—...What the hell happened to you guys?— Shigaraki asked coldly, his tone flashing with so much venom that his mouth felt dry and sour.
Before him, Abura was wiping his broken teeth with a pained expression, Mr. Compress was trembling wrapped in blankets, and Dabi lay unconscious on an operating table completely naked, his already battered flesh now worse than ever.
—Ah, the mission went wrong, boss— replied the oily fat man, taking a mirror to admire the bruised disaster that was his face.
—Yes, I can notice that. My question is more about How you failed... Again— Shigaraki clarified, although his presence was reduced by several levels.
Frankly, he didn't care much. His mind wasn't focused enough to worry about a failed mission. Not when something much, much worse had happened.
All For One, his Master, his guide, was defeated by the Symbol of Peace and taken into custody. And he did nothing to help him.
He wasn't even present, too busy with another one of his tantrums to realize that his Master had drawn All Might's attention to himself, indirectly allowing Tomura to escape that cursed city unharmed.
His Master gave everything for him, and he just wasted time with petty grudges.
—Shigaraki Tomura— Kurogiri called, pulling the lost disciple out of his corrosive thoughts.
Tomura looked up, finding himself the center of attention of what was left of his League of Villains.
Magne had an injured arm, Dabi was worse than shit, Himiko had betrayed them.
Only Kurogiri, Spinner, Abura, and himself were in immediate operating condition, but Abura was an agent hired solely for his repression of Terumi Mei and Spinner was acting strangely.
Compress would recover faster than the other two, but he would need rest, and Twice already had his hands full, executing some tasks for Tomura.
—This is a disaster...— he thought with regret. But the whole situation, the losses they suffered, the humiliation his Master was subjected to across Japan by lying on the ground, bruised and defeated by All Might, gave Tomura the drive he needed.
He felt hatred. A deep, corrosive, burning hatred.
Hatred for society, for Japan, for Heroes. Dangerous ideas danced in his head as the members of his group watched him with unfocused eyes and doubtful expressions, unsure of what they would do next.
—Abura— Shigaraki said in a neutral, relaxed tone, as if he hadn't been on the verge of collapsing just seconds ago. —Can you contact those friends you told me about? We need manpower around here.
The fat man blinked a couple of times, his mouth wide open as he examined the damage to his teeth. The corners of his lips curved mysteriously.
—Kuku, sure Boss, but I need to fix this or my girlfriend won't want me anymore— the man nodded.
Shigaraki shuddered at the reminder of that girlfriend, but he didn't reprimand Abura. The man had actually worked efficiently, despite the failures under his belt.
His demands, beyond money, were something Tomura could meet. And as his Master would say...
*********************************
In a hospital room in Yokohama city, the remnants of the Wild Wild PussyCats team gathered with their teammate Ragdoll, who was still unconscious and bedridden.
Sōsaki Shino held the hand of her teammate and friend, her expression depressed at the news that Ryūko could not be found.
To one side, Tiger stood guard with his arms crossed over his chest and his Hero suit equipped. His posture betrayed barely contained aggression; his eyes burned with frustration and rage.
Now, what he wanted most was to find his friend and break some bones.
At that moment, the room door opened and Tiger turned to meet the gazes of Eraser Head and young Terumi, whose plan was the reason for Tomoko's current condition.
—She still hasn't woken up— Tiger said with a colder tone than he intended, but he didn't apologize.
Professional Hero or not, he never agreed with the idea of an inexperienced child playing with the safety of his teammates this way. The result was mixed, as the priority objective was achieved, but at the expense of his own team.
Tetsumaru stopped at the door, clearly sensing the animosity from the man, and noticing that Mandalay was not looking at him.
He simply nodded and turned around, leaving that place where he wasn't welcome.
Tiger maintained his intimidating posture throughout, not missing a single one of the shinobi's movements, while Mandalay sighed to herself.
She didn't agree with this plan either, but it was Tomoko's decision. She didn't want to blame Tetsumaru, but it was very difficult for her to just smile and pretend nothing bad was happening.
Meanwhile, in the hospital corridors, Aizawa and Tetsumaru walked in silence, neither being very talkative in the first place, much less after the, justified, treatment from the Wild Wild PussyCats.
The Hero and Teacher of class 1-A deemed it appropriate to exercise his duties as a Sensei and offer some comfort to his student.
—Would you like to eat something?— he asked casually.
—Would you like to pay for it?— Tetsumaru retorted.
Aizawa rolled his eyes. Despite himself, a faint smile played on his lips, and he didn't reply.
Both left the hospital and its depressive atmosphere, finding a street food stall nearby and dedicating themselves to grabbing a bite before meeting up with Power Loader and Midnight to return to Musutafu.
On the return trip, Aizawa and Tetsumaru had to endure Midnight's endless complaints about having gone to eat without taking her along.
********************************
As expected, the images of the Symbol of Peace's true condition were a cold shower for many in the Nation.
The media exploded with the news, leaving almost completely in the dark the fact that Sero Hanta was found and rescued, or that Pixie-Bob was still missing.
The destruction in Yokohama was a footnote, and only a few seconds were dedicated to the deceased in that confrontation, as well as the Professional Heroes who risked their integrity, such as Ragdoll, Endeavor, Gran Torino, Hawks, and Best Jeanist.
Society was agitated and the media was not helping with that, the Hero Public Safety Commission was trying to appease the discontent for having hidden this news, and the criminal scum received it with enthusiasm and ambition.
Movement in the underworld became more active and dangerous groups, both internal and external, plotted accordingly.
Without All Might, many doors would open, and there were people willing to walk through them to fulfill their goals.
And Shigaraki Tomura wanted to be the first.