Hey, guys welcome to my new story! There are a few things that I want to establish before the story starts.
First of all. Please don't ask for updates. The story will get updates whenever the next chapter is ready. That should be like, every other week maybe. Maybe!
Second, this fic takes place in an alternate future of the MHA world. Some of the events in the canon have happened, some of them didn't and some of them happened in different ways.
Anyway, that's it for now. Onto the story!
Fireworks lit off in the sky! And the buildings of I-Island were covered in bright lights.
"We are here at the International I-Island Technology Expo! The most exciting show of technology in the world! Said a Newswoman to a camera. "Now, after the tech demonstrations! It's time for the award ceremony!"
The crowd cheered inside the stadium as the head of the expo, Melissa Shield took the stage.
"Hello everybody!" Melissa said into the microphone. "Thank you all for coming! I hope you've all been enjoying the expo so far!"
"WOOOHHHHHH!" The crowd cheered.
"I think that answers my question." Melissa smiled. "Then without further ado! Let's get the award ceremony started!"
"YEAAAHHHHH!" The crowd went wild.
Melissa's assistant came and gave her the award.
"Now. At most award ceremonies, they save the best for last! But! We're not going to make you all wait in suspense! Let's start with the big one!" Melissa exclaimed. "The award, for most advanced support technology, goes too….Midoriya Industries!"
The crowd cheered, but a little more quietly this time.
"Now as per usual, Izuku Midoriya won't be appearing in person, and instead his lovely wife will be receiving the award. Give it up for Ochaco Midoriya everyone!" Melissa said.
Ochaco walked up to the stage to roaring applause, and a few envious glares, in a fancy yet rather simple dress.
"Thank you, everyone!" Ochaco said, taking the award. "Me and my husband are happy to receive this wonderful award, for the fifth time in a row. And of course, I'll be happy to accept all the other awards we'll be earning tonight."
"Oh, a bit cocky aren't we?" Melissa playfully teased. "Well then again given past expo's I can't exactly fault you."
"Yes, but before we go on." Ochaco pulled out a flashcard. "Izuku wrote down a speech for once."
"Some words from the elusive Izuku Midoriya! Make sure to pay attention everyone!" Melissa said.
Ochaco cleared her throat. "Thank you, everyone. I am honored and overjoyed to be receiving such an important and prestigious award. While I am the one receiving the award, I would like to bring some attention to all the people who helped me get to where I am. To my employees, my investors, and of course my customers. To my mother who supported me through everything. And most of all...to my wife, who's been with me since the beginning...and who without I would be nothing."
"Awwww." Went some of the crowd.
"We as makers of support gear, are in charge of helping the heroes who keep us from destruction. We are the ones who help them overcome obstacles that wouldn't be able to otherwise and we are the ones in charge of boosting to new heights." Ochaco continued. "I may be the one winning the award, but we all have an important role to play! Let's continue the good work!"
"YAAAAAAA!" The crowd gave a rousing applause.
Ochaco bowed and walked off stage.
Later, in the hotel room.
Izuku Midoriya, C.E.O., and owner of Midoriya industries was currently sitting on his hotel bed typing away on his laptop, working on new technology, when suddenly the door slammed open and Ochaco walked in.
"God I hate these things!" Ochaco said, referring to her overly expensive and very uncomfortable heels.
She quickly unstrapped her feet from the height extending torture devices, before throwing them to the other side of the room.
"I said you shouldn't have bought those. I told you your feet would hurt." Izuku closed his laptop and directed all his attention to her. "You could have just gotten something more comfortable."
"Yeah, but comfortable and good looking don't go together." Ochaco sighed as she kept getting undressed. "And if I don't look my best then we'll get fifty online posts about how I might secretly be a Nomu. And besides these shoes were a steal! They look way more expensive than they actually are."
"You always look your best," Izuku grumbled. "And anyone who calls you a Nomu isn't worth listening to."
Ochaco gave a kind smile at her husband, walking up to him and cupping his face in her hands. "I know, but not everyone can see things like you do. And I have to make sure the public opinion is high."
Then, Ochaco's expression changed from loving and tender to upset and disappointed. "Speaking of opinions. The card."
"Yeah, you changed it." Izuku pointed out.
"Of course I changed it!" Ochaco yelled, taking her hands off Izuku and pulling out the card. "I'm not if really deserve this! I wouldn't be able to do anything without help! Izuku, what have I said about self-deprecation!"
"I wasn't doing that, I was just being humble!" Izuku argued, waving his hand defensively.
"Ok, first of all. There is a time and place for humbleness. If you're too humble or are doing it at the wrong time, then it actually makes you sound arrogant. And two, no you weren't!" Ochaco scolded him.
She walked over to the door, before opening it and yelling down the hall. "Chizome! Bring me one of the awards!"
Izuku gave her a confused look. "What are you-"
Their bodyguard, Chizome Akaguro, showed up quickly with one of the awards they had gotten. "Here you are."
"Thank you. You're dismissed." Ochaco said, letting Chizome bow and take his leave before closing the door.
Then she grabbed Izuku, dragged him in front of a mirror, and stuck the trophy in his hand.
"Look at that," Ochaco said. "You did this. You earned this!"
"Yeah, but I couldn't have done this without-" Ochaco cut him off.
"And without you, this could never have been done," Ochaco said. "Repeat after me. I deserve this."
"I...deserve this?" Izuku said hesitantly.
"Louder!" Ochaco chanted. "More confidence! Don't look at me, look at the mirror!"
"I deserve this," Izuku said, slightly more confidently. Like he was trying to convince himself.
"Louder! Believe in yourself!" Ochaco encouraged.
"I deserve this!" Izuku yelled at the mirror.
"Again!" Ochaco shouted.
"I deserve this!" Izuku repeated.
"One more time!" Ochaco said.
