Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Izuku Midoriya was a happy child in his early years. He found excitement in heroes like all the other children, played games with his peers, enthused about what his quick would be, and imagined himself as a hero.

However, shortly after his quirk came in, he realized that not all men were created equal. It was not because his quirk was ‘evil’ or ‘weak’ but because everyone assumed that he did not have one. The signs were there, the doctors concluded that he had a quirk and it was active, but it was invisible and because they could not figure out what it was, he was deemed functionally quirkless. The child knew better, but said nothing.

Soon after, Izuku’s peers turned on him. Then his teachers turned on him. Finally, the world turned on him. Only his mother stood by him, but even she did not believe in him.

So as the years went by, Izuku Midoriya watched. He waited. He planned.

On the outside, the boy never changed. He still held the same innocent smile, the same love for heroes, and the same brilliant mind that would spill over into quiet yet intelligent mutterings. But inside, it was quite different.

And soon enough, it would snap.

Yuuei High School’s written exam was easy. Izuku knew he answered everything right. Now all he had to worry about was the practical exam.

Staring up at the gates that led to the Yuuei High School Physical Exam, Izuku smiled. Having been described as simply “fighting robots”, Izuku had already developed a strategy.

On his arms were a pair of dark-green chrome metal gauntlets that he built mostly from the scrap metal he found at Dagobah Beach – the beach had been covered in trash so Izuku used cleaning the beach as a way to train his body.

The gauntlets were meant to power-up his punches so he could easily bend metal. They had two power-sources: one was by using an outlet to charge the battery while the other was from absorbing the shock of his punches, which would then be released when he punched of used the hidden weapons inside the gauntlets. Using the first power source, he powered up the second. If that wasn’t enough, the gauntlets hidden weapons included a grappling hook and taser function.

On his feet, with an identical visual aesthetic as the gauntlets, were knee-high boots. Like the gauntlets, they had the same two power sources. However, they also could automatically absorb electricity channeled through the ground so that he wouldn’t get electrocuted if something went wrong around him. Lastly, they had special fuel so he could fly for five minutes if needed.

Izuku considered taking one of his greatest inventions, the Elemental Gloves, with him. However, he didn’t want to show the teachers or the competition just how badass he was yet. This was a test for them as much as it was for him. His gauntlets and boots were more than enough to show his vast intelligence.

“You! Green hair!” Ugh, it was the Iida boy from before. “Again, with the incessant muttering! Are you still not taking this seriously?”

Izuku turned to him. “Can you please stop harassing me? I mutter to help me process information. No one else seems to have a stick up their ass like you do. I expected better from an Iida.” That got the boy to do a double-take. “I doubt your brother would act like this. He would probably tell you to stop being so rude and demanding.” Oops, he probably shouldn’t have been so short-tempered. He had a reputation as meek and innocent to keep up. It would be bad if Kacchan found out.

The boy huffed. “I sincerely hope so. Yuuei would not allow a degenerate to enter. Best keep that in mind.”

“Why don’t you leave, then?!” Izuku shouted back, and then muttered, “You can’t seem to stop hounding others, after all. Pushy elitist bastard.” Thankfully, the boy didn’t hear him.

Also, thankfully, it was at that time that the gates opened.

Izuku’s plan was working perfectly. He had gotten far more than the minimum and had already exceeded many of the others based on his calculations.

Then the zero-pointer showed up and everyone else ran away. As Izuku stood still and observed, he heard a scream as another participant – a girl with brown hair he had witnessed using a gravity quirk to send robots flying skyward before dropping them to their demise – laid trapped by some large rubble.

Without hesitation, Izuku raced towards her. Calling for her to hold on, he used the grappling hook in his gauntlets on the adjacent building to hoist him into the air, and used the jets in his boots to propel him onto the zero-pointer’s head. Upon landing, he punched his gauntlets together to power them up and punched the zero-pointer’s head in. Once he made a hole, he jumped inside.

It took less than five seconds to power down the entire mechanism. Once finished, Izuku slid down the arm – having been outstretched towards the girl poised to attack – and used the remaining power in his gear to lift the rubble off of her. Maneuvering carefully, he carried her out and over to Recovery Girl who was already on her way to meet them.

“You did very well, young man. Any pain.”

“No, ma’am. But I believe her ankle is sprained at the very least.”

The heroine looked her over and nodded, pressing a kiss to the girl’s ankle. “All better.” The nurse handed them both some gummies before moving on.

With the test over, Izuku exchanged numbers with the girl and headed back home.

“…Despite your excellent performance and placing first, the Board and the HPSC has decided that because you are quirkless and relied only on support gear, that you should be denied your place in the Hero Course. I’m very sorry, young m—”

SMASH

The last string holding Izuku Midoriya’s sanity had finally snapped, the ruins of his desk and a hastily written, profanity-laden and tear-smudged goodbye note to his mother only the beginning of the carnage he would bring. By the time Inko Midoriya returned home, all she could do was stare blankly at Yuuei’s message, set to repeat, lying on the floor beside the note.

By the time the news that Yuuei rejected the first-place applicant because of his quirklessness hit every news station if Japan, it was too late. Less than twenty-four hours later, they found a pair of red shoes on the bridge overhanging the place Izuku Midoriya had been attacked by the sludge villain ten months earlier, a pool of blood in the shape of a body and a discarded knife on the ground below them. A DNA test confirmed everyone’s fears.

None of the apologies could make up for the loss of Izuku Midoriya. The show of bias and the loss of life did massive damage to Yuuei, the Hero Public Safety Commission, and All Might’s reputations. But they were all about to find out exactly how much their mistake would cost them very soon.

Roughly One Month Later…

From a random roof of an abandoned building, within staring distance of the fortress of Yuuei, stood Mikumo Akatani. Standing at 182 centimeters – or 5 feet and 9 inches if you’re American – with pale, unblemished, almost-sickly skin, messy ebony-hair, and intense ruby eyes, the young man was the picture of cool and calculated intimidation. Wearing a razor-sharp grin, he watched the commotion in the distance.

Wearing a tailored suit, the pieces consisting of a dark green vested overcoat over a crisp white undershirt with sleeved rolled up to his elbows, black trousers that hugged his legs while still hiding several weapons, black dress shoes, and a pair of black half-gloves. To finish off the look, he wore a black and white mask and tie.

They matched his gang’s personal mascot, a smiling Yin-Yang devil with haloes. It was the perfect symbol as they intended to restore balance, ripping it from the hands of those who were good on the surface but evil on the inside, those who were evil on the inside and good on the surface, and everything in between.

Behind him, all wearing the same mascot somewhere on their person and many wearing the same sadistic grin as their young boss, was a small army of about ten, only a small percentage of their over two hundred personnel.

“There it is, guys, gals, and gender-neutral pals!” Akatani called to his comrades with a gesture. “What do you think?”

The man to his right, Rem, chuckled. “I think it’s time we had a little fun.”

“Yeah!” A purple-haired girl with bright cyan eyes called Allure cooed. “Let’s show the world that the heroes aren’t as great as they think they are. Let’s show them all that even lesser quirks or no quirks at all can be greater!”

A younger boy who stood out from the pack standing to Akatani’s left cheered the loudest at her statement. He was soon followed by several others. When they had quieted down, a man made of mist wearing a tailored suit similar in appearance to Akatani approached the boss.

“What are your orders, sir?”

The young boss watched the crowd of heroes, press, and civilian families pile into the school for the annual Sports Festival.

“I think it’s time we got started tearing down this fake hero society.” A few steps behind him, a renowned serial killer chuckled gleefully. Things were about to get interesting, that was for sure.

Chapter Text

Adaptability – The ability to both absorb all the necessary information on anyone and anything within a matter of moments and be able to adjust one’s own body (like learning martial arts) much faster than usual using that information.

That was the first thing he wrote down in his new notebook when he made it to the safehouse, now a hideout, he had set up with his best friends, Jika and Aiko, years ago.

He had just returned after setting up the suicide scene, having deposited his familiar red shoes and the burned, signed notebook on the bridge overlooking the place where he’d been attacked the day he met All Might before making his way down and cutting himself just enough to make it look as bad as possible before falling forward. Once finished, he made a call.

Fifteen minutes later, an ambulance pulled up at the hideout and the sound of arguing could be heard.

