In the class 1-A dorms of UA, Izuku Midoriya sat slumped on the big maroon shaded couch with a small weight in his hand that he had been curling. It had stopped in motion as he stared at the TV.
The news anchor had just reported that HIdeharu Kanzaki, a candidate for the head of the ministry of justice had been killed more than a week ago after a meeting with other politicians and board members. Shame was being thrown to the heroes that had been supposed to be guarding him.
Best Jeanist and, "...Gran Torino," he muttered absentmindedly.
"That who you interned under?" He almost jumped and immediately ridiculed himself for it, he had stopped being so jumpy ever since getting out of the hospital, he made an oath to himself that he was done playing around, he didn't want to just catch up to what All Might once was, he wanted to completely surpass it.
But he turned his head, a mix of emotions like anger, envy, cowardice and shock all flooded his mind. How could he not jump, Bakugou just came out of nowhere.
Izuku nodded but refused to speak. Bakugou hadn't acted as he had done in middle school, although verbally he was still rude, but Izuku could take that. But it had been so long since there was any kind of conversation between them. Last time was just felt like a conversation to Izuku that they were never really friends.
"Well, my crappy mentor failed too," Bakugou said out loud.
It was only the two of them in the common area. Izuku was hoping someone would just burst in, but then he started ridiculing himself again for being so cowardly, he shouldn't need anyone to save him.
"Yeah, well, whoever got past a hero in the top ten as well as someone like Gran Torino, must be incredibly skilled." Izuku responded, he spoke in a dim tone, and continued his motion of curling, just with his other hand now.
"That old man's already got a foot in the grave, why's he even still active?" Bakugou snorted out. He clearly didn't know who he was.
"That old man is actually one of All Might's old teachers," Bakugou looked like he froze, Izuku felt something bubble in his chest, seeing his old bully freeze at the mention that the same old man who trained him, trained his favourite hero. "Even though he's old, he's still very capable. All Might recommended me to him."
At that, from Izuku's periphery he could see Bakugou's face seemingly twist, but instead of the typical anger he usually displays, he looked envious, Izuku could spot it, it was a face that he himself wore when they were younger and he would see Bakugou's quirk in action.
The clock in the room was ticking, it was nearly two o'clock, All Might had agreed on more intensive training with him today. Izuku was now capable of controlling 18% of One For All he could push it higher though, to which All Might was both surprised and a little worried about his dedication.
The news station switched topics detailing that there may be a spike in organized crime as many villains captured recently are low tier one's or vigilantes of some kind and that no big names have been seen in public for some time.
Midoriya dug in his bag to pick out a notebook, it looked well-used with some little rips and dampness on the cover which were covered by a big hero card, it was merchandise that was still very popular. His card was one of All Might, he could see Bakugou looking at it from the corner of his eye, Midoriya's card was rare, and what made it even more rare, was the fact that it was signed by the man himself.
"It was a gift for my thirteenth birthday," Izuku said without turning to look at the man sat away from him. "Barely a year after I left you back in Aldera-"
"Where the fuck do you get off?"
Midoriya stopped moving and finally turned to look at Bakugou, he saw rage, it was almost a constant when it came to the explosive boy. But it didn't scare him as it did when they were younger.
"You run off with you tail between your legs, or better yet a quirk hidden so far up your ass..."
Izuku tried ignoring him, but he knew what was coming. He had been on the receiving end for far too long.
"... and now you're back in town acting so high and mighty. Get off your fucking high horse!"
There was silence now. Barring the huffing sounds that came from Bakugou, Midoriya still stumbled internally, he didn't know what he was to say to him. Anything he does say will only make him jump at the chance to strangle him.
But maybe that's fine. He can try, but Midoriya isn't the same as he was back in Aldera. He is strong now, he has power and can fight back, he has a quirk, All Might's quirk.
"Bakugou," he started. "I don't know what your problem with me is. We haven't spoken since we were twelve and I'm completely fine with that." He watched as Bakugou's face changed and showed a slight shock and confusion. "But in the end of the day we're both just here to graduate as heroes. So don't get in my way and I won't in yours."
And just like that he was already up and ready to start marching over and throw his assault.
"I'm sure Aizawa wouldn't like to hear about how you were in middle school. You know, any respectable teacher wouldn't want to know they were teaching someone who so easily threw out the term "Kill yourself" and even more." And now his motion stopped again,
Bakugou wasn't moving but he continued to glare, not as if testing Midoriya, but, his face held so much, disappointment. He wanted something else and he just didn't get it, not here. They were in another moment of silence, and then Bakugou's face hardened again, he opened his mouth but before he could speak the elevator doors chimed and out came Uraraka, Todoroki and Iida.
