MHA Universe, Earth, Japan, Musutafu.
{BGM: "THE DAY" -- PornoGraffitti}
Stepping into the karaoke room he booked for his classmates, Tatsuo was greeted by the sound of Katsuki standing in front of everyone while belting out a rock song. Meanwhile, all of the students of Class 1-A clapped along with the beat while wearing surprised and excited expressions on their faces.
"Holy shit!" Denki shouted in surprise. "I would have never thought Bakugo could sing like this."
"Yeah, his vocals are just as explosive as his [Quirk]." Eijiro shouted. "It's super-manly!"
"He really is more than what he shows on the surface, huh? Ribbit" Tsuyu asked rhetorically. "The saying is true..."
"Never judge a book by its cover." Tenya said with a nod while finishing Tsuyu's sentence.
Hearing this conversation and others like it, Tatsuo smiled while making his way over to the couch where Akatsuki and Sakura were sitting. And when SAkura saw him approaching, her smile widened before she patted the seat next to her, putting herself between Akatsuki and Tatsuo when he finally sat down.
"So, how did it go?" Akatsuki asked in a whisper while leaning past Sakura, her expression showing clear discomfort. "Is he... You know...?"
It was obvious that Tatsuo's, Alfonzo's, and Sakura's plan to kill Dr. Garaki Kyudai without any evidence of his crimes was weighing on Akatsuki. Because like everyone else in the [Chat], despite knowing that the worlds they travelled to were based on fictional stories, she knew that all the people in the worlds were real people.
And because she knew that, Akatsuki was uncomfortable with taking the life of someone who might not have done anything wrong, despite what their story would suggest.
"Dead?" Tatsuo asked in a matter-of-fact, rhetorical tone as he raised an eyebrow at Akatsuki's incomplete question. "Yeah, he's dead. And when I did, it was clear he was definitely up to no good."
Tatsuo then went on to tell Akatsuki and Sakura about the dead man bomb that went off after he killed Dr. Garaki. He also did not shy away from telling them about the devastation the bomb caused in the short tunnel. He even told him about the speculations he had about several more bombs being connected to the dead man switch, as well. Though, he did not have any evidence to support his speculations.
When the two girls heard all of that, they had completely opposite reactions.
While Sakura only nodded her head in understanding, Akatsuki's reaction was much more visceral. First, she started to hyperventilate. Then, tears began to well up in her eyes. And as a normal person before she was transported to the world of Elder Tales, that was expected.
A moment later, however, she showed just how mentally strong she was as she pressed her emotional reaction down, leaving it to be processed later. Though, it was clear that her mood had dropped since hearing the news.
"Hey, are you okay?" Mina asked in a concerned tone as she approached the trio, Akatsuki's changes in expression making her worry.
Seeing Mina approaching, Akatsuki reacted quickly. Grabbing her smartphone, she quickly searched for news in Jaku City. Luckily, the top headline was about the explosion in the tunnel. So, she quickly opened the article and turned her phone to face Mina.
"Yeah, I'm alright." Akatsuki replied with her smartphone held out in Mina's direction. "Tatsuo-Kun just showed me this. While he was in the rest room, he said his cousin called him and told him about it. Can you believe something like this happened in the middle of a city?"
Reaching out, Mina took the smartphone from Akatsuki. She then began scrolling down the page as she read the article. And as she did, the shock in her eyes could not be hidden.
"Wow..." Mina said in an airy tone. Her expression hardened a moment later as she turned to look at Tatsuo. "How could you smile like you were when you came in after hearing about this, Tatsu-Kun?"
"Sigh It's because I didn't wanna bring the mood down." Tatsuo said in a tone filled with mock-guilt. "But when Akatsuki and Sakura realized that I was faking it and made me spill what I heard…"
While she was staring at Tatsuo as he added to Akatsuki's excuse, Akatsuki and Sakura were amazed at just how quickly he came up with a believable continuation to what Akatsuki said.
"But that's not what we should be focusing on right now." Tatsuo said, his expression changing once again. "Right now, we're here to have fun. And we shouldn't let what some Villain did bring down the mood."
After saying that, Tatsuo picked up the song list and started scrolling through it. When he finally found a song, he wanted to sing he punched it in, skipping the queue completely. At the same time, the song Katsuki's singing was clearly coming to an end, as the music faded.
