Chapter Text
Crystalclear:
Hey Jokester
Are you sure about this?
Jokester:
Positive
I’m sending in Weightforce and Soundtrap
Crystalclear:
Yeah, yeah
Um
Who are they?
Jokester:
The fourth and eleventh
Refer to the manual
Crystalclear:
Okay
Cool
Still going to wear the regular outfit?
Jokester:
Yes.
There is a large possibility that you will meet them
And I would rather not have your identities be revealed
Crystalclear:
You got it, boss!
Recap on the mission: I’m going to scout out the Dark Poison, give the info to Weightforce and Soundtrap, and help them clear out the drugs?
Jokester:
Correct.
I look forward to the results.
[*] Thirteen-year old Izuku Midoriya leaned back in his chair, grinning with delight. In front of him, his screen showed the conversation between Jokester and Crystalclear, and he hummed to himself as he scrolled through the messages. With another grin, he clicked to another tab, this one showing a list of names, quirks, and basic descriptions.
Shoto Todoroki, First, aka Pairpiper
Gender: Male
Quirk: Half-n-Half, one half of his body is fire and one half of his body is ice. As Pairpiper, he uses both sides of his quirk to create steam to enshroud his enemies, then lowering the temperature to freeze his opponents.
Hitoshi Shinso, Second, aka Mindmeld
Gender: Male
Quirk: Brainwashing, whoever responds to his words will fall under his control. They will do anything he says until physical contact breaks them out of it. As Mindmeld, usually uses his quirk to make his opponents fall asleep, but will sometimes have his enemies attack each other.
Fumikage Tokoyami, Third, aka Blackmare
Gender: Male
Quirk: Dark Shadow, a sentient quirk that lives inside him and will do whatever he says. Loses control when in darker places. As Blackmare, uses his quirk to increase the strength of his attacks without anyone else knowing. Can also fly using Dark Shadow.
Ochako Uraraka, Fourth, aka Weightforce
Gender: Female
Quirk: Zero Gravity, whatever she touches with five fingers will lose all gravity on it. Has controlled it to the point where she can increase gravity as well. As Weightforce, she usually uses both sides of her quirk at the same time to keep things floating in midair and sending them off as missiles.
Momo Yaoyorozu, Fifth, aka Pentagram
Gender: Female
Quirk: Creation, she can create any substance as long as she knows the chemical makeup of said substance. As Pentagram, will use her quirk to make mainly gases that put her opponents to sleep. If that doesn’t work, she will create a jelly substance that hardens and traps her opponents.
Eijiro Kirishima, Sixth, aka Impenetrable
Gender: Male
Quirk: Hardening, he can harden parts of his body until they are almost unbreakable. Gives him extra strength? As Impenetrable, will only harden his hands to give them weapon-like abilities. He will also harden his feet while kicking to give him more strength.
Mashirao Ojiro, Seventh, aka Tailor
Gender: Male
Quirk: Tail, he has a tail that he can control on whim. Uses advanced martial arts in his own way. As Tailor, only uses his tail when no one else can see it as a surprise attack, and will fight hand-to-hand without the use of his quirk.
Denki Kaminari, Eighth, aka Stungun
Gender: Male
Quirk: Electrification, he can shoot electricity from his body in millions of volts. Doing so causes his brain to overload until he can't think straight As Stungun, will touch his opponents and shoot small amounts of electricity until the opponent is paralyzed without anyone seeing why.
Rikido Sato, Ninth, aka Forcebreak
Gender: Male
Quirk: Sugar Rush, depending on the amount of sugar in his body, he gains strength for the more sugar inside his body. As Forcebreak, will secretly put sugar into his mouth so his opponents do not know his quirk.
Hanta Sero, Tenth, aka Blackwidow
Gender: Male
Quirk: Tape, can shoot tape out of his elbows at varying lengths, can use them for capturing and movement. As Blackwidow, will string his tape into smaller widths and use them to capture his prey in a large spider web-like structure.
Kyouka Jirou, Eleventh, aka Soundtrap
Gender: Female
Quirk: Earphone Jack, has earphone jacks at the end of her ears that can grow and shorten, hear things through walls, and when played into speakers can play her heartbeat. As Soundtrap, will insert her earphone jacks secretly into objects and destroy them using sound from the inside.
Mezou Shoji, Twelfth, aka Kraken
Gender: Male
Quirk: Dupli-arms, has multiple arms that can grow eyes, mouths, and hands on the end of each. As Kraken, will cover up his arms and make them look like wings with moveable appendages.
Mina Ashido, Thirteenth, aka Venomqueen
Gender: Female
Quirk: Acid, can secrete acid from her skin that melts through almost everything. As Venomqueen, will coat her hands with acid so everything she touches will disintegrate but nothing else.
Tooru Hagakure, Fourteenth, aka Crystalclear
Gender: Female
Quirk: Invisibility, she is invisible and cannot turn it off, but can refract light to blind other opponents. As Crystalclear, will refract light from her hands to blind opponents in a single stream of light.
Tsuyu Asui, Fifteenth, aka Rainstorm
Gender: Female
Quirk: Frog, she has a frog mutation quirk which allows her to swim well, jump high, has a long tongue, and use an acid-like mucus. As Rainstorm, will quickly jump from walls to walls before attacking her opponent, making it look as if she had a speed quirk.
Yuga Aoyama, Sixteenth, aka Brightbeam
Gender: Male
Quirk: Naval Laser, can shoot a laser from his naval, quirk overuse results in a stomach ache. As Brightbeam, will send off a small array of shots as circles to make it look as if he had a gun-type quirk.
Tenya Iida, Seventeenth, aka Flashkick
Gender: Male
Quirk: Engines, he has engines built into his legs that excel his speed and power into his kicks. As Flashkick, jumps from wall to wall in the same way as Rainstorm to confuse his opponents.
Kouji Koda, Eighteenth, aka Spymaster
Gender: Male
Quirk: Anivoice, he can talk to and listen to animals, who will usually do what he says. As Spymaster, will secretly use birds and other animals to scout out groups before reporting to Jokester. He is rarely used in any combat missions.