"We deserve this!" Izuku shouted, a smile forming on his face.
"That's right-hey!" Ochaco said. "That's cheating."
"Maybe. But I feel better about taking credit for things if you're taking credit with me." Izuku laughed.
Ochaco started laughing with him. "Fine, fine. If it helps."
Ochaco moved Izuku's arms up, moved in front of him, and then lowered his arms around her, then put her hands on Izuku's.
"There. Feel better?" She asked, smiling brightly at him.
"Much." Izuku smiled back at her.
The two of them laughed for a little while before returning to their conversation.
"I'm sorry for making you go out there by yourself." Izuku apologized.
"Aghhh! Izuku I love you but you need to stop apologizing! Trust me, I'll tell you if you've done anything you need to apologize about." Ochaco said. "Understood."
"Understood." Izuku smiled.
"Good. And, if you want to make it up to me." Ochaco slid out of his arms. "You'll go to the investor tech demonstration."
Izuku's smile fell, and he started to look away from Ochaco. "Ochaco I…"
Izuku put down the award, as he began thinking over the request.
"Izuku, look at me," Ochaco said, making sure his attention was on her. "You haven't gone outside in years. You need to show your face to the public again. Or at least just our investors for now."
Izuku looked at her, his eyes conveying his inner confliction, before eventually sighing and giving in. "I'll do it...for you."
"Thank you." Ochaco leaned in and brought her lips to his.
The kiss didn't last long. But it served its purpose of comforting Izuku, putting him at ease about his decision.
Their lips parted, and Izuku looked down at his smiling wife.
"Don't worry. I'll be with you. Always." Ochaco whispered.
Izuku smiled back at her. "I know."
For that night, Izuku put his troubles aside. And let himself be at ease.
A few weeks later
Izuku breathed deeply, as the limousine brought him to his destination.
On his right was Ochaco and on his left was Chizome, doing his job as his bodyguard and making sure he was safe.
Right now they were heading towards a special compound that they used to test out their technology, and going to show off their E.F.E. gauntlets. Energy focusing enhancement gauntlets.
Truth is, Izuku is a shut-in. Once his company had gained enough money, power, and acclaim, he simply disappeared from the public eye altogether.
The only time the public ever heard of him afterward is when he was being credited for things.
Ochaco had helped him with being in public back in the days when the company was first starting out, and after they had gotten married she had been encouraging him to go outside more and get back into the public light.
These attempts have been mostly fruitless, but today was her first success.
The limo stopped.
"Looks like we're here," Chizome said, opening the door and looking around, before getting out of the way so Izuku could leave.
Izuku got out of the car, blinking rapidly as his eyes tried to adjust to the sun.
The three of them, as well as a few guards, walked into the facility.
"So...what kind of people are the uh...investors?" Izuku asked.
"They're investors. They want money." Chiziome said. "Show them something that can make them money. And you're on their good side."
"Which shouldn't be hard. The E.F.E. gauntlets are some of our most impressive products yet. Pretty much anyone with a quirk that shoots out any sort of energy is gonna want it." Ochaco said. "Nejire, Endeavor, Chargebolt-"
"Ground Zero?" Izuku suggested.
"No." Ochaco and Chiziome said in unison.
"He is permanently banned from receiving any of our gear." Ochaco grit her teeth.
"Now is that because he bullied Izuku when they were kids or is it because he is almost single-handedly responsible for your hero career not taking off?" Chiziome asked.
"Yes!" Ochaco shouted.
Ochaco had tried to be a hero in order to provide for her family. However, after failing the entrance exam and being put in general education, her only chance to get in would have been to impress U.A. at the sports festival.
However luck was never on her side, as for the first two sports festivals, she got put up against Bakugo in the first round. And in the third sports festival, her first round was against Shoto Todoroki.
So as you can imagine she already didn't like Bakugo that much, and when she found out what he did and said to Izuku, she hated him, even more.
"God I hate that prick!" Ochaco exclaimed. "How has Stain not tried to cut HIS head off yet!"
"Ochaco!" Izuku gave her a serious look.
"I'm sorry I'm sorry! That was wrong." Ochaco said, looking ashamed. "I just...I really hate that guy."
Izuku sighed. Bakugo had always been a bit of a sticking point for the two of them. Izuku had always tried to point out the positives of Bakugo, something that got easier as he(Kicking and screaming) matured into a more rational and less aggressive person. (By Bakugo standards)
Ochaco would then often point out the many, many, many, many not so positive qualities. Like his short temper, violent tendencies, past history of bullying(with the main victim being Izuku himself), foul mouth, a large amount of property damage he caused back in his early days, etc.
When the company got big, Ochaco had desperately wanted to expose Bakugo's past to the public, and bring his hero career down.
Izuku managed to talk her out of this, and the two came to a compromise. They would keep quiet about Bakugo's bullying, but he would be banned from obtaining any of their support items.
Ever since then they didn't mention him much. The only time Izuku would ever bring him up is when he tried to convince Ochaco to unban Bakugo. This was always met with stonewall rejection.
After a bit more walking they finally reached the test chamber.
The test chamber was a small viewing box that looked down at a large white room. The only thing separating the rooms was thick glass.
Inside the viewing box was a bunch of old-looking men in suits. The investors.
"Ah, Mr. Midoriya." One of the investors said. "It's a pleasure to see you."
"A pleasure and a surprise." Said another investor. This one is not sounding as happy. "After so long I had thought you would never have come out of your hole."
"I apologize for that." Izuku bowed.
"Enough," Ochaco said to the investors. "You came here to talk about technology. You know, the thing that's making you money. Not my husband's usual lack of presence."
"I agree." Said an impatient investor. "I would rather get this over with quickly."
"Good, now if everyone could direct your attention to the test chamber," Ochaco said.
