Chapter 67: Villains on the Move

Lying low for a few days has become standard for Pyre, even if his and the League’s involvement in the Shie Hassaikai bust had been left only to their attack on Overhaul’s medical transport, you’ll need to be an ignorant rookie or an arrogant fool to believe the pros and police weren't after them.

Still, they managed to meet with the League, with Toga and Twice returning to their comrades, bearing 2 of the bullets that Pyre managed to swipe off Chisaki. In exchange, Rappa was handed over to him. After a quick burn, he was good as new and naturally wanted his rematch, which Pyre would need to postpone. He promised he'll give the man what he wants when they don't need to worry about someone ratting them out.

It was a little funny when he brought the large, muscular man back with him, as the rest of the Thunder had been surprised by it, but considering his testimony to Rappa's character, they didn't mind it. If anything, they all believed it was time they themselves made changes.

“Lieutenants?” Slice asked. The group was in one of their more comfortable hideouts, seated in the living room. She was completely relaxed as she was combing her hair. She wore an oversized shirt and pants instead of her typical villain attire. Mummy wasn't wrapped up, and Pyre was wearing some 'home' clothes that looked like he had just gotten out of bed. Like her, he wore fluffy slippers.

Nine, seated in the armchair, his mask and gear left in his room, nodded. “Correct, we’re powerful, that can’t be understated. However, it’s just the 5 of us.” He gestured to the back of the room, where Rappa leaned against the wall, arms crossed.

"Do we need more people?" Pyre asked, snacking on pork-flavoured ice cream as Chimera and Mummy prepped dinner for the group.

Nine confirmed as much. “We need capable agents we can trust to handle things in our name. Our territories are growing, though we don’t advertise them as much as the gangs of old used to.” He looked at the crowd, which said much about their power when someone like Rappa was the weakest in the room. Still, for all their strength, they couldn't just dominate others with strength of body, but they needed strength in numbers.

"It's not a bad idea. If we want to change the world, we must first take control of the underworld, or we could be attacked by heroes and rivals." Chimera agreed as he stirred away at the pot of broth, Mummy slicing up some chicken for it.

“And where should we get such people? Not to be the drag here, but we’ve seen plenty of villains thus far, and the only halfway competent ones are in the League.” Slice reminded him that even with All Might retired, no, because he was retired, most villains these days were little more than opportunistic thugs and hooligans.

“Stain?” Mummy suggested, as the man had recently claimed his 28th fatality, which the news had been more than eager to report on. Still, hey, blood and sex got attention. Stain was a master at his craft.

The rest shot that suggestion down. "Too fanatical about his delusions of heroism. He'll be a loose cannon at best, or just try to kill us." Chimera snorted, as the man was the weirdest case of hero fan they've ever seen. Most just didn't cheer for those heroes they didn't like, some sent them hate, but Stain? If you weren't the All Might in his head, you were 'fake' and he tried killing you for it. Yeah, he had killed 28th pros so far, but he had crippled or seriously injured another 40.

“Yeah, better to leave him be.” Pyre didn't like the hero killer and doubted the man would see reason with them. He could handle him, given how his quirk seemed to work. It was blood-based, which meant Stain really couldn't handle him if he was serious, but leaving him running around served their goals as well. It gave the heroes a distraction to focus on.

“We should get Giran on this. He was the one who helped source the League members. Comparing us to the League as it was then, it shouldn't be too hard for him to draw up a list or two." Nine offered, nursing his cup of tea.

“And how will we quality control these people?” Slice asked. Sure, the League was good and all, but they could easily just be the exceptions.

“Hmmm,” Nine thought about it before his eye turned towards the silent former underground fighter, who had been quite vocal about his promised rematch with their youngest member. His eyes widened just a little as something came to him. “I think I have some ideas,”

Line Break

Somewhere far from the Thunder and well out of the attention of law enforcement stood a 3-storey apartment building of noticeable size and prestige. Different in design from the typical apartment complex, the building took inspiration from older architecture that had been prominent in central Europe from before the 1800s.

Most who lived there were of a wealthier but also older demographic, many being retirees. Thus, one couple stuck out for their youth, but never caused issues for the rest, and this was hardly paid attention to. This was a fact which both gave the criminal, Gentle Criminal, a sense of relief knowing his home was safe, but also was just another hit to his pride, knowing that he was so unknown that his neighbours didn't even know he was a villain despite the fact he didn't wear a mask while out performing his schemes.

