Chapter 20: Midoriya Izuku XIX
A/N: Izuku deals with some emotions he'd rather avoid. And you all get to take a look at some things behind the scenes (somewhat literally!) this time around as well. Hope that you all enjoy the fun…
P.S. Yeah, this is later than usual. However, it's still Sunday where I am, so the chapter's not late-late. I'll save you all from my myriad excuses; otherwise, here ya go!
"You know, I got this great idea for a new name you can take up, seeing as you're joining us on this raid. And since you see yourself as oh so wise and a protector of the 'innocent,' what do you say to being the great 'Deku Tree?'"
Izuku gives Tomura a blank stare. He then puts his hand out expectedly. "Just give me the list."
Tomura rolls his eyes. "Yeah yeah."
Tomura throws a flashdrive through the air, Izuku catching it without sparing it a glance.
"Still don't get the point of you checking in the first place," Tomura grumbles.
"I'm checking because, unlike you, I'm not comfortable working alongside unknowns. I'm not participating unless I vet everyone that's sitting in that warehouse over in Chiba. And the only reason I haven't already done so is because it took you until today to get this drive from Giran."
"Fetch quests are only slightly less annoying than escort missions. If you think I was going to go out of my way to—"
"I get it," Izuku interrupts. He boots up his laptop and plugs the flash drive in. "Thanks for putting in the effort last minute, at the very least."
Izuku ignores Tomura's resulting remark, instead going along to brush through the extensive list of seventy-three low ranking criminals. His first look has him overlooking the centerpieces of the operation — Tesla who's responsible for cutting off the the signals coming to and from USJ with Kaminari's assistance, Steel Bulwark who is to act mainly as both a buffer and stalling piece for the main group, Thousand Eyes to bolster the overall number of their forces, and Hanzo Suiden for control in the Flood Zone.
All four of them seem to be dependable minions, willing to work a job till its end as long as they get paid. Their status as E-ranking criminals doesn't matter in the long run, as they're more than likely to be arrested by the day's end.
Tomura wouldn't care for such an outcome, seeing the hired hands as completely disposable and below his notice. But Izuku sees it in a different light — their arrest results with more scum being taken off the streets. After all, a quick cursory glance reveals all four criminals as people without remorse, no care for civilians' lives, or any sort of backstory that would remotely give understandable culpability to where they've landed in society. Giving them to the police wrapped up in a pretty bow is something Izuku will gladly do after their purpose is complete.
Sixty-nine other individuals remain after those four, and so Izuku gets to work. Some, like the F-rankers Martial Hair, Muscle Man, and Chomper among others are not worth much more than a hasty perusal. Their records are mostly clean, with little in the way of endangering human lives and all signs pointing to villainy for monetary gains.
Others like Victor, another F-ranking criminal, are the people Izuku watches out for. Impulsive, stubborn, self-centered; all traits that can lead to a disaster under the right circumstances, and thus somebody Izuku would rather hunt down than actually work with. Especially when all signs point that they'd rather endanger innocent lives either for fun or just plain lack of care on their part as long as it would net a positive gain in their own eyes.
Victor's only one of eleven others that share similar characteristics, and Izuku takes heavy note of each and every one. Which leads him to a rather specific individual. The infamous E-ranker who frequents the prefectures of Chiba, Saitama, and Kanagawa, and is known for his stealth and his ability to evade the police.
Invisible Wall.
The same Invisible Wall responsible for Ibara's brief spell in the hospital, and whose quirk had led Izuku on a wild goose chase for over nine months without any concrete lead on his location.
Until now, that is.
A wall of conflicting emotions invades his mind. Izuku had thought that he had resigned himself to failure after month five, when all trails on the criminal had run cold. Invisible Wall's fight with Amber Aspect seemed to have shaken up the villain so much that he had gone underground. For all Izuku had known, he could have even fled the country. And at the time, Izuku had gone ahead and hesitantly left it at that.
