Izuku exited the warp gate into an underground bunker with Animation and Cateye.
It was different from the one they usually met with Giran in. It was clean and pristine with two couches and a coffee table between them in the middle. A plant to the side, somehow surviving without sunlight but it looked well watered. The slight buzz of the air conditioner filled the room. Oh, it also had an air conditioner which was a nice touch.
Izuku brushed off his vest and straightened his sunglasses and gun holder. He felt too dirty to even be in this room. Izuku pulled the face mask up higher a bit on the bridge of his nose before going to sit on the couch closest to the stairway leading up. He sat in the middle, Anima and Cateye stood on either side of him behind the couch. And they waited. Soon, Izuku heard the door from the middle of the room open.
From it came a tall man with short black hair and a long plague doctor's mouth covering his mouth and nose. Alongside him was a much shorter man with a similar mask that covered his whole face. They sat on the other couch across from Izuku and the others.
"Hello, Deku of the Quirkless Rejects," the man greeted in a smooth tone. Izuku felt a shiver go down his spine. He had never met someone so intimidating before, and with just a few words too. That intimidation was quickly replaced by excitement at the possibility of a partnership with this man and the Eight Precepts of Death, more well known as the Yakuza in the dark undersociety. Oh, how he couldn't wait. Izuku grinned.
"Hello, Chisaki," he greeted.
Izuku did not extend the man a hand. He had heard of the man's germaphobia and thought better of it.
"So, " Chisaki spoke first, "we have heard a lot about you and your cause and we believe you have heard a lot about us. That is why you have come looking for us, am I right?"
Izuku nodded. "That is. Through many sources, we have come to the conclusion that you have something that would be quite beneficial to our cause. A drug that can boost a quirk and a shot that can take a quirk away."
Chisaki hummed. "You have done your research, Deku." Izuku simply nodded. "In turn," Chisaki continued, "our goals line up quite well, I'd say." Izuku nodded again. "Would you be interested in a partnership, Chisaki?" he asked.
"I think it would be beneficial to both of us if you are planning on going through with this war."
Izuku had a feeling it was also partially the fact that their quirk-based bullets had almost no effect of the Quirkless Rejects but he wouldn't say that.
"Shall I show you our lodgings since it is likely you will be coming by more often?" Izuku nodded and he followed Chisaki through the door, one hand in his pocket and on the button should he need Kurogiri's assistance.
They walked through many twisted concrete hallways, Chisaki pointing out a few things here and there.
"When can we get a few of the drugs that take away the quirks?" Izuku asked. "Don't get cocky, brat," another Yakuza member nearby grumbled. Izuku ignored him. "We can only make a few at the moment so they are costly," Chisaki replied. "We have the means of purchasing," Izuku assured the older man. "Well, we can discuss that later. Would you like to see where we make them?" Izuku grinned under the mask. "If you wouldn't mind."
Chisaki leads him to a room that was locked shut. He unlocked it. The door creaked open.
In it was an operating table with many test tubes with what looked like blood in them and medical equipment.
"This is where we extract the cells," Chisaki explained.
"Cells?"
"Ah, yes, let me introduce you to the main part of our product."
Chisaki leads them down another hall and stopped at another door. "This," he said, opening the door, "is my daughter, Eri." in the room was a little girl with red eyes and a horn from her head. Her hair was long and white and she was pale and thin and covered in bandages. Something felt wrong but Izuku couldn't quite put his finger on it. The girl shook and watched them with eyes full of fear. Something felt VERY wrong.
"Eri's monstrous quirk," Izuku noticed the girl flinch at that, "Rewind, can turn a living thing's body back in time. Using my quirk, Overhaul, which allows me to take apart anything I touch and put it back together in the way I want it, we take apart Eri bit by bit and reassemble her cells to make the shot that rewinds a person's quirk factor to where it doesn't work anymore."
Izuku felt his heart stop. He wanted to throw up.
"But it only works temporarily. It should destroy a quirk completely within the next month with a little more work." Chisaki closed the door. "I believe that is the end of our tour. We will contact you soon on the potential attack plans using these drugs and the selling of them as well."