He was seated in his living room, enjoying a nice cup of tea as his partner in crime and closest friend worked on her computer. However, her size and his natural white hair would have most assume she was his granddaughter, a silly notion with no basis in reality.

Something seemed to set her off, as she angrily closed her computer and jumped off the couch, stomping around the room. “Oh man, Gentle!”

“What’s troubling you, La Brava?” Gentle asked, placing his cup of tea down to give her his full attention.

La Brava pointed at her computer as if it had just insulted her mother and asked her out in the same breath. "The channel got deleted again, but I reuploaded everything yesterday, including your debut! That J-store video should be racking up views, but it's barely being watched. Someone like you should be going viral! People on the internet have no taste.”

Hmm, yes, the J-store video. Gentle targeted them for a faux robbery after discovering that they had been purposely selling mislabelled foods past their expiration dates. So, to expose them and give them some 'citizen's justice,' he robbed one of their franchises. Of course, not being in it for the money, he left it behind and had not harmed anyone, except the pride of the heroes who failed to capture him.

It should have been the talk of the town, a video that tens of thousands of people viewed as they learned about this scandal and demanded proper accountability from such a corporate giant. Woe was his fortune that the day he staged the robbery, some Yakuza group suspected of imprisoning a little girl, like the devils they were, had been apprehended.

Then, while on their way to medical treatment after their arrests, the leader and one of his lieutenants were attacked. The former was recaptured at the scene, while the latter had been busted out by the League of Villains.

He wasn't surprised his video had been buried in such an environment.

Thus, he wasn’t too upset about it. "If you always blame others, then you'll never live up to your true potential, by dear La Brava."

“But it’s not fair. You've been putting out villainous internet videos for 6 years now, and what do you have to show for it? A max subscriber count of 2000, our top video only getting 5400 views!” La Brava was much more technically savvy than he was, and thus ran his channel, so such statistics would be things she would know and frequently complained about.

It was even worse because those Thunder posers had merch-Merch! She was getting sick and tired of going out for groceries with her dear Gentle and spotting shirts, mugs, figurines, and even fake gear like what the Thunder used.

The body pillows were the worst. Did people not know Pyre was 16?!

Whipping out her phone, she logged into Yotube. Despite not searching for it, several videos on her recommended feed were about the Thunder and Pyre. "Suddenly, this Pyre guy steals it all with a video on his stupid life story; he didn't even release or edit himself!" She pointed at a clip posted just 3 days ago and already had over 100K views.

"Now, when people mention villains, they're talking about the gloomy League of Villains or that mean ole Thunder!" She stomped her foot as this was insane to her, utter madness, as what was it about those guys that people liked? All they did was break, beat, and burn!

Gentle frowned. "I share your pain on this, La Brava. Extreme and violent actions seem to fascinate the barbaric masses, which goes to the very fiber of my being.” He had contemplated perhaps raising the stakes of his stunts, maybe even getting into bigger fights, but each time he did, it turned his stomach.

Turning the TV on, they listened as the news went on about not just this most recent attack, but the fact that over the summer, I-Expo had been attacked with credible sources placing Pyre and possible Nine on the island. "Still, we can't deny that these dastardly groups have momentum. Every video released about them has at least 10,000 comments of varying natures, with view counts well over triple that. In construct, the scant notes on my own are far from encouraging.”

Despite how…low his comments could be, both in number and message, he didn’t let it get to him. “But I refuse to be gutted by these impertinent comments, La Brava. Why, you ask? Because even in such mockery, there is truth to be found, a lesson to be learned.”

La Brav swooned at his words, hanging off the side of the couch with near stars in her eyes. "You're so smart and wise, Gentle, but what is there to learn?"

"The Thunder debuted with an epic battle against law enforcement, followed by a double robbery of a major bank and a precious gem shipment. The League's first true operation was an assault on U.A. High, a certified fortress and symbol of heroes and justice. Together, they carried out their Hosu attack." Gentle listed off the two villainous groups' actions as of the year.

"And then, came I-island. They did what no one else thought possible and managed to sneak onto the most secure location on the planet, steal several of their prized one-of-a-kind prototypes, and escape." He continued as he opened up La Brava’s computer, and with her help, opened up several news sites and pulled up their articles about it, some containing video from on-site reporters.

“Following up the Thunder’s robbery of a century, the League located and attacked U.A’s summer camp, leaving many injured and kidnapping both a member of the Wild Wild Pussycats, and a student, necessitating a full response from the heroes and a battle so devastating it left more than half of Kamino in ruins and All Might forced into retirement, the man having used up all of his once believed limitless strength.”

