Chapter 12 Recipe for disaster.
"…Cognito Inc shares fell 5% after one of its technologically advanced aircraft was reported missing. The Coast Guard along with some pro heroes have been deployed in the search for this missing aircraft."
"…"
"Breaking news! Pro hero Gang Orca has found some parts of the aircraft's fuselage at the bottom of the sea…"
"…"
"Two days of intense investigations and the cause of the accident remains a mystery, however, experts do not rule out the possibility that the aircraft was attacked by villains."
"..."
"In other news, Cognito Inc assured that their plans would not be hindered by this unfortunate accident, therefore, they have started the construction of hospitals and orphanages after finally obtaining authorization from the Commission..."
Madam President suddenly turned off the television, interrupting the morning news and causing an awkward silence to spread inside her office.
"We were tricked." She could only helplessly snort as the person in front of her gritted his teeth tightly.
At this point, it was more than evident that Cognito did not plan on canceling its business deals with the Hero Commission. Further investigation revealed that the communication between both parties had been manipulated.
"No, you were tricked." Captain Celebrity growled, narrowing his eyes menacingly at her. "I kept up my end of the deal."
"You say you kept up your end of the deal? Then tell me, Christopher, why did we intercept a call from a couple of panicked children claiming that the famous Captain Celebrity had shot down the plane their father was on?" She asked calmly before continuing.
"Cathleen, better known as Star and Stripe, has gained quite a bit of popularity in the United States lately, it's only a matter of time before she replaces you as number one. I promised to take care of your problem, but first, you had to take care of my problem without leaving any loose ends."
"Which you evidently failed at." She finished bluntly, looking the hero straight in the eyes.
"Are you threatening me?"
"As soon as we intercepted that call, we sent a small team to ensure that information did not spread. However, those children had disappeared without a trace."
"It is highly likely that the person behind this entire elaborate deception has those children in their possession along with enough evidence to put the Hero Commission in a difficult situation. We have worked tirelessly evaluating possible scenarios and prepared numerous countermeasures…"
"Get to the point, woman." Captain Celebrity interrupted, resting his hands on the desk in front of him before leaning forward slightly, denting the metal beneath his hands.
"If the Hero Commission falls, so do you... Therefore, our agreement has changed."
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POV Katsuma Shimano
I remember being very scared and holding my older sister's hand tightly as I tried to understand what was happening.
I remember that we hurriedly dialed the emergency number and the person on the other end asked us to wait at home just before the phone stopped working. A couple of minutes later, a strange man with a cigarette in his mouth knocked on our door and ushered us into his vehicle.
Then my vision blurred and I fell asleep next to my sister almost immediately. Maybe we shouldn't have gotten into that unknown man's vehicle.
When we woke up we were in a completely unfamiliar place while in front of us lay a child with his legs crossed, sitting on what looked like a huge throne made of swords.
It was our first time seeing Child Emperor, a strange child who would change our future in ways I could never have imagined.
*** "You guys must be confused and scared… Unfortunately, you two got caught up in the Hero Commission's selfish plans." ***
For a long time, I thought that heroes were really amazing people, people capable of risking their own lives to save complete strangers, people willing to build a better future for all of us. A symbol of hope.
I thought I understood it, but I really didn't understand anything.
*** "Katsuma, the heroes you admired so much, the heroes who once protected the innocent, are now guardians of a corrupt and weakened system." ***
Money, fame, power, influence… Does it all come down to that? Are all heroes just like Captain Celebrity? Was I really so blind and innocent? Dad… Oneechan…
*** "The heroes have abandoned you." ***
I remember feeling how little by little I was sinking into despair, how my vision of the world was mercilessly destroyed, how my hope was fading away…
*** "But I don't plan on abandoning you." ***
It turns out that at the end of that dark abyss, there was a small light… A small fragment of hope that I held on to with all my strength.
*** "Become a warrior of hope and show this twisted world what a true hero can do." ***
At that moment, that strange boy extended his hand to me, and despite my sister's warnings… I couldn't help but take his hand.
