Hunter Amongst Villains - Comedy (Patreon)

Yeah, it's been a while. I don't know what is wrong with me this time but I seem to be down with something serious that won't let me write stuff :/ 

It is something that plagues most writers and I am not sure if I should be concerned. I feel a lot more demotivated than usual here. Not sure if it is laziness or some form of burnout, but I'll see what I can do. Anyways, the parts you see here are my prototype ideas for how Garou would be considered funny in this universe. I think you'll like it very much.

Let the Teasing Begin

Within class again… Garou was now suffering the greatest torture of his life. By the hands of his friends sitting around him.

“You seem… different today.”

Mirio’s morbid curiosity was piqued. Garou seemed especially grumpy and unresponsive today. He racked his mind to think of what could be causing his change in behaviour.

“Do you want to experience my world-ending fury?” Garou warned, his threats resuming once again with anger.

“M-Mirio is right… you seem off.”

Tamaki added in. He didn’t interact with the Hero-Hunter much, but even he could see that this behaviour was different.

“Define ‘off’, recluse.” Garou demanded.

“W-well… you’re more easily agitated, your scowl is worse than normal. Not to m-mention that you’ve been quiet and unresponsive all day.”

Tamaki suddenly began listing the numerous differences with Garou’s usual attitude.

“...” Garou remained silent as he took it all in.

“...sorry.” Garou apologized as he took a deep breath, and calmed down.

“I'm going through some things.” he said.

Mirio actually felt sympathy well up inside himself. He hadn’t really seen Garou this down. Clearly it must be something serious.

“If you need someone to talk to, or some help, we’re right here.”

“...I doubt you can though.” Garou said as he stared off in the horizon, his gaze wandering with no destination.

He could feel a finger poking one of his shoulders. Turning slowly, he could see Hado staring at him, concern clearly in her eyes. She cocked her head as she considered Garou’s potential problem.

“Is it a fighting thing? Or something else?”

All three knew that if it was a issue he had with something fighting related, they would be next to no help at all.

“Something else.” Garou answered with surprising honesty.

“How bad is it?”

Tamaki and Mirio listened in as Hado attempted to assist Garou. Seeing their classmate and their friend so dejected made them all a little anxious.

“...it will sound dumb though.”

Hado eagerly shook her head, disagreeing with Garou’s dismissive statement. Tamaki and Mirio also shook their heads in the negative. Despite his sometime sour attitude and his verbal and physical beatdowns, Garou had become their friend. And they weren’t going to let him suffer.

“No it won’t! I promise we’ll listen properly!”

“In the end of it all, I've been thinking some things… is there a way for me to settle in life without fighting?” Garou asked as he considered his future for the first time in his life after his intimate time with the rabbit.

Hado’s face softened as she could clearly see Garou conflicting emotion. With his entire identity and life revolving around fighting and violence, it makes sense for him to be so concerned in a future without violence.

“You said before that you might open a dojo. You’ve already begun planning to settle.”

Mirio broke the silence. He wasn’t exactly sure what Garou meant, but he’d do his best to give him some advice.

“I've also been wondering if this is all worth it in the end. If going to school to become a hero this way suits me instead of going out there alone and free.” Garou said.

All three listeners tensed up at this. A downcast air settled in around the four students. Whatever had affected Garou, had clearly made him think quite heavily. Worry began to build up as they thought of the possibility of Garou leaving. He had become a fixture in the class. Regardless of what he might say, they were all friends.

“If… if you do decide to go it alone… what would you do?”

Casting his eyes over to Garou, Mirio had a saddened frown on his face.

“...don't know.” Garou shrugged as he never thought that far.

“I just want some answers.” Garou said.

Hado’s hands clenched as she thought of Garou leaving. She could think of one person in particular who would be crushed at his departure.

“When you leave… what about Ghin? Would you just leave him?”

“........” The picture of the child wailing in pain and despair flashed in his mind. Like it or not, he grew fond of the kid.

“.............I don't think so.” Garou said as he reconsidered his thoughts.

“You know, I never thought it… but will you return to your world at a some point?”

Mirio made sure to whisper this. The last thing Garou needed was for the class to know.

“...no.” Garou said.

“There's nothing waiting for me back home anyways.”

“A-are you at least going to graduate with us?”

Tamaki sounded a little concerned. He also sounded a little nervous, but that was normal for him.

“.......now that I think about it…” Garou’s tone started to return back to normal.

“What is graduation like anyways?” Garou asked now very curious on how students of a hero school graduates in the first place.

Mirio’s eyes rose to the ceiling as he thought of graduation. He attempted to recall any details he could for Garou.

“Well, I don’t know all of the details, but we’d become fully fledged Heroes. That is when we step out into the world.”

“Eh? That's it?” Garou now sounded disappointed.

“I expected more coming out from you. Not something so lame and dull.” Garou narrowed his eyes as his mood already returned to normal.

The atmosphere around the three lightened as Garou seemingly returned to normal. Hado had a genuine smile on her face, glad that Garou had begun acting normally.

“Anyways, there is one more thing I've been having trouble with… the merch.” Garou changed topics as he switched to the next subject of his concern.

“My disciple’s pack have brought him more merch. Of Fenrir… and Garou.” Garou said, whispering the last part so the others won't hear. There existed merchandise of him as Fenrir and him as Garou.

Hado then lit up as she seemed to suddenly remember something. She reached down, grabbing ahold of her bag. Rummaging around in it, she found what she was looking for. Pulling her hand out, Mirio and Tamaki barely contained their laughter. In her hands was a decently-sized Garou plushie. She squeezed it and a little squeak came from the plushie.

“I will enact my world-ending fury upon you right this instant if you don't tell me where you got that.” Garou seethed at Hado with many bulging veins crawling under his skin, probably at his angriest against Hado.

She clutched the plushie with two hands as her gaze traveled absentmindedly around the room. She was clearly trying to feign innocence and ignorance in the matter.

“....I don’t know. Just found it…”

“Kkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkk…” Garou grinded his teeth in his ire, as his body radiated the red ambiance of rage and fury.

A snort of laughter came from Tamaki, which was swiftly silenced when Garou turned his furious glare towards him. Mirio gave Tamaki’s shoulder a gentle punch, as if to tell him not to laugh so obviously in such a situation.

“I was thinking that Ghin would love it! What do you think?”

Hado still enthusiastically clutched the plushie. If Garou glared at the plushie any harder, it might set itself alight.

“Give it to me! I must throw it to the sun!” Garou furiously demanded.

“No! I bought this for Ghin!”

She turned her whole body away, defending the doll from Garou’s furious clutches. Her indignant tone didn’t stop Garou from fuming.

“Give it!” Garou then reached out to grab the plushie from Hado as she moved her hand back away, far from Garou’s reach with her other hand pushing Garou away by the cheek.

“No! Bad Bang!”

It sounded like she was talking to a misbehaving pet. She stood up out of her chair, turning even further away from Garou. She even took a few steps away.

As it all happened, Mirio and Tamaki started laughing at the sight of the Hero Hunter fighting Hado over a simple plushie, how he desperately reached for a mere plushie designed to look like him.

“Ooooh! Is that a Garou plushie? Where’d you get it?”

“Why anyone would craft merchandise based around such a thug is beyond me.”

“Ahahaha, Bang really doesn’t want anyone to see it!”

The class suddenly noticed Garou reaching out and Hado keeping the doll away from him. A few amused chuckles began to rise from different corners of the room. Garou, however, took no notice and kept desperately trying to snatch the plushie away.

“Oh yeah. I forgot to ask. What was with that footage man? I mean, you and Ryukyu?”

A voice came from the front of the class, as the entire class remembered the news report. How could they have forgotten! This voice froze Garou in his movements.

“...there's nothing between us.” Garou warned. He does not want to be accused of having any relationship with the dragoness.

The student in question raised both his palms apologetically. He did however, still have a grin on his face. The rest of the class couldn’t blame him either.

“Hey. I’m not judging. I mean, you were a massive badass on the news. That monster! Dead in one punch. And then you come along and rescue not one, but two heroines. Pretty impressive.”

“You sound jealous for some reason.” Garou accused, not missing the hidden message.

“Who wouldn’t be? You’re not even a fully fledged Pro, but you’ve already got merch. And you’re on the Hero Ranking! Plus there is the part with the two girls…”

He whispered the last part, barely loud enough to hear. His attitude was shared by a few of the other students. Quite a few male students felt envy towards Bang.

“To hell with the Merch. And to hell with the rankings. I never asked for that. Hell, I would obliterate the one responsible for the merch if I could.” Garou argued, seething at the mention of the merch.

“That right there.”

He pointed one finger squarely at Bang.

“That right there is why so many people are interested in you. It’s the renegade bad-boy attitude. And your absurd strength. You just punched a damn hole in the monster. One single punch.”

Many of the class nodded in agreement. Overall, Bang was still a mysterious individual.

“‘Interest’ my ass. Now, give me that thing!” Garou then leapt up to grab the plushie from Hado’s grasp. At the last second, she lowered her hand, ducking Garou’s attempt to pilfer her only object of entertainment.

“Never! You’ll never get it!”

With that, she turned and begun to run out of the classroom, still clutching the plushie. All eyes watched as she ran towards the door. Mirio and Tamaki silently wished her luck as she reached the door. Hado could hear footsteps behind her as she assumed Garou was pursuing her.

“Hado. Stop playing and get back to class.” Instead, it was Snipe. Reminding her to return to start off their class.

She froze in the position, halfway out the door. Turning her head back around, she could see Garou stood over by his seat, glaring daggers at her. Snipe was stood at the front of the class, looking at her through his gas mask.

Drooping her head in defeat, she once again entered the classroom. Walking over to Snipe, she held out the plushie. Snipe looked at it with confusion for a moment.

“Well… can you keep a hold of this for a while?”

If Snipe hadn’t been wearing his mask, the entire class would have seen his knowing smile. Once again, he silently thanked that he wore his mask today. Nodding once, Snipe reached out and took the plushie, placing it inside one of his large pockets while enduring the world-searing glare of Bang.

