4 Chapter 4

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"What happened to you out there?!" The pigtailed girl wailed as she pounded her tiny fists on the man's chest. "I thought I was going to lose you!"

"I'm sorry, me dear La Brava." Gentle apologised with a pained expression. "I was ...caught unaware for the moment." His demeanour brightened when the green-haired boy reached the top of the escape, gasping for breath as he fell to his knees.

"I did it again...!" The young analyst gasped. "I can't believe it...I did it...again!"

"Fantastic work, my boy!" The flamboyant thief congratulated the heaving youth as he took his hand and shook it vigorously. "Your quick thinking was nothing short of heroism!"

Deku would have said it wasn't a problem if he wasn't too busy panting for breath. The air he'd managed to get back suddenly pushed back out of him when La Brava ran up to him and tackled him with a hug. "Thank you for saving my Gentle!"

That was what did it. Deku couldn't hold out any longer. With burning lungs and a lack of oxygen, the boy's eyes rolled over, and he fell to the ground unconscious.

"My boy!"

"Oh no, I killed him!"

The darkness began to fade as Deku came back to his senses, the feel of a warm, wet cloth being dabbed on his forehead. As he opened his eyes, the first thing he saw was the little pigtailed girl holding the cloth, a smile coming to her face. "Gentle! He's waking up! He's waking up!"

"Splendid, La Brava." The gentleman villain made his way over and knelt down to the young analyst's level. "How are you feeling, my boy?"

"A little woozy...but alright." Deku cautiously sat up from the sofa where he lay, taking a look at his new surroundings. It was a rustic European looking apartment, with polished wood flooring and floral patterned walls. he boy then felt something missing, as he started frantically snapping his head back and forth. "My backpack! where's my-?!"

"Don't worry. Your backpack is fine." The pigtailed girl calmed him and pointed to a hat rack by the front door, where his dark green backpack hung.

The young analyst breathed a sigh of relief before looking back to the dazzling duo who brought him here. "Thank you."

The flamboyant man shook his head. "It is I who should be thanking you, Mr...? I'm sorry. I didn't quite catch your name."

"Oh! Uh...It's Deku." The boy sat up as he gave them a bashful smile. "My name is Deku."

"Deku?" The girl titled her head in confusion. "Like, as in 'useless'?"

"Yeah...pretty much." The boy's smile shrunk, appearing a little more poignant than before. It was at this point that the pigtailed girl noticed the edges of the boy's eyes. Dark and haggard...just like hers.

Gentle decided to try and move things along by clearing his throat. "Well, Mr...Deku...Allow me to introduce myself. I am-"

"Gentle Criminal!" The boy immediately brightened up, taking the two by surprise. "I already know! I've seen all of your videos! I also saw how you took down all those heroes! Your quirk is amazing! How long does the elasticity of something you've touched last? Is there a limit to how long something you've touched stays all rubbery? What about-Oh, I'm rambling! I'm sorry."

Gentle was taken aback by the boy's sudden enthusiasm but gave a delighted chuckle nonetheless. "N-No, not at all. Always a pleasure to meet a fan."

The pigtailed girl was hopping on her heels by the time Deku was done ranting and jumped up onto the arm of the sofa to get closer to the green-haired boy. "Gentle's quirk is really great, isn't it?"

Deku looked to the little girl by his side now, her pink irises sparkling brightly through the dark edges of her eyes. "I'm La Brava! I'm the one who edits all of Gentle's videos!"

The young analyst gave the girl an awkward smile. "N-Nice to meet you."

The girl hopped back down and covered her blushing cheeks with her gloved hands. "I've been Gentle's biggest fan since I first saw him online. since then, I've been his partner in crime, and right-hand girl." She then struck a pose with a peace sign. "There's nothing I wouldn't do for my Gentle!"

The boy gave an uneasy laugh, only to be taken by surprise as Gentle knelt down before him and took on of his hands in his own. "Uhhhhh..."

"My dear boy, I cannot thank you enough for what you did for me back at the convenience store." The flamboyant thief smiled warmly at the boy who saved him. "I implore you to stay and have tea with us, as a sign of our gratitude."

"Tea?" Deku spotted a table on one side of the room, where a steaming pot of tea could be seen, along with a selection of cups and a large plate of biscuits.

"Please?" Deku looked down at La Brava's hopeful face. "Gentle makes the best tea. I guarantee you'll love it!"