Maybe at first, it was out of fear, fear that the people who attacked Dad would now try to hurt us. Maybe it was because my sister and I had no place to return to, maybe I was selfish and just wanted to hold on to something… Hold on to my dream.
*** "Welcome to the Hydra Initiative." ***
Soon after, my sister and I were led deep into this mysterious secret base, straight to the medical facility, where we unexpectedly discovered that our father had miraculously survived thanks to the intervention of that boy.
Now I have no doubt… That boy is definitely…
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A REAL HERO!
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Days after.
POV Giran.
Before I was just a humble information broker, a businessman with many aspirations and ambitions, just another ordinary villain. However, everything changed when I made a deal with a demon.
A few years later, I had become a major business magnate, with no qualms about bankrupting countless rival companies and monopolizing a large part of the market. Whoever controls the economy controls the world!
But as expected, my success came at a great cost. Without realizing it, I had become the errand boy for this extremely intelligent and dangerous little demon.
"If you have something to say, just say it."
The brat beside me muttered, snapping me out of my thoughts as his gaze possibly scanned my every facial expression. I guess there's no point in trying to hide something from him.
"You assigned me the task of bringing those kids to you before the Commission got to them." I replied unfazed, taking another drag of my cigarette as my gaze now focused on those kids nervously trying to befriend little Eri in the distance. "What do you plan to do with them?" I asked with some degree of curiosity as a small stream of smoke came out of my mouth.
I wonder if he will use the testimony of those children and the father against that hero and the Commission? But thinking about it carefully, the father is in no position to do so and I highly doubt that the testimony of a couple of young children will be of any use.
Perhaps he plans to leak some recently collected documents and videos to the press, enough to destabilize the Hero Commission and put them in a precarious situation.
Or is it even possible that he plans to blackmail the Commission? This is certainly a unique opportunity for us.
"Testimonies? Leaking the evidence? Blackmail? I don't plan on doing any of that."
What the hell?! He can read my mind now?
"I can't read your mind, I just know you too well."
The cheeky brat responded smugly as a smug and annoyed smile spread across his face. "But to satisfy your curiosity a little, Katsuma and Mahoro will become fundamental pieces of my fantastic large-scale game." He hummed cryptically, pulling another lollipop out of his pocket before popping it into his mouth and continuing his explanation.
"As for the Hero Commission, I have no interest in taking them down, at least not yet. However, I must admit that it will be gratifying to see them running around like headless chickens and falling into paranoia from now on."
"Besides, if the Commission were to fall along with the hero system, it wouldn't be long before the bigwigs would seize the opportunity and come out of their sewers with megalomaniac speeches and clichés, stealing all the fun from me."
He growled, taking a quick and aggressive bite of his lollipop, devouring it in one bite as a defiant look spread across his face. The implications of those words were clear, the brat knew that he wasn't the only monster lurking in the darkness.
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Just thinking about it sends shivers down my spine, so I lightly shake my head and quickly focus on another topic that has caught my attention. "What does the children's father have to do with all this? If you wanted to manipulate those children you could have just let the father die in that attack and used revenge as a strong motivator." I asked skeptically.
Why the hell did he save the father in the first place? Is it possible that that brat has gone soft? Is he the same kid who assaulted and destroyed the Shie Hassaikai?
"Did you think I would orphan a couple of innocent children just to force them to become my little minions motivated by revenge?" He uttered indignantly as his hand dramatically rested on his heart as if he truly cared for those children.
"Sacrificing innocent people isn't rewarding or exciting at all. After all, there's a fine line between being the typical cliché villain and a truly cool villain." He explained, waving his hand dismissively as he approached me. "Otherwise, I'd run out of toys too quickly."
It was then that I noticed the disturbing smile that was slowly beginning to spread across his face. That damned cunning smile.
"However, by making Katsuma and Mahoro believe that they along with their father are alive thanks to the kindness of my heart while supporting little Katsuma's most cherished dream with a few variations here and there, the intended result will naturally be obvious."
