Behind a mask [Villian Deku]

Chapter 47: Kirishima

Izuku lifted his head groggily from the paper covered desk. Awoken by a slight knock at the door, he sat up slowly, calling the expected visitor in. He sat upright in his chair, yawning as Toga entered the room. "Heya! I brought Eri!"

Behind Toga, hands clasped nervously, Eri came into view. Her hair was braided into two plaits, keeping her hair out her face. "Who did her hair?"

"It was me! Don't worry, I made sure to be careful and didn't touch her."

"Okay then." Izuku hopped out of his seat, crouching down before Eri. Timidly, she approached him, her feet dragging as she took her steps. Her horn seemed to be slightly bigger, protruding outwards a few inches. Izuku presumed it had something to do with her quirk, due to the lack of any other explanation.

"You ready to go?"

Eri nodded, taking Izukus hand as he waved to Toga. "I'm leaving Compress in charge for today. I'll be back in a few hours."

"Wait, where are you going?"

"Don't worry, I'll tell you later!"

Izuku left the office, child in hand, leading her through the winding corridors, purposely avoiding Chisaki's direction. Apparently, Overhaul had been collaborating with Compress, developing a gas that could weaken quirks, using the excess DNA from Eri. The drugs were also effective, which he had seen first hand in the black market. Either way, he was hoping to use both of the concoctions to weaken the heroes before he struck.

Of course, the tests weren't just about seeing the effect of the gas, but also seeing how much damage they could cause. A few days ago, he had sent Dabi to neutralise a hero who was also a teacher at UA. The drug was able to disable his quirk entirely, leaving him completely helpless. However, they weren't as effective on quirks specifically tied to body mutations, like animalistic quirk. Either way, after the hero was disposed of, the data went to Compress and Overhaul, so they could replicate the drug which was more effective on mutated quirks. That way they could try and bring down Nezu quickly.

This war would be one about calculation and precise moves. So, Izuku had to think ahead if they had a chance to beat them.

"Umm. Mr Izuku...?"

Izuku looked down at Eri, who had stopped in her tracks. Izuku looked forward and realised he was in front of a door. He chuckled, rubbing the back of his neck. "Sorry, lost in thought. Is something wrong?"

"What are we...doing?"

Izuku grasped the handle to the door, pushing it down and swinging it open. The pair came face to face with a large open facility, which was virtually empty. "This is where I trained with my own quirk a while ago. It became a bit unusable after my teacher left." Izuku pointed to the cracks and burns on the walls. Eri was slightly unnerved by this, tightening her grip on Izuku's hand. "This is where I'm going to help you learn how to use your own quirk."

"I...I..."

"Don't worry, it won't hurt at all."

Eri relaxed slightly, letting go of his hand and walking with him to the centre of the room. Izuku sat down, cross legged as he stared at Eri. "Okay. First, I want you to try and use your quirk."

Eri sat opposite him, hand clenched in her lap. She shook slightly, looking hesitantly at Izuku. Beads of sweat formed on her head as she recounted Chisaki's words.

Curse.

Curse.

".
I...I can't..."

Izuku sighed, lifting his hand to his mouth. He eyed Eri, noticing her standoff-ish behaviour. She stared at her lap, unable to look Izuku in the eye.