“I swear you are reckless. What would you do if I couldn’t come? What if you didn’t know someone with a quirk that could heal you? What then, huh?”

“If I didn’t know your schedule, your quirk, or you, I wouldn’t have pulled this stunt at all. But I know you and I knew that if you did it, no one would be suspicious once I reveal myself later. Now all that’s left is to finish the disposal.”

“Yeah, yeah, I’m on it. Are you sure about this, kid? I’ll still support you, but…”

“They made their choice. And now, I’ve made mine.”

“Aight, let me know if you need help. Oh, and you owe me a new vehicle after this if that mess doesn’t come out.”

“I’ve already contacted Aiko. She’s already got it covered.”

A sigh. “Well, alright then. Later, boss .”

The only response to that was a grunt as Izuku Midoriya forced open the door to the hideout and immediately headed to the shower. He discarded the scrubs he changed into after dressing the dummy in the back of the ambulance in his bloody clothes. The dummy would be charred and waterlogged before the day was done, as instructed via message in the notebook, and all they would need would be the blood to confirm it was him. Izuku Midoriya was officially and legally dead.

Redressing after his shower, he picked up his phone and dialed a number. “Hey Aiko, get me in touch with the legal department. I need an identity change. I’ll give you the specs; first name, last name. The name is Mikumo Akatani…”

Connections are everything in the underground. The only way to get connections is to give something in return. Help someone once and they owe you once; do it enough times without getting a favor in return and that piles up. This was something the newly named Mikumo Akatani learned at the young age of six. He made use of it to build his empire, a team of varying individuals from all walks of life, who knew the true him, not the Deku that everyone else – including his mother – knew.

He had already witnessed the world at its cruelest by that tender age. But he had not yet decided to abandon people until now. And perhaps it was a good thing he hadn’t or he wouldn’t have learned the valuable lesson of earning favors.

It started when he saved a cat from a dog. The cat’s owner, Katsuryoku Kakuhenkan or Mr. Kaku, was eternally grateful and told the boy to let him know if he ever needed anything. That was only the first favor he received. But shortly after, when he saved Miena Motomeru by pushing her out of the way of a speeding car, he realized that he could make a business of sorts with favors. 

Most people don’t know the true power of someone like then-Izuku Midoriya until they see it firsthand. But soon, the people around him began to see the genius behind the childish mask. Soon, people started to realize that this child was different, special even. Soon, this child had an empire. And that empire was a lot more powerful than outsiders realized because the mastermind behind it not only saw the world for what it was but knew exactly how to utilize the skills within his empire for the sake of all of them. 

However, the idea of forming a team of allies didn’t occur to the boy until he met his closest allies, Aiko Chosei and saw how some people were treated horribly for their quirk. 

– 

Chosei hadn't ever chosen to be accused of manipulating others, a "damn succubus" in disguise through the words of others. Slowly but surely, their accusations became everything she knew. 

But through Izuku’s helping hand, she began her rehabilitation. He realized that the current social hierarchy enabled quirkist system that shunned people like him and his mother from being able to reach out to others: classmates would look down on him as if he were gum at the bottom of their shoes, pitiful or disgusted gazes, anger in others, and the social isolation of his mother being unable to connect with any of her coworkers. He hadn't ever wished to be seen as "good as quirkless." But he was forced to inherit that label when he couldn’t prove he had one, and was thrust into the role that a quirkless was forced to endure.

That’s why the boy couldn’t stop when his legs had rushed out on their own, his own torso following like a stumbling deer. He didn't think as he clocked his fist onto the creeps harassing the whimpering girl, red creeping into the edges of his vision. 

"A favor for a favor, huh..." He muttered, but this was more than that. He had found someone who was more like a kindred spirit than just someone to be used later. 

"How's this? Leave this street right this minute, and no one'll think of you any less," he stepped closer to the now recovered male that hissed at his face, spitting some globs of blood that landed on his cheeks. “It wouldn’t do to have you be beaten by a quirkless, would it?”

"Losing to a quirkless," he spat out acidically, wiping the ichor onto his bruised fist. 

It was like a flip switch, and the boy left screaming about the pair still standing under a dingy streetlight as though hoping that someone would come to defend him in the middle of the night. Aiko stood strong through the mottled bruises she wore on her skin, creased concealer giving way to the dreary lighting.

"Why'd you do it? I'm just someone who can manipulate you. I’m just a villain with this quirk."

Izuku knew better, her strong pose being a farce and having thinly veiled tension in her shaky fists, her words being too sharp and too fast. Much like the ones he used to say under his breath before he understood himself.

"No quirk is villainous."

–

He didn’t make the choice to create an empire until he met Jikangire Shinsamoto and saw what the world had done to them due to unrealistic expectations.

–

Jikangire Shinsamoto was a boy from an influential family. Being the product of a quirk marriage, he was expected to use his space-time quirk to become a hero and bring his family enough wealth and prosperity that they would one day rule Japan.

However, despite his quirk being perfect, he was a willful child who held no interest in listening to others. He was the product of a society where the stronger you were, the more right you were. So, when his family’s teaching led him to believe that he could do what he wanted, he was cast out after disobeying.

Not long after, his mother and unborn sister would both die during childbirth and his father would commit suicide. The twisted child would attend the joint funeral in secret and grin throughout the proceedings, terrifying the other guests until they chased away the hysterically laughing child.

Now being both cast out and orphaned, he had nothing. Using his quirk, he turned to a life of petty crime. It was easy when you could manipulate space and time around yourself to take whatever you wanted. His time with his family taught him not to be overly obvious about it, so he got by without any trouble.

That being said, the boy never expected someone smarter than him to notice what he was doing and track him down. So, when he returned to his hideout to find a boy who was clearly a couple years younger than him sitting on the far side waiting for him, he was honestly terrified.

“Wh-what are you doing here? This is my hideout!” He cursed himself for showing his fear. There was something off about this kid.

“Why do you steal from others?” The boy asked nonchalantly. “Don’t you have a family to help you?”

Jikangire sneered. “No, my immediate family is dead. And I was cast out anyway, so the rest of my family doesn’t care. I’m on my own.” Why was he telling this random kid anything?

The boy wilted slightly, humming forlornly as he looked down a bit. “That’s sad.” After a brief moment, he looked back up. “Let me help you.” He smiled softly.

The older boy growled, “I don’t need any help. Now leave!”

The intruder stood up and opened his arms. “It’ll be okay, Shinsamoto-kun.”

Jikangire flinched back. How did he know his name? What does he want? Really want? Could he get away before this twerp came after him? Was this kid somehow stronger than him?

A pair of arms wrapped around him. It hadn’t even been a second. How did he move so fast from so far away? Could he have a similar quirk? Could he be in league with his family? Were they trying to get him back?

“Calm down. My name is Izuku Midoriya and my quirk lets me learn everything I need to know about the situation I am in. I call it Adaptability because it lets me adapt to any situation after just one look. I saw you steal from a market and decided to follow you because you seemed like you needed help. So, once I knew where you were staying, I did some research based on the information my quirk gave me about you. I already know quite a bit about you, including what happened to your family. I only asked to gauge your feelings. I want to be your friend and help you. I have a lot of resources and the means to give you a better life. The only thing I ask is that you be friends with me and lend me this awesome base. I’m amazed that you managed to build such an impressive structure.”

Somehow, as the young boy muttered, Jikangire became more and more relaxed. When the boy was finished, he released him and smiled.

“Are you sure your quirk isn’t a space or time one? You moved so fast.”

Izuku laughed awkwardly. “Yeah, I have to run from bullies. Most people think I’m quirkless because my quirk is invisible. Using my quirk, I learned that it was better to let them think that. So, to most people, I’m just a quirkless Deku.” The older boy flinched. “But little do they know; I have built up a network of people who help each other. We’re still new, but we are like a family and we protect our own. That means I have a lot of people who can help you as long as you join our family.”

The older boy shuddered. “You’re a mob boss?”

Izuku blinked owlishly and then giggled. “No way. That would mean that I could demand someone do whatever I say. No, if I need help with something, only the people available are expected. If I ask someone who owes me a favor and they can’t, then they are expected to help out when they can. A favor can mean anything from a hot meal or a ride to managing or obtaining equipment. Either way, someone must fill in. There’s always someone who is willing to help and that’s all that matters.”

