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My Hero Academia
Villain Denki Kamanari
The Fool
Denki cursed as he fumbled a cigarette. Notwithstanding his strengths he’s always been clumsy. He’d take any job with good enough pay but this one? It’s driving him insane!
“How’s it going Denki?” Dabi’s amused tone is frying his nerves.
He narrowed his eyes at the pyromaniac. “Shit.”
The dark-haired villain throws his head back and laughs. “I’m surprised you lasted this long. I would’ve burned everything down by now. But that’s why Shigaraki gave you the job and not me.”
Right. Because I’m pure sunshine. The Fool. I’ve always been. Good at accepting whatever is thrown my way. The sound of ocean waves crashing by a concrete dock quells Denki’s exceeding rage.
Dabi extracted his hands from his black coat pockets and snapped a small blue flame into existence. “Let me help you.” A new cigarette is offered and Denki grabs it. Blue-purple smoke curls in wispy loops.
Out here where hardly a soul wandered, Denki felt free. He’s no hero or villain. No useless dumbass. There’s no badgering teachers, frustrating exams, or jokes made at his expense.
His whole life nobody ever took Denki seriously and it pissed him off.
Darkly he wondered what all their faces would look like all electrocuted. Electricity is a deadly element as much as it is a life force. Living things depended on it biologically and technologically.
Ice-blue eyes gleam excitedly. “I can’t wait to see your work of art. I wonder what the body count will be.”
Kamanari chuckled. “It’ll be a glorious disaster. That’s for sure.”
One good thing about being perceived as the dumb friend in school is that nobody expects you to be smart. Denki isn’t a genius but he is extraordinary at his craft. He gathered vital info on every classmate in 1A and 1B. He supplied the data to the LOV and collected a fat paycheck in exchange.
Kamanari has always been emotionally detached from people. He is jealous of others. They smile kindly, are bubbly, and warm. He can act like them but he just doesn’t understand real happiness. The only time he ever experiences a duplicate of said emotions, he’s destroying things or torturing. Society has been a letdown, has left him empty.
He tirelessly worked hard to be a visionary, to be a hero, to be deemed worthy by the impractical expectations set by the world. But so many still mocked him. Why is everybody so obsessed about heroes? What makes them so significant? Sure, they have money and fame. But subtract all that and they’re just jerks with superpowers.
Inhale, exhale, and again. Denki freaks out at every mission. He’s screaming from the inside. There’s always something that throws a wrench in the plans. No matter how hard Kamanari tries to stifle his nervousness (or unbridled glee, he doesn’t know which), he always feels like a live wire. Running into a crusty yellow-tiled bathroom he pukes. Being surrounded by a stall makes the echoed sounds louder. The sharp bitter taste coats his tongue, a lurking sign of the dangerous mission he’s about to waltz into.
Am I afraid? Is Denki second-guessing himself?
All your friends will die, his brain reminded. Will you not miss them?
No. Why would he? They’ve been assholes since the beginning!
He pukes into the grey murky waters of a toilet. He didn’t eat for this reason. Can’t fight on a full stomach. He needs to be alert when fighting.
If Denki does survive, he’ll celebrate at a fancy restaurant.
Can’t change plans now.
Collecting up some courage he exits the bathroom and runs into a 1B student.
The male turns and waves. “Heeeeyyyy Denki. You look cuter up close. Not as much as Deku though!”
“Himiko?!” Kamanari whispered. “Stay in character! If we f---k up-”
She waved a hand and rolled her eyes. “I know. I’ll do my part flawlessly as usual. I’ll do anything to get close to my Deku!”
Denki sighed. Why’d he have to work with the craziest of the LOV?
Anxiously Denki glances at the clock. Every mechanical tick makes his heart race. Four minutes left.
He holds back his laughter. The shock and betrayal glinting in his not-friends’ eyes just before dying will be so funny! That’s what they get for being so hopeful and optimistic! The world is a shit place and heroes don’t make it any safer. It’s all a façade. It’s time for the heroes to be afraid of a new vision!
A deafening alarm silences Aizawa’s lecture. He calmly instructs everyone to leave the classroom and join the crowds in the corridors. Hundreds of people start exiting UA. Denki slips past into the frantic assembly of classmates and sprints down a hallway lacking any light.
Complete darkness surrounds him as voices of the masses slowly become distant. Eventually the alarm is cut and his footsteps ring solemnly throughout the building. Equipped with a breathing device and goggles he’s secured from pastel gas seeping in the air.
It’s a chemical with an aromatic yet pungently metallic flavor. Whoever breaths the gas will be knocked out. The body weakens and immobilizes, and quirks vanish temporarily. Like a snake’s fast-working venom.
Denki is able to easily navigate the halls. He could probably walk around blind since he had memorized the layout. Burning bitterness keeps his senses sharp. Nothing is going to stop him.
Coughing and screams for help lead him to the dorm’s hangout area. Sero, Bakugo, and Ojiro are trapped. Bakugo is panicking, trying to push the sofa as it landed askew on Ojiro’s legs. Sero is passed out from the pink-colored fumes.