But now, knowing that Invisible Wall has finally decided to stick his head out once more, and directly within his grasp even… The immediate part of him wants petty revenge — not for what was, but for what could have been. Ibara could have been paralyzed. Could have been scarred for life. She could have been killed.
The logistical part of him knows that enacting revenge for something that never even was would be uncalled for. His conscience tells him to let go of a past grievance and to label it as complete and utter tripe. He knows, rationally, that he should be the better man and let things go. It would be best to let things fade; to grow past things and learn to forgive and forget.
And his old self would have agreed.
But the individual he is now? He has a much harder time letting things go. Not when he's in a position to do something about it.
It's as Izuku's doing one last thorough overview of the villain's profile that an idea — a cruel, sick, vindictive idea — that would both sate his desire for revenge and deal with Invisible Wall at the same time, comes up.
Chameleon - Gives the individual all known abilities and characteristics of an individual of the chamaeleonidae family. This includes, most eminently, the ability to adaptively camouflage oneself in accordance to their surroundings.
He never thought about the implications before; he was too preoccupied with all the baggage that came with Ibara's injury. But now? His eyes scan over the information, and he can't help but think: I need this.
But do you really? Do you truly want to go further down this path? To give in to the slippery slope?
Izuku takes a breath. It'll be for you… And for the benefit of everyone. It has to be done if I want to succeed.
Izuku closes down his laptop and tucks it away. Before doing anything else, however, he takes the time to don his attire delegating his identity as the vigilante Whisper. Once he's done, within seconds he's standing before an idle Kurogiri.
"We have around an hour left before the operation begins, right?" Izuku asks the stoic figure.
"That we do indeed," Kurogiri responds. "Why do you ask? Meaning to go somewhere, Izuku?"
Izuku takes another breath. Now or never. "Yeah. I'd… I'd like to go to the warehouse in Chiba. I've evaluated the roster Tomura's gathered up and I have… need of a specific individual."
Kurogiri tilts his head. "And for what purpose, if you do not mind me asking?"
Izuku sighs. "Just—" He shakes his head. "The warehouse please?"
Kurogiri nods. "As you wish."
The wisps of Kurogiri's quirk form in the air, and it's not long before a wall of smoke is all that separates Izuku from his destination.
Izuku gulps. "This will be a quick errand; mind keeping the portal open for my return trip?"
"As you desire."
Izuku gives a quick thanks and walks through. The change is… not immediate. Aside from the mass of villains present, the warehouse is almost as dingy and decrepit as the bar. The whiplash of shifting locations when using Kurogiri's quirk would have been completely offset if it weren't for the fifty-seven pairs of eyes that had shifted in his direction.
There are still sixteen individuals missing, but that's to be expected seeing as the meeting isn't due for another hour. Izuku supposes that he should have thought about the possibility that his target wouldn't be present, and almost thinks that all the iron will he's built up would have been for nothing.
But luckily — or unluckily, depending on how Izuku looks at it — Invisible Wall is among the fifty-three villains present. Letting out a resigned sigh, Izuku pushes his way forward. He brushes against the villains, wordless, and without a care in the world.
He notices their guarded expressions, and Izuku isn't surprised by them in the slightest. There's no doubt that some of the smarter individuals have recognized him. Whisper is slowly becoming known as the Bogeyman of the criminal underworld, after all. On any normal day, the villains — outnumbering him a plenty — would have attacked him.
But with his arrival via the signature swirls of Kurogiri's portals — well known by now to be used by the trusted Giran — they would second guess their initial reaction. After all, Whisper's presence would mean one of two things: either he's a part of this whole operation to attack Yuuei, or that he's working with the heroes and that this whole setup is a trap.
The villains' hopes for the former — and Giran's reputation as a trusted and valued broker to the criminal scene — thankfully keeps them in check. And because of that, it's not long until Izuku's in front of his target.
"Invisible Wall?"
Izuku eyes the heteromorph, taking in all of his reptilian glory. He eyes the knife by the man's side, as well as the skin-tight costume he's wearing.