Jikangire stared in shock. This boy had created an unofficial organization that took the nasty gang mentality and turned it into something that was wholesome and organic. Instead of ruling through fear, he connected people with kindness and a promise to help them when they need it.

The younger boy was clearly a master of negotiation if he had really done everything he said he had. And with that kind of organization, Jikangire didn’t see himself declining. Offering his base as a prerequisite would start him at zero for any debt he owed and if he used his abilities to help others, he could gather a stash of favors. He could live an easy life and rise to the top of this organization in no time. He could use his friendship with Izuku to become more powerful. If the younger boy was this smart at such a young age, imagine what he could accomplish as an adult. They could rule Japan, if not the whole world. Perhaps he could fulfill his family’s goal and rub it in their face.

“You seem to have caught on to what’s at stake.” Izuku commented with a mischievous grin. “Sometime in the future, something massive will happen. If we all play our cards right, that something will end in our favor. I want people to believe that I’m weak, so letting someone else have the spotlight is beneficial for the endgame. We both already know how flawed society is. So, I’m hoping you will become my right hand and help me reshape the world into a place that accepts us, regardless of how powerful we seem. I want a place that treats the obviously powerful and the seemingly powerless as equals. What do you think?”

What did he think? This kid was a genius. He had already deduced so much, including how the future will play out. Maybe more so than Jikangire could see based on what he implied. And he put the older teen into a hold that would require him to owe the younger boy a favor. Is that why he asked for two things? Friendship and his base. By asking for his base, he wiped away his debt for joining. By asking for friendship, it took away his chance of rising to the very top and not owing the boss anything. Nothing Jikangire could do would be enough. He was stuck.

But maybe that was okay. It gave them a sort of equality that no one else could reach. It gave him authority in the future. It also meant that Izuku saw him for who he was and chose him to stand by his side. He hated to admit it, but that sounded right. No one had ever done that. He was either on a pedestal or cast aside. No one ever saw him. Instead, they saw his quirk or his behavior.

Izuku Midoriya was the first person to see him while also using his past experiences to ensure loyalty.

It was insane. But also thrilling. Something deep inside told him this boy was someone he shouldn’t reject. It was a feeling of true certainty. Like destiny and faith combined. Izuku was by no means a god, but he was probably the closest thing this deranged world had to offer.

Thrusting his hand onto Izuku’s waiting one, the older teen grinned brilliantly, “Call me Jika, friend.”

– 

Izuku only wanted friends, but he eventually realized his relationships went beyond that. What he had created wasn’t a system of favors, but a community of people who helped each other in return for the help they had received. They trusted each other and acted like a family. After spending most of his earlier years helping so many people, they had in turn become loyal to him. He was smart and they all knew it. He could suggest an idea and they would follow it without question.

He realized…this is how civilizations had formed, how leaders came to power, and how people banded together in order to stay alive. At the age of six, Izuku Midoriya became the leader of an unofficial community. Now, at age fifteen, that community would come together for a massive goal that their leader, renamed from Izuku Midoriya to Mikumo Akatani, was determined to achieve.

“Your new ID will be delivered by Aiko post haste. Thank you for your business, sir.”

Mikumo smirked. “Of course. Let me know if you run into any issues.”

“I will. Have a nice day.” The line went dead.

Mikumo sat back, going over the notes he had. He only had a bit of a plan. He would need to consult Jika and the others before he could move on with the rest of it. By the sound of the throat clearing behind him, one of them was already here.

Without turning, Mikumo called, “Come in, Jika. I’m glad you’re here.”

After reading the notes over his friend’s shoulder, the older teen grimaced. “Aiko told me what happened. It’s also on the news. Yuuei is getting a lot of beef and thanks to one of Aiko’s connections, even All Might is on the receiving end of hate given what happened almost a year ago. You chose that bridge to fake your death for that purpose, didn’t you?”

A nod.

“I know you hate society. I do too. But we do need to be careful.”

“That’s why I plan to ensure all of us work together to make this plan work. We’re all going to need to do a lot to make it happen. But it is possible, Jika. Aiko is letting the others know to meet here. Everyone who can’t will be filled in via encrypted messages.”

The older teen nodded. “Alright, you’re the boss. I had hoped you’d wait until you were a hero to start the plan. But I suppose this will have to do.”

Mikumo smirked viciously. “I haven’t written it yet, but I plan to make Midoriya a martyr.” Jika flinched. “Just wait! I think you’ll like what I have in mind.”

The boss was right. This plan was vicious, brilliant, and something Rem, formerly known as Jikangire Shinsamoto, could totally get behind.

They had spent years developing each facet of this team. They had people for every possible position needed, and even multiple people who could perform the same duty. Bringing everyone together had shown everyone just how brilliant their boss was, especially when they had also been conditioned to think similarly to him, which put each of them at above average intelligence.

Watching their boss – whose innocent green appearance originally gave an air of meek and pathetic to the outside world, now looking devilishly charming in his suit, with black hair and blood-red eyes – wind up the crowd, stroking their minds and spirits in such a way that they wouldn’t think to disobey, was such a sight to behold. A favor had earned the boss a new makeover to transform the useless Izuku Midoriya into the fearsome Mikumo Akatani. He had charisma for days, the knowhow to command, and the patience to work with everyone.

“So, we’re all clear on what needs to be done. Any questions?” A hand was raised. “Yes, Aiko.”

“Team I…meant to storm the castle. You’re the only one in it. Is that a mistake?” There was a round of gasps and shouts of disapproval.

“Calm down, my friends,” Mikumo demanded softly. “There is no error. If this plan is to truly work, I must take on this challenge alone. I will have all of you guiding me with your wisdom and hope and with the gear I take with me. But that is all. If I am to take on the world’s injustice, I must first take on and defeat its greatest enemy. By becoming the greatest enemy, I will ensure our success.”

Lifting his mask to his face, he fastened it on. “I will claim everything All For One has to offer, thus ensuring our future victory. For Kami!”

“For Kami!” The crowd shouted back, encouraged by his confidence.

“For Kami…” Rem agreed from the shadows, knowing his best friend and boss would be fine. If he, wielder of time, space, and therefore reality itself, could not beat Mikumo Akatani, then the 200-year-old mastermind did not have a chance in Hell.

Chapter Text

It wasn’t hard to make a ruckus in Japan’s underworld. Just go on a spree of beating up thugs and you’ll attract attention.

“Who is this kid?” One of the downed but still conscious goons screamed as his broken claws bled.

“I’m someone who wants to rebuild society so that villains can’t become heroes and the Justice System actually functions properly. It tends to favor people with flashy quirks, regardless of if they have a shitty personality or not. And then it casts aside people like me, whose quirks aren’t flashy but are far better.” Mikumo’s smirk spoke volumes of just how strong he was. It was on the face of someone who just downed an entire army of thugs single-handedly.

“What do you want with us?” A woman with snake for hair said.

“Well, Medusa, I’m looking for someone. His original name is unknown, but I heard he goes by All For One…” he paused to hear the gasps of fear, “…and Sensei.”

The villains flinched back as one of them cried, “Hell no! What can a brat like you possibly want with him? He’ll destroy you!”

Izuku grinned. “Oh…? You think so…?” He then turned as a black and purple portal opened up. The conscious villains screeched and retreated as a man made of the same mist as the portal created walked out.

“Hello, I am Kurogiri of the League of Villains. I have been asked to escort you to my master who has overheard about your…desire to speak with him.”

Izuku grinned, laughing good-naturedly, as he placed his hands together in thanks. “My, how kind of him. I only had to beat up about two hundred of these weaklings for him to show up.”

On the other side of the portal was a bar where a teen a few years older than him sat playing a handheld video game. Attached to him were an assortment of severed hands. On the wall behind him was a blank screen, however Izuku could tell it was on and whoever was on the other side was listening.

“I have come with the child, Sensei.” Kurogiri announced.

There was some static and then a voice came from the screen. “Greetings, Young Akatani. I have heard many things about you.”

Izuku grinned. “I bet. I haven’t even spread my name too far yet and somehow you know of me. Impressive. Very impressive. Though I have to say that’s the only impressive thing I’ve seen from you. How…pathetic.”

