Chapter Text
Yagi shifted restlessly in his seat.
Although meetings and check-ins were a regular occurrence these days, this one felt different. The meetings were usually to plan small raids or go over new scraps of information they had picked up.
But once again, Izuku had proven to be their most valuable asset. Despite the danger, the young man had managed to copy Hisashi's files and send the information back to them.
Yagi had initially been against the idea, but he had to admit that the risk had paid off. They now had a wealth of new information to work off of. Mirai had been shut away for the past few days, frantically unraveling the massive amount of data.
Although Yagi was looking forward to learning about Hisashi's plans, his mind wouldn't stop straying back to Izuku.
The boy was fearless when it came to helping them but he couldn't imagine the level of stress that he dealt with on a daily basis.
The tracker showed that he rarely left the headquarters of All For One Industries. In fact, it was likely that he hadn't left Hisashi's side since they had ransomed him back.
The thought made him feel sick and heavy with shame.
Yagi knew better than anyone exactly how dangerous Hisashi could be. The scars on his torso were bitter reminders of just how cruel and cold the man truly was. Izuku had avoided suspicion so far, but he shuddered to think about how Hisashi might react if he discovered the truth.
Perhaps he wouldn't kill Izuku, but there were worse things he could do. It was clear that he had an unhealthy obsession with the boy, judging by the disturbingly large folder of photos and videos that had been included on the drive.
Out of respect for the boy's privacy, Yagi had only glanced through the most recent photos to check on Izuku's health. But even with that limited sample, he still saw far too many pictures of the young man being infantilized and humiliated.
The memory of those images twisted his stomach into knots. Hisashi clearly took great pleasure in dressing him up and photographing him at any time of the day or night.
It was amazing that Izuku hadn't snapped under the strain of it all.
It felt cruel to leave him there, but they all understood the necessity of his position. Izuku was their only link to Hisashi and the boy was committed to saving as many mers as possible. He bore every embarrassment and invasion for their sake.
Yagi just hoped that they could retrieve him soon.
To distract himself from the gnawing feelings of guilt and anxiety, he glanced around the meeting room.
One For All had grown steadily over the past year and a large collection of humans and mers now occupied the room.
Yamada and Kayama had been involved from the beginning, but a few new mers had begun to sit in on the meetings as well. He spotted Ryukyu and Tensei in the pools, as well as some of the other show mers who had expressed interest in joining the cause.
There was an air of excitement and anticipation in the room as members chatted amongst themselves. Many of them had heard that Izuku had sent new information, but no one knew the full details yet.
Even though Yagi had personally seen the contents of the drive, he hadn't been able to interpret the folders of complex data. Only Mirai knew how All For One Industries handled their information so it was his job to identify what was most important.
As if in response to Yagi's thoughts, Mirai got to his feet.
The room fell silent, every eye turning toward the tall, thin man. Yagi pushed his own worries to the side and waited with bated breath.
Mirai's glasses flashed in the dim light as he began,
"As you all know, we recently received a large amount of information from Hisashi's personal files. There are some parts of it we were already aware of, but the man kept extensive records of all the mers he has captured and sold."
A huge list of names and photos appeared on the display screen. Yagi's stomach lurched as he absorbed the sheer number of mers that Hisashi was in control of.
Their efforts felt minuscule in comparison.
Mirai continued,
"You may notice that each mer has been assigned a color-coded ranking. After some digging, I discovered that these colors refer to their market value."
Angry murmurs broke out at these words.
They all knew that mers were frequently bought and sold, but it was infuriating to see it laid out in such cold, calculated terms.
"All for One Industries uses a complex algorithm that includes factors such as age, gender, species, and behavior. Mers with higher rankings are sold at private auctions or used as show mers. Those with average rankings are generally sent to aquariums, amusement parks, or scientific research centers. Low ranks are sent to breeding farms or medical testing facilities."
Yagi clenched his fists beneath the table.
From their firsthand experience with the show mers, he knew that even those who were considered valuable were still mistreated. He could only imagine what life was like for mers who ended up in the lower ranks.
Mirai clicked a few keys, then pulled up a separate list.
"Most mers end up in one of these roles. But there are some who are considered to be undesirable or unfit for human observation. This includes those who have mental or physical disabilities as well as species that are less humanoid. They are discarded into the underbelly of society. As a result, they often end up in fighting rings, brothels, or other illegal trades. It's likely that this is the primary source for black market mer meat as well."
Furious hisses emerged from the mer pools and similar sentiments of anger and disgust echoed around the room.
Yagi also felt Aizawa stiffen next to him. He glanced over and spotted a positively murderous expression on the man's face.
The sight chilled Yagi's blood.
Aizawa knew the underworld and black market better than any of them. He suspected that it was deeply personal for the man as well, considering the young siren that he and Yamada had taken in. Aizawa knew exactly how vulnerable these "undesirable" mers were.
Mirai waited for the reactions to die down, then continued.
"Although we will work to free all the mers on this list, I believe we need to divert our immediate attention and resources toward this lowest-ranked group. Even when we eventually go public with this information, many of them will still be in danger because they are outside the law. Are there any objections?"
Chiyo raised a small, wrinkled hand.
"I agree that these mers should be our priority. But I'm not sure if we'll have the right resources to care for them here. It sounds like they might have physical, mental, and emotional needs that we are not equipped to treat. I would like to get a mer perspective on this situation."
Everyone turned toward the mer pools.
After a few thoughtful moments, Yamada spoke up.
"It sounds like these mers will probably have severe trauma. The bay is a safe space, but many of our inhabitants are working through their own struggles. Things could get messy if we leave all these mers to their own devices, especially if they're feral."
"But whatever we can provide will certainly be better than their current circumstances," Yagi argued.
Yamada nodded.
"I agree. But in the long term, they may need more support than we alone can provide. There aren't enough stable mers here that can offer one-on-one help."
"So what do you propose?" Yagi asked.
"We'll have to deal with this on a case-by-case basis. I'm sure everyone will do the best we can once they arrive. It's possible that they'll be able to integrate into this new lifestyle. But if not, we may need to call in outside help."
Kayama piped up,
"Kuugo's pod has been helpful in the past. It's a strong, healthy group and they could handle mers who are particularly feral or aggressive. Besides, I imagine these newcomers will have an easier transition if they get some distance from humans... No offense."
Mirai nodded sharply.
"Kuugo's pod will be our backup plan. Send word to them and explain the situation. We need to make sure they're on board before we plan our next raid."
"Do you have a target in mind?" Vlad asked.
Mirai nodded and pulled up another collection of files.
"Hisashi doesn't keep close tabs on low-ranked mers once they leave his hands. But I compared his list of buyers with Aizawa's list of underground contacts. There are several matches, but this group looks the most promising."
He gestured toward the display screen and a mismatched collection of mers appeared. Several of them had distinct animalistic features that the higher-ranked mers didn't.
They also looked heartbreakingly young.
Yagi ground his teeth together as he realized that Mirai was right.
Hisashi was singling out the mers who were less humanoid. Because of his arbitrary judgments, they were being thrown to the wolves.
"These mers are being used in an illegal fighting and gambling ring. The owners always need new replacements, so they're some of Hisashi's top customers. It's a very secretive operation, but we have a head start on things thanks to our new information."
"How soon can we reach them?" Yamada asked.
Mirai's sharp eyes swept the room, flashing with determination.
"If there are no objections, we'll be ready to raid the ring within the week."