Ryūko felt the bile churning inside her. Her muscles contracted and the sour sensation ascended her throat, waking her from her deep sleep.
The Wild Wild Pussycat twitched in place, unable to see anything beyond the darkness.
That distressed her even more, but she quickly understood what was happening.
Limbs firmly tied, unable to move. Eyes blindfolded, her vision obscured. Weakness and dizziness, a constant roar in her stomach, a dry tongue. She had been taken down, captured.
Her nose couldn't detect any smell beyond that of her own fluids, her skin itched from the unknown time she had been tied up, her muscles protested from the lack of movement.
Wherever she was, it was humid and hot, enclosed, isolated. She heard no footsteps, no cars, no machinery, or sign of any other individual apart from herself.
She wisely decided not to dwell too much on the slightly damp sensation between her legs and the strong odor that permeated her surroundings. Wetting herself would be the least of her problems if she couldn't get out of this situation.
Unbeknownst to Ryūko, a mantle of darkness formed above her head, enveloping her in a second and changing her position in space.
One second, she was analyzing her circumstances, and the next, she perceived the slight change in air, the greater luminosity filtered through the blindfold on her eyes, and a variety of presences around her that exuded hostility.
—Pixie Bob, right?— a man spoke with an indifferent, bored tone, lacking any emotion. —You took longer than I thought to wake up. You even stained my floor with your urine, bad cat.
At his words, the woman's eyelid trembled, but she decided to conserve her energy. For now.
—Hm? I think the cat got her tongue— another individual commented, failing miserably in his attempt to add humor.
Light but measured footsteps approached Ryūko, the air filled by the presence of her captor allowing her to estimate his build. It wasn't necessary anyway.
The cloth over her eyes was removed abruptly, tearing strands from her tangled, dirty hair.
The sudden light source hurt her eyes, forcing her to close them and wait to adapt.
After a few seconds, she opened them again and looked with a defiant expression at the League of Villains, noticing the faces she hadn't seen before.
A slender man with hand-shaped accessories decorating his body, a massive, greasy fat man devouring her with his gaze, a thing made of dark mist wiping glasses behind a bar.
In the background, she also observed a blonde guy with a half-mask, consuming liquor as if it were water, while a terribly wounded man was dozing in a corner.
—What a fierce little kitty!— mocked a man with dark red hair and glasses, despite being indoors.
—It seems so. I wonder how long it will last— nodded the man with the hand accessories, whose little information Ryūko knew very well.
—Shigaraki. Man-Baby and leader of the League of Villains. Are you now capturing Rescue Heroes so you don't look so bad after being humiliated by All Might and his students?— the Pussycat said mockingly, smiling maliciously.
The pressure descended on her in a second, Shigaraki's bored posture transformed into one of contained aggression. A dangerous glint flashed in the man's only visible eye, but the Pussycat showed no fear.
—This one has a sharp tongue— Shigaraki commented coldly. Ryūko smiled wider in response. But Shigaraki's next words froze that smile.
—Ah, yes. The boy was too stupid and noisy, so I forced him to keep quiet. But let's put useless things aside— Shigaraki replied with a sigh of exhaustion, retracting the murderous intent somewhat.
—Pixie Bob, I need something from you. If you can help me, I'll let the boy go. If you refuse, he dies. If you can't do what I ask, he dies. If you lie to me, he dies. Do you understand now?
The Pussycat gritted her teeth in frustration, reluctantly tearing her gaze away from the boy. A look of contempt was directed at Shigaraki, but the Villain couldn't care less.
—What do you want?— she asked with a grimace, deciding to do everything in her power to save the boy.
—I want your teammate, Ragdoll— Shigaraki replied with a cold smile.
Meanwhile, at another location, a man with a robust build listened to the exchange between the Professional Hero and Shigaraki, drumming his fingers against the back of his chair.
All For One waited patiently. He knew what was about to happen, because that was how he needed it to be.
There were disturbances nonetheless. Things he didn't foresee, last-minute adjustments he reluctantly applied. Plans were rarely carried out in their entirety, but His plans were different.
As if stones that shouldn't be there had landed in his pond, sending waves that slowly distorted the image he had in his mind. He didn't like that.
He wasn't sure where these stones were, nor could he pinpoint the extent of such waves. But he could feel it. More than anyone, All For One had the feeling that some things were wrong.
Whether or not they would affect his plans was a matter of wait and see. It didn't matter how, or where, or when. In the end, The Demon Lord would triumph. That was a certainty for him.
In any case, he would make sure to leave a couple of contingencies for his protégé. All For One determined that Tomura would have very unpleasant moments the more he got involved with certain inexplicably talented brats.
Thinking about them made him lament internally. If he had been aware of their existence much earlier, he would have high-quality tools right now. On the other hand, there are many inconsistencies regarding the abilities of the Terumi siblings.
As the most outstanding students, and by a wide margin, the Demon Lord took it upon himself to investigate their backgrounds. The problem is that he found nothing.
They never set foot in a Dōjō, had no relationship with any Professional Hero until they enrolled at UA, and their adoptive parents' circle did not include heroes, police officers, or military personnel.
There were no incidents related to their Quirks, to the point that they were confused with people without Gifts. A normal life, few contacts, but all normal.
So why were they so strong? How did they learn to fight so well?
And what exactly is their Quirk?
Although All For One had many doubts, for now, he treated them more as curiosities for his entertainment. After all, the Terumi siblings would be a problem for Tomura, not him.
He only wished to obtain Ragdoll's Quirk before things continued their course.