"To us, perhaps. But not to him." Kurogiri paused, his mist shifting as he recalled the intensity in the Hero Killer's gaze. "Luckily, this wasn't a complete failure. We have gleaned something valuable?"
"Huh? What's that?"
"The Hero Killer's motives." Kurogiri replied. "During the confrontation, I noticed something. Stain's philosophy is built on the elimination of 'fakes.' He views the current hero hierarchy as a garden of weeds that needs a scythe to cut down the rotten elements. In this regard, both of you may have something in common. You both want to see the fall of the current order of things."
Shigaraki looked up, blood trickling from his slashes. "So? How does that help us?"
"It means if we want to get him to work for us, we need to give him what he wants," Kurogiri proposed. "Stain is a fanatic. And fanatics cannot be recruited with vague promises of destruction. They must believe you share their vision, or at least that you can help them achieve it. Our previous discussion gave him no reason to join, and every reason to see you as exactly what he despises."
"Get to the point already. What are you saying?"
"I am saying we give him a target." Kurogiri moved behind the bar, pulling out a stack of profile cards—pro heroes ranked by public perception and popularity.
"Stain's ideology is clear: false heroes must die. Heroes who wear the title for fame, glory, and personal gain rather than true justice. If we want him to take us seriously, we must prove we understand his mission. We must give him a target he actually wants."
"Like who?"
Kurogiri spread the cards across what remained of the counter.
Then he tapped one card in particular.
Endeavor's stern face stared up from the pile, flames flickering around the edges of the photo.
"The Number Two Hero,"
"Precisely."
Kurogiri continued. "Endeavor is the pinnacle of everything Stain loathes. He is a man driven by legacy, rank, and a cold, burning arrogance. To the Hero Killer, Endeavor is not a hero. He is the ultimate 'fake.' A man who holds the highest office for the lowest reasons."
Shigaraki stared at the card, his scratching finally slowing down. The idea began to take root in his mind, blossoming into something far more twisted than a simple recruitment.
"If we lure him out..." Shigaraki muttered, a crooked, jagged smile spreading across his lips. "If we create a stage in a place where the Hero Killer is already hunting... they'll collide. It won't matter if Stain likes me or not. He won't be able to resist a chance to gut the Number Two."
"Exactly. We do not need his permission to make use of him," Kurogiri said, his yellow eyes glowing with a cold, calculated light. "We simply provide the opportunity. We unleash the Nomu to draw the pros into the street, create a spectacle of violence, and let the Hero Killer do what he does best. In the eyes of the public, the League and the Hero Killer will be seen as a united front—a single, terrifying force against the system."
"Whether Stain succeeds or fails is irrelevant to us. What matters is that the public we see both sides as one. That way, if he succeeds in killing Endeavor, the credit goes to us. With the name we make from killing the number two hero, recruitment of those more capable will be easier than ever. Even if it fails, it is irrelevant."
"And once his reputation has drawn others to our cause, once we've used him to destabilize hero society..."
He let the sentence hang.
Shigaraki's grin returned in full force. "...We kill him."
"Precisely."
Use him, manipulate him, milk him for all he's worth, and get rid of him once he's served his purpose.
The thought pleased Tomura to no end.
For the first time since the U.S.J. fiasco, the heavy weight of frustration seemed to lift from his shoulders.
"I like it," Shigaraki whispered, his index finger hovering just millimeters above Endeavor's face on the card. "He thinks he's a martyr, a 'real' hero... but he's just another NPC we're going to exploit to level up."
His red eyes flickered toward the corner where Rappa was still leaning against the wall.
"Rappa, get ready. We're going to Hosu. I want to see if the Hero Killer's conviction can stand up to a Nomu... or the Number Two hero's flames."
"Hosu, huh?" Rappa grunted, pushing off the wall. "As long as there's someone worth hitting, I don't care."
"Oh, there will be plenty to hit," Shigaraki promised. He turned back to Kurogiri. "Prepare the Warp Gate. If we're going to stage a play, we need to make sure the audience is watching."
___
The atmosphere in Class 1-A was a volatile mix of excitement and slight panic.
"Now that you've had time to think, let's begin the presentations!" Midnight announced.
