6 Chapter 6: Different Beginnings

The last of the three potential locations laid outside the outskirts of Hosu, far, far away - a mountain of considerable size, surpassing the height of even the Old Fart's place. A monolithic pillar of dirt, sand, and stone chiseled by the hands of nature, the design loyal to the aesthetic of nature. If Garou had to estimate the approximate, it was somewhere around twenty to thirty percent taller in height, the superior imposing size tickling Garou's fancy.

It was ideal. Far away from the distractions of civilization, the air very pristine, and a vast expanse of land, there was nothing more Garou requested.

Nothing can find him here, shielded from nuisances that might come his way. He could only smile at the sight, despite the mountain bringing in somewhat unpleasant memories of his time in the Old Fart's dojo. Nonetheless, that dojo was the place where he learned how to fight, his beginning.

"Quite big," Garou praised, marveling the large outcrop of dirt and sandstone.

Garou never knew a mountain like this could exist adjacent to a quiet town, though this strange world held a wondrous charm for subverting his expectations.

"Papa liked to hike outdoors. The higher places are the best to look at the stars."

"Hoh." If he could, Garou wanted to meet this guy one day to thank him in person though it might take a very long while before he could.

"He seems like an interesting man."

Ghin smiled, feeling warm by the Hunter's complement.

"He said it's like reaching the heavens whenever he climbed. He sometimes takes us with him to climb the big rocks. I… miss him."

Head hung low, Ghin snuffed, tears threatening to leak past the eyelids.

His sadness was apparent, as tangible as the solid earth underneath them. Reaching a hand, Garou gently patted his head and consoled.

His actions worked to an extent, comforting the kid's spirit as his tears slowly dried.

"May I meet him one day?" Garou asked.

Wiping his tears with his sleeve, released, Ghin nodded with a more cheerful grin.

"Mmmm!"

The heavy air cleared, both Hunter and boy looked at the mountain again as the awkward silence took hold once more.

"So… what now?" The boy asked, his ahoge wagging in anticipation as he gazed up at his bodyguard.

"Simple. I'm gonna mark this as my territory." Garou smirked, his eyes remained glued to the mountain's peak; taking in the full view of beige mottled with nature's greenery nestling deep within the stone.

The boy blinked at Garou's declaration.

"You want to claim this land? I'm, well, not even sure if this land is private property, or if there is a deed of ownership, so-"

"My land."

The Hunter glared down at the boy, staunch in taking ownership of this place, undocumented or not.

"Ooookay…" His declaration stripped Ghin of any further retort from his throat.

"Don't judge me," Garou demanded.

"Okay, okay." Ghin backed off, raising his hands in mock surrender.

The quiet returned like a receding tide. The Hunter and Helper stood there, the first taking in the sight of the mountain and the latter staring at the strange creature that was his Quirkless bodyguard.

"So… what now? You gonna start camping out here or something?"

Garou turned to Ghin, a smile slowly growing.

"Still thinking on that, but I need some supplies. Do you still have your camping equipment from your younger years?"

Ghin pursed his lips. The Hero Hunter's choice of words indirectly painted him as an old man.

"Of course I do! And d-don't make it sound as if I'm old! I'm still nine!" Ghin pouted, pumping both arms up in adorable protest.

"Pfff." Garou nearly spurted out laughing.

"What's so funny?!" The kid shouted.

"You're finally acting your age, Shrimp."

The boy blinked before pouting at Garou.

"What do you mean!?"

"This is probably the first time I've seen you ticked." Most of the time the boy would timidly obey or shyly inspect him from afar, afraid to engage in any conversation whatsoever as far as he knew. He never knew how amusing the kid could be when befriended.

"Eh? Of course, I can be ticked. I may be a Quirkless boy but I can and will stand up for myself." His cheeks pouted even more.

"Yeah, yeah."

Amused, Garou turned back towards the mountain, a thought crossing his mind. He pondered the possibility of Quirkless heroes and the potential of the heroes here.

"Say… are there any cases of Quirkless heroes here?"

An odd question, the boy thought.

"What? No… wait, I think there's a Quirkless vigilante but… no, you'll most likely obliterate him. Probably in one shot." Ghin wondered, remembering there was a certain masked hero wielding brass knuckles as weapons before.

As for Garou, he was not surprised, but the disappointment still lingered. The concept of a Quirkless hero was almost Alien here. Back home, the ones he hunted and ones that hunted him provided more challenge than any of the ilk here could ever accomplish. Even the B-Class guy with the glasses proved more interesting than the heroes here, except All Might of course as the sole exception.

