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Chapter Text

The sight across from the train station was one that had become depressingly more common over time. A giant rampaging villain, angrily swiping at Pro heroes trying to manage him. Other heroes blocking the road, keeping a crowd of interested civilians away from the destruction. Most of the onlookers watched in awe or fear, and a few with the boredom of connoisseurs seeing something that wasn't exciting. But one young student, with fluffy green hair and dark green eyes with notebook in hand, watched the carnage with an expression that didn't really match any other emotion that was on display.

The fight was over as quickly as it began. Kamui Woods attempted to use his signature 'Lacquered Chain Prison' to bind the villain, when the huge villain was blindsided by a similarly giant lady. As the newly revealed 'Mount Lady' began her grand debut with photographers professional and amateur surrounding her, the young man kept taking notes.

"Huh, interesting mirror match... it's kind of like those old Marvel films. I mean, having that kind of nemesis can really set the expectations of the fights you're going to undertake as a Pro. Ah, but how does her Quirk work? Can she only go to those extreme sizes, or can she ratchet it up degree by degree? Maybe she never thought about it and can only do that? And that guy was really not a very good fighter-"

"Hey, whoa there kid!" The teenager blinked, turning to look at the older man with the stars on his head. Blinking, he snapped his notebook shut.

"Oh, uh... sorry about that."

The older man smiled. "Can't blame you. You aiming to be a hero like them? I'd say with a head on your shoulders like that, you'd be a great hero!"

The teenager laughed, putting the notebook back in his bag. "Ah, yeah... something like that." He checked his phone, and then winced. "Better hurry, I don't want to be late for school."

--------

I was four when I learned that the world wasn't fair.

I was born without a Quirk, without powers. Something that every other person around me took for granted. The feeling was crushing.

Maybe the lesson I should have taken is that we can't always have what we want. But I didn't take that away from my experiences.

All my life, I've looked up to heroes like All Might. But sometimes, looking at Heroes, I felt that they weren't... super enough. Sure, heroes saved people from disasters and helped deal with villains, but I always thought that villains were more people who didn't think about the system. They were just people lashing out and not really acting like the guys in come books. I thought about this for days, wondering what made the difference. What made All Might stand above the rest of the Heroes? It was when I was looking through the old comic books, from before the days of Quirks that it hit me.

A Hero doesn't mean very much without a Villain to contrast them. You could almost say that Villains defined the Heroes. Without a Villain, Heroes don't spring into action.

From there, my mind was on fire. If all Heroes could get a foe worthy of the name, somebody who could push them above and beyond - make them go "PLUS ULTRA", then everything would be better.

Well, I wasn't interested in people actually getting hurt. Maybe people did get hurt, but I would much rather they didn't. But then... I got an inspiration.

-----------------

The classroom was in a state of tension. Despite the students sitting at their desks calmly, there was an undeniable buzz in the air. The sight of an actual Hero/Villain battle had pumped people up. Sure enough, when the teacher came in and pulled out the career forms, the buzz died down.

"Now then! You're all third years, so it's time for you all to start thinking seriously about your futures!"

The class shifted in their seats. Their teacher looked through the forms in hand. "Normally, I would hand out these career forms. However..." he then threw the papers in the air, "I guess you all want to be heroes!"

There was a great uproar from the rest of the class. Flamethrower arms were lit. Eyeballs, fingers and necks were extended. But there were two islands of relative calm amidst the chaos. One, a spiky-haired blonde with a cocksure grin, the other with fluffy green hair who was idly tinkering with something small and mechanical on his desk that looked vaguely like some sort of armband.

"Come on teach! Don't lump me in with the rest of these extras!" Bakugo Katsuki bragged, hands in pockets and feet on desk. As the class turned its ire on him and he responded in kind, the green-haired kid continued fiddling with the device, a small smile on his face.

"Oh yes, Midoriya. You applied for U.A as well, didn't you?" The air seemed to freeze, all eyes in the classroom being dragged over to the young man. Upon realising he was the centre of attention, he simply pointed at himself. As the stares continued, he smiled just a bit wider.

"Oh, yes. That's right." Midoriya nodded, wiping the device down with a rag. "I'm aiming for the support course."

--------------

I knew that since I was Quirkless I was unlikely to get into the Hero course. I wasn't too interested in that though. Though knowing about Hero training might have made it easier for my future, it wasn't necessary.

I had always been interested in those crazy machines that the Villains in those stories had usually built. Doctor Doom, Lex Luthor, Mr Freeze, Doctor Octopus... The thought of making something like that was...

Really, really cool.

S o I decided to throw myself at learning how to make cool robots and laser guns. It wasn't easy, I have to say that much. Even though I was bright for my age, it was an uphill struggle. There's a lot that goes into engineering and robotics, but I persevered, kept up the hard work and soon I was doing pretty well with my gizmos and gadgets, if I do say so myself. Had to learn a bunch of other stuff - chemistry, a bit of coding, physics - but in the end I did quite well.

I also joined a few clubs in school. Drama club was fun - there were still some plays being done from the time before Quirks and I fit in, particularly in the dramatic roles. The robotics club in school was pretty interesting, and there was always a lot of stuff from the school labs to use for my... other purposes.

--------------

"Midoriya? In UA?"

"I guess if he's entering the Support course, he'll get in..."

"All those weird gadgets of his, like that flashy light thing are pretty cool, but..."

"Still, he is Quirkless..."

That word tended to come up around Izuku a lot. He really wanted to shrug it off, or own it, but he hadn't built himself up to that point. Bakugo turned around like the wrath of god, glaring at Izuku. Bakugo's red-eyed stare was met with a flat green one. With a flash of motion and explosive light, Bakugo slammed his hand on the desktop, narrowly missing the gadget there.

"You? Forget crappy Quirks like theirs, you're totally Quirkless! What makes you think you can get in, huh?!"

"Kacchan, I'm aiming for Support, not the Hero course. I'm not going to be competing with you on that front." Izuku explained calmly. He might as well have poured water on a grease fire. Bakugo's palms popped with barely restrained explosions, and the growling coming from his throat wouldn't have been out of place coming from a rabid animal.

The teacher hurriedly called for order, and class resumed as normally as it would normally. The day went by in a blur, the other students glancing around, knowing that a showdown was inevitable. Soon enough, the day ended. Izuku started to pack his books away when a certain presence made itself known. Izuku sighed.

"Kacchan-"

"We ain't done, Deku." Bakugo picked up the notebook, glancing at it idly. "Hero Analysis for my Future, huh?"

Izuku winced. "Well, if I'm going into Support, I need to know what sorts of things-"

Bakugo slammed his hand on Izuku's desktop. "BULLSHIT, DEKU! YOU ARE AIMING FOR THE HERO COURSE!" His open palm started to smoke against the wooden desk. "I told you to stay out of my way, damnit!"

Izuku sighed. "I'm not getting in your way Kacchan. Just - just listen and please give me back my book, alright?"

Bakugo looked him in the eye with a flat expression. Then, quickly, he slammed the book between both hands with a mighty BANG! Izuku jumped a bit as Katsuki threw the book out the window. "Stay out of my way. Don't you dare get into the Hero Course. Or I'll crush you there." He left, hands shoved firmly in his pockets.

Izuku watched him go, and sighed. "Kacchan... you really need to get a proper villain. You've kind of stayed in this whole 'Anti-Hero' thing for way too long."

Izuku ran down to grab his book before all of the notes contained within got washed away. "There's some good stuff in there. Honestly, Kacchan. Do you have to be so obsessed?"

Still, Kacchan hadn't been entirely wrong. Izuku was planning to get in his way at some point.

Just not in the way that Kacchan had thought.

Izuku had a bit of a chuckle about that on the way home. Passers-by kept a bit of a wide berth around the maniacally giggling teenager.

--------------------

The gear he'd made? All ready.

The research? Carefully plotted, with no less than 3 entry and exit strategies.

The Presentation? The costume was at the ready, carefully hand-made. Smoke machines were at the ready. Or was that folded into gear?

Izuku looked himself over in the mirror. The gear was crude, but it would work for now. He'd had to take some stuff from the school tech labs, slowly and carefully so nobody would suspect. He'd also made use of the dumping ground at the Musutafu Beach.

The costume he'd made was a tabard and cloak, primarily a light teal colour with black accents on the edges. It was secured by a tool belt crudely painted red and with extra pouches quickly attached. Underneath, there was a crude set of body armour, dark grey steel that formed a pair of large boots and a set of gauntlets. The cloak itself had a series of red dots on the hood, and fluttered dramatically in the wind even though it was indoors. Izuku's face was covered by a green half mask with a crude red visor shielding his eyes.

"Yes, this looks great! Now..." he started to giggle, then chuckle. He reached into his belt pocket and pulled out a small remote. "The world of heroes best prepare! For I... AM THE SUPERVILLAIN KNOWN AS... as..."

Izuku paused. "I know I had a name... hm..." He flicked through his notebooks, becoming more frantic as he did so. "Damn, all the really good villain names are taken... gotta be something good... wait..."

A name came to mind. Izuku paused in his mumbling. "Yeah... yeah., that'll work..."

He readied the remote. "I AM THE SUPERVILLAIN KNOWN AS MASTERMIND!"

He clicked the remote. Thunder rumbled.

"MWA-HAHAHAHA! MWA-HAHAHAHA!"

Chapter Text

Toshinori Yagi, better known as All Might, had to admit that there were times when he was honestly confused. Usually those times were things like young fans asking him about his Quirk, or Nedzu's rambling/ranting about teaching. Even the Number One Hero could be confused sometimes, in spite of his lengthy experiences.

He had been going down the road, form diminished. His time had gone out, and he was stuck as ordinary Yagi, All Might's personal secretary. The Sludge Villain was still imprisoned in the empty soda bottles he had hastily repurposed. The student that he had saved and gifted an autograph had wanted to grab him and keep fanboying, he could tell that, but his time had been steadily shrinking. He'd made a safe landing and was just on the way to the police station...

When he saw a short figure in a rather garish costume striding purposefully to an office building he vaguely recognised as a Support Industry one. With a teal cape and red visor over what looked like medieval armour, the figure had a rather loud colour scheme. A small crowd had gathered nearby, watching this latest - Pro? Maybe? Toshinori honestly couldn't remember all of the new heroes that came out. His mind blurred, trying to remember if this was a Pro he'd met before.

The short figure stopped near the door, mumbling something near inaudible. Then, it extended a hand and pushed through the door. The man strode through, cape fluttering dramatically in the breeze.

He then spoke, in a loud and synthesised voice, sounding like an angry robot. "MWA-HAHAHA! TREMBLE, MAKOTO INDUSTRIES, FOR YOU ARE BEING ROBBED BY -urk!"

This last bit was said because, just as he wound up for it, the door closed behind him. It snagged the fluttering cape and pulled the figure back.

Toshinori had been told that he wasn't allowed to drink for his health.

After this, he wanted a second opinion.

----------

The building that Izuku had chosen for his debut as Mastermind had needed quite a bit of research. Makoto Industries had a couple of offices around the country. They sold cheap support gear to heroes who needed it. Their gear was reputed to be of high quality.

Izuku's digging told him more.

Still, he had needed to confirm it. And when he had, he knew that here was where he needed to debut.

After freeing his cape from the wretched prison known as a door, he glared. 

Coughed. 

Come on Mastermind, this is what all those years at the Drama Society were for! 

"Ahem. As I was saying... TREMBLE AT THE HANDS OF MASTERMIND!"

