Chapter 4 strategies

Having the green-haired boy around felt… awkward. In a span of an hour or so, the boy he deemed to be a nuisance just itching to die was now his right-hand man. Tomura Shigaraki wasn't sure how the manipulation and mind-bend work. He assumed that new memories were placed into Izuku's head, but from how far back and what were the memories even? On top of that, how long of an effect would this be? Tomura had no one to ask as the one man that knew the answers to everything had been locked away.

Honestly, he was really interested to know the extents of the altered memories. He understood that the boy had been taken in by Sensei alongside Tomura. Okay. That was all he knew. Tomura didn't own any memories of the younger boy and what kind of relationship they had. Have. While he should've been treading carefully, making sure nothing sounded too odd that might've broken the quirk's effects, the tired man wanted to know just how brainwashed Izuku Midoriya really is.

The boy was sitting on a stool, talking with Kurogiri. He seemed to trust him enough to talk as much as he was now, explaining to the bartender about what had happened and how Sensei's plan for the League was to wait and regroup. Kurogiri, despite not having a face, seemed to be enjoying his talk with the young man. It was a break from the man-child he had to babysit, that's for sure.

Tomura stumbled over to the two, swiftly reaching out his hand to grab at Izuku's throat. While talking, the younger boy threw his own arm up to block Tomura's reach. He then grabbed his wrist and pulled it back.

"Sorry Kurogiri. Tomu-chan, what's up?" Izuku turned to look at him; his eyes weren't laced with fear, just puzzlement. Tomura had decided to attack the boy out of nowhere, but Izuku treated it like nothing at all. Was this something that occurred before in Izuku's implanted memories? Despite the action being extremely unpredictable?

He frowned, pulling his hand back. "Stop talking to Kurogiri." Actually, the villain didn't care about whether or not someone talked to the bartender. He needed an excuse for his outburst. Izuku only smiled at him, warmly. Kindly.

"Hey, I know you're frustrated right now," Tomura raised an eyebrow. "But let's not get so feisty okay? We're discussing what to do from here on out." Izuku explained, turning back to Kurogiri. The bartender chuckled, causing Tomura to huff in annoyance and send the man a glare.

"So like I was saying, the best course of action is to rally up more villains into the league. Doesn't matter if they're small or large. We need numbers right now. All Might has retired right? But he's still a beacon of hope to everyone. People are going to think that we're going to lay low now that our leader is gone but that won't be the case." Izuku turned towards Tomura. "You're going to be leading us now, so what do you think?"

It caught Tomura off guard. His hands began moving towards his neck to scratch in annoyance but was stopped by Izuku. He took ahold of his hands before he began tearing at his neck. He looked at him, concerned.

"You gotta stop doing that. We don't have Sensei around to heal you if it gets really bad." He explained. Shit. Izuku was right about that. Sometimes when it got too bad, the wounds stung and irritated Tomura even more. They'd have to get Sensei's help.

Already, Izuku was acting like a picture-perfect advisor. He knew Tomura enough to stop him from self-destructing but still respected him enough as his leader to ask his opinion. How the fuck was this the same hero brat from before?

"Listen mop head," The best insult he could think of at the moment. "I don't want to bring in some stupid criminals who don't know our greater goal. Plus, they'll think that they're better than us and it'll piss me off." His fingers twitched, wanting to really touch something now.

Izuku only nodded. "You're right about that. Low criminals will be a hassle to control but at the moment we only have a few members." He nudged his head at the door that led to the common room. Izuku didn't know any of their names and referred to them as the "others." Tomura assumed that the only people he actually knew was him and Kurogiri.

"But don't think of them as actual members, think of them as stepping stones. Disposable." Izuku grinned. His face was twisted, something that even Tomura felt weird to see on the boy. "We'll just gather a bunch for an assault and let them die. I think we should target U.A." Tomura raised an eyebrow, looking from him to Kurogiri.

"Izuku, why U.A? We know it'll be heavily guarded now." Kurogiri spoke up, placing some of the cups he was polishing down. (Even if they weren't in a bar, it was a habit he couldn't break.)

