Dabi let go of Katsuki Bakugo's neck and I tugged on the strings in my hand that held the boy. He lost his footing and fell backwards, with his arms being pinned to his sides he couldn't catch himself and he fell flat on his back.

"Spinner, restrain his hands." Shigaraki commanded from the bar handing him advanced cuffs that would cover Katsuki Bakugo's hands and over his wrists.

"Get the hell away from me!" The boy yelled as Spinner approached him with the cuffs. Of course, we didn't care, nor did we listen.

I took my strings off of Bakugo as Spinner started restraining him.

I looked around, there were supposed to be twelve of us total including Kurogiri and Shigaraki, but there were only nine. When we attacked there were ten of us (not including the nomu); Me, Compress, Dabi, Twice, Muscular, Moonfish, Toga, Mustard, Magne, and Spinner. We were now down three, Muscular, Moonfish, and Mustard.

I turned my gaze to behind me in the corner where Compress stood. He was placing another mask on his face to replace the one that just broke. This mask had a bunch of straight black lines on it.

"You good Compress?" I asked walking up to him, "You just got hit in the face by a laser show."

"Don't worry, my dear, this old man has taken worse."

That was true, he had taken worse.

He placed his hand on his coat and compressed it to reveal his orange shirt and black waistcoat along with his green bolo necktie with a green oval-shaped jewel in the center. "How are you Puppet? I haven't talked to you all night."

"I'm fine, what about you?"

"A bit sore but I am otherwise splendid thank you for asking."

———

Shigaraki turned off the tv, silencing the news station that had been on.

"Heheheheheh, I'm so grateful to the media for all the free publicity lately." He turned to the chair that we restrained our prisoner to, "Right? Isn't it nice, Katsuki Bakugo?"
——

—Two days later: 8:20pm—

Everyone in the Vanguard Action Squad was instructed to lay low for the past few days. Now we had all been called back to the bar.

Most of us were standing around along the sides of the room, but Kurogiri was behind the bar along with Toga who was slouched over the flat wooden surface of the counter. I was standing close to the back wall of the room near the tv.

"I'll ask you one more time, Katsuki Bakugo; aspiring hero." Shigaraki asked from his seat at the bar, "Will you join the League of Villains?"

"Go throw yourself into traffic." The boy spat back with a grin on his face.

'This kid... I can see why Shigaraki wants him. Even in a situation as dangerous as this he still doesn't back down. That's an unhealthy habit, but a respectable habit all the same.' I thought to myself.

——

Kurogiri had turned on the tv again to a news channel and we began watching. It was a report following a press conference with UA high. Eraser Head was talking, and he just happened to be the homeroom teacher of class 1-A.

Shigaraki grabbed the remote from Kurogiri and turned off the tv again. "Isn't that strange, the heroes are becoming the bad guys. Seems like they're not dealing with this very well at all." Shigaraki said turning to Bakugo, "So much criticism, but everyone makes a mistake or two right? It's not like they're supposed to be perfect, modern-day hero's sure have it rough don't you think, Bakugo?"

"Once a hero receives payment to protect people, they aren't a real hero anymore. That's what Stain's actions taught us." Spinner jumped in.

"A hero in this current system only cares about money and glory. And since society buys into those idiotic rules, everyone who is deemed a loser is shoved aside." Shigaraki continued, "So we want to pose some questions; What is justice? Is this society truly fair? Soon everyone will be asking, that's when we'll know we've won, and you like winning don't you?" I could hear the smile in his voice as he finished his sentence.

Bakugo didn't react, he just glared daggers at Shigaraki.

"Dabi, let him go." Shigaraki commanded to the patchwork villain.

"You know he'll just fight." Dabi retorted.

"It's fine, we're recruiting him so we should treat him as an equal." Shigaraki said back, "Besides, he's smart enough to know he can't take us all right? After all, UA students are so clever."

I mean he had a point. Though the kid was clearly strong since he had won the UA sports festival, he was still in a confined room surrounded by a group of nine villains. It would take a miracle for him to take us all on and win. He was after all, a teenage boy.

"Hey, Twice, you do it." Dabi said to the villain next to him in a black and grey costume.

"Sure thing! No way." Twice immediately responded.

"Do it." Dabi shot back in a monotone voice.