Katsuki Bakugo, Nineteenth, aka Missile
Gender: Male
Quirk: Explosion, secretes nitro-glycerin from his sweat that he can explode on command. As Missile, will shoot a barrage of long-ranged explosions to give off the same effect as Brightbeam’s quirk, but with more damage.
The paper that Izuku was looking at had more information than that, including deep-level analysis on each quirk, basic descriptions, and costume descriptions. Izuku cracked his fingers before resting them lightly on the keyboard, watching words fly across the screen.
A small sound dinged from his computer, and Izuku took a small break from typing to check on the chat. It was another private one, but this time with Weightforce.
Weightforce:
Jokester?
Hey, boss, you there?
[*] Izuku frowned for a moment. The mission he had sent Crystalclear on shouldn’t have been done this quickly. Did something happen?
Jokester:
I’m here
Is something wrong, Weightforce?
Weightforce:
Umm, maybe?
You said you sent someone to scout out the Black Poison gang, right?
Well, I think they just got caught
Jokester:
Hmm, I see
You and Soundtrap head in
I’ll send in backup within the next minute
Weightforce:
Oh, okay
We got this!
We’ll report when we’re done
See you then, boss!
[*] Izuku relaxed slightly before switching chats, this time to Rainstorm
Jokester:
Rainstorm, you are still on patrol, correct?
Rainstorm:
Yes, sir
Ribbit
:)
Jokester:
:) to you too
I need you to go to these coordinates
Other members of the Quintessence need backup
Rainstorm:
Of course, Jokester
I'll be there in a moment
[*] Izuku rubbed his eyes and leaned back in his chair. It was late at night, almost midnight, and Izuku knew he needed sleep. The last few nights he had stayed up early in the morning to check on a few things, and he was starting to experience the effects.
Izuku pushed his chair out and slowly started spinning in circles, watching the ceiling. He knew that Rainstorm, Weightforce, and Soundtrap were reliable, but for Crystalclear to be caught wasn’t good.
His eyes lingered on a paper taped to his board that was currently covered in red strings. “Vigilante Group Quintessence On the Rise: Is This The Start?” it read in bold letters. The rest of the article was about Quintessence stopping multiple attempts of drug trafficking and the like, even going as far as to tell about the Quintessence’s smaller attacks. The article finally ended on the information they had on the group’s leader, the mysterious Jokester that no one had ever laid eyes on before.
Izuku couldn’t help but give a small chuckle. How the world would react when they found the leader of one of the most dangerous vigilante groups was a thirteen-year old boy. Not only that, but every one of the members was around the same age. Added to the fact that each person was completely anonymous to other members of the group, most people wouldn’t be able to wrap their heads around it.
As far as the public saw, the Quintessence was a major group with years of experience. They worked together in groups of three or four, and the groups worked together amazingly as if they were the same mind. No one had ever caught a member of the group, and most information they had to go off of was myths and red herrings.
Izuku slightly closed his eyes, hand resting on his desk. One eye in memories, the other checking the computer for any updates.
It happened two years ago. Izuku decided he was done with heroes, done with villains. Why was everything so black and white? Why couldn’t it be just as it was?
That was the first night Izuku went out as a vigilante, patrolling the streets where no other hero would be. Why did heroes choose who to save? Shouldn’t they save everyone? Shouldn’t they be like the heroes he had read about online and in the comics?
Izuku started patrolling almost nightly, and soon enough the vigilante Darker was a big thing. It happened on one of these patrols he met the first of the beginning of a new group.
He was around the same age as Izuku, with red and white hair and heterochromatic eyes. He wasn’t crying, but covered in bruises and cuts and hiding between two dumpsters. Izuku knew what that felt like; he experienced it almost every day.
Izuku knelt down next to the boy, mask in place. “Hello there. Are you alright?” he said gently.
The boy looked up. “Y-yes. I think so.”
Izuku gave a small laugh. “Those bruises and cuts tell another story. Here, let me bandage them up.” Izuku pulled out a roll of bandages from his pocket and started wrapping it around the boy’s arms. The boy looked up at him with confusion in his face.
“Why are you helping me?”
The question hurt Izuku more than he thought it would. “Because you need help, of course. I’m not just going to leave you here to get hurt.”
“B-but you’re not a hero. At least none that I know off.”
Izuku stopped bandaging the boy for a second. “What’s your name?”
“Shoto.”
“Well, Shoto, you don’t need to be a hero to help people. That’s a facade heroes put up to make themselves more special. Anyone can save anyone, it just matters if you are willing or not.”
“... All heroes I know say they are the only ones who help people.”
Izuku laughed as he finished bandaging Shoto’s arms. “Well, you know the wrong heroes. Trust me. I wouldn’t be here if I didn’t believe that I could help people.”
“You wouldn’t be in an alley?” Shoto asked, confused.
“No, I mean I wouldn’t be a vigilante.”
“A vigilante?”
Izuku patted Shoto’s bandages and sat down to get more comfortable. “Yep! They’re kind of like illegal heroes who help people without a license to take down villains. They help people when heroes aren’t there to do the job.”
“A vigilante.” Shoto whispered. “Yes. That’s what I want to be.”
“Sorry, what?” Izuku asked. “You want to be a vigilante as well?”
“Yes.” Shoto said, his eyes firmly looking at Izuku. “I want to be a vigilante. That is how I’ll help people.”
Izuku paused for a moment, thinking it through. After a few months of vigilantism, his mind had gotten much better at analyzing. “You know what? Sure. You can become a vigilante. We’ll team up.
“Team up?”
“Yeah, it’s actually more common than you would think. We’ll form a team and be vigilantes.”
“Let’s do that.” Shoto said. “Vigilante team. We’ll help everyone.”
Izuku smiled before standing up and reaching out a hand. “Of course we will. Welcome to the team, partner.”
-----
Izuku and Shoto called the group Quintessence, after the dark energy. It was only about a month in when they came across another boy covered in scars in a darkened alley. He said his name with Shinso, and he had a villainous quirk. It didn’t take long for him to join after meeting Izuku and Shoto.