Thunder roared. The various employees stared at this short figure in their midst, who was even now striding forwards towards the larger tech labs. This stillness lasted for just a moment, then they sprung into action. One of the employees levelled a rather bulky looking support item, what looked like a small arm-mounted cannon at the approaching villain. "H-HALT!" He yelled. One of his co-workers was already reaching over to the panic button on the desk. "If you go any further..."

"You'll what?" Mastermind asked pleasantly. Idly, Mastermind clenched a fist, and some small lights lit up on the gauntlet's knuckles.

The office worker readied the cannon, a small light building in its centre, and then Izuku tapped his palm.

-Doomph-

A pulse shot out, and all of the lights in the building went out to the sound of screaming. In front of him, he just saw the piece of gear being primed and then it stopped with a dying hum. There was a general cursing and clicking from the direction ahead of Mastermind. His visor lit up, scanning the area around him. It was crude and rude heat signatures along with a mini map of the building guiding his progress, but it was enough. Quickly, Mastermind ran for the main labs. The man in front of him tried to body block him, but a swift blow to the man's protruding stomach with his gauntleted fist and he went down like a sack of dropped rice.

"SHIT! EMP! HE'S GOT AN ELECTRICAL QUIRK!"

Mastermind shook his head. "FOOLS! NOW THAT YOUR SECURITY GRID IS DOWN, I AM FREE TO PILFER YOUR HEROIC SECRETS!" He then bowed. "Now, please excuse me. The lights should be coming back on in a few minutes, so try to remain calm."

The lab was just over here. Now for the next part. Izuku reckoned he didn't have long before the EMP wore off, so he had to act now. He tapped at a small screen on his right hand. The items he had planted before all of this should work, if he'd properly shielded them.

It had taken him a little bit of rather disgusting thievery, but he'd managed to swipe some of Kacchan's old gym socks. Since the blonde's sweat was always a nitroglycerin compound, it was an expenditure that he would not have to make in future.

The doors to the lab exploded, adding yet more chaos to the area. Mastermind knew that nobody would be too close to the doors of the lab, since all of the security guards were hampered by the doors being shut down. Quickly he headed to the main vault of the lab, grabbing as many items of tech as he could. An idle scan and he made sure that what he'd grabbed was the best items. Curiously, he left some items that looked to be of the same quality as others he had taken.

Objective? Secured.

Escape? Already working on it.

Mastermind grinned, and charged back out the way he came.

----------------

Yagi was having a small fit about his weakness. He'd used all of his time today, and he couldn't draw on even a drop of it when there were people in danger right now! Come on, One for All. Just one more minute. Please. 

The lights in the building had gone off, and suddenly there was just chaos. People in the street jostling each other, panicking and wondering where the heroes were. For Toshinori Yagi, the whole situation was just a bit ironic. Somebody collided with him particularly hard and fell down, dislodging the bag that Yagi had been using to hold the bottles of villain in. But even in his diminished state Toshinori couldn't just abandon somebody who needed help.

"Are you alright?" He helped the man up, dusted him off.

"Y-yeah..."

The young man looked over at the scene. "Damn. Who'd be dumb enough to rob a support building in broad daylight? All Might's gonna crush this idiot!"

Yagi winced. "Y-yeah, I think he will..." Something about this whole situation seemed strange. Normally Toshinori could force the embers to light up, but this time... his gut just didn't seem to be in it.

As he watched as workers started coming out, trying fruitlessly to reach emergency services, the young man started to glance around on the ground with what seemed like panic. "Ah! Sorry!" The young man bowed to Yagi. "I'm really sorry sir!"

Yagi blinked, trying to reassure him. "Sorry about what?"

"I- I accidentally used my Quirk on that bag!" The poor man sounded panicked. "I-I'm really sorry!"

"My bag?" Yagi blinked, then looked for his bag. Which had gone missing. He turned around. "W-what happened to it?"

"That's the thing! My Quirk - I - I can only teleport small objects! I usually use it to put my shopping away! It- it should be nearby! Like - uh - " he looked sheepish. "50 metres?" He chewed on his finger. "S-sometimes it's gone further, but - that's usually on a good day."

Yagi's eyes widened. Shit. His head whipped around, trying to see where it could have gone.

Then the front door of the office opened, and out strode the villain - Mastermind. Yagi watched as he seemed to almost - pose in the doorway, cape fluttering and accompanied by a burst of smoke, coming out from his cape apparently.

"MWA-HAHAHA! THE GREAT MASTERMIND ABSCONDS WITH THIS PRECIOUS HERO SUPPORT GEAR! AND THE HEROES HAVEN'T EVEN SHOWN THEIR FACES YET!"

Another boom of thunder (Yagi saw a tiny remote in the figure's hand. Was that a machine they'd built?) and another maniacal peal of laughter followed. "But now I must go! The heroes haven't heard the last... of MASTERMIND! Please let them know!"

And with that, the villain turned to leave, a bag of spoils in his hand. The police showed up, but apparently he had been expecting that. Suddenly, the smoke around him exploded outwards, covering the area. Toshinori thought he heard sounds, a clash in there. When the smoke cleared... the villain was gone. The police looked around, shouting, but there was nobody to be seen. Yagi's fists clenched at his side. A villain attack right in front of him, and he couldn't do anything. He'd just... just stood there. And now...

There was an explosion, from far off. Toshinori's head whipped around to the sound.

Oh no.

------------------

Mastermind was honestly a bit disappointed that no heroes had shown up.

"Talk about a waste of time..." he muttered. Still, at least he had the items he had been looking for. He needed to improve his costume, he knew that much. He had actually taken the simplest means of escape, which had been to deploy the full smokescreen and then swing onto the rooftops. He'd practiced that manoeuvre with the grappling hook for weeks until he'd been confident of pulling it off.

Mastermind had quite thoroughly scouted out the area beforehand, and had made sure to stay two steps ahead. A drone was waiting for him on this specific rooftop. He placed the spoils in the waiting box, and then tapped a few more buttons. The drone's outer shell flickered, then changed to a conventional delivery drone. Just one of dozens already out there. As it flew off, Mastermind swung ahead with the grappling gun.

This was kind of proving his point. Heroes needed to be won top of these things. Maybe he'd let off the EMP too early? No, he'd been careful about the size of the EMP only affecting the area in the building. He'd mapped the place out pretty thoroughly.

------------------

I knew that it was going to be difficult to get started as a brilliant villain. You needed resources, you needed genius, you needed preparation. So I prepared. 

I did all of my homework as thoroughly as I could. If there was a historic villain I was mimicking, it was The Uncanny Thief, Oji Harima. Destro's work was a bit... iffy. He had some really weird ideas about Quirkless people, referring to them as less than human in the original printing. And most other villains were only in it for fun and profit. There were a few vigilantes as well, some people who didn't fit into the system, but I could respect the Uncanny Thief's aims. 

I didn't have much in the way of conclusive proof about it, but I spotted a trend. Heroes with Makoto Industries' gear had a higher rate of injury. They claimed it was because their gear got damaged in the fights, but I suspected something was up. 

So I took inspiration, surprisingly enough, from a character from well before the time of Quirks - Arsene Lupin. A master of disguise, of being underestimated. He never hurt anybody with his stunts, and always gave flowers to a woman even when robbing her blind. 

I had a couple of jobs that I applied for. One false beard, a stoop, glasses and some hair dye later, and I was janitor Benji, just looking for work. Makoto Industries had been hiring a janitor, and I was able to get in by appealing to the manager's sensibilities. That I said I was Quirkless also helped. A few planted cameras and recording devices later, and I had been paid to map out their building and find the best entrances. 

Listening in only confirmed it. They were using substandard materials for some, but not all, of their gear to cut down on costs. Usually given to newer heroes with less of a support network. Workers justified it as being part of the hustle - 'the customer gets what they paid for.' 

Honestly. No wonder Heroes aren't as super as they should be.

Bur they had also, similarly, been cheap on their security systems. No electromagnetic shielding for them. Maybe they figured that the Heroes would always be there to guard them? So in the process of robbing them, I planned to leave the substandard gear for the inevitable police investigation. Along with a few tapes of calls about heroes they were ripping off. 

-----------------------

The first thought that went through Mastermind's head when he heard the loud explosions was that Kacchan had snapped and turned into a villain, which. Wasn't very fair. "How can I be his Nemesis if we're both villains?" He muttered, swinging over. "I mean, really, Kacchan, that was kind of the whole plan! You be the Number One Hero when All Might retires, I make some terrible puns and menace you, I drive you to be the greatest hero of all time! That was the plan!"

He swung down to ground level, where he saw a large crowd forming. Behind him, he saw a rather skinny man looking at him with wide eyes, who looked like he had just run over to the scene as well. The man pointed at him. "You-"

He coughed up a torrent of blood, and Mastermind panicked. 

-----------

"Oh my god, sir, are - are you okay? I, uh, have something for that, please don't die, oh my god oh my god-"

For the second time today, Toshinori Yagi was flustered by something unusual, and by the same person, no less; Mastermind - the villain who'd attacked a support company in broad daylight and set off an explosion indoors apparently - anxiously fumbling in his tool pouch for a handkerchief while frantically babbling at him to stay calm.

"Who - why are you here?" Toshinori Yagi knew that he could stretch One for All. Just a moment of distraction and he could take this Villain out, make him reveal where he'd stashed his loot. But again, he just couldn't find it in his heart to get this villain, who even now had a handkerchief in hand - an All Might handkerchief of all things. (The irony was not lost on Yagi.)

Yagi tried to speak but the villain frantically shook his head. "AH! Sir, please don't talk more! You might cough up more blood!" The villain pressed the handkerchief into Yagi's hands, his own stylised face staring up at him in an almost accusing manner. The villain's head whipped around. "Ah! Maybe a hero can help you-"

Another loud explosion cut them off.

And with that, the voices of the Heroes on duty started sounding through.

------------

Izuku was about to wipe the blood away from the protesting stranger's mouth when he heard the heroes talking. Backdraft, trying to keep the fires under control. Mount Lady, trying to get into position. Death Arms, arms crossed and a ferocious scowl on his face.

"It's like a minefield out there! We can't even get close to him! That slime villain is too slippery to grab, but the boy with the explosive Quirk is resisting him!"

Mastermind just stopped like a broken clock. What...? The next words from the heroes hit him like a ton of bricks.

"DAMN! There's no-one here who can stop him!"

"We just have to hope for somebody with the right Quirk shows up!"

"Keep the damage to a minimum! We just need the kid to hang on!"

The skeletal blonde man next to him clutched his stomach with an anguished look in his eyes. Mastermind couldn't blame him. He was feeling pretty sick himself.

Why weren't the heroes doing anything? Why were they just standing around, not trying anything? Furiously, Mastermind was about to go over to the heroes and give them a piece of his mind, when across the smoke, he met eyes with the victim.

Kacchan.

With a look in his eyes that showed that he was...

Terrified.

Mastermind...

Mastermind found that his body was moving on its own.

------------------

Yagi was pretty sure that he'd nearly died of a heart attack when the villain suddenly lunged forwards, tearing towards the boy in the middle of the Sludge Villain. The other heroes seemed about to shout at him to stop, then seemed to think better. Yagi's eyes widened - after all...

"Who's that Pro?" Death Arms yelled.

"Don't know! Maybe he's got the right Quirk for the job!"

They'd made the same mistake as he had.

And at that statement, it seemed that Mastermind almost sped up. Toshinori watched, agape, as the blonde was forced to swing around, palm outwards and sparking with heat. The villain ducked the explosion, the heat burning off some of the tabard, then reached out with an arm. A grappling hook shot out and dug into the slimy mass, wrapping around the teenager.