Inside the test chamber was a man, who was wearing the E.F.E. gauntlet, and three targets.
"Everyone, this man has a quirk called air bullets. He can condense air into pellets and shoot them out of his hand." Ochaco explained. "This quirk has two major issues, however."
Ochaco then lifted up her hand and spoke into her watch. "Sir, please demonstrate your quirk without the gauntlet."
The man lifted the arm without the gauntlet and aimed at the targets.
He shot out a bunch of weak air pellets for his hand, most of which went flying all over the place, and the few that hit the targets didn't do much.
"His pellets are difficult to aim, and are rather weak," Ochaco explained. "However, with the gauntlet. Sir, please demonstrate your quirk while using the gauntlet."
The man raised his other arm and used his quirk again.
This time, rather than a bunch of weak, scattered pellets coming out, instead a single, focused air bullet flew out at the target and destroyed it immediately.
The investors looked impressed.
"Izuku if you wouldn't mind explaining the gauntlet." Ochaco put the focus on him.
"Oh, ah...Well, the gauntlet focuses energy projectiles and condenses it, before focusing it outward. This causes any energy projectiles that are fired from the gauntlet, to become stronger, faster, and more focused." Izuku explained nervously. "Mind you there are some drawbacks. For one this only works for energy-based projectiles and it also doesn't allow for wide attacks. However, the gauntlet can be deactivated, allowing heroes to use their wide attacks again."
"Hmm. Very impressive. I can imagine this will sell quite well." Said one of the investors.
"Agreed." Said another investor. "I-"
Suddenly, everything started to shake.
"What was that?" asked one of the investors.
BRRRRR! BRRR! Intruder alert! Intruder Alert!
"Intruders?" Chizome went on edge. "Alright everyone get out! We need to-"
And the roof collapsed. And everything went dark.
Sometime later.
"Ahhh." Izuku groaned as he slowly regained consciousness.
He opened his eyes and saw that he was in an unfamiliar room. It was rather plain and dull. As well as being extremely clean.
"Where...where am I?" Izuku asked no one in particular.
He tried to move but found that he wasn't able to. He turned his head and saw he was tied down to a chair.
Izuku's eyes widened, as alarm bells rang in his head.
Before he could act on the panic that was rising within him, the door in front of him opened, and in came what he assumed were his kidnappers. A man with black hair, a large coat, white gloves, and a bird mask, another man with a similar mask as well as a white hood that completely covered his face, and a strange black bird doll.
"Hello, Midoriya Izuku." Said the man in the coat. "Welcome to the Shie Hassaikai."
Chapter 2
"Hello Midoriya Izuku." Said the man in the coat. "Welcome to the Shie Hassaikai."
Izuku's eyes widened. He recognized that name. And what it meant.
"The Yakuza." Izuku gasped. "You're the Yakuza!"
"You know it!" Said the doll.
"Allow us to introduce ourselves, I am Overhaul. The leader." The man in the coat said. "The one in the white is Chronostasis, and the small one is Mimic."
"Wh-what do you want with me?!" Izuku asked, breathing rapidly as fear filled his veins.
"Your brain." Overhaul said. "More specifically your knowledge."
"My...knowledge?" Izuku repeated. That was not the answer he expected. At best he thought that he was being held ransom. And at worst he thought he was going to be assassinated.
"It would be easier to show you." Overhaul said. "Chrono. Untie him."
Chronostasis nodded and walked behind Izuku and started untying the restraints.
"Don't do anything stupid," Chronostasis said as he finished freeing him.
Izuku got the message and stayed as still as possible, showing no resistance whatsoever.
"Follow us." Overhaul commanded as he started walking out of the room.
Chronostasis nudged him, making Izuku stumble forward and start following Overhaul.
The Yakuza base was cramped and dreary. With Yakuza members trudging through the long, grey, narrow hallways, avoiding eye contact with all of them.
Izuku nervously walked with the three villains, wondering what exactly they could want with him.
Maybe they have someone with an intelligence stealing quirk! Maybe they want my support gear designs! Or maybe Izuku went from thinking to muttering without noticing.
"Shut up!" Mimic shouted. "Quit your yapping! We're already here!"
Izuku looked up and saw a door with two Yakuza guarding the door.
The guards stepped aside as Overhaul walked towards them, before opening the door and revealing what's inside.
It was a lab. A quite up to date one in fact. Filled with all the chemicals and equipment that he would put in one of his company's labs.
It was also very, very clean. Like not a spec of dirt had inhabited this lab since it was created.
The only thing that seemed out of place was the mattress in the corner.
Only one person was inside the lab, was another man in a bird mask. This one looked like a plague doctor.
"This will be where you'll be staying." Overhaul said. "You see, the Yakuza has had problems reestablishing itself in today's society. You're going to help us in our rise to power."
Chronostasis took out one of Midoriya's support items. The Bracer boots.
Izuku's eyes widened. "How did you get that?!"
"We bought it. An entire shipment of it." Overhaul explained. "After all, we are one of your company's distributors after all."
"WHAT!?" Izuku was horrified by what he was hearing. "That's impossible! Neither me or Ochaco have ever agreed to dealing with the Yakuza!"
"Yes but you and your lovely wife aren't keeping track of every crate of gear you create. And some members of your company know that and decided to make a little extra money." Overhaul said. "They ship out your gear to black-market distributors and let them sell it directly to the villains."
Izuku's mouth was hanging open in shock. M-my tech...is in the hands of villains!
He had spent most of his life, trying to make the gear to help the heroes that help people. Years of him researching and testing, all the sake of others. And now he was being told his tech was in the hands of those who would use it to hurt others!
No...No! I can't let this happen! I have to do something! Then Izuku remembered where he was. Damn it! But I can't do it from here! I'll...have to wait for the heroes to rescue me.