"Well, if you think of it, it might be the easiest way to go to destroy the hope for the future. Those students are still kids, they're not pros yet even if they have some experienced under their belts. If we get rid of them, there won't be any future heroes raised in time to worry about! Then we get rid of the actual pro-heroes. I'm sure they'd feel an amount of despair not being able to protect some kids, don'tcha think?" The logic was there. The plan was, of course, risky and had to be thought out better, but the outline Izuku had sketched out began sinking in both Tomura's and Kurogiri's mind.

"Listen, Tomu-chan. It's your decision, but when you're fighting a stage in the video game, do you go right to the boss? Or get rid of all the underlings first?" Shit. He even knew to make game references. It became clear that whatever Sensei did to the boy's mind, it was phenomenal.

"… We'll think about it." Tomura replied, frowning still. Kurogiri looked to Izuku.

"I believe it's an excellent strategy. Before then, I'd advise you to go meet the newest members of the League and familiarize yourself with their quirks and personality. We'll make a strategy." This made the boy beam brightly. Izuku hopped off the stool he was sitting on and headed towards the door.

"Thanks Kurogiri! And while we're on the subject, I think it's fair to say I'm suggesting this plan on U.A because… Well…" Izuku's face began to flush with embarrassment as he rubbed the back of his head.

"There's someone I really want to kill there!" He almost laughed it out before heading through the door to meet the other villains.

Kurogiri turned to Tomura, placing his hands down on the table. "He makes a good point. Though he doesn't understand the predicament he's in. It's more than likely that the hero's course of action is going to be rescuing Izuku." Tomura began scratching his neck again.

"The boy is blood-thirsty now, so he'd want to fight them; however, I find this risky as we still don't know how the quirk's ability can be dispelled. If he were to face his former friends, they might be able to find a way to break through to him." Tomura scratched harder.

"Shigaraki, what do you want to do?" Tomura began to scratch harder and stopped, remember Izuku's touch. He would probably get mad if he started bleeding. He placed his hand down.

"We don't know shit about what Sensei did to him, but I don't think it's something that can be easily fixed. Sensei's smarter than that. If he wants to fight we should let him." Tomura huffed angrily, his fingers itching to scratch his own skin.

"As you wish." Kurogiri turned towards the door. Tomura turned too, walking towards it.

"He's our's now. There's no way that any of those brats can bring him back with their dumb power of friendship or whatever. I'm actually getting excited imagining the horrors on their face when Izuku kills one of them." Tomura smirked. If they were to get Izuku to U.A and slaughter one of those twerps, it would land a heavy toll on all of them. Even if Izuku were to snap out of his hold and be returned, their lives would never be the same. The idea was picture perfect, except for the fact Tomura didn't want Izuku to leave the League. He was the missing piece that they needed for success. The heroes can't have him back.

Izuku Midoriya did not have a villain name. At first when he considered using the name "Deku" it only made him angry enough to demolish an interior wall. The implications of the name would never change, it was always an insult to him that meant "the one who can't do anything." He always wondered if his parents were aware when they chose the name for him. He was better off going by his last name which was basic enough. (As his hair was green and it made enough sense.) But even that name left a bitterness in his mouth. It was a family name and he didn't know if it was because he resented his parents for abandoning him or wanted to spare their feelings. After all, his parents weren't awful, they just weren't there for him. He wondered what might've happened if his mother stayed at home, with him. Maybe he wouldn't have felt the need to disappear that day.

He had met all of the villains in the common area and wrote down their quirks and personalities in his notebook when they weren't looking. That was something Izuku never stopped doing throughout his life. When Sensei had found him and nurtured Izuku back to health, his notebook was presented to him with compliments and praises. Sensei found it on the ground close to where Izuku had fallen and went through every single page. (How did he even read it? Maybe Tomura told him.) Izuku was encouraged to keep writing, causing the boy to cry at the time.

