Hunter Amongst Villains Prototype Scene - After Garou's Awakening

Yeah, here is another scene as an apology for being dead for a while. I hope this will entertain you guys.

It was a week after the global-live event. The one known as Garou had shaken the nations, so deep almost no one couldn't escape the impact. His victory over All For One and All Might was so overwhelming, that he became a prime target of all the nations. His power not something anyone can ignore, so every capable nation on earth either wanted to recruit him to their cause or kill him. The latter being nigh impossible as he single-handedly defeated every top ranked hero with ease. Every. Including All Might.

Within a certain office, in the main headquarters of the Police Force, seven officials, six sitting in a large rectangular ‘U’ shaped table while one stood in the center of them, were now discussing the topic of All Might’s and All For One’s defeat, the one responsible for them was the young man with no background whatsoever, after they finished discussing on topic of the Noumus. They received nothing interesting about those frankenstein abominations, be it their creation process or their origins.

“Now, let's move on to the main topic of today…” The only man standing then paused, as the other six sitting down held their breaths, with cold sweat trickling down their necks.

“Garou. The Quirkless Hero Hunter… we lost our Symbol of Peace because of him, and now he is on the loose hiding in the public. Here, I will cut to the chase. What can we do about him?” The man held the papers regarding Garou, which held as much information they could gather about the monstrous youth. According to All Might himself, Garou… held no Quirk. Eraserhead proved it by his defeat by Garou’s hand in a one on one, without even leaving his sights out of Garou till the very end. They don't know how to handle this individual, since it is the Heroes’ duty to arrest superpowered individuals. But, considering that not even they could handle it, what could mere policeman do? The man took down All Might with ease, right after taking down All For One.

“...what can we do? Arrest him? There's no way we can even hope to subdue someone like him…” One of them replied, his voice tired and without vitality.

“I… well, on the bright side… we managed to capture the boss of the villains… though, I would consider it a draw by injury.” Another one spoke up, in his attempt to lighten the mood.

“You idiot.” An older individual said as he rested his head on hand.

“We just lost our Symbol of Peace because of him.” He reminded. 

“Our Symbol of Peace has revealed his true form. Not only will that lower our staff’s morale, the villains… I am not sure about them. Garou is stated to not be a villain here, but a misguided soul… maybe we can turn him to our side?” One proposed a hopeful solution, one that might most effectively stabilize the peace.

“After all the damage that he done? According to law, he’s supposed to be behind bars for assaulting ONE hero. He took down the Symbol of PEACE. That’s an instant execution sentence there… under normal circumstances.” Another one said as they all sighed.

The monstrous man had left an impact on the world, as questions arose testing the foundation of the concept of Heroes in general. Garou had ‘woke’ the people up to reality. What he said is true. The world is not a child's show. There were parents even requesting their children to be returned back to their homes… and major criticism regarding the treatment of the Quirkers and the Quirkless. Garou brought the grounds for the people to wage a war of opinions regarding heroes and villain, one of them being that the Hero system gave birth to the villains haunting them today.

“...we would probably receive a lot of backlash if we do arrest him anyways. In the end, Garou did not kill our Symbol in cold blood… he is still human deep down there.” One said as the rest fell into a contemplative silence.

“...then what should we do about Garou?” Another asked a very difficult question regarding the one who cannot be captured.

“......keep an eye out for him. It's the best we can do right now…” 

The room fell into another silence, letting their decision sink into their minds, trying to accept the reality of their situation. They could not allow this to continue. They can no longer live with the ‘Villain Pickup’ anymore. Especially…

“Now, let us move on to the next topic. Shigaraki and his cabal…” They then changed the topic to the other, more manageable source of their problem. The League of Villains. Compared with Garou… they look so small. At least, they can be defeated through tactics and strategies.

Meanwhile…

“DAMN HIM!” The League of Villains all flinched at the cry of Shigaraki.

A loud crack echoed around the room as Shigaraki slammed his hand into the wall in frustration. 

“He stole it. We worked so hard for our goal. And he just strolled in and stole the spotlight from us.” Then the sound of neck scratching filled the room, with Shigaraki nails digging into the skin of his neck.

The air was tense. The gathered villains shared the feelings of fear and frustration. So much effort and planning had been put into murdering All Might. Their carefully laid plans had been effortlessly shattered by an outside force.

“Now now Tomura.” The voice of Magne broke the momentary silence to interject.