“Be assured, I’ll look after it. Now back to your seat.”

Hado hummed with a fairy-like smile as she cheerfully hopped to her seat, but not before giving Garou a triumphant look. More veins bulged under Garou in response. The sight of an angry Garou had never been so entertaining, since usually the sight of an angry Garou heralded pain and violence. Now it just heralded amusement and fun.

“You too, Bang. Back to your seat.”

Snipe focused on the standing figure of Garou. He looked like was would explode from sheer rage. Snipe wasn’t sure if he was worried about being the target of that rage, or entertained.

*Sghousdghasiohohgr*

Bang grumbled random gibberish as he returned back to his seat, while steam could almost be seen fuming from his head.

The rest of the class watched in amusement as Bang slumped back down into his seat. Mirio and Tamaki watched as Garou seethed. Hado happily strolled past Garou’s seat giving him a wide smile as she passed. Pulling out her seat, Hado sat back down in her seat, a triumphant air surrounding her.

As the muttering and murmuring in the class began to die down, Snipe took center stage, drawing their attention and swiftly cutting off any further interruptions.

“Alright everyone. I’ve got some interesting news for you.”

The class all listened, now interested in what their teacher had to say.

“Thanks to several recent… events, it has been decided that the police are to begin implementing a form of combat robots to assist with apprehending villains. We’ve been asked to test out some of the early prototypes.”

The murmuring in the class begun anew. Upon hearing the new inclusion of automated robots in the police force, the class was split. One half was furiously debating that the addition of a new, robotic taskforce would reduce the number of jobs available to the Quirkless. The other half of the class however, supporting the idea of the inclusion of robots. With monsters like the one on the news, the police force was drastically outgunned. It made sense for them to find a way of leveling the playing field. But everyone had one question.

“Why us? We’re just Third Years. Why not go to the actual Pro’s?”

One hand rose from the back of the class, and a voice accompanied it. The student had voiced everyone’s question. They were all a little confused.

Snipe rose a sheet of paper, holding it in both his hands. The sheet of paper he held was the document he had been sent by the principal. It held all of the details regarding their potential ‘test’ of these prototypes.

“Apparently, the designer of these robots wished to test them out first. They would work their way up to the Pro’s.”

“Hoh?” The way the robots were described reminded Garou of Metal Knight somewhat. Though he doubt they even have any weapons of mass destruction like him.

“So they want to test us because they think we’re small fry?” Bang summarized what Snipe’s hidden message.

“With most of you being interns, you all lack the real-world experience of a Pro Hero.”

Snipe waved his hand across the class, gesturing to them all.

Without a word, Bang slid his finger across his neck to again, threatening Snipe for saying that. Snipe just ignored it and hope it won't be like being fed to the sharks again.

“So when will we be testing these ‘robots’?”

Mirio rose one hand, noticing Snipe glance down at the document he held in his hand. Examining the sheet of paper, the gunslinger rose his head.

“It doesn’t say. They’re still in the production phase. It does say that we’ll be informed when they’re ready for testing.”

The more he read the document, the more unease began to grow inside him. The details of this document were vague at best. And from the way they were being described, these robots possessed extreme supportive capabilities.

Judging from the contents, he wondered if they were initially designed to face against…

He looked up from the papers to the student with his legs propped on the desk.

“You don’t approve Bang?”

He had assumed that Garou wouldn’t be too thrilled about the idea of testing some robotic drones.

“Oh no, I don’t mind. Just curious if they’re worth the hype.” Bang waved him off, surprisingly lax about it.

Snipe placed the document back down on the podium. The gunslinger took a moment, mildly surprised that the silver-haired youth was even interested in fighting a machine.

“Well, I just brought it up to make you all aware. Also, during testing, full use of your Quirks is allowed.”

Against Garou, these robots would stand no chance. Snipe could almost imagine a pile of scrap metal piled at his feet, sparking everywhere.

“As for today’s class, other than planning for the culture festival, we will be having a field trip.” Snipe revealed.

*OHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!*

The class made an uproar, each and every student cheered in excitement of the upcoming field trip. All except Bang, who just blinked, confused by the sudden energy.

Under his mask, Snipe smiled. Despite being in their third year, the students still showed the same level of energy and excitement as first year students.

“But also don’t forget. This won’t just be a trip for messing around. You’ll all be training as well.”

Bang raised an eyebrow.

“What kind of training is this anyways?” He asked, this being his first time on a field trip in years.

“It will be a mix. Hand-to-hand combat training, teamwork and honing of your Quirks. The need for better trained Heroes has drastically increased.”

Snipe could only feel a sense of frustration behind his mask. After that monster had demolished a group of Pro’s and taken barrage after barrage of bullets, things needed to move faster. More Heroes were needed. With better combat skills to combat any similar threats.

Bang made a face that emphasized displeasure and disapproval, along with an obnoxious scowl.

“If any of you don’t want to go, you could always just stay here.”

He locked eyes with Garou, his tone firm. Garou seemed somewhat reluctant to go on this ‘trip’. Luckily, Snipe knew the exact way to get Garou to go along.

“Of course, with me being on a trip, we will be having some potential substitute teachers.”

His stare at Garou only intensified.

“...like who?” Garou reluctantly asked.

Crossing his arms, Snipe leant back slightly.

“I could think of a few. I could even request some, if I’d like.”

He didn’t want to name them, but he knew a few Heroes Garou held a sore spot for. He wasn’t the most fond of All Might. To be honest, Snipe struggled to think of any Heroes who held a edge over the Hero-Hunter. He gestured towards ‘Bang’.

“Do you have any suggestions for substitutes?”

“Screw you.” Bang instead told him off.

As Garou sat there, scowling at the masked gunslinger, he felt the usual prodding of his shoulder. As he turned around, he kept his scowl, coming face to face with Hado once again.

“You should come along! It’d be fun!”

“.....................” Bang remained silent as he raised an eyebrow. In his mind, he tried to envision himself having fun in a field trip… he failed. The things he considered fun were quite few.

“If you don't, Snipe sensei might summon the rabbit here.”

“I'm game. When will we leave?” Bang immediately caved in upon hearing the rabbit.

“Later this week. You’ve still got a bit of studying to do before then. Make sure to bring along anything you might need.”

The voice of Snipe filled the room, addressing the whole class. The class slumped into their seats upon being reminded of the constant, non-stop studying. As the class began to unhappily murmur and grumble, they were cut off by their teacher.

“And don’t forget to bring your Hero costumes.”

Bang nearly hissed at him for mentioning the costumes.

Collecting the rest of his documents, Snipe begun to walk out of the classroom, leaving the students to the rest of their classes for the day. However, before he fully left the room, he popped his head back in.

“Oh yes. Hado? You can pick up this plushie whenever you’d like. Just let me know.”

One of his arms appeared around the edge of the door, holding the doll.

Bang winced at the sight of the doll, silently taunting him. Mocking him. That he will never catch it. His fingers twitched, nails grinding the desk as his teeth clenched in further frustration. A feminine giggle resounded behind him, to further his mockery. Another vein bulged under his skull in response.

A few members of the class turned to the giggling Hado. They all had expectant looks in their eyes. Even the large form of Susumu had turned.

“You gotta tell me where you got that!”

“Yeah! My little brother would love it!”

Casting her eyes over to the fuming Garou, Hado nodded at them, as if to silently agree to tell them. She could almost see steam rising from Garou. She couldn’t tell them in front of him. Then he’d put a swift stop to any kind of merch. She leaned towards them as she covered her mouth with her hand.

“I’ll tell you all later.”

She whispered to them. They all nodded in agreement, smiles on all of their faces.

“You will not escape me.” Bang gave them a warning that he will be there listening. Whether she likes it or not.

The sound of footsteps and chattering filled the air. The mall was especially busy today, being a Saturday. Groups of high-schoolers laughed as they walked together down by busy traffic. Large televisions hung from the ceiling, playing the news, often interrupted by advertisements. Amongst the thick crowd however, there was a small figure, darting between the flowing masses. The silver-haired youth rushed quickly ahead, trying to get to his objective.

He sneaked away, very very wary of his surroundings. A very avid Garou fan, an expert of smuggling merch under Garou’s nose. Here lies Ghin, first disciple of Garou, and self-proclaimed greatest Garou fan in the world. He looked at a certain sign, where they sell the Garou merch. He smiled, the lights behind his back shining with greater intensity in reflection of his elation. Little did he know that his lights were bothering the others passing by, forcing them to cover their eyes as he tiptoed towards the door.

Sneaking into the store, Ghin looked around at the tremendous amount of Garou merch. The store was almost empty, apart from one teen moving around in the corner, slightly obscured from Ghin’s vision. The man behind the counter waved at the familiar young boy.

“Back again, eh? What’re you looking for today?”

“...The special ‘thing’. Do you have it?” Ghin asked the man behind the counter as he smiled. From behind the counter, he picked up what seemed to be a real-life replica of Garou. A limited kind, since it's rare. Very rare. Custom made as well, from high quality materials to ensure lasting quality. The details even covered Garou in his martial stance, the one he used against All Might in the grand debut.

“Yesss…” Ghin pumped his hands up with joy. His lights flared along with his mood as well, making the owner cover his eyes.

As the storeowner began to tap out the details and price of the replica on the till, he gave the boy a wide smile.

“I don’t think I’ve ever seen anyone come in here as much as you do. You probably own one of everything in here!”

“Hehehe.” Ghin laughed sheepishly as he dug his hands in his pockets, and picked out a certain credit card he… borrowed from his aunt. He gave it to the man on the counter as he hopped up and down in excitement, impatiently eager to possess the limited edition Garou figure.

As Ghin bounced up and down, the figure from the corner moved into sight. A familiar head of dark green curly hair stopped, as both Ghin and the figure stared at each other.

“....Ghin?”

“Eh!? You?!?!” Ghin squawked like a strangled chicken upon seeing the sight of the Courageous Coward, Izuku Midoriya.

“What are you doing here?! This is sacred grounds you're trespassing! Shoo, shoo!”

“No, it's not. And don't shoo away my customers.” The man behind the counter chuckled.

