(In April, I left the Hero Academia, even though I wanted to stay. The Paranormal Liberation War had caused incommensurable damage to the society, and the trust people had in Heroes was shattered. And that was all because of me and my stupid thirst for power.)
Some time after Mato left U.A....
"That damn idiot..." Tetsutetsu punched the wall. "I can't believe he was a Villain this whole time..."
"He lied to us..." Yosetsu said. "It's a good thing he left on his own."
Suddenly, someone burst into the dormitory.
"Oro-san?" Monoma said. "What are you doing here?"
"I'm... here..." Oro said, panting from the run he had just done. "To ask for your help."
"Our help?" Manga Fukidashi asked.
"Yeah, your help..." said Oro. "You're Satoru's classmates, right?"
"Not anymore," said Togaru. "We don't want to have anything to deal with him now that we know who he really is."
"I know you feel betrayed..." Oro muttered. "I felt betrayed, too, when I found out that he, my little brother, was a villain. But I didn't start to hate him. I know he wants to be saved. I saw it in his eyes right before he pierced my torso; his eyes were screaming help."
Oro got on his knees. "Please, apprentice Heroes... help me save Satoru."
Itsuka stepped forward. "I'll help you, Oro-san."
"Have you gone crazy, Kendo?" Juzo asked. "You can't still have a crush on him, he's a Villain!"
"If he really is a Villain," said Kendo. "Then this means that I'm in love with a criminal."
"Why do you think Satoru can still be saved?" Kosei asked.
"Because he hasn't killed anyone yet," said Oro. "He hasn't done any very villainous things up until now, aside from the events of the Paranormal Liberation War. He's not a full-shaped villain."
Tetsutetsu snorted and stepped beside Kendo. "Tch, fine... I'll save Satoru, too. He's my best friend, I can't abandon him when he's in need."
"I'm coming, too," Setsuna said. "We're going to save Shirakawa... I meant, Satoru, together."
"I'm not willing to help you save Satoru or make him redeem," said Monoma. "But if the whole class is going, then I'm going too."
"Thanks, everyone..." Oro said, getting up. "I can't explain how much this means to me."
"Don't worry, Oro-san," said Tetsutetsu. "We're not going to abandon a friend when he's in need. That's not what Heroes do."
__________
Somewhere else...
In a poor and unkempt hallway, a boy was walking, eating some food he had found in a garbage bin.
That boy was Satoru, better known as Mato, at this point in the story. He had a vertical scar over his right eye and a smaller scar on the left corner of his mouth; the only two scars his Regeneration Quirk didn't manage to heal.
"Tch, this food sucks..." he muttered, throwing the food on the floor. "I can't even afford buying myself something... if I show up anywhere else, they'll kick me..."
Satoru put on his new mask; since the rabbit mask had been broken after the war, he had found himself a new one to cover his face and identity.
This mask covered his entire face and could be seen more as a hoodie, rather than as a mask.
With this disguisement now on, Mato climbed a roof and looked down at the city below his gaze.
If only I could live as a normal person between them... why did I have to be born this way? Am I cursed or something...?
The boy received a call. It was Dabi.
"Be quick, Toya-nii, I don't have much time."
"You should come back," said Dabi on the other end of the phone. "If someone sees you, you'll be in danger."
"I... don't care anymore," said Mato. "I lost my girlfriend, my brother's trust, and my friends'... I practically lost everything, so what am I living for? Being haunted by All For One?"
(Oh, right, you still don't know. From the moment I opened my eyes and got All For One, Zen started to haunt me. He has understood that now that I have All For One, I don't want to be a Villain anymore, and since he has the heart of a flea, he's sending Villains to murder me. That's why I'm operating alone, recently.)
"The only reason I'm still alive is that Himiko-chan would be sad if I were to die," Satoru continued. "She's my only reason to keep living, and I still don't know where the fuck she is... try to understand me, Toya-nii..."
Dabi didn't talk for a second. Then he did. "I understand. Watch your back, Mato. A murderer could be around the corner, waiting for you."
Mato closed the call. "I'm still trying to understand if he really cares about me or if he's just manipulating me, just like everyone does...
I don't trust anyone anymore. If they don't trust me, I don't trust them, either. Everyone I trusted just used me for their goals, nothing more.
Satoru sat on the floor and deeply breathed, trying to understand the purpose of his existence at this point in his life.
Tch, my entire life has been a complete shit... I must do something; sitting here and crying over spilled milk is pointless now. What's done is done.
I've completely lost my mind, and I believe it's because of All For One's power. I must use this power to make the whole world understand that I have repented and that the Villain Mato is no more.
What was my name as a Hero... Dark Matter, right? Well, then I'll make sure the whole world knows there's a new hero in town, and his name is Dark Matter.
Satoru slowly got on his feet and looked at the sky, as if searching for some divine sign to help him, even if he knew damn well he was alone in that moment.
If All For One is after me anyway, then it's useless to keep acting as a Villain. I might as well start acting like a hero if I end up dying anyway. I'll destroy the Villain All For One with the Quirk he gave me himself, just to make him know that his 'failure' is far stronger than the one he considers his 'masterpiece.'
From today on, Mato's Redemption Arc has begun.
Chapter 70 - End