The teen spun around and attempted to attack him. Five finger touch. In an instant, the older teen was pinned, all hands removed, including his own. The screeches that would have come from him were silent as Izuku kept two fingers jabbed into his neck over his vocal cords.

Kurogiri startled and static filled the air as the screen glitched.

“I must say I’m impressed.” Sensei huffed, a bit of frustration present in his voice. No doubt the usually stoic man was too shocked to keep his usual mask intact.

“Thank you. I try. I guess calling you pathetic was a bit much? I wanted to test the waters.” It was phrased like a question, but Izuku couldn’t stop himself from teasing.

“Tomura is a very sensitive child. I am the one who saved him and therefore anyone who disrespects me is on the receiving end of his anger. Most of the time, people live to regret insulting me. This is a one-time and therefore exceedingly rare occurrence.”

Izuku giggled. “Yes, well, I wouldn’t have come into your lair of villainy if I wasn’t prepared to deal with any obstacle you might throw at me. I wasn’t born yesterday.”

The unease in the air only made their guest grin wider. This Sensei was quickly realizing that inviting him was a big mistake, though his pride meant he couldn’t dismiss the boy until he had dealt with him personally. Little did he know it would cost him his throne.

~

Aiko, now Allure, had done her homework. For years, she was tasked with researching all the rumors of the underground. When she learned about a demon who could give and take quirks, she knew she needed to find the truth.

That led her to getting a waitress job at one of the bars Giran frequented. With a combination of physical attractiveness and her quirk, he was spilling his secrets in no time. It also helped that he was heavily intoxicated. Just one more drink and he was out for the count, everything he knew about All For One within the spy’s dainty grasp.

Several more encounters with various underlings who would later forget all about their time with the alluring dame and they knew how All For One activated his quirk, about his successor Tomura Shigaraki, his warp gate butler, the doctor and nomu, and that he had a connection to All Might. All in all, more than enough information for Kami to take him out.

Allure was looking so forward to getting pampered. Kami was sure to give her exactly what she craved.

~

The battle was very one-sided, and it was shockingly not in the two-centuries-old villain’s favor. No matter what he threw at the teen, his attacks were either dodged, neutralized, or thrown back. It was like the boy knew everything about him and used that information to defeat him. If that was his quirk, then All For One was deeply disappointed he hadn’t nabbed it immediately.

“And that is checkmate.” Izuku said from in front of the villain, a knife in every pressure point, halting every vein, and one only an inch from his heart.

All For One was in shock. This child had the skills of every martial arts master and was too slippery to be human. The legendary villain couldn’t touch him once, with or without a quirk. The fight lasted a total of four minutes and twenty seconds – a voice in the villain’s head crowed, “Nice!” before he silenced it. That is how long it took the boy to pass all his defenses completely unscathed and all but take his life. The villain had a feeling, however, that the child intentionally let him live.

The villain decided to find out if the boy would humor him, “This is unusual. I have so many quirks and you evaded them all. My intimidation quirk did nothing to slow you down. That’s usually all I need to stop any advancement. Only All Might has managed to fight back but it still slowed him down.”

Izuku grinned pleasantly. “Don’t feel too bad. My quirk makes me more powerful than anyone trying to stop me. I knew I was guaranteed to win.”

Sensei sighed. “So strange. I only just heard about you and yet you have defeated me so easily. Who did you learn from and how long did it take?”

The child chuckled. “I’ll only answer the second question. I’ve been doing martial arts for years, but I didn’t start getting serious until just about two to three weeks ago. I needed to be finished just in time for classes at Yuei to start.”

Sensei straightened – as much as he could while being pinned – and observed the boy with an eyeless gaze. “What do you plan to do?” He knew his life was over. The most he could do was satisfy his curiosity before his demise.

Izuku grinned, slotting one more knife halfway into the man’s chest, only just barely puncturing the villain’s heart and therefore not killing him yet. This one was special, and immediately, his downed opponent realized why as he tried and failed to struggle. “I am going to rebuild the system society depends on so that only the best people – physically, mentally, emotionally, and morally – can be heroes and the worst can’t rise through the ranks just because their quirk seems perfect for heroics. That also means giving a chance to people with seemingly weak or villainous quirks who weren’t given a chance because their ability seems inferior or wrong.

“After all, mine doesn’t seem praise-worthy, but if it can be used to defeat the worst supervillain in existence, then clearly the system is truly broken. Even All Might couldn’t accomplish what I have and now he’s running out of time due to his ignorance and stupidity. I plan to show him why he was wrong about me, too.”

Giving up, Sensei hummed. “So you met All Might and he showed you his worst self. I almost pity that fool. I can tell your quirk is one that society would brand as ‘weak’. But you also seem to know someone who is villainous with a powerful quirk who was accepted into Yuei if your determination to change society is this strong.”

Izuku grinned. “Correct.”

Sensei muttered something, and then asked, “What is your quirk?”

Izuku didn’t answer right away, observing the elderly villain closely. Seeming to find what he was looking for, he grinned. “I have called it Adaptability. Whatever motivates me, I will learn what I need to do within an instant and keep the knowledge and power I gained even while not using my quirk.”

Processing this, Sensei gasped. “That is…amazing.” That means he would only need to view someone once and immediately know how to counter them. It would cut down training time to mere minutes and develop unnatural but highly efficient muscle memory. It could also be applied to a variety of skills, which this boy proved by showing off martial arts and technological weaponry. The sheer magnitude of what this boy could accomplish was staggering. It was no wonder he – the greatest villain of all time – was defeating so efficiently.

Even his sensory quirks were useless. Hell, even Ragdoll’s quirk was useless in the face of such an ability. All For One wished he could witness a fight between this child and the Pussycat. He was sure it would be spectacular. Perhaps he will get a glimpse of it from the afterlife.

The child grinned playfully. “Yes, and the only reason I told you is because it is the end for you.”

All For One nodded. “Yes, I bow to you. With your power, you could become a god if you wanted.” He could sense the boy’s eyes widen and then narrow in contemplation. “Do me a favor? See how you measure up to Ragdoll. She is your natural opposite, in a sense. However, I doubt even she could hold out against your superior will. It has been an absolute pleasure to meet you. My assets are yours to wield. Good luck in your quest, Kami.”

With those final words, the knife was sucked in and plunged into his heart. His final thoughts were both bitter and serene.

“At least I will see my brother again…”

With Sensei’s demise, Izuku gained access to all the greatest villain’s assets as promised. Izuku, being as thorough as he was, smirked as the dead mastermind’s henchmen became his to control.

Kurogiri was especially helpful and intelligent. “Did you know about Sensei’s legacy?”

Izuku chuckled. “When you learn as many skills as I have, you are able to sneak around and overhear conversations without being noticed. I’m also not alone in my goal. One of my companions came across All For One’s lawyer down at the Rat’s Tavern. It didn’t take much, just a bit of extra alcohol, and the man was spewing secrets. She was the only one there to hear and record him gush to the waitress who is also a member of my crew. Their reports included everything I was looking for.”

The mist man seemed to flinch.

“You have another question. Go ahead and ask it, Kurogiri.”

“I have a few actually. The first is what you plan to do with Tomura Shigaraki and the doctor.”

Izuku stared down at his new desk, smiling dreamily. “Tomura and the doctor are no more. I assessed Sensei’s successor and knew that he would be a worthless person whose only motive was destroying everything. Such uncontrolled rage is not suited for my plans.

“As for the doctor, I learned everything I could from him and then slit his throat. He wouldn’t have been loyal – I knew him from childhood, not that he would remember me with my new face – so taking him out and replacing him was for the best. My protégé is far more intelligent with far less experience.”

Izuku lifted a syringe. “We managed to craft this fascinating technology from Sensei’s own blood. My protégé wanted a way to replicate Sensei’s ability to take and give quirks. I’m happy to announce,” he tapped the metal like a doctor would get rid of excess air, “that he has successfully done so, with only a little input from me.” Kurogiri nodded.

“So, as you can see, Doctor Garaki’s replacement is much better, smarter, and more open-minded. His partner is wonderful, too. I met her on the streets. Kicked out of medical school for her quirk and forced to become homeless. Sensei gave me the idea and I decided to improve on it. She is already smart, so she needn’t return to school. Giving her the late doctor’s old notes was enough and she and my protégé will work together now that they have access to such an extravagant laboratory.”

