Chapter 24: Midoriya Izuku XXII

A/N: Characters new and old this time around — how'll Izuku deal with them? Guess you all will have to read to see.

"The day faring well for you so far, Giran?"

The voice interrupts the silence of the alleyway, reverberating every which way from seemingly every surface and crevice all at once. Most who would hear the petrifying amalgamation of voices would jump in surprise, or perhaps even flee in fright.

But Giran isn't like most people. Long years spent deeply entrenched in Japan's heinous and expansive underworld have molded him into a hardened man who's seen most, if not all there is to see.

As a result, he merely puffs out another cloud of smoke from his mouth and calls out, completely unfazed from the interruption to his day. "Nice to see that the kids these days aren't skimping out on the theatrics. My day's been doing fine, kid. How 'bout yours?"

Izuku — clad fully in his Whisper persona — drops to the ground with a small thump, landing with little difficulty from the rooftops above. "It's been going… alright," Izuku says, reining in his quirk and using his real voice for once.

Giran hums, throwing a lazy look in towards Izuku's way. "Just alright?"

Izuku shrugs. "I mean, what more can you expect with the company that I keep, right?"

Giran snorts in response. "Yeh, ya got me there. Though your illustrious Kurogiri may be a modern gentleman, the other two aren't so much. A bit too eccentric for my tastes, sure, but as long as they pay and don't strangle me to death… Well, business is business."

Izuku crosses his arms, leaning against the wall of the alleyway. "And how's that business model going for me then? If you don't mind me asking?"

Giran smirks, cocking his eyebrow. "Quite splendidly." He takes a drag of his cigar. "Now, what was so important for ya to drag me all the way out here? I usually take some downtime after big gigs, ya know."

"Oh? And you made an exception just for me then?"

"Eh. Like I said, I like you. Not many of my clientele can reach your level of… pizzaz."

Izuku nods. "Thanks, I try. It really builds up the whole manic vigilante persona, you know?"

"Ooh. I know. The myth of the unyielding and terrorizing Whisper has been spreading through the streets like wildfire through dry brush. There isn't a piece of scum or a single browbeating organization that hasn't heard of ya. The only reason that some of the bigger fish out there haven't sent out any feelers is because you haven't directly targeted them — they don't want to unintentionally point you towards themselves if it turns out you're content with the small fry, after all."

Izuku leans forward. "Not that I'm complaining — but you're just telling me all this? Aren't you an infobroker?"

Giran scoffs. "Please. This is nothing that you don't already know. Your freakish mind and that computer of yours make sure of that."

"You're not wrong… But then why tell me all that in the first place?"

"What can I say?" Giran shrugs. "I like hearing myself talk. And besides, it's exciting meeting up with an urban legend who's reached the same level of notoriety as the Hero Killer. Even if I do know what's truly behind that blank mask, it's nice seeing my clients make history. It makes me feel all tingly. "

Izuku hums. "Comparing me to Stain now, are we?"

Giran sloppily puts his hands up in surrender. His smiling face betrays his obviously carefree nature, however. "Whoa now, no offense ta ya. Just playing up the similarities in your budding following of fans. I know that you don't exactly like his methods."

"Only because he's misguided," Izuku counters. "He has the right idea, sure. But about a third of his targets didn't deserve what they had done to them. His morals or ideology or whatever are too narrow. Too marginally exclusive. It ends with him targeting key players that could go on to do better things. You get me?"

"I wouldn't know," Giran admits. "I don't exactly pay attention to politics and all that similar jazz, ya know?" He takes a long moment to stretch, raising his arms over his head. "Enough of that, though. Tangent aside; your business with me on this fine day?"

Izuku nods, reeling himself back to the fact that there are stakes dependent on Giran's help that would best be dealt with now. "Right. I need two things, actually."

"Speak, and your desires shall be granted." Giran puffs out another cloud of smoke. "That, or you'll find yourself with blocks of cement around your feet. Not that I think I'll need that for ya. Or would be able to use them. You'd kill me faster than a bullet ever could, anyways."