Slowly, but surely, the group started to grow. The only problem was that Izuku never told anyone he was quirkless. He was sure they would be fine with it, but he had to be precautionary.
He told the group that he wouldn’t be going on patrols anymore. Instead, he would be the team strategist and help them all from behind a computer. The group, nearly seven members by then, was a little skeptical until Izuku hacked into the target gang’s security cameras and led them through the easiest takedown ever.
Izuku changed his name to Jokester, and he faded into mystery (he never ended up telling others his personal name, so no one really knew). Due to Shoto’s backstory, Izuku made it a new rule that each member was to remain completely anonymous, in case something from their personal lives came up. He helped regulate any new members and make sure that masks were worn around each other.
Soon enough, ‘Jokester’ became the leader of the vigilante group Quintessence. Shoto and Shinso, the first people to join, kept on finding new recruits and soon the group had twenty members. Each member had a personal life and didn’t know any of the other members. They would go on patrol twice a week and sometimes group up to take down larger gangs and criminal groups.
They had been doing this for two years now, the newest member joining them around seven months ago. Izuku had asked Shoto (or Pairpiper, because of his quirk) to stop recruiting more people. Really, twenty was a lot to handle even if Izuku wasn’t on the field.
The fifth member, Momo Yaoyorozu, had helped create most of the group’s costumes and weapons. Izuku would sometimes make support items for those who needed it, like Aoyama, but would mainly stick to helping the members train their quirks, get stronger, and work better with others in their group.
Which is where they were now.
Another message dinged from his computer right before Izuku started to fall asleep. He jumped up, rubbing the sleep out of his eyes and pinching himself to stay awake before hurrying to see what the message was.
Weightforce:
Mission cleared!
The drugs (mostly trigger) are in the warehouse
You can send someone to pick them up now
Jokester:
Good job! Tell the others good job as well
Is Crystalclear okay?
Weightforce:
A little bruised
Apparently some guy ran into her and knocked her out
But she’s fine now
Jokester:
That’s good
You and the others can go home now
The police can handle it from here
Weightforce:
You got it boss!
By the way, thanks for the tips about training in martial arts
They were really helpful
Jokester:
You’re welcome :)
Have a nice night
Weightforce:
You too!
[*] Izuku clicked out of the private chat and entered a new one. He quietly giggled to himself, wondering how he should start the new chat.
Jokester:
I CAUGHT the weasel!
;D ;D ;D
Tsukauchi has entered the chat
Tsukauchi:
Excuse me?
Who is this?
Jokester:
Hmm, let’s see
I’m a genius
I have a great sense of humor
Oh, I’m also the leader of the Quintessence, Jokester!
Tsukauchi:
I should have known
Why are you texting me on this chat?
You usually text me on a different one
Jokester:
Just wanted a reaction ;)
Tsukauchi:
I see
And what do I owe the pleasure?
What did the Quintessence do this time?
Jokester:
You know the Black Poison group, right?
Tsukauchi:
…yeeeeesssss
And what does that have to do with anything?
Jokester:
We took them down!
Drugs (trigger, really) and everything
All in the same spot as normal
The abandoned warehouse?
Tsukauchi:
So you are leaving us another ‘present’?
Jokester:
Yep!
Tsukauchi:
………
Go to sleep
Tsukauchi has left the chat
[*] Izuku laughed to himself. He was really glad to have started texting the detective as their ‘insider’ at the police station. Of course, he was constantly trying to track them down and arrest them, but that was just a fruitless game of cat and mouse. Izuku had made sure the Quintessence were too good to get caught.
But still, the detective’s advice was good. Izuku really needed a good night's sleep. Living on coffee and ramen didn’t help.
Izuku powered down his computer and snuggled into bed. He was asleep before he had finished pulling the covers over himself.
-----
Izuku yawned, stretched, and sat up in bed. It was a few days after the Black Poison incident, and the event had been reported all over the media. “Quintessence Strikes Again!” and “Black Poison Stopped by Famous Vigilantes” covered the newspapers. While Izuku was going on a walk, he purchased a newspaper to read what they thought about it.
“Dangerous criminals? Should be handled carefully if seen with a member of Quintessence?” Izuku laughed. “Who do they think the Quintessence are, villains?”
“Oi, Deku!” Kacchan snarled, walking up to Izuku. Izuku jumped when the blonde boy suddenly appeared.
“Oh, uh, hey Kacchan!” he stuttered.
“Whatcha reading, nerd?”
“J-just the newspaper, Kacchan! Nothing more!” Izuku said, showing Kacchan the paper he had purchased.
Kacchan looked over it, especially looking at the Quintessence part. “Tch. So you like the vigilante group?”
“Yes! I think they are amazing! Being able to save people like that! Using their quirks in ways that the police can’t catch them! They’re so cool!” Izuku said excitedly. Ever since Kacchan had joined the Quintessence, Izuku realized he had actually started to get… almost nicer. As if saving people had started having an effect on the angry pomeranian.
“Tch.” Kacchan tsked, sulking away. “They’re just criminals.”
Izuku blinked. Usually Kacchan would use his quirk the tiniest bit when meeting up with ‘Deku’. Maybe joining the Quintessence really was a good thing for him. And of course, Jokester also made sure the Missile acted nicer around the other members of the group.
Izuku pulled out his phone to check the time and realized that if he didn’t hurry, he would be late. He hurried home and changed into different clothes before heading out again. He walked a few blocks down the street and entered a small bookstore.
“Ah, Midoriya, I thought you would be late today!” the cashier said, an older lady with a kind face.
Izuku smiled. “Nope, Satko-san. Just got lost in my thoughts.”
“Like every good dreamer.” Satko laughed. “I’ll handle the front, I need you to start rearranging shelves. They got hit by a tsunami when the middle school kids came in.”
“You got it, Satko-san!” Izuku said, rolling up the sleeves to his work uniform and starting to get to work. He started rearranging shelves, slowly making his way through the bookstore.
Inko Midoriya had been working overseas for nearly three years by now. She would sometimes send him money, but only enough for Izuku to survive. He knew she worked tirelessly everyday to earn money, but sometimes that wasn’t enough.