"You... YOU UTTER FOOL!" Mastermind yelled. There was a press of buttons on the other hand, and suddenly there was a startlingly bright light flaring out from the gauntlet. The sludge villain howled, slime covering his eyes, and then Toshinori's heart leapt into his chest as he saw the grappling line recede. The sludge villain tried to follow, but the villain pulled something out of his belt - a small gun, white with a blue light on the end. A blast of blue energy hit the villain's bottom half, and then the Sludge Villain roared in pain.

"What did you do to me? What did you do to me?"

Looking closer, Toshinori could see that the bottom half of the sludge villain had frozen solid. Mastermind didn't answer him, instead continuing to reel the explosive blonde in.

"Who are - WHY ARE YOU DOING THIS?" The hostage yelled, tears streaming down his face.

"MASTERMIND DOES NOT KNOW! BUT I DO KNOW THIS..." The villain braced himself against a piece of upturned concrete, both arms on the wire.

"IT'S A BAD DAY FOR HEROES WHEN A VILLAIN HAS TO DO A HEROES' JOB!"

With one last tug, the blonde was free, Mastermind stumbling back before pushing more buttons on his gauntlet. The sludge villain roared, trying to push forwards, but the other heroes took action. Backdraft shot a firehose stream of water at the villain, pushing him back. Before the villain could really recover, Death Arms had leapt into the fray. Charging up his might, the Pro hero unleashed a devastating series of punches, disrupting the villain's sludgy body. The villain, again, tried to recover, lunging at Death Arms in a last desperate attempt, but a fortunate save in the form of Mount Lady came through, an almighty stomp turning the villain into paste on the ground.

"Bleh." Her expression was one of disgust. And with the villain subdued, the crowd erupted into cheers for the heroes, along with a few mumbling that they 'wanted to be under her almighty heel.' And Toshinori Yagi watched this small moment with a heavy heart.

Toshinori just sighed. He... was kind of pathetic, wasn't he? Letting that villain get away, not stopping this Mastermind... But at least the heroes had managed to prevail here, in spite of his weakness. He cast a look at the villain again. He wondered what was going through the head of that villain.

---------

Izuku Midoriya had no idea why he'd done that. He'd just seen Kacchan in need of help, and he'd just... ran in. Was he losing his touch already? Was he going to perform a Heel Face Turn on day one of being a Super Villain?

"Hey! Are you a Pro?"

He stiffened, turning to the crowd in front of him. This was so much more intimidating than the Drama Society. A whole stressful of people, staring at him. And the Pro Heroes were looking his way, oh no. And there was that blood coughing guy from before, looking at him with a look that was undecided on reproachful and confused. Oh god. What do I say? 

Take a deep breath. This is the moment. Make yourself known to the Heroes. Not that hard. 

He turned around, and walked to a specific spot he'd seen before.

Showtime.

----------------

"Heh... heh..."

Bakugo coughed and retched up more as he heard that oddly distorted voice start laughing. Around him, the Pro Heroes tensed. The figure in front of him, the guy who'd saved him, started laughing, softly at first, shoulders shaking. Then, the shithead threw his head back and belter out a maniacal laugh, with his back arched and arms outstretched like he was some sort of goddamn supervillain or something.

"MWA-HAHAHAHA! FOOLS! I AM NOT A PRO HERO! RATHER, I AM THE MASTER VILLAIN, KNOWN AS... MASTERMIND!" Thunder roared even though it was a clear day as he continued laughing and smoke started coming out from his cloak. He changed his posture, dramatically pointing at the Heroes. "AS I SAID, I, ah, CHOSE, YES, CHOSE TO COME HERE SINCE I SAW YOU WERE TOO WEAK TO DEAL WITH SUCH A PATHETIC VILLAIN!"

The heroes bristled, Mount Lady ready to grab the little man as he laughed once again. Death Arms banged his fists together, electrical sparks coming off of the action. Kamui Woods prepared to bind this villain. Bakugo wanted nothing more than to charge this giggling asshole, but there just wasn't much strength left in his body. He'd never let off so many explosions, and such strong ones at that. His arms and lungs felt like they were on fire and he felt slightly light-headed. Honestly he felt like shit rather than The Shit.

"KNOW THIS, HEROES, I HAVE ALREADY GOTTEN AWAY WITH STEALING YOUR PRECIOUS SUPPORT ITEMS AT MAKOTO INDUSTRIES!" The Heroes flinched back at that, if only a little. "YES, CONSIDER THIS A WARNING! YOU HAVE NOT ESCAPED YET FROM THE BRILLIANT MACHINATIONS OF..."

The heroes lunged forwards, but it was too late. Bakugo could only watch from the sidelines as suddenly the smoke burst out in a massive cloud, engulfing the entire crowd of bystanders and the alleyways around. he could only watch as the Heroes charged in, with general cries of 'WHERE IS HE?' and 'CALL THE POLICE! GET A CORDON UP!' When the smoke cleared...

The villain was gone. All that was left was a small black box, resting just a short distance away. The heroes watched it carefully, ready to throw the civilians away if it turned out to a bomb. The box squawked.

"THE GENIUS SUPERVILLAIN, MASTERMIND!"

With that, the box crumpled up on itself, dissolving into a thick sludge. The heroes searched the area, furiously calling police, organising a search team. Bakugo could only stare at the ground where the villain had been...

A manhole cover.

Shit.

He wanted to get up, but when he tried, the world spun in an unpleasant way. Fuck, he needed a drink of water. As he fell, he saw somebody coming up with what looked like a bottle of water. Tall guy. Scraggly blonde hair. Skinny as fuck. He would have been more judgemental, but the guy had a bottle of water. Greedily he drank from it. When he felt like he wasn't going to die, he managed to get out, "Sewer grate," before returning to the bottle.

The tall man just nodded. "Are you okay?" he asked.

Bakugo scoffed. First a villain and now this guy. "I'm fine! Just... just a bit tired." He would have sworn, but the guy had given him a bottle of water.

"Kid! I have to say, you were incredible out there!" One of the heroes came up to him. Some guy in a bird mask. "And you've got such a great Quirk, too! You want to be my sidekick once you graduate?"

Bakugo looked away. Some hero he was, standing around doing fuck all. "Listen. I think the fucker went into the sewer system. That's where he stood. Over... over there."

The hero looked over, and then nodded. "You've got a good eye kid. We'll check it out. You should probably get home." He grinned. "Check the news tonight. We're definitely going to get that villain!"

In the crowd, he briefly saw a head of green hair wandering off, but he dismissed it. 

--------------

The manhole cover had been one plan of escape, thought of in the spur of the moment. But I've found that I have one great strength, as a Quirkless nobody. I'm pretty plain. 

So I set off that smoke cloud, and employed the best/worst feature in my kit - the Quick Change function. I designed the suit to be taken off easily and to fold up into a convenient school backpack. 

Arsene Lupin blends in with the crowd. He is the man on the street. So I escaped by being just one more panicking civilian, another face in the crowd. With my hair covered by my cloak, my voice and eyes disguised by my mask and visor, I was... anonymous. 

And so I came back to my Evil Lair (TM) with a huge amount of Hero Support gear to cannibalise for parts and a huge public debut. 

I suppose... this is the story of how I became the greatest Supervillain of all time.

Chapter Text

Izuku checked over his costume and gear, frowning. Parts of the cloak and cape had been burnt away by the explosions that Kacchan had been throwing out left and right. The other pieces of the costume - the EMP glove, grappling line and the Freeze Ray were all being recharged. "Hm... going to need to make improvements... not to mention that something's been bugging me all day..."

Izuku was situated in the Evil Lair (TM) (basement). Most of it was occupied by the various pieces that he needed to make the numerous devices and armour work. The spoils of victory were in a secure safe, while the rest of the room was covered in assorted bits and pieces. There was a grinding lathe as well as a veritable wall of computer screens - the Supervillain Computer. One screen was keeping an up-to-date account of the heroes of Musutafu and their patrol routes for easier dodging/appropriate Villainous Encounters. Another screen was keeping track of various projects that Izuku had started. yet another was displaying a spreadsheet of organisations that Izuku had been trying to track. And more were keeping track of the various pieces of tech that he had been using.

Most of the basement was covered in various worktables with villainous plans set up, written in code. Izuku had set up a table for a future Council of Villainy with a few spots reserved for some of his personal idols. Most of the rest of the room was filled with pieces of tech in different stages of completion. A whole shelf was dedicated to the old comics and movies of old - the works that showed how Super Villains like Izuku had to do things.

Sighing in frustration, Izuku shoved the remainder of the gear aside and flopped down onto the couch. Pulling out a comic book, he idly flicked through it, trying to loosen up and just relax. As he read through a story that he had read for a hundred times, something in his mind went click and he shot out of his seat, eyes sparkling.

"I've got it!"

Really, it had been obvious from the start. What was the point of a Mastermind without Minions of some kind? Izuku Midoriya knew that he would need more people to work with him in the future. He took another look at his costume, which was displayed on a mannequin that he had salvaged from the beach. He frowned.

"I think I need to update the look too. Too Doctor Doom. Not ME enough." His head spun, trying to think of better alternatives. "Maybe a suit? No, too Lex Luthor then. Maybe a bug mask? No, that would be too Skitter." He grunted in exasperation, running a hand through his fluffy green hair.

"I'll think of a look later. It's time to hit the beach again."

Sure it would have been nice to have a massive budget, but Izuku was working with barely anything. Most of his resources were recycled from the beach.

-----------------

It may seem like everything I created was just the product of some super intelligence Quirk. It was not. 

I was inspired by those old Villains, and threw myself into support and tech development. When I won first prize over two kids with Intelligence boosting Quirks, my mother and teachers decided that I needed to be checked again, and by better means than the old 'Missing Toe Joint' test. We went to specialist after specialist. We did blood tests, MRI's, CAT scans, Quirk factor tests. All came up negative. 

I was truly Quirkless. 

The intelligence Quirk kids weren't happy. One of them actually tried to strangle me before being pulled off by Kacchan. After that, the teachers gave them a lecture about strangling. Not because it was wrong, but because it would negatively affect their chances of being in a Hero course if they did. 

With such lousy prospective Heroes, it reinforced my desires to be the greatest Super Villain of all time.

So I studies hard, I worked hard. Most of my support Gear took years of hard work to make. I watched those with intelligence Quirks boast about how far above the human grade they were only to run into the limitations of their Quirks. They didn't work hard at this stuff like I did. 

I was bright for a child. I put in the work, the extra hours. They did not. 

--------------

 Toshinori Yagi sighed. The number was on his phone, practically glaring at him. He steeled himself, then tapped the call button.

"Mirai."

"All Might?" The words were clipped, professional, and yet there was a lilt of happiness to it.

Toshinori Yagi - All Might - sighed. "I'm... I'm calling to ask about young Mirio. The one you recommended."

A pause. "I... I never thought you would see reason." 

Yagi grit his teeth. "Yesterday I was... confronted with my weakness." It still galled him, the fact that he could have stopped this villain if only he had the time. Not once, but twice. "There was a villain. A different one. He... I was in no condition to catch him. He escaped both times."

"A villain escaped you?" 

Yagi nodded. "I was at my limit. I could have... if I had more time I could have stopped his attack. His name was Mastermind. Robbed a Support Company, then he..." he paused. "He saved somebody that I should have."