“I understand your frustration, but please, we should rejoice. There is nothing stopping us from going after All Might now.”

“No. You don’t understand anything.”

The bitterness in Shigaraki’s voice was obvious. The 

“What point is it in going after a used up goal? His death is suppose to be at the RIGHT MOMENT!” He slammed the wall even harder, this time his five fingers on the wall, disintegrating it into ash and dust as the particles crumbled like sand sifting to the floor.

“We are suppose to finish him at his best. To bring a message. His death is to SHATTER the Society’s system, yet, HE JUST WENT IN AND TOOK IT FROM US! A RANDOM NOBODY!!!” 

Silence took over the air, as his listeners let his words sink into their heads. A voice emerged from the crowd of assembled villains in response.

“Well what are we going to do about that?” Asked Toga, the blood-crazed high school dropout.

“..........” The leader remained in silence in front of the question.

“...isn't it obvious?” he then turned his head so suddenly, it was eerie to the villains watching in response.

“We go after him. And kill him before we present his corpse to the public.” 

The crowd remained silent for a moment, before mumblings of agreement began to pass around. Noddings of heads and vicious grins showed their enthusiasm. 

“There is a problem, however…” Kurogiri spoke up to his leader.

“...do we have any methods to kill him? Do not forget… he took down Sensei, and All Might afterwards. While taking down all the greatest pro heroes at the same time. I agree with your decision, but, we need a plan. How should we handle him?” He brought up a good point.

Magne, Toga, Dabi, Twice, and the rest paused in silence upon hearing the question. The image of Garou taking down All Might with ease was still vivid in their minds, dropping their aroused spirit back down into depression. They cannot imagine themselves even touching him. Can they even get close to the monstrous man?

“We’ll need to gather the strongest possible Quirks we can find. We’ll show him that scum like him can’t stop us.” 

Shigaraki stared at Kurogiri for a moment, his bloodshot eyes revealing nothing but a silent chaos of turbulent emotions.

“Make the calls.”

“...I will see what I can find from the Union… though no promises.” Kurogiri replied with uncertainty. As all he knew… All For One and All Might possessed the most powerful quirks. And they still lost.

Shigaraki stared off into nothingness, his thoughts filled with nothing but cold black vengeance. He does not care whether he somehow became a Quirk User or whatever. He is still human, and like every human, he can die. His death will be the sweet reward in place of All Might’s demise instead. He will bring the League of Villains to the top and pay Garou back for breaking Sensei, this he swore, and Garou will be his stepping stone.

At the UA High School…

The atmosphere in the school was one of sadness and despondency. Many students went about their lessons, moping around. The fact that so many Pro Heroes had been defeated, shattered more than a few students’ dreams.

The classes were quiet as the students silently took down notes. 

Some teachers had been replaced by substitutes as a few teachers were out of commision after the ‘Garou Incident’. Some classrooms were almost entirely empty as some students had clearly given up and stayed at home.

Nowhere was the despondent atmosphere stronger, than in classroom 1-A. The usual boisterous chatter and energy was gone from the room as each of the students sat silently in their chairs. Even though the classroom was full, no one said a word. The effects of recent events still echoed through their minds. Even the usually loud and aggressive Bakugou was silent, his face a mask to hide the turbulent emotions swirling inside. 

“E-everybody!”

The sound of a voice shattered the depressing silence as everyone’s heads raised and turned to the location of the voice.

Iida was stood up out of his chair, facing the class with a bespectacled face of resolve. The students turned to face their class president, all except good old Deku. His eyes were plastered to his blank notebook in front of him, his body trembling in his desk as he kept on muttering. 

“He's gonna test me… I'm going to die.” in a silent whisper to himself, picturing a demonic pitch-black Garou standing before him… and burying him inside an early grave.

“Do not let the pro-heroes’ defeat dull your spirits!” Iida shouted as he followed.

“All Might might’ve lost, but don't let his ideals die with his defeat! We are the successors to the next generation of heroes, don't forget that! We bear the banners of the next heroes in the new era, and I don't plan to let All Might down because of some guy who can't even become a proper villain!” Iida shouted.

Deku perked his head with fright upon hearing that. He looked left and right just in case Garou did not somehow hear him, and kill him with his bare hands.

“Yeah! We can’t just sit here and mope around!”

Yelled Kirishima as he leapt out his seat, a look of determination on his face.