When she had left to start working overseas, he had started applying for odd jobs around town. Babysitting, cleaning, helping with groceries and the like helped him earn money to buy anything he might want.
Finally, after a while of helping out at the bookstore, Satko-san had offered him a legitimate job which he gladly accepted. It was fun and flexible in case he needed to go out as Jokester in a moment's notice.
Hours passed, and Izuku found himself waving goodbye to Satko before exiting the store. When he got home, he shed his work clothes and pulled on Jokester’s outfit. For some reason, he found comfort in the slightly tight black suit and full-face mask that looked like a galaxy.
Izuku fell into his chair and wheeled towards the computer. He got onto the group chat with every member of the Quintessence.
Jokester:
Everybody, I would like to propose a meeting
Tonight, 10:00, at this location
Pairpiper:
You got it
I’ll be there soon
Flashkick:
Is there any reason?
Not that I’ll miss
Jokester:
Just a celebratory party of sorts
And I would like to talk about a few things.
Is everyone in?
Mindmeld:
I’ll be there
Everyone else:
^
Jokester:
Perfect!
See you all there!
Remember to wear your masks!
[*] The sun had already set, so Izuku had no problem slipping out of his apartment and creeping through the shadows to get to the meeting place. It took him longer than he thought it would, but he was still the first there.
He dragged some crates over to make makeshift chairs and arranged them in a half-circle with another one in the middle. Finally, he sat down on the lone crate and waited.
Flashkick was the first to arrive, which wasn’t surprising with his engine quirk. Soon after, everyone started filing in and picking random spots to sit.
Izuku tapped his mask and activated the voice changer that Pentagram made for everyone. “Is everyone here?”
A chorus of agreements followed. “Alrighty, let’s get started!” Izuku said. It felt weird to hear his voice be technologically altered. “First of all, congratulations to Crystalclear, Weightforce, Soundtrap, and Rainstorm for taking down the Black Poison group.” Everyone politely clapped.
“And thanks to the rest of you for patrolling the other nights. If you wanted some statistics, we have taken down 72 larger groups, nearly 200 small-time gangs, and over five hundred one-time criminals all within the last six months. Mind you, that’s more than 95% of what heroes accomplish in three years.”
“Woo-hoo!” Impenetrable whooped, wearing the same voice changer. “We’re amazing!”
“Yeah! We’re helping way more than most heroes are!” Venomqueen cheered, also wearing a voice changer.
Izuku smiled from underneath the mask. “Quintessence is growing into one of the most famous vigilante groups in Japan. With our fame comes even more supporters and followers who are saving people in their everyday lives. We’re almost like a new Symbol of Peace!”
“But I still have a few things I need to address. Number one, I know that most of you volunteered to join Quintessence because you wanted to save people, with a few exceptions.” Izuku saw Weightforce, who had joined for money, and Brightbeam, who had joined to get better at his quirk, slightly lower their heads. “But whyever you joined, you’re still here, and you are still making a difference. The manual I sent out doesn’t tell anything about your names or ages or personal lives, but do know that we still care about them. If you have any questions, you can ask them now.”
Flashkick raised his hand high into the air. “What would happen if we got hurt while on patrol? Our… friends and family will most likely notice a wound like that.”
“Good question, Flashkick.” Izuku nodded. Right now, he felt as if Quintessence was like a volunteer charity work rather than an illegal group sending hundreds to jail. “If you were to get hurt, Pentagram would help heal you with her quirk. I also know someone who could heal you, but I would rather not have to resort to that.”
Weightforce gave a small laugh. “Of course, Jokester knows everyone.” she said quietly.
“The second thing I wanted to talk to you about is… a bit harder to swallow. I have information on the next target except that it is much more gruesome than the others. If you don’t want to hear, and would like to stay out of this mission, please raise your hand.”
Nobody raised their hand. “It is incredibly dangerous and might get you killed. Also, this isn’t a trafficking problem. It’s human experimentation.” Izuku added.
Immediately the atmosphere dropped. The Quintessence had never taken on something like this. They usually did drug trafficking or small-time criminals.
“A-are you sure?” Tailor asked hesitantly. “Do you think we’re ready for that?”
Blackmare nodded. “I can feel the darkness from here. We’re in for a chaotic time.”
Izuku took a deep breath. “If you don’t want to do it, that’s fine. I know we haven’t handled something like this before. But after everything we’ve done, I believe you are ready. And if we don’t do this, no one else will.
“I’m in.” Pairpiper said abruptly. “I’ll do it.”
“Pairpiper, are you sure? I mean, we could get killed.” Blackwidow said.
“Positive.” Pairpiper said firmly. “I joined to help people. Not to leave them helpless.”
“When you say it like that, I’m in as well.” Mindmeld said. “People can’t say I’m villainous if I save people no one else would.”
“I’m in too!” Impenetrable said. “This is way too manly to pass up!”
“You extras are going to get killed.” Missile scoffed. “I’ll come, but only to try out my moves.”
“I’ll come, ribbit.” Rainstorm said. “If people need our help, I’ll be there.”
“I’m in as well!” Weightforce said.
“I will come!” Flashkick said.
“Mi amour, why wouldn’t I come? It wouldn’t be very bright if I didn’t.” Brightbeam added with a small pose.
“There’s no way I’m missing out on this opportunity!” Venomqueen said.
Slowly, everyone chimed in their thoughts. At the end, everyone had agreed to come.
“Okay.” Izuku breathed. “We’ve all agreed. But I’m not going to talk about it today. We’ll have another meeting in two days.”
“What? Why?!” Forcebreak asked. “Why can’t we learn about it today?” A loud murmur rose from the rest of the group.
Izuku coughed into his hand to silence them. “Yeah, about that. The first reason is that I want you to be able to sleep tonight. What I’m going to say is… horrifying, to say the least. And second is because we are being watched.”
A gasp rose from the group. Izuku raised his voice louder to be able to be heard from the group. “Eraserhead, you can come down now.”