Izuku wanted nothing more than to reach out and pull that innocent child from that room but refrained himself. "Yes, I believe that working together will bring a faster path to equality amongst quirks and quirkless and in both of our endeavors to destroy the current world and change it. Thank you, Chisaki. We will await your contact." Izuku pressed the button and a warp gate opened. He turned to Chisaki. "Ah, could we leave Animation here," he saw Anima stiffen but not react otherwise out of the corner of his eye, "just so that we have someone as a form of a mediator from our side. Of course, we would take one of your members as well. Call it, a liability of mutual trust?"
Chisaki paused then pointed down a hallway. "You, come here, Rappa," he said, not taking his eyes off Izuku. A buff man with long hair and a plague mask that reminded Izuku of Pre Hero: Gang Orca. "This man will go with you, he is one of our best fighters, just as Animation is to you."
IZuku gave a weak grin, even if it was unseen. He patted Anima's shoulder, leaving an unnoticeable mic on it. "Alright, well we will see you soon later than until we come back next time."
Izuku left with the man and Cateye.
_______________________________
Izuku sat in his room listening to the conversation happening around Anima through his earbuds. She didn't know this was going to happen but Izuku needed a way of keeping track of that girl, Eri.
Something had moved in Izuku but he did not know what. He felt so... apathetic... since the merging back into "himself." Like his emotions were cut off. There were a few things here and there that made him feel... something. Dad, his 'family', the Quirkless Rejects goal, cause he did still feel strongly about that. But otherwise? It felt like something had been severed. Like the two embodiments of himself that he had separated into 'Mikumo' and 'Deku' was there but almost like they were fighting for the place of which was the most prominent part of Izuku before the split. Now that they were back together in the 'original', it was like a sort of disconnect in his psyche. He thinks it is his own self trying to keep insanity from opening the door.
More like the 'Mikumo' part holding back the 'Deku' part. That divide between the three, even if they were merged once again now, it was still him holding himself back from something.
He often thought of releasing it, just letting insanity take him like it had when he and 'Deku' first merged again, though this time 'Mikumo' would level it out more so it would be somewhat milder form insanity but he could still feel that barrier. He didn't know which one was safer. Insanity or emotionless.
But when he saw that girl, it evoked something in him he hadn't felt since the complete mergence back into himself. Rage. He felt rage and angry and a longing to rip the heads off of everyone who harmed that little girl. He felt the will to kill someone. Kill Chisaki.
Izuku almost let the sanity slip for a second when he saw her but he held on and came up with a better plan then getting them all killed for suddenly attacking Chisaki.
He sighed and pulled out his earbuds.
Currently, Anima was getting used to the layout and when she had a chance, relaying it all to Izuku. Also, Izuku found their way to get Eri out. According to Chisaki through Anima's mic, he had a man trying to make trust with Eri, what a laugh, but seemed unable to. SO, Chisaki thought that maybe Anima, a girl younger than the man, could act as a sort of Nani and maybe make trust with Eri so Eri would stop struggling against them and actually let them torture her without resistance. Anima was starting this task tomorrow. When they attack to get Eri out, Anima would be their most valuable asset in that process.
Izuku pulled on his hood and stuffed his pockets with envelopes. The greenette left the warehouse through the back and boarded the midnight train.
He was on the move all night delivering the envelopes to the agencies of heroes. In them held each of the same letters and pictures he had taken with the new camera he had hidden and installed in his sunglasses. The note held the location of the Yakuza, the details on their leader, the secret behind the bullets, and the pictures of Eri and the members of the Yakuza that he had seen.
Underneath all of it was this:
-----
"This girl needs saving. August 1st, 5:30pm we are going to raid their base and take her from them. We have a comrade in there and watching over her ready at a moment's notice. We would like your assistance, Heroes.