"Aww man." Twice walked over to the chair Bakugo was strapped to and started to undo the restraints.

"I do apologize for such forceful methods. But please understand that we aren't some kind of unruly mob committing crimes without a third act in mind. We didn't kidnap you by accident." Compress spoke up from the corner of the room he was standing in.

Shigaraki stood up from the bar and my attention turned back to him. "Even though our backgrounds are different everyone here has suffered, because of people, rules, and hero's who try to hold us back. I'm sure you're the same."

Bakugo abruptly jumped up from the chair and punched Twice right in the face and the villain stumbled back onto the floor with a thud. The teen ran up to Shigaraki and blasted him with an explosion to the face causing his hand mask to fall from his face and to the floor with a heavy clunk. I was surprised the kid even had the guts to do that. I mean I knew he was fisty, but to blow up the leader of the League of Villains' face... that's just surprising. The kid had confidence in himself, that much was clear.

My vision of the teen was obscured by the smoke let out by his explosion. Though I couldn't see him I still prepared myself to use my quirk if necessary.

"Shigaraki!" Twice called out.

The smoke cleared and Bakugo stood there as he began talking, "I'm done listening to your endless talking. Can you not get to the point or do you just like your own voice? Basically what you're saying is you want to cause some trouble and you want me to join you." He glared up a Shigaraki, "Well screw you."

'This kid's going to get himself killed.' I toyed with the possibility of taking his soul, but that would be up to Shigaraki since at the moment he was in charge of the group.

"I like to win, I wanna win just like All Might. No matter what you have to offer me, that will never change do you understand." Bakugo said with force in his tone along with confidence.

"What if we offer you your life? I'm sure you would have a change of heart then." I said as I felt the edges of my lips pull up into a challenging smirk.

The room stayed silent for a few moments as Shigaraki didn't move or say anything. Had he snapped?

"He's trying harder than anyone in his pursuit to become the top hero. If the villains think they have a chance with him, then they are grossly mistaken, I can guarantee you that much." Eraser Heads voice came from the tv. When had that turned back on?

"We're doing our best with the intel we currently have available. I have no doubt the police will break this case very soon. We won't rest until our missing student is returned to UA." The principal of the school spoke. I could never get over the fact he looked like an oversized mouse/bear thing.

"Ha! Did you hear the teachers? They get me more than I thought." Bakugo said getting into a fighting stance lower to the ground, "I'll never join your league of bastards!"

He looked around the room at each of us, he was probably contemplating what his best move would be. "We may not be at camp but I'm still allowed to fight!" He yelled.

"He must've figured out he's important to us, what a clever boy." Magne said aloud.

"No, he's a fool." Dabi's laid back voice spoke.

"Let me stab him." Toga smiled from behind the bar counter.

"I want his soul." I sinisterly said. The only reason I didn't have his soul already is because Shigaraki hadn't given anyone the 'okay go ahead' to harm him.

"A clever performer would have acted like we were winning him over, now that he's broken character he's finished." Compress pointed out.

"I only do whatever I want to and I won't even pretend otherwise. And I'm tired of being surrounded by a bunch of lame-ass wannabes." Bakugo admitted.

My gaze flicked over to Shigaraki as his hand twitched and he lifted it up beside him.

"No, Tomura Shigaraki, be calm!" Kurogiri raised his voice as the mist around his head started to morph and stretch.

Shigaraki's hand stopped in an open position, "Don't lay a finger on him, any of you." He said in his raspy voice. The mist around Kurogiri's head rested back into its original shape.

Shigaraki picked up his hand mask from the ground carefully and placed it back on his face. "This hero... is still a valuable piece." He turned his head towards Bakugo, "I'm sure you would've listened to what I had to say. I thought you and I could come to an understanding."

"What, you think we're the same? Not a chance." Bakugo spat.

"Then I have no choice. The hero's said they would continue their investigation on our group so we don't have time to stand here and talk." Shigaraki turned around to look at the tv. The screen now read 'SOUND ONLY' in large purple letters. "Master, lend me your power."

"That is a wise decision, Tomura Shigaraki." A voice on the other side of the screen said.

"A master, I thought you were the boss around here, but you're a sidekick." Bakugo said mockingly.