"Shame."

Garou could see more potential from those there than those here. They lack… substance, a defining foundation. An awkward atmosphere settled, now with little to no topics to cover anymore.

Garou's mind wandered to the next potential names of heroes to add his list. A guy that looked like he was spawned by a loser that decided to breed with a tree, some guy with Gatling guns attached to his wrists, a woman that can become giant, a pyro carbon copy of All Might…

He then recalled one guy that can erase Quirks with his gaze. Some promise, but considering his not-so-high standing in the Hero rankings, the guy must be weak. Now that he thought about it, that guy was also a teacher at some overrated school for heroes. He forgot the name since he disdained the concept of a hero school because it inundated the dangers of heroism given how the garbage performed so far.

"So… what is your school like?" Garou asked, now curious on the smaller parts of life, the normal aspects.

Ghin pursed his lips at the word 'school.' "It sucks."

Garou could relate to that feeling.

"Bullied?" Garou guessed.

"...yeah…" Ghin sulked, his head downcast.

"...is it because you're Quirkless?"

Ghin sulked even further. "...yes." His voice was now a whisper.

"Why don't you become strong then?" Garou suggested. To him, once obtaining strength, the vermin of life will not step in one's way, coming from his experience.

"I… I can't." Ghin shook his head.

"Why? There's no such thing as 'you can't.' Do or don't, there's no middle ground," Garou disproved.

"But…" Ghin looked up, tears shown from his eyes greeting Garou's own. "I'm not like you. I mean, I don't know where you're from, but I'm pretty sure I can't get whatever strength you have. I mean… I'm not special like you," Ghin melancholically shook his head.

Garou shrugged.

"Did anyone at least 'try?'"

"Yes-"

"No, not that 'try.' I mean, really try." Garou asked.

"Well… I don't know." The boy shrugged.

The awkward atmosphere dissipated, a calm wind arrived afterward, carrying stray leaves and loose dust. Now that he asked, Garou wondered: was this world cursed with weakness since birth, or was it the presence of Quirks hindered the human potential?

"Do you want to find out?" Garou asked, wanting to put this matter to the test.

Confusion sank into his ears, the words failing to reach his understanding. "Excuse me?"

Garou smirked, turning the rest of his body around to face the boy.

"I wasn't always strong, you know? When I was your age, I could barely hit twenty push-ups, and look at me now."

Reaching out, he outstretched a hand to the kid.

"Want to find out if the strength from my side cannot exist here yourself?" Garou asked encouragingly.

Confused, the boy hesitantly tried to speak up, but, as if his courage died down, he clogged the words in his throat. His head was turning away, Ghin's fingers clenched from uncertainty, eyes radiating his inner conflict.

Garou did not miss the subtle signs, the twitch of muscle and posture. He waited to see the boy's answer, but it seemed he still held himself back. The burdensome 'common sense' of being Quirkless chained his motivation and courage. Irked by his lack of self-esteem, Garou narrowed his eyes very slightly before asking.

"But…"

"What do you have to lose?"

That question lit a spark within his heart. Ghin looked up as if a revelation dawned on him upon reflecting that simple question.

"…" without another word, he slowly, still hesitant but less than before, reached out and took his hand in return.

"...what should I do if-"

"No 'if's. Do or don't; there's no middle ground. It's either you get strong or forever stay weak. So, what do you choose?"

The boy looked at Garou, taken back by his stentorian interjection. Do or do not, no 'if's allowed - it was either take a risk or forever do nothing, forever suffering at the heels of…

With eyes hardened with resolve, Ghin nodded in affirmation, "I'll do it." Everything he ever knew and loved was taken away from him, by both hero AND villain. Something he must repay no matter what, a story that no one would pay heed. At least no one yet.

The boy's fist clenched with determination, seemingly ready to take on anything the Hunter could throw.

"It will be hard, you know? You might go home crying." Garou teasingly warned.

There were two… well, three reasons why he decided to take the kid in and not Tareo back home. One, the Shrimp needed it more because others threatened his life constantly with dangers that no kid his age should endure. Two, Garou wanted to see the potential this world had to offer. If this kid could meet, or better yet, defy his expectations, Garou would confirm that hope still existed in this world, that strong heroes could subsist with or without Quirks - and further prove the folly of this world's Hero society even more.