Deku couldn't find it in himself to say no to that face. Besides, he had left his groceries behind during the escape, so he'd be lying if he wasn't a little peckish.

"I...guess I could have a cup."

Deku hadn't felt this anxious in a while. Gentle stood over him as he poured the boy a cup of earl grey with the practised grace of a butler. "So, Mr. Deku, might I ask how long it has been since you began walking down the path of villainy?"

"Uh, two months," Deku answered nervously. "I haven't really done that much to be called a villain just yet, to be honest. I've only helped a few gangs hold up a few pawn shops and ATM banks that's all."

"Ah, humble beginnings." Gentle mused cheerfully as he made his way over to La Brava, who was gushing like a schoolgirl as Gentle poured her a serving. "So, what was it that drove you down the path of villainy, my dear boy?"

The green-haired boy squirmed in his seat at the question. "I'd, um...rather not talk about it."

"Oh! My apologiese, Mr. Deku." The flamboyant man bowed as he made his way to his seat at the other end of the table. "I should now of all people that a villain's origins can be a rather... painful tale to remember."

Deku noticed a wistful sadness in the man's eyes for a moment, only for Gentle to shake himself out of it and replace it with is signature 'charming' smile as he sat down and poured his own serving. "But I have to say, you must have quite the marvellous quirk at your disposal."

Deku choked on the tea he was sipping at the time when he heard that. "W-Wait, my what?"

"Totally!" La Brava piped up as she nibbled on a biscuit. "The way you figured out how to use Takeshita's own quirk against him was amazing! you must have some kind of super-smart brain quirk, right?"

The green-haired boy lowered his cup slowly to its saucer with a 'clink', a dry laugh escaping his lips as they turned into a fractured, bittersweet smile. The change in attitude from the boy caught the dazzling duo off guard once more.

"Actually...I don't have one." The boy confessed.

The two thieves looked to one another in confusion once again before Gentle spoke. "Uh...come again?"

Deku peered into the steaming brown liquid before him, bracing himself for what was to come. "A quirk...I don't have one. I'm quirkless."

Deku looked back up at the surprised faces of the two who saved him. La Brava's jaw had dropped, allowing her half-eaten biscuit to fall out of her mouth. Gentle had frozen mid-pour, tea still pouring down into an overflowing cup.

"I only know so much about heroes and their quirks, because I always wanted one for myself," The green-haired boy went on, drumming his fingers on the table out of turbulence. "I'd write down as much as I could figure out about someone's quirk whenever I see it in action, figuring that whenever I got my own, I'd have a general idea on how to wield it." A sombre chuckle came from his broken smile. "As you can tell, it never happened."

The dazzling duo was still in bewilderment by the boy's words, until La Brava managed to find her voice again. "Is that...is that why you call yourself 'Deku'?"

The boy bought both his hands around the cup in front of him, letting the heated ceramic warm his palms and fingers, his fractured smile still in place. "Yeah...pretty much."

As the two thieves were shocked by the boy's words. Deku lifted the cup and drank what was left of his tea in one. He then placed it back down, pushed his chair out and stood up. "I think its time for me to go. Thank you for helping me. And for the tea. I'll be sure to give your next video five stars."

The boy started to make his way for the door. As he passed Gentle, the man was caught in a stream of his own thoughts. Memories of who he was before, how a deadly mistake sealed his fate, and how the world around him turned against him all of a sudden. How it forced him to become the man he is now.

He turned back to the boy, watching him grab his backpack and slip it on with trembling eyes...

They were the same.

"W-Wait!" Gentle snapped out of himself and shot up from his seat.

"Huh?" Deku looked back to see the flamboyant thief approaching him.

"My dear boy! Please don't go." Gentle pleaded. "I apologise for my and my partner's behaviour. We just had no idea that you were-"

"It's fine." Deku waved him off. "It happens all the time-"

"Well, it shouldn't!" La Brava called out as she slammed her tiny hands on the table. "You have such an amazing skill, and you don't even need a quirk to use it. That's not nothing, that's incredible!"

Deku found himself speechless at the girl's words.

The pigtailed girl looked to the ground with distant eyes. "I can't say I know what it's like to be quirkless...but I can guess that it hasn't been easy for you." The sound of a bunch of schoolboys laughing rung in her ears as she said this.

Deku was stunned in place by the girl's words, then was taken out of his shock when he felt Gentle grip his hands around his shoulders. "Deku, my boy. you have a gift. A gift that can elevate you to the highest platform of villainy. Anyone who turns you away for something you cannot help is nothing short of a fool!"

