Hello everyone~! I'm still (somehow) alive. And back with a new chapter for Viridian~! :D Don't kill me. I know you're all looking forward to a new chapter of Swan Dive, but it isn't finished yet. I get MAYBE a day off of work a week, if I'm lucky, so please be patient on this poor author.

Also, I'm considering making a Patreon for those of you who wish to give me any extra cash or whatever you have laying around in your couch cushions. Even a cup of coffee can help keep me going (and I'm not just talking about writing, either). Obviously, this is fanficiton, and I can't make money off of it, but it's just a thought I'm putting out there.

That said, please enjoy~!

Chapter 2: Fun and Games

Viridian grinned. He was having a blast! It had been nearly four months since he'd become a vigilante again, and the lower crime rates of this time allowed him more time to mess with his favorite detective.

They'd already brought the heroes on board, as was protocol when a vigilante ran rampant for too long. He enjoyed his little game of 'hide and seek' if you will. If he was stuck as a kid again, he was going to enjoy every minute of it. So far, nobody but the villains he left for Tsukauchi had seen him, and he now held a reputation as one of Japan's most elusive vigilantes to date—something he was rather proud of.

Tonight, he was playing a game with Tsukauchi and the hero that the detective had invited along—Midnight.

Viridian would admit—it was hard to see her again. She'd been like family to him in his original timeline, and knowing that she wouldn't even recognize him now made his heart constrict painfully. It was part of the reason why he was playing this game tonight. If he couldn't even handle seeing Nemuri again, how on earth would he handle seeing Hizashi or Shouta? And he had no doubts that Eraserhead would soon be brought on to his case. The man was well known for his ways with vigilantes.

Viridian had been leaving notes with each criminal he'd captured tonight. Each one had some sort of puzzle or code that Tsukauchi had to crack which would lead him to the next clue (or villain). Izuku had spent the last week and a half making them all, so he was greatly enjoying the chaos that was unfolding.

Especially when Tsukauchi found one clue taped under his desk.

"How the hell did he get in here?!" Tsukauchi growled, rifling through the security footage, which had since been edited.

"Looks like Viridian is pretty tech-savvy." Midnight tapped her chin as she looked around the office.

"I have little doubt he can hear us right now." Tsukauchi growled as his phone pinged.

ViridianChaos: Sure can Tsukauchi-kun~!

"How did you...? You know what? I'm not even going to ask." He shook his head as Midnight came over to look over his shoulder.

"Huh. So this guy's got us bugged, too?" She looked herself over.

ViridianChaos: Don't bother with it right now, Kayama-chan. I'll deactivate the bugs as soon as tonight's game is done. No worries!

"How the hell does this guy know my name?!" Midnight growled, eyes scouring the room as if she could find the vigilante hiding under a chair.

"That's just how he is." Tsukauchi sighed, placing a calming hand on her shoulder. "Don't take it too personally. He's got information on just about everyone that we have no idea how he got a hold of. Now come on, this clue has coordinates to follow."

With that, the two sped off towards the coordinates. Viridian laughed as he followed them along the rooftops. He'd been at this game since early that evening—around 6pm—and it was now nearly 12am. He'd kept the two far past their shifts, but it was for a very good reason.

Because while they were busy following his breadcrumbs and rounding up the criminals he'd captured, Viridian was busting open a very large and highly dangerous drug ring—one that he didn't want to let the detective participate in due to the volatile nature of the drugs they were handling.

To someone with a Quirk, getting hit by these drugs could be devastating, as their effects were known to permanently damage someone's Quirk Factor—sometimes completely destroying it altogether. But to Viridian—who had no Quirk Factor—it was as harmless as saline.

And the faces on the gang leaders when they shot him with the drug and he just brushed it off was priceless!

"H-How?! That should've destroyed your Quirk!" The man cried out, terrified, as he backed away. "E-even if it takes a bit to activate, it should at least cause you debilitating pain!" His men were already unconscious around him, and the man he'd been trading with watched with an interested gaze.

"So you're the new vigilante on the block. Viridian, yes?" The man had dark brown hair and a mask that reminded Viridian of an old witch doctor.

"Yes. And you are Chisaki Kai, better known as Overhaul."

"Your information network is as impressive as they say. You're one elusive man, you know."

"Was that a compliment?"

"Could be." Overhaul pulled out what looked to be a business card. "If you ever find yourself in need of comrades... I can make you great."

"I appreciate the offer, Chisaki-san, but I'm afraid that I work for myself." He answered carefully as he casually knocked the whimpering drug trader out, turning his entire focus towards the yakuza boss.

"I had a feeling you'd say that. So what do you say to a mutual partnership?" Viridian could hear the grin in Chisaki's voice as he spoke. "I'll leave you to think on that. Contact me if you change your mind."

He let out a breath of relief when the masked man left. He knew Overhaul was one of the worst kinds of villains one could encounter. He wasn't stupid enough to pick a fight with him right off the get-go, especially when he had no backup.

He vaguely remembered hearing about the man torturing children, and keeping one girl who was rumored to be his daughter captive. He clenched his fist. I'm sorry, little girl. You're going to have to wait a little while longer, okay? I can't get to you, yet. He mentally apologized.

Viridian shook his head and rounded up the villains in the warehouse before tying them all up and getting the final prize ready. Tsukauchi and Midnight were going to hate him so much for this, but their reactions would be hilarious!

HithisisalinebecauseWattpadwon'tletmeactuallymakeREALlines,andit'sactuallyalothardertotypelikethisthanyou'dthink.

