Chapter 110: A Late Night
Three AM. In bright red letters, Midoriya's clock displayed the time as three AM. Looking over the clock tiredly, Midoriya couldn't help but grumble. He'd been fast asleep, dreaming of… something, he couldn't fully remember what, only to be woken up by something knocking on his door. At first, Midoriya thought it was Eri, the girl possibly having woken up from another nightmare.
But then he remembered, Eri was already in the room. She'd shown up at his quarters around midnight. Now she lay in his bed while he slept on the floor. So then came the possibility of it being DD, the dog scratching the door to be let out. Except the wolfdog was fast asleep on the floor, a small stuffed bone resting in his mouth. Then something knocked on Midoriya's door again, the noise being a little louder than before.
With his eyes half-open, Midoriya slowly stood up and stretched. Out of unconscious habit, his right hand grabbed the M1911 resting on his nightstand and walked to the door. Because honestly, who in their right mind is up this late? With that tired, cautious thought, Midoriya stumbled to the door. Looking through the peephole, and carefully cocking his gun, Midoriya found… wait… what?
Hesitantly, Midoriya decocked his 1911, flicking the safety back on. Opening the door, he found Todoroki standing on the other side.
"Todoroki?" Midoriya questioned tiredly, before carefully rubbing his eyes, "What are you doing?"
"We need to talk," Todoroki replied, the teen glancing around, as if to be sure no one was nearby.
"This couldn't have waited until morning?" Midoriya groaned as he, too, now glanced around the hall. The entire area was quiet enough that he could hear a pin drop. It only seemed to add to Midoriya's confusion, the more he looked around the dark hallway. Why was Todoroki even up at this hour?
"No," Todoroki eventually replied, causing Midoriya to sigh tiredly. Looking back into his room, Midoriya pondered the idea for a moment. Over in his bed, Eri was still fast asleep, Todoroki knocking thankfully, not waking her up. DD was nearby if something happened while he was gone… With a reluctant decision, Midoriya stepped out into the hall. Carefully, he pulled his door shut and turned to face Todoroki.
The half and half teen quietly nodded before noticing the gun still in Midoriya's hand.
"Why are you armed?" Todoroki questioned cautiously as Midoriya began walking away.
"I didn't think anyone friendly would be up at this hour," Midoriya replied, a tad bit colder than he intended. But to be honest, Midoriya was finding it hard to care. He was too tired to deal with this now. Soon, Todoroki followed closely behind him. Quietly, the two walked downstairs to the dorm's common area. Practically falling onto one of the room's couches, Midoriya just lay still for a second before Todoroki sat across from him.
Shifting around the couch, Midoriya tried his best to get comfortable. With a few pillows now behind him, Midoriya lounged back into them, sinking slightly into the cushions. Todoroki, meanwhile, sat straight as a board.
"Now, what was so important you had to wake me up?" Midoriya questioned, sinking further into the couch. With his usually icy gaze, Todoroki looked down at Midoriya.
"I don't understand you," Todoroki replied, with Midoriya only blinking in response.
"...Ok?" Midoriya inquired, quietly begging for this conversation to be quick. Yet, Todoroki had other plans.
"I know the pain you've gone through," Todoroki revealed, the words taking a mere second to register in Midoriya's mind. Instantly, the teen's eyes shot open, his exhaustion suddenly gone. A million thoughts ran through his mind, as panic filled his being. Todoroki… he knew. How did he know!? It shouldn't have been possible! The only people who knew were himself, UA's staff, Snake, Miller, Ocelot, and… Uraraka…
She wouldn't. Midoriya knew she wouldn't have told Todoroki. She'd given her word. Todoroki found out a different way; he had to.
"I know of the scars, of the endless torture both you and I have gone through," Todoroki went on, dragging Midoriya out of his thoughts. At the same time, Midoriya couldn't help but glance at the scar around Todoroki's eye. At the same time, Todoroki angrily had his hands slowly clench together, the room now much colder than Midoriya remembered it being.
"Yet I don't understand why you continue to go along with it," Todoroki spat, a thin venom tracing his words. The half and half teen now glared at Midoriya, all as the other teen's confusion came roaring back.
"...Huh?" Midoriya questioned, earning a tch from Todoroki. Quietly, Todoroki motioned to the empty room around him.
"Don't act dumb, there is no one around to cover for him. No one to stop you," Todoroki told him, which only served to confuse Midoriya more. Now somewhat annoyed, Midoriya slowly brought a hand to his brow.
"Todoroki, I genuinely do not know what you're talking about," Midoriya replied, before shaking his head and taking his hand off his face, "What am I continuing to go along with?"
In response, Todoroki raised a brow, it now becoming his turn to be confused. Again, he looked around the room, wondering if Midoriya had spotted something he hadn't, but there was nothing. Looking back toward Midoriya, Todoroki couldn't help but pause.
