"Oh? You actually walked up to me? Seeing all this and not running away, but coming straight over?"
Arthur looked at the middle-aged man, Giran, with a bit of curiosity. After glancing at the name on the business card, he casually flicked it away.
Giran didn't react, still smiling like nothing happened.
"I've actually been watching you for a while," he said calmly. "Figured I should let you know, the police and quite a few heroes already have their eyes on you."
"What do you want?"
Arthur narrowed his eyes slightly.
The only reason he'd been able to train like this was because criminals weren't exactly lining up to report themselves.
But nothing stays hidden forever.
That cop, Naomasa Tsukauchi, had already been watching him more than once. There was a good chance he'd picked up on something.
"Relax, don't get the wrong idea. I'm not here to report you," Giran said, waving a hand. "I just like dealing with people like you. Thought maybe we could do some business."
He glanced around, then smirked.
"Not really the best place for a chat though. How about we head somewhere more comfortable? My bar's nearby."
Arthur stayed silent for a few seconds, then dismissed The World back into his body and gave a small nod, signaling him to lead the way.
Under the nervous stares of the remaining thugs, the two walked deeper into the area.
---
Inside the basement of an abandoned building.
Once the door opened, Arthur saw a bar that felt completely out of place compared to the rundown streets outside. It wasn't flashy, but it was clean and well put together.
"What'll it be?"
Giran stepped behind the counter.
"The most expensive thing you've got."
Arthur didn't even hesitate.
Giran raised an eyebrow.
"Straight to it, huh. You're not exactly polite."
Still, he grabbed a bottle of whiskey from the top shelf, poured two glasses, and set them down.
"From what I can tell, you've been using criminals who won't report you as training dummies. Am I right?" Giran asked, holding his glass.
"Not bad. You've got a good eye."
Arthur didn't bother savoring the drink. He knocked back more than half in one go, making Giran pause for a second.
"It's not that hard to figure out," Giran continued. "But judging from what I just saw, you've hit a wall. You need stronger opponents, right?"
He shrugged lightly.
"Too bad. With All Might around, most criminals are scared out of their minds. The stronger ones keep a low profile. Hard to find anyone worth your time."
"Get to the point."
Arthur finished the rest of his drink.
"Alright, then I'll give you two options."
Giran raised one finger.
"First, I know a pretty interesting group. They're planning something big. Going after heroes… maybe even the Number One himself, All Might."
He smiled slightly.
"If you join them, you'll definitely get better practice fighting heroes instead of small-time villains."
The League of Villains, huh?
Arthur had already figured that out from the way he described it.
He let out a quiet scoff.
"Hide underground like rats and call that living? Yeah, no thanks. Sounds boring."
He wanted power, sure.
But he also wanted to actually enjoy life.
No way was he going to end up like someone like Toga, unable to even walk around in public.
Giran's smile twitched a bit.
"Heh… their boss has a pretty bad temper. If he heard that, he'd lose it."
Then he raised a second finger.
"Option two. I can introduce you to stronger targets myself."
"I've got information on all kinds of criminals. The real dangerous ones. I can sell that info to you."
He leaned forward slightly.
"Of course, I'll be taking a fee."
"Not a small one either, I'm guessing."
Arthur gave a dry laugh.
"Well, working with someone like you isn't exactly safe for me either," Giran replied casually. "So yeah, the price reflects that."
He pulled out another business card and slid it across the table.
"My private number."
"…Interesting."
This time, Arthur didn't throw it away. He picked it up and slipped it into his pocket.
"Before we go any further," Giran added, watching him closely, "what do you do with them after you're done 'training'?"
"Let them go."
Arthur answered without hesitation.
If they ended up arrested or seriously hurt, it would just bring unnecessary attention to him.
Up until now, he'd always held back just enough to avoid crossing that line.
Anything more would only cause problems.
Giran nodded slowly, then grinned, showing his uneven, yellowed teeth.
"Smart. I like that. Looks like we'll get along just fine."
Arthur gave a faint smile in return.
Seems like things won't be boring before U.A. starts after all.
Just as Arthur and Giran, who was obviously shady as hell, finished making their deal,
At sunset, on a quiet path with no one around,
All Might, in his skinny form, stood in front of Izuku Midoriya, who was on his knees crying. His expression was serious in a way Izuku had never seen before.
The setting sun shone from behind him, giving him an almost unreal, heroic glow.
"You can definitely become a hero!"
It was just one sentence, but for Izuku, it became everything. His goal. His reason to keep going.
