The next few weeks were a blur of relentless, brutal missions. Shira, was relentless. She pushed us to our limits, demanding improvement, and I threw myself into it, using the adrenaline and exhaustion to numb the ache in my chest.
Then came the briefing. The leaders of the other vigilante teams gathered in the dimly lit war room: Simon of Star, Kyu of Light, Kyto of Dead Eyes, Lexi of Diamonds, Avis of Purple Devils, Takai of Birds, and Jiax of Dragons. Each team, a specialized strike force within the larger framework of Dark Red but ours, X was the most dangerous, our team was trained to eliminate targets, and that included heroes. Despite our brutal training hero's were not our targets unless they became villains.
Shira, her expression as stern as ever, laid out the details of the next operation. Bigger fish, more dangerous villains. Villains who had to be eliminated. A spark of excitement flickered within me. Dangerous. Exactly what I needed. She also dropped a bombshell: the capture and impending integration of two League of Villains members.
"Stain and Toga," Shira announced, her voice devoid of emotion. "They've expressed a desire for redemption. They will be joining our ranks."
A wave of unease rippled through the room. Stain, the Hero Killer, and Toga, the blood-crazed maniac? Joining us? We exchanged wary glances. We weren't stupid. We knew to keep our guards up when dealing with villains, especially ones like them. I could see the skepticism etched on Kyto's face, the almost imperceptible tightening of Lexi's jaw. Despite the weeks of training and friendship we all have some sort of mistrust for villains in general.
The next few weeks were dedicated to integrating Stain and Toga into the team. Under Shira's watchful eye, we assessed their strengths, exploited their weaknesses, and drilled them on our protocols. Stain, surprisingly, was methodical and disciplined, his combat skills honed to a razor's edge. Toga, predictably, was…unpredictable. Her obsession with blood was unsettling, but she was also fiercely loyal and surprisingly insightful.
One evening, after a particularly grueling training session, we all sat around a campfire, the flames casting dancing shadows on our faces. Lexi, ever the peacemaker, broke the silence. "What made you change?" she asked, her voice soft.
Stain, his face illuminated by the firelight, spoke first. "I grew tired of living under false idols. I sought something…genuine."
Toga giggled, a disconcerting sound in the quiet night. "I just wanted to be a better person. I was tired of hurting people. I wanted to try…healing."
We talked late into the night, sharing stories, fears, and hopes. We didn't fully trust them, not yet, but we accepted them, tentatively, into our fold. It was nice. A fragile sense of camaraderie bloomed amidst the ashes of our past.
Change was in the air, subtle yet undeniable. The lines between good and evil were blurring, and we were all caught in the shifting currents. I left the campfire early, my mind racing. The world was changing, and I desperately needed to find my place in it.
I landed silently on Momo's balcony, intending to surprise her, to prove that I could be the man she needed. But the surprise was on me.
Through the window, I saw her. Wrapped in the arms of another man. A U.A. uniform. Someone new.
The world tilted. My blood turned to ice. Betrayal, rage, pain, confusion – a maelstrom of emotions ripped through me. Without a word, without a sound, I turned and fled.
I didn't know where I was going. All I knew was that I needed to escape, to escape the truth, to escape the agonizing reality of what I had just witnessed.
I ended up at the Kaminari's, Diamond would know what to do..