Arc 5: Hook, Line and Sinker

Tags: No sex, just lore.

"So everything inside the place was clean?" Lucius spoke on the phone.

"I wouldn't say clean, more like he was never there really" Yoshi responded, eating calmly at a restaurant.

"So he is given a house and doesn't use it?"

"I would say he comes and goes, but no, the place was dirty when I came in, and I left it even worse when I came out. I did notice that he had cameras hidden in his house, meaning that he must be tracking people trying to follow him. Also, my cover is up; he probably knows by now I am looking into him."

"That's troublesome."

"Apologies for not being more careful; being stealthy was never my forte."

"No, no, it's okay; I couldn't have asked anyone else... Have you at least found something incriminating? Nope... But in hindsight, nothing that clears his name either; he has absolutely nothing in his house that says he is just hanging around and having fun. He doesn't spend time in the house because he is probably out there busy."

"This has been more troublesome than expected; I shouldn't have listened to Sirli's recommendation to send Jack; I should've gone with my original option instead. But his dad also requested him, and then it was just too many votes against me."

"I think he is up to something bad."

"Afraid so; if he met with his dad, there is a chance he had been convinced to help him."

"I know Jack; he is not stupid enough to let himself get manipulated. The issue is that he is smart enough to manipulate others."

"Do you think he would hurt others?"

"Oh yeah, he has a huge hatred for Japan, especially the U.A. kids; he calls them the perfect showmanship of heroism and the equivalence of inefficiency. I believe he is like one of those followers for that number one kid. What was his hero name again?"

"Blackout?"

"Yeah, that one. I have heard what he has said before, and it's scary shit. He is practically promoting heroes to go out and start killing villains if they don't find a better way to deal with them, but any nutjob can interpret this as 'kill all villains,' which could easily translate into genocide."

"Do you believe Jack would kill someone?"

"Hard to say. I know I have been close to killing villains in the past before, but Jack is the type to avoid confrontation and bloodshed if possible. In his words, he likes to win; he doesn't like to be hurt in the process. Fighting is a hassle and a chore for him. Sadly, he had to train to become a better hero."

"A 'hero'" he said with a sarcastic tone.

"Yes. I am not sure what his end goal is."

"I can actually take a guess; if we assume Jack to be conservative to Nemo and also some sort of hatred towards U.A. inefficiency as how to deal with villains, I would say his goal is exactly that: end all villains."

"I doubt he would kill them, maybe hypnotize them all? Sort of like a lobotomy and reintegrate them forcefully back into society."

"Not a bad plan overall, but people would question it and think he is doing an army; he would be stopped immediately."

"So he had to be subtle."

"Now you are getting the idea. I am sure he could figure out how to do that subtly, but eventually, a mind-controlling quirk that is able to brainwash others and never gets found out? Nah, that's easy; someone will spot it at one point."

"Then be honest, do you think it's something else? Something stronger?"

"Hmmm, no."

"Then what is it, damn it?"

"It's nothing; I don't think he has anything yet, but that's the problem. The fact he is taking his long sweet ass time tells me something else is about to happen, and that's what scares me: the unknown... I guess I will have to face Jack on my own later, but don't expect anything from me yet; he is more patient than I am, and that's already troublesome. He likes to take his time to make sure his move is perfect."

"I heard a rumor about something Adam was doing; he was getting a lot of money out to buy something, but I'm not sure what."

"Then that's what we need to wait and see. What is he buying? And once we know, then there shall be no more need to wait. Let's just hope it's not as bad as we think. Jack is not crazy enough to go and take over the world and kill people, but it's that cold, calculated way of thinking that scares me. It's like he lacks all empathy for others and makes sense seeing his quirk."

"What even is his quirk?"

"Don't you know? Man, if I told you it was mind control or brainwashing, I would be lying to you—it's a bit more complex than that. Make sure to be patient since it might take a bit longer to explain than necessary, but let's say that Jack doesn't see himself much as a human..."