'What was that about tangents?"

"I'm the broker here," Giran retorts. "I can do what I want. You're the one that needs me. You wouldn't be here otherwise. So I can play around if I want."

Izuku nods. "First things first: I know that you can provide people with normal gear — and some of very high quality as well. One prominent example from a few years ago being an effective street-level vigilante who I heard was quirkless. Pretty impressive, if I am to say so myself. But of course, such a man wouldn't have lasted long without the proper resources — quirk or not. Right, Giran?"

"I don't give out the names or identities of my clients."

"No matter. And while I do applaud you for providing things to somebody struggling against the system like Knuckleduster, grappling hooks and guns aren't really what I'm looking for. I'm looking for things in the form of support gear. Hero support gear."

Giran rolls his eyes and huffs. "Of course you would know something like that… I'm not much of an engineer, ya know. I have engineer and inventor friends, but their schedules are backed up for weeks on designs and projects. If you want gear now, I'm afraid that it'll be impossible. I may like ya, but that doesn't mean you get to cut in a line."

Izuku shrugs. "That's fine — I wasn't expecting anything less, actually. But it never hurts to make sure, right?"

"Hmph." Giran cocks his head in agreement. "So what then? You wouldn't have asked to meet without a plan."

"Well…" Izuku starts," I'm looking more forward to your connections to prominent support companies. Someone who would react well to… sponsorships."

"And what makes you think I have such connections?"

Izuku leans his head forward expectantly.

"Fine," Giran concedes. "But why ask? Do you have someone in mind? Some up and coming inventor that you've captured in your sights?"

"Perhaps one of the best of her time," Izuku says. "I've seen her work firsthand; she's got the integrity and tenacity to surpass most. I'm hoping that with your help, I'll be able to have a nice source of discrete, advanced tech."

"Hmm…" Giran takes his cigar out from his mouth, pointing it towards Izuku. "And I'd get a portion of these services, yes?"

"As long as requests go through me first. And I'm allowed to veto things if I don't deem them proper. My inventor doesn't need to know that she's supplying villains, after all."

"Deal," Giran says, near instantly. "The information will be sent to your computer."

"Through all the backdoors you have installed in it, right?"

Giran nods, a mischievous smile gleaming off his face. "But of course." He takes another drag. "And your second request, oh dear Whisper?"

"That one's simple," Izuku begins. "I need people."

"To grow yer cause, eh? I get that. Every major powerhouse needs a basis to build itself upon and all, and people like you need better things than the fodder I provided last time. So, do ya have anything specific that you're looking for?"

"Outcasts," Izuku announces, his voice steady. "People who have been tossed aside from society due to things entirely out of their control. Perhaps a rampant quirk with conditions attached to it that make it unfit for current societal norms. Or maybe something about them just irks people the wrong way, whether it be lifestyle, identity, or any of the above. People who this society has neglected, people with a grudge to hold, and people who will act when the time to fight back comes."

Giran lets out a chuckle. "You really know how to hold a speech, don'tcha, kid?"

"It comes with the job."

"I suppose it does." He sighs. "Well, tell you what. I do have a couple of contacts who fit your specifications quite well. Whether or not they join you is up in the air; could go either way, really."

"That's fine," Izuku says. "That's not your problem. Getting them to join me will be my responsibility. You just need to provide a meeting place."

"I'll have everything set up by tomorrow."

"So quick? Sounds like you were planning for something like this."

"With somebody like you spearheading such an ambitious movement, I knew that it was only a matter of time until you decided to expand yer horizons. So of course I've planned for a variety of scenarios with you in mind. I don't see you going down easy to the heroes, after all. You'll be quite the investment when this is all over."

"Seeing me as stock then? Hoping that I'll be a boon to you in the future?"

"I'm a businessman, first and foremost. Friend and somewhat cryptic helper from the shadows second. You know this."

Izuku nods. "I do. Guess that means that you won't mind me asking one last thing?"