"Snake's abuse," Todoroki eventually stated, barely noticing Midoriya's growing look of shock. Midoriya, struck silent by the metaphorical anvil that fell on him, watched as the other teen slowly crossed his arms.
"What kind of man gives his child a gun? What kind of man puts his own son through rigorous training for years?" Todoroki inquired as Midoriya slowly shook his head.
"I asked for that," Midoriya countered, slowly becoming annoyed with Todoroki's accusations.
"Did you? Or were you pressured into it? Did he demand you do it? Did he make you think it was his idea?" Todoroki argued back, with Midoriya trying his best to stifle a groan.
"It was my idea. My dad did everything he could to stop me from following in his footsteps," Midoriya told him, Todoroki merely scoffing.
"He didn't do a good job then," Todoroki pointed out, Midoriya now slowly beginning to glare at Todoroki. The hell did he know, Midoriya thought. Just… how dare he? Todoroki didn't know a damn thing about him, yet he kept spouting insults at Snake. Had he not seen the massacre? Did he not know of Snake's deeds? After everything his father had gone through, after everything he'd done, and yet Todoroki kept describing him as a monster.
"I know what it's like to have someone else's vision being forced onto you," Todoroki continued, not noticing Midoriya's slowly growing anger, "To be made into their weapon, their tool. But where I choose to defy this vision, you go along with it."
Breath in and out, Midoriya thought to himself. Just keep calm.
"Why?" Todoroki questioned, and both teens soon went quiet. Tiredly, Midoriya tried to soften his glare, but in truth, it was difficult to do. He was angry, he was tired, and he couldn't bring himself to care. Hell, Midoriya was pretty sure he missed half of this conversation, as he did everything to force his eyes open. With a groan, Midoriya leaned forward, his hands slowly going to his face.
"Todoroki, there is very little you know about me. And that is for good reason," Midoriya told him, his hands now rubbing his eyes, "I was not press-ganged into the MSF. I was not born to be some weapon of their choosing."
"Then what are you?" Todoroki demanded, "Why put yourself through any of this willingly?"
Quietly, Midoriya just looked back at Todoroki. Ideas ran through his head of how everything could go down if he answered.
"Because my dad… was the closest thing I had to a hero," Midoriya hesitantly told him, his decision slowly being made. He did not owe Todoroki an explanation. He owed Todoroki nothing. But Midoriya wanted to go back to bed, and knew Todoroki wouldn't let this rest. Of course, the answer to that issue would be to just ignore him and leave. Yet… part of Midoriya wanted to set the record straight.
Ensure that Todoroki knows what kind of man Snake is, rather than having him keep believing those horrendous things. At the same time, some of Todoroki's words lingered in his tired mind, sticking out for unknown reasons. Midoriya tried to soften his glare with a deep breath; the best he got was an uncaring gaze.
"Years ago, I was kidnapped by a group of villains. For whatever reason, they thought I was the key to something," Midoriya quickly explained, the memories flooding back to him, "They… they experimented on me… for… for five months."
Unintentionally, he flinched when he thought back to those days. The searing pain that felt like it was in his skin, the many attempts the scientists had made to keep his screaming quiet, the cold of his old room… it was far too vivid.
"Five months where they did nothing but shoot electricity through me like a living battery. Five months where they hooked me up to a million different painful machines, injected me with drug cocktails I can hardly remember the contents of. And when they were done for the day, they locked me away in a cramped, dark room they barely cleaned," Midoriya continued, stopping for a moment to take a shuddering deep breath.
"I was only six," Midoriya stated coldly, "Dad got me out of there."
As Midoriya talked, Todoroki slowly looked at him, surprised. A tinge of regret seemed to cross his face, but it was gone in an instant.
"No cop, no hero, just him," Midoriya commented, as he slowly came to a new thought. One he didn't like to think about often.
"He gave me a home after mine was taken away. He protected me when things got tough," Midoriya explained, the image of his mom popping into his head. Yet the image was faded, distorted… wrong. It was difficult to remember her face. He hadn't seen it in years; the best he got was a generic face with dark green hair. It… it hurt Midoriya to think about it, so he shook that thought away.
"And growing up, I was surrounded by others like me. People he'd saved, like me," Midoriya continued, "Dad wasn't a perfect man, he's made a lot of mistakes, even used to be a different person before. But he does his best, doing whatever he can."
With an equally tired and annoyed sigh, Midoriya watched as Todoroki's face shifted to a look of regret… he thinks. It was hard to place; the other teens' expressions were always a mix of different cold glances. Midoriya was beginning to wonder if it was intentional or not.
"I want to do the same," Midoriya eventually stated confidently, "I always wanted to be a hero, but I could never do it like All Might. Or… really like most pro heroes. Not without a lot of help. But I could do it like my dad."