This brat…
"Not to mention the fact that the father is in a deep coma subtly induced by my advanced technology, binding those children unconsciously to my will."
This brat is definitely…
"Of course, that will be a little secret between us, Giran."
A REAL DEMON!
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And yet, I couldn't be more proud of him.
Even if I consider myself the errand boy, even if I have to clean up most of the mess he leaves in his wake, I would gladly follow this manipulative little demon into the depths of hell.
"By the way, I might adopt another puppy soon."
What? What the hell did he say?
"I'll leave the rest up to you, hehe."
At this rate, this place will turn into a damn kindergarten!
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Meanwhile, in a completely different place.
POV Kota Izumi
My body refuses to move, I don't know where I am, I feel like I'm short of breath, but worst of all... I can't take my eyes off the two lifeless bodies in front of me!
"Dad…"
"Mom…"
Fear… Despair… Darkness.
These horrible feelings consumed me completely.
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"AHH!"
I let out a small scream of panic just before my eyes abruptly opened, instinctively fighting against the sheets wrapped around me until I suddenly fell out of bed, hitting the floor with my butt. "Ouch…"
My little heart was pounding as I slowly got up from the floor, regaining my composure and unconsciously hugging my newly purchased Monokuma teddy bear. I can't stop thinking about mom and dad.
There is no doubt, that was definitely…
At that moment, the door to my room suddenly opens, interrupting my thoughts and causing me to let out a small but shaky sigh of relief before a pair of worried gazes land on me.
"Champion, are you okay?"
"Son… Were you crying?"
It was just a nightmare
"I wasn't crying! I'm not a baby!" I exclaimed defensively, quickly covering my face with my teddy bear. "I just had something in my eyes." I quickly muttered, still remembering those horrible images in my head, images straight out of a horrible nightmare.
Or that's what I thought…
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"My name is Kota! Kota Izumi! Son of the fantastic hero duo Water Hose." I exclaimed confidently while pointing at myself. "And I'm about to tell you a secret."
"About a year ago my parents faced off against a very dangerous villain in a small isolated village… The villain turned out to be none other than Muscular."
"And despite the unfavorable circumstances, my parents miraculously returned home safely. No! It wasn't a miracle! It was thanks to the amazing technology of Cognito Inc!" I quickly exclaimed with some degree of admiration and gratitude, letting out my feelings in front of my Monokuma teddy bear. "The company that created you."
Lately I've been getting the feeling that this teddy bear can understand me, that must be why it's a very popular toy among kids my age. This is way better than a stupid diary!
"The GPS tracker implemented in my parents' bracelets allowed reinforcements to arrive just in time and force that wretched villain to escape like a coward." I scoffed lightly before grimacing. "If it weren't for Cognito, my parents would probably have been killed."
"Just thinking about it gives me chills. Not to mention the nightmares still linger, nightmares about what could have happened that day." I muttered, hugging myself before gritting my teeth tightly.
"Which I will never admit to another human being! I'm not a baby!" I protested, pointing my finger at my teddy bear before the door to my room opened slightly and my father peeked in.
"Did you say something, champ?"
"Nothing! I didn't say anything!"
"By the way, remember to pack only the essentials or we'll be late."
I heard my dad say as he walked away. We're supposed to go camping today for the first time in a long time, but…
Why do I feel so nervous all of a sudden?
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Hours later, on the shores of a lake under the moonlight.
"Deadly Super Tsunami!" I exclaimed, pointing my hands towards the lake as I tried to concentrate on my quirk, causing a small, harmless wave to splash against my boots shortly after. "I did it!" I exclaimed victoriously, quickly looking at my father, who smiled proudly.
Training my quirk by the lake is very convenient. I still have a lot to learn though. Luckily, there's no one camping around so I can practice as much as I want under my father's supervision.
"Not bad little champion, but remember that with more practice and dedication you'll be able to do great things." My father congratulated me, raising his hand in the air as the water swirled around him, forming a small ball of water. "Things like this." He boasted, shooting the small ball of water at a nearby tree, causing the tree to collapse.
