Everyone except Tsuyu sat down. It was quiet for a few minutes and Izuku could only assume their minds were racing the same way he was. What did this mean for him? For the commission? "Why are we just now seeing real-time footage of the fires? It's been hours. You would think your house exploring in blue flames would be pretty memorable. And how would they set fire to all those houses at the same time and not have anyone see them?" Izuku asked. He was forcing himself to stay rational, to stay calm. The League being back was bad news, obviously, but it also brought forth conflicting feelings. He was scared. He was also slightly excited. He knew he shouldn't be. There would most likely be many more casualties before they were caught again, but this opening gave him a chance to do something he never could have in high school. Izuku couldn't have fought them but Occult could.
"I doubt I would take out my camera and start recording if my home was being engulfed in flames," Shouji pointed out. His eyes had been fixated on Izuku ever since the realization. He looked nervous as if he somehow knew what Izuku was thinking.
Izuku took out his phone and started scrolling through social media to see if there were any other posts from other perspectives but there was nothing. There hadn't even been any other pictures. That was even more odd. People film everything nowadays, so why would this be the exception? People were talking about it but as he kept scrolling he realized none of the comments made were by people that were there.
"Do you think it could be blackmail? Maybe one of the members threatened the witnesses to keep their mouths shut," Tokoyami said.
"Or threatened a civilian into starting the fire," Shouji added.
Tsuyu seemed to finally snap out of her panic. She sat down shakily next to Izuku and said, "If All For One is still leading them he would have just ordered them to kill the witnesses. There would be no point in leaving them alive. It would only draw more attention to the crime."
"There could have been someone hiding there they were trying to smoke out literally," Izuku said.
Tokoyami shook his head. "I can't imagine anyone powerful to hide from the entire League."
"Why else would they be committing all these petty little crimes? It doesn't make sense. They aren't even trying to hide it. It's like- I don't know, like they want us to realize. Are they trying to scare us into submitting before a war even starts?" Izuku asked. He thought back to USJ, to the early days. He and Tsuyu looked over at each other at the same time. He could tell by her wide eyes she was thinking the same thing. "Unless they are trying to distract us. It's kind of smart. They have one of their lesser members doing all these media-grabbing crimes while something else is building behind the scenes. They must be planning something. All For One and Shigaraki are a lot of things but they aren't stupid."
"If that's true, we are all screwed," Dark Shadow interjected. Everyone looked up at him, exasperated. That was not what they needed to hear right now.
"Read the room," Izuku said and shook his head in mock disapproval. But the shadow demon was right, they needed to take action, quickly. "Tsuyu, do you think you can find out when the League escaped and why the commission is hiding it? You are the highest ranking of all of us and they like you a hell of a lot more than they like me."
Tsuyu nodded. "Of course, kero."
"Good. Then the next time there's a crime, we head in the opposite direction. Most of their stunts have been on the outskirts of the city. If anything is happening it's in one of the old district buildings or maybe even underground. I doubt they're operating remotely. Everything has been pretty central to Musutafu."
"Not alone. We need to go all together," Shouji said, he looked around the room somberly. "If we are doing this without help there's a good chance we could get killed. We need to be extremely careful. I am sorry but if I think any of you are going too far I won't hesitate to tell Tsukauchi. It isn't worth it."
"I think that sounds reasonable. None of us except Midoriya are reckless and I'm sure he will take this more seriously," Tokoyami agreed. He shot Izuku a dark look, well, as dark of a look that someone could give while being bullied by their quirk.
"We could always put a tracker on him," Shouji suggested. He only seemed to be partly joking.
Izuku scowled. He debated for a minute if he was going to push back but now wasn't the time for him to go along with what they usually did. He held everyone's gaze steadily as he said, "We aren't under Aizawa's reign any more guys, now is the time to be taking risks. That's what heroes do."
"There's more to being a hero than just being willing to die," Tsuyu snapped. "You are-" she took a breath and her next words came out more evenly. "All of us are too valuable. I agree with Shouji, we can't do anything rash. I came to you about this, well partly because you are smart, despite so much evidence to the contrary. If anyone can figure out what is going on it's you kero. I came to you first and foremost because you are one of my best friends and I trust you. But if you pull any of the shit you have in the past I won't hesitate to cut you off from this case."
Izuku was stunned into silence. He rarely heard her swear and it was even more rare to hear her threaten him. She was the only one who truly understood why he wanted a chance to fight the League of Villians. He thought she would understand why he was willing to put it all out there. Maybe he'd been a bit reckless when first starting in the industry, the rush of it all had gone to his head and there'd been a handful of times Tsuyu had to either cover for him, save him, or both. But he wasn't that guy anymore.
"Midoriya," she prompted, voice low and soft. Her eyes were pleading.
Izuku nodded wordlessly.