Something about that thought...pained Izuku. The feeling of being saved. Of being helpless. It brought him back to when he was in middle school. Being tossed around and laughed at.
He remembered being Deku.
"Hey! Are you paying attention!" Mimic shouted, bringing Izuku out of his thoughts.
"S-sorry." Izuku stuttered.
"As I was saying." Overhaul gave Izuku an annoyed glare that made his skin crawl. "We've decided to skip the middleman and get the technology straight from the source itself."
"From now on you'll be making gear for us to sell," Cronostais said. "As well as personal gear for us exclusively."
Izuku grit his teeth. Damn it! I don't know how long the heroes are going to take so I might actually have to make something for these guys!... Maybe I can stall long enough to-
"That however, will not be your main priority." Overhaul said. "No, we have something much more important for you to work on."
Overhaul took a small object out of his pocket and brought it up to Izuku's face.
The C.E.O.'s face widened, as he immediately recognized what it was.
"A quirk erasing bullet," Izuku whispered.
These were infamous amongst hero society, with several heroes having gotten shot by these things and temporarily losing their quirks.
For the most part they were a rare annoyance, as the heroes would always regain their quirks sometime after. However a couple of heroes had lost their lives because of these bullets.
Izuku had been given some samples of the bullets to see if he could track the technology or find out more about it.
While Izuku didn't find out much more than they already knew about the bullets. Other than one disturbing fact. The base chemical of the bullet. Was not a chemical at all, but human blood.
"Are you...are the Yakuza the ones producing these?" Izuku asked. No one had been able to track down the ones producing the bullets. The distribution system was too complex. And the thugs they captured were too terrified to talk.
"That's right." Overhaul said. "These are what is going to bring the Yakuza back to its former glory. Up until now we've been unable to make the effects permanent."
"And so that's what you want me to do." Izuku interrupted him. "You want me to make the bullet's effect permanent."
"And we want you to make a cure for the bullet as well." Overhaul said, deciding to ignore the fact that he was interrupted. "We'll sell the bullets to the villains, and the cure to the heroes. Our power and influence will grow. And the Yakuza will return to their rightful place, as the rulers of Japan."
Izuku looked at the bullet. What Izuku could do what Overhaul wanted him to do, then the Yakuza would in fact become the most influential crime lords in the country. Beating even the League of Villains in their prime.
And that was something he could not allow.
If I say no. They'll kill me. Izuku said in his head, weighing his options. Or worse. And if I don't make any progress after a long period of time, then they'll realize I won't cooperate, and then they'll kill me. My only option is to stall long enough for the heroes to come and rescue me.
"Well, I don't have any other option," Izuku said through clenched teeth.
"Do you really intend to do this?" Asked the plague doctor looking, man.
"Yes." Izuku felt the answer force its way out of his mouth. "What was that?"
"Do you have any intention of trying to escape?" The man asked.
"No." Again the answer was forced from him. "Is that your quirk?"
"That's none of your business!" Mimic said. "From now on, your life extends to the inside of this lab!"
"You'll start immediately." Overhaul said. "Bring her in."
"Her?" Izuku questioned.
Izuku heard footsteps from behind Overhaul. He moved his head to see who was approaching.
And his heart stopped.
Standing there, escorted by one the Yakuza goons, was a little girl.
Immediately a million thoughts ran through his mind. Why is there a little girl here? Is she a hostage? One of the Yakuza's kids? A kidnap victim?
Wait. Izuku thought. What does this have to do with the bullets...oh no.
"This is Eri." Overhaul said. "Her blood is the main component of the bullet."
Cold dread ran through Izuku's veins. His worst fear was confirmed.
He took another look at the little girl, and she flinched just from his glance. She was obviously terrified.
He looked back at Overhaul, with a look of shock and disgust. "You want me...to take the blood out of a little girl?"
"Yes. Is there a problem with that?" Overhaul leaned over him intimidatingly
But to the surprise of everyone, Izuku didn't shrink back in terror. Instead keeping his disgusted gaze on the crime lord.
Izuku had no idea where this courage came from. He certainly felt absolutely terrified but somehow it seemed like Eri's presence had given him strength he didn't know he had.
Overhaul was tempted to give Izuku a show of force. But decided on something else.
"Either you take her blood. Or I will." Overhaul threatened.
That made Izuku step back. He looked over at Eri, who was starting to tremble in fear.
His options were limited. But he needed to do something about this. Needed to take control of the situation. At least a little.
Izuku glared at Overhaul. "I have some demands."
Overhaul raised his eyebrow. "You're not in a position to make demands."
"Except I am." Izuku pulled together all the courage he had. "You have plans. Big plans. Plans that I am essential to. If I don't work for you, then your dream of reestablishing the Yakuza dies here. Sure you could torture me. But all the time you spend doing that is time I could be working. And you don't seem like the type to waste time."
"Know your place you little-!" Mimic started walking towards him angrily, before Overhaul gave him a look, signaling to stop.
"Listening to my demands will be easier for everyone in the end." Izuku finished.
Overhaul glared at him for a while. As if waiting for Izuku to wither under his glare.
"We will listen." Overhaul conceded.
"First. I want her here." Izuku said. "In this room, under my supervision. I don't want your thugs touching her."
Overhaul's glare never faltered. "You don't want that. You don't know what kind of monster that girl is."
Eri held her head down with shame, as Overhaul degraded her once more.
"If her quirk goes off. And you touch her." Overhaul took off one of his gloves and touched one of the beakers, destroying it immediately. "Just like her father."
Izuku looked past Overhaul and right at Eri. Giving the poor girl a pitying look, before turning back to Overhaul and continuing to glare.
"As far as I'm concerned, me and her are the only people in this room who aren't monsters," Izuku said.
The tension in the room was palpable. But Izuku refused to lose his nerve now. He couldn't do much for this girl. But he could at least try and get her away from them.
