"I dislike quirks all together. Would you let me be part of the Quirkless Rejects?"
The question asked by this little boy echoed around the room. Deku could not help the confused swirls popping up on his digital sunglasses. Deku frantically moved his arms in a manner strangely like Izuku's before he ran away. "K- kid are you alright? Were you hurt in that battle? Hit your head? Concussion? Did you-"
"If fine," Kota cut it sharply. "My parents... they were k- killed by that man."
Anima came and crouched by Kota alongside Deku. "Which man?"
"Muscular," Deku replied, knowing the little boy wouldn't know his name.
Kota nodded. "Everyone praised them for such an 'honorable death' but I was just sitting here!" Kota belted. "Why did they have to become heroes? Why did they have to leave me!?"
Anima patted his back but he shrugged it off. "Don't... I don't want your comfort or pity. I hate them. Heroes and quirks and all the wrongly placed praise of them."
"And what if we say no?" Grimlin asked as he walked up.
The kid looked a little frazzled by the question. He may speak big but he is just a kid after all. Kota must not have thought they'd say no. "And what about your Aunt? Look, how old are you, kid?"
"I- I'm five," he replied.
Grimlin nodded. "Young. You do not understand much yet. Has your quirk even come in yet?"
The boy shook his head. "No, and I don't want it too!"
Deku swallowed a scoff. Trust me, kid, it's better to have one than to not in our society.
Grimlin sighed. "Understandable for a little kid in your position but you better keep those words to yourself."
"Why?" Kota asked.
Deku sighed. "Well," he said, "everyone here has been rejected for either lack of quirk or a 'failed' one and would have killed for a working one before joining this group."
"Ok...?"
"In this gang, those words are fighting words, Kota."
The greenette slightly tipped his head to everyone watching. Kota looked at the large gathering and paled when he saw all of the faces. Some didn't react, some showed slight distaste, and others didn't hide their emotions on what the kid had just said at all.
"Kota," Anima started softly, "if you truly want to join the Quirkless Rejects then you must first understand what we are about."
Jester, who was leaning on a wall nearby hummed in agreeance. "Right. We don't hate quirks. Neither do we hate heroes. We simply hate how because of both we have been rejected and cast out by society and we are fighting against that."
Everyone nodded.
"W- well then I hate something similar?" Kota said in a questioning tone.
"Which is?"
"I- I hate the praise of the heroes... I hate that they go out and die without a care about their families and I hate that the world praises that..." he answered.
Deku hummed. "Well, not exactly the same or close but not so far off it's not workable with... The question of what you will do if we say no still stands."
Kota paused for a bit before opening his mouth again.
"I will run away and start my own group then or join another one or... something... like that... Yeah..." He sounds indecisive. "Kota, will you give us all second to talk?" "Mhmm."
Deku and the others stood. The Lights gathered in the middle of the underground bunker.
"He is so young," Butterfly started off.
"Yes but we cannot leave him to just run away from home," Jester pointed out. "He is too young for that as well."
"Oh like you all didn't do that?"
"You did too technically."
Grimlin held up a hand. "Fruitless argument. Both of you have good points. Still, Jester is correct. This kid is only five years old and that look in his eyes is not one that is of a kid that would change its mind. While the Quirkless Rejects environment and the environment of the dark undersociety might not be the best for him, it is better than letting Kota run off and attempt something so dangerous."
"But what will we do when his quirk manifests?" asked Anima.
"If-" Deku interjected. "If it manifests. And even if it doesn't, we have quirked members as well. We would train him to use it for our cause."
"So are we allowing him to join?" Cateye asked. They all looked at each other, then at their leader, Deku. Deku ran a hand through his hair, feeling pieces of it get stuck in the handcuffs but not caring. He let it down.
Deku parted through the group and crouched down in front of Kota. The greenette held out his hand.
"Welcome to the Quirkless Rejects, Kota."
Kota grinned and took it with as firm of a shake as a boy of his size and age could do.
"Thank you, sir! I won't let you down!" Deku chuckled. Grimlin came up and patted the kid on the head, who pulled his hat lip over his eyes, embarrassed. "That's Chief Deku to you, kid," he joked.
"Y- yes, sir! I won't let you down, Chief Deku!"
The tension seemed to have eased a bit. Deku stood and turned to address the crowd. "Everyone in position! Gavil and Ruske watch Kota!" he commanded. Everyone filed around the center of the room in a large circle leaving a closed-off gap in the middle.
In the middle stood Deku and the Lights. "Any minute now a warp gate should open. Two things could happen. Either Eraserhead comes through alone or both him and Bakugou. While Bakugou will be under wraps by Eraserhead, we need to be ready to detain Bakugou as soon as we see the tuffs of his blonde hair. If he doesn't come then we are free to leave."
From the corner of the room, Kota shouted over. "W- wait, what are you doing with that guy? He was at the camp, right?"
The room went silent. There was an uncomfortable tenseness, no one wanting to explain this to a five-year-old kid who just committed to joining their group. Yes, Deku and the Lights had informed the whole of the Quirkless Rejects what they were planning on doing and it took a lot to get them on their side too. Still, a lot of them did not want to be there for what would happen after securing Bakugou so all but the Lights would be leaving. Oh! That's an idea!
Deku turned to face Kota. "You see, Bakugou doesn't know that we are getting him, maybe, but he is an old friend of mine!"
"Really?" Kota seemed understandably skeptical.
Deku nodded frantically. "Yes, yes! But he will be fighting us because he does not know that we are surprising him so we need to detain him safely before explaining it to him."
"Ok... You guys are surprisingly a cheerful bunch..."