Giran takes another drag, narrowing his eyes at Izuku. "Left for last, and intentionally omitted from the initial conversation? Must be something intriguing then. Get to the point."

"You wouldn't happen to know anyone who sells Trigger, would you?"

Giran pauses, somewhat surprised by the rapid-fire reply and its nature. "Trigger, you say? You do know that that stuff isn't quite something I'd recommend, right?"

"I know…" Izuku shrugs, tilting his head to the side. "It'll just be for emergencies."

"And that's all?"

Izuku smirks — not that Giran can see it. "Maybe."

"Oh my." Giran chuckles, bringing his hands together into a slow clap. "Aiming to bring some drug operations down now, are ya?"

"And if I am?"

"Eh. If I provide you the info to a seller, it's not exactly my fault if you take them down and interrogate them for information on their supplier, right?"

"But what of your integrity?" Izuku asks. "You'd knowingly let the possibility of such a hypothetical situation occur?"

"Like I said; I'm a businessman first. People in my business know to read the changing winds and to shift with them. And with the way I'm seeing things? A storm is brewing, and it'll only be a matter of time until it hits. It would be amiss of me to not prepare for it, no?"

"Oh my gosh! That Giran guy wasn't lying! It's actually you!"

Izuku doesn't respond back to the boy, feeling that doing so would send the wrong impression. After all, what he needs to do is present a dedicated, secure front for his cause.

Besides, he has no concrete idea on how the gathered crowd will act, seeing as Giran left out major sections on the dossiers he provided. Nevermind the fact that Izuku only had the time to skim through the said dossiers since they were sent to him mere minutes before the scheduled meetup.

Likely done on purpose, just to test me. Guess that means that I'll just have to show him how good of an orator I am, hmm?

Izuku takes his time to observe the four individuals that have gathered within the decrepit warehouse that Giran had set up for. With just their names, quirks, and general grievances with society being the only things in his arsenal, he needs to be careful. So he takes the time he can to take what he witnesses in.

The first boy in question, Nakajima Ayumu, is someone that greatly interests Izuku. His shaggy brown hair cascades over his eyes, which highlight obvious infatuation over Izuku's vigilante persona. With his gakuran, his status as someone right around Izuku's age is clear. His quirk, Gas, is likely the greatest cause of his being here, seeing as his own biology doesn't make him immune to his quirk's tranquilizing effects. Kids definitely would have made fun of him; just like they had to Izuku.

Next is Hikishi Kenji, otherwise known as the minor villain Magne. Not exactly somebody that Izuku wants to work with, seeing as she's been charged with nine armed robberies, twenty-nine attempted murders, and three actual murders. Izuku understands why she's here though. All her life she felt trapped and unable to live her own life, and she acted out against the world as a result. She went ahead and fully embraced being a transgender woman, and fully adapted to a life not constrained to society's whims. A fitting individual to Izuku's vision, if not for her brutalness. But that's not something that he can't work on.

Next is Sako Atsuhiro, more prominently known by his stage name Mr. Compress. A modern day Robin Hood, the man turned to stealing from the rich and corrupt and giving to the poor after a mediocre run as a stage magician. He's someone that Izuku's known about for a long while due to the size of his crimes and the clout that comes with being related to the Peerless already embraces a good portion of the ideals Izuku preaches, so already he's a nice fit. Though a showman at heart, Izuku hopes that such a character trait doesn't prove too problematic.

And lastly, and perhaps the most problematic of the bunch, comes Bubaigawara Jin, a man tormented with mental illness all due to the wanton use of his quirk. His quirk — that being the ability to clone any living being, quirk included — is potent, so much so that Jin himself could be capable of bringing down countries by himself. By seeing as his ability to clone himself is what led something akin to dissociative identity disorder, Izuku can see how the man has degraded and become the broken man he is today. Of course, as bad as it makes Izuku feel, that makes Jin in a state easily manipulatable — Izuku just hopes that he won't have to resort to that.

"Oi!" Hikishi calls out gruffly, spreading out her shoulders in the process. "You're the one we're meeting with, right?"