"Mastermind... hold on." A tapping of keys, then: "Ah. This Mastermind. The one whose cape stuck in a doorway." More tapping. Mirai's voice, serious and laser-focused. "And then he saves this... Bakugo, and makes a speech declaring his crimes. The HPSC is quite interested in this matter, and in the heroes it implicates. And he has become a minor symbol overnight." 

Toshinori Yagi nodded. "I can... I can see that. But..."

There it was. Something that had been churning in his gut on the day. Something that had led him to not try and push his limits. The memory of a villain, panicking and flustered, giving him a handkerchief. The Villain who had been stuck in a doorway, then tried to act like it hadn't happened.

He cleared his throat, the blood receding for now. "He was not like any other villain. In spite of his choices there was somebody who... I can't help but think that... he was harmless."

"He robbed a Support building in broad daylight. He shorted out their defences and made off with a startling amount of support gear that is likely to go on the black market. He is not harmless." Mirai's voice cut like a scalpel.

Toshinori frowned. "It just didn't feel threatening in my gut. Now... you say that this Mirio would be a fitting successor?"

Another pause. "How about I arrange a meeting? Let you make the final choice."

All Might nodded. This whole ordeal made him feel like a teenager again. He knew that he would have to retire eventually, but having the reality of the situation shoved in his face was just... humiliating. But he would meet this young Mirio with an open mind.

-----------------

Death Arms, Mount Lady and Kamui Woods refused to look at each other while the small man from the Heroics Public Safety Commission glared over them. "Let's get this straight." he patted a print-out, a photo taken by a civilian on the scene of Mastermind reeling the boy in while the heroes were standing around. "You didn't intervene in this hostage because of a threat to your life and, quote, 'not having the right Quirk.'" Death Arms bit his lip. "And as a result of this, a self-declared Super Villain just takes centre stage, saving the hostage and making a declaration like that?"

This man had a Quirk that they knew was minor, yet all the heroes felt small and insignificant before his stare. "We - we were resolving the situation-" Death Arms managed before he was pinned in place by a stare as sharp as a stake through the heart.

"Let me tell you something." The HPSC representative picked up a remote and turned on the screen behind him. The montage flew by. Mastermind, at the Support Centre. Mastermind, glaring down the heroes. Mastermind, saving the victim. "This represents nothing more or less than a catastrophic failure on the part of the heroes. Professional Heroes granted a license by us, standing around wth their thumbs up their asses while a villain saves a hostage?" He shook his head slightly. "It doesn't look good for you. Not. At. All."

Mount Lady shifted. "The streets were too narrow-"

"Then shrink and get a car. Or plan ahead in future." He glared at her and she shrank back. He sighed. "Frankly this is disappointing. For two such bright prospects and an experienced Pro to be less than useful in an incident like this, mopping up after a villain... it does not look good." He glared at each of the heroes. Any one of them could have reduced him to a fine pulp but they quailed before his gaze. "Now then, I believe you have more important matters to attend to. Don't let me detain you." He sat behind his desk, glancing up at them. "You are dismissed."

The door opened, and they left with the demeanours of sullen teenagers. Mount Lady and Kamui Woods avoided looking at each other. Death Arms started to turn to give the man a piece of his mind, then whipped back and stomped out with murder on his face.

--------------------

A few days later...

Midoriya Izuku was a bit surprised to see a couple of figures on Musutafu beach. From the looks of things, they had a skip at the ready - maybe they were a volunteer group? Izuku knew that nobody really wanted to be here at the beach. He looked them over, assessing. One, tall and gaunt with corn-yellow hair - ah! He had seen that man before, the one coughing up blood! Izuku was just happy to see that he was alright.

The other one was - a teenager? A couple of years older than Izuku, maybe a second year in high school. And he was - he was built like a miniature All Might, with a confidence and easy smile that Izuku honestly envied. He looked like a great hero already. Izuku looked between the two people. Blonde hair, blue eyes, conficdence -

Ah.

Izuku jogged over to them. "Oh, hello!" Both people whipped around to see him, the tall skinny father looking a bit out of sorts. Izuku didn't mind. He pointed to a battered television. "Ah, are you... are you doing a beach cleaning project?"

The son smiled. "We sure are! I was talking with - ah-"

The bloody cough man looked askance, then made a short bow. "Toshinori Yagi-"

Izuku's eyes sparked and he wanted to slap himself. How could he have not recognised him? "You're Toshinori Yagi! You're All Might's secretary!"

Yagi seemed taken aback. "You- you know me?"

Izuku scoffed. "How Could I not? The greatest All Might buffs know that there's a Toshinori Yagi in the Might Tower! His officially listed position is of All Might's secretary, but there's a bit more to your position! You help manage not just All Might's meetings with the police but also with the media, the fashion designers... there's a forum dedicated to Toshinori Yagi sightings!"

The man looked bewildered and slightly put upon. "People care that much about me?"

Izuku nodded, eyes beaming. Then he remembered himself. "AH! Please don't shut it down! We all appreciate all the hard work you put in for All Might even if, just looking at your appearance it seems like he doesn't appreciate it himself!"

Toshinori Yagi just stood there, stunned. Izuku turned to his son. "My name's Izuku Midoriya. It's an honour to see a father-son bonding activity like this!"

At that, both parties stiffened in shock. Then came the inevitable.

"No no! You... you have it wrong Young Midoriya!"

"Yeah! this is... we just look similar! He's - he's not my dad-"

Izuku just remembered who this guy was. It was right in front of him, but he hadn't recognised the guy without what Izuku considered something memorable. "You... you're the PANTS GUY!"

Pants Guy blinked. "Uh-"

Izuku got in full throttle. "I just watched you last year! In the UA Sports Festival! You were the guy who kept phasing through your pants! You had an incredible performance!" Izuku just knew that this guy was going to be a Superhero. It's in the smile, the confidence, the aura. All he needed is an incredible villain to oppose him.

Pants Guy blinked, then laughed. "I can't blame you for temporarily forgetting my name like that. Well, the name's Togata Mirio! And when I'm a Pro Hero, the name's going to be Lemillion! Why?" his expression turns hopeful, confident. "Because I plan to save a million people in my lifetime. At least."

...

Izuku might be wrong. Of course, he knows that the majority of heroes needs a strong villain to challenge them and drive them to be Plus Ultra. But this guy was going to be a great hero without a nemesis. But if he needed one in the future...

"That's amazing, Mirio-san!" He turned to the tech on the short. "So you're going to be cleaning up this beach?" At a nod, Izuku glanced at his hands. "So... where's your gloves? There's a lot of sharp edges and rusty metal here. You could get tetanus." Toshinori started a little at that. "And do you have a first aid kit in case on injury?"

Toshinori Yagi spluttered a bit. "I - ah - well..." his voice trailed off into nothing.

Izuku sighed. "You have to have a plan of action, otherwise you're going to suffer when things go wrong." He smiled at the both of them.

"Ah, but do you mind putting the electronics in a seperate area? I'm... I'm using them for a school project. By recycling this stuff I don't need to waste as much in terms of resources at school."

Toshinori and Togata shared a look (and Izuku thought that they really were father and son. That false name was clearly a cover for Toshinori) before Togata turned to him with a smile like the sun.

"Not a problem! You'll collect it?"

"Of course I will!"

---------------

A lot of people at school thought that since I was a major Cape geek that I would be scrawny. That was true for a short while. But I needed supplies, and the beach had a surprising amount of stuff that needed recycling. So I dragged in a lot of stuff. Turns out that moving heavy weights was a good way to build muscle tone. I mean, I wasn't built like All Might but I was a lot stronger than I looked. 

Still, it was pretty helpful to have Toshinori and Mirio put the mechanical stuff closer to where I needed it. It saved a bit of time in my daily routine. But while I was there at the beach that morning, I had a look at something that had been dumped there. An old dressmaker's dummy, similar to the model that I had at my Evil Lair. 

It was then that I got an idea.

It was a brilliant idea, that had been repeated in the pages of comic books for years, But it would require some serious funding...

------------------

The business office was small and relatively cramped. Mastermind pushed the door open, striding in with confidence, cape fluttering behind him. A press of the button caused the cape to slump to normal levels before the door closed. Thus satisfied, the Super Villain sat down opposite of the only reliable and decent contact they had had for the underworld. A man by the name of Giran, the man sat across him.

"Well, this was a surprise."

Mastermind wasn't concerned. "Well, you should have known that the diabolical Super Villain MASTERMIND-" a crack of thunder - "would come to a premier dealer in the underworld."

Giran stared for a second before chuckling. "Heh. I suppose I should have." He levelled a stare across his desk at Mastermind. "So, what can I do for somebody who has made a relatively explosive debut?"

Mastermind sighed, rubbing the back of his head. "Well, the truth of the matter is that I need some minions . People who believe in the same aims that I do." He looked Giran in the eye. "You struck me as the kind of guy who could find people like that. Everybody said that you were reliable. Honest. More than most people out there."

Giran simply shrugged. "If you have the money for it I'll support damn near anything." He shrugged. "Then again, most people aren't going to follow you. You're... well..." he searched for words, coming up with, "eccentric."

Mastermind shrugged. "Mastermind cannot deny that. But could you help me find people who would work for me like that?"

Giran just smiled, lighting a cigar with a flame from his revolver. "I can try. What would be in it for me?"

Mastermind seemed to pause, before he pulled out a small satchel. "Support gear."

Interested, Giran leaned over to take a look at the items. An item was shaken loose, a piece of chest armour that popped out from what looked like a small canister. "Tough enough to withstand one blow from All Might at full power, or so they estimated."

Giran sucked in a breath. "That's... mighty impressive." He reached for it only for Mastermind to pin him with a stare. He sighed. "I'll put out feelers, get you recognised. There's bound to be some people crazy enough to work for you."

Mastermind just beamed, or seemed to beam. "Great! And if you can't find anyone-"

"Wire some money to your account of choice. What do you think I am? A corporation? I have a reputation for honesty you know."

After that exchange and going into further detail about what he was looking for in his minions, Mastermind left the world of supervillains for the hellscape of middle school.

Chapter Text

Bakugo Katsuki felt like he was going to explode. Aldera school was shitty, with assholes who didn't even know him showing up with dumbass questions like, 'how did you find that villain?' 'What was it like to be rescued by that other villain?' And the teachers, fuck the teachers. Always acting like he needed somebody to talk to. 'My door is always open,' 'if you want to talk about it, please keep me in mind.' Fawning over him like that just made him sick.

Bakugo didn't want to talk to any of those fuckers. He really didn't like the feelings that remembering the experience bring up. The choking, the helplessness - he is not, and never has been helpless. He's never needed help from anybody. Needing help makes him - useless. Weak.

If that's what being Deku was like he wants none of it. Doesn't want his greatness to be dismissed and thrown away just because he needed help. Really doesn't want to be treated as lesser and made of glass for some bullshit involving bad circumstances that prevent people from seeing his potential. Bakugo was ever so slightly pissed off that teachers tended to say that Deku was smart 'in spite' of being Quirkless. Bakugo would never admit it but Deku did do consistently better in a wide variety of subjects than him. It kept him on his toes, trying to outsmart the nerd. Not that he cared about Deku or anything.

And the fucking irony of the situation was, Izuku Deku didn't do that stupid fucking thing that he did all those years ago! He's not there treating him like a baby and asking him if he needs help! Oh sure, if there's some discussion he looks sympathetic, the little fucker. But otherwise he hasn't brought it up independently! That -

That hurt for some reason. Bakugo scowled. Well, if the nerd doesn't want to fucking do that dumb thing where he reaches out and gives him a hand that is unnecessary and unwanted, then he'll leave him alone. About time that the nerd realised that Bakugo Katsuki isn't so weak as to need a hand. Even though he will never admit it to anybody but he wouldn't mind one.