All of the quirks he learned just now had given him an idea for a strategy, but he would need to write them down in a separate notebook and run some simulations. There was data missing, the hero course's quirks. For some reason, Izuku felt like he had written every student's quirks and abilities down beforehand. It was confusing since he didn't know anything about the class except that Kacchan had been enrolled and placed in that specific class. Maybe it was because he saw the Sports Festival? That should be it, he needed to see some reruns of the U.A Sport Festival to comply a new notebook for a new strategy against the U.A kids.

"Izukun!" Himiko Toga began pulling at his sleeve, a hand to her face. She was blushing madly, her wild smile was a comfort to Izuku actually. The other villains looked at her, ready to stop her from saying anything that could give away some important information.

"Yes Toga-chan?" Izuku flashed a small smile to her. She nearly squealed.

"I think you're so cool! You seem to be thinking really hard? What are you thinking of? A strategy?" She started rambling as Dabi walked over, frowning.

"Leave him alone, we need to get ready for what he's planning." He interrupted, making Toga pout in response. Dabi turned to stare at the boy, his face full of admiration and respect. Both Toga and him were taken by the boy, thought the latter wouldn't admit it as openly as the girl. Izuku laughed, as the door opened. Both Tomura and Kurogiri walked into the room as the villains watched.

"Ah, Tomu-chan! What did you decide?" Izuku asked, pulling out his notebook and a ball point pen.

Tomura licked his chapped lips, moving a hand into his pocket to retrieve his 'father', placing it onto his face. "We're going with your plan, Izuku. Congrats." The last part felt like friendly sarcasm, at least to Izuku.

"Great! If I can, I want to get more information on the hero course students at U.A. They may still be children but they know their strengths and are still heroes-in-training regardless. I was thinking I could watch some reruns of the school sport's festival." A few fingers twitched from Tomura before Kurogiri walked over.

"Izuku, I don't believe that's wise." A hand was placed on the boy's shoulder.

"Why's that? I know some of the student's quirks, especially the ones that are from well renowned families, but if I checked the footage from the sport's festival I can write up an entire spreadsheet." Izuku explained, opening up his notebook.

"That's not what I meant. The footage from the Sports Festival is limited and unreliable. The students have grown tremendously since then and I would advise you do current research and these students and their quirks." Kurogiri took into account that if Izuku were to check the sports festival footage he would definitely see himself. Whether that would confuse him or break the manipulation all together, it was something to avoid.

"Kurogiri you're so right! Ugh!" Izuku's hands went to his face. "How could I be so dumb! Does that mean I get permission to do some spying?" His heart leaped. His dream of going to U.A was going to be realized! Though in a different way.

The bartender looked to Tomura to see his opinion on it. Tomura only grumbled and reached to Izuku, wrapping four fingers around his throat. Izuku didn't flinch, or even seem to mind. His smile stayed.

"Fine. But don't get yourself caught. If someone sees you, kill them." The orders were out, Izuku's face shone, a grin spreading from ear to ear.

-

Both Toga and Dabi were assigned to go with Izuku as he surveyed the dorm buildings. They weren't ready for actual spying and researching on quirks just yet, it was a precursor before the actual investigations. They needed to know the layout of the dormitory, every single nook and cranny as well as where all the security surveillances were. Izuku wouldn't know, but the two other villains were there to keep Izuku in check. If something were to happen that jeopardized his brainwash, they would take him back immediately. Izuku, on the other hand, felt that Toga was there as a precaution. If they were to be caught, Toga would use the blood she had gotten from Izuku (willingly) to transform into him. It would throw the heroes off and the real Izuku would make his escape. Dabi was insurance. His quirk could destroy the entire building really, as well as the forest surrounding them. While Izuku wasn't too happy to be playing babysitter at the moment, it was still true that three heads were better than one.

"We're only on a survey mission, so really study this layout okay? Find as many cameras as you can, mark and note them. We'll split up and meet back here in 10, got it?" He gave the orders out to the two of them before they dispersed. Toga had used her quirk to transform into a civilian whose blood she took earlier in the day. She would circle the perimeter on foot to see how close they could be without hitting any red zones.

