Ch 05: Ready

[1315 words without AN]

[Time skip: 2 years later]

I have somewhat settled down in this world after so long and my plans are coming along nicely. My Hydra is growing everyday and the first batch of recruits are completely brainwashed meaning they don't require me to use my ability to order them.

Hydra is an organisation operating in the shadows but that doesn't mean that its activities have gone unnoticed. There were some people snooping around but they were quickly silenced and added to our own ranks.

The fighting arena is also coming along nicely and giving me a steady stream of profits. Of course, the people who bet on these matches are not exactly good samaritans, they use all sorts of underhanded tactics like blackmail, kidnapping family members, extortion and other such means to make the ones they bet on win.

So the only ones who fight in the arena are the ones who have nothing to lose or are too powerful and finally are crazy.

Speaking of crazy, I got one crazy person among my ranks. It is none other than the Harley Quinn of this world, the one and only Himiko Toga.

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[Flashback] (few months ago)

In an underground fighting arena

"You fought really well today toga-chan and I have found someone who is very interested in you."

Toga had just finished her match and after gaining a bloody victory, was leaving the place when she was approached by her sponsor.

Since she was bored she went along with him as he led her to an office room in the building.

Once there she saw a boy around her age sitting on a chair looking at her.

"Hello there, Toga-chan.I have to admit, watching your fight was absolutely entertaining and I loved the way you left your opponent in a bloody mess. Though I do feel that your talent is being wasted here. You see I have a proposition for you and I want you to hear me out. " The boy said.

Himiko was surprised and happy to see someone praise her as she hadn't been praised in a long time. Her cheeks turned red or atleast redder than their usual shade and now that she took a closer look at the boy, she noted that he was quite handsome with his wavy black hair and striking purple eyes.

Licking her lips, "What proposition do you have, Mister?"

"Oh sorry about that, I forgot to introduce myself. My name is Akira but you can also call me the Master. Now as for why I have summoned you, it's quite simple, to recruit you."

"Ehhh.. to recruit me but for what purpose?"

" You must already know by now Toga-chan that the world is not a happy place. It is a naive mindset to believe that everyone is equal especially in a world where 80% of the population have quirks. Nobody is born equal, there are some born with a silver spoon and then there are others born with nothing. Your fate is determined the moment your quirk manifests or if it manifests at all. You begin getting judged by the quirk you have. A hero if you have a strong and flashy quirk or a villain if you have a weird or different quirk. Of course, if you don't have a quirk, you are then deemed useless."

"The world is divided into two sides- one side is the good and the other is obviously the bad. Those who fight for good are called heroes and those who fight for the 'bad' side are villains. But now in an era where the word Hero has become a profession, the already unclear line between good and evil is blurred."

"And I want to shatter the illusion of fake peace made by All Might and mold the world to my will, showing everyone the true nature of the world. I desire freedom above all and want to live as I please with no regrets. In this life, I hope to be the Moon, standing above mountains and seas, toying with them just because I can, shining bright but walking the path of darkness to finally obtain power."

"And thus I ask you Himiko Toga, will you be my knife in the shadows."

For a few seconds, everything was quiet when suddenly Toga jumped up as her cheeks got even redder and she tried hugging Akira but he moved away.

"Wow….. That was so true ! Akira-kun… Yes, yes and yes..I will be your knife Akira-kun. Does it mean I get to cut people up?"

"Well that is the purpose I guess"Akira shrugged.

Toga was delighted because she finally found who understands her. She had been treated like a good girl till her quirk manifested which made even her parents disgusted and they made her hide it. She put on a mask and behaved in a good manner because society demanded it but when she couldn't take it anymore, she broke and then ran away.

Now here she was where someone was offering her a chance to live freely and even complimented her kills going so far as to encourage it. She was so happy that she wanted to cut someone up, she wanted to see Akira-kun bleeding but something told her that he would not appreciate it. Still she could ask him later to have a taste.

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And since then she has been with me. Now I could have just used my ability on her and then get her under my thrall but I needed someone to talk to. Also I had to learn to be with others without forcing them under my control as continuous use might turn me into a control freak like Kilgrave himself and then I would have to live with constant paranoia of everyone not under my control out to get me.

Toga was perfect agent material. She had high stealth skills, was a good actor and her quirk which was best for espionage. Currently she is one of the few members of Hydra on whom I don't need to use my ability on. She is not as skilled as she was in canon but that was probably because Stain didn't train her this time around.

She still has her unpredictable fighting style but it needs some refining.

Speaking of fighting, I have been training too. In these two years, I have practiced martial arts vigorously and have also been doing exercises.

My body has toned muscles and I can hold my own against some Hydra members. I am using them as sparring partners to gain some experience fighting.

While it is not as fast as gaining experience by fighting a battle to death, fighting with Toga is faster than ordinary spars as she uses ruthless tactics.

She kept pestering me to let her have a taste of my blood as the prize for victory and I reluctantly relented. The result, I have a few scars now, nothing too serious of course. It also produced an unexpected side effect, Toga said that my blood tasted funny and made her feel weird. It also made her more prone to listen to my commands, she can shrug it off if she wants but it has a sub-conscious effect or you can think of it like a minor , weak compulsion. You can ignore it but it's still there.

I used my underground connections to acquire guns for Hydra members which I also carry.

Then I learned how to use it and while I am not a 'master' at shooting, I can shoot stationary objects placed at a reasonable distance.

I also took over some small gangs that have ties with Shie Hassaikai, that is Overhaul's gang.

Now I am ready to enter the big leagues and just have to continue increasing my strength till canon begins. The pawns are set and in position, I just have to move them at the right time to gain maximum effect.

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[Author- Honestly this chapter was a pain to write, I got interrupted a lot of times when I was writing this so I apologize for the drop in quality. I have added Toga to his ranks and she might be a possible love interest.

Also thanks for your support and I am really pleased and thrilled with the response that I am getting.

Vote if you enjoyed it and to motivate me , write comments and finally leave some reviews. Thanks for reading and see you guys next chapter.]