Chapter 113: Chapter 113: Prelude
"Are we certain this is the place?"
"Yes, based on the intel Eraserhead provided about the enemy, someone matching the description was spotted here a few days ago."
At the police station, All Might and his friend, Officer Tsukauchi, had narrowed down the hideout of the "League of Villains." The key clue was a man with visible stitch marks on his face—Dabi. A patrolling officer had recently noticed him near a secluded bar.
"Then let's get ready to move out!"
All Might placed his large hand on the map showing the target location. Behind him, Togata Mirio, Endeavor, Mount Lady, Kamui Woods, and other heroes stood ready. The time for a counterattack had come!
At the hospital, some of the students who were poisoned during the forest training camp remained unconscious. While their condition wasn't life-threatening, they were still under observation. Other students, now on summer break, were free to spend their time at home. However, many were worried about their hospitalized classmates and regularly visited them in groups.
"Shinso, hello."
"Oh, it's Todoroki from Class 1-A… and this guy is here too?"
In the hospital hallway, Todoroki Shoto greeted Shinso Hitoshi with his usual calm demeanor, while Bakugo Katsuki, clearly irritated, turned his head to the side without a word.
"Thank you for your help in the forest."
"Why thank him? I could've taken that villain down myself!"
Todoroki bowed in gratitude, but Bakugo scowled, loudly insisting on his abilities. Shinso scratched the back of his head awkwardly—it had only been a small effort on his part.
During the forest training camp, the students were attacked not only near Mandalay and the others but also deeper in the woods. Todoroki Shoto and Bakugo Katsuki had teamed up and encountered a death-row villain known as "Moonfish." His Quirk was not only tricky, but his combat experience also left Todoroki and Bakugo at a disadvantage.
Then, suddenly, a shadowy beast appeared. With one massive swipe, it obliterated Moonfish, as well as a large section of the forest.
Todoroki and Bakugo froze in shock. When the beast opened its mouth, they realized that Tokoyami Fumikage was inside. However, Tokoyami himself looked dazed and out of control. At that moment, Shinso Hitoshi and Shoji Mezo emerged from the forest.
It turned out that after seeing Shoji injured by the enemy, Tokoyami lost control of his "Dark Shadow," which went on a rampage. When Shinso arrived, he used his Quirk, "Brainwashing," to bring Tokoyami under control. Since Dark Shadow was essentially a part of Tokoyami, once Tokoyami was brainwashed, the shadow beast also became Shinso's puppet. Tokoyami, hidden safely in the beast's mouth, remained unconscious, making him immune to further attacks.
With the rampaging Dark Shadow now under his control, Shinso led it to fight the villains. The shadow beast crushed enemies with overwhelming force, leaving everyone stunned by its sheer power.
This was one of the reasons Shinso played a key role in the forest incident. Even villains aware of his Brainwashing Quirk were helpless against the unstoppable shadow beast he commanded.
"The League of Villains' attack came out of nowhere. We still don't know what they're planning to do with Midoriya."
As Todoroki analyzed the situation with little to go on, Shinso hesitated before speaking.
"The police asked me to help extract information from the captured villains… I did learn something. But don't share this with anyone else."
"Their leader seems to value Midoriya a lot. The League's mission was to bring Midoriya Izuku to him unharmed."
Todoroki and Bakugo's eyes widened in shock. The information Shinso revealed was staggering, leaving them both speechless.
"Are you telling me those stupid villains tried to recruit Deku? Are they brainless or just plain dumb?!"
Bakugo Katsuki sneered as if he'd just heard the most ridiculous joke. He growled angrily:
"Not that I want to admit it, but that loser Deku is more of a hero than anyone else! Getting him to do something bad would probably be harder than killing him!"
"Bakugo's right. No matter how hard things get, Midoriya will never give up on becoming a hero," Todoroki Shoto said sincerely.
"Even as someone without a Quirk, he's climbed to where he is now purely through effort, starting from the very bottom and working his way to the top."
"Yeah... Midoriya Izuku will definitely become a hero," Shinso Hitoshi said with confidence in his voice.
Meanwhile, around the corner of the hospital hallway, two girls overheard everything.
"Deku-kun... Please be safe..." Takeyama Urei whispered, her voice filled with worry.
"Midoriya will definitely be rescued by All Might and the other heroes!" Ochako said, trying her best to sound positive and hopeful. The two of them could only wait, praying for Midoriya Izuku's safe return.
At school, Hatsume Mei stared at a pile of damaged mechanical gear, including Midoriya Izuku's "Reaper Gloves" and "King of Storms" that he hadn't had time to take with him. Since they were considered property of the support department, the police had returned them to the school, and the teachers entrusted them to her for safekeeping.
"My babies~~ They're in such bad shape? This is such a headache..." Hatsume stretched before grabbing her tools and approaching the broken gear.
"Let's fix them up first. If Midoriya-chan comes back and doesn't have his equipment, that would be bad." She got to work right away.
His classmates' concerns, his mother Inko's tears, and the swift actions of the heroes and police were all pushing forward. Meanwhile, at that other place...
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In a massive, seemingly abandoned factory filled with countless tanks lined up on either side, humanoid creatures squirmed inside. These were none other than Nomus.
In the empty center of the factory, Midoriya Izuku stood protectively in front of Kouta, shielding him from danger. Facing them was the same bloodthirsty muscle-bound villain he had once fought before—but now, his appearance was anything but normal.
Black cylindrical devices were pierced into both of his shoulders. Two more were lodged in his thighs, and another was embedded in the center of his chest.
"You disobeyed my orders," a voice said.
"I was planning to turn you into a Nomu because your Quirk isn't half bad. But now, I've changed my mind."
Standing on the second floor of the factory, All For One addressed the muscle villain below while making sure Midoriya Izuku heard as well.
Pointing to Kouta, he added with a chilling smile:
"See that little boy over there? Kill him, and I'll let you off the hook. But don't you dare harm Midoriya Izuku~~ If you do, the black conduits embedded in your body will inject a neural agent and turn you into a mindless Nomu."
All For One's cruel words sent a bone-chilling cold through the factory. The muscle-bound villain's bloodthirsty gaze locked onto Kouta, his only goal clear:
"Kill this kid, and you can keep your live!"
Kouta, terrified and barely able to stand, felt a hand gently placed on his head. Midoriya Izuku spoke, his voice steady and full of determination:
"I will protect you!"
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