Hesitantly, Todoroki nodded, understanding what Midoriya meant to an extent. He stayed silent, though, as if he was going over everything in his head.
"The fact of the matter is, I'm not being abused. Dad's never laid a hand on me outside of training exercises," Midoriya told him, now watching as Todoroki slowly shifted on the couch.
"...So… you're not his successor?" Todoroki cautiously inquired, leaving Midoriya quiet for a second. Thinking it over, Midoriya wasn't entirely sure. Outer Heaven still had the matter of succession that needed to be worked out, just to figure out who the next Big Boss would be. It was annoyingly complex, so Midoriya just clicked his tongue.
"I don't know, maybe," Midoriya replied with a shrug, "Inheritance was never fully worked out, but the possibility is there."
Hearing the words, Todoroki again went quiet. A silent conversation ran through his mind, the teen seeming to zone out.
"...I appear to have misjudged you," Todoroki muttered, earning a tired nod from Midoriya.
"You have," Midoriya told him, now standing up from the couch, "Now, if you excuse me, Todoroki, I'm going to go back to bed."
With that, Midoriya turned and began walking away, the lull of sleep finally calling back to him. Can't believe this even happened, Midoriya thought to himself tiredly. This could have happened in the morning, but no, Todoroki had to wake him at three in the morning. It just… it made no sense. As Midoriya reached the dorm's elevator, he quietly thought back to everything that had been said.
For whatever reason, something still bugged him. I mean, seriously, he thought I was being abused, Midoriya mentally muttered. Why would he think that? What in the world makes us similar in his eyes? Family status, maybe? Todoroki is the son of Endeavor, so maybe it was a connection to wealth or prestige… no, then Yaoyorozu would have been a candidate as well. So would Iida… what then?
Why would Todoroki believe they were… the… same… Very suddenly, the dots connected in Midoriya's mind. His exhaustion quickly evaporated, his eyes widening rapidly. Instantly, Midoriya turned back around and booked it back to the common room, where he spotted Todoroki still sitting on the couch.
"You're being abused!?" Midoriya exclaimed, shocked, watching as Todoroki stayed quiet, before nodding slowly. Slumping back onto the couch, Midoriya dragged his hands over his face, panic quickly running through him.
"That was so rude of me, I'm so sorry," Midoriya told him quickly, "You came to talk thinking I could relate to your troubles, and I acted like nothing but a jerk to you. I'd like to blame sleep deprivation, but that would just be a lie. I have no excuse for my actions and am very, very sorry for how rude I was-"
Midoriya went on and on, Todoroki still staying silent. After the seventh apology, though, Todoroki raised his brow, confused, as Midoriya just kept going. Midoriya eventually noticed this and paused.
"R-right, sorry, I'm just rambling now," Midoriya muttered, taking a long, deep breath.
"Don't tell anyone," Todoroki told him, Midoriya now nodding back.
"I…" Midoriya tried to say, "I… don't know what to say… I had no idea."
That was dumb, Midoriya quickly realized. Practically no one had the knowledge that it was happening. No one in 1A at least… at least Midoriya thinks so. Before he could ask, Todoroki looked around the area again, seemingly becoming a habit to ensure the coast was clear. But once he was sure, Todoroki started talking. And Midoriya couldn't help but look back horrified.
Todoroki told him of his father's quirk marriage, of the death of his older brother, how all his memories had his mother crying, how Endeavor had him go through back-breaking training for years. Midoriya could only feel regret for his previous annoyance. Todoroki thought he had found someone who could relate, and Midoriya had just been a jerk. When Todoroki stopped talking, Midoriya found an opportunity to speak up.
"Have… have you told anyone?" Midoriya cautiously asked, and Todoroki shook his head no.
"Telling someone wouldn't achieve anything. Not with his money and influence," Todoroki grumbled, with Midoriya quietly understanding, "However, telling someone else would also hurt myself."
That, however, confused Midoriya. How in the world would telling people hurt him? Ignoring Endeavor's influence, Todoroki would be able to find help from others. People who could give him support against his father. How would staying quiet benefit him in any way? Seemingly hearing Midoriya's thoughts, Todoroki continued.
"I got in on recommendation, my father's recommendation. If his influence comes under question, so does my reputation," Todoroki reasoned, now slowly growing angry, "I want to be a hero. A better hero than he could ever be. But if the school assumes I'm unwell or unfit to be a hero because of his actions…"
It went unsaid, but Midoriya understood the rest of what Todoroki was implying. It made sense. Midoriya hated it, but it made sense. Abuse isn't just physical, but mental. And it takes a damn toll. So if Todoroki was deemed unwell, or if his father's reputation soured enough, then that would reflect on Todoroki's chances of being a hero. Now that Midoriya thought about it, that explained a lot about Todoroki. His constant cold gaze, his almost uncaring look, and his distancing from the entire class.