It doesn't seem to be made of his scales or any of his few body hairs… Does that mean he can extend his camouflage over the things he wears? Things he touches?
"Who's asking?" a shrewd, nasally voice asks back. Just as Izuku would expect from someone like him.
"One of your bosses."
That raises a slight murmur amongst the crowd. Izuku disregards the comments, focusing instead on Invisible Wall and his reactions. Namely, his narrowing eyes and now frozen posture.
Invisible Wall clears his throat. "You don't say?" His voice is much more professional now, with a bit less scorn behind it. "What do you, er, want with me then?"
Izuku simply turns around and gestures for Invisible Wall to follow. "Come."
Invisible Wall visibly — or in Izuku's case, audibly — hesitates. He takes a moment before he finally goes to follow, light footsteps patting against the concrete floor. The crowd parts for the duo, and the two of them make it back to Kurogiri's portal without incident.
The pair are promptly deposited back into the bar.
"Huh. Nice place you got here," Invisible Wall quips, disdain clear in his voice. He spares Kurogiri a quick glance before turning his eyes back to his surroundings. "Got any more stains to accompany the atmosphere?"
Izuku ignores the villain, instead turning his gaze to Kurogiri.
"Any particular reason you brought this… individual here?" Kurogiri asks.
Izuku nods. "Another portal please." Izuku crinkles his nose once the words come out from his mouth.
"And where to?"
"...Jaku City."
Kurogiri quirks an eye. "The Doctor?"
"Yes," Izuku admits, slumping his shoulders. "The Doctor."
The portal opens without another word. Taking the cue, Invisible Wall walks right on through.
Leaving one hell just to step foot into another. Izuku scoffs. Is this what it's come to?
"The fuck is this place?" Invisible Wall asks, eyes gyrating to and fro as he scans the environment.
If it wasn't for the fact that this isn't his first visit here, Izuku would have shared Invisible Wall's sentiments.
Quite frankly, the Doctor's laboratory seems like a scene out of a science fiction novel. Test tubes and machinery line the walls, and enormous vats filled with liquids and shadowy forms scatter the floor plan.
Combined with the electronic hue permeating the air, the discordant and exotic lighting flashing and flickering, and the faraway whirling sounds of metal against flesh, the place would reasonably have most on edge.
"You'll be staying here for the time being," Izuku answers. "And don't worry; you'll be paid extra for your time. Out of my own account, of course, seeing as I'm the one dragging you to an impromptu extended visit with the Doctor."
Invisible Wall abruptly freezes in place. "Doctor? What—" He spins in place. "There was a capital 'D' there, I heard it."
The mutant's eyes rove from side to side, new frantic movements replacing his originally lax posture. "Oh hell no! This is that lab, isn't it?! I thought that it was a myth!"
Izuku grimaces. "Sorry."
"'Sorry?'" Invisible Wall scoffs. "Fuck this, you vigilante freak! I'm out!"
The criminal shimmers and then he's gone. Completely out of sight. His disappearance act would work on most — but not when the person he's running from can hear everything to the slightest detail within a kilometer radius.
"You're not going to escape this place," Izuku calls out, adding some menacing undertones while he's at it. "Surrender yourself and I promise I'll go easy on you. You have five seconds to turn around from that hallway."
Izuku senses Invisible Wall freeze for just a second — a bout of hesitation, seeing as his location was discovered, no doubt — but the criminal eventually decides to keep on going.
"Suit yourself. Don't say that I didn't warn you."
Izuku shifts his attention elsewhere within the underground facility. It only takes him a moment to find what — who — he's looking for.
"Nomu. Entrance Hall, please."
The robust form of blackened and hardened flesh and muscle zooms out from its hiding place and to Izuku's location in five seconds flat.
Upon its arrival, Izuku can't help but marvel at the grotesque sight. It's a true wonder of genetic and biological engineering, even if the methods done to achieve such a feat are things Izuku heavily disagrees with.
It's efficient at what it does, and follows orders unflinchingly and without fault. But at the same time, it's unthinking — just a mindless drone made to serve as a tool.