"Super cool!" I exclaimed with stars in my eyes. "Teach me! Teach me!" I repeated over and over until finally my father came up to me and placed his hand on my shoulder.
"I'm sorry that your mother and I don't get to spend much time with you, but the job of a hero is really complicated. When the time comes, you will have to choose your own path, a hero or not, I will always be proud of you." My father stated softly, causing us both to fall into a comfortable silence.
It's selfish of me, but sometimes I wish they would stop being heroes and instead, we would just be a normal family. Why should they have to risk their own lives for complete strangers? I don't get it...
"Which one of you forgot to pack the marshmallows?" My mother's sweet yet threatening voice behind us caused my father and I to shudder slightly. "I promise not to get mad." She lied.
With no other options, I quickly pointed at my dad while he pointed at me. "Traitor!" In the end, we all ended up laughing and sharing a nice family moment.
However, everything changed when a flock of birds flew over us as if they were running away from something. Instantly alerting my parents that something was wrong.
As this was happening my gaze was drawn to a small puddle of water at my feet, where I noticed small ripples in the water, ripples that were getting stronger and stronger.
I quickly tried to warn my parents that something big was approaching like in that dinosaur movie, but it was not necessary. They already knew, the completely serious and worried expressions on their faces was enough to make me panic.
Immediately after, my father and mother pushed me back just before something huge and monstrous landed hard in front of them. "KOTA, RUN!" They exclaimed in unison as the water began to swirl around them.
"I finally found you."
This has to be a nightmare…
"WATER HOSE!"
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"Water Cannon!"
"Water Wall!"
My parents unleashed their powers without even hesitation, giving me the opportunity to sneak through the bushes and vegetation as the ground shook and Muscular's insane laughter echoed in the distance.
"HAHAHA! This time I will crush you! I WILL CRUSH YOU ALL!"
This is bad, my parents aren't wearing their hero suits, nor any support gadgets, not to mention that my phone has suddenly stopped working. What am I supposed to do?!
At that moment, and as if it were a sign of destiny, a small rock hit my head, interrupting my thoughts and making my vision go to the top of a small rocky hill not far from me, where I managed to see what seemed to be the silhouette of a person.
I didn't stop to think about it, I just ran in that direction desperately looking for help. I must warn the police, the heroes, whoever. Otherwise, my nightmares will come true…
When I finally reached the top and began to catch my breath, I didn't expect to discover that the silhouette actually belonged to a child. And now that child is nonchalantly eating popcorn right in front of me.
"I was waiting for you, Kota~kun."
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POV ISAMU
I know the past, present, and future of many of the characters in this charming world. A world which has become my reality and my own playground. Therefore, I see no harm in using that knowledge to my advantage, for better or worse.
So for a while, I subtly used my technology and my influences to keep Muscular away from that pair of heroes. At least until the pieces on the board were in place.
"Who are you? And how do you know my name?" Kota asked shakily from behind me, possibly looking at me with a mix of suspicion and disbelief as my attention remained captivated by the interesting spectacle in front of me.
"That's an excellent question." I hummed, tossing a popcorn into the air before catching it in my mouth, blatantly ignoring the question.
In the distance, the famous hero duo Water Hose dodged Muscular's devastating and deadly attacks while they, in turn, counterattacked by sending powerful jets of pressurized water toward him.
"How long will you keep hitting me with that weak water jet?! This is disappointing!" Muscular exclaimed visibly angry, using his muscle fibers to block the attacks. "So before I kill you two, I'm going to enjoy watching your agonized faces while I kill your son in front of you!" He threatened with a completely ruthless smile.
At that precise moment, something changed within the duo of heroes, something broke. The dark expressions on their faces were unmistakable proof of that, and I had a privileged place in the front row.
Come on, show me your full potential! My fantastic toys!
☆ "Fight like the devil!" ☆
And so it happened~
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https://youtu.be/tqP6NmAUp7U
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To Be Continued...
☆ In the next chapter! Chapter 13: Fight like the devil ☆