Uraraka was the first one to notice, Midoriya seen her face change to a more tense expression as she spotted Bakugou.
"Is everything alright Izuku?" she asked with a hardness in her tone as she stepped past Bakugou and intentionally hit into him, causing the boy to stutter in his step while also giving her a sharp glare.
"Yeah, everything's fine. We were just talking." he responded. "I was just about to head out to train with All Might."
It looked like a sudden jolt in expression, his friends knew that he trained with the number one. Bakugou was not his friend.
He seen Bakugou turn on his heal and head up the stairs, ignoring the other two in the room, seemingly shaking in fury with each step.
A sudden cheer seemed to return back into the room as Midoriya let out a quick sigh of relief.
"Well have fun."
________
The room was dark, the only light that got through came from the edges of the thick black curtains. As well as the yellow light of my desk lamp.
On the desk in front of me was a little paper man. Folded with precision, he looked almost alive, it had clear slits where it's stomach would be and through the staticky sounds coming from it, it was a listening device. I managed to place one on a leader within the MLA, one that had been making more of an appearance within the base than normal.
His name was Sanctum, one of the supposed oldest members of the MLA.
The first voice I heard didn't come from him though, it was Destro's smooth and calm voice. "Hideharu Kanzaki is no longer a problem. The plan proceeds without further resistance. Sanctum, you've ensured there are no loose ends?"
Why was he asking him? Maybe this old man had backtracked to make sure he had really died before the news even came out. It would make sense, to have someone watch over my back whenever I was given a mission, Nagant probably had someone following her too.
"Of course," came Sanctum's reply. The man sounded rough, worn, and completely devoid of hesitation. "It's clean. No trails that would lead to Koku or Soryu."
Destro hummed in approval. "Good. Kanzaki's fall paves the way for Koku to step into the Ministry unchallenged. The old system is breaking apart piece by piece. Soon it'll collapse under it's own weight, and we'll be there to sweep away the rubble."
Destro's praise of me, indirect as it was, felt like acid eating through my skin. I wonder what he'll think if he see's the guy alive and well.
Sanctum's voice cut through my thoughts. "When do we move?"
"Not yet," Destro replied. "The timing must be perfect. Let the cracks widen. They're still chasing after Proxy as are we. It is better for them to capture him, when the moment comes, we'll strike with precision, not haste. Hero's Eve will provide exactly what we need, as long as Proxy is out of the picture anyway."
Hero's eve? I knew that. Everyone in the country did. I been to one when I was younger, it's one of the most celebrated days of the year, supposed to be a day to champion heroes as well as a prosperous future. A day of hope and unity.
I didn't think Destro would attack something like that, I don't get where he see's the wrong in something like that.
"And the army is ready?" Sanctum asked, his tone was skeptical. "This isn't just the MLA's fight anymore."
"Everyone will be ready," Destro said with conviction. "They have no reason to hold back."
"But what about you sir?" Sanctum asked, "If things go wrong and people see you."
"No need to worry, I won't actually be showing myself. Plus we have help on this." Destro replied.
Sanctum didn't respond but I could tell he was also intrigued on who it was. I could hear what was most likely Destro crack his knuckles and stepping up out of his chair.
"I've recently acquired the support of a figure whose reputation precedes him—a man of legend. All For One."
That name again. It had been some time since I heard it, it hadn't appeared in my mind since a little while after the Hosu Games but I wouldn't forget it. He seemed much too dangerous to just simply forget.
My phone had been out now, recording the entire conversation now.
"Not just him. He is in control of the League, he also has supposedly been rounding up many villains into groups that work with the league, many from the Hosu Games as well as prisons all over the country that still don't have their prisoners."
This didn't just feel like a simple attack or a raid. It was like preparing for a war, one that Destro would benefit from on most if not all fronts. All for One and the League just seem like standard villains that want to topple society for unknown reasons with no great plans afterwards, Destro already planted seeds within politics and government.
So if things were to go the villains way and faith in heroes continue to topple, then of course there will be major calls for change, as well as that, since Destro is not showing himself he can still continue to operate from his standard position and the MLA has a big enough army to fight for him, all with a vast array of different quirks and figures you would not expect.
