fight is in a few hours. With the Yakuza and the bastard Overhaul!"
With a roar the Vod'e raised their fists.
"We'll remain on standby." Cody said to Rex. "Keep comms up and an overview. As soon as those vultures come out, we'll know and you'll strike."
"Evacuation efforts?"
"Slow going, but so far quiet. Last few spots should be done in time."
"Good."
Rex called out to his brothers.
"GET TACTICAL, VOD'E!"
"OYA!"
Inside the special transport, which was actually a super-sized bus (on the inside, the outside was normal were special compartments for the students to change into their costumes.
It was a serious affair for all involved as they dressed themselves, putting on their armor pieces.
Buurenaar tightened his shin boosters.
Bes'laar tested her speakers.
Froppy tightened her straps, leaving behind her more aquatic oriented gear.
Red Riot cracked his neck as his gears were strapped to his shoulders.
Gevaudan stretched as he attached his collar.
Uravity flexed her legs, whistling birds priming and ready to go.
Mand'alor put on his helmet, clipping the Darksaber to his side.
As the bus stopped they each went inside the building where they were staging the Raid.
"Comm check." Mand'alor said on a private channel.
#Uravity, standing by.#
#Froppy, standing by, ribbit.#
#Buurenaar and Bes'laar, standing by.#
#Gevaudan, standing by Sir Mand'alor.#
#Red Riot, standing by.#
"Let's get them back."
Morning of Raid - 0855
Chisaki was in his office going over some paperwork when the knock disturbed him.
"Enter."
"Overhaul…you've received a package. It has been inspected and nothing has been found except a recording. The chip has also been inspected and no malware or anything of malicious nature has been found."
"Good. Bring it here." Overhaul waved the lackey over.
The lackey nodded and set the package on the desk, retrieving the recording and setting it down.
Overhaul arched his brow before pressing the button.
Mand'alor's projection appeared and his eye twitched.
"Overhaul. You have someone I want. You may think you have some idea of who you are in possession of, but you do not. Soon, she will be back with me. She means more to me than you will ever know." the voice said, using his own words against him, an insult if he had ever felt one.
That's when the compound shook above them.
AND HOW ABOUT THAT FOR A COME BACK!
In all seriousness, thanks everyone for your continuous support. Please join our discord, link in AO3, and if you by chance catch any errors, let us know!
Upcoming things to look out for!
More oneshots, hopefully some drawings.
Omakes I want to do:
Legion meets Canon
Mand'alor meets Canon (at the USJ) - This is actually what will come up next.
And more!
Take care!