- Quirkless Rejects"
_______________________________
Mirai Sasaki, aka Nighteye, sat in his office with Bubble Girl and Lemillion, aka Togata, sighing loudly as he looked over the map once more. His intern, Lemillion, had come in contact with one of the Eight Precepts of Death, specifically their leader, Chisaki, and Chisaki's apparent daughter. He glanced over at Mirio who was currently tearing himself down still for being unable to get the child out of that situation. Mirio said that Chisaki called the girl Eri and that she looked wounded and was very thin. As much as he hated to admit it, Mirai was proud of Mirio to the rules. Chisaki had a lesser chance of suspecting that they were a major threat this way. Mirai sighed.
*Click*
...
*Click*
Centipede entered with the mail. He seemed tense. "Sir Nighteye," he started, "I think you ought to look at this. The bug-like man lay the mail on Mirai's desk and went to his usual place in the corner of the room for paperwork. When Mirai glanced down at the stack of mail his eyes widened and he snatched up the first piece, scattering the others and causing everyone to look at him from the sudden movement. In his hands was a dark green envelope with the white "QR" insignia on it, an insignia that most the world had come to know by now.
He quickly, but carefully as to not damage any leads, opened the envelope and pulled out a blank sheet of paper. It took him a bit to realize that it was invisible ink. He pulled out his black light and ran it over the paper.
_______________________________
Ryuko Tatsuma, aka Ryukyu the Dragon Hero, looked over a piece of paper under a black light in shock at its contents. She stood sharply and sped walked over to one of her secretaries. "Get this copied and sent out to all hero agencies in Japan immediately!" The secretary nodded and took the letter. "Y- yes, Ma'am!" He left quickly to perform the given task. Ryuko stared at where he once stood, mulling over what she should do with this information. Nejire Hado, Ochako Uraraka, and Tsuyu Asui all came in talking about their recent round through the city.
Nejire stopped and looked at her. "Ryukyu, was is wrong? You seem tense? Did something bad happen while we were out? Are you in trouble? Is there anything we can-"
"STOP." Ryuko held her hand up to stop Nejire's list of questions. She looked over the three girls.
Well, I guess I can't do anything right now until the other heroes respond.
"Nothing is wrong, you are all free to go to your dorms after you change out of your hero costumes."
_______________________________
Toyomitsu Taishirō, aka Fatgum, was munching on some candy as he scanned through his agency's mail.
Fanmail -CHOMP- Fanmail -CHOMP- QR Insignia -CHOMP- Fanmail -CHOKE!-
Toyomitsu spat out the chocolate in his mouth before he really did choke on it. He fumbled over the dark green envelope on his desk. He quickly broke the seal and ripped open the envelope. It held a blank sheet of paper. He stared at it blankly.
"Invisible ink?" one of his workers suggested.
"AH! You are so right! Thank chu!" Toyomitsu pulled out his black light and shined it over the paper.
Tamaki Amajiki and Eijiro Kirishima, his two student employee's walked in, Kirishima spouting something about Amajiki being so manly and Amajiki being as usual, pulling his hood over his eyes at the bombardment of praise and, as he called it, "light."
"Boys!" Toyomitsu called them and waved them over. "Get over here! I've got to show chu this!"
_______________________________
A week later, hero agencies gathered in a conference room to discuss a letter that they had all received. A letter from the Quirkless Rejects that contained a call for help. Just as it was getting started, a knock was heard from the large, white conference room doors.
*Knock Knock*
Everyone quieted and stared at it. "Who is it?" Sir Nighteye asked loudly, seeing as he was the one basically leading the conference.
"You know-" the doors creaked open, "-just your family neighborhood vigilantes."
In the doorway stood Deku, leader of the Quirkless Rejects, Jester, Grimlin, Doom, Bubblegum, the Fox twins, Cateye, and Butterfly. Aside from Animation, these were the main members of the Quirkless Rejects.
_______________________________
Izuku strode into the conference room full of heroes and leaned against the wall nonchalantly. The Lights evenly stood on either side of them, they were all in full gear and costume.
The heroes all stared at them for a split second before all simultaneously jumping to their feet.