Izuku nods. No time like the present. He speaks, using his quirk to its full extent.

"I am."

"Ha!" Nakajima yells out. "He really did it! The Amalgamation of Voices!"

Izuku resists the urge to call the boy out on his fanboying. He just hopes that it's something that'll die down over time if they really do end up working together. But he can deal with it for now.

"I've heard of you through the grapevine," Sako says. He tips his hat forward and then takes a full bow, lifting his cane into the air. "It's quite the pleasure to be in the presence of such an infamous figure of the criminal underworld. But please, do tell, before we all converse any further: what's a vigilante like yourself doing by asking for an amicable conversation with a couple of middle-tier villains? It goes against your very image, does it not?"

"You must not be caught up with the recent gossip then," Izuku says. "I'm sure that you've all heard by now the infiltration that had occured at Yuuei's illustrious USJ compound?"

"Are you saying that you were a part of that whole shebang? No! He's trying to trick us! No way! He's cool! As if! Look at his eyes of deception! We can't even see his eyes!"

Hikishi looks off to the side with a narrowed glare, obviously gauging the unstable man amongst the group. "He's got a point, no matter how much I question his being here."

"Hey! I resent that! No I don't! I embrace it!"

"Anyways," Hikishi continues, "Point is, punk, do you just expect us to take your word?"

"Well, what of Giran's word?"

"I don't hold a candle to his word either! I barely even know the guy!"

"Au contraire mon ami," Sako says, taking his time to enunciate his words, "I've known Giran for a few years by now. I'd call him of the reliable sort. He isn't of the type to lead me astray."

"What are you talking about? Come on, you guys!" Nakajima interrupts, throwing his hands in the air. "That's Whisper! Haven't you heard what Whisper can do? What Whisper has done? The proof's already out there to see!"

"Calm yourself, Nakajima," Izuku interrupts this time. "There's no need to get so hostile with your potential future comrades. And besides, Hikishi's worries are well justified. There really is no way to believe in my words — not before we build trust between one another."

"Glad we got that covered," Hikishi says. "Now, how about you pull that mask of yours off? If you expect us to trust you and take your word as is, we should know stuff about you. I'm sure that you know all about us already, after all."

"Ah. But you see, Magne, that's where you have perceived my intentions incorrectly. I don't expect you all to believe my word outright — never would have. So why don't I ask you this instead: rather than show my face, how about first I show you who I am through my actions? Show you what I'm capable of, hmm? Give you reason to take my words into consideration?"

"Do tell?" Sako asks. "And what do you mean by that, if you don't mind my asking?"

"It's simple," Izuku says. "This little meeting that we're having right now? It never was a recruitment pitch. Think of it more as… an interview, I suppose. And my being at the USJ incident is nothing more than me showing how far I can go to further my cause."

"And what cause is that?" Hikishi asks.

"Something that I'm sure that you are all intimately familiar with. Whether it be through the stares bearing into you as you walk down the street, to the hushed whispers demeaning and insulting you day to day, or the weight of the world crushing down on your back with no support. You've all experienced it. I've experienced it. The world as it is today tosses people like us out to the streets like trash and expects us to just disappear. For years this trend has persevered, generation through generation. But as that may be, all things come to an end. And it's high time that the corrupt society that we live in should meet its demise."

Izuku reaches into his belt, and pulls out a few pieces of paper. He throws them towards the gathered group, the paper flying through the air before landing on the ground before them.

"On those pieces of paper is a simple address and a date. I'll leave it up to you whether or not you'll head there on the specified date. If you come, great. If you don't, good for you. It won't matter either way — I'm sure by them our forces will be sizable enough. But just remember what's at stake here — you all have a chance to work towards a better future; to be integral players in a position to influence the shape the world will come to be. If you just wish to stay on the sidelines, be my guest. Otherwise… you know what to do to find me again. Until then."

A/N: Shorter chapter this time around - mostly because it's acting and setup for things to come. That being said, if things go as planned, next time will be: Tea time.