"Remember, a name is a wish for the future! It's the identity the world will know you by. Who wants to go first?"
A heavy silence fell over the room. Students who were usually bursting with energy suddenly found their desks fascinating.
Choosing a name was one thing; standing in front of the R-Rated Hero and your peers to declare it was another. "I shall be the one to light the way!" Luckily, Aoyama had no such reservations.
"My chosen name is, I CANNOT STOP TWINKLING!" he declared, holding up his board.
The Entire Class: 'Seriously?'
"Interesting. It'll be easier to use if you take out the 'I' and shorten it to 'Can't Stop Twinkling,'" Midnight suggested adjustments.
The Entire Class: 'Hold on. That passes?'
"Magnifique!" Aoyama sparkled literally as he returned to his seat.
"Me next! Me next!" Ashido jumped to the front.
She bounded to the front and held up her board with a grin.
"ALIEN QUEEN!"
Midnight's face darkened. "You mean that horrible monster that spits acid? Absolutely not."
Asui came up next. "It's one I've had in mind. The Rainy Season Hero, Froppy."
"Excellent." With that, more and more students got up to present their hero names. Yuta however, still had his board blank. 'This .. Is gonna be difficult, isn't it?'
He wrote something down, the cleaned it off again for the thirteenth time. Not because he didn't have any ideas, but rather, he had too many.
'First choice. Atlas.'
It was one of those names he considered cool from greek Mythology. Too bad, greek mythology was also a thing here. It would sound pretty pretentious. 'Ashborn?' The thought barely emerged before he had to stifle a laugh. Too much of a solo levelling reference, plus his powers had nothing to do with fire or rising from the ashes.
Hard pass.
'Aizen?' That ... Was pretty tempting purely for the aesthetic. However, Yuta couldn't decide if that was what he wanted for his hero name.
It felt off to call himself Aizen without the matching powers.
Kage? Shadow. Simple, clean and very Naruto. Automatic points for coming from his favourite anime, but also... overused. Half the edgy heroes probably had "shadow" or "dark" in their Hero ID. And just like that, Yuta swapped through a dozen names.
Indra, Limit, Nerio, Arc, Darken, Wraith, Unbound, Winter, Ghost, Dark wing, Phantom, Red Wing, Locke, Darkeyes, Endless, Seer, Merlin ...
He had even considered Darkseid at some point, just for how cool it sounded.
None sat well with him for different reasons. 'Just what am I missing?' He watched as Kirishima went up with "Red Riot," a tribute to a hero he admired. It was a solid name. Meaningful, and direct.
It made Yuta realize he was overthinking the "cool" factor.
Most went for names with relations to their quirks. Uravity, Tsukyuomi, Grapejuice, Chargebolt, Anima, Earphone Jack.
Others went for their actual names. Shoto, Tenya, Deku.
Lastly,
"KING EXPLOSION MURDER."
The class was silent.
"I think that's a bit much." Midnight commented.
"HUH! WHAT'S WRONG WITH IT?"
'How did he not end up in jail throughout the series?' Yuta couldn't help but wonder. 'For someone who wants to reach the summit, he really acts more like a villain than .. ' Yuta paused. 'Hold on. That's it.'
"Alright then. Choosing names is going smoother than I thought it would." Midnight checked the time and smiled.
"The only ones left are Bakugo who needs to rethink his, Midoriya, and our new addition to the class."
Yuta just finished scribbling when Midnight's voice broke his trance. "You're one of the few left. Don't tell me the winner of the Sports Festival is having stage fright?"
The class turned toward him.
Bakugo, who had settled on "Great Explosion Murder God Dynamight" (which was promptly rejected), was glaring at him with his usual "die" energy. Midoriya looked on with curious, wide eyes, his own "Deku" board held firmly to his chest.
"Mr. Akutami. Are you ready?"
"Yes."
He climbed up the stage. Everyone's eyes focused on him, wandering just what his chosen hero name would be.
Even Aizawa cracked an eye open from his sleeping bag.
'Well, here it goes.'
Yuta thought as he placed the board for everyone to see.
"My chosen hero name is ..."
---
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