Kurogiri nodded. “Will you be taking Sensei’s power for yourself?”

Izuku laughed. “No, that quirk is wholly unnecessary. It’s what got him into this mess in the first place. He wasn’t quiet enough and he did too much damage. I’m going for stealth, not power. You’ll see.”

Izuku didn’t say how he got possession of the quirk gene for the quirk All For One; having been absorbed into the knife that was plunged into the villain’s heart, the first completed version that later became the syringe, though this one had only the quirk All For One and none of the ones that had been stolen by it. There was a special vial that could be injected. It held every quirk Sensei had in his possession at his death, as well as the mindset to control it. A microchip of data was created from Izuku’s quirk and imbedded into Sensei’s stolen quirk factor to make each quirk usable to whoever was injected.

If used, it would be immediate. The doctor’s notes, having been poached by Rem a week before Sensei’s defeat, had been very helpful in finalizing the design of the knife so extraction worked. The villain mastermind died a quirkless man with Mikumo Akatani the secret wielder of the greatest quirk in the world. Best of all, only Akatani, his protégé, and Rem knew of it, and the vial’s location.

Phase one of his plan was nearly complete. Phase two would be complete just in time for the Sports Festival. The plan was going perfectly. Since Akatani had purposely taken out the League of Villains and absorbed their assets before they could stage the USJ Attack, the viewers at the festival wouldn’t know what hit them.

If there was one thing that Izuku was grateful to Sensei for it was his vast knowledge and connections to add to his already competent arsenal. However, Akatani did not like Giran because the man was condescending and smug now that the greatest threat to him and his quirk was taken out. The man clearly didn’t think the teen was all that even though he was the one to take out the greatest evil.

After Giran got on his last nerve, the broker learned just how terrifying the young man could be. The man signed a deal that would enable him to leave with his life in return for a new means to obtain connections and that Giran kept everything about Izuku’s organization and mission secret forever.

This deal led Akatani to recruit Osu Mitsukatta at a bar, where the young boss quickly learned that the potential recruit would be much better than Giran could ever hope to be with his quirk, Info Check. One touch on someone’s name and all the basic information about them was available. Swayed by Akatani’s mission and charisma, Osu joined his team as Check.

After Check’s recruitment, everything moved faster. Izuku, now heading Sensei’s OGM industries, which specialized in everything from technical enhancements to quirk development and training, used his position as CEO to bring hoards of potential manpower to assist in completing his goal. Most of them ended up being regular army officials, but some of them proved to be great in leadership roles. With All For One gone, some of them became truly loyal to Akatani.

For example, Meiru Tamashi, later named Soul, was someone who, much like the boss, could gain complete information about someone through eye contact. Unlike Akatani, it was more general instead of tactical. Soul’s best friend, Hassei Torei, later named Vision, also joined and their quirk, Precognition, was stronger than Sir Nighteye’s with the drawback that it was naturally occurring and required Vision to have a bodyguard at all times. With one more recruit named Shinji Shinrrai, dubbed Creed, the Upper Echelon of Team Tachiagaru was born.

Setting up factions became a necessity. Thus, under the upper echelon, the roles of front fighters, back fighters, front support, back support, undercover front, and undercover support were created. Heavy hitters, tanks, and assassins were considered fighters; spies, ninjas, and capture specialists were considered undercover; and technical experts, energy reserves, and Kurogiri’s transportation were considered support.

One such support personnel came from Yuuei. Mei Hatsume was a friend of Izuku Midoriya from long ago and helped him develop his gear for the Entrance Exam. After learning the truth of why he had been denied from the Hero Course, she was prepared to back out of the school herself. But Mikumo instead asked her to be his spy after he let Yuga Aoyama go.

It was a win-win for her. If her friend succeeded, then not only would she be set for life, but she would be a part of something amazing. If he failed, his plan guaranteed that she wouldn’t be penalized for her involvement as she was under an ‘independent source’ with no involvement or knowledge in his group…officially, anyway. So, what did she have to lose? A lot if she didn’t take his offer. Thus, Prodigy became a big supporter, one of the two main supporters in the team.

The other was Foji Kinzoku, whose ability to convert and make amazing weapons with any material led to his abuse by various organizations until a ten-year-old Midoriya found him and enlisted him to work with Mei. The thirty-year-old man was at the edge of giving up before Izuku pulled him back in and gave him a safe space to work. Thus, Kajiya was born, working with Prodigy to create the best gear the world would ever see, with fair pay, many bonuses and plenty of down time included.

Nothing but the best for Mikumo Akatani and Team Tachiagaru.

Chapter Text

Watching the Sports Festival gave Mikumo a headache. It was a test not just for the students, but also for the teachers and audience, to see if being witnesses to Bakugou’s villainous behavior would be enough for any of them to call foul. However, no one did, as though beating the shit out of your classmates was just so normal.

With soft, almost completely muted footsteps, the newest recruit joined him. Turning towards him, the leader of Team Tachiagaru grinned. “How does the new suit feel? Does it fit alright? Do you require any additional tools?”

His newest henchman bowed once and then grinned. “You have surprisingly intelligent minions, Kami. They somehow created a whole new wardrobe that made me even more intimidating than before, a hard feat to accomplish.” He gestured to the weapons. “And these knives are far better than my old ones. Having poison, electricity, and sticky fluid will help conceal my quirk immensely. I can’t thank you enough.”

The boss chuckled. “I trained my team personally to ensure they could become the best they could be.” He quirked his brow as he eyed the serial killer. “But let’s stay on topic for a moment, Stain. Does everything work correctly? You can’t do your job justice if something breaks or doesn’t fit.”

“Everything is perfect.” The newbie assured him with a nod. “Though, I thought I was supposed to take a new name.” Kami nodded. “Well, I have chosen the name Reaper. After all, I have been upgraded and will reap the souls of those failed heroes. I appreciate you providing me with a database to ensure I’m only culling the truly horrible heroes. I’m glad you stopped me earlier. I clearly didn’t have as much information as I needed.”

His new boss clapped. “Wonderful! Absolutely perfect. With everything settled, you may begin. Please see Noose for your assignments if you want to know who needs the most culling. He will also be able to give you access and teach you how to use the Hero Data Network that some of our other colleagues update regularly. You will probably need to know more than just the basics to truly get your job done. You are free to go after anyone listed in the Kill List. For the rest, please discuss it with Noose.”

The newly dubbed Reaper nodded, grinning widely. With his business with Kami complete, he left the room. Kami watched him go, grinning pleasantly from ear to ear.

He had met the serial killer in Hosu earlier that day when he was stalking Ingenium. He had believed the hero was fake because of the reports of underpaid sidekicks, abused sidekicks, and advertisements. However, the reality was that Ingenium was trying to ensure that his sidekicks were paid adequately and used the ad revenue to ensure their stability. The reports of abuse were actually projected from another hero, who was abusing his sidekicks and reported that it was Ingenium who did that when the Turbo Hero reported it.

Thus, after bringing him back to the hideout and showing him the truth, including the story about All Might and All For One, what All Might did to Midoriya, and the basics of the Hero Data Network (a database created by the team that used improved technology and information to get to the source and find the real facts instead of the ones made up by fake heroes), Stain’s entire worldview had shifted. Now that his eyes had been opened to his own bias and he learned of All Might’s failures in 4K, he seemed lost. Thankfully, Mikumo – or rather, Kami – had all the answers he was looking for and took the monster Stain and remade him into something much, much better.

An hour had passed since Reaper departed. In his restlessness, Mikumo began grinding his teeth, ready and waiting for the Sports Festival Winners to be on the podium. Only then would he send hero society into the first of many downward spirals. It was almost time; just a few more minutes.

“Are you ready, Kami?” Rem asked him, offering his boss Kami’s mask.

Kami stood up and rubbed the wrinkles from his suit. Taking the mask, he sat back down and secured it to his face. One he was ready, he replied, “Yes, thank you for asking. I’m more than ready.” His voice deepened as his controlled rage took over. “It’s time to show these fools the error of their ways.”