Izuku remained still. As Ghin looked a bit closer, he noticed that Izuku held a large book in his hands. The title of the book was clearly on display. ‘The Hero-Hunter - Mystery, Man, Monster’ was the title of the book, before Izuku turned away, seemingly a little shocked.

“O-oh…. I-I’m just.. doing some research…”

“Eh? Research? On what?” Ghin asked the coward as he narrowed his eyes with suspicion.

“What are you here for?” Ghin demanded, as the lights behind him turned red with hostility.

Raising the book slightly, Izuku looked at the indignant young boy before him. Before he could say anything however, a voice from the entrance of the store interrupted him.

“Oi! You done in here Midoriya?”

Turning to the entrance, the red-haired Kirishima stood there, leaning on the doorframe. Behind him was a small group of 1-A students. Uraraka, Iida, Todoroki Tsuyu and Bakugou all stood there. Bakugou immediately glared at the young boy, not saying anything.

“Eh?” Ghin pointed at the group, now even more confused. Why are they here? They wouldn't come a mile near anything related to Garou as far as he knew.

“Oh?! Is that Ghin?”

Uraraka noticed the small, silver-haired boy that seemed to be facing off with Izuku. I mean, it made sense for the young boy to be in a store full of Garou merch. He seemed practically obsessed.

“Y-yeah… it is.”

Izuku mumbled out loud, a little nervous at being found purchasing a book on Garou by Gaoru's own disciple.

Kirishima walked into the store grinning widely at Ghin.

“So whatcha doing here? Getting some souvenirs?”

“Shut up! What are you doing here!? You all wouldn't come here within a mile away!” Ghin demanded accusingly.

“Well, we were all walking around the mall, when Midoriya wanted to come in here.”

Kirishima pointed one thumb over to Izuku, who was attempting to cover his face with the book.

“Eh?” Ghin looked at Midoriya, before his eyes slowly shifted to the book in hand.

“...what are you here for? Answer me before I make you suffer ‘Death by Garou’.” Ghin demanded as he pointed at Izuku.

“W-well, after s-seeing him on the news, I thought i-it’d be a good idea to s-see what everyone knows. Y-you know… about the Hero-Hunter.”

“You know nothing about him. Don't even bother to understand him.” Ghin demanded as if he was insulted by Izuku’s attempt to learn more about Garou.

“...S-sorry…”

Izuku began to turn back around, going to place the book back from where he found it. Before he could, the voice of the store owner stopped him.

“What’ve I told you? Stop intimidating the customers!”

“Ehhh. But-”

“Do you want me to rescind the purchase then?” The store owner asked as Ghin whimpered at the threat, the lights behind him turning pink with shame.

“...fine…” He conceded.

The store owner glanced over at the green-haired boy. He had a sympathetic look.

“Sorry. Everytime he comes in to buy something, he always manages to scare someone else off. Like last month. He almost chased a group of three girls out of here.”

The store-owner shook his head. Despite that, he did chuckle at the memory. It was pretty funny.

“O-oh…”

Moving away from where he picked up the book, Izuku moved to the till to purchase the book. He kept glancing over at Ghin nervously.

Crouching down, Kirishima took a look at the replica of Garou in Ghin’s hands. He raised his eyebrows, impressed at the level of detail.

“That’s pretty cool! Did he ask for you to get it?”

“Geh!?” Ghin looked away, sweating profusely at the question.

“It's n-none of your business!” Ghin tried to shirk away the guilt welling in his heart. Garou must never find out about this place. Ever.

“Do not worry, young Ghin! We will not inform him of your presence here.”
Iida looked at the nervous young boy through his glasses. He raised one hand in an gesture of honesty.

“Yeah, don’t worry little buddy!”

Kirishima lightly slapped his shoulder, causing the young boy to recoil slightly.

“Hiss~” Ghin hissed at Kirishima upon being slapped. The lights behind Ghin flashed red with hostility.

Everyone could feel a level of tension in the air. The silver-haired youth had been put on the edge, adopting a clearly defensive stance. His red lights behind him, a warning. Massaging his temples, the manager of the store broke the silence.

“Hey Ghin, how about I give you another set of those Garou themed stickers? Been a while since you got them.”

The man attempted to defuse the tension with promises of more merch.

“!” Immediately, the boy abandoned all hostility as he turned and rushed towards the counter.

“Gimme!!” The lights turned bright silver upon the mention of the stickers.

Reaching down below the counter, the store-owner pulled out a large sheet of Garou-themed stickers. A variety of different styles were covering the paper. Holding the sheet of stickers up with one hand, the store-owner wagged the forefinger on his other hand.

“Now, are you going to be nicer to these young people?”

“.............fine.” Ghin relented as the store owner gave the boy the merch, dropping the sheet of stickers into his hand.

“Yay!” Ghin cheered upon receiving the stickers.

Everyone couldn’t help a smile from covering their face. Watching Ghin so happy at receiving a simple sheet of Garou stickers, made them happy for him.

“Wanna come along with us?”

Kirishima asked the still bouncing Ghin. It didn’t seem exactly safe for a young boy to be wandering around on his own. Despite Ghin’s strength.

“Ehhh….” Ghin stopped his bouncing as he looked at Kirishima with slight suspicion.

“…what are you guys doing here anyways?” He asked.

“W-we’re all hanging out…”

Izuku straightened up as he addressed Ghin. It did seem a little strange for Ghin to be on his own.”

“Doing what?” Ghin blinked still confused.

Izuku moved the book around as he looked around absentmindedly.

“Well… we all chat, maybe go get some food…”

“Food?” Ghin’s stomach growled a bit. He did not manage to indulge himself in feasts like before. His aunt complained that feeding Garou was a burden enough.

“Uraraka mentioned that we might all go for a meal. Ribbit.”

The deadpan voice of Tsuyu came from the doorway.

“Yeah! You could come along! It’d be great!”

Kirishima grinned widely, his fiery spirit not dimmed even in such mundane scenarios.

“…how much food can you guys afford?” Ghin asked, as drool started leaking out his mouth.

The group grimaced as they remembered Ghin and Garou’s habit for massive consumption of food. They all realised that they could not afford to pay for the food that Ghin would eat.

“We can all buy a reasonable amount.”

“Good enough. Count me in!” Ghin demanded.

*om nom nom nom*

Chewing sounds could be heard around a set of tables outside the mall’s built-in McDonald’s. On one table, one boy stood out. Eating around ten people’s worth of food as he ate the chicken nuggets, fries, snack wraps, and salads en masse. He was eating them with proper table manners this time, slowly but surely shoving food into his black hole for a mouth.

Everyone in the store watched in shock as the young boy devoured several times his own body weight in food, with no physical change at all. The ones with no reaction, were the students from 1-A. They just sat there, unsurprised, as Ghin continued to eat.

“Mm, you know…” Ghin gulped as he swallowed his food before speaking.

“Auntie would kill me if she found out I’m binge-eating fast food instead of regular ones. But who cares!” Ghin took four strings of fries and dipped them in ketchup before shoving them into his mouth.

Bakugou merely glared at the boy, resting his head on his hand. His face was twisted into his usual scowl.

“...What’re you even doing out? Shouldn’t you be training with that guy at least?”

“He’s out doing stuff though. He patrols Hosu and beyond at this time.” Ghin said as he took another nugget and plopped it into his mouth.

Bakugou waved another hand around, somewhat dismissively.

“Oh yeah. What a fuckin saint. I mean, he sure looked like one on that news report.”

“…” Ghin stopped eating as he looked at Bakugou, his eyes no longer retaining that childish gleam.

“You got a problem?” Ghin asked. With an accusive tone.

Bakugou narrowed his eyes, locking eyes with Ghin. He lifted his head off his hand as he straightened himself up.

“Yeah I do. Why’s he playing Hero? We both know he’s not the sort.”

“…you know nothing about him if you think that he’s a monster. Besides…” Ghin looked at Bakugou, seeing him scowling at him.

“....…you remind me of Aniki now that I think about it…” Ghin added as he compared Bakugou’s face with Garou’s.

Bakugou shot up out of his seat, his eyes wide as he glared down at the silver-haired boy. He clenched his teeth at the comparison.

“How? How the fuck am I anything like him?”

“You scowl like him.” Ghin then plopped another fry in his mouth.

“You are just as abrasive as him.” He chewed the fry.

“And you look like you will explode at any given moment.” He then swallowed.

“But there is one thing that’s different.” Ghin added before stabbing his salad with a plastic fork.

Bakugou placed one of his hands on the table as he leant towards the smaller boy. His scowl only increased.

“Oh yeah? What’s that?”

“He’s way better than you. Way, way better.” Ghin answered.

The rest of the 1-A students all tensed up at this. They anxiously looked over to the stationary form of Bakugou, who seemed to have been overwhelmed by rage. Flashes begun to spark off underneath the hand Bakugou placed on the table. Smoke began to rise from under his hand.

“.........”

Bakugou had no words. He clenched his other fist so hard, his entire hand had gone white.

“Now that I said it, when we first met face to face… I didn’t like you at first glance. Garou hates you more than I do, though. I don’t know why at first, but I think I get it now.” Ghin said as he started eating the salad, jamming the green leaves and tomatoes into his mouth.

“You are like a bad copy of him. An insult to all he represents and strived for, pretending to be everything he is. Stronger, smarter… yep. Only difference is he knows more about being a hero, and much kinder than you. And he hates Quirks! While you worship it!!” Ghin said.

Lifting his hand from the table, both of Bakugou’s hands hung by his side, clenched white. Glaring intensely down at Ghin, Bakugou had an expression of absolute anger. The patch of the table where Bakugou’s hand had been was blackened and scorched, smoke still wafting up.

“Aniki is not a simple person. He did not get to where he is because of a Quirk. He chose to get there the very hard way. He is rude, abrasive like you, yet, he is more of a hero than everyone else… at least to me. You… you are simple. I can read your backstory like a book.” Ghin swallowed the salad as he grabbed a snack wrap.

Suddenly, Bakugou’s leg lashed out, knocking over the empty chair next to him He turned to walk away, fuming. Turning his head back, he stared at Ghin.