Still, even with all of that, Todoroki had been a stubborn character. Not exactly someone known to lie down and take it. And with that thought, Midoriya began to realize something.
"So instead you… Defy his vision, differently," Midoriya commented, watching as Todoroki nodded, "Well, what do you do? Ooh, is it something petty? Do you hide his phone in random places? Or do you put a stink bomb in his room? What about a glitter trap? Am I getting close? Did you put his belongings in jello?"
Pranks were honestly his best guess. A straight-up fight would end in Endeavor's victory, so a physical confrontation was a no-go. If Todoroki ran, Endeavor had the resources to find him again. Property damage would result in jail time, unfortunately, which left only one option: being the pettiest bastard imaginable. After all, it's not Todoroki's fault that Endeavor's drawer won't open, and that all his clothes were doused in All Might red, blue, and yellow.
It was all just… convenient. Petty enough to infuriate someone, but not enough to warrant retribution. Unfortunately, the suggestion seemed to have surprised Todoroki, the teen now grumbling quietly.
"... No… I probably should have done one of those," Todoroki muttered to himself, causing Midoriya to chuckle lightly. Shaking his head, Todoroki looked back at Midoriya, and with his usual cold gaze, said, "To defy his vision for me, I will not use his fire."
"...His fire," Midoriya hesitantly stated, not fully getting what Todoroki was saying. His fire… what did he mean? Didn't Todoroki have an ice quirk… wait, no, didn't he…
"Does your quirk have two aspects?" Midoriya inquired, watching as Todoroki nodded. For a further demonstration, the room got noticeably colder, a small trail of ice forming on Todoroki's couch. Moments later, the ice melted, as a small fire appeared on Todoroki's finger like a lighter. It was amazing, and Midoriya had to keep himself from going down a tangent. Especially when he noticed the notebook now in his hands… You know, maybe Uraraka had a point. How do they keep appearing?
Ignoring that question, Midoriya regained focus on the task at hand. Because right now, Midoriya couldn't help but be confused. Uraraka had said Todoroki's quirk had two aspects, UA's files said he had two aspects, yet all Midoriya had ever seen was the ice portion. This entire time, all Todoroki had used was ice.
"You've only been using one half of your quirk… this entire time…" Midoriya muttered, watching as Todoroki nodded.
"I will not give him the pleasure of being his weapon," Todoroki told him, "I will not use his fire."
At the proclamation, Midoriya couldn't help but look at Todoroki, stunned. He was just… rejecting fifty percent of his quirk… That is beyond stupid!? He was gifted with not one, but two different power sets, and he was refusing to use one of them!
"But… I thought you wanted to be a better hero than him? All you're doing is cutting off your nose to spite your face," Midoriya pointed out, watching as Todoroki looked back confused. With one hand, the teen reached up and touched his face, feeling to make sure his nose was still there.
"...I have not cut off my nose, though," Todoroki replied, causing Midoriya to sigh.
"Todoroki I… I mean to say…" Midoriya tried to explain, before taking another deep breath.
"...I get wanting to spite Endeavor, but all you're doing is holding yourself back," Midoriya rationalized tiredly, running a hand through his hair.
"You're not going to be a better hero than him if you only use half your quirk. All you're going to do is put people in danger," Midoriya added, watching as Todoroki's face soured.
"My ice is strong enough to deal with any threat-" Todoroki began to say, before Midoriya cut him off.
"Any threat that you know of," Midoriya pointed out, remembering the training exercises they'd gone through before.
"I've covered entire buildings in glaciers," Todoroki argued with a glare, while Midoriya crossed his arms.
"And in doing so, you've covered a building in a glacier," Midoriya countered, "You can't always go full power."
"I know," Todoroki grumbled back, "I've been practicing my control."
As if to demonstrate, Todoroki's arm shot forward, and a long trail of ice followed it. Compared to his usual attacks, it was much thinner, more precise, and it moved like a serpent. Soon, the ice enveloped a small cup left abandoned on the common room's coffee table. But it was only the coffee cup. The entire table, bar a small trail of ice, was fine. So were the couches Midoriya sat on, and so was the common room's carpet.
"My precision has improved these past few weeks. Given enough time, I will only get better," Todoroki stated, before melting the ice away, "I do not need my father's quirk, and I will not use my father's quirk."
"...Training will only get you so far, Todoroki," Midoriya argued, earning a scoff from the other teen.
"Trust me, I get wanting to spite him. But it shouldn't come at the cost of others," Midoriya continued tiredly, noticing that Todoroki seemed to care less the more he spoke. Slouching into the couch, Midoriya couldn't help but sigh.
"It's not even his quirk, it's yours," he muttered offhandedly, bringing a hand to his face. Staying quiet, Midoriya tried to think up a new argument. Anything that would get it through Todoroki's head that this was a bad idea. Nothing came up. Removing his hand from his face, Midoriya looked at Todoroki and saw the other teen quiet. With a contemplative look, he seemed to mutter to himself for a second.