"Kurogiri, Compress. It's time to put him back to sleep." Shigaraki instructed.

Compress let out a quick sigh, "I can't believe he's such a bad audience member, it's almost impressive."

"If you want me to listen then get on your knees and beg!" Bakugo yelled.

As Compress started walking over to Bakugo, an unexpected knock came from the door.

"Hello? I got a pizza delivery here." A male voice said through the door.

The entire hideout fell silent and everyone froze in place as all heads turned to the door, we were all equally confused. 'What?'

Suddenly the wall of the bar behind Spinner was blown in with a "SMASH!!!" All Might had had just punched his way through the solid brick knocking Spinner forward and caused Compress to fall back onto the floor.

"What the-?!" Spinner was clearly caught off guard, to be fair, we all were.

"Kurogiri, gate!" Shigaraki instructed the warp villain at a moment's notice.

"Preemptive binding..."

Kurogiri began to quickly manifest the mist around his head into a warp gate but was cut off by large wooden branches wrapping around him and shoving him against the shelves of bottled alcohol behind him. Branches shot out at each of my allies and wrapped around them, restraining them all.

Before I could react to what was happening, branches wrapped around my upper body and forced my arms in front of me before binding them together tightly and then completely covered my hands. My arms were now positioned in such a way that if I hadn't been double-jointed my arms would be snapped in half. With my hands covered I was unable to use my quirk, I was essentially quirkless at the moment.

"...Lacquered Chain Prison!" I turned my head to see a newer hero, Kamui Woods swing into the hideout behind All Might.

"Heh. That's it?-" Dabi began to activate his quirk but a blur of yellow and white came flying at him and kicked him in the head, knocking him out.

The blur turned into an old man, "Don't do anything foolish, it's in your best interests to cooperate with us."

"Just what I'd expect from a competent new hero... and a veteran pro who moves faster than the eye can see." All Might complemented. "You can't run anymore, League of Villains! Understand?!" All Might called to us, "Because we are here now!"

"Right after the press conference? They had this ruse planned the whole time!" Compress yelled out for the rest of us to hear. He was bound by Kamui Woods' branches on the ground and he could barely move when he tried to.

"Tree man you're hugging me too tight! Harder!" Twice yelled while Toga who was next to him whined, clearly in pain from the hero's branches around her.

The number five hero Edgeshot slid right through a small crack in the door, "One tends to neglect defense when they're on the offense but we came prepared, take a look." He unlocked the door's deadbolt and opened it to show a bunch of police in riot gear and holding guns.

"You're surrounded by the police, not to mention powerful hero's like Endeavor." Edgeshot revealed.

'Shit.' I cursed in my head. I felt a bead of sweat roll down the right side of my forehead.

All Might stood up straight and looked over at Bakugo, "Ah, you must've been scared, but you stayed strong. I'm sorry. You're safe now, young man."

I looked over at Bakugo, he had a look of what I could only describe as confusion, anger, and relief at the same time. "What?! I wasn't scared, not even close!" He yelled angrily in response to All Might's accusation. All Might simply just gave him a thumbs up.

"KUrogiri, warp over as many as you can!" Shigaraki yelled, his voice cracking as he spoke the villain's name.

"The nomu right?" All Might said, he didn't seem alarmed.

Nothing happened.

"What are you waiting for dammit?" Shigaraki growled at his right-hand man.

"I'm sorry, Tomura Shigaraki. The nomus were supposed to be in a fixed location but... they're gone." He hesitantly admitted.

"It seems you have a lot to learn Shigaraki, you're still green." All Might said as he walked over and placed his large hand on Bakugo's shoulder.

There was no doubt in my mind that Shigaraki took what All Might just said as an insult.

"Your little league, underestimated all of us; the soul of this young man, the polices diligent investigation, and our righteous fury."

'The soul of the young man... will be mine sooner or later.' I thought.

"Enough is enough. Your game has come to an end, Tomura Shigaraki." All Might said in a serious tone.

"All Might please! Your the only hero Stain respected, you are worthy!" Spinner pleaded from his restrained position on the floor.

'Shut up with Stain already Spinner!' I mentally yelled. Stain this, Stain that, it was getting annoying.