He didn't need to bring up anything for that. Kamino was still being rebuilt, and a large plaza was being erected, which, at its heart, would have a bronze statue of their retired Symbol of Peace, right where he had stood over the defeated All for One. Still, the dreadful ruler of the criminal underbelly might be gone, but it wasn't as if things were happy or safe again.

"These 2 groups, these growing titans of the criminal underworld, can only claim such titles because they achieve great things. The Thunder has shown that they can go wherever they please, like the master thieves and intruders of old, no wall of lock can keep them out." Gentle stated his findings, picking up his tea to take a sip. "The League, on the other hand, shows that nowhere is safe, like a bear outside your little wooden cabin; they can bust in and wreak havoc whenever they please, and escape before you can capture them."

Leaning into the soft cushions of the sofa, he frowned but didn’t shy away from his conclusions on this. “To be like them, to go down in history, I need to accomplish something grand, something people can’t ignore. It’s time for a proper spectacle.”

"The question, of course, is what would it be? We must leave the entire world gobsmacked. But fret not, I have settled on something quite perfect.” He smiled, learning forward before standing, moving towards the window.

“Oh, tell me, Gentle. What is it?” La Bravo followed after him.

“The violent brutes we call fellow villains have been striking at current times, striking at the notions and so-called truths of our time. That is the core of any memorable act, to question the current times for better or worse and make people ask such questions.” Gentle explained, as he thought about how some of the greatest figures in history were those who didn't stick to the grain, or even just rose above it, but made those around them and centuries later question them and the society they came from.

“Next month, if history were to repeat itself, as it wants to do, U.A. will be hosting its culture festival.” Gentle started, La Brava’s near shining as she figured out what he was talking about. "It's an institution from which many of the most regaled heroes call their alma mater. They claim that the USJ break-in was a fluke, and that no villain can ever even hope to get close." He looked at her with a confident, mischievous smirk on his handsome face.

“Why don’t we prove them wrong?”

Line Break

"Well, good work on that Shie Hassaikai job, I had a feeling you'd ace it," Giran smirked at his guests. With the sun down, it was time for criminals to play, but while others were out on the prowl, he sat in the private room of a bar, along with Chimera and Pyre, who were acting as the reps for their little group.

"It wasn't nearly as fun as I thought it would be. Playing gangster seems better on TV." Pyre complained, as he mainly did grunt work, which they could have done with a couple of guys or a fireplace. Overhaul hadn't trusted him with anything else.

He was right not to, considering how things ended, but still, boring as dirt.

“And being one of the most wanted villains in Japan is?” Giran asked him, as the bar, like others, had a wall of honour. One that featured each member of the Thunder prominently under the big red words 'Wanted'. He was surprised the kid looked nearly as refreshed and relaxed as he did, the same as Chimera, as many villains in similar shoes really let the stress get to them.

"It's…an acquired taste, moving around every other week isn't the most glamorous, but we're not staying in abandoned buildings or the sewers." Pyre smiled, to which Chimera chuckled at the example. As such spots would have been the first ones checked, which was why their hideouts weren't in such areas, and that they only set up such dummy sites so they could test the local pros and cops.

"It must help keep an eye on things for your growing criminal network," Giran noted. Unlike the League, the Thunder was fashioning itself into a real player in the underworld. He already was acting as their middle man to the Shie Hassaikai, who, despite the chaos, was still around.

He wasn't sure how much they were lying, but throwing all their worst crimes onto Overhaul and claiming duress proved pretty useful.

Still, with the heat on them, they couldn't be seen with Pyre or anyone associated with them, which was where he came in. Yes, he had connections to the Thunder, but he was a broker, a middleman, one who protected his clients' and customers' privacy and details. It would be hard to prove anything when he acted as the bridge, and with his own network of agents, it would only make that harder.

“Speaking about that, we came to discuss something with you.” Chimera brought up.

"Oh, you'll be looking for work?" Giran asked, reaching for his briefcase to see if he didn’t have anything on hand, to which Chimera raised his hand, stopping him.

“Not this time. We wish to expand our numbers, and we know you helped Shigaraki when he faced a similar issue." Chimera explained.

"Oh, I see. I'm your talent guy? I'm flattered you have such a high opinion of my judgments." Giran joked as he relaxed, knowing that this would be something he would work on once he got back to his office.

"But we do have some conditions to this," Chimera added. Giran smirked as he took a drag from his cigarette, as his clients always had conditions.