"Fine. I'll leave you a tranq gun in case her quirk goes out of control." Overhaul said. "Anything else?"
"I don't want anyone touching anything in my lab," Izuku said. "No one touches the vials, the chemicals, the tech, Eri, nothing!"
"Fine." Overhaul said. He didn't want his goons touching things in here anyway. They would probably kill themselves or something. "Is that all?"
Izuku thought for a moment. He'd already pushed his luck enough. This was probably the best he was going to get for now.
"That's it," Izuku said.
"Good. Now get to work." Overhaul turned to his men. "Bring Eri's things."
"Boss!? Are you really gonna give into this chump!?" Mimic shouted.
"We're just changing which room Eri's in. At the end of the day. Nothing has changed." Overhaul said.
With those last words, Overhaul and his followers walked out of the room. Closing the door behind him and leaving him alone with Eri.
The two of them looked at each other for a while, Eri giving him a curious, yet fearful expression, and Izuku giving her a sad, apologetic expression.
Izuku breathed in deep. "H-Hello. I-I'm Izuku Midoriya. Nice to meet you."
Eri didn't respond.
"I...I'm not here to hurt you," Izuku said.
"Y-you want to take my blood." Eri pointed out.
"No," Izuku said. "I don't want to. They're making me. If I had a choice then I would never even consider doing this to you."
This seemed to make Eri ease up slightly. Very slightly.
"Are you...are you going to take me apart?" Eri asked him.
Izuku's expression shifted to confusion. "Take you apart?"
"Like the glass," Eri said, pointing to the beaker.
Izuku was very befuddled. Didn't Overhaul destroy that with his quirk? How is it still here...unless. Maybe his quirk lets him take things apart on a molecular level and then put them back together. Is Eri saying he's been doing that to her!? But that would mean in the brief time she was destroyed she would be...
The mere thought of what Eri was implying made Izuku want to vomit. Izuku has known Overhaul for less than three hours and he has already rocketed to the top of the rather short list of people he hates.
"No!" Izuku said firmly. "No. No. I won't do that. I will never do that. So long as I'm here, you'll never have to go through that again."
Eri's eyes widened. Shining with hope for a moment. Then, as if she was afraid to feel hopeful, she sunk back into the feeling of terror.
"I know you don't want to do this. Neither do I." Izuku said. "But if I don't take your blood. Then they might hurt you again. So please, just go along with me."
After a few moments, Eri gave a hesitant nod.
Izuku breathed in deep.
As he walked Eri to the chair and then pulled out the equipment, he wondered if he was really going to do this. If he was going to do something so...so wrong.
As Izuku administered the anesthesia, Eri started getting confused, and panicked.
"W-why am I sleepy?" Eri asked as she desperately tried to stay awake. Scared of what would happen if she let herself drift off.
"It's ok. It's ok." Izuku calmed her. "I'm just putting you to sleep so you're not in pain during the process. I promise. I'm not going to hurt you."
Eri looked into Izuku's eyes. She didn't see the usual annoyance that she saw in the Yakuza goons, or the indifference from the eight precepts, or the disgust from Overhaul.
Instead she saw sadness, protectiveness, and honesty. It seemed like this man truly did not want to hurt her. That unlike everyone else, his words and promises were not empty.
Eri closed her eyes, placing her hope and trust in Izuku for the moment, before falling into a deep sleep.
Sometime later.
Eri groggily opened her eyes.
She felt weak. Weaker than usual. And dizzy. Her head hurt too. These feelings were familiar to her, as this is what she typically felt like after getting her blood drained.
She quickly looked around and was surprised to see she wasn't on the chair, but rather in her bed. Whenever she had passed out during the blood drawing before, Overhaul would typically wake her up immediately and then force her to walk back after he was done.
She was still in the same room, it just looked like her bed had been moved here along with some of her things, and she could see Izuku working on something closeby.
This was...confusing. Was the blood draining done already? She felt like she did after her blood was drained, but where was the pain? The needles, the pumps?
She looked at Izuku, wondering if he truly didn't want to hurt her. If she could trust him. She felt like she could, but at the same time, she was scared. What if she was wrong? What if he was tricking her? Overhaul would sometimes try to have some of his goons get along with her. Try and befriend her.
But Izuku seemed different. Not only did he seem very real and genuine, unlike those Yakuza goons, but he also didn't seem to like Overhaul.
Eri's head hurt from thinking too much.
Eri didn't want to bring attention to herself. So she just silently watched Izuku work for a little while, before-
MRRRRRR
Her stomach growled.
Izuku turned his head to look at Eri, finally noticing that she was awake and sitting up.
"Eri!" He quickly walked over to her, dragging a table with wheels on it with him. "You shouldn't be sitting up so quickly!"
"I-I'm sorry!" Eri said fearfully.
Eri was going to lie back down, but before she could Izuku went over to her and moved her pillow up.
Izuku placed his hand on her chest, and moved her towards the pillow, letting her lay back against it.
Izuku hands...they felt so...kind. They weren't cold and forceful like Overhaul and his goons. He didn't push her as they would have. Rather his hands were warm, and gentle. Trying to guide Eri towards the pillow.
"How do you feel?" Izuku asked her.
"I...I'm ok." Eri lied. She had to lie. Overhaul hated when she complained. He would punish her if she said that she felt sick or was in pain. He said it's what a monster like her deserved.
"Eri. You just lost a lot of blood." Izuku said sternly. "You are definitely not ok. I need to make sure nothing went wrong and if something did go wrong I have to find out what it is so I can make it better. So please tell me the truth."
Eri sunk back into the pillow. "I..My head hurts. And I feel dizzy and weak, and hungry."
Izuku nodded. "Ok. That's normal. You should be fine after a while. But first let's take care of that hunger."