“...You don’t know anything…”

“You are a frog in a well. You want to be the best there is. But now you’re out there in the big world, you are in a dilemma. You got out that well, thinking you can reach the top of the mountain easy, but the moment you see it, you tremble at the size.” Ghin proved him wrong as he described him with the most accurate of metaphors.

“You deluded yourself before. You bullied the other frogs because you are the biggest in the well. You abused your gift early on others. You are a bully wanting to be a hero. Without knowing what a hero really is.” Ghin continued as he took a bite out of the snack wrap and chewed.

“Then came the wolf. The White God Slaying Wolf. As he tore down your sun and moon with his fangs and claws without mercy, tearing your world down along with it. You are now back in the well, questioning your worth after seeing the big wide world, unsure what to do.” Ghin then swallowed.

“Am I wrong?” He asked with a smile aimed towards Bakugou.

“..........”

Bakugou’s eyes moved away from Ghin, clearly deep in thought. His scowl now had hints of frustration and despair in it. The rest of the class watched with surprise and anxiety. Surprised that Ghin accurately depicted Katsuki with metaphors, and anxious that Ghin used said metaphors to verbally beat down their classmate.

“I think to Aniki, you are like a stupid know-it-all that has the potential to reach the sky beyond the heavens, but remained on earth just for the indulgence of bullying others. In summary, you are a failure in a sense, unable to reach what Aniki has become despite being three years younger than him.” Ghin continued eating the snack wrap, taking bite after bite into his meal.

Turning his head fully away from Ghin, Bakugou began storming off, towards the bathroom, his emotions muddled. As he reached the door, he cast one last defiant look back at Ghin.

“I’ll show you. I’ll fuckin’ show both of you when I reach that ‘sky’.”

The bathroom door shook as he slammed it behind him. The classmates of 1-A looked at each other, as if to comprehend what had just happened. Izuku gulped heavily. He wasn’t sure that he’d ever seen Kacchan so furiously indignant. His entire reason for being had been questioned. And worse, it was by someone he couldn’t beat.

“That… uhhh, was a little harsh.”

Kirishima was unsure of how exactly to feel. Bakugou had been verbally defeated, no quarter left for him to even respond.

“I hate bullies. And that guy is still a bully. He deserves it.” Ghin replied as he continued eating.

An uneasy silence settled over the group. The only noise was the sound of Ghin noisily chewing his meal. Casting one last glance over to the door, Izuku could only feel sympathy for his childhood friend. Tearing his eyes away from the door, he looked back down at the book he bought. The one about Garou. He would occasionally mumble to himself, noting something down about the Hero-Hunter.

“...assumed height?...age…”

“He's eighteen.” Ghin said as he swallowed before eating more.

The earlier silence became deafening. They all gaped at Ghin, who casually continued eating. Izuku blinked rapidly, trying to comprehend the knowledge he’d been given. Todoroki’s usual emotionless face showed the all too obvious signs of surprise. Iida stared at the casual boy with raised eyebrows, as did Tsuyu. Kirishima had the most noticeable reaction, rising out of his seat in shock.

“Hehe, I know right? That is why aniki is infinitely better than that bully. He will never reach his level as he is.” Ghin happily said before he resumed.

“He’s only eighteen? What the hell! He should still be in school!”

Kirishima’s loud voice drew the attention of everyone in the restaurant. Dozens of heads turned to look at the shouting teen. A shushing sound came from a nearby family, clearly unhappy at the noise.

“Mmmmhm.” Ghin happily hummed in response.

“Y-you can’t be serious? He’s only 18!”

Izuku clutched the book in shock. He looked so much older!

“I am very serious. He is a genius! A prodigy! Even more so than any of you!” Ghin said as he took more fries and dipped them in ketchup.

“...then, how long has he been… like he is? Fighting, I mean.”

Uraraka could feel a level of sympathy towards Garou. If he was so young, he must have spent his entire life fighting. She shook her head in dismay.

“Long time. He trained ever since elementary school. A year when he became the Hero Hunter.” Ghin replied as he plopped the fries into his mouth.

“He’s been doing this for a year?”

Kirishima’s voice once again filled the restaurant, causing another round of shushes. He turned to them, scratching the back of his head.

“Yep! He’s awesome!” Ghin smiled very widely after he swallowed his fries.

Looking back down at the book he purchased, Izuku noticed how quite a large amount of Garou’s life was absent. That was to be expected from a commercial book… but still. The fact that he was 18 only created further questions.

Pulling his eyes up from his book, Izuku looked at Ghin with curiosity. The silver-haired boy was quite informed when it came to Garou. Maybe he knew something the book didn’t? Izuku tapped his finger on a page of the book.

“If he’s 18… do you know when his birthday is?”

“...........................” Ghin stopped eating as he dropped his fork.

“...crap! I didn't ask!” Ghin held his head in a panic as he realized he never knew his birthday.

Iida cocked his head to one side, clearly confused. His face also showed his confusion.

“But if I am correct, you live with Garou? Should you not know all about the man?”

“I never asked!” Ghin glared at Iida with irritation.

“What else don’t you know about him?”

The deadpan voice of Todoroki drew Ghin’s attention. His face returned to its usual emotionless appearance.

“Quiet two face. I will riddle you with holes.” The lights behind him then flared red.

Izuku cupped his chin as he thought heavily. News about the Hero-Hunter had surfaced several months ago. In fact, it was almost a year ago….

“Has Garou ever celebrated his birthday?”

“....now that you mention it…” Ghin’s light returned back to silver.

“I don't think so… he chose a hard life to become the God Slaying Wolf…” Ghin blinked as he realized that Garou never had anything normal to celebrate in his life.

An idea began to swirl around inside Izuku’s head. As he looked at Uraraka, he could tell she was thinking the same thing. Judging by his recent appearance on the news, Garou had seemingly softened up a little. Perhaps…

“Maybe we could hold a surprise birthday party? In case he missed his birthday?”

The rest of the students listened in with interest. While it sounded unlikely to ever get the drop on Garou, it did sound like it could be fun. And judging from what Ghin said, Garou hasn’t shared a birthday with anyone for years.

“Ehhh, why? I kicked your asses, and he kicked your asses. He didn't even touch you all to kick your asses.” Ghin verbally stabbed their self esteem with his reminder of their test.

They all shuddered at the mere memory of their ‘trial’. Izuku in particular, couldn’t forget the feeling of all of Garou’s intense bloodlust focused on him.

“W-well yeah… you kinda did…”

Perking herself up, Uraraka held one fist one in a symbol of determination. A focused look came over her.

“He still deserves someone to celebrate with! It’s just too sad to spend your birthday alone.”

She pointed over at Ghin.

“You could help us!”

“Ehhhh…” Ghin blinked. Why would they do something for Garou?

“....why? I mean, all he did was bring you trouble and pain. And he enjoyed it. Are you all masochists?” Ghin asked, using a word someone his age shouldn't know.

The assembled group all looked at each other, silently communicating. While Ghin was right that Garou had not only stressed them out plenty of times, but also responsible for some pretty nasty beatdowns.

But they could tell that Garou was a good person, testing the morals and worth of others and defending the weak. What kind of bad guy did that?

Nodding in collective agreement, all of the students turned to look at the bewildered apprentice.

“It just seems… right. He isn’t a bad person, even if he does get a bit extreme sometimes…”

Izuku’s nervous stuttering had disappeared as he had found his confidence. He’d spoken to the Hero-Hunter on several occasions.

“..........” The apprentice did not utter a word. He was surprised. He underestimated Class 1-A.

“...wow. I thought you were all nothing but posers trying to become heroes but…” Ghin ceased his feasting as he looked at them as if he found a new animal he never seen before.

They would all be a little unnerved by the look the young boy was giving them. That was, if they hadn’t experienced far worse from the very same boy. They all merely smiled. Even Todoroki, whose features betrayed the slightest hint of a smile.

“Don’t underestimate us! We’re the real deal!”

Kirishima rose one clenched fist in a gesture of strength and triumph, a wide grin across his face.

“You're all weak as hell though.” Ghin verbally stabbed their self-esteem again.

The group all exchanged glances as they nervously chuckled. They were all too aware of that.

“Well… we’re still learning.”

Izuku raised a good point. They were all still in training at school.

“You got your asses handed to you by a little Quirkless boy.” He stabbed their esteem again, this time with an Excalibur in hand.

All six of the students flinched upon the reminder, all of them figuratively coughing blood. Even Todoroki. Iida, Tsuyu and Todoroki were all emotionless, attempting to hide their disappointment behind a mask. However, Uraraka, Izuku and Kirishima all stared at the boy, a fiery look in their eyes.

“Don’t worry. Once we’ve graduated, we’ll be asking for a rematch.”

Kirishima rested one arm on the back of his chair, grinning at Garou’s protege.

“Impossible. Can you even reach Garou’s level?” Ghin asked.

A moment passed before Uraraka shrugged in response.

“Maybe. Maybe not. We’ll have to see.”

“You'll never defeat me if you don't focus everything into reaching the skies beyond the heavens. You're all still focused on the mountaintop.” Ghin replied.

All six of them nodded in agreement to Ghin’s surprisingly mature metaphor. They would have to double, no, triple their efforts in an attempt to reach such a level.

Uraraka focused on Ghin, an expectant look on her face.

“So… will you help us? With the birthday thing?”

“Mhm!” Ghin smiled.

“I know aniki best after all!”

Iida’s eyes wandered as he began to consider all of the preparations that they would need. His first thought was an obvious one, so he posed it to the group as a whole.
“Should we invite some other people? Perhaps ones that Garou has a good relationship with?”

The rest of the class racked their minds to think of people who might share a cordial relationship with Garou. Kirishima suddenly perked up, seemingly remembering something.

“What about Ryukyu? They seemed to be close on the news!”

“They're not though?” Ghin tilted his head confused by their assumption.

The red haired teen seemed to slump down slightly in his seat as his suggestion was cut down.

“What about the other girl? Nejire Hado?”

“......” Ghin’s eyes twitched at the mention of her.