Deku just kept tinkering at his desk, the damn nerd. When he looked up as Bakugo slammed down into the seat in front of him Bakugo just knew that the damn nerd was smiling for some fucking reason. But he hasn't mentioned that fucking slime villain so Bakugo guesses it's alright.

------------------

Kacchan's my best friend! 

No, really, he is. Even if he'll never say it, I know Kacchan. I think that with a great Villain, he's going to be the best. And that Super Villain is going to be me. 

I have to admit, Kacchan's, well. Explosive. He's rude and arrogant, and he treats others pretty badly. There's a lot of things that I dislike about him, almost hate. But at the same time...

When I see him in my mind, I can't help but think of victory. Think of those times that he beat up those kids who were a couple of years older than us and then grinned like it was nothing. I see Kacchan pushing himself harder and harder to get those skills that others say are 'natural talent' down to that level. I see him, smiling and confidently leading other kids around like hit's natural. Glaring down teachers and older kids alike with no fear.

...I can see the slight hurt in his eyes whenever the teachers and other kids praise his Quirk, his grades, everything but him. Never noticing the hard work and just saying that he's 'gifted.' I can see him try to express how much he respects somebody else by going 'you're not just a shitty extra,' and not being able to find different words for it.

I want to say that I saw him on that day and that he needed help back then and I gave it, but that would give the game away of my identity. Then Kacchan will kill me and then I'll be arrested. 

Man.

Being a Super Villain is almost as tough as being a Super Hero.

-----------------------

Coruscafe was an ideal spot for Midoriya Izuku to get a little bit of extra money from a summer job. It's also, conveniently, near the building that he was scoping out for his next villainous act. It is a high class cafe, with a strict dress policy for its servers.

It's this dress policy that made Mastermind realise something that would give him the necessary look. The source of inspiration was at hand!

This is it. This is what I was looking for without even realising it!

He checked himself in the locker room mirror. Black slacks leading down to a pair of well-shone black loafers. A white shirt with a black tie, with a black sleeveless vest over it, neatly buttoned up. Looking at himself in the mirror, Izuku felt like he did when he built his first piece of support equipment. He checked the pockets, spinning a little.

For some reason this just feels right. Like this was meant to be.

Midoriya Izuku was shaken out of his reverie by the manager coming in. "Alright, kid. Let's go." He looked at Izuku's throat. "How the hell did you do that with your tie?" The tie was short, fat and stubby - which seemed impossible considering that the tie had been a skinny one.

Izuku winced. "S-sorry. It's - it's just how my dad always did up his tie. And he showed me how to do it!"

His manager sighed. "How you can fool around with the coffee machine like you were born to improve it but can't tie your tie properly is beyond me." He gestures. "I'll help you do it this once. I hate to say it, but you might need a clip-on. But only because I can't see how you'd mess a clip-on up."

Izuku nodded, blushing. His tie wasn't that bad... right?

After his tie had been fixed up, Izuku worked hard for the rest of the day. Idly he noticed what looked like a father and daughter pair also checking out the bank. The older man asked for some pretty expensive tea while his daughter asked for a straight black coffee.

"Okay! We'll be right back!"

The father and daughter nodded, the man thanking him and wishing him well. Something about the man seemed familiar, but Izuku couldn't place it. Well, it was sure to come back to him.

---------------------------

It had been a long day after school and his summer job. Deep in the Evil Lair (TM) Izuku Midoriya checked over his latest project. "Yes..." he breathed. It had taken a while to assemble the components, but it was all ready.

The mannequin had given him an idea. Sure, he knew that he'd need other people to pull off bigger jobs, but what if he had some extra help? More specifically, if he had a fake body, rigged to do his evil bidding. Like Doctor Doom, a devilish body double so that he could never be caught! As a last resort, he could destroy it, leaving no trace back to him!

After hours of work, he had completed one of his most demanding projects so far. It stood in front of him, waiting to be powered on. A mannequin's body housing a variety of electronics, outfitted in a copy of his newest Villain look. Underneath the costume, there were powerful industrial strength servos designed to mimic human movement as much as possible. In Izuku's hands was the remote control for the unit along with a microphone for speaking through it.

What? Izuku had to go to school, got most of his components from the beach or his underfunded public school and had a budget that was nano fibre thin even with his stash of looted support gear. Developing an A.I. that not only could pass a Turing test but could Turing test itself was just not feasible. So a remote controlled body would have to do.

"Yes..." he gripped his thunder machine. "YES!" Thunder rolled once more. "It's finally ready! The Diabolical Electronic Kickass Unit is ready! MWA-HAHAHAHA!" He pressed the power button, confidently. The robot in front of him shuddered to life, lights flicking on...

And then the arms shot off, one leg collapsed, dumping the whole body on the ground, and the other leg flailed around in ways no human leg should. Then it caught fire.

Izuku sighed, grabbing the fire extinguisher. "Well, that's Beta 1 of the DEKU. Really wanted it to work, but I've just found how not to build an android replica of myself. Obvious faults in the limbs and power cell as well as general structure." Spraying it down, he turned around. "But my newest outfit and gadgets, on the other hand..."

He pressed the Thunder Machine just for dramatic effect.

"THE HEROES WON'T KNOW WHAT'S COMING! MWA-HAHAHA! MWA-HAHAHA!"

The door above banged, and Izuku's secret security camera picked up his mother at the basement door. "Izuku! It's time for dinner!"

Izuku's head whipped around. "Ok! Thanks mom! What are we having?"

His mother just smiled. "We're having Curry Rice!"

Izuku sniffed. "Smells great mom!" He bounded up the stairs, turning off the lights. As he went up, various shutters and organisational bits and pieces folded up and came down, protecting vulnerable pieces of tech and plans from his mothers' eyes.

Supervillainy would have to wait until tomorrow.

-------------------------

My mom? She's the best as well!

When I didn't have my Quirk, and I asked her that question of if I could be a Hero, she just... she broke down. It wasn't the answer to the question that I wanted then. But after self-reflection and changing my goal, I started on improving my science and technology knowledge. After all, I wanted to be a Super Villain! Or Support Hero as I told my mom - even back then I knew that people didn't just admit that they wanted to be supervillains. That's just silly.

Mom was a bit worried at first, seeing me just go for tech and science like I had. She thought that there was something wrong with me. That I was denying something about myself. Mom wasn't sure what to do with my tech interest - she did some looking up of stuff. She bought me some junior science kits, helped get me involved with some clubs - she got me a little lab coat and watched me do experiments and asked me questions about what I was doing. Some small exasperation and worry soon turned to wonder, and then pride. When I nearly got choked out by one of those Intelligence Quirk kids, she'd taught them and their parents a real lesson. I didn't hear what she said, but apparently the other kid and her parents had to sleep with the lights on after that. Then they moved to a nearby prefecture. I really didn't want to have to deal with them and my mom didn't want me talking about them so we moved on.

Sure, we've had times where we've driven each other mad. But ultimately we love each other. My mom's just so happy that I'm doing what I love. She signed up with Bakugo's mom for this gym place and has a ton of friends there. Sure, she still worries about my dad, and I know that she worries about me and all of the explosions and fire in the basement. But she's so proud of what I've done with myself, and knowing all of this... it's just...

I love my mom so much. 

The only person who comes close to how much I love my mom is All Might. 

And if anybody did anything to my mom?

I would be forced to kill everybody involved and then myself.

That's just a joke! That's just a joke.

-------------------------------

Kinsara bank was fairly reputable. It was a small, local bank that had branches in Musutafu and a couple of other prefectures. The service was decent, and they were fairly generous.

But Gentle Criminal knew better.

He had done his own research into the bank, and he found the bank disgusting. The bank had a rather nasty loanshark business operating. It was almost like a protection racket with how they pressured businesses under them.

How very ungentlemanly.

"Is the camera rolling, La Brava?"

"Yes, Gentle!" 

Danjuro smoothed down his hair. This was the moment.

Confidently, Gentle burst into the bank, striding through the crowds of people to the front. Whirling around, he took a bow. "Hello, gentle viewers. I hope this video finds you well." He looked out at the people who were irately glaring at him. "Attention, everyone! Please, stay calm, for I am robbing this bank!"

There was a brief moment of calm, of everybody looking at each other as if they couldn't believe this was happening. While the teller frantically fumbled on the desk, there was a gentle buzz in Danjuro's ear.

"Uh, Gentle? Somebody's-"

The door was thrown open, and Gentle craned to see who it was. "MWA-HAHAHA! KEEP CALM, PEOPLE, FOR I, THE SUPER VILLAIN KNOWN AS MASTERMIND, AM ROBBING THIS BANK!"

The newest villain in Musutafu strode through. Gentle could see that the villain had updated his look. Rather than just a teal green scheme, the villain now had a dark red waistcoat, thrown over a teal shirt, oversized for the obvious body armour. Poking out of the pocket was a black watch-chain, connected to something small nestled in there. A black bow-tie was around his neck. The shirt sleeves were rolled up, exposing more of the armour that the man wore. The belt had been redesigned, more streamlined. Even the visor itself had been upgraded, the red plastic now connected to the dark green mouthpiece and covering the whole face. The Super Villain, as he called himself, looked up at Gentle...

And froze, eyes evidently locked on him.

---------------------

Gentle.

Gentle Criminal was here.

Gentle Criminal was here and he was already doing a job.

Izuku was seeing Gentle pull a bank robbing job live.

Izuku could get involved with Gentle Criminal pulling a job.

Stay calm, Izuku. Introduce yourself in a cool way. 

Izuku opened his mouth, and let out a manly shriek. "Ohmigoshohmigoshohmigoshohmigosh you're Gentle Criminal!"

Now everybody around them was looking at him in a confused and scared way, not sure whether to run or keep watching. He didn't care, continuing to ramble. "Oh, wow. Just... just wow." Izuku went forwards, already pulling out a pad of paper from his Utility Belt. "I'm - I'm your biggest fan. Please, could you - could you sign this? Please?"

Gentle Criminal stood there, blinking, with an expression similar to a stunned fish. At those words, he started, then looked at Izuku with wide eyes. "You're... my biggest fan?"

Izuku nodded, pen in hand. "Yes! I subscribe to your channel every time it gets taken down! I-I-I have a bot that tracks for it and then auto-subscribes me! It's-" Izuku paused, pressing a button on the side of his visor. A small pump sluiced away the tears that were building up, pouring it into the coolant section of his gear. "This is one signature that I've always wanted, ever since I heard of you." He took a deep bow, pad and pen presented with both hands firmly gripping the corners.

Gentle Criminal took the pad. Stared at it. Then, he got back the familiar look in his eyes, the look of a gentleman rogue. With a flourish, Izuku now had Gentle Criminal's signature! And it was made out to Mastermind! it said 'To my biggest fan!' Now all Izuku had to do was get All Might's signature and he would have two great family heirlooms!

Gentle Criminal coughed. "It's always a pleasure to have a dedicated fan. Now... where were we?"

Izuku blinked. "Ah, yes! That's right!" he leaned over the counter. "Could you give both of us a large sum of money please? I need it for my villainous schemes." He placed a large bag with the Yen symbol prominently picked out in green ink.

Gentle Criminal nodded, passing over his own briefcase. "Quickly now, before the heroes get here."

The teller shook. "You're... you're going viral on Herotube... both of you..." His hands shook as he started scooping money in, slowly.