And three, he had to repay the kid somehow. He wanted to compensate him for the money he obtained, around a hundred thousand yen. He still couldn't get his head around the fact that the kid was somehow wealthy, though the funds most likely originated from his aunt.

A topic to delve for another day, he supposed.

"Bring it on! I can handle anything you can dish out!"

Ghin declares with newfound cockiness, now excited to learn under probably the scariest man on Earth without fear.

"Good. Climb that mountain." Garou declared, pointing his finger at the mountain peak.

He failed to register those three simple words as his mind immediately rejected the imagery that came with them.

"What?"

Ocularly following the finger, Ghin craned his neck as much as he could to see the end of the monumental giant. He failed though, his neck reaching the maximum angle it could achieve and not past three-fourths of the entire thing.

"You heard me."

Ghin could feel his legs aching from the imagining alone. He could picture himself gasping for respite so high up as the fear of death threatens to infect his courage should he ever look down.

"Uh, I don't think-"

"You said anything. And you climbed it before."

If Ghin's ear was working right, he swore he heard a mocking tease from Garou.

"…and you could climb it?"

"The dojo I grew up in is built atop a mountain just as big as this one. Now climb."

Ghin looked down at his hands and then the rough abrasive stone, imagining the latter ablading the first with little to no resistance.

"Yes. With your hands." Garou answered the phantom question.

If a boy his age could pile more regrets than that of any other could exist, he was one of them. Already he felt like crying as phantom pain racked his entire body even further. His complexion paled even more also upon realizing that he signed up for a training course from Hell, literal hell.

"Or are you chicken?"

Looking behind, Ghin saw a smirk widening Garou's lips. A very mocking, provocative grin. One that Ghin wanted to wipe from existence with fists and rage violently. He never knew that someone as violent as Garou could become so annoying.

For the first time in a year, the boy felt irked as his veins threatened to pop, the urge to repay Garou overwriting the infectious despair.

"Oh, it's on."

The first disciple of Garou immediately took his first step up with his hand. He was determined to wipe that smirk off that annoying hunter's face with his fist even if it was the last thing he'll do.

---------

A few months walked by since Garou's silent claim to Hosu as his territory. Garou's seemingly merciless hunts seemed to cease, for now, leaving a tense sense of peace for the heroes and some of the villains. The absence of body piles instilled hope for some of the newer heroes, like Mt Lady, alleviating her worries of joining the staggering list of victims.

One of whom was now engaged in training his own successor for the day when he passed on his Quirk, one that spanned several generations.

From the sands of Dagoba to the sidewalk, Midoriya panted as the weight of the tire threatened to collapse his fortitude and buckle his knees before the golden vesper warming his sweating hide. Overwatching his chosen successor struggle under the ocean breeze, Toshinori wandered his thoughts on the future - the subject mostly revolved around the one person responsible for sending so many peacekeepers out of commission.

A contradictory figure, he was, of whose alignment remained unclear. He looked down on his casted right arm as it pulsed tenderly from memory.

Picturing the future, the stray vision of The Hero Hunter, or the Hunter amongst Villains as many would call him for short, facing Midoriya in combat arrived first in his thoughts. The Number One Hero grimaced at the sight of his successor encountering him.

As of now, he wasn't ready. Even worse, Yagi cannot tell when he will be prepared to face the Hunter. The fear of him hunting his successor if allowed the chance still rung within his soul, haunting his hope and the safety of Midoriya. However, despite this fear, he was assured he wouldn't do so.

Yagi witnessed the honor inside him. Yet, the impact he left behind still resonated with the doubts within. The man possessed an unnatural talent for instilling fear inside even the bravest hearts at first contact, a fear that he wished to not share with the rest of the world - the fear that the Hero society's collapse would come to fruition, an outcome now entirely at his mercy.

All Might grimaced at the empty air. He still didn't approve the decision to retaliate against Garou, yet his protest fell on deaf ears. Various hero agencies, one of which belonged to his former sidekick, banded together in hopes of defeating one of the greatest menaces that terrorized Japan, All For One included.

You're making a mistake…" He muttered his word,s aimed mostly at his former sidekick despite his not being here.

While he agreed Garou's seemingly indiscriminate rampage must end, he did not condone the method of using numbers against him. Something about him didn't agree with Yagi's intuition. He cannot tell what it was, but he feared he wouldn't find out until it's too late.

