MHA: Dragon's Pride

After giving the newest additions to my Hoard their marks to call on me as well as their brand new proof of ownership, I fly the two of them to Mei's vehicle with her assurances that she can get it working again. After giving them certain instructions to carry out and returning to my Lair, I can finally lay back and relax. I stretch out on my bed with my eyes closed, my limbs trembling from how far I'm reaching. I let out a sigh as I finish and take in the non-sentient parts of my Hoard. It's not much, only enough to fill the myriad of pedestals around the cavern, but it still brings a smile to my face.

"This is only the beginning." I promise myself before a large yawn overtakes me. In fact, it's so large that I unconsciously grow my muzzle to stretch my mouth to its maximum. "Tired… Long day…"

I curl myself around one of my pillows in preparation for my first sleep in my Lair, my tail growing so that it's completely encircled. After one last lazy, satisfied look, I close my eyes and lay down my head.

"This… is my Lair."

With that declaration, I fall into a deep, deep sleep.

`~`

From Izumi's Lair, a ripple expands across the world. Not fast. Not slow. But at the perfect speed to spread to all corners of the globe at the end of a twenty-four hour period. It is not something most beings can feel, indeed, the majority of Japan's population fail to notice it.

Most, however, does not mean all.

`~`

All Might, the Symbol of Peace and number one hero of Japan, feels a shiver go down his spine. He looks around, trying to find the source of his sudden ominous feeling. When he finds nothing, he shrugs it off as his imagination and continues his journey back to his home to enjoy his dinner. As much as one can enjoy a bland soup that won't throw what remains of his digestive system into turmoil.

`~`

All For One, the ruler of Japan's Underworld, tenses as an emotion he'd nearly forgotten passes through him. The various medical devices attached to the man start rapidly beeping after he draws in a sharp breath. His personal doctor, a short bald man with a bushy mustache and wearing a lab coat with overly-large goggles, rushes into the room and starts frantically scanning the readings in an attempt at figuring out what's wrong. But what he sees baffles him, because what he reads makes no sense. The readings don't give him any signs of medical complications or mechanical failures, no. They tell him that…

All For One is afraid.

The fear does not last long, however, and the ancient figure slowly lets out the breath he was holding. It's only a few moments later that the machines calm down, resuming their near silent workings as the ruler of Japan's underworld waves the doctor away absentmindedly.

The man's heavily scarred head tilts upwards, staring in thought even with the absence of eyes. Eyes are not the only thing missing though. The scar tissue that covers most of his head also stretches over where his nose would be, as well as his ears. One would have to wonder how he could have even survived receiving such an injury. That is, if they did not know what he knows.

"I may have to call in that favor far sooner than I had hoped… Though I suppose that would be inaccurate to say, given I had hoped to never have need to call on them in the first place."

`~`

Giran slaps his arm with a curse, pulling his sleeve up and glaring at it like it somehow offended him. "What the hell…?

Seeing nothing new he waves it in the air a bit, his face screwed up in a scowl while he chews on the end of his cigarette. Not feeling the new sensation disappear, he lets out a huff of annoyance before pulling his sleeve back down.

"Damn Bush. I just know that she pulled something just now."

He takes the cigarette from his mouth and blows out the smoke from the gap of his missing tooth before flicking it away. "Whatever. She's not my partner anymore, so it's not my problem." Still, though he says that, he now walks with a more surefooted step, confidence bleeding from his every movement.

What used to be an act, is now the truth.

`~`

The two girls who'd just departed their new owner's home feel a rush of warmth go through them, causing their faces to flush. Their hands instinctively flash towards their calling cards and squeeze tightly while the marks given to them seem to gain… weight, for lack of a better word. After realizing that they both felt the same thing, the two girls turn their heads to stare at each other.

"Was that…?"

"Probably."

Mei answers Himiko's question simply and directly. After all, there's nothing else that it could have been. The two of them are alone on their drive, so it couldn't be someone's quirk. Coupled with how they only just left Izumi's Lair, the answer is rather simple as to its origin. Yet, just because they know where it came from does not mean they know what it entails.

Mei, of course, grins maniacally. It's something new, as well as being connected to the clearly powerful person she just made a deal with. How could she not be giddy!?

Himiko, meanwhile, purses her lips and furrows her brows as she thinks more deeply on the sensation. The warmth isn't gone, but it isn't as all encompassing as the first moment it happened. And by focusing on it she can feel… a kind of pull?

Her nose points upwards and she sniffs the air for some reason after poking at the feeling, and she can immediately tell that something about her has changed. She doesn't know what it is…

But she thinks she's going to like it.

`~`

Kyoka Jiro shoots up from her bed into a sitting position, her eyes narrowed into slits as she peers at her surroundings, the earphone jacks sprouting from her ears raised threateningly. Only after examining every inch of her room and finding nothing wrong or out of place does she relax. But she does not return to sleep. Instead she reaches to her nightstand and picks up the golden pendant her friend had given her more than three years ago. A mere day before her father murdered her.

She stares at it searchingly for a moment before sighing and gently tying the cord loosely around her neck. She's been thinking of getting rid of the cord and getting the pendant installed into a choker instead, since that's more her style. But she hasn't been sure if that would be disrespectful to Izumi's memory or not.

Now though? Now she feels like it wouldn't be a problem, so long as the golden medallion isn't tarnished in any way. She smiles as she lays back down, already having a few stores she plans to check out in the morning before a notification goes off on her phone. She frowns as she picks it up, knowing that she has very few things that would alert her so late at night. Or at all, really.

Enhanced hearing can kind of suck sometimes.

