5 Chapter 5

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"I'm happy to hear you wish to join us as a teacher for the new semester, Toshinori, but I can't help but feel that there's more to this change of career than you're letting on." A small, white-furred creature wearing a black waistcoat and tie probed as he poured a cup of tea and handed it to his guest.

A dishevelled, skinny, sickly man sighed resolutely at the principal of UA's inquiry while taking the offered drink. "As usual, you can read me like an open book, Nezu old friend." He took a sip of his tea, slowly as to not cause a coughing fit.

Nezu waited patiently while Toshinori took a sip before speaking. "I suppose it was only a matter of time before Nighteye's warning caught up with me. My power is starting to fade at a quicker pace than usual. I can only maintain my 'All Might' form for up to four hours now. It's only a matter of time before One for All leaves me for good."

Nezu nodded in understanding. "And so, you've decided to become a teacher here, so you can find a worthy inheritor to your power. Admirable, but I can't help but feel that this should have happened much sooner than now."

The shrivelled up symbol of peace begrudgingly agreed as he looked down. "I know, I know...I was too caught up in staying as the symbol of peace, that I let myself grow worse in the process. My foolishness has cost me greatly..." The man turned his head back up with determination in his eyes. "But I want to make things right while I still can. I have to find a worthy wielder of One for All before it's too late!"

"As I understand, Nigtheye has found himself what he describes as a worthy candidate for One for All in one of our secondary students." The principal brought up. "Perhaps I can have you meet with him out of 'random coincidence'?"

"Your manipulativeness knows no bounds, old friend!" The deflated number one hero laughed before blood spluttered from his lips. "Ugh! It hurts to laugh...!" Nezu handed the dishevelled man a handkerchief so he could wipe the red from his mouth.

"Thank you..." He handed the cloth back, which Nezu politely declined. Toshinori pocketed the blood-soaked rag before speaking again. "I'm sure he would be a fine example, but...I believe I already found the one I'm looking for to take my place."

"You have?" The sentient creature's beady eyes widened at this. "Well, that's wonderful! What's his name? Will he be applying for UA next year?"

The withered All Might stared to the floor once more with disappointment. "I don't believe so. It was only for a split moment, but I wasn't able to get a name. The only things I do know is that he has long, curly green hair, freckles, and...he doesn't have a quirk."

"...I see." Nezu placed his paws together as he rested his arms on his desk. "A sort of kindred spirit, I assume?"

Toshinori swallowed the bitter taste of regret in his mouth before speaking again. "He has the makings of a great hero, Nezu. I saw it myself as he charged into certain danger at the risk of his own life for someone else. If I ever get the chance to see him again, I will devote everything I have left to make him the hero he was born to be! I just can't stand the thought of such a courageous soul such as him, wasting away with so much untapped talent in his possession!"

The principal smiled at the determined symbol of peace when a thought popped into his head. "Speaking of 'talent', have you heard about what happened to Midnight a few months ago?"

Toshinori looked at his friend in confusion. "Can't say that I have. You know how caught up I can get in my work."

"Understandable." Nezu acknowledged. "But this may be something you want to hear. Apparently, Nezumi was thwarted in stopping the robbery of an ATM bank by a street gang local to the area."

This bit of news shocked the number one hero. "Midnight was defeated? How? Is she alright?!"

"Calm yourself, Toshi. Yes, Nezumi is fine, but she was more concerned with who was leading the group rather than herself." The sentient creature explained. "Whoever it was, they predicted that Midnight would be the one to arrive on the scene, and had the crooks wear gas masks to counteract her quirk. They managed to get the drop on her and restrain her, allowing them to grab what they could and make their escape."

The deflated All Might shuddered at the news. "Thank goodness, she's alright. So what you're saying is that we may have a new villain on our hands that can see into the future, much like Nighteye can."

The principal shook his tiny head. "I fear that may not be the case, Toshi. When Nezumi reported the incident, she told us that she managed to have a few quirk words with the leader before they fled the scene. And from what the leader said...he doesn't have a quirk at all."

Toshinori leapt out of his seat and slammed his hands on the sentient creature's desk. His sunken eyes shaking, and his mouth agape in alarm. "That...that can't be true! A quirkless villain, getting the upper hand on a pro-hero like Midnight?! It must be some kind of bluff!"

"Maybe so, but we have little to go on at this time, my friend." Nezu reasoned. "Whoever this person is, he has been able to stay out of sight and under our radars ever since. He may also have something to do with the increase in crime across the city. It's all speculation, as I said, but I personally wouldn't doubt it."