"...Then what would you suggest?" Todoroki eventually inquired, catching Midoriya off guard. Did… did he convince him somehow? Midoriya wasn't fully sure. But he took it in stride and leaned forward on the couch.
"Could always pull some pranks," Midoriya replied, a small smile coming to his face, "My best friend back home was always a bit of a trickster. Knew how to set up a trap in just the right way, so that it looked completely natural and couldn't be traced back to him."
At that thought, Todoroki seemed intrigued, the teen slowly nodding along.
"And it's real petty stuff, too. It won't cause any physical harm, but each prank is just infuriatingly annoying. Like he'd hide someone's phone in the base's walls, and then place a bunch of fake copies all over the place. Then he'd call the main phone, and a dozen would go off, making it impossible to find," Midoriya told him, remembering the time in question. Part of Midoriya still found Rody's prank hilarious.
"That sounds… doable," Todoroki replied cautiously, before nodding his head gratefully, "Thank you."
Midoriya simply waved him off with a chuckle.
"What are friends for?" Midoriya replied offhandedly, causing Todoroki to pause.
"...We are friends?" Todoroki asked hesitantly, with Midoriya slowly realizing his words. As… Well, that probably wasn't the right saying. Should probably have said no problem and left it at that. Yet Midoriya quietly thought it over, and… well, Todoroki had been a bit rude ever since meeting him. All the abuse did give him some excuse, but his coldness was still there. Yet… Well, Midoriya couldn't find it in him to say no. Why not give him a second chance, Midoriya questioned.
"If you want to be," Midoriya replied, a friendly smile on his face, just as a new idea came to mind "Ooh, maybe that can be another way to spite your dad."
"How?" Todoroki questioned, while Midoriya's smile shifted to a smug grin.
"Well, with all the rigorous training you go through, it would surely anger him if you started wasting time goofing off with others," Midoriya answered, as Todoroki slowly realized what he meant. The teen didn't smile, but the new possibilities of screwing over his father were very appealing. Yet before he could agree, or say anything really, a helicopter flew over the dorms.
It was loud as it passed by, with Midoriya waving it off as a nightly patrol. Then a second helicopter flew by, just seconds after the first. A third quickly followed, and now both Midoriya and Todoroki looked up at the ceiling, confused. A fourth, fifth, and sixth helicopters shot by, along with the roar of jet engines.
"What the?" Midoriya questioned as he glanced back at Todoroki. Cautiously, the two booked it to the elevator, as a dozen helicopters flew by them. A million questions ran through Midoriya's mind, confusion and panic slowly coming to fruition. Especially as yet another helicopter flew by. These weren't night patrols; too many aircraft had passed by. They weren't training, who trained at three… actually now four in the morning.
Rushing upwards, Midoriya and Todoroki only came to a stop when they reached the top floor. Stepping out across the dorm's roof, Midoriya glanced over the skyline, right as a full squadron of jets flew by them. His eyes soon followed the aircraft as they flew, slowly drifting down. There, he spotted just what was happening. For Musutafu, on an average day, it was pitch black. But far out in the distance, near the ocean, Midoriya could spot the faint glow of fire.
All as the Musutafu Dockyard burned.
"As of yet, the MSF has reported that they are still counting up those that died; however, current estimates place around five hundred dead-"
"-roughly sixty tons of food, twelve emergency generators, four hundred thousand rounds of ammunition, a thousand G36s of differing variants-"
"I-I-I-I-t was like a portal to hell just opened up! And like a whole swarm of demons just came flooding out!"
"Whatever the fuck those things were, they were tough. Took a tank round to kill one of them."
"-Perpetrators have been identified as the League of Villains. The same group that attacked UA just a few short weeks ago."
"What this is, is the final straw! The nation of Japan has become nothing more than a lawless warzone! For the safety and security of China, they must be dealt with!"
Jiro was beginning to grow tired of the news. Actually, correction, she was beginning to grow tired of the media in general. Because as Kaminari kept changing the video on the common room TV, all Jiro found was the same old message as before. It was always another villain attack, always the cult spamming another message on the airwaves, another country calling for rearmament.
The same old crap over and over again. The only difference this morning was the perpetrators of the latest incident. When Jiro woke up, she found her phone covered in messages detailing the League of Villains' attack on the Musutafu Dockyard. Which… honestly, she hadn't expected. It felt like an eternity ago that the League was at the forefront of her mind. Then the Ninth Circle showed up and… and she almost forgot about the League.
But now they were seemingly back, the corpses of their monstrous nomus now covering the airwaves. Quietly, Jiro could only tremble at the thought. How could attacks like these become so common in just a month? It terrified her how quickly this had become normal. An expectation even. Eventually, though, Kaminari stopped scrolling through videos. Of course, almost instantly, the video caught her off guard. Blinking a few times, Jiro could have believed her eyes were tricking her.