It only took a few clicks to pry his way through Yuuei’s security system and then take control of all commands. It was so deep seeded that not even the infamous Nezu could push him out. With all the pieces on the board and the king in his sight, he set up the first check on the chessboard.

Kami watched in great delight as all of Yuuei but the camera he accessed briefly powered down before powering back up again. With the confusion starting, it was time for the show to start. Turning on his microphone, Kami let out a loud, insane, and joyous laugh, stirring up the crowd and creating a massive panic. With the doors locked, they were all trapped. They were forced to listen to him for the first time. And he wouldn’t take this opportunity for granted.

“Greetings, everyone!” He began, not bothering with a voice changer as it was better for them to infer he was young and then underestimate him. “Are you enjoying the Yuuei Sport Festival? Did you have fun watching a bunch of children beat the shit out of each other for your entertainment? How delightful is it to watch children attack each other to show the world why their single power is the best? Are you enjoying this glorified violence?” The sarcasm was dripping extra hot today.

He waited, watching as the crowd grew more and more quiet as the sickening reality set in. “Oh, what’s this. You don’t look so happy anymore. Did it finally occur to your pea-sized brains exactly what this is all about. That’s not even the worst part of it. The worst part is the winner of it all.” He let that simmer for a moment before continuing.

“Katsuki Bakugou, bully extraordinaire, with the same shitty personality as the abusive hero Endeavour. The same Endeavour who beat his own flesh and blood as a form of training.” Damn, Shoto Todoroki finally showed an emotion besides cold, distant, and annoyed. “Both were able to get away with abusing others without so much as a slap on the wrist. In fact, they were often celebrated for their horrible behavior. I mean, look at Bakugou now. Quite the image of a hero if I’ve ever seen it. So many heroes are power-hungry, abusive, stupid fucks just like this little asshole.” Truly, tying him up and muzzling him was the best decision Yuuei ever made, in Kami’s opinion. “Honestly, being muzzles is the least he deserves after every horrible thing he has done. But I won’t credit Yuuei for that because they are no better…

“Let me tell you a story. Once upon a time, there were two boys. The first boy got everything he wanted because he had what most deemed the perfect, heroic quirk – logic indicates that creating explosions from your palms is actually a dangerous, even villainous power, but hero society is full of idiots who think power is more important than personality so let’s ignore that for now, shall we? It was because the first boy had the perrrrrfect quirk, everyone ignored his nasty personality, and he grew up with a superiority complex after being taught that he was the best and anyone who didn’t submit deserved to die. No one wanted to get in the way of an aspiring hero, no matter how often he bullied other kids with his dangerous quirk, so all his transgressions were blamed on his victims. No matter how badly he behaved, he was never punished. He even got into the top school with assurances of being the number one hero despite his honestly mediocre ability just because it was the best in his particular section of the country, and he wanted all the glory that came with it. And because hero society is all about power, he harmed his way to the top and stands above his victims once again. How lovely. A villainous child that doesn’t actually care about saving people and only wants to murder villains like himself has won the festival.

“But remember, I said there were two boys. So let’s talk about the other boy. He was functionally quirkless because, while he had a quirk, it was invisible and deemed useless. Therefore, he was shunned by his peers, including the first boy who was his best friend before their quirks came in, and his teachers, who encouraged the bullying and even added to it when the boy tried to defend himself. If he tried to protect someone from the first boy, he was blamed. If he did too well on a test, oh, he must have cheated and deserved detention. This and that, no matter what, the second boy was ridiculed and harmed and treated like trash. All he had was his mother who couldn’t do anything to help him.

“However, despite how badly the boy was treated, he wanted to be a hero.” That got a scoff from many in the audience. “Oh, you think that’s a joke. You think it’s impossible. Well, guess what, that boy became a hero. You are FOOLS! Idiots! Failures! And losers! He was more of a hero than the majority of you combined. And I’ll explain why shortly. So shut up and listen, you insufferable idiots. You have no idea what I’m capable of.” The audience quieted down, not knowing what their captor would do. They couldn’t afford to do anything to anger him when they were at his mercy.

“As I was saying, the second boy wanted to save people and he even stood up to the first boy in order to protect other victims of his assault whenever he would use his quirk illegally to hurt anyone who he felt threatened his position at the top of the hierarchy. One day, the second boy was attacked by the sludge villain – you may have heard about it on the news months ago,” Recognition showed on many of the faces, and many were now gesturing to the muzzled Bakugou, clearly recognizing him as the victim from that attack, “before he attacked the muzzled idiot down there. The second boy was then saved by the Symbol of Peace, his idol and someone he had followed vigorously since he was a child because the hero had claimed on many occasions that anyone could be a hero. When the boy tried to ask the hero about his dream, the hero, who hadn’t even made sure the boy was okay after nearly suffocating, tried to leave by jumping away. But the boy clamped onto his leg and, after they landed, managed to ask the hero if he could be a hero without a functional quirk. However, the hero…said no.

“The hero had been a liar this entire time. He stupidly told the boy to pursue something different, as though the boy would ever have a chance when being functionally quirkless had damned him to unemployment already because this retarded society only cares about quirks and not about the value of character. Then, the hero left him alone on the roof. He left him in a place where he could end it all, after destroying his dreams with his idiocy.

“But instead the boy pondered what to do next until he saw an explosion in the distance. Finding the source, he saw the first boy trapped by the same villain that had nearly killed the second boy. All the other heroes were just standing there, uselessly, watching the first boy struggle because they didn’t have quirks that would be useful. Feeling responsible that he had allowed the villain to get away by jumping onto the hero and also being a better person than that stupid bully could ever be, the functionally quirkless boy leapt into the fight to save the boy and managed to get him out just in time for Symbol of Peace to deliver the finishing blow. He was a hero when no one else was. He saved his own bully, something that bully did not deserve. He should have died there, as karma for everything he had done. But that second boy rose above and saved him anyway. And that first boy would later yell at him and claim he didn’t need saving, like a petulant child. Bakugou Katsuki, you are not a hero and will never be a hero because you have already been a villain for most of your life.

“But of course, that’s not how this fucked up society sees it. When all was said and done, the first boy was praised for his quirk even though said quirk had damaged his surroundings while the quirkless boy was chewed out by the useless heroes for getting in the way when the boy’s actions were what saved the boy as All Might would have been too late. Those fake heroes should be ashamed, should hang up their capes, and repent. Better yet, let Stain kill you because you deserve it.”

There was so much rage within Kami that he needed to take a deep breath. “But that’s not the end of this story. After all, despite all of those idiots treating him like trash, he would find solace in one individual later that day. For, you see, I followed him and told him he was a true hero. That was how we became friends and that led to us working together to help him get into Yuuei. While I had no interest, he was determined to be a hero.

“And so the day of the exam came and both the first and second boy competed. Do you know what happened? The quirked boy got second place and the functionally quirkless boy, with his ingenuity and use of support gear that we designed together and he built from scratch, got first place. HOWEVER, Yuuei would turn out to be just as full of shit as the rest of the fucked-up hero society and tell the second boy that because he didn’t. use. a. quirk, he was not allowed into the Hero Course and would instead be bumped into General Studies. Your selfishness are to blame for this. You stupid fucks…all of you…he is DEAD because of YOU!” There was silence as the atmosphere turned to ice.

“The functionally quirkless boy decided he’d had enough. So…he left his only friend a final message…a message that explained everything he felt…and then he took his own life. Hero Society murdered an innocent child. You fuckers aren’t heroes! YOU ARE VILLAINS AND YOU SHOULD BE CONDEMNED FOR IT. I, as his only friend, was too late to save him. Therefore, I decided to destroy this worthless and corrupt hero society myself, in his honor. I will show the world the truth, that you are failures undeserving of the title of hero. I will forcefully retire every one of you fakes who abused your unearned titles. I will eradicate all of the Bakugous and Endeavwhores of this world and replace them with true heroes.

“This is just the beginning. The first boy, Katsuki Bakugou, will stand as a reminder of the current and soon-to-be former Hero Society’s failures. Meanwhile, the second boy, Izuku Midoriya, will be the one whose memory will lead to its transformation into purity.