Location: U.A. Academy

"How are you feeling?" Ochaco and I were taking a stroll in front of the school after having lunch before resuming classes. Ochaco looked a bit pained after having sex with me.

"Sore"

"Sorry. I will make it up to you, thinking cheesecake for dinner, and then I will kiss you non-stop until you fall asleep."

"No need to do that, Jack." She tried to avoid my gaze as she was feeling a bit awkward after tonight.

"What's wrong?"

"Nothing, nothing, it's just... I am going to class with my boyfriend; it's weird to say that out loud."

"I mean, it's not that out loud. We are the only two people here; I could shout it if you want."

"Do not." She said as she thought I was going to; I was so happy to have her by my side. It was a strange feeling, but it was hard to say if I saw Ochaco as my equal or a distraction. Some part of me would hate the idea of playing with her feelings and hurting her; I suddenly went for a hug.

"It's okay; I will protect you no matter what." It almost felt like I was lying to myself, wondering if I was doing something bad to her.

"Protect me? What do you mean?"

"Hmmm, nothing but I love you, and I won't let anything harm you. Is that so bad?"

"Not bad, just a bit surprising to hear."

"That's nice..." I noticed Bakugo and Kirishima walking around the corner, so I let go of her. "Sorry, people are coming this way."

"Ah, maybe I should go this way so they don't get any ideas."

"Sure, I don't mind." I waved goodbye as Ochaco stepped away. I looked at Bakugo coming this way, and I grinned, but not a friendly smile, more like a smug smirk on my face; that surely got a reaction out of him; he was so easy to piss off.

As soon as they were close I decided to say hi to both of them... Well, almost. "Hi, Kirishima, spiky blonde hair guy" I said, passing both of them. Kirishima said hi back, but Bakugo, he didn't like my comment.

"Huh? What was that?"

"I forgot your name." I tried to act like he was someone easy to forget. "Apologies."

"Like hell you did! We faced each other at the sparring practice of heroes and villains hostages."

"I can remember that, but unlike yoru name all I remember is that you blew up your explosion so close to me that it almost killed me. Not very heroic, you know; and it would've also killed the hostage."

"That was a dummy!! That doesn't count!!"

"Nah, you guys are all strong and everything, but when it comes to real hero work that isn't fighting, you are all... Meh." I shrugged. "Not you, Kirishima; you are a cool dude, dude. And I loved you playing the villain part back at the exercise; sadly it was against Jirou, not much too see there, quite predictable if I am—"

"Stop thinking you can ignore me." I looked straight at him. Maybe I could use this to my advantage; I could feel some of my quirk remaining in his body, not enough to control him but enough to rile him up and get him even angrier; he was so easy to piss off.

"Look... Dekugo."

"HUH?! WHAT DID YOU CALL ME?"

"I forgot your name. Can you just remind me?"

"Bakugo just—" Kirishima tried to step in; that would be a bit annoying if he did. I need Bakugo to get even angrier.

"Quit it! He thinks he can just insult me because he beat me at a test?"

"Oh please, I am hardly insulting you. Don't act like a kid; I just said I forgot your name, and I did better than you at a single exercise."

"Not that, the hero stuff!"

"Hm? Oh... I mean, you haven't shown any good hero traits if I am honest."

That really got to him. "What was that? You really must want to die, right?"

"That's what I mean. What type of hero tells his classmate if he wants to die? Not only does it sound annoying but also edgy. I hate edgy talk shit; it's so cringe and makes me shiver to my core with embarrassment. Can I go now? I really don't want to talk to you."

"You think you are so much better than us, huh?"

"What? Of course not... So many better people than me at this place that makes me feel sad sometimes. Better than you at the very least because I am acting like an adult." My quirk was starting to get into his head; I needed him angrier, angry enough for a big enough event. Perhaps he uses his quirk illegally out in the open; that's my main goal.

"Then how about we test that out? No hostage this time."

"I give up; you win."

"Wh-what?"