—
He waited until nightfall before he went out looking for them, partly because he needed to catch up on sleep and partly because Shouji lived across the street from him and could see him leaving if he looked out his window. It didn't matter either way, there was nothing to find. Izuku broke into two different warehouses but the only thing he stumbled across was a drug deal. By the time he brought them into custody, it was already the end of his shift. He hadn't been patrolling where he was supposed to be and he didn't want to raise suspension by asking for a location change, which meant he needed to avoid Tsukauchi and be gone before the morning shift officers came in.
The day was restless for him. The power had turned back on two hours after he'd gotten home, but the cold had seemed to make a home for itself here and Izuku didn't dare turn his heat any higher in fear of the astronomical bill. He did everything he could to try and tire himself out enough to sleep but the longer he was in his bed the more awake he became. He was too cold to sleep. His room was too quiet. Izuku gave up around noon and decided to take another shower. He took his time, massaging shampoo into his curls the way he was supposed to but rarely did. He stayed until his eyes burned from soap and the hot water had turned frigid. The smell of the vanilla body scrub Tsuyu had gotten for him was overpowering and he was beginning to regret not leaving the bathroom door open. The room was so fogged up he had to use his towel on the mirror to see his reflection.
It was always an out-of-body feeling for him to see himself in pictures and mirrors. He always expected to see the baby cheeks of his youth and out-of-control freckles. Sometimes he forgot he was twenty-three and not thirteen anymore. Cheekbones had seemed to materialize out of nowhere, they made his face more angular and shadowed, which admittedly did help seeing as it seemed impossible for him to attempt to grow a beard of any kind. Without the layer of baby fat, his eyes seemed disproportionate, too wide for his face, like he was trapped in a constant state of surprise. His hair, well, that couldn't be helped. It would forever be unruly. The red mark on his cheek had already faded to almost nothing. He didn't look like the heroes he saw on TV, he tried not to let it bother him, but it did. He looked normal, the most average of average. Growing up, his mother had said he was being silly but Izuku couldn't help but think he looked quirkless like the word was written in bright red across his chest. Being quirkless was his scarlet letter and no matter how far he went to hide it, he felt like he could be revealed within a second glance.
Izuku tore his eyes away from the mirror and got dressed quickly, opting for sweatpants and an old gray t-shirt seeing as he wouldn't be going out again until that night. He headed to his home lab, locked securely away by a key he kept hidden in an old novel he'd bought when he still had time to read leisurely. It wasn't much of a lab, it was a small guest room only slightly bigger than his bedroom, the only other room in the apartment. If his landlord knew she might kill him. He'd drilled numerous shelves into the wall and had dedicated each corner to its own specific pile of junk. He turned on his focus playlist and pulled out an old version of his Occult mask. The blackout had given him an idea. Most of the city streets were well-lit enough that he never needed to worry about being able to see, but the League would meet somewhere hidden, somewhere dark.
Izuku hadn't realized how late he'd been working until he glanced out the window to see the sun had long since set. He swore, shoving the papers off the table to find the key and lock it up. He stuffed the mask in his backpack haphazardly as he hurried out the door. Checking his phone was a lost cause at this point, he didn't want to know who and how many were mad at him.
He barreled through the back entrance, nearly taking out the adjacent wall as he rushed into the commission. Izuku yanked the mask over his head too quickly, his hair pressed uncomfortably against his forehead and it was crooked but there was no time. He could hear voices coming from down the hall and cringed, what were his odds of slipping past them into his changing room? He walked even faster and ducked his head low.
"Occult! Perfect timing! Come on in," a bellowing voice called out.
Izuku stopped and turned, looking through the open doorway to see Asahi, the head of the underground hero department, Tsyuyu, Shouji, and Tokoyami all standing together. Curiosity outweighed his embarrassment and he entered quickly, shutting the door behind him. "Um, hey," Izuku said awkwardly through the voice modulator.
"Didn't you read the whole text? You don't need to wear your mask," Asahi chuckled. "Everyone in this room has full approval to know your identity, don't worry. I believe you know Froppy Tentacole and Jet-Black Hero. Froppy and I just got out of a meeting to discuss the new team," he announced proudly. His face reddened with each word and Izuku couldn't if he was excited or out of breath. He was one of those people who he never knew how or why they got the job he did. He was loud, even his whispers were loud, and he had the bad habit of leaving doors open during private meetings. Bad for him- Izuku however, benefitted immensely but hearing 'secret' information only some of the higher ranking heroes received.
"The four of us," Tsuyu nodded. "Remember how we were talking about patrolling together due to the increased crime rate?"
"The dream team," Asahi beamed. "I don't know why I didn't think of it before. Occult and Tentacole could do an excellent job scouting out the area together with Froppy and Jet-Black on combat."