"Is that Snake?" she asked aloud, swiftly gaining Kaminari's attention. The video Kaminari had stopped on was of a speech the US President was giving. And Snake stood right behind the President, with Miller by his side. Kaminari, for a few seconds, had the same reaction Jiro had. For a few minutes, the President spoke about something, Jiro not really paying attention to most of the speech.
"But know that these attacks will not go unpunished," the President would proclaim, as Jiro just watched Snake stand about. She didn't even know he left the country. No one did. He just up and left, for a press conference with the President of the United States… how!? Why!? But then the President dropped a bombshell.
"Through collaborative efforts with the Japanese Government and the MSF, it has been decided that a contingent of US heroes and troops will be sent to Japan," the President announced, now gaining Jiro's full attention.
"Together, I hope that we can restore order, peace, and safety to all those under the threat of the Ninth Circle, and now this League of Villains," the President added, leaving Jiro somewhat stunned. The MSF… had made a deal with the United States… they had talks with the United States!? It… it honestly kinda shocked her. Weeks ago, it seemed the MSF just appeared out of the blue.
Now the mercenaries were practically everywhere.
"That's insane," Jiro couldn't help but mutter, while Kaminari nodded in agreement.
"Can't believe the US is getting involved," Kaminari commented, while Jiro slowly began tapping the tips of her jacks together.
"Yeah… I don't know how to feel about that," Jiro replied, earning a confused look from the electric teen.
"Wouldn't this be a good thing? The US has got some great heroes with them," Kaminari pointed out, a smile crossing his face as he thought of the possibilities. With more outside help, everything would be back to normal in no time. But there was one problem.
"They do… but… it tells me things have gotten bad enough, that the outside world believes it's time to intervene," Jiro argued, causing Kaminari to pause for a second. Because when it was just the MSF, well, they were already here. They had a contract with UA to act as security, so going further to the rest of Musutafu would be expected, as how else would they guarantee UA's safety?
But the United States joining the fight, outside powers now joining the fight… it told Jiro exactly how bad things were. Japan was now reliant on outside help, incapable of holding off its own criminals. It was disheartening to think about. So Jiro shook the thought away, instead looking back at the TV.
"Can we put on something else? Something actually entertaining?" Jiro asked, as Kaminari switched to yet another video, this one again on the news. Honestly, all that ever seemed to be on nowadays was the news. Which… ok, not a big surprise, a lot of TV shows had their main stars killed in action. But still, there had to be something good on.
"Anything in mind?" Kaminari inquired, with Jiro shrugging in response.
"Nothing too long, obviously. Class is in what, an hour?" Jiro questioned, while Kaminari gave a so-so gesture.
"About," he replied, leaving the two to keep scrolling through videos. No matter what, they couldn't seem to find anything appealing. Kaminari would point out an hour-long lore video about the Sonic series, and Jiro would find a video going over custom guitars. Kaminari would find a comedy special, and Jiro would spot a live baseball game. Kaminari would see an old action movie, and Jiro would point out an old rhythm game let's play.
Overall, nothing seemed interesting to the two, and Kaminari eventually switched the TV off. It was annoying, but Jiro could only grumble to herself. But then, slowly, an idea came to her mind.
"You know, last I checked, I am still the reigning DMC master," Jiro commented, watching as Kaminari slowly turned toward her.
"For now," Kaminari replied, causing Jiro to smirk in response.
"Is that so, Jammingyay? Haven't beaten me yet," Jiro countered smugly, "Besides, you'd probably just electrocute the controller."
That earned a laugh from Kaminari, who quickly grabbed two controllers out from under the holotable.
"Oh ho ho, I wouldn't be so sure. You're not gonna, hear, my victory coming," Kaminari joked, quickly passing Jiro a controller.
"Boooooo," Jiro told him, now turning the TV back on. Rather quickly, the game was pulled up. The one and only Devil May Cry 8. Watching as the title screen popped up, Jiro found Kaminari quickly plopping down next to her.
"You're going down," Kaminari told her, to which Jiro smirked back.
"Bet," she replied, now loading up the game. When it was released, Devil May Cry 8 had been given a neat little arena-based PVP mode. In this gamemode, Jiro had always been privy to choosing Nero as her main. Kaminari, meanwhile, would always go for Trish. Of course, Jiro always found his reasoning to be suspect.
"I just like her fighting style!" would always be his response… before immediately switching to Dante. This time, he'd stuck to Trish, though, doing his best to avoid Jiro's eyes. Chuckling to herself and subtly elbowing Kaminari, Jiro found both their characters had been chosen. The map soon loaded in, displaying a large gothic castle, covered in almost flesh-like shrubbery.