In the darkness of the warehouse, the Quintessence heard the sound of rushing air and something landing on the ground. A moment later, someone stepped out of the darkness.
He was in his middle-thirties with dark black hair and covered the front of his face. He wore rough black clothes and carried a large gray scarf around his neck.
“How long have you known I was here?” the man asked, exasperated.
“Since the moment you came in.” Izuku said slyly. “Quintessence, I believe you already know him?”
“Oh yeah!” Crystalclear laughed. “I meet him at a lot of my patrols.”
“Hey, Eraserhead! Long time no see.” Mindmeld greeted the visitor.
“I know him.” Spymaster said quietly.
Kraken extended an arm that grew a mouth. “Yeah, he almost arrested me once.”
“Hello to you all as well.” Eraserhead drawled. “Mind if I ask what you’re doing right now? I usually meet you on patrols.”
“Just a family-friendly meeting.” Pairpiper said nonchalantly.
“Uh-huh.” Eraseahed said doubtfully. “I know just about all of you… except for you. Who are you?” Eraserhead asked, pointing to Izuku.
Izuku took a low bow. “It is a pleasure to finally meet you, Eraserhead. I am the one they call Jokester, the leader of the Quintessence.”
To say Eraserhead wasn’t surprised would be lying. “Wait, you’re the leader of the Quintessence?” he sputtered.
Izuku laughed. “Don’t be so surprised, Eraserhead. Yes, I actually exist. Surprise surprise!”
“I just have never seen you before. What are you doing here?”
Izuku tilted his head. “I usually meet with the Quintessence during meetings like this. I just make sure they’re more… private than this one.”
Eraserhead sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose. “I should tell you that the police are on their way. I informed them of this meeting.”
“Then that’s our cue to leave!” Izuku said. “Quintessence, we will meet again. Make sure to not get caught while going our separate ways.”
“You heard the boss.” Stungun said, standing up and stretching. “See ya later, Jokester.”
“Hey, ‘Raser, don’t try to follow us, kay? We won’t do anything illegal.” Weightforce added as she exited the warehouse. Slowly, all the members left until it was just Eraserhead and Izuku.
“Well, Jokester, I would be lying if I told you I thought I would meet you tonight.” Eraserhead started.
“I know, most people say that.” Izuku said sheepishly. “But hey, don’t beat yourself up about it. Most of the Quintessence have only seen me a few times.”
Eraserhead scowled, probably confused about what Izuku had just said. Oh well, he wasn’t going to stick around long enough for the pro hero to find out. Izuku saluted the hero goodbye before exiting the warehouse. He grabbed the grappling hook from his belt and fired, feeling the wind against his hands as he flew through the air. Behind him, he could hear the cop cars pulling around the warehouse and got a peek of Eraserhead talking to them.
Izuku swung his way home using the grappling hook, silently sliding open his bedroom window before crawling through. He landed quietly on the carpet, looking around at his walls covered with paper and red string.
“Eri…” he whispered to himself. Shaking his head, he jumped onto his bed and went to sleep.
----
Shota sighed, burrowing his face into his capture weapon. It was one in the morning and he was still sitting in the dingy chair at the police department.
“Tell me again, you saw who?” Tsukauchi asked for the millionth time, scrawling down on a notepad.
“Jokester. I saw Jokester. The infamous leader of the Quintessence.” Shota said, also for the millionth time.
“And what did he say? Look like? Act like?”
“He says he usually meets with the Quintessence during meetings like the one I caught them in. He was short, maybe a tiny bit taller than five feet. He wore clothes that covered everything, including a full face mask that looked like the galaxy. He had a voice changer on, so I didn’t hear his real voice. I mean, every member of that freaking group has a voice changer on, so it’s not surprising. He acted relaxed and jokeful, which might be where his name came from. I don’t know, something about him was different. He looked relaxed, but I could tell he was alert the entire time. And he noticed me the second I came in, which isn’t something regular people can do.”
“A quirk, maybe? The rest of the Quintessence has shown quirks like that, even if they aren’t pointing to their real identities.”
“I don’t know. He just acts differently from the rest of the group. And something he said really threw me off. He said “Most of the Quintessence have only seen me a few times”. What’s that supposed to mean?” Shota sighed again. “I really hate this group. Everything about them is a mystery, and we’ve gotten no closer to figuring them out from two years ago.”
“Not totally true.” Tsukauchi said, still scribbling down furiously. “You’ve actually seen Jokester, which is a major step up. And Nezu is working hard on figuring out their quirks.”
Shota snorted. “I don’t think I'll be surprised if even Nezu can’t figure it out anymore. Their strategy is top notch, as if the little rat did it himself. And I’ve seen their quirks for themselves. The way they use them isn’t regular.”
“What do you mean?”
“Well, take Pairpiper for example. I could’ve sworn he had a steam quirk, but sometimes I would see little shards of ice after him. And sometimes I would see small bursts of flame, as if he has three quirks or
something. And Weightforce, I used to think she had a gravity quirk until I once saw her fight with debris floating around her, as if she had a telekinesis quirk. Mindmeld could have a sleeping quirk, but I’ve seen him turn villains against themselves as well. It’s just… weird. They’re purposefully using their quirks in ways we can’t catch them.”
Tsukauchi rubbed his forehead. “I know. For Pentagram, I’ve gone through every quirk listing for making gasses, but I can’t find a single match. Not only that, but the jelly she uses is a completely new substance. They’re making it seem as if they have multiple quirks.”
“I’ll talk to Nezu about that, he’ll take those quirks into consideration.” Shota said. “But for now, I need to finish my patrol.”
“You got it.” Tsukauchi said. “But before you leave… thanks for the info. And if you find any more of the Quintessence, make sure to question them, or bring them in if you can.”
Shota nodded. “Yessir.”
------
Jirou had no idea how she was in this mess. She thought that this patrol was going to be like every other one: criminals every now and then, but mainly her waiting on the top of a building for something to happen.
But she was not expecting Eraserhead to show up.
They had met a few times before. He mainly just helped her with the criminal and then she would disappear. That was the extent of their encounters. All except the one tonight.