Not what I need. But it'll do for now. At least with Tomura's little gamble he's planning, anyway.
Izuku frowns. His thought acts as a reminder of what he's planning to subject Invisible Wall to.
No. Izuku takes a breath. Not turning him into a nomu. Just having the doctor extract his quirk. Afterwards he'll be home free, and he'll have contributed to a great cause — even if he'll never know it.
Izuku turns to the towering Nomu. Its quirks of Regeneration and Shock Absorption are quite enough to subdue Invisible Wall, and that's without even considering it's (un)natural strength and speed.
"Fetch. Don't Injure. Don't kill."
Izuku points a finger towards Invisible Wall's general direction. "There."
The nomi rushes blindly forward, leaving a trail of displaced air and wanton destruction as it launches itself from it's spot on the floor.
The flurry misses; expectedly. Invisible Wall's agility and camouflage work well together. Still, Izuku has a time limit, and he can't waste any time trying to subdue the criminal.
He uses his quirk again to relay an order, but keeps the words from reaching Invisble Wall's ears.
"Six o'clock. Right twenty-five degrees. Two feet above the floor."
The nomu's open palm barrels forward; it misses, but just barely.
"Eleven o'clock. Nine degrees left. Three feet descending from the ceiling."
The nomu doesn't miss that time. With Invisible Wall within the nomu's constricting grasp, the villain inevitably falls into unconsciousness.
"To the Doctor."
The nomu complies. Keeping its grip around Invisible Wall light, it gradually begins its trek further into the complex. Izuku, although already ahead of the beast, is vastly outpaced due to the nomu's stride. At his walking pace, he arrives a whole minute after the nomu.
"Quite a ruckus you were making out there," the Doctor chides, hands deep into his latest experiment. His eyes never leave the gaping incisions he's making on the corpse on the operating table, and he shows not even the slightest measure of worry in his features.
"You weren't worried that I was an intruder?" Izuku asks. He doesn't approach the Doctor fully, making sure to keep some distance between himself and the man, never mind the dead body.
"Including myself," the Doctor says, "only four people in the whole world hold the right to activate that nomu. And including myself, only three of those four people know where this place is. Plus, All For One wouldn't drop by unannounced like you had." The Doctor lifts up his scalpel. He taps it against his forehead, and remains unflinching as flecks of blood splash onto his features. "It's simple deductive reasoning, really. And you should know a whole lot of that, boy."
Izuku shrugs, submitting to that line of reasoning. He decides to move on. "So… I'm sure that you're wondering why I'm here."
"I do admit that your presence here is a bit of an oddity, seeing as you've been here literally twice since we first met all those years ago. Though, that mutant in my nomu's hands is pretty telling, if I must say so myself."
The Doctor sets his tools aside and backs away from his subject. For the first time since Izuku's arrival, the Doctor looks at Izuku. His expression befits a rather mischievous grin. "To think that you'd go so far as to deliver an actual breathing subject to me for that pet project of yours, especially with your vehement insistence for electronic communication." The Doctor tilts his head. "What changed?"
"I just saw an opportunity and took advantage of it," Izuku quickly half-lies. "His quirk," Izuku gestures to Invisible Wall, "is just what I've been looking for."
"And that is?" The Doctor quirks an eyebrow.
"Camouflage. Fine and instantaneous control, and over the entire body. Possibly to what he touches as well."
"Ohohoho!" The Doctor rubs his hands together. "And his appearance thus makes sense. Well? What are we waiting for?" The Doctor looks at the nomu and begins walking forward. "You, put the subject down — gently. And on the next table over. I need ample—"
"Hold on," Izuku interrupts.
The Doctor stops in his tracks. "Oh? Conditions, I take it?" He looks more amused than irritated. "Expected, if anything. I shouldn't expect immediate change after all. Well? List away."
"I don't want him dead," Izuku starts. "Tortured, sure—"
"Must have done something to really push your buttons."