"Of course! We love to have fun in the Quirkless Rejects, too," Deku said. "But me and Bakugou are going to want some alone time to catch up and all so everyone will have to leave. You as well. Sorry, Kota, but me and Bakugou haven't seen each other in a while. You understand, right?"
The kid nodded. "Sure..."
He seemed a little sad to be missing out on one of the first 'big things' happening while he is there but the kid wasn't stupid enough to protrude on two old pals catching up. Yeah...
A small gust of air blew. Deku turned to see a warp gate opening in the center of the circle.
"Everyone get ready!"
_______________________________
Katsuki emerged into the light once more in a rickety bar. Before he could even register what was happening, big, bulky cuffs were placed over his hands, preventative measures for his quirk he presumed, and tied to a chair. Surrounding the blonde were the members of the League of Villains with the hand freak in the middle and mist guy behind the bar. A few minutes of silence passed before the mist guy opened a warp gate and a few of the members that Katsuki and his comrades were surrounded by walked through.
Wait... Does this mean they lost? Are they ok? No, I don't have the luxury of worrying about them right now. I just have to believe in my classmates. Man, did that feel weird to say! Or think.
Aizawa-sensei's hair was just falling around his shoulders as he released Katsuki from his quirk and leaned on the bar.
Speaking of which...
He whipped his head around to look at his... teacher? Aizawa-sensei sighed. "Yes, yes, let me explain. As I am sure you have already figured out," he slightly gestured to the tattoo under his right eye, "I am a member of the Quirkless Rejects."
Katsuki side-nodded to the League of Villains who were obviously not the Quirkless Rejects.
"We partner with them a lot. As for this, the League of Villains has a proposition for you but if you refuse then we get a go at you."
Katsuki's crimson eyes widened. How can he say that so nonchalantly? I am- I was his freaking student! They get a go at me? What am I some kind of doll to be passed around? Bull!
Of course, Katsuki didn't say any of this aloud. He needed to keep calm. In his position, with his quirk able to be canceled at any moment, he could not act brashly. The hand freak walked up to him and held a picture of an angry Katsuki at the Sports Festival in between his thumb and index finger. "This," he said in a scratchy voice, (Did he smoke pot or something?), "is not the look of a hero." Katsuki scowled at the man. Hand freak stood up. "Let's not treat him like a prisoner, Bakugo is our guest. Twice, free him."
A masked man in the corner freaked out. "W- wh -what?! Not me!" The man who produced blue flames at the attack kicked the guy, Twice, forward. "Shut up and do it." Twice grumbled but reluctantly shuffled forward. He jumped back as soon as the cuffs were off.
"Bakugou," hand freak started again, "we would like to offer you a position on the League of Villains." The hell? "We aren't as bad as the world makes us out to be. We aren't even on the scale of the Quirkless Rejects. We simply hate heroes and the hero society so we want to bring it down and watch it crumble." You don't like it so you want it to fall? That's petty. At least the Quirkless Rejects as a goal and morals and something more than 'I just hate it.'
"We no longer want to be shackled by the rules of society. We want to win against them."
He paused.
"You... you like winning, don't you Bakugou?" Well duh, what kind of question is that, idiot?
"I could tell that you didn't like your pitiful standings at the Sports Festival. It's only natural. However, your reaction was quite unnatural for that of a hero. Do you know what it was natural for though? A villain. We see potential in you Bakugou, join us and become a villain."
He extended his hand.
Are you joking? Me a villain? I'm the best of the best and you think I'm just gonna give up a chance at being the number one? Hell no! I'm going to be the number one hero in the world!
"Now," hand freak continued, "we have been informed that you are mute. All you have to do is shake your head yes or n-" *!BOOM!*
The hand freak stumbled back by the force of Katsuki's explosion. Now standing, Katsuki got in a fighting position, as did everyone else. Katsuki could already feel his quirk gone, Aizawa... Aizawa having erased it. He took a deep breath.
"Sc- rew you, fr- eaks."
The hand freak growled.
"So- rry, but I pre- fer how A- ll Might lo- oks when he wins!"
The League members looked ready to fight but the hand freak held up his own hand. He bent down to grab the hand that Katsuki had blown off his face. Gross... The hand freak placed it back on and stood. "Stay back guys... this one's an important piece."
Katsuki knew he would have to talk the second his options were given to him. If he were forced to talk then he minus well piss them off!
"Impo- rtant piece? I'm freaking hu- man, freaks. Not yo- ur dang toy."
The hand freak sighed. "I had hoped that you would hear me out and come to understand us-"
"No chance!" Katsuki mocked. He could feel the man getting angrier by the second. "It would be in your best interest to shut up, Bakugou..." he growled.
Katsuki scoffed. "You can't hu -rt me. Your team- mate need me al- ive."
The hand freak growled. "Yes... but I can still hurt you before I hand you over..." Katsuki gulped and readied himself. The hand freak turned slightly to a screen. "Teacher... please give me power."
Teacher? A deep, cold voice that sent shivers down his spine come from the screen. "Goo choice, Tomura..."
*KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK*
"Hello? Pizza delivery!"
...
...
...
Hand freak growled. "Who the hell ordered pi-" *!SMASH!*
The wall was smashed in and heroes poured through with All Might at the head. FINALLY!!! I can- He almost, ALMOST, yelped when he was taken captive by Aizawa's capture weapon. No! Not again! He tried to activate his quirk but his former teacher had already erased it. Please!!! While the heroes were fighting, three things happened.
One, weird goop began to swallow up all of the villains.
Two, a warp gate opened behind Katsuki and Aizawa.
Three, All Might made a mad dash for the two of them.
Once again, Katsuki felt despair in his heart as those who tried to save him failed once more.