If Arthur Pendragon were here, he'd realize something.
Everything was falling into place. All Might had still chosen Izuku Midoriya as his successor.
So in the end, One For All was never meant for him.
---
At the Yaoyorozu family mansion,
As a massive global enterprise, Mr. and Mrs. Yaoyorozu were rarely home. Family dinners weren't exactly a daily thing.
When Arthur got back, a maid informed him that Momo Yaoyorozu was still in the study and hadn't come out all day.
It wasn't until dinner that Momo finally showed up, looking exhausted, rubbing her temples as she walked in.
"Arthur-kun, welcome back."
The moment she saw him, she smiled softly, her usual refined, calm vibe still there despite how tired she looked.
"Yeah, I'm back."
During dinner, Momo excitedly talked about everything she had studied that day.
Arthur just listened quietly.
Guess he was getting used to it.
"Can you lend me some money?"
Only after she finally finished did Arthur speak up.
"Money?"
Momo paused for a second, thinking. Then she quickly got up and went back to her room. Two minutes later, she came jogging back and handed him a gold card.
"This is my saved allowance. There should be… enough in it."
Arthur had no idea what "enough" meant coming from her, but it should cover Giran's so-called "commission fee."
"I'll pay you back."
He nodded and put the card away.
"It's fine. You're already helping me train. I haven't even repaid you for that yet."
Momo clasped her hands together and smiled.
"Hurry up and fix your Quirk's weakness."
Arthur's tone was casual, but it was basically him acknowledging her. He wasn't brushing her off anymore like before. He actually meant it now.
Momo's smile instantly got brighter, and she nodded hard.
---
A new day began.
Izuku Midoriya left home at 4 AM and arrived at Takoba Municipal Beach Park.
"Alright! Izuku Midoriya, this is your training plan for the next ten months!"
All Might, now in his muscle form, dropped a thick training schedule in front of him.
Izuku looked at the packed schedule and swallowed. His nerves spiked, but so did his excitement.
"Please train me! I want to become a hero who saves people with a smile, just like you!"
All Might grinned, flashing those perfect teeth, and gave a thumbs-up.
"OK!"
---
That same day, on the other side of the city,
Inside an underground bar,
"I didn't expect you to bring the deposit this fast, Mr. Arthur. Since this is our first deal, I'll give you a discount. Just the base cost."
After deducting the money from Momo's gold card, Giran spoke with a wide smile.
"You're seriously calling a few million yen 'base cost'? That's insane."
Arthur let out a dry laugh.
"Hey now, don't get it twisted. This kind of business costs more than you think."
Giran typed rapidly on his laptop, scrolling through information at high speed as he continued,
"Anyway, based on what you asked for, your targets are all high-level criminals. The kind that can go toe-to-toe with Pro Heroes. These guys are dangerous."
He glanced up slightly.
"One mistake and you're dead. You sure about this?"
"If they weren't dangerous, I wouldn't need you."
Arthur tapped the table lightly, his tone impatient.
"Just find them."
"Relax, I'm getting there."
Click.
Giran hit Enter and turned the laptop around.
"Wanted Poster:
Name: Moonfish
Status: Death row inmate
Crime: Serial murder
Quirk: Blade Tooth
He enjoys killing and dismembering people in really messed-up ways.
His Quirk lets him turn his teeth into blade-like weapons. He can attack both up close and from a distance. Extremely experienced in combat. Recommended response level: top 30 Pro Heroes. Civilians should not engage under any circumstances."
The image showed a figure wrapped tightly in something like a sleeping bag, strapped down with belts. The whole thing made him look less like a person and more like some kind of cocooned insect. Only his mouth was visible.
"Top 30 level, huh…"
Arthur narrowed his eyes.
"Isn't that a bit much?"
Giran lit a cigarette and took a slow drag.
"If he was weak, you wouldn't be paying me."
Arthur tapped his fingers against the table again.
"Where is he?"
"Well…"
Giran turned the laptop back and typed for a bit longer.
"He's a total psycho. Can't control his urge to kill. Lately, he's been active in the mountains of Aichi Prefecture. Mostly at night. As far as I know, he hasn't left the area yet."
Whoosh.
Arthur stood up immediately, waved his hand casually, and walked out.
"Man, what an impatient client~"
Giran squinted as he watched Arthur leave.
Only after the door fully closed did he speak again, his tone dropping slightly.
"Pretty interesting guy, don't you think… Mr. Kurogiri?"
...
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