“Furthermore, All Might, the fake Symbol of Peace, you will regret the day he destroyed my friend’s dream. For I, Kami, will do the same to you that I did to your pathetic nemesis, All For One. I destroyed him not too long ago and I will destroy you too, and your legacy of lies. That’s right, you moron, All For One is finally dead by my hands, not yours.” The screen showed their battle, and Kami laughed maniacally at the decrepit hero’s sunken face as he realized his own failures. “I killed him in five minutes, using an invisible quirk that is unstoppable when utilized appropriately. I am proof that invisible quirks have just as much capability as run-of-the-mill, over-the-top, whatever powers like Bakugou’s stupid Explosions. With my power, I will do to you what your former nemesis never could. I will overpower you and completely destroy your legacy. I can do this because I already have.” It didn’t take long for the crowd to realize this. By revealing these failures, All Might’s spell was already broken, and his legacy tarnished forever.

“From the ashes of this failed hero society, a new hero society will be born with only true heroes. One such example of a true hero can be found in Ingenium, who I saved from the clutches of Stain not long ago. Stain is now working for me and my team. Together, we will destroy the fake heroes. People like Bakugou will be eliminated and replaced with only the purest, like Midoriya. This is your only warning of what is to come. You cannot stop us. You will either submit to us or fall as history remembers your failures, especially those from villains pretending to be heroes like Endeavour. This is the end for you!”

Throughout the entire speech, clips played on the screen. The more Kami talked, the worse the clips became as they saw just how bad Bakugou was and how good yet poorly treated Midoriya had been. There were also clips of how heroes failed to do their job, who All For One was and his capabilities, followed by his defeat at the hands of Kami. Everything was laid bare for everyone to see and because it was an event broadcast worldwide, the whole world would see it before long.

From the first-place podium, stood a shaking and pale-faced Bakugou who watched every one of his dirty little secrets revealed to the world. For just a moment, he knew it was over. Even if he would later be assured that he still had a chance to be a hero, in that moment, he knew the truth. After all, when Kami was done speaking and the Team Tachiagaru logo filled the space where videos of the truth had been playing, the transformation had already begun.

Chapter Text

UA High School: The Ramifications of Quirkless Suicide…

Who is All For One? All Might’s Greatest Nemesis Revealed…

Bully Bakugou wins Sports Festival and has his abuse revealed…

Endeavour is a Villain? The tragic story of the Todoroki Family…

All Might’s Greatest Failure…

Hero Society: Corruption in the Hero Commission…

Mikumo licked his lips. It was only the beginning, but already he was enjoying the show. After his broadcast, an enormous magnifying glass was placed over Yuuei, the HPSC, and several pro heroes and hero hopefuls. Already, more than fifty well-known heroes had retired, five of which being in the top twenty.

The rest were under intense scrutiny. Endeavour’s rank had absolutely plummeted, much to the Commission’s chagrin. The flaming dumpster himself had been secretly tasked with eliminating Kami.

Kami was disappointed to see that All Might’s rank had not dropped at all. However, given how long he had been number one and how much good he had done, one mess-up involving a quirkless boy was bound not to shake the mostly anti-quirkless society. That would take more time, and Kami had all the time in the world.

Even though Kami was listed as a villain, society was quick to label him a true hero after his broadcast brought to light just how much corruption heroes and hero society was hiding. The Team Tachiagaru Media Team had been hard at work finding every scrap of illegal activity the heroes had hidden over the years and had begun revealing it to the public. Finally, their hard work was paying off.

Several heroes found themselves on the receiving end of immense criticism. Among them, society demanded that several well-known heroes did not deserve their licenses because they were not true heroes. Among them were Mt. Lady, Death Arms, Rock Lock, Slidin' Go, and Uwabami.

After footage showed the obnoxious blonde giantess had constantly intervened at the end of battles to steal the credit so she could obtain fame and glory, even her lustiest fans began to turn on her. The same could be said of Uwabami who had been shown running from villains and calling for other heroes only to return and finish them off, earning her all the credit despite other, better heroes weakening the target before she returned.

Rock Lock was one of the heroes who had barely avoided losing his license. His attitude and disrespect towards others landed him at the bottom of the hero ranks, with only a small hope of climbing back up unless he learned to be more respectful to his fans, other veteran heroes, and especially new heroes and heroes-in-training. The man clearly thought himself more capable but his work indicated he was only mid-tier at best.

However, at least he wasn’t a traitor like Slidin’ Go. When reports of the Meta Liberation Army were revealed to the public, the Sliding Hero was one of many heroes to end up in a prison cell. This massive reveal did a lot of damage to massive companies like Detnerat, whose CEO was revealed to be the leader of the Meta Liberation Army, Re-Destro, a direct descendant of the villain Destro who was the original leader of the army.

Then there was Death Arms, who appeared in the footage from the Slime Villain Incident, berating a depressed Midoriya for jumping in to save Bakugou when the heroes, Death Arms included, refused to do anything. He was later shown talking badly about the boy after his suicide, even being glad that the boy was gone because “quirkless people are a dead breed in modern days. I’m embarrassed that I had to yell at one of them for being an idiot”. His absolutely amazing and utterly humiliating destruction – starting with his hero license being revoked to him being beaten up on the streets and spat on by quirkless civilians until Team Tachiagaru retrieved him to use him as a play thing – was beautiful to watch, especially for Hankami, Mikumo’s quirkless protégé, who now owned the man and enjoyed his agony.

Mikumo had found Ketteio Shorigai on a roof about a year before he faked his death. The then-eight-year-old had been gifted with a genius level IQ. Those around him had once thought his genius to be a quirk. When it was found out that no quirk was involved and he was actually quirkless, extra joint and all, everything changed. Everyone turned on him, calling him a waste of space, a loser, and so much more. Even his parents couldn’t stand him. His intelligence meant nothing in quirked society.

He was perfect for Team Tachiagaru.

After talking him down, then-Izuku offered him a place to live and invited him to join his army. Having already left a suicide note behind, Ketteio had an easy decision to make. After joining, his new mentor taught him how to fight, create weapons so that he could fight toe-to-toe with his quirked peers, and much more. The younger boy was adopted – the boss’s special brother – and was given true compassion and understanding for the first time since his diagnosis. Thus, he received the name Hankami, the demi-god.

Death Arms had it easy. Hankami had done far worse to the people who had abused him. When the former hero saw the demi-god’s play area, he was horrified by what the boy had done to his abusers. His parents were especially brutalized. The young boy enjoyed the screams that day.

“Bro, Endeavour just rocketed down to 700^th place!” Hankami cheered as he ran into the lab and straight up to Kami. “If he isn’t dropped by the commission soon, society will probably start rioting.”

The boss laughed. “I’m glad you’re exciting, lil bro. You have great timing. I want you to meet our newest recruit.” He gestured to a young man – clearly in his twenties – strapped to a chair. A strange solution coated the many intense burns along his body. “Meet Dabi. He has a personal vendetta against Endeavour. I’ll let him explain when he wakes up.”

Hankami moved closer, inspecting the newcomers face. “These burns…”

Kami nodded. “With your keen eye, I’m sure you can deduce what happened. Go ahead.”

“Some of them are self-inflicted – the angle tells it all. But most of them are from an outside source. I recognize them from photos of Endeavour’s victims. Some of these wounds are as old as two decades. But what reason would that dumpster fire have for attacking a child?”

Kami grinned sadly. “Your deductions are perfect as usual. As for the answers, I think you’ll figure it out when he wakes up. The poor guy has done a lot to make himself unrecognizable. You’ll understand soon.”

Hankami nodded, eyes narrowed thoughtfully. “I have a theory. But I’ll keep it to myself for now.”

The boss grinned, knowing his protégé had already figured it out. It would take more time for the younger boy to feel true confidence again. For now, his mentor was fine with letting him go slow. The child had had a hard life and would require a lot of patience in order to gain the confidence to show the world that everyone misjudged him.

Little moments of encouragement would do for now and everyone in the team made sure to do so when appropriate. They were a family and Ketteio was one of them. Anyone who insulted Kami’s precious kid brother would vanish shortly after, not a trace to be had.

“I noticed you’re using the high concentrated burn heals. While that will get rid of most of it, you’ll need the FH100 Serum to be the most effective.”

Kami chuckled, holding up a vial and shaking it gently. “Already done. Great work deducing that. I’m proud of you.” The younger boy grinned widely, a gentle flush taking over his cheeks.