"You think it's over? Don't be stupid, I've only just begun to play." Shigaraki spoke angrily as he struggled in the branches that restrained him as he got up onto his feet, which also strained his voice, "Justice, peace, you created a garbage society by lifting up such ridiculous ideals. That's why I targeted you All Might, it's why I started gathering people to my cause. You think this is the end? Then you've lost."

"Kurogir-! huh?" Shigaraki stopped whatever he was going to say as something thin and red pierced Kurogiri's stomach, knocking him unconscious.

'What the hell was that?' I questioned, 'What did that thing just do to him?!'

"Aguh! What just happened, I couldn't see anything! Did they kill him?!" Magne yelled, I couldn't see where she was but her voice was near the far end of the bar.

"I played around with his insides and made him fall unconscious." A calm voice answered, it was Edgeshots voice, "Ninpo: Thousand Sheet Pierce. He was such a nuisance, he had to sleep."

"Weren't you listening earlier? You'll all be better off if you take us seriously." The old hero said, then he started to say some things that I didn't expect: Names.

"Kenji Hikiishi."

"Atsuhiro Sako." I looked over at Compress, I knew his real name but hearing it come out of a hero's mouth is concerning nonetheless.

"Shuichi Iguchi."

"Himiko Toga." That was Toga, no doubt.

"Jin Bubaigawara." Twice perked his head up, that must be his real name.

The old man continued to talk, "Though they had little time and information, the police worked through the night to discover your true identities. Do you understand? There's nowhere left for any of you to run." He looked directly at Shigaraki, "So Shigaraki, one question; where is your boss hiding?"

"No... this is not.. over..." I heard Shigaraki mumble, "Just you wait, the game is still mine!" He said louder.

"You'll tell us where he is right now." All Might pushed.

"Go away... disappear." Shigaraki said seemingly calm.

"Argh, Shigaraki!" All Might growled.

"THIS IS YOUR FAULT! I HATE YOU!" Shigaraki screamed angrily at All Might.

Just then on both sides of Shigaraki, two nomu appeared coming through a grey tar-like substance.

"Nomu! How'd they get here?!" Kamui Woods gasped.

More blobs of the tar appeared in the room.

"Damn it Edgeshot! Stop Kurogiri!" The old man yelled.

"He's still out, this isn't his doing." Edgeshot said back.

Nomu came out of each and every tar-like portal in the room, they all headed around us and to the heroes.

"Don't release them under any circumstance, got it?" All Might instructed pointing at Kamui Woods.

"Right!" Kamui Woods said back.

I looked over and Katsuki Bakugo spit out a large amount of the grey tar and it engulfed his body, "Crap-!" He said in a weak tone.

All Might noticed as well, "Bakugo!" He reached out to grab him with his arms but his arms clamped onto nothing. The grey tar had swallowed Bakugo completely and he disappeared seemingly into thin air.

"NOOO!!!!" All Might yelled angrily.

The old man and All Might began taking down the nomu.

"Master..." Shigaraki whispered under his breath. Actually, I'm not sure if it was a whisper if I was able to hear it.

I suddenly got the urge to gag as a weird thick substance filled my mouth. It tasted bland on my tongue and it had a texture of extremely watered down clay.

I couldn't hold my mouth shut and the same tar that had swallowed Bakugo started to engulf me, the same thing was happening to the other villains in the room.

"Stop them! Before they all disappear!" I heard the old man yell, but I couldn't see him through the tar covering my vision.

"Damn it!" I heard All Might yell, followed by the rapid footsteps of him running. "You won't escape Shigaraki! Take m-" Then his voice was gone as I was warped away by the tar.

The scenery changed, we were no longer in the bar. We were now standing in what was clearly a blast zone, there was rubble all around us.

I spat out the remaining tar that was in my mouth onto the ground. The rest of the League members were all here, every single one of them including both the unconscious Dabi and Kurogiri. I was standing in between Compress and Toga.

Spinner was on his hands and knees gagging.

"That was so gross!" Toga complained from beside me covering her mouth. I did agree with her, it was an unpleasant feeling.

"This black stuff reeks. I love it!" Twice exclaimed.

There was a man standing right in front of Shigaraki (who was on his knees), Bakugo too who was also there. The man wore a black suit and had a black mask with tubes all over it covering his entire head. I immediately