Izuku moved the table towards her. On top of it was a plate of beans. They were cheap and kinda gross looking, but Eri was used to it by now.
Eri gave him a hesitant look, and Izuku nodded, conveying to her it was ok to eat it.
Her hand shakily moved towards the spoon. As she picked it up her hand shook a lot.
Izuku frowned as he saw Eri struggle.
He grabbed the spoon from Eri's hand, and a jolt of fear ran through her. Had she done something wrong? Was she not going to be allowed to eat anymore?
Izuku gathered the mushy beans in the spoon, before holding it up to Eri's face. "Open wide."
Eri blinked, confused by the action but decided to go along with it.
She opened her mouth, and Izuku fed the beans to her.
For the next few minutes Izuku silently fed her.
This situation felt...familiar to her. If she thought hard enough and pushed past the headaches, she could barely remember someone doing this to her before. She thinks it's her father. She can't even really remember him at this point.
Without even realizing it, tears start dripping from Eri's eyes.
This alarmed Izuku who immediately stopped what he was doing. "Is something wrong?! Are you ok!?"
"Why...why are you being so kind to me?" Eri asked him. "I'm a...I'm a monster. I'm cursed!"
Eri continued crying. "I-I-"
She was promptly silenced when Izuku's arms wrapped around her. Embracing her in a firm yet gentle embrace.
"You're not a monster," Izuku told her. "The people who told you that you were. The people who hurt you. Those are the real monsters."
"But I...my curse." Eri cried.
"Your quirk." Izuku corrected. "No one can control what quirk they get, and no one is at fault for not knowing how to use it."
These kind words, this gentle embrace. It was more affection than Eri had ever remembered receiving in her life. For almost as long she could remember she was surrounded by people who hated her, and called her a monster. People who hurt her and told her it was her fault for existing.
But Izuku wasn't like that. In the short time, she had known him he had shown her care, compassion, affection. He didn't think she was a monster.
She wrapped her arms around his waist, and cried in his torso.
Izuku gently pets the back of her head. Letting her unload her pain onto him.
At that moment Izuku made a promise to himself. That no matter what happened. He would protect this girl. Even if it cost him his life.
So that was chapter 2! Izuku has worked up some more courage and nerve thanks to Eri, but what will he use that nerve for? Find out in the next chapter, where Izuku may have to change his initial plans.
Also, a quick thing, Eri in here is the same age as she is in the canon. Just act like Eri was born later in this timeline than in the original.
Please leave your thoughts in the reviews and have a nice day!
Chapter 3
Overhaul strut into the lab with Shin by his side, and was displeased to find that Izuku was in the process of feeding Eri.
"If I wanted a babysitter I wouldn't have gone through the trouble of kidnapping one of the world's greatest scientists." Overhaul said in a very annoyed tone.
Eri immediately clung to Izuku, and the C.E.O. turned his head to meet the villains.
"It's been a month." Overhaul walking up to Izuku in an imposing fashion. "And you've yet to produce any results."
"Progress takes time," Izuku said. "As the people who produced this bullet, you should understand this. I may be smart but I'm not magic. I can't produce groundbreaking progress in only a month. And since I've been focusing on this I haven't had much time to work on support gear."
Overhaul turned to Shin and nodded, signaling him to use his quirk.
"Are you stalling?" Shin asked.
"Not really," Izuku responded. "I already know how to improve the bullet but you guys haven't given me the means to do it."
Overhaul glared at him. "How? We've given you all the chemicals and components you could possibly need. And we send someone in here to ask if you need supplies once a week."
"But supplies I ask for never come." Izuku pointed out.
"That's because the supplies you ask for are things like orange juice, vitamins, and things that have nothing to do with your task." Overhaul glared at him.
"But they do have to do with my task." Izuku corrected him. "Have you heard of the hero Grape Juice."
"Who hasn't?" Overhaul said. Everyone knew about Grape Juice. He became famous after his heroic death, taking the infamous Gigantomachia with him to the grave.
"Are you aware of how his health affected his quirk?" Izuku asked. "The healthier he was, the more effective his quirk. This can also be said about many other people's quirks. For Eri however, this is only somewhat the case. While Eri's quirk, in itself, is not affected by her health. Her quirk affected blood is. Due to the poor condition, Eri is in both physically and mentally, the blood we're getting from her is of poor quality. The food you give her is cheap and bland and you don't even give us enough of it. She hasn't seen the sun in years. She's been constantly getting her blood drained from her. And she's stuck in a facility with people who hate her and has been getting physically and mentally tormented for years."
Overhaul looked at him for a moment. "So what you're saying is if Eri's in better health, the bullet's effects will last longer."
"Yes," Izuku responded.
Overhaul turned to Shin.
"Are you speaking the truth?" Shin asked.
"Yes," Izuku said.
"Tch. Fine. Tell me what you need then." Overhaul said.
"Since I know you won't let her outside, I'll need a lot of orange juice to make up for all the vitamin D she's missing." Izuku started spouting out necessities. "I'll also need vitamins to make up for all the other nutrients she is missing. Also, I'll need more healthy foods. Not that cheap stuff you feed us either but some actually tolerable food. I'll also need some books to stimulate her mentally-"
"She can't read." Overhaul interrupted her.
"I'll teach her," Izuku responded. "We'll also need way more food than you're giving us. Part of the reason my work has been slow is because I've barely been eating."
"We've been giving, YOU, enough food so why is it you're the one hungry?" Overhaul asked.
"You give me the bare minimum. And you give Eri even less. So when I give her my food, there's not enough food for me leftover." Izuku explained. "You know what, it would be better if you just supplied us with food every month and we'll ration it out from there."
"There's no refrigerator or stove down here." Overhaul pointed out.
"I'll make one," Izuku said. "I'll also need you and your men to visit as little as possible. A person's health state can affect their physical health, and as you can see her mental health is not exactly the greatest, in no small part because of you. So the best way for her to recover would be as little exposure to you and your men as possible."