"HALT, VILLAINS!" Some heroes had arrived - three of them. One of them in a more mechanical suit, another in a more traditional yellow and red spandex suit and the last in what looked like a business suit with a fedora and domino mask. The hero in the spandex pointed a finger.  "DROP YOUR WEAPONS AND SURRENDER!"

Gentle turned around. "Ah, it's the Heroes." he turned to Mastermind, voice lowered. "Tell me, have you wondered how I get out of these situations, Mastermind?"

Izuku just nodded, eyes sparkling. Gentle Criminal gave him a wink. "It's going to be our secret." He whipped around, stance confident. "Hah! You think a mere three heroes will give me much trouble?"

A few more heroes rounded the corner and readied themselves. Gentle Criminal stared for a bit. "Hm." He tapped the earpiece he had. "La Brava..."

Mastermind's sensors picked up a "You got it, Gentle!" and then something got mumbled, before Gentle seemed to glow with power. Quickly, Mastermind focused on getting the money into his large sack and the briefcase.

Gentle cracked his neck. "I hate to do things in such an ungentlemanly fashion... but it cannot be helped." And then he moved. 

The hero in the business suit reached out and threw a pair of handcuffs that stretched and took a life of their own, only for them to get stuck in the air in front of Gentle. "What?" The air then bounced back, sending the handcuffs right into their owner's face! Gentle winced a bit, finishing the attack by firmly jabbing his cane into the hero and knocking the wind out of him. Gentle seemed undaunted and confident in this. 

But most importantly he was not alone. Smoke surrounded the pair of them, cutting off the view from the other patrons as Mastermind leapt into the fray. One of the heroes went for Mastermind, hand sparking with electricity. Mastermind ducked his thrust and slammed the briefcase into the man's chin, sending him spiralling down. The next Hero to attack, a woman in a red and black costume, stretched an arm out an impossible distance, trying to punch him in the face. Narrowly dodging, he clamped his left hand on hers. Electricity sparked, causing her to scream before Mastermind closed the distance to sock her again.

The man in red and yellow took in a deep breath. Flickers of flame came around his mouth. Gentle went to gesture, but Mastermind pulled out his small freeze ray. As the Hero breathed fire at the pair of them, Mastermind fired a blue-white beam back. The resultant temperature clash caused a minor explosion, sending the Hero stumbling back and Gentle taking the initiative, springing off the air to deliver a blow to the gut that folded the hero like a piece of paper.

The other heroes glanced between each other. A plan seemed to form for the remaining heroes, and they stood their ground, powers at the ready. Gentle and Mastermind shared their own look, then leapt back into the fray. The civilians watched with bated breath. Sure, these villains were powerful. But the heroes... they would win for sure, wouldn't they? They had to.

-------------------

GENTLE CRIMINAL AND LOYAL SUBSCRIBER TEAMUP - KINSARA BANK HEIST

The video itself had started with Gentle Criminal explaining his motives for robbing the bank. There had been what looked like security camera footage - "Gathered by loyal fans like you" - showing the owner of the bank, a man with a shark mutation threatening various business owners. One of them had had their head shoved into his mouth as his accountant made points about 'not paying your dues.' Then the video cut to the events of the bank robbery and an unintentional team-up of bank robbers

The villains took a deep breath, composing themselves. "And that's a wrap!" 

On the screen, Gentle Criminal and Mastermind took their bow. Behind them, the Kinsara bank had been deformed slightly, wobbling in place as if it was made of rubber. Around them, the groaning bodies of heroes, unconscious and in various positions. One of the heroes had been tied up with what looked like the Heroes' own handcuffs. The civilians in the hall were all unharmed, but were running away from the scene with nervous and terrified expressions on their faces.

Mastermind seemed to grin, holding up both his sack of money and the briefcase. "Here you go, Gentle! Always a pleasure to help out a fellow Super Villain!" 

Gentle accepted it with a warm smile on his face. "And thank you, Mastermind, for your help today." 

Mastermind nodded, then started. He pulled something out of his pocket. "I think you might find this helpful for your video, if you didn't already know about it." He then turned to the camera.

"Never thought I'd do this... MWA-HAHAHA! BE AFRAID, HEROES, FOR THE BRILLIANT MASTERMIND HAS STRUCK AGAIN! BETTER LUCK NEXT TIME!" And with that last statement, the villain sprung away. Gentle Criminal looked in his direction where he'd left with a fond smile before turning back to the camera.

"If you want to support my villainy, then I want you to click that like button in a gentlemanly or ladylike fashion, subscribe and click the bell for alerts, and don't forget to leave a comment, and I will see you-" With the police sirens coming, Gentle Criminal pulled out a small black device. "-In the next video! Gentle Criminal, away!" And with that, he threw the object on the ground, covering the area in thick purple smoke. When it cleared, he was long gone and the video ended.

A furry hand closed the laptop down, the other hand pouring a cup of tea. A furry snout sniffed the tea, eyes closing in pleasure.

"My, my..." The figure sitting in front of the laptop took a sip of tea. "A brilliant villain like that, taking such centre stage... how very interesting."

Principal Nedzu gave a little grin.

"Technical skill, intelligence, imagination, decisiveness... oh, I can't wait to pull you apart and see what makes you tick." The small grin on his face turned into something more feral, teeth exposed and pupils shrinking. He started to giggle, then chuckle. His grip on his teacup started to get shaky and droplets of tea started to spill everywhere as his laughter intensified.

"IT'S BEEN SO LONG SINCE I'VE HAD A CHALLENGE LIKE YOU! A-HAHAHAHA! A-HAHAHA!"

Chapter Text

Izuku squinted inside the bowels of the dummy. "Change over a few wires, alter the power cell, reinforce the servos again-" he sighed a bit at that. Building Support tech in general and Villain tech specifically was hard work. Making even a crude mimic of his body took a considerable amount of skill. Sure, Izuku was skilled, but there were limits to what you could do. Most of his money had just gone to getting better tools, more advanced electronics.

After being satisfied that it all worked, that everything was in order, he clicked the panel shut, screwing it back together. "Alright! The DEKU unit, take 5!" He pressed the power button on his remote control. The machine whirred to life, internal gears grinding. A light turned on in its eyes...

And then it shut down again, slumping. Izuku pumped a fist. "Yes! It didn't explode! Progress." He wiped his hands clean with a rag. "Now to get it to actually move around."

As Izuku started checking the structure and wiring of his robot again (maybe some soft parts would help around the joints) he heard his villain phone go off. Without turning around, he shouted, "Speaker!", and continued working on the insides of the robot.

"Oh, hello Mastermind. How have you been on this fine day?" 

Izuku stopped everything. "Gentle Criminal?!" He rushed over to the mouthpiece, strapping it on. "How did you find me?"

There was a soft chuckle on the other end. "Well, after the success of my last video, I actually got in contact with some people in the underworld. I had to see if I could track you down. And luckily, I found Giran who was asking around for people to follow you." Izuku smiled a bit as Gentle continued. "I talked with him, and asked him if he had any way to contact you. Fortunately he gave me this number on the explicit promise that I don't tell anybody else." 

"Giran said that? I guess he really does deserve his high reputation..."

"He really does. Now, I was wondering if you would like to, well... team up in the future." 

...

For Izuku, time had stopped. The only thing that could have made his day even more than this would have been All Might himself showing up, declaring him the Number One All Might Fan of All Time and autographing everything he owned. He stood in the middle of the basement, mouth agape and shaking slightly.

"Mastermind?"

"YES!" Izuku shouted, then coughed. "I-I-I mean, yes, I-I would love to."

"Splendid! Then let us meet at Giran's office in a few minutes. I can give you directions to the abode of La Brava and I there." 

Izuku managed to strangle a squeal of pure happiness.

-----------------------------------

Gentle Criminal felt slightly awkward, sitting there in the small office. La Brava stood next to him, idly checking on her phone regarding the account they had created for his villainous efforts. Gentle cleared his throat. "Are you sure he said he was coming? It's nearly our appointed meeting time."

In the desk opposite, Giran simply smirked. "I know my clients. He'll come through in three... two... one..."

WHAM!

The door was thrown open and Mastermind strode in, a crack of thunder coming as he did so.  "Greetings Giran-san! Mastermind is here! And g-greetings to you as well, Gentle-sama, La Brava-san!" He gave a deep bow to each of them, then sat down in the chair left for him.

Giran smiled. "Well, it's good to see a figure like you." He chuckled lowly. "Having somebody like you show up means more business for me. More people seeing the benefits of good support gear."

Mastermind nodded. "Well, I'm glad to hear it." He leaned forwards in his chair. "So, you've been doing well, Gentle-sama?"

Gentle just laughed, holding a hand up. "Please, just Gentle would be fine." His smile widened. "As for how I've been doing, the channel's doing incredibly well!"

"Yeah!" La Brava piped up, holding her phone out. "We've gotten positive comments this time! And people are actually subscribing and taking us seriously!" She shot Mastermind a look of gratitude which the self-proclaimed Super Villain seemed to blush and start to flail.

Gentle just waved it off with an easy smile. "And it's all thanks to you, Mastermind."

Mastermind spluttered, finger pointing at himself. "M-me? I-I-I just-"

"I had been doing my own investigation on that bank, and what I found was bad. But I didn't go so far as to have recording devices set up to capture illegal acts like that." Gentle bowed, which had Mastermind stammer and fumble over his words to get him to 'stand up, please, Gentle!'

"No, the praise is yours," Gentle Criminal replied. "You went above and beyond with that, and as a result I have to admit... for all I inspired you, I know that working alongside you I could be greater."

"Gentle! It's okay!" La Brava tried to reassure him, with Mastermind repeating her assurances.

Gentle just shook his head. "That's why La Brava and I wanted to work together with you. As partners, definitely." He grinned. "I've been in this business for longer than you have and I can teach you some things yet."

Mastermind sat there, seemingly unsure of what to say. Then he shook himself, regained his composure. "I-if you, the brilliant villain Gentle Criminal want to work with ME, the Super Villain Mastermind as a partner... how can I say no?" Thunder roared in the small office, Giran scowling a bit. "MWA-HAHAHA! TOGETHER, WE'LL SHAKE THE WORLD OF HEROES TO ITS CORE! MWA-HAHAHA!"

There was the sound of clapping behind him. "Magnificent! Truly magnificent!"

Mastermind and Gentle Criminal spun around to see the new figure in the doorway. Wearing a black waistcoat and slacks with an orange shirt, blank white mask with a grin etched on it with a top hat, the tall man behind them continued clapping, before taking a bow. "It's a pleasure to finally meet you in the flesh! I have to admit, my mind was halfway made up when Giran gave me a call about your situation, Mastermind."

Mastermind spluttered a bit. "I-uh-well-what?"

The tall man started. "Oh, I haven't introduced myself properly." He pulled a pair of small marbles out from his pocket and tossed them in front of him. A pair of floodlights sprang into existence, casting him into shadow. "I... am known as Mr Compress! Magician, villain, showman!" He took another bow, arm sweeping into a dignified position. "And for the purpose of this conversation, interested in working under a villain like you!"

Mastermind stared blankly. "Huh?"

Mr Compress chuckled. "Your presentation is pretty good for an amateur, which is most of the reason I am here. I chose you over others because you've got a different look to you than other villains. You... you have a sincere belief that you can change things." His tone of voice changed, becoming more serious. "You want to change the world of heroes, in your own way. Odd in somebody as young as you are."

Mastermind seemed to still. Gentle looked at the man next to him, watched his fist clench. "...I do." Whatever he'd been thinking about seemed to clear, and he perked right back up. "If you wish to be the first of my Dastardly Minions-"

"Minions?"