Slowly, the game began to count down. The second the match started, Jiro launched forward, his large sword quickly slashing at Kaminari. Kaminari, as quickly as possible, dodged to the side before shooting lightning toward Jiro. Rather simply, Jiro jumped over it, her character landing on the ground in a roll. By which point, Jiro had closed a remarkable distance and was now a few feet away from Kaminari.
In a swift motion, Jiro drew a revolver and fired. Two rounds struck Kaminari and staggered him. Unable to do much more, he watched his character get launched into the air as Jiro slashed him with her sword. By then, it was pretty much over. Not because the game was won, no. It was over because Jiro just kept Kaminari locked in a combo. In mid-air, she'd continually slash, stab, and shoot him over and over again.
She'd throw him at a wall, only to pull him back seconds later and shoot him in the skull. Her character would stop to taunt him, before spinning like a Beyblade and slashing his stomach. Each input was precise, timed to the exact second to keep Kaminari from recovering. If anything, it was a tad bit too easy. To Jiro, this was all like playing an instrument. Each attack followed the tempo of strikes, slashes, and stabs. And each input followed the note of a song.
An almost unheard metronome just clicked by the longer the time went. Y button, X button, wait, X button, Y button, X button, wait, wait, X button, X button. A sharp, B sharp, A, D, rest, rest, E, G, F sharp, etc. Was it a particularly good song? No, if anything, it was a random assortment of notes. But nonetheless, it kept Kaminari in a state of panic, as his character finally keeled over.
"Nero wins!" the TV blasted, causing Jiro to laugh eagerly, while Kaminari looked at the TV, shocked.
"You and your damn combos," he eventually muttered, Jiro again laughing.
"Get good," she replied smugly, as Kaminari rolled his eyes. Seeing the electric teen look toward the clock, she found they still had time for another round. And rather quickly, Kaminari started up another game.
"Rematch!" he exclaimed, before Jiro could even protest, leaving the girl to sputter for a moment. But she recovered quickly, dodging before Kaminari could strike. As this happened, though, she heard the sound of footsteps walking toward the dorms. It was faint, barely noticeable. It was also followed by an odd clicking. Turning away from the TV, Jiro could only wonder who was coming. That was, until Yaoyorozu walked into the dorms. Seeing the heiress, Jiro took a moment to wave at her friend.
"Hey, Yaomomo," Jiro called out, unintentionally startling the other girl. It also gave Kaminari time to recover, forcing Jiro to look back toward the TV.
"Where were you?" Jiro soon asked through gritted teeth, as she now desperately tried to dodge Kaminari's attacks. At the same time, the rocker could hear Yaoyorozu shift in place nervously. Immediately, it struck Jiro as odd, the girl was now swiftly pausing the game. Much to Kaminari's chagrin. As Kaminari loudly exclaimed, "Come on!", Jiro soon looked back at Yaoyorozu.
Only now, after she finally got a good look at her friend, did Jiro find that Yaoyorozu was wearing her new hero costume. However, the costume was also in… let's just say a rough state. Yaoyorozu was drenched in sweat from head to toe, her ponytail even struggling to stay upright. Her costume was torn slightly and stained with blue paint. The girl's hands, meanwhile, were stained red with what Jiro hoped was also paint.
But the biggest thing that stuck out was two large pieces of metal that Yaoyorozu very carefully had hidden behind her back. What the metal was, Jiro wasn't sure. The pieces looked kinda like a gun… a worryingly large gun, something akin to a hand cannon. But Jiro shot that possibility down. Didn't seem like something Yaoyorozu would be into.
"Oh, ah, nowhere… jogging, I was jogging!" the heiress eventually replied nervously, only furthering Jiro's suspicion.
"Jogging… in… your hero costume?" Jiro questioned, Yaoyorozu slowly nodding in response. By now, Kaminari had become interested in what was going on, and the electric teen pointed toward the metal behind Yaoyorozu's back.
"What are those?" Kaminari asked, with Yaoyorozu freezing for just a moment.
"...Fidget toys," Yaoyorozu replied cautiously, as she hid the "fidget toys" behind her fully.
"Oh, cool," Kaminari commented, now turning back to the TV. It left Jiro stunned for a second, but she couldn't say anything else. By the time she was ready to question Yaoyorozu again, Kaminari had unpaused the game. Quickly, she whipped around, now trying to hold back Kaminari's attacks. And at the same time, she heard Yaoyorozu begin to walk away. With a final glance out of the corner of her eye, Jiro could have sworn Yaoyorozu was spinning the "fidget toys" around, flipping them around in clumsily done tricks.
Everything had gone perfectly. In just that single night, the League had managed to steal millions of dollars worth of supplies. And as he sat in the bar, watching as the rest of his thugs went over the spoils of their raid, Shigaraki couldn't help but smirk. They stole body armor, food, water, medical supplies, emergency generators, spare clothes, communications equipment, fuel, tools, and best of all, guns.