The vision of a skinny, ragged number one hero flashed across the young analyst's mind when he heard that. It was followed by the memories of an explosive blonde with a superior sneer looking down at him with sparking palms ready to blast. The green-haired boy gripped his hand into a tight fist out of simmering anger at the unpleasant thoughts.

He then looked back up at Gentle with a brightened smile. The darkness around his eyes seemed to fade for just a moment that was missed by all "Thank you..."

Gentle was glad to see the boy cheering up a little, then his eyebrows shot up in inspiration. "La Brava, might I have a word with you in private?"

"Of course, Gentle!" The pigtailed girl chimed happily. The two then zoomed over to the other side of the apartment in a crouched huddle. They whispered to one another until Gentle poked his head up. "A moment if you please, dear Deku."

"Uh, sure..." The boy agreed quizzically. As the two went back to their whispering, Deku thought to himself how much of an odd pair these two were. Then again, he smiled as he thought about how nice of an odd pair they were.

The two eccentric crooks came back to him. Gentle cleared his throat as if preparing to make a grand declaration. "Deku, my boy. I and my La Brava have discussed it, and we would like to present you with a proposition."

"A proposition?" Deku mimicked. "Like a job?"

"In a manner of speaking." The flamboyant thief continued. "I believe that it wasn't by mere chance that we crossed paths back at the store this day. I believe that a much larger power was in play for the three of us to meet. You may not have a quirk, my dear chap, but you certainly have more than enough talent and intelligence to make up for it. As thanks for rescuing me from the enclosing jaws of justice, I, Gentle Criminal, shall take you under my wing, and teach you all that I know of being a villain extraordinaire!"

"You...wait, what?!" Deku was flabbergasted by the offer. "you want to...mentor me?!"

"Indeed!" The man swept a dramatic arm across the room. "I shall teach you how to pilfer, pillage, and plunder with the grace of a master thief. your training shall be long and difficult, but I see the coals of potential within you, waiting to be pulverized into diamonds of refined experience!"

"And that's not all!" La Brava piped up next. "I can teach you a thing or two as well. Not to brag, but I just so happen to be a world-class, master hacker."

Deku was getting more and more blown away by the second. "N-No way! That's incredible! How di you learn so much about hacking when your such a little girl?"

That caused the pigtailed girl to stamp on the green-haired boy foot. "I'm nineteen, you broccoli-headed dummy!"

"Argh! Sorry!" Deku knelt down to nurse his aching foot. Once the pain began to subside, he looked up to see Gentle reaching a hand out to him.

The extravagant villain gave the boy one of his charming smiles with a twinkle in his eye. "What do you say, my boy?"

Deku took a moment to think about it. As much as he believed it would help him, a feeling of doubt weighed on his shoulders. "...Even if I wanted to join, there's no way I could move like you could, even if I had a quirk."

"Nonsense, lad!" Gentle scoffed. "La Brava has been working with me for three years now, and thanks to my expertise, she can bound over rooftops as well as I can."

La Brava showed Deku the proof by leaning forward and standing on one hand. "If Gentle can teach me how to move as good as he does, then I guarantee that you can do it too, Deku!"

"So, how about, my boy?" Gentle offered once more.

The green-haired boy gave it another thought. To this day, the memory of what his hero...his former hero...said to him on that rooftop still echoed in his mind. How he should accept the reality of his situation. But as he took a look at his life, a real deep, close look, could he really accept it?

To be mocked and looked down on by everyone around him for not being like them?

To be pitied by his mother, treated like he was frail and helpless for the rest of his life, whilst bringing her down at the same time?

To be beaten and abused by the likes of Bakugo for the rest of his life, watching as he became a hero beloved by all, while he drifted away to be forgotten?!

No!

'Izuku' may have taken all of that, but 'Deku' wasn't going to let that happen!

Not by a long shot!

Gentle caught sight of a slightly dark smile spread across the boy's face. Before he could voice his worry, the smile was gone, replaced with a warm, confident one, as the green-haired boy reached up and took his hand. "I'll do it! Thank you for this chance. I promise I won't let you down!"

The flamboyant thief gave the boy a smile of his own, mostly to mask his worry. "G-Glad to hear it."

The deal was set. There was no going back. With this step, Deku had fully embraced his new life as a true villain.

Unseen to the dazzling duo taking him on, the boy's eyes grew darker, and his smile contorted back into a twisted grin.

This was going to be fun...

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