Dabi would stay close to the meet up point, watching the dorms from the front. If Izuku gave him the signal, he would spread his dark fire at the opening of the dorms to prevent anyone from leaving as they made their escape. That was only if they needed to get away if the mission had gone haywire.

Izuku himself, was too happy about the mission. Even though it was just the dormitories and not the actual school, Izuku felt like he could cry in happiness to be on campus one way or another. This could've been his at one point.

What caught Izuku's eyes was the track field and battle ground they had added close to the dorms. Of course there was the actual field near the classrooms, but they must've thought it would be rewarding to have some of the outdoor training facilities near the dormitories. This school could really spend some money.

He took note of the size and how far away it was from the dorms versus the entrance. He watched on top of a tree branch, using his fingers to mark distances between buildings. He made notes, both mentally and physically about the area. It seemed like it would be a good place to lure the students, as the outdoor field was on the side of the dormitories. They could block the way to the front and back entrances, leaving them on the field facing a forest.

Out of the corner of Izuku's eye, he watched as a student walked across the field and sat down in the middle, legs-crossed. Squinting, Izuku couldn't help but wonder what idiot kid would want to wander into the cold night when there was danger amiss. The whole point of the dorms was so that the kids could be rounded up and watched over. Here was someone, willingly leaving that protection. It almost made Izuku want to kill whoever it was.

A flash of white and red finally settled in Izuku's vision. He grinned. Shouto Todoroki was out by himself, middle of the night doing… what? Meditating? What a loser!

He only knew about the boy through his father. Endeavor, now the No. 1 Pro Hero. Shouto himself had acquired part of his father's quirk as well as an ice quirk. He remembered that much when Izuku saw him for the first time at Kamino Ward. With a dual quirk like that, it seemed that he would be the biggest threat to the League.

Izuku's hand twitched, moving towards his belt to grab a knife. He wanted to know more about the boy, his quirk and his background. There was something intriguing about the boy. Maybe it was the scar that blotted itself onto his face. Maybe it was the fact that both his eyes were closed, his chest rising and falling as he breathed in the air.

He could've taken him by surprise easily. Throw a few knives, pin him down steal him, torture him for information, the usual things. Izuku had to stop those thoughts, knowing he had to stick to the plan he himself had created. But… when would something like this be placed in front of him again? Something so nicely wrapped up and presented to him.

A hand was raised, the knife was positioned. He aimed for the boy's palms. As Izuku's arm fell to throw, he stopped suddenly. His arm quivered, refusing to let go of the knife he had in his hands. Something was compelling him to stop, something that didn't feel like… him.

Fuck. Was it a quirk? Who was there?

Izuku quickly moved his other arm and then placed his armed hand down to his side. Huh. Izuku quickly looked everywhere, scanning for any heroes ready to fight him. No one was around.

Maybe it was intuition that stopped Izuku from throwing the knife. It might be the logical, rational side to Izuku's brain that told him stop! Don't do it! You're only here to survey the area dummy! He sighed. Izuku was letting his blood lust get the better of him. He sat on the branch and watched the boy for a while longer before heading to the other side to scan the other side of the dormitory.

Everything was easy to draw out. It was exactly what a dormitory should look like so whatever interior rooms Izuku couldn't see, he could at least map out and infer the inside. He was also able to match some of the dorm rooms to a student based on balcony alone. Izuku had a list complied of every Class 1-A student's name and picture. Some of the balconies screamed out who their owner was. Honestly? Pathetic. Ignorant. There wasn't any time to dress up a room when you know that there are still villains out there, after you. You don't want to announce to the world that you were living there. He'd have to frown at the leopard throw blanket hanging on the balcony of a dorm. (It was probably Mina Ashido's, he was very certain about it.)

As Izuku headed back to the rendezvous point, he took a quick glance over to the field again, seeing if Todoroki was still there. He was, sitting in the same position he was in the first time Izuku saw him. The difference was that he was muttering something. Izuku might have seen the glimmer of a tear in his eye before leaving with Togo and Dabi back to the villain's base.

For some unknown reason, it made Izuku want to cry as well.