"—but still alive and able to bounce back," Izuku continues unheedingly. "He needs to learn a lesson, not pay with his life. Okay?"
The Doctor lets out a small chuckle. "Rather vindictive of you, eh? Though I suppose that it isn't so far off from what you've already shown me. After all, you did personally set up the kidnapping of two other individuals for your project. Even if you weren't physically involved, you sought them out for their quirks and built up a plan to make their kidnappings easy."
"Those two are—"
"Were."
"But I told you—!" Izuku seethes, curling up his hands into fists. He takes a breath. "...Were criminals. A head of the branch of the yakuza that focuses on the slave trade and a con-man who hoodwinked hundreds of millions of yen from his victims. They targeted innocents for self gain."
The Doctor grins. "Don't take my questions as hostile in intent, Midoriya. If anything, I'm glad that you're taking a more hands on approach here. All For One wasn't lying when he told me of the potential in you. I wouldn't mind another pair of hands around here to liven things up a bit. Johnny can only do the same tricks so many times before they get boring, you know."
"I'm not joining in on your work anytime soon."
"Ah. You say that, but let me ask you this: You do see the use of my work, no?"
Izuku sighs. "I do. I'd be a fool not to recognize the uses of such. You act as the force multiplier we need, and are someone who supports us greatly from the sidelines with a variety of new advances. And for my sake of mind, it helps that you use cadavers for all of the actual nomus."
"Mostly cadavers," the Doctor corrects, which causes Izuku to scowl. "But that's the first step — acceptance, that is. No matter how minuscule the feeling is. And you're acclimating to it, even if you don't notice it yourself."
Izuku doesn't offer a response back.
"Well," the Doctor says, turning back to his tools, "if that's all, you should go. I've got work to do. And so do you."
Izuku makes a slow nod. "Right."
"And since you're already here, take the nomu back with you while you're at. It's all ready and tuned up, as you saw to yourself. Saves you from having to make a return trip."
The Doctor laughs. "And maybe then nobody will have need to pester me for at least the rest of the day. Ah, and what an occurrence that would be. Pure bliss; only if."
"And what of Invisible Wall?" Izuku asks.
"That his name then?" The Doctor asks offhandedly. "Don't worry about him. I'll have him returned to you at my discretion — which will be fairly quickly, you know. Your pet project is pretty… stimulating, after all. I wouldn't want to back it up for any longer than need be." He points his scalpel over to Izuku. "So hurry up and get more people for it, you hear? I'll be waiting. Eagerly."
Izuku steps out from Kurogiri's portal, and the first thing he sees is an irate Tomura stomping his way towards him.
"Where the fuck have you been? We're about to start this raid in just a few minutes!"
"Out," Izuku simply replies.
"Out?" Tomura repeats, incredulous. "Seriously?!"
"Relax," Izuku counters sharply. "I'm here now, aren't I?" He gestures behind himself. "And I brought the nomu with me."
Tomura blinks, as if seeing the creature for the first time. It takes a few seconds for him to respond back. "Hmph." He turns around and begins to walk off. "Well, just so you know, it's too late to give that speech that you wanted to give to bolster the morale or whatever."
Izuku sighs. "You didn't do it?"
Tomura merely scoffs in response.
"Right. I should know better by now. It's fine," Izuku mutters to himself. "Don't feel like doing it right now anyway."
A few moments pass. Kurogiri eventually finds his way to Izuku's side. "Are you alright?"
"I'm fine, Kurogiri. I just need a moment…" He shrugs. "But thanks for asking."
"Nothing of effort. Take the time to calm yourself of course; but remember what we have planned. It would be preferential to ward off any and all distractions beforehand, correct?"
"Yeah," Izuku says with a sigh. He forcibly perks his expression up in an attempt to focus. It works… somewhat. He still can't get what he's just done out of his mind. "Let's go."
A/N: And there we have it. Some insight into Izuku and Garaki's work relationship, and some other hints of things to come. Next time: USJ — but with a twist. After all, I think it's time for some different sights again, no?