“....she is cool.” Ghin muttered with reluctance.

“Aniki made a few friends.”

Ghin’s words peaked the interest of the group. Garou had actually made friends? A few chuckles came from members of the group as they imagined Garou socializing.

“Who are his friends? Do you know them?”
Izuku closed his book gently, placing it on his lap as he focused all is attention of the silver-haired youth.

“Ehhh…” Ghin turned his eyes away.

“You'll know when you see them.” Ghin vaguely implied.

“So will you be inviting Garou’s friends?”

Iida adjusted his glasses, attempting to focus on the boy. Ghin’s vagueness with Garou’s friends made the planning slightly harder.

“Ehhh, of course. I don't have their contact info though.” Ghin never asked in the first place.

Iida resisted the urge to firmly plant his face in his hands in frustration. The whole operation was terribly inefficient.

“But I know where they're usually at.” Ghin added.

Izuku pulled out his notebook, flipping to an empty page. He began writing down some potential details regarding the plan they were formulating. He glanced up once at Ghin.

“What about Heroes? Are there any he gets along with?”

“Ehhh…” Ghin frowned at the mention of Heroes.

“Aniki would destroy them if they got into his home.” Ghin informed.

Nodding once, Izuku looked back down and continued writing. He mumbled to himself as he wrote.

“....no Heroes....”

“Do you know what Garou would enjoy? As a gift?”

Uraraka glanced over at Izuku, frantically writing away, before turning back to Ghin curiously.

“.....” Ghin paused as he tried to think.

“...uhhhhh…” He was at a block. What did Aniki like? He counted the things on his fingers, food, fighting, the torment of other heroes….

“Oh crap.” Ghin didn't know Garou’s favorite things. He was not a materialistic person. He was a fighter, a warrior of the highest caliber. And those guys don't have anything that really caught their eye.

“....a cookbook?” Ghin suggested, using Garou’s hunger as reference.

Uraraka cocked one eyebrow at that. A cookbook? Garou didn’t seem like the cooking type. He was more of an eating type however.

“What? He eats a lot. So he might have a interest in eating his own cooking.” Ghin defended his claim.

“And to make fun of him when we give it to him.” A mischievous smile donned the child’s face when he said that.

Unbeknownst to the table of eager students, they were being listened in on. Nearby, but out of sight, stood the still frame of Bakugou. He listened in on them eagerly discussing Garou’s birthday party. It made him want to blow something up. A birthday party! For him!

Shaking his head, Bakugou could feel the frustration welling up as the rest of his class had so easily moved on.

Sneaking around, Ghin flew through the skies around the places where he knew Garou won't be there. His wings fluttered through the afternoon sky as he smiled. For all the speed and inhuman awareness of Garou, Garou was easy to avoid when he knew his habits. Ghin knew Garou best, and he giggled that despite being weaker than him, Garou was very easy to fool. He landed outside of the place where Fenrir was at during the monster incident, at the entrance  of the rectangular building. He looked around, hoping to see where the girl and the stupid face were, while casually ignoring the attention he garnered from random passersby as he strolled towards the entrance of the rectangular building, the agency of Sir Nighteye. At this hour, Garou shouldn't be here. Garou should be somewhere outside training or something.

Suddenly, the door to the plain, rectangular building swung open. Behind it was a familiar face. Mirio stopped, taken aback by the sudden appearance of Garou’s young apprentice in front of Sir Nighteye’s building.

“....Ghin?”

“Yo! Stupid face!” Ghin waved hello at Lemillion.

“I have a favour to ask!”

Stepping fully out of the building, Mirio looked down at the energetic young boy. He ignored the insult and smiled, waving back.

“What’s up, little guy?”

“...if I ask you that I'm planning a birthday for Aniki, would you come?” Ghin asked almost in a eager whisper.

Mirio took a moment to process what Ghin had said. Judging by his hushed tone, it was a surprise. Smiling even wider, Mirio nodded in acceptance.

“I’d love to. Who else is going?”

“I'll let you know. Also, bring the girl. And anyone else Garou might like or hate being there. To have fun teasing him when we surprised him. Also, bring presents. Ones that he might like or hate, hehehe.”

Hearing Ghin’s request, an immediate thought came to Mirio’s mind. One Garou would despise him for. Still… it was going to be Garou’s birthday. He should enjoy himself. And it’d be nice to spend such a special time surrounded by friends. Also, Mirio didn’t want to be sent to the hospital.

“I… I’ll see if I can get anyone. Hado would also love to come along.”

As he agreed, a few people flashed through Mirio’s mind as possible options. Snipe and Garou seemed to constantly exchange banter and threats. All Might seemed like a good choice. The Pussycats would of course be delighted to come along.

“Oh, I just thought of someone else. I will be back.” Ghin said as he then flapped his wings, and flew away into the skies.

Watching as Ghin flew away, Mirio still struggled with his moral quandary. It would be entertaining, but Garou would be besides himself with anger. And all of it would be targeted right at him. Though, in the end, it would be worth it. He had no regrets.

Humming to himself, Ghin flew to Chisaki’s place. The yakuza slash villain guy. He had grown wise with Chisaki, understanding that he feared Garou most of all. There are times when he tried to pry him for information, but that doesn't matter. Ghin wouldn't fold, and his true nature was something that Chisaki can never truly handle.

As Ghin landed outside the estate, he pressed the doorbell on the stone fence.

Waiting for a moment, the door was quickly answered. As the metal fence door swung open, Ghin was greeted by a massive, masked figure. He nearly filled the entire doorway as he stared down at Ghin, a all-encompassing beaked hood covering his head.

“You Garou’s kid?”

“His disciple! Know the difference!” Ghin shouted as he pumped both his arms into the air.

Suddenly, a brass-knuckled fist shot out towards Ghin. The giant man had stepped towards him and thrown the punch, seemingly out of nowhere. The disciple was sent flying back, into the air as the fist connected.

The giant man stepped forwards again, almost pursuing the boy. His fists were raised in preparation for his next assault. However, to his surprise, the boy landed on the ground, seemingly unharmed.

“You want a fight?” Ghin asked with a low, menacing tone. The lights behind him flashing crimson red. There was no damage on his body whatsoever. Little did he know, the boy blocked the punch with his palms to negate the damage while letting the knockback launch him away.

“Course I do!”

Raising both of his fists, he charged at the boy, throwing a barrage of punches. The air almost seemed to blur from the sheer amount of punches thrown.

The boy jumped back as he kept his distance from the giant, his fists failing to reach him as he stepped back until he was near the building behind him. The giant threw one heavy straight punch towards the boy, confident that he won when he backed him into the corner. However, the boy leapt and ran across his giant arm, his eyes filled with murderous intent.

“Earth God Slayer…” Ghin then leapt from the arm, raising his left foot high.

“Falling Mountain.” Ghin dropped the ankle of his heel before the giant could react with his nimbler speed, right down between his neck and shoulder as he he dropped the giant down into the ground.

“Guh?!”

‘Heavy?!’ The giant dropped as if his weight multiplied tenfold. No, the boy’s foot was heavy as hell. Why was it so damn heavy, he does not know, as the boy dropped him into the ground, the concrete underneath caving into a crater as blood spewed from his mouth and his shoulder blade fractured. The next moment, Ghin removed himself from the giant, landing on the sidewalk as he beared down his heavy, serious gaze at the giant.

“Want more?” He asked, his tone a threatening tune unbefitting those his age.

Slowly rising back to his feet, one arm hanging limply, he raised his other clenched fist.

“Hahah! Of course I do!”

Before he could begin charging however, a voice swiftly cut him off, freezing him in his steps.

“Rappa. What are you doing?”

Standing behind them was the stationary form of Chisaki. His arms were crossed, yet his face betrayed no emotion. Rappa turned back around to his boss, pointing his good arm at Ghin.

“This kid showed up. Claimed to be Garou’s apprentice. I had to see for myself.”
The way the giant man said it seemed so matter-of-fact. Chisaki stared at Rappa for a moment, taking notice of his limb arm, before casting his eyes over to the silver-haired boy.

“Ah. Ghin. Is there a reason for your sudden… visit?”

His tone was flat and unamused. Suppressing any form of frustration he felt, he took a step towards the boy.

“I want to invite Eri to a special event!” Ghin smiled, his tone now energetic, the lights behind him now silver.

Chisaki’s head snapped to Ghin, locking eyes with him. His arms uncrossed as they hung by his sides. Tilting his head to one side, he addressed the boy.

“And what is this ‘event’?”

“It's a surprise party!” Ghin said.

Overhaul waved one hand around, gesturing as he did so. To be frank, he was quite displeased to see Garou’s young disciple just appear out of nowhere. He felt like he was being taken advantage of by the silver-haired duo.

“I’m afraid Eri is… quite ill. She’s on homestay until she’s recovered.”

“I know you can heal her, Overhaul.” Ghin said, his smile still on his face, using Chisaki’s villain name.

Chisaki barely resisted the urge to reach out and attempt to disintegrate the silver-haired squirt.

However, the moment he let his anger take over his mind, a sudden stream of silver passed by his face. It was burning hot as he blinked, before he turned around seeing a melting hole in the fence behind him. He turned his head around to see the boy smiling.

“Don't think about trying to kill me. You won't survive if you do.” Ghin smiled as the light behind him flashed murderous black for a moment before returning back to silver.

Clenching his fists for a moment, Chisaki let out a calming breath. He knew he had practically no room for error when it came to the two silver-haired annoyances. As much as it frustrated him to admit, Eri was the reason he had remained out of their crosshairs.

“Of course. It’s been….busy recently.”

“How goes the drug business though? Aniki made you the only guys with the trigger drug in Japan as far as I know.” Ghin asked a dangerous question someone his age shouldn't know.

“........”

Overhaul gave no response. Nor did he physically react in any way. He knew the danger that such a question posed. If he answered poorly, everything would be pulled down. It was better, he thought, to simply not answer.