"-then we can start our works right away! With all of us working together..." he started to chuckle, hand gripping his tiny device.

"THE WORLD OF HEROES WILL NEVER KNOW WHAT HIT IT! MWA-HAHAHA! MWA-HAHAHA!"

--------------------

Toshinori Yagi nodded approvingly at Mirio. "You're doing an excellent job," he remarked, his successor beaming up at him.

Togata Mirio's schedule was pretty busy - as well as schoolwork he also had to continue his internship with Sir Nighteye's hero agency. Coming here to the beach helped give him additional breaks as well as train his body to handle One for All. Toshinori approved of the boy's drive, and he could see that the boy's easy smile and confidence would mark him as a future Symbol of Peace.

So why did he feel so uneasy about passing the Quirk to him?

Come on Toshi! Listen to me! Do not pass One for All to him!

Is anything getting through your successor's thick head, Seven?

He was always stubborn like this... we have to keep trying! One for All will kill that boy and he won't even know why! 

COME ON YAGI! LISTEN TO OUR VOICES! TRY HARDER DUDE!

Yagi grunted, hand clasped to his head and the copper tang of blood in his mouth. He was getting a lot more headaches lately, and his scar had been aching like mad. He didn't know why - maybe it was getting close to the anniversary of his master's death. That always made his scar ache. Mirio looked at him with concern. "Are you alright, All- Yagi-sensei?"

Yagi just sighed, rubbing his temples with a pained smile. "A bit of a headache, Young Mirio. Nothing more." Mirio looked like he wanted to say more, but then returned to the work at the beach.

WE WERE SO CLOSE, DAMN IT! 

Let's ty a different tack. Keep going for the gut instinct.

Odd to hear you like this, Two.

Please. I think the man and his apprentice are insufferably naive and overblown. It doesn't mean that I want the kid to die young. That, and I don't want to hear Eight's whining.

Yagi winced. He really needed to talk with somebody about these headaches. That, and sometimes he'd had dreams where his master had been trying to talk to him, only he couldn't hear her voice, only a few muffled words. It was as if she was talking in the next room over... then the usual nightmares started and it all got worse.

Maybe he needed to take that therapy Hound Dog had been talking about after all.

He may have landed a deadly blow on my brother, but he barely received the first vision we gave to him. We'll have to keep trying. 

"Say, A-Yagi-sensei, I was kind of curious about one thing," Mirio said, starting on hauling a fridge across the sand towards the designated tipping point.

"Yes?"

"Well... you said that this was a power passed down through the generations, right?"

Yagi nodded, mind going to what he thought was coming. It seemed like his headache had let up a bit at those words. "Right. There were seven users before me. With this training, you should be ready to be the ninth."

Mirio nodded, shoving the fridge further up the beach. Young Midoriya was standing there with his own parts, encouraging Young Mirio to come to him. Yagi wasn't sure what the other young man was building - he could see some wheels, various electronics, what looked like most of a car and other pieces that he couldn't identify. Mirio was able to push it quite far before he needed a breather, and to get his thoughts in order. "So, I was curious about the past bearers of One for All. What were they like?"

INVESTIGATE, TOSHI! COME ON, INVESTIGATE! 

THIS IS THE RIGHT THING TO DO! LOOK US UP! LOOK ME UP FOR THAT MATTER! IT CAN'T BE THAT HARD, RIGHT?

STOP BEING A NAIVE, MUSCLEBRAINED IDIOT AND LISTEN TO US FOR ONCE!

Toshinori Yagi blinked, then smiled. "Well, I can't see the harm in knowing more about the past bearers."

Oh thank god. 

Toshinori winced. Yeah, it would be a good idea to look up the predecessors. He'd been a bit curious about the matter itself. And it seemed that thinking about those who came before him had cleared up his headache. Could it be a sign from One for All, those past generations encouraging him on this path?

... Probably just a coincidence that it cleared up. He'd still do the research though - it might be helpful for young Mirio to learn about the predecessors. See how they handled One for All with their different Quirks. Then he'd have to see about getting some Panadol. These headaches had been getting more intense lately.

How can somebody this smart be so dumb?

-----------------------------

Some days after Mastermind had been on the beach, and he'd received a call from Giran. It turned out that Mr Compress wasn't the only one who'd answered Giran's call about being a henchman under Mastermind. Honestly Mastermind hadn't expected to have so many people go along with his cheerful little job ad he'd had Giran pass around. He looked at the job advert in his hand again.

For those who wish to aid an up and coming Supervillain oppose the heroes and pursue Supervillainy, please apply at Giran's or my number!  Not interested in people who want to hurt others for fun.

He had vaguely hoped that people would respond to his advert, but here they were in the rather dirty bar that Giran had set up as a meeting spot. There were a couple of other people there who actually wanted to help him! It was a bit of a new feeling, to have other people who shared at least part of his vision. "So, uh... m-my name's Mastermind! I'm pleased to meet you!" He bowed, quickly and deeply then straightened up.

The first person to answer did so with a giggle, white-gloved hand coming up to her mouth. She vaguely resembled a cat, with sharp pointy ears at the top of her head and a distinctly feline muzzle. Her body was covered in an ink-black fur that contrasted sharply with her paper white muzzle. A thick mound of hair the same shade as her body curler around her head.

 Mastermind was pretty sure she was wearing a bodysuit as dark as the rest of her with a long red jacket thrown over it along with white sneakers, otherwise she'd shown up naked. And considering how curvy she was, that would be pretty embarrassing for him. No, she was wearing a bodysuit. He was sure of that.

"Pleasure's all ours!" She gave a wide grin, thrusting out a hand. "You're a bit shorter in person than I thought you would be. Since I guess we're going by villain names, call me Inkblot. Nice to meet somebody as polite as you!"

The second man gave a wide grin. That was about the only facial feature that Mastermind could make out from beneath the nearly head-covering black mask the man wore. His skin was tinted a shimmering gold, which made his teeth stand out amidst the near blinding colour. He was wearing a yellow pinstripe suit, slightly oversized, dirty and rumpled. As for the rest of him, he was slightly taller than Mastermind. "Call me Golden Grin. You're aiming to mess with the heroes? I can get behind that." He kept his hands shoved in his pockets.

"Honestly I came because I half thought it was a joke." The third looked like a wreck of a man, who hadn't really slept well. He was dishevelled and unkempt, with what looked like surgical swabs under a brown overcoat on for a costume. Like him, they were stained and worn. He was skinny and pale, with long delicate fingers like a pianist. A light blue disposable face mask covered his face, his matted black hair swept back into a messy ponytail."But I liked the bit in your advert about not hurting people for fun." He stank of whiskey and cheap cigarettes, but his purple eyes were sharp. "Is that true?"

Mastermind nodded. "Absolutely!" He leaned forwards. "I'm not doing this because I want to hurt people. I'm a supervillain, not a monster."

The others traded looks. "Most people would argue that a supervillain, by definition, hurts people." Golden Grin pointed out.

Mastermind shook his head. "No, that's a villain. I'm a Super Villain , and hurting people is not what I'm interested in." He shot out of his seat and began pacing. "Sure, I won't deny that I've had to fight people. But I, MASTERMIND-" thunder roared, causing everybody else to jump slightly, "-am not some petty villain running around using their abilities to hurt other people! I am pursuing Supervillainy to shake society at its core!"

The man seemed to weigh it up. "Well, you can call me Stitch. I'm a doctor for people who need it. I may have had my medical license revoked, but I still took the Hippocratic oath." His eyes bored into Mastermind's like thermite through a steel door. "You try and get me to hurt other people, kid, I'm leaving."

Mastermind tilted his head "Why should I?"

The other villains shared a look at each other. Golden Grin was the first to start talking. "...this is weird. I mean sure, I'm not a very experienced villain. But I get the feeling that this isn't exactly normal."

"Yeah! Usually the boss gets all grumpy and pushes people around if they aren't respected!" opined Inkblot.

Mastermind just laughed. "That's because they're Villains. I'm a Super Villain." Mastermind looked over all the people who had assembled. "I'm guessing that you have some idea of what I typically do, yes?"

Inkblot nodded rapidly, head a blur. "Sure do! You're a great ham! You just go in and use that crazy support gear to pull off your crimes! That, and you did that weird save! And you and Gentle must have gone, like WHAM! BAM!" Her arms flailed around as she spoke, with no regards to things like joints and nearly hitting her fellow villains. "Yeah, you really showed those Heroes huh? You're pretty critical of them as well, aren't you?"

Mastermind nodded. "I'm aiming to be a higher class of criminal. What the world needs is a Super Villain, to show those other villains how to do it! To give the heroes something proper that can remind them why they put on their spandex!" He looked over each of them. "But I think you guys are still on the fence."

Golden Grin shrugged. "I don't mind. You're messing with the Heroes, and that's honestly hilarious." He gave Mastermind a slightly different look, appraising. "I suppose I should ask, what's in it for us?"

Mastermind looked down at the ground. "I have to admit, I really can't pay you that much. I can offer support gear and some of the haul of any robbery we do, but that's all I can offer." He then shook himself, looking each of them in the eye. "This is a promise that I probably won't be able to back up. It's foolish."

He stood there, stance confident. "But I can promise you that on any job that we pull, nobody gets left behind. And if you do go to jail, I will come for you and break you out." He actually took off his mouthpiece, revealing a small yet confident smile to each of them before replacing it. "Now, are you definitely going to join me in my nefarious pursuits?"

The trio of villains looked at each other for a moment. Then they turned back to him.

"Look, Mastermind," Inkblot started, sounding unusually solemn. "I've always loved acting. Even worked in TV at one point. Getting to play the villain like this?" Her grin was surprisingly happy. "It's gonna be great! So I'm definitely in!"

Golden Grin looked at him next. "I haven't been a villain for very long either. I just want to live my life without people getting on my case all the time, and I'm not really interested in fighting. A job like this, where I can just help you out with your schemes and not have to fight? A dream come true."

Stitch was the last. "Well, you're clearly either crazy or stupid. But I guess I can get behind a kid like you."

Mastermind clapped his hands together. "SPLENDID! Welcome aboard, my minions! I've had a great heist in the works for just such an occasion! How about you all meet me at this address-" he handed out pieces of paper, where he'd written out Gentle's flat, "and I'll get the catering sorted to celebrate?"

They each took the cards, blinking. Inkblot was the first to speak. "Okay, you are definitely not like the other villains. Is there going to be cake?"

Mastermind seemed to grin. "SAY NO MORE, MINIONS!" Thunder roared yet again. "MWA-HAHAHAHA!"

-----------------------

Kamui Woods and Mount Lady had been helping some people around town when they heard their radios crackle with Death Arms' voice. "Kamui Woods, Mount Lady! Villain incoming!" 

"Who?" Kamui Woods asked, wooden limbs thickening and stretching up to the roofs to get a better vantage point. Mount Lady continued go guide people out of the way, citing a 'potential villain capture.' This just caused people to want to stay more, but most of them got the message and made themselves scarce.

"It's Mastermind! He's just broken into a store and made off with their product!" 

Mount Lady frowned, scanning ahead and mapping the route ahead of her for when she had to intercept. "What's he stolen?"

"Forty cakes from that top-end bakery Bespin Cakes! Really expensive ones, too!" 

Mount Lady just blinked. "...eh? Why forty cakes?"

Kamui Woods shook his head, keeping an eye out. "That's what we don't know. For all we know it's to power some evil device, or for some other scheme."