Tatsuo then stood up and made his way to where Katsuki was singing. When he arrived, he held out his hand, gesturing for Katsuki to hand him the microphone.
Seeing that, Katsuki looked Tatsuo in the eyes. Then, he looked down at Tatsuo's hand, snorted, and slammed the microphone into the outstretched hand before walking away to sit by himself on one of the couches in the room.
Meanwhile, the other students, knowing that Tatsuo was not supposed to be the next one to sing focused on him, thinking he was going to give a speech before letting the next person sing. But when the background music started playing and Tatsuo raised the microphone to his mouth, they knew they had been over thinking things.
{BGM: "No.1" – DISH//}
Despite the fact that they were indignant that Tatsuo had skipped the line, none of the students of Class 1-A could complain about his singing voice. And by the time the song ended, the class, with Katsuki as an exception, cheered for his performance.
MHA Universe, Earth, Japan, Yokohama.
At the same time, Tomura and Kurogiri, after being rescued from police custody, had just returned to the bar they used as a hideout.
While Kurogiri took his place behind the bar, just as calm and elegant as always, Tomura was not so poised. Stomping around with his emotions out of control, he constantly scratched his neck, even drawing blood. And whenever he came close enough to an object that was not nailed down, he wasted no time smashing it to pieces.
"Damn it! Damn it! Damn it!" Tomura shouted angrily while breaking everything he could get his hands on. "Why the hell was that bastard there? Why hasn't he gone back to America yet? And that purple-haired bastard! He's got to be cheating. How could he stop Kurogiri from using his [Quirk]? It's not fair! It's so un-fucking fair!"
"Technically, he didn't stop me from activating my [
Quirk]." Kurogiri pointed out in a calm tone. "In fact, my control over my [Quirk] might be even better than it was before the encounter due to all the focus I used to---"
"Shup the fuck up, you idiot!" Tomura shouted as he spun to face Kurogiri with bloodshot eyes. "Why the hell are you praising that bastard? Because of what he did, our plan… My plan! My plan... it failed. Damn it! Damn it! Damn it! I'll kill that bastard! I'll turn him to dust!"
*Buzz!*
{"Calm down, Tomura-Kun."} All for One's voice sounded from the only TV remaining on the bar's wall Because Tomura, even completely incensed, knew better than to break his means of communication with his Sensei, All for One. {"Although your plan's failure is truly regrettable, I have even worse news to report."
Hearing All for One's voice, both Tomura and Kurogiri focused all their attention on his following words.
{"Not long ago, only a few minutes ago, in fact, Dr. Garaki met his end."} All for One said somberly.
The bar fell silent after All for One reported the doctor's untimely end. Yet, neither Tomura nor Kurogiri seemed to be too broken up about it. Though, thanks to Kurogiri's constitution, it was hard to tell what kind of expression the humanoid mist cloud was making.
"Good." Tomura said under his breath. "I didn't like that bastard, anyway. He always talked down to me. Plus, the Nomus he was so proud of were completely fucking useless."
{"Now, now, Tomura-Kun.'} All for One said, interrupting Tomura's rant about Dr. Garaki. {"I know the two of you did not get along very well. Still, there's no reason for you to speak ill of the good doctor after his passing."]
"Hmph!" Tomura only snorted and turned away in response.
"Will the doctor's passing cause any trouble for your plans, Sensei?" Kurogiri asked politely.
{"Unfortunately, there's no way around that."} All for One replied, his tone still calm. {"But I'm sure I'll be able to find another way around this roadblock. We can focus on that later. With everything he's done for me, I won't have any issues staying alive for quite some time. But there's something more important for us to worry about right now."}
"Then, what should we do next, Sensei?" Tomura asked after finally calming his emotions.
{"For now, you should gather allies."} All for One replied. {"I've put together a list of Villains that will be able to aid you in our endeavor. And I believe you should start with this one."}
After saying that, the television projecting All for One's voice lit up, its black screen was replaced with a photo of a certain Villain that had been making headlines recently.
This Villain was a man with a flat, somewhat triangular face, no nose, a half mask covering the top of his face, and long, messy black hair pulled back with a headband.