“The prices are very, very high. And you are quite busy making deals with the other remaining villains, working out a bargain. A debt contract most likely that would benefit you and your group. How’s your overseas trading plan going though?” As if Ghin was a mind-reading demon, he stabbed Chisaki’s foundation of self control. How did this boy found out so much about his business when he wasn't even there investigating him in the first place? He doubted Garou even knew of his activities.

“I am not dumb. It is easy to guess after a bit of research. The number of villains around Japan is scarce, thus you turn your eyes overseas. You hope to expand your influence to the other villains outside this country, hoping to gain influence and power for your group. There's no way you guys can prosper from dealing with the scarce amount of criminals today. So, impressed?” Ghin smiled as if wanting to be praised.

Pausing for a moment, Chisaki gestured towards the house. He suppressed his near constant frustration.

“Care to see Eri?”

“Yeah!” He pumped his arms up as he quickly ran into the house, leaving behind Chisaki and Rappa.

“....wow.” Rappa commented. He could only remain dumbfounded as he witnessed the boy talk off Chisaki. It's the first time he saw a kid getting on the boss’ nerves. And lived.

“The boy has guts.”

Chisaki merely massaged his temples, eyes closed. He’d gone for quite a while without being interrupted by the duo. He was beginning to enjoy it as well. There wasn’t even anything he could do to keep them away. Worse, he must because his entire life depends on it.

Meanwhile, while all the scheming went on behind Garou’s back, Garou himself was… stalking new faces in Japan in his monster form, moving from roof to roof in ultra hyperspeed. He first tracked two American foreigners, along with a pack of black suits with black glasses, he never seen before, each emanating an air of suspicious dread that all villains share. And from there, they lead Garou to even more new faces here, more villains from the far shores as Nighteye said. The two leading the pack were heading towards what was supposed to be an abandoned warehouse. Not only that, there are others heading there as well. The largest gathering of villains that Garou had ever seen.

A large sliding door was open, exposing the inside of the warehouse. Garou easily recognised the location. After all, he’d been here a few times. The usual hideout for the League of Villains. The warehouse seemed to be filled with what looked like dozens, if not hundreds of Villains. Each one of them radiated an air of malice and bloodlust.

Groups stuck close together, carefully keeping an eye on everyone else present. The tension in the air was palpable. Everyone kept looking around, clearly waiting for someone. The crowd was filled with dozens of differing groups, all with their own unique appearances. One group each wore a white doll mask, an eerie thing designed out of horror movies, though their uniforms varied. Another group had crowns on their heads, their faces of English descent with attire on par with the nobility of medieval times. Another was a group of Africans, each garbed in a thug like attire, though each of them bore a certain raven tattoo on their cheeks to distinguish them from the rest. Each of the groups shared distinction that represented their unique personalities.

Suddenly, all of their heads snapped to one corner of the room. A whirling black mist had filled the corner, forming a oval. Through the oval portal, came six figures. Leading the group was the one everyone had gathered to see. Upon hearing of the defeat of All For One, the villain groups around the world watched with rapt interest to see who could possibly take up his legacy. And thus, they had been made aware of the ascent of Shigaraki Tomura to the head of the League of Villains.

Tomura was flanked by the forms of Dabi, Toga, Twice and Mr.Compress. The black mist twisted and shifted, taking the form of Kurogiri. Stopping before the massive gathering, Tomura jumped backwards, seating himself on a nearby crate.

“You are the successor?”

One of the masked figures snapped their head to focus on Tomura, their movements jerky and unnatural.

“Hah! I expected a badass! Not this joke!” The hooded American laughed upon seeing the scrawny figure of Tomura, covered in hands on his face, head, neck, shoulders, and arms.

“I have to agree with the fool. Are you sure you’re capable of leading Japan’s villains?”

The voice came from what looked like a small child. However, the eyes this child had, gave the impression of being far, far older than he appeared.

Tomura remained silent as the grouped villains began to give their thoughts on the League of Villain’s successor.

“Whispers mention of him antagonizing Garou. And the demon destroyed All For One as revenge.” The leader of the raven-tattoos spoke out.

Tomura’s head snapped to the source of the voice. Placing his hand on the crate, it began to crumble slowly. The rest of the League of Villains merely watched their leader.

“....Don’t you mention him here. Don’t even say his name.”

Tomura spat out with considerable vitriol.

“Ah, the whispers of his deeds rang true. So he did plummet your life into an abyss.” The leader, a muscular african nodded upon hearing his response.

Rising swiftly from the crumbling crate, he stood up straight as he looked across the massive crowd. His fists clenched at their simple-mindedness.

“....Have any of you actually dealt with that pseudo-Hero?”

“Hah! He now sounds interesting! So the failure of All For One converting him is true!” The hooded man cackled with a certain glee to it.

“I have to say. I’m so disappointed in the successor. Have you not yet attempted to find his family? His loved ones? Pffft. You’re taking half-measures.”

A large, burly man pushed his way to the front of the crowd. He had almost fully white hair, apart from the black roots. He wore a stylish white suit and was flanked by several others, all sharing the same style. An obvious Russian inflection was in his voice.

“...heh. Idiot.” Tomura scoffed.

“Hostages won't work on him. Only a fool would think it would work.”

He waved across the entire crowd, once again becoming the center of attention.

“None of you. None of you know anything.”
He practically hissed the last part.

“None of you know the Hero-Hunter. His power. You’re all just spectators in this grand game pretending to be the players.”

“Oh?” The hooded American grinned, his eyes still covered under his mask.

“Are you sure about that?” The man took out a phone from his pocket, a smartphone. On the screen, was a paused video of Garou. Beating up All For One. And he showed it to Tomura so blatantly as he waited for his reaction.

Tomura swiped one hand in the air in the direction of the phone. A furious scowl overcame his face.

“Get that out of my face.”

“Hahahaha! I did some investigating. Of course, I got a good idea of his power.” He then put the phone back into his pocket.

“Speed so fast no camera or eyes can track, strength that can crush the Symbol of Peace and the Symbol of Evil with ease, and much more. I would say… something beyond my imagination kind of power. Heck, I wouldn't be surprised if he is somehow invincible. Am I wrong, little relic?” The man asked as he cackled again.

Tomura hunched over, unresponsive as he glared at the hooded figure. Kurogiri swiftly stepped forwards to address the crowds concern.

“He is unable to be in multiple places at once. While our operations may have been… hindered by the ‘Hero-Hunter’, we have made great strides in our research to defeat him.”

“Hmph, how meager.” One of the englishman stepped forward.

“If you are truly his legacy, you must defeat him on fair grounds to demonstrate your superiority of ideals. You won't prosper in the end as long as hope for justice remains. You will never become a symbol for the villains here that way.” The man, a mustached gentleman with blond hair and blue eyes, scolded Tomura.

Tearing his glare away from the grinning American, Tomura turned to the villain now addressing him.

“We’ve still got out ace in the hole. We’ve yet to fully implement it.”

Tomura peaked the interest of a few villains. The mention of an unused trump card was always a cause from interest.

“Prove it. Your position still haven't convinced us of your claims.” The african demanded as he walked over to Tomura, his towering figure overshadowing his skeletal figure.

Tomura turned his head to look right at Kurogiri. Nodding in understanding, the black fog spiraled out from one of his arms. Another, larger oval portal opened up as the crowd of villains backed up slightly, cautious of the sudden activity. A rattling sound emerged from the portal, echoing around the dark warehouse. Fists were raised and Quirks were prepared as the crowd grew more cautious.

Exiting from the portal, came what looked like a metal table. The wheels on the underside of the table rattled and shook. As the full table emerged from the portal, the villains noticed a doctor-like figure pushing the table.

Then they noticed it.

Their eyes all fell upon the shape on the top of the table. On the table was a array of what looked like disgusting lumps of quivering flesh.

The villains all stood there in muted silence. Tomura merely moved his eyes right, then left taking in all of the villains reactions.

“This… This is not our ace.”

Tomura put it plainly for the stunned villains.

“What you're looking at is the mutagen for the monster that devastated the town a few days ago. Once consumed, it will give him or her great power beyond imagining.” He said the last part for effect. The crowd still didn’t seem to move. They were carefully examining the throbbing clumps of meat.

“We have been attempting a variety of methods to cultivate more of these ‘cells’. It has provided us with ample amounts of valuable material. With a more nutrients, the cell would multiply for further use. Thus allowing for more powerful ‘weapons’.”

“H-how did you get these… things?”

The white suited Russian stared at Tomura, gesturing one gloved hand to the pile of flesh.

“When Sensei was still around, he had Kurogiri test the limits of his Quirk with Trigger applied. It was an experiment to see if he could rescue Sensei and the other villains from Tartarus without risking capture.” The doctor explained this time as he prodded one of the cells.

“I must say, the results were more than I expected. It instead brought us the tools we need to destroy All Might. And then conquer the world.” He finished as he gestured to Tomura to continue.

Reaching out, Shigaraki grabbed one of the cells as it quivered and pulsated in his hand. Holding his arm out for the rest to see, he turned to the crowd.

“Does anyone wish a sample? It's on the house.” Tomura smiled behind the hand covering his face.

Quite a number of villains watched with caution, but also with interest. If the successor was to be believed, consuming the clump of flesh would boost their powers to unbelievable levels. One of the masked figures pointed a finger at the cell.

“Are there side-effects?”

“......a few.” Tomura hesitated.

“We’re not sure on the specifics, since we never studied its effects in detail, but the Noumu that ate them… became violent, and developed a hunger for flesh. It ate the other Noumus when it turned.”

The crowd weighed the benefits and negatives. The idea of an unbeatable level of strength was something every single villain present desired. But to so willingly cast away their humanity… it prickled a few villains the wrong way.

“One more thing. We never tested it on a human. So, we don't know how it will affect a villain.” Tomura warned the villains before them.

Garou was watching them from the hole he carved with the Whirlwind Iron Cutting Fist into the ceiling of the warehouse. He blinked, his sharp ears hearing everything.

‘So this is how they made that monster…’ He never thought that humans can become monsters this way. He eyed the black mist man standing next to the bug. So this guy brought him here… it all made sense now. The black mist he saw before at that day… so it was his doing. Albeit unintentionally.