The dishevelled symbol of peace slumped back into his chair, staring into space with a bead of sweat trickling down his brow. "A quirkless villain who could decipher the weaknesses of others? I can only imagine the horrific crimes such a character could commit with such knowledge..."

"HEY, YOU! GET BACK HERE WITH THOSE BUNS!"

"Faster, Deku my boy, faster!" Gentle called behind him as he sprinted away with a bag full of pastries from the bakery the two just robbed.

"I'm going as fast as I can, Gentle, sir!" Deku was hauling his own load of baked goods, barely keeping up with the sharp-dressed man up ahead.

The flamboyant thief pressed a finger to his ear as he contacted his pint-sized accomplice. "Mission accomplished, La Brava, my dear! Time to make our escape, post-haste!"

"You got it, Gentle! See you soon!" The girl voiced back before signing off.

Gentle rounded a corner and sped down an alleyway, with Deku following suite. The two ran down the enclosed path, until they spotted a brick wall at the end, blocking off their escape. The Elasticity man smirked as he looked back to his protege. "Think you can make your own way up, Deku my boy?"

The quirkless child wondered what he meant until it came to him. "I-I'll give it a shot, sir!"

"That's the spirit!" Gentle lead the way as he hopped onto one of the side walls, using his quirk to bounce his way up the narrow ally and make it to the top of one of the roofs. Deku looked back at the oncoming wall and gulped. No better time to learn than on the job.

The green-haired boy ran toward the same wall the flamboyant thief hopped upon, and with a little more effort than his teacher, put all his strength into his feet and leapt to the other wall's surface. And again. And again.

With the sweat of effort and nerve beading down his brow, Deku managed to hop his way up the narrow ally walls and onto the same rooftop as his mentor. The boy hunched over and dropped his bag as he caught his breath, his lungs burning from his exertion.

He was nearly taken off his feet from a hearty slap on the back from a guffawing Gentle. "Bravo, Deku my boy! you made it all the way to the top this time. Not bad for two months of practice, if I do say so myself."

"Thanks, Gentle...sir..." The quirkless child heaved.

"Better catch your breath quick, my boy." The sharp-dressed man addressed. "We still have a long way to go before we're in the clear. Think you can handle a little rooftop hopping?"

Deku looked up at the spanning number of buildings across the city. He dropped his head in exasperation but sighed resolution. "Not like I have a choice, is there?"

"Splendid!" Gentle beamed. "Come now, my boy! Can't keep our darling girl waiting!"

Gentle bounced away onto the next building over. The green-haired boy took one more deep breath, before sprinting toward the ledge and leaping across the perilous gap, making it to the other side. The boy took a moment to take pride in what he just accomplished, then hurried to follow the flamboyant thief home before he got left behind.

La Brava tapped away at her laptop as she brought up their video channel. The site came up, and she immediately slumped in her seat. "Awwww! There's barely any views! Again!"

Deku was unable to see, as he was busy standing in place with one hand on a small pile of books. Sweat dripped down his brow onto the wooden boards below as he kept up his concentration. Gentle walked around the villain-in-training, keeping an eye out for any slack in the boy's body.

He tapped at the boy's legs with his cane. "Keep your feet in angle with your head, Deku, my boy."

"Yes...sir...!" The young analyst grunted as he maintained his athletic composure.

"You've come a long way in these last three months, Deku. you should be proud of yourself." The flamboyant thief praised. "But the life of a master criminal is not an easy one. Losing your focus and letting your guard down can end up with you behind bars, or worse. Remember; always remain vigilant!"

"Yes, sir...I will, sir...!" The green-haired boy replied as he straightened his supporting arm, lifting him slightly higher.

The sharp-dressed man smiled at the boy's tenacity. "I think that will be enough for today, my boy. you can come down now."

Deku was relieved to hear that. with his newfound flexibility, he leaned his body forward until his feet were touching the floor, and succeeded in standing up until he was right side up again. "Thank you, Mr. Gentle, sir!"

"Deku, please, we're long past formalities. Just call me Gentle." The flamboyant thief patted the boy on his shoulder. "Now, why don't you get washed up. I believe La Brava is ready to teach you another thing or two."

"Sure am!" The pigtailed girl piped up. "I've set up a few new hacking exercises for you to try and crack, Deku. And I guarantee there not as easy as the last ones you've managed to break."

Not only had the young analyst been training in boosting his physical ability, but La Brava, true to her word, he been giving Deku instruction on crushing code and intercepting mainframes. It was yet another thing the boy proved to be adept at.