Jirou was patrolling as Soundtrap, a member of the Quintessence. She honestly didn’t mind the name, plus she was able to choose the costume she patrolled in so there were multiple bonuses. She had joined the Quintessence a little less than a year ago, after Stungun had saved her from a mugging. Jirou was infinitely glad for that (even if he was a little brainless at times), but she didn’t know who he actually was so there was little way for her to repay him.
Jirou sat at the top of the building, her jacks plugged into the cement beside her. She was listening for any sounds coming from all around her- a scream or shout, gunshots, even the sound of someone getting tossed to the floor.
Finally she heard it, the unmistakable sound of a knife being pulled from a sheath. Her jacks zipped back towards her ears and she was off, flying down the fire escape, although she could also say she was mainly falling instead of flying.
Jirou raced around the corner and ran straight to a criminal holding out a knife to some random victim. She rammed into the criminal, catching him off guard and making him stumble a few steps to the side, dropping the knife.
Jirou straightened back up, hands up and ready to fight. “A vigilante, eh?” the criminal growled. “I won’t let some wannabe hero stop me.”
Jirou slowly crouched down and picked up the knife, keeping her eyes trained on the criminal. “I’m not just any vigilante.” she said confidently, the voice changer hidden in her full-face mask on. “The name is Soundtrap. Recognize it?”
The criminal scowled. “Yeah, I know it. You’re part of that Quintessence group, right? You’re all bark and no bite. I could take you easily.”
Jirou’s jacks slithered around her arm, making sure to keep out of sight from the criminal. They plugged inside the handle of the knife and played a few of her heartbeats. Immediately, the knife shattered in multiple tiny shards, falling to the floor. The criminal watched in disbelief, not seeing the jacks return to her ears.
“Do you want to say that again?” Jirou asked coolly.
The criminal snarled, leaping forward and swinging their hands. Jirou nimbly dodged, inserting her jacks into the criminal’s shoes. The criminal howled in pain as his shoes burst apart with a single heartbeat, his feet turning red from the deep sound.
“You’ll pay for this!” the criminal bellowed. Jirou got back into a fighting stance as multiple chains fell from the criminal’s arms. A quirk? Jokester had taught her to analyze most quirks, so it wasn’t entirely new. By the looks of it, he couldn’t control them and could only release them from his skin. With the possible use of trigger, he might be able to control them. Better end this fight quickly.
Jirou lunged, grabbing the criminal’s arm and twisting around, slamming his back into the floor. At the same time, she inserted her jacks and destroyed one of the chains. The criminal screamed in pain.
“I didn't want to hurt you. But you’re going to the police.” Jirou said. She inserted her jack into the criminal’s arm and instead of playing her heartbeat, simply played the sound of her teeth grinding. The criminal’s eyes rolled back from the sound and he passed out.
Jirou dropped his arm, standing back. She pulled out a small length of cord and dragged the criminal to the nearest pole where she tied his hands together.
“Are you hurt?” she asked the victim, an older lady. The victim shook her head hard.
“Good. Get home before anyone else tries to steal from you.” Jirou said. The lady struggled to her feet before running off into the lighter and more popular streets.
“Good fight.” someone said. Jirou turned her head as Eraserhead landed near her. “You’ve got some skills, Soundtrap.”
“So, you know it was me.” Jirou said. “Good evening, Eraserhead. I thought your patrol wasn’t until tomorrow?”
Eraserhead shrugged. “I have a different assignment tonight.” he said before his capture weapon whipped out, entangling Jirou. She gasped in surprise as the scarf tightened.
“I have orders to bring you to the police.” Eraserhead said, his hair floating and his eyes glowing a demonic red. Jirou felt her jacks slacken as Eraserheads quirk took control. He sighed. “You have the right to remain silent, yadda yadda ya.”
Jirou glared, not that he could really see it. “I’m not going to the police. Jokester will kill me if I get arrested.”
The scarf tightened, and Jirou sucked in a breath. Wow, that capture weapon was a lot stronger than she thought it would be. “Jokester is also on our list. Every member of the Quintessence is.” Eraserhead said. Jirou saw his eyes turn black for the slightest second, and that was when she struck.
Her jacks played her heartbeat in a second. It may not have destroyed the scarf, but it definitely slackened it. Jirou wiggled out of the weapon before turning on her heel and sprinting away. She grabbed a flash bomb from her belt and threw it at the floor. From the following “ow”, she guessed Eraserhead hadn’t looked away.
Jirou turned onto a popular street, pushing through all the people walking the streets. She could hear Eraserhead close behind, a little slow for the fact he was nearly blind.
Jirou tapped on her comm. “Quintessence. Quintessence, come in!”
“I’m here, Soundtradp.” Jokester said immediately. “What’s the problem?”
Jirou hissed as the capture weapon sliced through the air, barely missing her and entangling a poor bystander. “Eraserhead’s out of control. He’s trying to bring in every member of the Quintessence.”
“Affirmed.” Jokester said. “Kraken, Tailor, stop your patrols and help out Soundtrap. I’ll send in Flashkick and Pairpiper to help you get away.”
“Hear you loud and clear!” Tailor said.
“We’re on our way.” Kraken added.
Jirou turned a sharp right, heading into a small alley. She ran up some crates and jumped onto a dumpster, not stopping as she ran and leaped forward, barely catching the bottom of a fire escape. She scrambled up the stairs just as she saw Eraserhead shooting out his weapon, missing her by inches.
“Stop trying to arrest me!” she yelled at the pro hero.
“Stop trying to run away!” he responded.
Jirou gritted her teeth, climbing to the top of the building. She realized her mistake when there was no other way to get down. The other buildings were too far away to jump.
“You’re cornered, Soundtrap.” Eraserhead said, landing on the edge of the roof. “Just give up quietly and get arrested. We don’t need to fight.”
“I am not getting arrested. I have a very important meeting I need to go to tomorrow and I’m not gonna miss it.” Jirou said snarky. “Why are you trying to arrest us anyway? You’ve never tried before.”
“Detective Tsukauchi has some questions he needs you to answer. Plus, what you’re doing is illegal.”