"You want me to fight you? I won't fight you; you win; you are lucky, of course you are. You are stronger than me."

"All bark and no bite."

"What? Of course not. If you were like some random normal villain, sure, but you are a powerhouse; you are a walking bomb. Of course you win. Congratulations, you got better genetics than I did. You think that you being this powerful is because you trained? Nah, you are 80% genetics and 20% talent, but that's good, cause you can try and act as a hero from now on. We are lucky you are not a villain although, your language, behavior, everything; one would think you are the villain half the time."

He went quiet; that really got him. "So you think I am where I am because of my quirk?! I act the way I act because that's who I am!"

"Yeah. Like, come on, be honest, you didn't get here because you are talented; and saying this is who you are its a poor excuse for poor behaviour, you can always be better, you got here because of a great fighting quirk. Even the test for hero academy is a combat test. If you had the quirk of, let's say, the invisible girl or I don't know... Let's go with the tail guy, you wouldn't be here... Nope, nothing. Sorry, but that's the way I see it. You are prideful about your quirk because you deep down know you are here because of it. Now you can admit it, walk away, and be happy for your luck and know that you will do great as a hero, or talk to me about how you worked soooo hard and your quirk had NOTHING to do with your actual achievements and any quirk you had gotten, you would've done the same."

"Y-youuu—"

"Because let's admit it, to be a great hero, you also need a great quirk, which you have, but you are not a great hero; there is lots of room for improvement, which you will do in the future. I trained my ass and broke my bones to get where I am, you have no idea how hard is to fight things that could kill you in a hit because your body wasn't made to withstand their attacks" I made sure to get my quirk to the top and make him as angry as possible, but I noticed him touching his head, getting a headache. He might notice that I am manipulating him, so I stopped. "Anyways, you just do you; just stop acting like you are great and all that because you are not. Be humble and stop being so noisy too; I don't like hearing you scream."

"Hey!—"

"Yeah, like that. Behave like an adult, will you?" I walked away feeling like I got him angry enough to make him have a bit of a crash-out.

"Turn around."

"No, I already said, behave like an adult for the fourth time. Your behavior as a hero is terrible; you are a sore loser. You are instigating me to act to prove myself when I know you could kill me in a literal second if you wanted. Thank god you are not that crazy, just arrogant, or egoistical. And worst of all, I think everyone else just ignores that. I am not here to be bullied. What are we, kids? See you later. I am more than willing to accept an apology and become friends regardless." I was about to go the same direction as I noticed Ochako, who stood behind to watch what was going on. I smiled and waved at her, but then I sensed Bakugo behind me; he was going to give me one hell of a scolding, I am sure, but maybe I could impress Ochako in the process as well by humiliating him, right? Give him a good scare as soon as he touches me.

I felt my shoulder being grabbed; I was going to grab his wrist and throw him on the ground, an unusual judo move... Or that was the plan at least. As soon as I held his wrist, he felt pain. I'm not sure what got him to act like that, but he reacted faster than me; he had much better mobility and reaction time. He was stronger, much, much stronger than I would ever be... And in a flash of a second, light lit up my face, and I was hit with a small explosion, making me hit the ground.

"BAKUGO!" Kirishima screamed, seeing the scene.

"JACK?!" Ochaco rushed towards me.

Bakugo stood back shocked as to what had happened, he wasn't expecting that, much less I was. "Ugh! Damn it! He just grabbed me, and I reacted; it wasn't my fault!" Of course it wasn't; I was manipulating him. At the end of the day, that angry reaction was because of me playing with his mind... Still, he hit me with an explosion, an explosion that didn't let me recover instantly because I had fallen unconscious; he hit my right side, and I fell to the ground hard, making me lose any consciousness. "Hey, stand up! I am sorry, alright?" Of course no reply came because I couldn't speak.

"... Jack?" All three stared at me, as I was just there, on the ground, immobile. "Jack? " Ochako said as she noticed me not moving once more.