Izuku pulled off his mask and did his best to smooth down his hair. "And me on combat," he added incredulously.
Asahi frowned and opened his mouth, to probably say something inadvertently insulting, but Tsuyu beat him to it. "We can work out our strategy later," she said.
"So what do you say Occult?" Asahi asked a little less confidently.
This was beginning to feel like an ambush. Was Tsuyu seriously going this far because she thought Izuku would go out looking alone? Where was the trust? Izuku plastered a polite smile on his face and said agreeably, "I'm willing to do whatever is best for the city."
"Perfect!" Asahi cheered. "I'll work on figuring out the schedules. Of course, the three of you are used to working daylight hours so we may need to do some reconfiguring," he said to the other three. He began to talk about hours and paperwork. Izuku zoned out, thinking of places in the city he'd yet to check.
He interpreted Asahi and asked, "Can we start right now?"
Asahi blinked a few times before that weird steady smile returned to his face. "I love the enthusiasm, however as I was saying, we will need to run it past the ones upstairs and fill out the necessary forms first." He continued with his whole speech. The problem with people who worked in the commission was they got a thrill from dictating to the people who protected the city. He was sure it was a whole new kind of rush to see a hero save the day after they were the one who commanded them to do it. But Izuku had never done well existing under someone else's thumb. The only reason he hadn't pushed his limits further in U.A. was because both Nezu and Recovery Girl scared the hell out of him.
Izuku let out an impatient sigh. His fingers tapped restlessly against his leg. Without really listening to the last thing Asahi had said, Izuku excused himself. "Understood. Well, I should get back to patrolling. Give my best to Tsukauchi." He could feel eyes on him as he was leaving.
He had just yanked on his costume and gotten out to the street when 'the dream team' caught up to him. "Took you guys long enough," Izuku said with a grin. He turned to Tokoyami. "Is Hyde gonna be okay, Jekyll?"
"As long as we aren't in pitch darkness I can handle it."
"Then what are we waiting for? I know the perfect place to go first." Izuku didn't wait for an answer and started to lead them in the opposite direction of where he'd searched the other night. It didn't take too long, the beach was always closer than he thought. It was quiet tonight, as he suspected it had been for the past couple of years. When he was growing up, that little strip of sand felt like a wonderland. There are so many people and vendors popping in and out, a child's dream. But the last few times he had been out here it had been deserted, save for two guys off in the distance that looked like they were training for something.
It still smelled the same. The air was damp and salty, too thick to match the weather that existed outside this little bubble. He remembered his mom telling him that saltwater could heal anything, from headaches to heartache, one long walk on the beach and a dip of the toe into the waves would do. He had taken Hitoshi here a few times towards the beginning of their friendship. Hitoshi had complained about the sand, saying it ingrained itself in all his stuff no matter how many times he washed it. But every time Izuku had asked, he'd still agreed to go. They had walked up and down the part of the beach clean enough to walk, most of the surrounding area had become somewhat of a junkyard. Izuku had just joked it got rid of pesky tourists and Hitoshi had joked about needing ten more tetanus shots. Izuku secretly loved the way Hitoshi would steer him away from the rubble and trash. He was always so vigilante, making sure Izuku did not so much as step on a sharp seashell. He would never say anything, just put a hand on Izuku's back and guide him around the obstacle. The only time Izuku felt like he could truly turn off his brain and let his guard down was when Hitoshi was looking out for him in that way. He'd never been taken care of like that before.
It looked more like a junkyard than ever before, trash was piled so high and wide he could barely make out the sand beneath. It was a maze of car parts, broken glass, rotting food that looked like a biohazard.
Tsuyu walked up next to him. "You think they would meet here?"
"It matches Shigaraki's aesthetic perfectly. Plus who in their right mind would go sniffing around here? They'd probably get an infection if they inhaled too hard," Izuku said with a shrug.
Tokoyami had started kicking some of the old metal disks around with his boot, probably looking for any kind of DNA evidence.
"Is that a deadly fungus?" Izuku asked and squatted down next to the disk that had just grazed Tokoyami's leg.
"What?" Tokoyami exclaimed. He backed up quickly and his eyes widened comically.
Izuku glanced up. "Oh no, my mistake, it was a speck of dirt."
Tokoyami brushed his hands over his costume and shuddered. "Alright," he announced. "Let's split up. I'll take Tsuyu. Shouji, you can take that thing," he said and gestured to Izuku.
Izuku hopped up and over to a disgruntled-looking Shouji. "That thing is cool with that. Let's go Tentacole. I'm not a betting man but I'd be willing to place a bet we will find them first."
They stayed closer to the shoreline while Tsuyu and Tokoyami took on some of the surrounding buildings and alleys. The beach felt louder than the city, with the ever-rumbling waves pushing on the sand and the breeze rustling trees, it was easy to sneak behind shrubs and old posts that were scattered across the line where the grass thinned and sand started. Izuku wished he could take off his shoes and feel the ground beneath his feet, but there were too many glass shards hidden in the dark.