“You never had a problem with that before.”
“I’m trying to help you, Soundtrap. One of these days your luck will run out and you’ll get hurt. I’m just trying to make sure that doesn’t happen.”
“I don’t need your he-” Jirou said before cutting off. Something whistled through the air and buried itself into her arm. Immediately, she felt woozy and dropped to her knees. Out of her peripheral vision, she saw a small red dart. Sedative?
Jirou weakly lifted her hand to her comm. “Soundtrap reporting out. Cancel the mission. I’m going to get arrested. Sedative.” she said.
“Soundtrap, wait. Are you sure?”
“Pretty… sure.” she said sluggishly as Eraserhead walked up to her. She fell to her hands and tried to keep herself up.
“Tailor, Kraken, follow her from a distance. Track where she’s going. Flashkick and Pairpiper, stand by.” Jokester ordered.
Jirou closed her eyes, and darkness washed over her.
------
Jirou woke up and blinked her eyes. Where was she again? She groaned and sat up, wincing as pain shot through her arms. Her hands were handcuffed to the table she was sitting at. No one else was in the room.
Jirou gasped and sat up. Right, she had been arrested! She was at the police station, sitting at the interrogation table. Thankfully, her mask was still on her face. With the way Pentagram had made them, no one would be able to take it off without the help of another member of the Quintessence.
“Soundtrap? Soundtrap, can you hear me?” a voice crackled in her ear.
“Jokester, thank goodness! They didn’t take my comm.” she sighed in relief. “I hear you loud and clear. Do you know where I am?”
“Police station at [<><><>] street. Don’t worry, I’ve employed a few members to keep watch. We’ll get you out soon.”
“Roger. What time is it? How long have I been asleep?”
“Only around a half hour, so around 11:30. Tsukauchi has been busy with the criminal Eraserhead brought in, but he should come to interrogate you soon. Don’t tell them you have a comm, but I will tell you what to say.” Jokester said.
Jirou rested her head on the table, being careful not to put any strain on her arms. “Thanks, boss.”
“You got it,” Jokester said, his voice suddenly dropping until she could barely hear. “Kyouka.” Oh right, he knew everything about them. She had told him everything about her when she had first joined the Quintessence.
The door creaked open, and a man in a trench coat and fedora walked in. “Hello, Soundtrap. Pleasure to finally meet you.”
“I can’t say the feeling is mutual.” Jirou said sarcastically, rattling her handcuffs. “I’m literally tied to a table.” Truth.
The detective coughed. “Yes, well, we had to make sure you wouldn’t escape before we questioned you. My name is Detective Tsukauchi. Are you going to tell me your real name?”
“Say no. His quirk is Lie Detector, he’ll be able to tell when you’re lying.” Jokester said.
“I don’t think I will. The whole point of ‘secret vigilante persona’ and all that.” Jirou said. “Just call me Soundtrap.” Truth.
“Hmm. Alright then, we’ll begin the questioning. When did you first join the Quintessence?”
“About the time you were saved by the Quintessence.” Jokester said.
“Around the time the Quintessence saved my life.” Jirou repeated nonchalantly. Truth.
“Which was…?”
Jirou tried her hardest to tap her chin, which was a lot harder with handcuffs on. “Oh, a time ago. Eight months? Nine? Or was it past a year?”
The detective sighed. “Can you tell me who the other members of Quintessence are?”
“No.” Jokester told her.
“Nope!” she repeated. Truth.
“And why not?” the detective asked.
“Their identities are the first and foremost secret.” Jokester said.
“Oh, because our identities are the most important and first secret we have. It’s like, rule number one. Don’t tell anyone our real identities.” Jirou said, shrugging her shoulders. Truth.
“You’re being really tough, you know that, right?” the detective asked.
“It’s like my job. I act like this everytime I’m around Stungun. But he’s a certified idiot, so that’s not saying much.” Truth.
“Stungun?”
“Oh yeah, he’s another member. He saved my life a few times. He’s really funny but honestly not the sharpest tool in the shed.” Truth.
“Good job, Soundtrap, keep him talking. Crystalclear and Blackmare are moving in.” Jokester said.
“And then there’s Missile. He’s like, an angry pomeranian. Seriously, he gets mad at everything you say. Oh, and then there’s Blackwidow. He’s pretty chill. I always thought his quirk was cool.” Jirou said. Truth.
“His quirk? What is his quirk?”
Jirou stared hard at the detective. “I can’t tell you that. Jokester told me not to. And I follow what Jokester says.” Truth.
The detective shuffled the files on the table, placing a heavily marked one at the top. “What do you know about Jokester?”
“Uhhh….” Jirou stalled.
“Just say you know nothing. It’s the truth.” Jokester supplied.
“Honestly, I know just about nothing.” Truth.
“Nothing?”
“Nothing. Like, every time he’s around us he wears that galaxy mask. And he’s got the voice changer Pentagram made for him as well. I don’t think I’ve ever seen his face. He usually stays behind a screen and helps us that way.” Jirou said. Now that she was thinking about it, she really did know nothing about Jokester.
But if she could rewind time and had to choose again, she would be right back here in a heartbeat. Jokester cared about her. The Quintessence cared about her. They didn’t even know her and would still risk their lives for her. Sure, her parents loved her, but that was nothing compared to the Quintessence. They were usually gone on business trips and the like. The Quintessence were more like family to her.
“You don’t know anything about Jokester.”
“Nope! I haven’t even seen him ever go on patrol. He stopped about a month before I joined.” Truth.
“A month? That’s around the same time Darker stopped.” the detective quietly mused, writing everything down in the file.
“Flashkick, Pairpiper, stand by.” Jokester said suddenly. “Don’t move.”
“What’s wrong?” Pairpiper answered.
“I’m coming in. I have a few things I need to speak about to the detective. Spymaster, send some birds around to scout out the area. Not too much, others will notice. Pairpiper, on my count create a steam block and spread it through the entire police station. Pentagram, do the same from the other side.”
“Affirmed.” Pentagram said.