Strolling towards Tomura, the white suited Russian reached out, waiting for the cell to be placed in his hand.

“You all lack the will needed. Weak. Pathetic.”

He spat at the other villains as Tomura placed the cell in his gloved hand. Examining the lump for a moment, he opened his mouth and threw the flesh in, chewing as he did so. The rest of the villains watched with intrigue.

The groan of pain emerged from the lips of the Russian. He stood still, trembling heavily. Everyone watched with shock as his white hair grew, and grew. His pupils had disappeared almost entirely as he gnashed his teeth. The sound of cracking and tearing filled the warehouse as even under the suit, the crowd could see his flesh rearranging and his bones twisting and warping, taking on new grotesque shapes.

Suddenly, the Russian seemed to grow a few feet in the span of mere moments. His white suit wrapped around him, seemingly becoming a part of his skin. The sound of more tearing filled the room as muscles bulged and grew.

“Stand ready. We don't know if he will try to eat us.” Tomura warned the villains.

Then, the cracking and tearing noises ceased. The transformed Russian stood still, momentarily flexing his new, far larger arms. The sound of dripping and trickling drew everyone’s attention. Looking closer at the transformed villain, a few members of the crowd took a step back. His eyes were freakishly large, seemingly taking up half of his face. They stared at the crowd, glassy and lidless, like the eyes of a fish. Blood streamed from both eyes, like macabre tears. The blood didn’t seem to ever stop flowing, creating a large puddle around his feet.

Clenching his giant fists, the giant eyes of the Russian traveled over his new body, examining it.

“This… What power!”

He threw his head back, laughing victoriously. He could feel the power coming off of himself. With his new level of strength, he now examined the room of villainous humans. He grinned widely. Not one of them now had the strength to stand up to him.

“How do you feel?”

Tomura cautiously questioned the transformed villain. Kurogiri was prepped for the possibility that the Russian would lose control, warping away the League members immediately.

“My Quirk… I can still feel it.”

Rising one fist upwards in a uppercut, a tremendous gust of wind erupting, making the warehouse shake. As he looked on at the result of his presumably empowered Quirk, he turned his gaze to the crowd.

Looking down at the human villains, he took one large step towards them. A flash of momentary movement alerted the villains to a thrown punch. One villain, however, failed to get out of the way in time, and the tremendous punch connected. The now broken body of the villain shot through the air, impacting with the wall. As the body peeled off the wall and slapped to the ground with a wet thud, everyone looked at the massive smear of blood that had been left on the wall.

Tomura quickly looked back at Kurogiri, silently communicating. If things got too out of hand, they’d need to leave as soon as possible. This was meant to be another experiment as well, to see how humans would react to these cells. So far… it worked better than they thought.

“...do you crave for human flesh?” Tomura asked the monsterized villain just in case.

“....No. But I desire violence. I need broken bodies to lie at my feet!”

As he continued to speak, the monstrous Russian seemed to be getting more and more riled up. Luckily, he seemed to have some modicum of self-control, unlike the Noumu.

Gesturing somewhat nervously towards the new monster, Tomura addressed the whole crowd, in an attempt to dispel the tense atmosphere.

“This is our power. Every one of you that chooses to support us will gain access to such materials. And we will even reveal our other hidden secret.”

*SHREEM*

Suddenly, the monsterized russian was encapsulated in what seemed to be a teal cube of pure energy, trapped in what seemed to be a prison of someone’s Quirk.

“That was one of our guys you offed, you asshole!” The hooded American snarled, no longer possessing his usual mocking demeanor. Then the next second, the cube shrunk as electricity sparked, frying the villain inside as he started screaming, his skin blackened into charcoal, and his skin shriveled as he screamed an inhuman, shrill like roar.

“GYAAAAHHH!!!”

After a while, the monster collapsed, twitching yet alive, but also smoking like a grilled fish. The hood fell off the man as then, revealing the cube like eyes of the man as he sneered at the monsterized russian.

“Huh. You're actually tougher than I thought. That was meant to kill you.” He then spat on the cooked russian, before returning his hand to his pockets now satisfied with the smell of roasted meat wafting through the air greeting the noses of the villains present.

Silence now dawned the room as all eyes focused on the cube-eyed man.

The sound of clapping broke the silence. Turning to its source, Tomura stood there clapping his hands, but with a glare focused directly on the American.

“Quite an impressive display.”

He gestured towards the table of cells.

“So… would you care to work with us? A mutually beneficial relationship.”

The cube-eyed man then sneered at Tomura.

“Hah! Your ‘card’ only turns us into freaks! You really think I am stupid? That you're not using us as an experiment to test these ‘cells’? Tell me. If they are so great, why aren't you using it?” The cube-eyed man pointed his finger at Tomura in accusation.

Tomura merely shrugged lazily in response.

“If we were all monsterized, that would cause unnecessary… losses. “

“My point exactly. These things are only great in making attack dogs. This is not a ‘power’. This is Frankenstein bullshit there.”

The American group already took out their guns from their pockets, armed and aimed at Tomura and his group.

“You see, us from Darklight have a simple rule. And we follow that rule as it is what makes us great.” The cube eyed man ranted.

The gothic lolita giggled before she gave Tomura’s group a murderous glare, as if she could kill them with her gaze alone.

“Don't fuck with us. Be it grunts, or workers, we don't tolerate any stupidity, you got that ‘relic’?” Two cubes of teal light then formed in his two hands as if making a point.

“Do that again, and we will make sure you are so fucked, you will beg to be in jail once we’re done with you. Do you get me?” He warned the legacy of All For One.

Tomura waved his hand around in the air, seemingly not concerned with the number of guns pointed directly at him.

“Yeah yeah. I hear you. You didn’t answer my question though.”

“...my boss makes the calls. I’m here as your inspector, kid.” The cube eyed man scowled.

“Fair enough.”

Tomura hunched over, shrugging once again. He cast his gaze over the rest of the crowd of villains.

“My offer still stands for the rest of you.”

“Your method is ugly.” The leader of the nobleman group belittled.

“We will not accept your offer. You disgrace us villains with your putrid meatballs.”

Shigaraki narrowed his eyes at the noble group. He raised one arm and begun scratching away at his neck.

“Your loss. Anyone else?”

“The fool made a point. These things are only good for making weapons like Noumus. Your ‘cells’ barely counts as an ‘asset’. More like a defective gun only used for last resorts.” The child denied as he waved his hand with refusal.

The League could see that this wasn’t going the way they would have liked. The crowd was beginning to murmur in agreement. Despite the tremendous strength that the transformation allowed, it robbed them of their self-control.

“Are there methods to control those transformed? Have you even considered it at least?” The black raven African asked Tomura.

“....yes there is. Consuming the cells will enhance not only your strength, but it seems that the violent, murderous urges are also enhanced. Thus, the one transformed could be swayed under our control by sating their urges of blood and violence.”

Tomura finally clearly explained the cells. He had seen them tested a few times. The results had usually been the same. The Noumu would inevitably lose control and would have to either be contained or eliminated. Basing off the Russian, humans seemed to have some level of control.

“Aren't villains the worse kind to even eat these things then?” The cube-eyed man raised a brow.

“We haven’t tested on enough humans. But I’d guess that the effects would be the same for Heroes. Their ‘pious’ inhibitions would be removed, leaving an immoral monster.”

Tomura scowled at the mere thought of Heroes. But he couldn’t help but be a little intrigued to see the effect of the cells on a Hero. Perhaps he should capture one….

More murmurs wafted throughout the warehouse, each group discussing the information laid before them.

“Hmmm… our employer might be… intrigued by these cells.” The masked man said, the first sign of good news for Tomura.

Tomura smiled under the hand covering his face. Perhaps he’d found a way to bring them around.

“Who knows? Perhaps we could feed a Hero these cells and let them loose on the population they swore to protect. It'd be quite ironic.”

The crowd chuckled at the thought of a hero betraying their codes, everything they stood at the slightest surrender.

“These cells are undoubtedly important. Regardless of your opinions on them, they are the weapon we need to rid the vermin called heroes.”

Judging by the change in the air, the villains were slowly coming around to his side, entranced by the idea of corrupting the Heroes.

“...alright, now you started sounding like a badass.” The cube-eyed man was the first to be swayed.

“Though, words need to be backed up, you know? Can you prove us your worth, little relic?” The cube-eyed man almost seemingly dared Tomura to act.

“My worth will be shown. Eventually, even the Hero-Hunter will fail. With no All Might, he is the only one in our way.”

Tomura promised to the crowd. Garou would be dealt with eventually. With their wide array of potential villainous partners, the League could only increase in power.

“You make it sound like he's the next All Might.” The child tilted his head left in curiosity.

Nodding once, Tomura looked down at the sinister form of the child.

“That pseudo-Hero is way worse for us than All Might. He doesn’t seem to operate on the same rules as the rest of the Heroes.”

“For example?” The African asked.

“For one, he seems above the Heroes laws. Since he is so powerful, there is no way anyone can put any kind of restrictions on him. And given that the Heroes want to keep on his good side, they have no choices but to let him do as he pleases.”

Tomura explained the Hero-Hunter in detail to the crowd of Villains. Some of them seemed extremely uninformed when it came to their new threat.

“....but there's one thing you forgot to mention.” The cube-eyed man smiled.

“He is your problem. Not ours.” He pointed out.

“That’s what you think. What’s stopping him from simply leaving Japan and traveling all over the world? The worldwide villain population would be reduced to nothing in a few years.”

Tomura could only reinforce the threat that Garou posed. If they didn’t believe him, it was on their head.

“One question… why are you still here then if he is as terrifying as you stated?” The same man asked.

A somewhat somber look came over Tomura. He straightened himself up as he also stopped scratching at his neck.

“...this is where Sensei made his legacy. It seems right that I should follow his footsteps. Sensei never fled and neither will I.”

“No, I mean, why aren't you beaten up and thrown in jail? Don't tell he spared you out of pity or something?” The man asked, his tone growing very mocking.

Raising one eyebrow, Tomura thought on the American’s mocking question. To be truthful, he wasn’t quite sure himself. He knew that Garou kept in contact with Overhaul, but was unaware of the reason why Overhaul was even still operating.