“Well, the customer is always right and all that. Lay it on me.” Each time, he completed their requests on time. This would be no different, but he had a feeling that it'd make the union really happy—well, happier than they already were with their biggest money makers.

"We don't just want people with some backbone; they need to be smart and capable. So we wanted to host something of a…try-outs of sorts." Pyre was the one who gave the stipulations, which, considering the situation, were pretty light. He half expected they wanted something obscure.

“Try-outs?” Still, it wouldn’t do if he didn’t get details. How else was he to ensure that he met their requirements?

"A means to see if anyone who thinks they can handle being our lieutenants can hang with us. Don't worry, we aren't gonna kill any of them, but well…some will need a doctor." Chimera joked, already thinking of ways they could test this bunch; hell, with Pyre present, it wouldn't be like anything would be permanent. They'll just need to get used to being engulfed in flames.

Giran certainly didn’t seem to mind the blatant lack of care from the larger man. Hell, he found the honesty refreshing. "In this line of work, that's odd, but I can work with that. Should I still do some sort of vetting process beforehand?"

Pyre nodded, his little…well, not so little snake friend secure around his body. "That would be ideal. As if hundreds show up, it'll make running complicated." As Giran nodded, already making mental notes about this, Pyre continued. "I'll be working closely with you to help design the tests, as we need to cut these down to maybe 5 people, one for each of us. We can build on that later."

“Also, about that other thing we brought up. From I-island...” Pyre asked, as he couldn't hide his excitement over this, not when Nine had explained it, not when he had seen one in action. Yes, it wouldn't solve their manpower issue, but it would be a complete game-changer. Such equipment could give them the power to-.

“Another 2 months at least.” Giran's response had Pye deflate as Chimera looked less than pleased.

“They said it would just be a month last time.” He reminded their broker, as he had been the one who was in regular contact with the support builder they had commissioned for this project under absolute secrecy. They had to because it was one of the few things the pros had no reason to suspect they had.

If they had, they would have mobilized the entire county against them and maybe brought in foreign heroes to aid in their manhunt. Still, Chimera agreed with Nine that the sooner it was done, the better.

"Yeah, well, they were being idiots. You guys gave them a diamond egg and asked them to replicate and modify it; they didn't realise how hard that would be, as they needed to build just about each one from scratch. They've been contacting me to help source materials and tools, some of which aren't even regulars on the Japanese black market. I need to get in contact with people on the international stage, and you know, shipping and payments can be a bitch." Giran explained that he felt this would happen, but his ego can blind even the smart man.

“Of course, that would be an issue. I-island could probably just call and have what they needed loaded onto cargo planes and flown over by the next day." Pyre frowned, as that seemed like common sense to him. It was why he had been excited when they had heard the first estimate of when this would be ready.

"And unlike I-island, neither I nor my suppliers are what you would call reputable or legal, so we need to be especially careful with this stuff. After you all snuck back into the country, ports have been hotbeds for pros and cops." Giran reminded them that with some of their stolen goods already making it onto the black market, it was only logical that they were smuggled in, which made things harder for people like him.

Bribes, missing manifests, trade-offs of cargo out at sea to smaller boats that could then move to less-watched harbours or just beach in the middle of the night—all of them required time and a lot of money to pay for everything. And they couldn't be obvious about it either, else their assets within the system would be caught and replaced, or worse, flipped and start undermining things.

"Still, since they're making us wait, they can expect we're only paying 80% of what we agreed on," Chimera told him, to which the broker sighed.

"Can you raise that to 85%?" Giran asked?

Chimera grunted. "80% is me being generous; I could easily have said 70%. Ensure those idiots know we don't appreciate their egos, we want results."

"This will cause problems, but we can manage something." Giran could already hear the yelling, but yeah, it's not his fault they made claims they couldn't back up.

Line Break

Hmm, I won’t lie, this chapter was something of a difficult one to get done, as I had many ideas on how to work things now that we’re past the Shie Hassaikai arc, oddly enough when I started writing this, I was listening to River Anonymouz and then As it Was by Harry Styles, which gave me some good ideas to work with. Sadly, it’s a bit shorter as word crashed and I lost a good chunk, and I just didn’t have the energy to rewrite 2K plus of additional content, the entire thing was just a reminder that I need to keep manually saving my shit ever 5 to 10 minutes, as when I get into a good grove, that can slip my mind and lead me to this situation.

Line Break

Like I said, 2K words are missing, as they were the skeleton for the fight between Izuku and Pyre. However, as it was already late, I just couldn't get this done, not when I had lost so much time because Microsoft crashed on me.