{"Akaguro Chizome."] All for One said calmly. {"Formerly known as the vigilante Stendhal. But now, he goes by the alias, the Hero Killer: Stain."}
"I've heard of him." Kurogiri said while looking at the photo of the Hero Killer. "He has been killing Heroes he deems as 'fake.' Those who do Hero work for the money it provides them."
{"Correct."} All for One replied. {"I believe his goals align quite well with ours. Like us, he wants to bring an end to this corrupt, stagnant Hero Society."}
"But will someone like that really work with us?" Tomura asked curiously. "He was a vigilante, right? Then, doesn't that mean that he would oppose us, Villains?"
{"Naturally."} All for One replied. {"But recruiting him is not necessary. Instead, aiming him at the correct enemy is what we should be doing. And this will be your next task, Tomura-Kun. Find a way to make him attack our largest obstacles. With is abilities, he should be able to get rid of at least one of them."}
With that, the photo on the television changed. In place of Stain's photo, now a photo of Alfonzo in his Hero costume occupied the screen. And when Tomura saw Alfonzo's photo, he gritted his teeth audibly. Then, his angry expression morphed into an unhinged smile.
"Yes, if this Hero Killer can kill that bastard, taking that boy will be easy as pie." Tomura said in a maniacal tone. "Don't worry, Sensei, I'll make sure it's done."
{"I have faith in you, Tomura-Kun."} All for One replied, his tone softening as he spoke. {"After making contact with Stain and having him attack Static, I want you to approach these Villains. These few are worth recruiting into the League of Villains and should bring us closer to achieving our goals."}
With that, the image on the screen changed once again. This time, photos of nine Villains appeared on the screen, each with a distinctive appearance.
"Understood, Sensei." Tomura said with the light of villainy shining in his eyes. "I'll make sure to recruit all of them."
{"I'll be waiting for the good news."} All for One replied. {"I'll have their dossier's sent to you shortly. And Kurogiri, do your best to assist Tomura-Kun."}
"Yes, Sensei." Kurogiri said with an elegant bow. "It shall be done."
*Buzz!*
As soon as Kurogiri's words ended, the television powered down. Then, the sound of a fax machine could be heard coming from behind the bar. Clearly, All for One had already begun sending the information on the Villains he mentioned.
Meanwhile, Tomura, still with is maniacal smile on his face, flopped down on a couch, one of the few intact objects in the bar, while Kurogiri began moving to clean up the mess Tomura made during his enraged state.
MHA Universe, Earth, Japan, Musutafu.
Several hours later, the gathering of the students of Class 1-A came to an end, and the students began making their way back to their homes. The exceptions being Akatsuki and Sakura, who were on their way too Alfonzo's Hero Agency with Tatsuo.
*Bang!* *Bang!* *Bang!*
Not long after leaving the karaoke box, Tatsuo, Akatsuki, and Sakura arrived at the Static Shock Hero Agency and made their way up to the living space near the top of the building. However, just as they opened the door, they heard the sound of constant impacts coming from above.
"What's that?" Sakura asked while tilting her head in curiosity. "Is Alfonzo-San training?"
"*Sigh* You could say that." Tatsu said in a tired tone. "But he's not alone."
"Huh?" Akatsuki intoned in confusion as she turned to look at Tatsuo. "Someone else is here?"
"Yeah, it's another Hero." Tatsuo replied as he bent down to take off his shoes. "An overly-energetic bunny."
Hearing that, Akatsuki's and Sakura's eyes lit up with realization. Then, they hurried to change their shoes, wanting to head up to the gym to see what was clearly a fight between Alfonzo and Mirko.
Meanwhile, Tatsuo, after changing his shoes, pulled out his smartphone and opened a food delivery app.
"Anyway, I'm hungry." Tatsuo said as he started walking towards the stairs. "I'm gonna order some food. Do you two want anything?"
"Huh? You're not cooking?" Akatsuki asked curiously.
"Nope." Tatsuo replied. "Alfonzo made me promise that neither of us would cook whenever Mirko was here. Otherwise, we would never be able to get her to leave."
Once again, the girls' eyes shone with realization as they finished changing their shoes and followed Tatsuo upstairs to watch the fight.