Then, slowly, but surely, cries rang out one after another, replacing the depressing atmosphere with one of determination and possibly, even hope. 

A smile slowly spread across Izuku’s face as he looked around at his classmates. Now most of his classmates had stood up out of their seats. The faces of his friends were no longer blank masks of depression. 

“We will show this Hero Hunter that the next generation is not to be messed with! For we will not just let him take down our teachers and get away with it!” Iida added as Deku’s smile twitched.

‘Can we do that?’ Right now… no, definitely not. Especially if Garou decided to bust into this school, no one might be able to stop him. But they won’t just roll over and let him have his way. They may not be Pro Heroes, but there are still people they can protect.

Deku then recalled his conversation with All Might…

——————————————

Within a hospital managed by the UA, in a room where All Might was hospitalized and visited by Gran Torino and Deku… 

“.…hahhhhhhhhhhh~” All Might, in his skeleton form, let out a huge sigh as if a huge burden was lifted off his shoulder.

“That was so scary… I thought I was gonna die more than once… heck, I felt like I died a hundred times there.” he admitted to his friends and student.

Deku sweatdropped upon see his master’s face so tired and freaked out. It was… a first time for him. Despite his relief, Deku was still concerned. Garou had effortlessly defeated some of the top pro heroes. 

All Might’s skeletal face turned to focus on Deku.

“Izuku my boy, do not worry yourself. I’m fine.”

“B-but, you got so badly beaten!” Izuku retorted back, pointing at the obvious white bandages and the cast on his right arm.

All Might gave a small chuckle at Izuku’s reponse.

“When don’t I? Besides, if he had really wanted to, Garou could have finished me off many times.”

Silence filled the hospital room at the mention of Garou, only occasionally being broken by the rhythmical beeping of the heart monitor.

“…Toshinori…” Gran Torino spoke up next with a solemn tone.

“If you were in your prime, can you defeat him?” He asked a question, as if wanting to confirm something.

All Might’s jaw clenched as he considered it. He would absolutely have more of a chance. But absolute victory was still out of his reach 

“…no. Maybe if All For One and I teamed together, we might have a chance… but still…” All Might Then his fists clenched into tightened balls. His answer stunned everyone in the room into silence upon his answer.

“…are you joking?” Gran Torino might be old, and possess great wisdom, but even he couldn’t believe the words coming out of his former student’s mouth.

“You would suggest allying with that man?”

All Might quietly sighed and seemed to lie down further into his bed.

“Of course I would never ally myself with such a person. Victory is not worth the corruption of my values.” 

“But… if you say that allying with him might give you a chance… then…”

“…we would most likely still lose in the end. That's how strong Garou is. I can still see the danger exuding from him, as if he was wearing the robes of Death itself.” All Might admitted without hesitation, shocking the two into silence.

Deku’s grip on the edge of the bed tightened the more All Might spoke. If Garou could defeat All Might, what chance does he have? How was he to take up the mantle of the Symbol of Peace if Garou is out there?

“I think I might have done you wrong, my boy.” All Might said bringing Deku out of his thoughts.

“?”

“…if Garou follows through with his promise… you might have to face him later on.” All Might said as he chuckled nervously a little.

“!”

Deku’s eyes widened as he took this in, before his body visibly trembled with overwhelming trepidation.

“How could I possibly take him on? I’ve not mastered One for All like you!”

All Might’s face hardened sourly as he looked at his protege. 

“I don’t know.” All Might answered with words so blunt, it knocked Izuku’s world upside down.

“I don’t know how, but that guy managed to obtain a power greater than any Quirk we know. Much more than all All For One’s Quirk or One For All. I'm afraid… that my guidance might not be enough for you to defeat him. You will have to compensate for what I lack with your efforts, my boy. I am sorry…” All Might replies as Deku’s face paled even more, drool starting to leak out as his face was paralyzed from the sheer terror alone.

‘How can I actually defeat someone like him?’ Deku thought in terror. He saw the footage. From what he could gather from the Live Footage, Garou broke the speed limit of Quirks, the strength limit, and the durability limits. How could he even reach Garou’s illogical level? It’s like a newbie player fighting a secret raid boss with beginner level gear.

He will need quite some time in order to even last one second against Garou. He did not like his future at all. Instant death without any chance of resistance is the only outcome he could conclude. He wouldn’t even be able to take Garou in one on one combat. 