And even if All for One and the League came out of it arrested or dead, there will still be a shift that Destro can take control of. Thinking of who this All For One is makes me a little disappointed, someone who has supposedly lived for so long cannot see he is clearly being used like an instrument. Or maybe he is just allowing this for a greater goal he has.
"What about the heroes?" Sanctum finally spoke. "Won't they figure it out soon enough? Since the Hosu games end, there was an expected rise in villainy for a week but then it all just disappeared and it's not like they ended up back in prisons. The heroes will be expecting this won't they?"
"Doesn't matter," Destro answered. "The heroes are weak. Their clinging to their image and All Might. Them catching Proxy could help them in morale but when we hit them on Hero's Eve, they'll fall like the brittle structures they have become."
My recording was still ongoing, this was what I needed. I couldn't send anything from this phone under the servers in this city though thanks to Skeptic, so I still needed to find some trustworthy heroes that can get me in contact with the commission.
"And after all that, everyone will be looking for solutions. The people will turn to the Ministry of Justice and the Commission. If things go well that day, then the current head of the Ministry of Justice will also be killed, I haven't figured who to give that job to yet though." Destro mumbled that last part lower. "Eventually it would be liberation sanctum."
The conversation moved on, I stopped recording and saved it on multiple files with duplicates in different files under different names, I didn't think that would help me if Skeptic were really searching but it made me feel more secure.
My fingers flickered against the paper figure, and I allowed myself a small exhale. Then, with a flick of my hand, the figure crumbled into dust. It was done.
We were in the middle of September now, after a long month and a half I had finally gotten something useful. Although I felt a little worried. It all felt like too much at the same time. The villains were too well organized and the heroes were far behind.
Although I always felt like it was supposed to be like that. Heroes always come in to "save the day", implying shit was already hitting the fan and they were just there as clean up. So maybe they were just on the right track, but with the amount of time heroes and villains have been duking it out now, have there even been much progress in lets say, spitting out less villains?
It's not like something that is predestined or written in someone's DNA, but there are factors, one easily being discrimination. Statistics show that mutants face discrimination at almost every level. They are most likely turned away from decent jobs, treated as threats far younger than most, and are even left out of safety zones when major attacks or earthquakes and the like are happening.
Of course as mutants there are still some different social categories. Those with standard and more acceptable mutant quirks like those who look like pups as children, grow up and still have some of that charm that a standard family dog would, which in itself is bad because it's just people infantilizing them or happily satisfying some type of fetish leading to even greater issues.
Hero leader boards and such are about popularity, in some cases more so then actual heroism. There is a reason why a top hero like Gang Orca does so many campaigns along with his hero work and barely manage to scrape top ten in "popularity" compared to Mirko who hardly does a thing but her solo travelling hero work.
Luckily for society, Gang Orca chose heroism. For those that don't, well they all site that it just felt like 'society keeps kicking you down', so what do they do? You break or you find your own way to fight back. Some just become what everyone fears them as anyway because they were never given any alternatives.
And let's not pretend 'heroes' help much with that.
But heroism is still just a business, so for the agents of heroes and designers of the merchandise, they obviously want for them to receive as much recognition as possible for taking down these 'dangerous villains', so it probably just gets to a point where they just don't raise the issue, and the one's at the top are just too dumb or uncaring to make it a point.
I know myself well enough, and even though I can think up all this, I just let it sit there and fester. I too am part of the uncaring crowd.
I'm not a good person, and that's okay. I don't even strive to be one.
So then why? Why am I even still here?
I could probably sneak out of Deika, leave Nagant and continue journeying through Japan. So why am I here? Why did I let Hideharu Kanzaki go? Why did I stay for Eri? Why did I save who I saved in the Hosu Games?
It was hard to come up with an answer.
My body just moved on it's own...? That's bull... that's an answer that just doesn't suit me.
"So was it Eden...?"
For all it was, it was still a place that was raising heroes.
A place that selfishly instilled the thought of acting as a hero, using your power to help people in cruel and selfish ways, as long as the job is done. I hate it.
I hate that place.
All this wandering, it's for a dead place that housed broken dolls that aren't even achieving their function. Who have I met from there? No one.
Is anyone even alive? What would they even be doing? Hero work... I almost laughed.
I felt a metaphorical sickness anytime I said the word hero, if any more of them were like me, they would probably want far away from it... the opposite...
.
.
I don't know why, but I feel so weak right now. I'm shaking uncontrollably.
So, the reason I'm still here then... I think, I think that no matter how far I try to stray from this life, one foot will always be over the line helping or destroying in some capacity.
... that's because I'm just another doll it was programmed into.