“I’m not sure. We must have flown under his radar. Not ‘important’ enough.”

“...kuh.” The cube-eyed man let out a mocking laugh.

“Are you telling me… he spared you because you aren't worth his attention?” His mocking tone swayed the villains to a different tune.

“...it does make sense.” The englishman added fuel to the fire as murmurs erupted again. This time, the topic of Tomura’s worth. And it was not in a positive light.

Tomura, in response to the derisive tone the majority of the villains had taken, swept his hand across the crowd.

“None of you are worthy of his attention. He sees villains as nothing more than annoyances. I aim to change that.”

“So you're saying your plan is to have us suffer?” The cube-eyed man joked.

“What’s the problem? I thought he was our problem?”

Tomura shot back the American’s words right back at him, grinning under his mask.

“Your problem. Get it right, idiot. Besides, if he really sees you as nothing, why are we still talking to you? Should we all just leave you then? Hm?”

“Everyone that is weaker than him, he believes is below him. That means, we’re all on the same level. He doesn’t care about any of us. That gives us an edge.”

The furious debate between Tomura and the American continued. For the sake of the League and for Sensei, Tomura was repressing his urge to reach out and crumble this annoying American to dust. They needed international partners.

“Are you sure? The ones he offed was way low leveled according to you. Why are you still alive since you're more ‘threatening’?” The American jabbed and jeered with a cackle at the end of his sentence.

“Much like a Hero, Garou doesn’t kill. He does maim however. To such an extreme extent, that we’ve mentally lost members after only one encounter. Again… I don’t know why he stopped at us.”

Shigaraki began scratching at his neck once again, his frustration building the more these foreign villains pressed and prodded.

“Ehhh. It almost as if he sees you as less than small fry though.” The cube eyed man gave him an impish smile.

Seeing Tomura’s anger and frustration build, Kurogiri stepped forwards once again, attempting to take the reigns. His stern voice drew the attention of the crowd.

“Did you all gather here to discuss the Hero Hunter? Or was it to appraise the successor of All For One? We have shown what we are willing to share. It is your choice if you will support us.”

“Truthfully, we are here to scope out the competition here. And I got to say… I am far from impressed.” The cube-eyed man chuckled condescendingly at the League of Villains.

“The group is lead by a man child with anger issues. He has smarts, but he’s too impulsive. The league will fall in the end. So many resources yet so wasteful with them. I am even more surprised that this organization is still standing.”

From behind Tomura, Twice waved towards the door with large exaggerated movements. He made large shooing gestures..

“Well, go on then. If you’re so disappointed, get going. NO! You should stay! And enjoy the show!”

“Hah! Then I'll stay then. Besides…” The cube-eyed man gestured towards the crowd.

“Are you sure that I'm the only one who thinks that? What makes you think others don't share my thoughts?” He gave Tomura a very damnable smile. Tomura twitched. He was debasing him on purpose to destroy his image.

“Your damn opinion of me means nothing to me. I’m trying to offer you something, and you’re being stubborn and rude.”

Tomura continued scratching his neck in frustration. These foreign villains knew nothing of the trials he had to go through.

“Hahahaha! You call me rude! Me! When you're the one that pulled the first trigger incidentally with that guy.” The man pointed at the smoking body of the monsterized Russian.

“I didn't kill one of you, you know? And you call me rude? You're the host, aren't you?” He then smiled at Tomura, making a valid point. The guns of his group clicked again, each of the men in black suits and sunglasses glaring at Tomura in anger.

“I didn’t force him to take the cell.”
Tomura pointed one finger at the smoking body. He remained hunched over, glaring at this ever annoying American.

“But you intended for this to happen. You knew the dangers these things can bring. You offered it, knowing the risks. Why, I bet your black fog man is already prepared to zip you all out in case that guy decided to rampage, or if he became like that man-eating Noumu. That is very poor management right there. Are you sure you're a leader? That's amateur.”

“.........”

Clenching his other fist, Tomura’s clawing at his neck only increased in speed and ferocity, drawing a trickle of blood.

“....you’ve come across an ocean to see me in person… and the first thing you do is criticize every one of my actions? Why did you even bother to show up?”

“I'm not the only one judging you though.” He then gestured to the other villains.

“If you think you're here to present your wares without being judged, what kind of villain are you? This is the big leagues, kid. This isn't your little Japan.”

*Ahahahahahaa*

The rest of the villains chuckled, agreeing with the cube-eyed man.

“.....I was hoping to reach some agreement with some of you. You’re all too damned petty. You can all go back to whatever pit you all crawled out of.”

Tomura’s frustration and anger had begun to leak out, taking control of his actions. He angrily swept a hand across the crowd. Kurogiri looked at Shigaraki, concerned with the path he’d chosen.

“Oh ho?” the cube-eyed man started to clap his hands.

“There he is. The arrogant, angry man-child famous for failure. Come on. Lash out at us. Show me how you fail spectacularly like All For One.”

Shigaraki remained hunched over, looking like a predator about to strike. Nothing would please him more than holding the crumbling throat of this damn annoyance in his hand. Reaching one hand out to the American, he paused. But… causing a scene here would create nothing but more trouble. He lowered his arm back down to his side.

“We’re done here. Get out of this city. Unless you are actually willing to work with us.”

Tomura turned around, back facing the crowd. The rest of the League prepped for departure, rising from their positions.

“Hm?” The doctor eyed the number of cells present on the table.

“Am I hallucinating?” The doctor murmured as he looked at the cells. There was six present. Subtracted by one due to Tomura offering it to the Russian. Yet, there were four now. Did he drop it?

Meanwhile…

Appearing before Sir Nighteye’s office, like a phantom materializing from thin air, Garou walked inside the entrance, this time in his Hero Costume. No one around him even noticed him reappearing out of thin air. His speed and their lack of attention made him nigh invisible.

As he entered, he headed towards Sir Nighteye’s office, with a cell in hand in his pocket.

“Yo, Glasses.” Garou called out to the working man behind the desk surrounded by All Might figures, scribbling away at the papers.

Looking up, Nighteye adjusted his glasses as he caught sight of the familiar form of Fenrir.

“Hm. What is the problem Garou?”

“Catch.” Garou drew the cell from his pocket, a putrid round ball of meat and threw it at Nighteye, flying in an arc.

Swiftly rising out of his seated position, Nighteye caught it with both hands, making a disgustingly wet thud. Both of Nighteye’s eyebrows were raised in the all too familiar signs of surprise and shock.

“This… Where did you get this?”

“This thing turns anyone or anything into a monster if eaten. Hand that thing to the government or something. It holds the secret of monsters back in my home.” Garou said as he watched the former sidekick inspect the pulsing lump of meat in his hands.

“Also, beware. The League of Villains have more of these things at their disposal.” He added.

Upon hearing of another part of Garou’s world coming to theirs, a serious expression settled on his face. Looking up as he still clutched the cell, Nighteye nodded at Garou in acknowledgement. No one wanted more threats of Garou’s level to appear.

“Did you see how many others they had?”

“...four. But those things can multiply like a regular cell. They will have more in given time.”

“Then immediate action is required. We need to prevent the growth of more of these things. We need to strike and destroy the source.”

A sense of urgency was immediately set into Nighteye. The utmost priority was to prevent the spawning of more monsters.

“Good luck finding their base.” Garou said as he then turned to leave.

Looking at Garou’s departing form, Nighteye shouted after him.

“Perhaps you could assist us in our assault?”

Garou stopped in his tracks. He looked over his shoulder, sparing one eye for Sir Nighteye behind him.

“...I am literally overkill incarnate. If you just send me, there will be no point in you guys being there.” Garou questioned.

Looking down at the grotesque, pulsating orb of flesh, Nighteye’s face was his usual unreadable mask.

“This is a shared problem. These… cells are from your world. Meanwhile, it’s our villains growing them. We need to put a stop to both.”

“I didn't bring them here, though.” Garou countered.

“Perhaps not. But do you wish for more monsters?”

Nighteye looked back up at the ‘heroically’ garbed form of Garou, deliberating.

“......do you know why I didn't hunt the League of Villains and end them already?” Garou asked Nighteye, his eyes an unreadable mask.

Nighteye’s eyes narrowed slightly as he gestured for him to continue.

“They are your responsibility as heroes. They are the evils that you all must end with your own hands. If I end them myself… well, a terrifying organization feared by many already destroyed without warning and left all your efforts and concern to waste? Do you see the problem?” Garou asked as he pointed it out.

Taking a moment, Nighteye was silent, staring down at the cell. Suddenly, he nodded in agreement. What Garou had said made sense. It was the duty of Heroes and Police to put down all manners of evil with their own hands. If they allow someone from another world just solve their problems, their credibility would be questioned. Garou allowed the League of Villains to thrive so they could reclaim their pride and honor as heroes.

“You are correct. The League of Villains is our problem. We cannot rely on you to solve all of our problems for us. I believe that is the last thing you’d want.”

“Bingo.” Garou smiled at Nighteye for getting it.

“But I will be there in case of any monsters. I know the dangers of monsters more than you do. The good news though, I don't think they can make any Dragon Level threats for a while.”

Sir Nighteye raised an eyebrow at the terminology.

“These…’Dragon Level’ threats… how dangerous would you say they are?”

“A meteor impervious to nuclear weapons nearly destroyed my hometown. It was said that it could wipe out the entire city and the adjacent cities. Try to imagine a monster capable of such feats all by itself then.” Garou informed.

Nighteye shuddered as he imagined such a threat. Judging by Garou’s description, that orange six-armed monster was nowhere near this level.

“...are you capable of defeating these ‘Dragon Level’ threats?”

“...I feel like I can take down anything.” Garou started walking away.

“You're looking at a man who tried to become a threat to humanity, and succeeded.” Garou said as his body faded into the distance, shrinking in Nighteye’s sight as he left.

Looking back down at the throbbing lump of flesh, Nighteye knew. Things would be only getting more difficult from now on. The introduction of these ‘cells’ posed a severe threat.