As he looked around at his now-enthused classmates and friends, he smiled. He wasn’t alone. Garou wouldn’t just be facing him, but all of the new generation of Quirk users. Just like All Might said. One person can’t change the world. 

The boisterous air in the classroom settled as everyone calmed. Slowly, one by one, they sat back down in their seats, no longer despondent. 

“That’s good and all, but how will any of us actually going to beat Garou?”

The voice of Bakugou cut through the hopeful silence, swiftly reminding everyone of what happened.

“I get it. You’re all trying to look at the positives and stay hopeful. The problem is that not one of us have any chance of even scratching that monster. Could any of you stand up to All Might? Even All Might was beaten by Garou.”

Bakugou’s harsh realism brought everyone’s hopeful optimism crashing back down to the earth. Every word he said was true. The top heroes couldn’t even touch the monstrous Hero-Hunter.

“...if we really want to beat him, we must either find his weakness or overpower him. Which is fucking impossible. What the fuck is that guy? One shotting Pro Heroes left and right like the grim fucking reaper? How is that fucker not Quirkless? Seriously?” Bakugou asked, his tone not as energetic and rowdy like before.

The other heroes gulped upon remembering the live footage. They couldn't even see Garou attacking All Might at that moment. It was as if Garou had ascended to a level that could be called a true monster. 

“Umu… does he even have a weakness?” Froppy spoke up. Silence filled the air, not even one voice spoke up to answer Tsuyu’s question. 

“…he should. There's no such thing as a man without a weakness…” Deku spoke up this time as he balled his hands into fists on his desk. He then started to think. What was Garou’s strengths? High speed, insane god level martial skills, and offensive power that trumps that of All Might’s and All For One’s… without effort.

“If we want to stand a chance at least… we should research his background. Or records of his activities before he defeated All Might. At least from there, we can get some kind of clue on how to beat him.” Deku explained as the entire class ‘ooohhhh’ed amazed by his proposition.

“Oh yeah. That’s is a crazy good idea!” Kirishima commented, nodding at the prospect of the research.

“It is a good start…” Momo agreed, convinced it could give them an edge over Garou.

As they chattered, the classroom’s sliding door slid open, the soft, shuffling sound of gliding wood alerting the students of their teacher entering. Aizawa entered the room with steady steps, but the students could tell by their homeroom teacher’s face that he too, was affected by the news of All Might’s downfall. The anti-quirk hero slowly walked to the center of the classroom, and silently stared at the class.

“...” A heavy silence dawned upon them.

“...hello, class. Glad to see you all after your summer break. To start off our reunion, I must say we couldn't be more glad to see you all safe and sound, back together again.” Aizawa broke the silent tension between them in front of their new dorms.

“As you are all aware, with the-”

Aizawa paused, almost visibly uncomfortable with the situation.

“-recent events, UA has decided to move the students into a grouped dormitory for the protection of the student body. ”

The entire class knew why UA was attempting to increase student security. After the ‘Garou Incident’, the media had been brutal in their criticisms of the heroes inability to stop the threat. It had been hard to avoid all of the newspaper articles and news reports. 

“However, we were still fortunate enough to still be allowed to retain the credentials to raise our students into fine heroes for our society, despite the backlash we received. Anyways…” Aizawa then looked at Midoriya, Yaoyorozu, Todoroki, Iida, and Kirishima. The five students flinched when their sensei glared daggers towards them.

“Midoriya, Yaoyorozu, Todoroki, Iida, and Kirishima. At that night, the five of you journeyed to that place to rescue Bakugou, didn't you?” Aizawa asked a rhetorical question, as he already knew judging from the faces of the five students, and the rest of the students as well.

“I will cut to the chase here. Had All Might not been forced to retire, then save for Bakugou, Jiro, and Hagakure, I would’ve expelled each and every single one of you.” 

The atmosphere of the outdoors grew heavy when the weight of his words sunk into each and every student’s heart. 

“The five who went go without saying. But the twelve who were aware and did not take action wouldn't be left unscathed as well. No matter the reasons you all possess, it does not change the fact that you all betrayed our trust. So I'd be grateful if you all restore that trust by going through the proper channels and hero-ing legally.” 

The students remained still, their ears drinking in each and every word they heard with importance.

“That is all! Now let's all go inside. And with a spring in your step.” Aizawa then turned around, leaving the students behind. 

‘Wait, we couldn't go in like this.’ Was what all the students were thinking after he left.