"Fine. I didn't intend to storm into here every month anyway. I'll be sending an inspector every month to make sure you're not up to anything, and someone to give you food and supplies every month." Overhaul said.
"Is that all?" Izuku asked.
"Yes. Now get back to work." Overhaul said as he and Shin walked out of the room.
Izuku breathed a sigh of relief. It looks like it worked.
Ever since Izuku was a child he'd always analyze quirks. Writing down details and theories in his notebook. At first, he intended to use these notes to help him become a hero, but when that dream was dashed, he repurposed them to help him in his support gear construction.
He'd been analyzing quirks for years. Which meant he knew exactly how many different types of quirks work. Even if he's never seen them before.
Shin's quirk was in the rare category of what Izuku called, truth quirks. Quirks that forced someone, to tell the truth, or prevented them from lying. And while it was rare, it was not entirely unique. He's seen quirks like it before and as such has figured out how it functions.
For example. How does a truth quirk define and figure out what the truth is? It's not like the quirk fact checks with some omnipresent being, so it's not like the quirk itself knows the truth. The answer, it' reads the victim's mind. It checks the person's mind for what they think the truth is. The keyword being, what they think is the truth.
What someone thinks the truth is, and the truth itself is, can be completely different. And a truth quirk would never know.
To simplify, if an innocent person mistakenly thought that they had killed someone, then the truth quirk would make it look like they really did kill someone. A truth quirk simply prevents someone from lying, it does not reveal the truth.
And what someone thinks is the truth can be manipulated. Some people with mental quirks, or just significant mental training, someone could trick themselves into thinking a false truth.
And while Izuku didn't have nearly the mental fortitude or training to pull something like that off, he could do something much simpler.
Wordplay.
You see, words were a funny thing in that they don't have any inherent meaning or purpose. If humans decided tomorrow that red should be called blue and vice versa, then that would be the case. And as such many words could carry multiple meanings and could be interpreted in different ways as well.
That's why when Izuku said that he wasn't stalling. He wasn't technically lying. If in his head Izuku defined stalling as deliberately not doing his work in favor of doing nothing. Instead, he was prioritizing other things and allowing things to impede his progress. While most people would define that as stalling if Izuku could convince himself that it wasn't then he could basically lie to Shin despite his quirk.
This method was only so effective however, if Shin started asking him specific questions or asked for details then he could probably figure out that something was up. Which is why Izuku had to make sure his answers were formulated in a non-suspicious way and that he had reasonable excuses for his actions.
The part of Shin's quirk that was unique, was the fact that his quirk forced you to tell the truth. Normally truth quirks just let people spot lies or keep people from lying, but Shin's quirk forced you to say whatever secrets you're hiding. It's an extremely powerful quirk that was hard to counter.
After theorizing about how this quirk worked. Izuku came to the conclusion that this worked like an internet search. The quirk searches your brain for an answer to whatever question Shin asked, and then forces you to say it out loud.
The best way to counter this was to think of what Shin is going to ask you beforehand, come up with an answer that wasn't a lie, answered Shin's question, but also didn't give away too much.
Izuku sighed. Dealing with Shin's quirk would be a massive obstacle in his endeavors. His only saving grace is that apparently, he wasn't around all that often. His quirk was so useful that Overhaul always had him doing work outside the base.
GROWL
Izuku grimaced. He hadn't been exaggerating when he said he wasn't eating much. Almost all of the food was going to Eri, with Izuku only ever eating a few spoonfuls at most.
He shook his head. He couldn't think about it. If he thought about how hungry he was then that would just make it worse. He needed to get back to feeding Eri, who was looking at him with concerned eyes.
"I'm fine Eri. Let's go back to eating." Izuku tried to comfort her, forcing a smile on his face.
Izuku sat down and was about to pick the spoon when Eri snatched it up instead.
She determinedly scooped up some of the food and held it up to Izuku. "Eat."
Izuku was taken aback. In the month he and Eri had been here she was always either meekly clinging to him or watching him work from her bed. Whenever she got concerned about him she would usually just look at him with sad eyes, so it was a bit surprising to see her do something like this.
After getting over his slight shock, Izuku smiled, this time more genuinely. "I'll be fine Eri. I'm an adult I'll live. You're still young, and you keep having your blood drained from you. You need to eat a lot."
Eri shook her head definitely. "I-I'm full! Please eat!"
Izuku wiped a tear from his eye. He had never seen her so determined before. He was so touched that she cared about him so much.
Although it probably shouldn't have been surprising. After Izuku got close to her he learned that she was starving for affection. Every time he so much as patted her on the head or gave a simple work of praise, she would look like you just told her they were going to an amusement park. She would always do her best to help him, sometimes handing him tools or vials, trying her best to earn his praise and affection.
It was cute. But also horribly sad. It made Izuku wonder about Eri's origins. He'd figured out that her quirk awakening had accidentally caused her father's death. But what about her mother? Izuku had asked her about it, but whenever he did she would get really upset, so he didn't push it.
GROWL
Izuku held his stomach. "I guess a few bites won't hurt."
A little over a month later.
After all the supplies came in, life in the lab became much less miserable.
Eri had gotten slightly more energetic now that she had some more nutrients and wasn't getting the blood drained from her as often.
Izuku was no longer left wanting for food, now that they were being supplied with an abundant amount of food every month, to be stored in their fridge and cooked with their stove.
Now of all times Izuku was glad that Ochaco insisted they both do the cooking themselves, rather than getting professional chefs to do it all the time.
Izuku hadn't shown much of his progress on the bullet, stating that he needed to wait until Eri was fully healthy before continuing with the blood experiments.
Overall, things have been going relatively well all things considered.