Lots and lots of guns. Nothing overly powerful, unfortunately, after all, the Germans hadn't sent the cops RPGs. But there were enough assault rifles, shotguns, submachine guns, and pistols to fully arm the League. That, in Shigaraki's eyes, was good enough for now. The League only had a small handful of guys, so most of the weapons they'd stolen would be put in storage for the time being.
Soon, though, soon the League would be back on the map, Shigaraki thought to himself. A raspy, glee-filled chuckle escaped his lips as he thought about it. Everything would soon be back on track. The Ninth Circle would be shown as the NPCs they truly are, All Might would die by his hand, and that damn cowboy would be turned to dust. And once all that was finally accomplished, this wretched hero society will crumble-
A pained shriek filled the bar, a gunshot going off right behind Shigaraki. Flinching for a moment, Shigaraki whipped around to spot two thugs slumped in a booth. One held a smoking P12 in their hand, the other was busy clutching his right arm, which was now bleeding onto his hand.
"You fucking shot me!" one thug yelled, groaning in pain, while the other protested in response.
"Put that thing down!" a different thug yelled out, the entire bar flinching as the armed thug ignorantly pointed the P12 toward everyone. The entire scene did nothing but annoy Shigaraki. On second thought, the League might need more time to prepare. Looking around the bar, Shigaraki noted the current display was… well, he had a feeling it would be quite common.
It was one thing to have a bunch of guns, it was another to know how to use them. After all, Shigaraki didn't know how to use one; he just knew they'd be good to have. It was clear that time would be needed to train this rabble into a worthwhile party. So with a groan, he turned back to the bar and motioned for Kurogiri to bring him a drink. Seconds later, a portal would form next to him, and Shigaraki would catch a falling glass.
Taking a sip, Shigaraki would slowly begin thinking of their next course of action. At the same time, he'd hear the familiar crackle of electricity before noting Shikabane's presence. The tiny… nomu… corpse… whatever the hell he was, sat down a few stools away. There, he took off his kabuki mask, revealing a young, heavily scarred face. Most of the scarring was around the forehead and temple, though it was hard to see with Shikabane's hoodie on.
With a sigh, the villain looked around bored, seemingly inpatient with everything.
"Now what?" the little punk demanded, with Shigaraki mentally groaning.
"Nothing," Shigaraki replied, earning an annoyed scoff from Shikabane.
"Right now, we've gained the attention of the world. Until the cult does something, we're going to be target number one. So, we're going to wait for the heat to die down," Shigaraki further explained, taking a quick pause to drink from his glass, "We'll train up our group, recruit more people, and then raid another ship. Or maybe a convoy going through Musutafu."
So long as it wasn't an escort mission, Shigaraki mentally joked, before again taking a drink. The League would stay in the shadows, only coming out when the coast was clear and the loot was good. At the same time, Shikabane took a moment to look around the vacant bar, his face slowly souring the more he looked.
"Tch, training wouldn't be needed if you didn't bring in so many nobodies," Shikabane argued, earning an annoyed glance from Shigaraki, "Useless, all of them. And here I thought you were supposed to be a group of big-time villains."
"Beat you, didn't I?" Shigaraki replied smugly, taking a moment of delight as Shikabane flinched. Leaning onto the bar's counter, Shigaraki slowly slouched on his bar stool.
"You are right, though, the League needs some added muscle," Shigaraki conceded, as annoying as it was to admit. The nomu were a godsend for the League of Villains, but they still took time to make. Not to mention, most were dumb as a box of rocks, only capable of following orders. Sure, the Doctor's research would improve with time, but Shigaraki needed capable villains now.
"Thankfully, our latest job is guaranteed to bring in some fresh blood," Shigaraki commented, a slow smirk taking hold of his face. After all, the League was the first villain organization to win against the MSF. It wasn't a massive victory, and the MSF would definitely be better prepared next time, but it was a victory nonetheless. That alone would help the League's reputation by making them seem more of a credible threat. Given enough time, Shigaraki was sure villains would flock to them.
If not because of their victory, then at the very least, their newly acquired loot. Should the war the world is fearing come, then global trade would come to a standstill. So if villains wanted food or medical aid, who else would they go to but the League? Of course, this didn't seem to please Shikabane.
"Doubt they'll be much compared to me," the freak commented, with Shigaraki again becoming annoyed. Yeah, he was beginning to prefer letting the little bastard die again. If just to shut him up. But Shikabane had willingly joined the League. It took a little convincing from Shigaraki's part, as their first meeting was… complicated. Shikabane's free will clashed heavily with the Doctor's efforts to subdue him, and the monster definitely held a grudge against Shigaraki.
Yet, they'd come to an understanding, one constructed of different views, but the same goal. An end to hero society, and the ability to do or destroy whatever they pleased. And while annoying, Shigaraki was sure they'd get things done swimmingly.