`~`

Yui Kodai rolls from her bed and grabs the tonfa she keeps next to it, bringing her arm up into a guard as she takes in her surroundings with an impassive stare. She doesn't relax at all even after five minutes pass with nothing happening. She stays in the same position, silent and still while waiting for whatever woke her up to make itself known. Even with her vigilance, she can't help but to check on her bracelet. She's reassured to see that it's still on her wrist, right where it's supposed to be.

It's only when a notification on her phone goes off that she fractionally relaxes. Still keeping her eyes moving to ensure she catches the slightest movement, she picks up her phone and looks down at the text she'd gotten.

`~`

Hitoshi Shinso lets out a yelp of pain as he gets smacked in the face by the arm of a wooden training dummy. He stumbles backwards while his hands fly to his nose, groaning when he feels blood staining his hands.

He curses quietly to himself as he goes to the first aid kit kept on the table pushed to one side of the training room. It's not the first time he's gotten injured in this room, and he definitely knows it won't be the last. Especially with how often his two friends come over and spar with him. If he didn't know better, he'd say the girls just use sparring as an excuse to beat him up.

He does know better though, and it's not like he's the only one who ever gets hurt. Still, this isn't like all the other times he's had to open the kit. This time, he didn't make a mistake. Instead he suddenly felt what he could only describe as a powerful presence wash over him, which caused him to momentarily freeze. And probably get a broken nose.

After shoving a wad of gauze in both nostrils to stem the bleeding he washes his hands in the sink and grabs his phone before heading to his parents' room. He knows that they'd rather he tell them now so that they can make sure it won't get worse instead of it possibly getting worse between now and the breakfast. He glances at the time on his phone.

Which will be in two hours.

Insomnia sucks.

While he walks though, he's struck by a sudden thought. His hand goes up to his hair where his fingers gently brush against his golden hair clip. Reassured by its presence, he acts on his thought and navigates through his phone to a group chat.

`~`

*Catomnia, Violence, and Vibing are online.*

Catomnia: Hey, did anyone else randomly get a super ominous yet reassuring feeling or is it just me?

Violence: I did. But I was more focused on the ominous part and not the nice part.

Vibing: U put a hole in ur wall agn?

Violence: No. And my bracelet is safe.

Catomnia:Glad I'm not the unly 1

Catomnia: Ugh walls

Vibing: Wlked into another 1?

Catomnia: Shut up.

Catomnia: Nd nmbrs r my thing, u hve smoll wrds

Vibing: :p

Violence: Focus. Should we be concerned?

Catomnia: Uhoh

Catomnia: She mad

Vibing: Yep

Vibing:prpr 4 bting

Catomnia:Biting?

Vibing: Beating*

Violence: Sounds like a promise~ ;)

Catomnia: …

Vibing: …

Vibing: Fck

Catomnia: Curse!

Catomnia: Her first!

Violence: I am fine with that.

Vibing: Fck^2

Catomnia: So we good to ignore the feeling 4 now and talk about it at school?

Violence: Yep.

Vibing: Yep.

Catomnia: Cool. Broke my nose though, so Ill prbly have a patch 2day

Vibing: Day?

Vibing: 2 early!

Vibing: Slp!

*Vibing is offline*

Violence: I'll be returning to bed as well. I hope you feel better.

Catomnia: Thanks see you l8er

*Violence and Catomnia are offline*

`~`

Humans are not the only ones to feel the ripple, though. And it is not the humans who know what it means.

Seven beings of immeasurable power raise their heads when the ripple passes over their territory. But it doesn't get more than a passing acknowledgment from most. There are three exceptions, however.

`~`

A long sinuous dragon with aquamarine scales tilts their head and flicks their tail against a large glass container, which causes a melodic ringing sound to echo down from the mountain they are wrapped around. Immediately a nearly imperceptible hatch opens nearby, and a middle-aged human woman emerges. The dragon looks at her as they inform her of the new information.

"She's claimed her territory and entered her Sleep."

The woman nods and thanks the dragon, who gets a wide smile. For those who haven't interacted with them before, it would seem threatening. But the woman has been stationed as the dragon's attendant for more than twenty years. She's more than familiar with that smile and she has to suppress a sigh.

"I will ensure a bonus delivery is brought to you."

The dragon chuckles. "Always a pleasure doing business with your organization~."

The woman leaves, mentally lamenting about how difficult it is to obtain the dragon's payment.

If she enjoys booze so much, why'd she stake her territory in Hawaii!?

`~`

Nestled within the caldera of the tallest mountain, with not a cloud in the sky, a large western dragon with cloudy silver scales raises its head and grins. "A new whelp, eh? I'll have to see what they're made of after they wake up.

`~`

Kicking her legs atop the edge of the Central Park Tower, a little girl with her pitch-black hair done in pigtails looks out to the sea in the direction of Japan. "That was quicker than I thought it would be…" She frowns with her nose wrinkled in distaste.

"They must have used that group of humans to find something they like." Her pigtails swing as she shakes her head before getting up and stretches her arms above herself. She plants her fists on her hips as she lets out a long suffering sigh.

"Nothing for it. I'll just have to explain to them just how terrible humans are after they wake up."

With those words hanging in the air, she jumps from the building, letting herself plummet several floors before some sort of energy swirls around her. It takes only moments before it clears and reveals a massive pink dragon now diving towards the mass of people below.

There are screams of terror that are quickly silenced when she snaps out her wings, letting the sudden updraft of wind change her course. But it's not relief that silences the screams, but the veritable whirlwind that slams into the humans and throws them with such force that they splatter against the walls of the buildings. Those who do not become puddles staining the ground where they stood, that is.