“Stungun, Blackmare, and Crystalclear are in charge of getting Soundtrap out. Leave the detective to me.”
Jirou listened quietly as the Quintessence planned out what would happen. The detective was still writing down in the file before setting down the pen.
“Thank you for your time, Soundtrap. It was almost a waste. You’ll be escorted to your cell until we can figure out how to get the mask off, in which you will be tried for breaking the law.” Tsukauchi said, standing up to leave.
“Don’t let him go!” Jokester hissed.
Jirou jumped to her feet. “I don’t think so, Detective. You see, my friends need you to stay here.” Truth.
“The Quintessence?” the detective asked, right before the lights flickered out.
Jirou slipped her jacks into the chains at her wrists and quickly destroyed the handcuffs. She could hear a group of people entering the room. Tsukauchi tried to say something before his words were cut off.
“Soundtrap, it’s me, Crystalclear.” someone whispered in her ear. “Did you hear the plan?”
Jirou sighed in relief. “Yes. Let’s get out of here. Leave the rest to Jokester.”
“Stungun, give us some light.” the invisible vigilante said. “Pairpiper, Pentagram, and Speekick are outside. Kraken will take us back to the base.”
Jirou heard the sound of electricity, and the room slowly lit up. She could see Stungun and Blackmare standing near the door. The detective was nowhere to be found.
“Jokester already reached him.” Stungun explained, light radiating from his body. They stepped out of the interrogation room, straight into a hallway filled with mist. Jirou recognized Pairpiper’s handiwork immediately, mixing in with the slightly lighter mist that Pentagram had created.
Stungun smirked. “Let’s bail you out of jail.”
-----
Izuku slipped his mask over his face, checking if the voice changer was on. He was standing on the top of the police station, watching the people move below.
“Now, Pairpiper!” he said into the comm. He could see the vigilante clasp his hands together, and steam started pouring out. The boy with a swirling blue and red mask stepped forward, marching straight into the police station with mist curling around him.
“Pentagram.” Izuku said. On the other side of the building, the dark red-masked vigilante also started spewing mist from her hands, walking into the police station confidently.
“I’m going in. Group A, wait outside for Group B. Just get Soundtrap out.” Izuku said. He slid down the pole on the side of the station and slipped inside the building. Mist covered the entire area, and Izuku could hear shouts of confusion coming from the cellmates.
Izuku silently crept through the mist. Everyone in the cells only got a small glimpse of a lone figure walking through the hallways, a mask of stars on his face. Blackmare, Stungun, and Crystalclear were waiting outside a certain door. Izuku simply nodded, and Stungun slammed his hand down on the wall. Electricity crackled through the wall, and the lights flickered out.
Izuku switched on the night vision from his mask as Blackmare broke the door down. Inside, he could see Soundtrap using her jacks to destroy the handcuffs while the detective was frantically searching for the lightswitch.
“What’s going on-?” the detective started to say. Izuku slipped up behind him and clasped a hand over his mouth. The detective jumped in surprise and immediately started to struggle. Izuku pulled out a small pin and held it to the detective’s throat as a threat.
“Don’t move.” he hissed. “Unless you want to get pinned in the throat.” Izuku dragged the detective out the door and down the hallway. He threw open a door to an empty interrogation room and tossed the detective inside. He may have been a little harsh, but oh well. Izuku closed the door behind him.
“Who are you?!” the detective demanded, before getting a good look at Izuku. “Jokester?!”
“Hello, detective.” Izuku responded. “Thank you for the… hospitality you showed to Soundtrap. And for getting her arrested in the first place.”
“What you’re doing is illegal, Jokester.” the detective spat. “I’m trying to help you from killing yourselves somewhere in the future.”
“Not what I’m here to talk about.” Truth. Izuku changed the topic. “What do you know about Darker? The vigilante?”
“He was a vigilante a little more than a year ago before suddenly disappearing. No one was able to see him again.” Tsukauchi said. “Promise, that’s all I know. Now why did you come in person? Instead of texting me?”
“I needed to chat face to face with you.” Truth. “And I’m sorry if I act a little differently in real life. I honestly did not mean to hurt you, I just needed to get you alone.” Also the truth.
Tsukauchi gave him a condescending glare. “What do you need to know?”
“Well, I needed to know about Darker. He is of… personal interest to me.” Truth.
“Personal… interest? Do you know who he is? Where is he?”
Izuku stayed silent for a moment. “I can’t tell you that. Darker asked me not to.” Truth.
“You’ve been in touch with Darker?” the detective asked, clearly surprised. “Everyone thought he was dead.”
Seriously, detective? I even have the same mask as Darker. How can you not tell? Izuku thought. “Yes, I’ve been in touch with Darker. He asked me to destroy all of his evidence and files.” Truth.
“What? Why?”
“Darker has stopped the business, you could say. He wants to do something else.” Truth.
“What does he want to do?” Tsukauchi asked suspiciously.
Izuku waved his hand in front of his face. “Things here and there. But I’m going to destroy the files, so you have no need to look for him.” Izuku was about to say more before an alarm beeped from his watch. He looked down and sighed. “Pairpiper and Pentagram have left, so I guess this is my cue. Don’t tell anyone I was here, and don’t try to arrest the Quintessence. It’ll just end badly for both parties.”
“Wait-” Tsukauchi started to say until Izuku swiftly pulled out a gun and shot the detective. A red dart flew through the air and buried into his legs. The detective collapsed to the ground seconds later, victim to Pentagram’s sleeping serum.
“Nighty night, detective.” Izuku said. Before he left the room, he laid a small piece of cloth, painted vanta black, on the table. To finish, he sprinkled small flecks of glitter on before dusting his hands off.
Izuku walked out of the interrogation room. The hallways were still slightly filled with mist, but Izuku didn’t want to take any chances and exited out the back entrance. He whistled a slight tune that sounded awkward with his voice changer as he strolled down the street. Once he had gotten far enough, he took off the mask using a specialized magnet and stashed it in his bag.
“The big meeting is tomorrow night.” he said to himself, looking up at the small stars dotting the sky. “I wonder how they’ll react?”