24) navigating uncharted waters

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ahhh i love this so much! this is by zu on discord! you can find zu's IG @myyszka.png where there's more incredible art!!

Tomura is agitated.

He falls to the ground the moment he steps through Kurogiri's mist, face-planting into the old hardwood flooring of the bar. The villain lets out a hiss and squirms the rest of the way out of the portal, seething. The events of today are plaguing his mind and crowding his thoughts, and he stays in his crumpled up position to try and curb his frustration.

"I was shot," Tomura reports, knowing full well that the small television sitting on the counter is listening. "Both arms and both legs. We got crushed." He moves his head to try and sit up, but some of the blood pooling from his shoulder gets on Father's hand and makes him frantically yank the appendage off his face to wipe it clean. "My Nomu was taken down in a flash. Even those kids were strong."

The disgust edges back into his voice near the end, and Tomura shifts so he's looking at the dusty ceiling. His injuries will be healed soon enough, so he'll be fine. He's more focused on the anger that's now burning at his skin, on the fingers scratching at his neck with a newfound vigor.

"The Symbol of Peace is in perfect health! You were wrong, master."

The monitor crackles. "No, I wasn't." A slight pause; Tomura writhes on the floor for a moment to contain his irritation. "We merely got ahead of ourselves. Yes, we underestimated him. It is a good thing the villains came cheap."

That's an understatement. Those petty criminals had no business associating with the League of Villains. In fact, if Tomura had his way, they wouldn't have even hired such low-level thugs. The so-called villains just made the League look bad with how easily they were taken down by one pro hero. They were simple NPC's, not important for anything except keeping the background active and interesting, and Tomura hates that the League had to stoop so low just to fail in the end.

"And what of our creation? Did you retrieve him?"

Tomura just growls and turns back on his side, glaring at Kurogiri as the villain manifests into his usual attire and answers for him.

"He was sent flying. And unless we ascertain his precise coordinates, no amount of warping will let us find him." The bartender starts to wipe the insides of the hanging wine glasses on the back wall one at a time. "I couldn't spare the time back there."

The static starts up again. "After all the trouble we went through to make him as strong as All Might, hm? Well, that's too bad. A real shame."

"Right. Strong." Tomura fidgets from his place on the floor, his next words tumbling from his mouth before he can think better of them. Not that he would've kept quiet even if he had, of course. "There was one. One kid who seemed just as fast as All Might."

"Oh?"

Fake. Even through speakers, Tomura can hear the amused tilt to All for One's tone. The boy hisses again, practically whining. "Sensei, you knew he would be there, didn't you?" It's more of an accusation than a question. "He deserves to pay for what he's done, so why didn't you tell me? We wouldn't have failed!"

"Now, Tomura, your brother is very independent." The centuries-old villain sounds like he's smiling, all sharp teeth and bloodstained lips. "Having you bring him back today or even kill him would have been counterproductive. Besides, I think little Izuku needs more time to be left alone before his punishment."

Ah. Tomura is starting to understand now. The only reason Midoriya Izuku isn't in their clutches right now is because All for One wills it so. It's been a few years since the brat's escape, which would have been more than enough time for the villain to get him back. Sure, Izuku's very slick when he wants to be, and he's also very hard to find, but in the end there's nothing anyone can do against All for One's wit and power. It's simply the way things are.

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