Tsukauchi Naomasa was not happy. He'd been sent on a wild fucking goosechase with Midnight for nearly 6 hours straight. He was tired, and that stupid Vigilante Viridian had been mocking them all night long! At one point, the bastard had even led them to Tsukauchi's favorite café! And upon walking in, the barista had held out his and Midnight's favorite drinks, claiming that someone had come in earlier to pay for them. He'd even specified the time for pickup! And of course, there was no physical description or video on the security cameras to tell them anything they didn't already know.

The detective was far beyond done, and his hero companion for the night looked frazzled and high strung, too. He had half a mind to just call it quits and give up on Viridian for the evening, when they finally discovered the last clue. Or, what Naomasa prayed was the last clue.

ViridianChaos: I see you've made it to the final clue~! Just in time, Detective! Come find your treasure. Arrr!

He shook his head as he read the text. This guy was so childish.

The location in question was an old warehouse. He could smell the gunpowder from outside, meaning that something had gone down here recently. He signaled for his team and Midnight to be on high alert, as they rushed into the warehouse.

"FREEZE! POLICE!" He paused as he stared at a large group of men tied up and suspended from the rafters. They were making muffled protests through their gags, as a spotlight, of all things, illuminated a large old-fashioned treasure chest—like what you'd see in pirate movies. It looked big enough for a grown man to climb into.

Was this a sneak attack? No, Viridian was clever. He wouldn't allow himself to stay in such a restricted and obvious location. So who—or what—was inside?

Tsukauchi gave a long-suffering sigh as he ordered his men to round up the villains and approached the chest cautiously. Midnight gave him a subtle nod and they opened it together.

Inside were thousands of... golden coins?

"They're chocolate." Midnight realized.

Tsukauchi would not be proud of his momentary lapse in self-control as he screamed out in frustration and anger. "VIRIDIAN!!!!"

They heard laughter echo around the warehouse and everyone stiffened. The vigilante was still here.

"I see you've found your treasure, Detective~" The voice was low, and he'd place the man somewhere around late twenties to early thirties.

"Come out now, Viridian. We've got the place surrounded—you've nowhere to run."

"That's what you think. Now, lemme just clarify something before you come after me with guns blazing." The man sounded more amused than anything else, and no matter how hard Tsukauchi looked, he couldn't see any sign of the man that was speaking.

"Those men down there? They came here earlier tonight for a drug trade." Viridian continued. "It's actually why I kept you occupied all night. Can't have any of you in the line of fire for this, after all." From the shadows of the rafters, a single briefcase fell to the floor. One trigger-happy cop fired at where the case had fallen from, and a pained grunt followed. "Ow. Jerk."

"Hold your fire." Tsukauchi ordered. "We don't want him dead."

"So nice to know you care, Tsukauchi." Viridian chuckled as a few drops of blood fell onto the briefcase.

Evidence. We can run the blood through the system to figure out who he is. Tsukauchi quickly gathered what he could. All the while, the vigilante chuckled.

"Gather whatever you want—it'll bring you nowhere. I promise you, detective, you won't find me that way~ But A+ for effort!"

"You said you wanted to keep us away from here. Why?" Midnight pressed.

"Because of what's in that briefcase. I may be a vigilante, but I love heroes. You guys are my idols, even if I couldn't become one, myself." Tsukauchi heard the truth in that. "If you were hit by one of those, it would've ended your career."

"What is it?" Tsukauchi asked, eyeing the bluish substance in the tubes.

"A drug that severely damages—and in some cases completely destroys—your Quirk Factor." The room stopped breathing. "As far as I know, these are the only ones in existence right now. And they take a good hour to do any permanent damage. If you work fast, you can find a way to counteract it just in case I missed some."

"You ran us around the city so there'd be no risk of someone getting hit with this?" Midnight asked.

"Yep."

"And it was any less dangerous for you, because?"

"Ah ah ah~ I'm not revealing all my secrets, detective. Let's just say that I've got defenses against that that none of you have."

"He's telling the truth." Tsukauchi ground out. As much as he hated to admit it, this guy was really looking out for them tonight. He was honestly trying to protect them.

"Well, as much as I'd love to stay and chat, I've got to get this lovely gunshot wound your man gave me treated before it gets much worse. So I'll see you later~ And since we've finally met in person, I'll just call you Naomasa, kay?"

"No, you cannot call me by my given name!" Tsukauchi growled, but there was no response.

That night, Viridian escaped, and none of them could figure out how. They'd found a blood-soaked beam in the rafters where he'd been shot, and presumably where he'd been talking from, but the blood trail ended pretty quickly.

Nobody was admitted to a hospital with a gunshot wound that night or within the next few days that matched what little description they had, and though he wouldn't admit it, Tsukauchi was actually a little relieved when the vigilante showed up on patrol again three days later.

He wasn't about to forgive him for that hellish night of treasure hunting, but he realized that this guy was closer to a hero than a villain. Perhaps it was finally time to call in Eraserhead.

~~~

MoldiBroccli: Guys! Have you heard?! Viridian's on The List ™!!

Demonic-gay-microwave: uh... list?

Ihavenoname: They mean the Vigilante list. Basically, it means that Viridian is now a legally recognized vigilante.

MoldiBroccli: Yeah! It's so cool!!

Barbieisawhore: How's that cool? I thought u liked him?

MoldiBroccli: It's cool b/c it means that he's doing good.

Noiscardily: Right, because he's capturing a lot of villains, he's making them look bad, so they wanna catch him sooner. He's climbing the vigilante ranks pretty fast, actually. Notably good at hiding himself, he hasn't been spotted yet.

TheCakeisaLie: That's neat. Hey, sorry to change the topic, but have any of you got the new Animal Crossing?

Ihavenoname: YEAH! It's so cool!!!