"Quirkless Rejects?! How did you get in here?" questioned a lanky man Izuku recognized as Nighteye. Izuku grinned. Night eye turned to the heroes. "Reprimand them now!"
"Woah Woah Woah!" Izuku held up his hand and pushed himself off of the wall to stand up straight. "We are the ones who basically called you here. I am sure you all got our letters. Let us focus on the task at hand first, you can attack us after the safe rescue of Eri."
"Eri?" a hero with an afro asked.
"The girl in the photo," the greenette replied. "Also, you have no way of knowing how many of us may be out in the lobby and no way of finding out since we cut off all outside communication. You could very well be running into death if you attack us." All of the heroes pulled out their electronic devices. He grinned beneath the mask as shock spread through the room when they realized the service and internet had been taken down. No, there was no one else but Kurogiri was there at a moment's notice with backup. And yes, Ruske had hacked the building so actually, there was no way to contact anyone if you were in the building as a whole.
Ah, Izuku liked seeing the heroes' faces contort on many different expressions as the toiled over what they should do. It is a lovely 'feeling' being the cause of this mass confusion. Maybe if he let down his guard and let insanity take hold it really wouldn't be all that bad. Maybe he could even conjure up the emotions those heroes were able to. Just maybe...
*BAM*
Everyone turned as Izuku's metal sole connected with the table and he leaped into the middle of the conference tables. He stood in the middle. "Enough questioning, let us get down to business."
"You, villain, do not have the right to tell-" *SWOOSH* The centipede looking man froze as a knife flew by his face and embedded itself in a wall. A small trickle of blood dripped from his cheek, blade hitting close enough to lightly knick even his scaley exterior. Everyone turned to look at Jester, who had his arm forward from throwing the knife.
Jester's eyes could not be seen from the yellow cloth but the way his mouth contorted into an angry scowl said it all.
"Shut up," he growled. "Don't dare call us villains when it is people like you who made us this way." A hero covered in black sharply stood. "WE made YOU this way?! Watch your mouth, kid. We ain't done nothin'!"
"That depends on your side of the story. Our side none of you ever cared to hear."
"Why you..." The hero dashed forward but Grimlin was quick. He ducked under the hero's outstretched arm, retracted his own, and landed a solid punch to the gut. The hero fell to the floor. Grimlin stood upright again.
"Do we really have the time for this when that girl is suffering?"
It was tense. Nighteye finally cleared his throat. "Okay, let us settle down. As much as we all hate it, they are correct, we need to focus on the task at hand. Deku, please inform us about the situation at hand."
Izuku cleared his throat. "Of course. Currently, the Quirkless Rejects are partnering with the Yakuza. As many of you know, there has been a circulation of drugs going around that can cancel quirks. However, what you do not know is how they are made. The girl in the pictures that you all received has a quirk that can make a living thing go back to a previous state. Chisaki, the leader of the Yakuza, aka Overhaul, uses his quirk that allows him to take apart and remodel anything he touches. He has been using this on his 'daughter', Eri, to take apart her body and use her cells to create these drugs."
Everyone stared at him in shock. "N- no way..." Izuku glanced over at Kirishima, who was apparently also there. On the other side of the room was a blonde kid, who looked like a third year, perhaps second. He looked so pained for some reason, more than the others. Jester walked around the outside of the tables to retrieve his knife, getting many warry stares as he did so and returned to his station. The hero Girimlin had sucker-punched got himself up and into his chair.
"It is true," Izuku said. "While there are definitely benefits of the Quirkless Rejects partnering with the Yakuza, we can not condone what they are doing."
"So why are you asking for the assistance from heroes and not doing this yourself?" a large, rounded man that Izuku knew as Fatgum asked.
Izuku looked at him. "Believe it or not, we have a heart," though he didn't know how much of the heart he felt anymore, "and do not wish a life of hardship on the girl. If we were to simply take her from her situation then the only way we could take care of her is to welcome her into the Quirkless Rejects. While she does fit the criteria by a long shot-"
"Criteria?"