"Got it, Ms. La Brava. I'll be right there!" The boy nodded as he went to get cleaned up.

"It's okay. Take your time..." The pigtailed girl chirped kindly until her brows creased in fury. "And stop calling me Ms! I'm not that old!"

"S-Sorry!" Deku bowed in apology. He quickly splashed some water on his face and dried off with a towel. He made his way over to his bag and pulled out his own laptop. He took a seat next to the hacker girl and begun his next lesson.

As the day went on, Gentle watched as Deku and La brava went through several tasks of breaking through high-grade firewalls and security mainframes. Not that the elder gentleman would know anything about that. But he recalled what he and his redheaded accomplice were talking about before, how the boy before them had so much potential, which in his opinion more than made up for not having a quirk.

Why, if given the proper chance, the boy could have become a pro-hero!

The sharp-dressed man pondered as to what could have happened to the bright young man to make him walk the path he was on now?

"Wow, Deku! You broke through that firewall in record time!" La Brava spoke up after the pair had spent some time typing away.

"Uh, thanks, Ms-I mean...La Brava." Deku stopped himself the second he saw the girl scowl. "I just took what you taught me before, and applied it to this one. I had to get a little creative at the last second though-"

"But that's all part of the style!" The pigtailed girl pointed out. "Don't feel bad, be proud of yourself! You're making milestones in hacking technique!"

The boy simply blushed under the girl's praise. La Brava took a moment to look over how the young analyst made it through her exercise when she spotted a window in the corner of the screen. "Hey, what's this? 'Underground...Masqerade'?"

"That's nothing!" The boy swiftly slammed his laptop closed before the girl could read anymore, chuckling loudly ad nervously as he started packing up. "Oh, would you look at the time! I best be heading out! Thanks for the lessons today! I'll be sure to keep practising at home! Bye!"

With the speed and agility he'd picked up over his time with Gentle, the green-haired boy sped out of the apartment with a hurried slam of the door. The dazzling duo looked to one another in confusion and concern for the boy.

It was Saturday night on the bad side of town.

Deku stood before an abandoned warehouse, where flocks of people bustled around, hoping to get inside. At the large double doors, a colossal sized man wearing a black mask with a yellow line trim going over the eyes stood, with his entire body made up of jagged white rock with his arms folded. No doubt he was in charge of who got in, and who stays out.

Some patrons tried to force their way inside, going so far as to pick a fight with the living rock formation. The outcome was a painful prediction that the young analyst saw coming a mile away. However, Deku was just as urgent to get inside but hoped that his way of seeking early access didn't lead him to the same agonizing fate.

He had to save himself for later...

Deku walked past the stretching line of folks waiting to get in, approaching the rock man with a friendly demeanour.

The living boulder huffed in annoyance and hicked his thumb at the queue. "Back of the line, kid."

"I'm sorry, but I urgently need to get inside." The green-hooded boy bowed politely. "It's important."

"Listen, kid, unless you wanna wind up swallowing your own teeth, you better-" The rock man stopped when the boy produced a hefty amount of cash from his pocket. He blinked a few times to make sure his eyes weren't messing with him. That was a lot of cash. With a glance at the line still waiting, he took the cahs and pushed the door open. "Enjoy the show, kid."

"Thanks!" Deku beamed with a wave as he made his way inside, ignoring the bewildered and enraged looks of the ones who had been waiting all night to get in. However, a snarl from the boulder bouncer scared them all back into place.

Deku's senses were immediately overcome with blinding lights and blaring music. Patrons cheered at the barbarism going on in the caged stage in the centre of the warehouse. The young analyst pushed his way through the crowd to get a look at who was currently fighting. His face brightened as he spotted the one he was looking for in the cage.

He was wearing a black cowl mask over his head, with shaggy light brown hair flowing out of the back. He had an unruly smirk on his face as he bludgeoned his opponent with his enormous bandaged fits. The fighter's whole attitude just screamed 'BRING IT ON!'.

Deku watched as the large bruiser swung a devastating punch into the poor contestant's face, knocking him out cold before he could hit the floor. As z buzzer went off, the crowd went wild as a pair of medics came in and dragged the battered combatant away.

A man in a cheap black suit, dark shades, and blonde hair slicked into an untidy pompadour hairdo skipped into the arena, grabbing a mic that zipped down from the ceiling in his hand. "Ladies and gentleman, winner by instant knock-out, the Strongarm himself...KENDOOOOOOO 'THE RAPPA!'"

The masked marauder shot his fists in the air, letting out a roar of victory.

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