He liked working with Shouji, he was quiet but not in a way that made Izuku feel like he was being judged for talking. They hadn't become close until their second year at U.A.. Izuku had been trying to figure out who Tsuyu was having a fling with after he'd found a note that had fallen out of her backpack telling her to meet him in an empty classroom on the second floor after class. A classroom that was notorious for being a hookup spot. Shouji must have also picked up on the way Tsuyu was acting a lot more dreamy and giggly than usual because he'd bumped into Izuku in the stairwell and admitted to trying to find Tsuyu. With his ears and Izuku's ability to be stealthy, they had thought they were invincible, up until the point Aizawa had caught them sneaking around the school after hours and given them detention. They never did find out who the mystery guy was but it became their private joke and that was somehow better than knowing.
There was a shift in the air that made Izuku freeze. He grabbed one of Shouji's protruding arms and gently pulled to get his attention. Bringing a finger to his lips, he pulled him behind a rusted refrigerator that had fallen on its side. Shouji had to almost lay himself flat to fully be hidden but thankfully he figured it out just in time. Two voices swam out from the distance, growing louder with each second. Izuku thought it might be the other half of the dream team, but then he heard what sounded like pleading.
"Please, please let me go. I won't tell anyone anything, I swear. I-I don't even know your name," a woman's voice begged. She sounded older, maybe in her forties or fifties. She was crying.
Shouji moved as if he was about to run out there but Izuku pushed him down hard. If this was a member of the League, revealing themselves now would do nothing to help solve the case. He needed more time. They still didn't know how they had seemingly blackmailed every witness into silence. The footsteps came closer and Izuku had to let go of Shouji and put a hand over his mouth in order to not make a noise.
"You're fine. Stop crying," a gruff voice snapped. Something about the voice was off like he was being autotuned. A voice modulator? "Do you understand me?" the voice continued.
There was more muffled crying and the sound of feet scuffling. She must have tried to yank free of his hold. It didn't sound like she was restrained at all. The waves drowned out some of her sniffles and Izuku had to strain to hear. 'Please just let me go," she tried again.
"Answer me, I said do you understand me?"
She cried for another long moment before she said yes in a quiet voice. It grew eerily silent and it took Izuku a few seconds to realize she had immediately stopped crying after answering him. Was he pointing a gun at her? Did he have a silencing quirk? He needed to be able to see. As carefully as he could he scooted to the edge of the refrigerator and peeked out.
The man looked surprisingly average, a face more forgettable than Waldo's. He had dull dark brown hair, cut short around the back and sides. He was tall, not Shouji tall, but taller than the average male at least. It was odd he wasn't wearing a mask, they were in a secluded place, but if he was going to let this woman leave alive he surely would have tried harder to hide his identity. He wore black baggy pants and a plain black long-sleeve shirt cut tight. He was holding the woman's shoulders tightly, not allowing her to jerk away as he stared intensely at her crumpled face.
"Good," the man said. He pulled out something small and shiny, the moonlight glinted off it, making it indistinguishable for a few seconds. He placed it in her frozen hands and moved her fingers so they were curled around it firmly. "I want you to take this gun and go to the nearest bank you can find. If anyone tries to stop you, shoot them in the foot. Ask for ten thousand dollars. Got it? Say it back to me."
Her voice was lifeless as she answered, "Go to the bank and ask for ten thousand dollars."
The man's eyes flickered out to something in the darkness. He lowered his voice to a murmur and added, "Don't get yourself killed. If anyone threatens you, let go of the gun and surrender. Say it back to me."
"Surrender. Don't get killed."
"You will not remember my face. You will not remember coming here. You have been planning this for a month. You need money for rent."
"I need money," she repeated without need for prompting.
"Good. Now go."
She stumbled forward like a deer using her legs for the first time. She didn't look back. The man just watched her go, not seeming to be in any hurry to flee the scene. He was protected. He must be to be acting so recklessly. Could he truly be a new member of the League of Villians? It would explain how they'd stayed so discreet. The ability to control a person in any capacity was rare. But the ability to control their minds and tamper with memories- that was unheard of- that was deadly.
The man turned so abruptly that Izuku nearly ate sand, he jolted back into hiding and sent out a silent prayer he hadn't been seen.
"Hello?" The man called. "Is anyone there?"
Izuku locked eyes with Shouji. They could try to arrest him now but the rest of the League could be waiting in the shadows. Why else had the man lowered his voice while giving the last orders? He didn't want the others to know he'd told her to save herself if need be. He could only sit in efforted silence as they waited.
The footsteps stopped right in front of their feeble hiding place.
"There you are."