Izuku ignored the question. "- Eri deserves a better, more normal life," even if Izuku was legit starting a war so life would not be normal for long. "We know that if the heroes are there and take part in the rescue, she will be able to go with you and receive the life she deserves."
"So why not just save her and leave her on the police doorstep as usual?" Nighteye inquired.
"You would have thought of her as a possible spy and would have interrogated her."
"That is a fair assumption. Continue."
Izuku nodded. "Let us move onto our current plan of action." He could tell that many were surprised by his sternness and ability to get things done. "We will be attacking at 5:30 pm on August 1st. Here are the coordinates and the address of the outside of the Yakuza place." Bubblegum walked around the room handing out papers. "It also has a picture of it. Now, this is just a normal, Japanese-style house but underneath it is a maze of concrete rooms and tunnels. We will need a brigade of heroes and some of our own up top to take care of any who try to escape. A second brigade will go through and as we go through they will stay in various spots as lookouts. Third, we need our battle brigade to go in after and take down the big members of the Yakuza and Chisaki. Right behind them will be a brigade that will go in with our own Animation who we will have at the front via audio chat. They will follow her to Eri's room and that is where they will rescue the girl and flee the scene with her while the rest of us deal with the Yakuza. I leave the planning which heroes you put in each brigade and we will decide which of us to put in the brigades as well."
The heroes, surprisingly, were all writing down the information.
Nighteye closed his folder. "If we are able to, I would like to be able to find a place where I could run into one of the Yakuza members touch them."
"Ah, yes," agreed Izuku, "I did a bit of research on your quirk, pardon the privacy breach, and I think I can make that arranged. Animation will be going out tomorrow, in disguise, of course, to buy a toy for Eri to 'gain trust.' While it may not be a direct Yakuza member, I can set it up where you 'run into' her and get that in. Does that sound good?"
Nighteye pushed his glasses high on his nose. "That will be fine."
"Kid," an elderly man at the table spoke up, a shorter man that Izuku did not recognize, "you do realize that you are partnering with heroes, do you not?" Izuku stared at him for a good five seconds before replying.
"I do."
"And you do realize that after the attack, even if we are still on the field and wounded, we will do everything in our power to take you in?"
"I do."
"And you do realize that, whether you like the term or not, you are considered the most dangerous and wanted villain in what may be the whole world and because of this if you get caught you will be immediately taken to Tartus, the most secure villain jail in Japan where even the man known as All For One is being held?"
The room got extraordinary tense. Izuku could not help the way his sunglasses switched to angry red dots causing many of the heroes to tense as well. While emotions may not come to him that much anymore, anger was something in Izuku's DNA now and it showed.
"I do," he replied smoothly. The elderly man hummed. "And you are aware that all of this could happen and yet you are willing to go through with this?" Izuku raised an eyebrow. "You are aware of the danger of being a hero, are you not? In retrospect, the circumstances are more alike than ever. We are simply doing what is right for this little girl's safety and her future, just the same as you do for random civilians. There is always a risk factor at large. Still, this is all saying that you are actually able to reprimand me or any of my comrades."
"Are you saying we are incapable?" the man asked.
"I am simply saying that you have yet to prove that you can."
The room went silent, thick with animosity.
Izuku's sunglasses turned happy as he clapped his hands together. "Great! If there is nothing else then we will be taking our leave." No one said anything. "Well then, heroes, we will see you next month on the first!" Izuku turned and hopped over the table, landing by his comrades. "The internet and service will return to this building shortly so do not worry about that." Izuku reached into his pocket and pressed the button. A warp gate opened and he and his comrades walked through it."
_______________________________
Izuku sat on the corner couch in the warehouse with the Lights and Dad. Animation was in her quarters at the Yakuza house listening in through the mic but not replying as to not seem suspicious. He had already relayed the information about the attack to her and the plan with Nighteye needing to discreetly touch her arm or hand somehow the next day. Now came the hard part. He had an idea but did not know how to explain it to his family. Izuku swallowed. Minus well just say it... Izuku took a deep breath.
"After the attack, I am going to let the heroes take me to Tartus."