There was a dark presence hiding within him. Something unsettling, dangerous - its identity unknown.

Nevertheless, he cannot stop them now, not unless he fully recovered from his previous bout.

Still, a part of him wished their success, that they proved his worries unfound with heir victory. But no matter what he did, he cannot imagine them winning against Garou. He did not know why, but that was the impression Garou imprinted.

If Garou could be compared with a symbol, the closest avatar of a particular aspect of humanity, one came to his mind.

However, the grunting of Midoriya interrupted him of his thoughts as the young All Might fan panted, out of breath on his knees but conscious. His eyes were shaking from stress, the exhaustion catching up with him and threatening to bring him down.

"Hah… I'm… done…"

Midoriya finished his quota, yet struggling even to stand.

"Hahaha, good job."

Toshinori visually took in Izuku's tired form. He made a promise to himself and the wielders before him. He will uplift Izuku to become one of the greatest heroes after him, no matter the dangers or obstacles in his way - for the future of all.

---------

Under the cloaking night, where many working souls return home from their daily duties, the darkness festered in the absence of light, flourishing like a field of weeds in fertile soil.

Out in the rural streets of Dagoba, where not many reside and out of public eye, a hooded man slowly walked down the stairs, under the sign of a bar, and entered through the inconspicuous door.

On the other side, amber light dimmed the mahogany wooden planks constituting the floor and wall, fading into shadow at the outer edges of the bar. Behind the long wooden bar counter and the serried stools holding red cushions, Kurogiri nodded to Tomura while his hands rubbed the white cloth within the glass cup.

Nodding back to the man of black mist, Tomura sauntered hunched-forward to one of the stools, sitting on the red cushion with his arms rested on the counter.

"Has your day been well, Tomura Shiguraki?"

Tomura scoffed as he rapped his fingers on the flat surface.

"Nothing much. Checking out the heroes and signs of the 'Hero Hunter.' Can't seem to get a fix on him, though, other than that he might be in Hosu."

Kurogiri nodded as he stopped cleaning the glass.

"How's Sensei? Anything wrong with him after the 'experiment'?" He asked referring to the things Kurogiri managed to scrounge in his Trigger Experiments.

"While I share your concern for his health, it is best if you ask Sensei directly. He wants to see you on a certain matter."

"Hah? Which one?" Tomura blinked under his hood. There was much to do in his preparations for his debut, so he did not know what more his Sensei had in store for him.

Without responding, Kurogiri grabbed a remote from the under the counter, turning on the monitor embedded high on the wall.

The screen flicked to life, revealing dark waves of sound pulsing in tune with Sensei's voice, as the Symbol of Evil spoke.

"[Tomura. I take it you're doing well? How is your skin around your neck? Scratching it too much would ruin it, hahaha.]" The man responsible for All Might's current condition spoke to Shiguraki with a tone that could be considered fatherly, a twisted one raising a demented killer as his own child.

"Sensei. How do you feel right now?"

In the bar hidden within Kamino, Tomura asked his Sensei shown on screen from his seat. The apprentice of All For One could see his master's complexion healing, the scars fading gradually at an almost imperceptible pace from the rims.

"[Tomura, your concern warms my healing heart, ha ha ha. The doctor worked wonders on me; I can feel the despicable scars haunting my years uplifting. Why I've almost forgotten the feeling of fresh relief after so many years. It's a magnificent feeling.]"

The Symbol of Evil heartily chuckled, his grin possessing more verisimilitude than before.

Tomura still couldn't believe a thing like that could exist when Kurogiri experimented the first time. Whatever that was, it was something they can use, and what they needed to restore All For One's health.

"Kurogiri said you got something for me?" He tersely switched topics, both glad and concerned for his Sensei - the first that death will no longer haunt his Sensei while the latter still apprehensive using that without knowing its species and capabilities was wise.

"[There is a loose end the Union requested you to handle on their behalf. His usefulness has expired.]

The mention of any possible breach tugged his strings, the kind that strums disdain.

"What kind of 'loose end' are we talking here?"

Anything that threatened his goals must be erased, disappear.

"[A certain asset is being compromised in his line of work and threatens to expose our dealings. We no longer need such a critical liability anymore, and just when we had our replacement ready. Would you do the honors in... erasing this parasite from our ranks?]"

Tomura's dry, chewed lips slowly curled into a grin, the imagined rush-like elation of feeling someone's life fading in his palm was gushing like blood from a wound.

"That would be my pleasure."