However. As Izuku waited for the heroes to arrive, he felt this...itch. Not a physical one of course but more like a mental one. It felt like he was doing something wrong, and it frustrated him more and more the longer he waited.
But what else could he do?
Izuku asked himself that question in his head as he put together a protective chest armor. He did have to produce some results otherwise they might just kill him, so he was making some support gear.
"Eri could you pass me the screwdriver." He said.
Eri nodded immediately, before running over to the other table. She stepped on a box to reach the tabletop and grabbed the screwdriver.
When she handed it to Izuku he looked down at it and frowned.
Eri's became worried when she saw this. "Di-did I do something bad?"
"No, no it's my fault," Izuku said, putting down the tool. "I should have been more specific, I needed the other type of screwdriver."
"I'm sorry." Eri still felt like she was at fault, despite her lack of knowledge.
"Eri's it's not your fault I-" Izuku was cut off when the door to the lab suddenly opened.
"Hey, are you Midoriya Izuku!" Said a person in a hero costume.
Izuku's face lit up. They were finally here!
"Y-yes that's me!" Izuku responded quickly.
"Well hurry up we're getting you out of here! Grab the kid, come on!" The hero said, moving out of the way.
Izuku immediately scooped Eri up in his arms and ran for the door.
He ran past the door, and towards freedom.
Or so he thought.
He barely made it a foot past the door, before the hero grabbed him by the back of his collar, and threw him back into the room.
Izuku fell onto his back, Eri spilling out of his arms and onto the floor.
"Wha-gah!" The "hero" snickered as he put his foot on Izuku's back.
Izuku looked up and saw a sinister grin on the "hero's" face.
And then Overhaul stepped in.
"Midoriya I don't believe you've met our friend here. This is Fuhai, one of the heroes on our payroll." Overhaul explained. "In fact, almost all the local heroes are on our payroll."
The paid-off hero kicked Izuku in the ribs. "AHHH!"
"Not that I need to get paid to not save your ass!" The fake hero said. "You blacklisted me from getting support gear!"
"Wait." Izuku realized something. "I recognize you! You're that hero who rushed in to fight a villain even while he was holding civilians hostage! Two people died because of yo-ahhh!"
"I didn't even need to pay him this time. All I had to do was offer him the chance to put you in your place." Overhaul glared at him. "Perhaps next time you'll speak to me with more respect. You're free to beat him now Fuhai. Just don't touch the girl."
Overhaul left and Fuhai smirked, before picking Izuku up by his hair. "Gladly."
Fuhai punched Izuku in the face, before giving him another blow to the gut.
"No! Don't hurt him!" Eri ran over to Fuhai and started pulling on his pant sleeve.
Fuhai wanted to kick the girl off him, but Overhaul warned him against hurting her and he did NOT want to cross him. So instead he just kept beating up Izuku.
Blow after blow, after blow.
Ten minutes later, Fuhai slowed his assault and looked at his work.
Izuku was beaten and bruised, his face was swollen and blood dripped from his mouth and nose.
Satisfied, he dropped Izuku to the floor.
Eri, who's eyes were swollen, red and filled with tears, clutched Izuku. Relenting her uselessness.
Izuku struggled, moving his arm to pet Eri's head in an attempt to comfort her.
Fuhai spat on the back of Izuku's head. "Heh. Not so high and mighty now huh? Hope you like it here jackass because they're aren't any heroes to come and save you."
And with that, the false hero left slamming the door behind him.
Leaving Izuku to think about his parting words.
Later that night.
Izuku laid down in his bed, Eri clinging tightly to his side.
Overhaul and sent some medics to patch up Izuku after Fuhai left. Only because Overhaul didn't want him to use his injuries as an excuse to slow down his work.
Overhaul bought off most of the heroes in the area. Izuku thought. There's a chance that there might not be any heroes to save us.
Izuku's heart tightened, and his fist clenched.
He looked down at Eri. She deserved so much. She deserved to be with a loving family, have warm delicious food, and to be outside and happy.
She deserved so much better than to be locked in here. He wanted to give her so much.
And then, he had an epiphany. It felt like that itch had finally been scratched.
If the heroes aren't going to save us. Then I'll just have to do it myself. Izuku finally thought. For her sake.
It was going to be dangerous. And he would have to be much more careful in his half-truths and lies.
He would also need something that could both protect him and Eri, while also taking out the Yakuza.
He looked around the lab, and his eyes landed on the chest armor.
Armor.
He needed armor. High tech armor that was capable of taking attacks and that was stocked with weapons! And a few quirk erasing bullets too!
He already had designs in his head, but there was one problem. In order to power something with enough defensive and offensive power to break out of here, he would need a power source that was both extremely potent and small enough to fit in the armor.
Izuku started coming up with ideas rapidly, trying to see what he could use.
And then his mind wandered to an old idea of his. One that he deemed would take too much time to research and produce.
The arc reactor.
Well if the heroes weren't coming then he had plenty of time.
He grabbed his notebook and started sketching. Rapidly moving his pencil around as he brought everything together.
When he was done, he looked at his work. A suit of armor, with the arc reactor at its core.
He smiled widely at the design. Perhaps his long-standing love of heroes had influenced the design, but it didn't just look like a suit of armor. It looked like a hero. A hero that would liberate them both from this horrible place, and bring joy back into their lives and smiles on their faces.
And a hero needed a heroic name.
As such, the Iron Man project was born.
Ok, so if you're wondering why I had that huge complex explanation of how Izuku could kind of get around Shin's quirk. Is because Shin's quirk is a pain in the ass to deal with. So I had to establish some things in the story that would allow Izuku to make an escape plan without making the Yakuza look incompetent.
Now Izuku is starting his plan. How will he execute it? How will he get past the Yakuza supervision and make a full suit of armor and its power source?
Find out in the next chapter!
Please review and have a nice day