I was, of course, taken to the nursery afterwards.

45 minutes later

Aizawa would close the door to the nursery as I had just woken up and explained my side of the story to him, hoping that this incident doesn't end up with 'Spy more on Jack's life.' He would come close to the three students that were sitting outside of the door: a worried Ochako, a pissed-off Bakugo, and a nervous Kirishima.

"Jack tells me that you instigated him to a fight."

"Me?!" Bakugo stood up as Aizawa just raised his hand as if to calm him down. "He was the one who kept insulting me."

"He said that he insulted you right before you hit him with an actual explosion."

"I didn't think he would be that weak."

"That's the thing; weak or not, you are not supposed to use your quirk on others, much less after they tell you that you have a much more powerful quirk than his."

"I didn't know he was this weak—"

"Bakugo I am trying to solve this, as Jack said he wanted to press actual charges." Of course that was bullshit, but it would scare the shit out of the guy.

"Wait, what? For what? Because I hit him?"

"In his own words. He said that he is not sure how they deal with this stuff in Japan, but he isn't letting a grown adult hit him with a quirk just because he hurt your feelings and get away with it. I recommend you try and talk to him... Or get at least someone to talk to him since he didn't want to listen to me."

"I—But—" He looked troubled and more angry than usual. "I just—he suddenly grabbed my hand, and I just reacted. I saw he was going to hit me."

"I see... Did you grab him first?"

"I did, but what does that matter?" Aizawa would rub his forehead.

"Because if you hadn't, then sure, he was the one who initiated it, but since you engaged first by being aggressive, then asked him to fight with you even after he said he had no chance of beating you, then you kept instigating him to the point he may have said something insulting, then all of this could've been seen as a back and forth, but the moment you grabbed him, he thought you were going to hit him; he defended himself. You didn't. You were the aggressor this time." Bakugo realized that he had just said the same thing I told him. "However, Bakugo, I have to ask you, did you feel any different when talking to Jack?"

"What do you mean?"

"... Are you sure he didn't use his quirk on you?" Of course Aizawa was someone who wasn't going to let this pass as an accident, he wanted to prove that I had something to do with it.

"I am not—I mean, maybe?" While Bakugo tried to think of a way to get out of this, Aizawa turned to look at Kirishima.

"Kirishima I heard you two spar, right? How did Jack's quirk feel when you two fought"

"Uh—Uuuhhmm, well, it felt like really painful at first. I remember one time when we spoke, he said that he was just messing with my nerves, making me feel everything I was punching, like if I had some high increased sensitivity. Also, whenever I fought or thought, he kept whispering words to me as if to make me act a certain way, so maybe there is also that."

"He is right! On the training session with Bakugo, he was also saying commands to him with his mind power."

"Did he say something to you, Bakugo?"

"I-"

"No, he didn't" Ochako responded for him. "I didn't hear him say it, at least."

"No, Ochako is right" Kirishima also intervened. "Jack didn't say anything about giving him commands, not even a whisper; he was actually trying to disengage and leave on different occasions, but things kept escalating."

Bakugo looked angry as he knew that this was his fault... Not really... But still his fault in everyone's eyes, Aizawa has had enough and just sighed. "I will recommend you something, Bakugo; perhaps get your parents involved as well since they are the ones that come whenever you get a suspension or complaint. Try to get on Jack's good side so this doesn't escalate anymore. I am sure that with an apology he could go back on a lawsuit, okay? Last thing we need is a situation where the Nemo academy makes a formal complain to ours and it goes beyond just a normal lawsuit"

"Fine..." Bakugo would stand up pissed off at the situation but more about himself; he didn't feel like he was in control of his emotions back there, but this wasn't so different from the way he tends to act. He just didn't expect to hit me with his quirk; he was wondering if he should go back and say that he felt more angry than usual, but no one would believe that due to how he behaves most of the time. Perhaps it was better to let his parents handle this; he took out his phone and called up his mother, hoping she would help him fix this situation.