“I learned from the best.” He replied. “Oh, and I’ll have the Limb Regrowing Formula done in about a week. I figured out that spreading issue with LRF80 occurred because the consistency was off. So, I used it on the Basic Noumu V22 to see if that made a difference since that skin is more like a regular person. It turns out that the thick oils were making it harder to travel through the body. So, I requested Chui to get some liquifier when she went out. That should fix the problem so that LRF90 should be the perfected batch. I’ll send you the report for it as soon as it’s complete.”

Kami ruffled the boy’s hair. “First you develop the Fast Heal and you’ve already almost finished Limb Regrowing. You realize that all those stupid quirky scientists have taken years to do what you have in just a few months. I’m not sure if I can get any prouder than I already am, but you keep surprising me in the best ways.”

The little genius squeaked and buried his face in his papers as his ears turned red. “I owe it all to you, bro. Thank you for not giving up on me.”

The boss pulled the boy into a hug. “I’d never give up on you. You deserve the world, and I’m determined to give it to you. Just you wait.” The younger boy nodded into his shoulder.

“Well, isn’t that cute?” A voice from behind Kami ground out. The two separated and turned to the burned adult who had finally woken up. “I wish I had a mentor who treated me like a person instead of a tool. I get the feeling I’m going to enjoy working for you, Kami.”

Ketteio’s eyes widened as he stared directly into the newcomer’s brilliant cyan eyes. “I was right. You’re Touya Todoroki, aren’t you?”

The burned man’s eyes narrowed. “You are incredibly smart. I am going by Dabi. I refuse to acknowledge my sperm donor.”

The young boy nodded, bowing apologetically. “My apologies, Dabi, sir. I’ll remember that.”

The burned man studied him briefly. “Society abandoned you, too.” It wasn’t a question. “You’re fine. I just wanted to make my feelings clear. Just call me Dabi. No sir. I may be older than you, but you outrank me, and your inventions are saving my skin, literally. I owe you for this, so thank you.”

Ketteio stood up straight and smiled weakly. “I’m glad I could be useful.”

Dabi looked at him sadly. “If anyone gives you a hard time for being quirkless, you let me know. I’ll erase them. They’ll be nothing left when my flames are finished cooking them.”

Kami snorted. “You’ll have to get in line, Dabi. Every person in this team would do the same. When one of us is hurt, all of us come to their defense. You are included in that now that you’re one of us.

“I know you joined to take down Endeavour. I’ll give you that fight. Once you’re fully healed, we’ll begin the plans for that. I hope you can be patient a little longer.”

Dabi grinned widely. “I’ve waited my whole life to destroy Endeavour. If I have to wait a little longer, that’s fine. Just knowing I’m about to get my wish is amazing. I look forward to bringing about a much better future. Thank you for the opportunity, Kami and Hankami. I won’t let you down.”

As the meeting between Kami, Hankami, and Dabi continued, several miles away another meeting commenced.

Enji Todoroki, also known as Endeavour, would never have predicted things would end up this way. Shortly after the infamous Sports Festival Takeover Broadcast, the evidence of the flame hero’s abuse hit the media. There was just so much of it, including Shoto’s refusal to use his fire.

Demands of justice for the flame hero’s children and hospitalized wife were surging across the country as the hero’s rank plummeted to the bottom. Only truly staunch supporters – many of which being abusive themselves – sided with the flaming man.

The Hero Commission held all the power to revoke his license. That’s why this meeting with them was so important. Of course, Endeavour normally expected them to clean up his messes. But the consequences of that were probably too great at this point. He had failed to find Kami or his team in the time the commission gave him. So, he expected to see his career as a hero come to an end and be thrown in Tartarus.

“Enji Todoroki,” the flame hero grit his teeth at not being addressed by his hero name as usual. Clearly, the director had made her choice, “This meeting is off the record.” What? “You are one of the most valuable assets we have, and it would be a shame to lose you. So, for the time being, you are expected to stay hidden from the public eye as we sort out this Kami business.

“Once we have restored the faith in heroes, we will see about reinstating you as a hero. For now, while we won’t revoke your license, you must act as though it has been. During this time, you will still be tasked with finding Kami and putting an end to him, fully compensated of course. Should you choose not to do so, your license will be revoked. Do we have a deal?”

For the first time since the festival, Endeavour grinned maliciously. “Understood.” Neither the director nor the fake hero noticed a thing.

After the Sports Festival, Katsuki Bakugou was on the receiving end of society’s anger. However, like always, he did not receive the punishment he deserved. It wasn’t because Nezu or Aizawa weren’t willing to expel him. No, the Hero Commission had demanded that Bakugou be given another chance. Another chance that wouldn’t make a difference in the long run.

When Bakugou came back to class with his head held high and a wicked smirk on his face, his homeroom teacher knew he would need to disobey the biased government agency in order to stop another Endeavour from appearing. Thankfully, his selfish student’s classmates had the right idea.

Iida was the first to go, his morals intact as usual, “What are you doing here, Bakugou?”

“Hah! What the fuck do you mean, Four Eyes? I’m obviously here as a student. And as the winner of the Sports Festival, that’s to be expected.”

“Are you kidding me?!” Ashido screamed. Whirling around to look at their sensei, she pointed at the blond. “Why didn’t you expel this damn bully?! He doesn’t belong here! He’s just a villain with a heroic quirk!”

When Bakugou lunged at her, half the class blocked his path. As the blond backed off, he was shocked to see all of them with varying degrees of anger and even hatred on their faces.

The blond growled. “Don’t glare at me, you damn extras! If you have a problem with me, you can leave.”

“That’s enough, Bakugou!” Aizawa retorted, eyes blazing as he stared ominously at the explosive teen. “The only reason you haven’t been expelled is because the Hero Commission intervened. Both Nezu and I want you gone, make no mistake.”

He turned to the class, his hand shifting in his pocket. “What I’m about to tell you cannot leave this room. If it does, we’ll all be in trouble. The Hero Commission does not have your best interest at heart. They do not care about what heroics is about, only how they can use heroes and profit from it.”

He glared daggers at Bakugou. “I did a lot of digging and concluded that there is no way you can be a true hero as you are now. It didn’t take long for your old school, Aldera to be very forthcoming with the truth. Their abuse will be in the public eye soon, and hopefully, that will show the Commission that keeping you here as a student is a mistake.”

Bakugou had gradually become more and more enraged. “You can’t talk to me like that! When I’m number one, you’ll regret this!”

Aizawa snorted humorlessly. “You’ll never be number one. Just like Endeavour, people look for heroes who prioritize the safety of others, not taken advantage of fame and fortune for themselves. That’s why you’ll only ever be second best until you learn to be selfless. Having watched you this whole time, I clearly made a mistake in letting you stay. The Commission be damned.”

There was a long silence. As the seconds passed, the blond grew more and more agitated. Finally, the silence was broken by the rabid screams as he lunged forward. Before the other students could react, their teacher had the explosive teen laid flat on the ground, capture weapon wrapped snuggly around him. Stepping up to the boy, the black-haired man pinched a nerve, sending the boy to sleep.

“This is my last day as a teacher at this school.” His class gasped. “I have decided that I can’t sit idly by and let Hero Society continue to fall because of the commission’s corruption. So, to save my class from being scrutinized for what I plan to do in the future, I have resigned. I wish you all luck in your futures as heroes, should you choose to continue on that path.” Without waiting for a response, the former teacher left the room.

From the top floor of the school, having watched the entire time and having given Aizawa the means to block the Commission’s surveillance temporarily, Nezu sat idle as his mind raced with possibilities. He knew Eraserhead to be a realistic and rational individual. So, to witness him making this choice meant a lot about what the future would hold.

Nodding to himself, the intelligent rodent made his decision as well. He opened up an old email, reply already drafted, and deleted the second half before hitting ‘reply’. Even letting the pieces fall where they may, Nezu could see from where he sitting which side would prosper. Eraserhead’s message alone spoke volumes of the coming war. Surely the winning side could use more allies. And if this school of heroes was to be successful in the future, he would need to make this necessary sacrifice.

Seven minutes later, he was surprised to be greeted by an envoy with a familiar face. However, he knew that he had made the right choice.