“Shit shit shit! Why isn’t my quirk working?!” Katsuki flailed his arms, feeling like he was in quicksand. Even his lungs strained to inhale oxygen. All he could make are faint explosions.
“It’s the gas,” Mashirao wheezed.
Denki grinned and raised an arm. The gas would fade soon but the effects will still be active. Three…two…one!
Branches of electricity snap across the room and gave the two burns. Katsuki and Ojiro stare at Kamanari in shock.
“Did you just…attack me?” Bakugo’s voice tensed.
“Surprise!” Kamanari cackled.
Katsuki’s eyes narrowed angrily. “You bastard! Did you do this to us?! I should’ve known you were always a spineless extra!”
“Spineless? You wannabe heroes really are delusional and self-righteous! Unlike you I never wanted to be a hero. Being disappointed is a harrowing experience. I’m in this for myself.”
With a grunt Bakugo hurled the sofa at Denki. Quick reflexes saved him. The sofa exploded into sharp pieces. Kamanari set them ablaze and the fragments energetically glare.
Ojiro stirred, got up, and used martial arts to attack. Weakened by the gas, his punches and kicks are sluggish. Kamanari redirects them and zapped Mahshirao in the ribs. Ojiro clutched his side but it was too late.
His body smoked, charred. Like some sick slap stick cartoon. Death screams pierce the air.
For the first time in his life, Bakugo is intimidated. Scared. He miscalculated his foolish friend. The stench of death made him puke.
“You’re a dumbass, Denki! Why’d you throw your goals away?!”
“Because heroes are self-righteous. Ever since I got here, you guys treated me like shit,” his light mocking tone became dangerously bitter. “I’ve always hated heroes. Everything is handed to our so-called saviors and all they do is rub it in our faces how noble they are!”
Denki lunges with his electricity, swiping with dangerous speed. Katsuki knew fighting would be pointless at least for now, so he focused on dodging. Electricity rushes past his face too close for comfort. He must wait for the right moment to attack!
“You guys acted like I was your friend. But I heard all the shit you guys said behind my back! Especially you, Bakugo. That I’m slow. That I’d never be a hero. That my quirk sucks and would never be as useful as yours. That I can’t even pass the exams. But none of you ever guessed I failed on purpose. Your insults still sting though, even as I had to play my part!” Kamanari’s voice screamed like a swishing blade.
They end up swapping kicks and punches in a narrow corridor. Denki never dropped his sadistic smile. Bakugo never in his life expected to be fighting without his quirk. Maybe he relied too much on it. He’s unnerved by the double agent’s forethought.
One bone-breaking punch sends Bakugo into a counter. He’s winded and trying to draw oxygen. There isn’t much time. He grabs a knife and jumps at Denki.
Three swings miss. The fourth slashes Kamanari’s side and diagonally across his upper arm. Denki used the energy to his advantage and hit Bakugo squarely in his chest. Katsuki flies from the powerful blast. He lands and breaks a table. The red-eyed student’s muscles twitch as electricity scorches his nervous system.
“Mina, Kirishima, and Deku were the only kind people in my life. I’ll spare them. But you? The others? Won’t it be fun to stare death in the face when you visit hell?” Kamanari waves his arms, gathering amounts of electricity. The intense light cast eerie blue light and deep shadows on the villain’s features. “Do you know how painful it was being the extra friend? The placeholder? I had to carry all your guys’ supplies around like some loser. I was just a fun test dummy to torture! Now, it’s my turn!”
Katsuki tried to move but he screamed as he felt lightning latch onto him. Everything popped and shattered like a light bulb. His flesh is quickly scorched. The agonizing pain sidelined every other sense, sight, hearing, and thought. Bakugo turned into an unrecognizable charred bag of seared flesh and burns.
Outside, Himiko lead Deku and the others on a chase. When Izuku eventually tackled the disguised villain, he’s met with a knife to his throat. “Why’d you do this Neito?!”
He laughed. “To buy time.”
“What?”
“It’s me, dear Izuku!” His face melted away and Himiko smiled. She sighed dreamily. “Too bad. I wish I could just hug and stab you forever! I’ve done my part on this mission. But I’ll see you soon!” Swinging her knife crazily, Himiko is able to escape Izuku and run to a purple-colored portal.
Back at the dingy bar, the LOV watched the news with anticipation. A newsman stated the cost of damages and casualty count. Morbid and bloody pictures flash across the TV screen. Denki is missing and they believe he was kidnapped by the LOV. The villains laughed. UA staff probably didn’t want the city to think a student was the real culprit, and backstabbed them.
“Look at them! They’re unrecognizable! Those electric burns are your best work yet!” Dabi cheered.
Shigaraki seemed happy at this victory. “With your help the pro heroes and society will think twice before making fun of villains and our view of justice.”
Denki smiled, put his arms behind his head, and leaned back. “It wasn’t so bad. The payoff was worth it. Look how incompetent the heroes are! People will realize that they can’t rely on heroes anymore.”
“And that’s when we rise to destroy All Might and villains become the symbol of true justice?” Dabi asked.
Shigaraki smiled. “That’s right.”