Mount Lady shot into her giant form. "Where's the villain heading?"

"Coming your way down the Main Street! Be ready!" 

Mount Lady and Kamui Woods traded a look, then charged off. Ahead of them, they could see sirens blaring as the police came through. With faces set in determination, they continued on. This villain had escaped them once - he would not escape them again. Kamui Woods leapt from rooftop to rooftop while Mount Lady simply charged on ahead, the roads being cleared to allow the Gigantification Heroine to make her way through without incident. They came to a scene that was surprisingly tame compared to many other villain scenes.

Death Arms was standing with the police barricade, face set in a grim scowl as he watched the villain approaching. Mastermind was driving a small car that was built in a similar fashion to a small ambulance - evidently where he was keeping his illegally acquired bounty. He'd painted it teal, with red hubcaps on the wheels. "MWA-HAHAHA! YOU'LL NEVER CATCH ME LIKE THAT, HEROES!"

Death Arms scowled. "Give up peacefully, Mastermind!"

"Honestly," Kamui Woods grunted, wooden arms already starting to unfurl and ripple in preparation for his finishing move, "stealing forty cakes? That's terrible."

"There's nowhere for you to run this time!" Mount Lady shouted, keeping her stance wide in case she had to grab the car.

Mastermind seemed to smile. "That's certainly true! However..." He seemed to reach down and push a button, and then his vehicle seemed to sink lower to the ground as he came closer and closer, "you have forgotten something about me!" The car came closer, and closer to the barricade. Death Arms stood resolute, and started spinning his arm in place. Electricity sparked along his arm and fist, building up a mightier and mightier charge. Kamui Woods built up more and more wood, watching the approaching vehicle. Mount Lady stood ready to try and pin him in place, a scowl on her face.

"MASTERMIND DOES NOT RUN, HE ESCAPES!"

The car sprang. It shot up and forwards like a rocket, slipping over the police barricade and between Kamui Woods' grasping branches. Mount Lady was just able to lunge to the side and grab it. "No escape this time, Mastermind!" Kamui Woods roared, branches already reshaping themselves. "You're wanted for robbing a support company, breaking into a bank, using your Quirk illegally, resisting arrest and right now, attempted grand theft cake!"

Mount Lady glared down at the small figure in the vehicle, who gave her a little wave. "Hello, Mount Lady! Sorry about this."

Mount Lady looked at him, wary. "Sorry about wha-"

Mastermind slammed a hand onto the roof of the vehicle, and the whole thing suddenly sparked with electricity. She screamed as the electricity went through her, causing her to lose her grip on the small vehicle. It slammed onto the road then tore off, weaving around Kamui Woods' branches. Mount Lady shrugged off the effects, and with a roar of anger started running after the fleeing vehicle, stopping briefly to grab Death Arms and carry him with her.

Mastermind bobbed and weaved, heading towards a busier road. As he did so, smoke came out from the car, turning into a green smokescreen. "Oh, no you don't," Mount Lady snarled. Making a grand sweeping gesture, she started to clear the smoke from in front of them. A couple of cars went past, briefly blocking their view, but they were able to keep on his trail as he diverted from his original route and headed down a different street, maniacal robot laughter sounding along the way.

Mount Lady's grin turned positively feral and she picked up the pace. This was it! They had this little twerp! The way that Mastermind had been going, he would hit another police cordon! Traffic went away from the running giant woman with a hero in hand as the vehicle came to a stop in front of the police barrier. "There's nowhere to run, Mastermind!" Death Arms hollered, as dignified as he could be with his position. "Come out with your hands-"

Mount Lady looked at the scene, adrenaline burning away, and then she saw it. "Oh, no..." she mumbled. Death Arms looked up at her with a confused expression. Shakily, she pointed at the vehicle they'd been chasing. Looking at it properly...

"Is it slightly transparent?"

Mount Lady nodded, sinking to her knees with a dull expression on her face. In front of them, the image of the car flickered and faded, revealing a much smaller vehicle, only the size of a child's buggy with a massive block of holographic projectors on it. There were even a few small cameras and a radio, still blaring Mastermind's mocking laughter. Death Arms swore, the police already starting to fan out. And then the damn thing melted, leaving only a blackened sludge.

They'd missed him.

------------------

The car was inspired. I'd been practicing driving simulations, so then I came up with the idea for my own vehicle to carry greater heists. A few trips to the beach with the help of Yagi-san and Mirio-senpai, and I had my materials. It took a couple of days for everything to work and for me to be confident driving it, but that was all worthwhile.

The holographic mini-vehicle though? That really took a lot of effort to get it to work. And it didn't have to be perfect, just good enough. Rip out a few defunct Roomba-brains, rig them up to cameras and a much smaller car, then tear out some defunct tech to make crude and rude holographic projection, and done. 

After that the plan was simple. Projecting a smokescreen behind you to make it look like you're getting away. Actually, deploy your decoy in a different direction and turn on the prototype cloaking device - only good for a minute or two, but a minute is enough for the heroes to think they have you. Then, continue on your original path...

----------------------

"...right here, to a drop-off point," Mastermind cackled. He pressed a few more buttons on his gauntlet, and the vehicle collapsed, revealing a couple of drones. A few more button presses and they were in the air, disguises flickering to turn into two different transport drones. Very soon, there'd be major deliveries, and two drones would be missed in the chaos.

The Mastermobile, as he called it, folded up further, taking on a smaller form. "Now, to make my escape-"

There was a flicker of movement in one of the cameras of his hood. Right behind and above him! Mastermind turned, and narrowly dodged the coiling grey scarf. The figure that was now in front of him - Mastermind recognised him. Black jumpsuit. Black, scraggly hair, already standing on edge and waving in the air. A pair of yellow goggles and a coiling, scarf-like weapon in hand.

"Playtime's over, villain," Eraserhead stated firmly, capture weapon coiled and ready to strike.

Chapter Text

For Mastermind, the world seemed to stop briefly. Eraserhead had just come down, capture weapon in hand and obviously glaring at him. Furiously, he tried to think of a plan. Eraserhead didn't give him that opportunity. The Erasure Hero pressed the advantage, throwing the capture weapon yet again, aiming for his centre of mass.

Mastermind narrowly dodged, trying to find a moment to breathe-

"Mastermind." More strands of capture tape sprang up and around Mastermind, only the cameras in his hood giving him any chance to dodge. He barely managed to roll out of the way as Eraserhead continued. "It's completely irrational that an amateur like you has managed to get this far."

A strand had snagged his arm! As he tried to think or remove it, he was suddenly pulled off-balance, thrown to the side of the alleyway. More strands of the unique Capture Weapon came at Mastermind, forcing him to try running.

"From your two villain attacks previously, you've demonstrated considerable ability in planning your assault and for preparing when you have a moment to think. Your stealth and information gathering abilities are to be commended." Mastermind had to duck quickly as the Capture Weapon came at neck height. "However, you don't seem to do so well when circumstances change. Your movements are sloppy, and you have numerous blind spots in your fighting expertise. Those Pro Heroes who practically gave you your victory on a silver platter should have never been given their licenses."

Eraserhead swung closer, capture tape tightening on his arm, hair and the rest of the weapon floating in an unseen wind. "You won't find me so easy to beat. You can't run, so give up and make it easier on yourself."

Mastermind's head was spinning. This - this really illustrated why he needed minions! Here was the point where he knew that there were heroes and then there were PRO heroes. Eraserhead - how had he never thought about Eraserhead appearing?

I can't run. This capture tape, Eraserhead - they're too quick. Too skilled for me to beat him in a straight fight even with my armour. But if I don't escape, well, I'll be arrested. Worse, Mom will kill me.

Think, Izuku! Think! What would Kacchan do?

---------------------------

Eraserhead kept a wary eye on the villain, even as he prepared to wrap more tape around him. He knew full well that a cornered rat will bite all the harder. The important thing was to keep the bindings just loose enough that there was a chance at escape - until it was far too late for the villain to resist.

He kept up the Erasure effect as well. From what the villain had demonstrated regarding his devices, it wasn't a bad choice.That electrical attack then and with Mount Lady - it would make sense for an electrification Quirk to be used to power this Support gear. Nedzu had different theories, but both of them knew that you didn't take chances with some villains. He could test that theory later. Now he had to tighten the tape-

"Mrow."

Eraserhead paused for a moment. There, in the alleyway was a cat. A grey, short-haired cat with green eyes was watching them. As it saw Eraserhead turn his attention to it, it licked its paw and cleaned its ears. Eraserhead's grip slackened for just a second-

What happened next, Eraserhead had to put down to an unexpected reaction. Villains who typically had their powerful Quirk erased tended to panic. They got sloppy. made mistakes and tried to get their abilities to work again. Or they froze in place, making them easy marks. He'd expected Mastermind to be the latter - the villain's prior behaviour suggested that things not going to plan flustered them.

Suddenly, the villain dashed forwards, arm cocked back slightly to wind up a punch. Eraserhead only hesitated for a moment -

"DIE!"

But a moment was enough for the villain to slam his gauntleted fist into his face, aiming at his goggles. Eraserhead was able to roll with the punch, repositioning himself even as the villain tried to tear off the capture weapon. But his goggles had cracked. Not good.

----------------

Mastermind took the opportunity to try and free himself from the capture weapon, taking advantage of the gap to start thinking.

He's glaring at me - his hair's floating in the wind. He's using Erasure - he must be trying to erase my Quirk! 

The biggest things I've demonstrated have been my smoke screens, probably the Freeze Ray and taser glove. He must have assumed that one of them is my Quirk. 

Mastermind's heads-up display beeped.

Detecting unusual energy signature. Analysing... estimated time for full analysis: 10 hours.

Unusual energy? Erasure, maybe? I suppose that makes sense. But ten hours? That's way too long!

Mastermind took the opportunity to start priming the second support device he'd added to his costume. He'd been remiss about his boots. After all, some of the coolest gadgets needed to be attached to his legs to properly work.

As he was working, though, Eraserhead managed to pick himself up, grip tightening on his support weapon. Mastermind watched him, warily.

I got in a lucky shot. He won't fall for that trick again. 

Eraserhead shot forwards, and Mastermind blocked a blow to the face with his forearm.

I've got one more trick up my sleeve!

Analysis of energy - 9 hours 59 minutes 40 seconds. 

Thanks, visor.

Eraserhead's capture weapon readied itself to wrap around Mastermind again, but Mastermind was prepared. His free hand shot into his Utility Belt. As the binding tape came back, Izuku hip-fired his Freeze Ray at it, the beam of blue energy pushing the tape back and freezing it to the wall. Quickly he shoved it back into his pocket, throwing a jab that the Hero easily swayed around, the Pro's elbow meeting his outstretched arm with a fierce blow that rattled Izuku badly.

The Pro Hero spared a moment, reaching into the pouch on his back and pulling out a knife. Mastermind boggled as the Pro just cut the frozen piece of the weapon off. Why the hell did the Pro have a knife that could cut through carbon fibres like it was nothing? "Tch."

Mastermind barely twisted his head to the side to avoid the worst as Eraserhead's fist flashed in lightning fast. He still heard the crunch of his visor being damaged, a large crack appearing on its view screen. The impact sent him spinning slightly into the nearby wall of the alleyway. Eraserhead followed it up with a kick to the chest that Mastermind swore actually dented his breastplate that pushed him into the wall. The Pro Hero himself seemed to have regretted that kick, wincing.

"That armour of yours is no joke." His eyes bored into Mastermind's own. "So few villains-"

Mastermind pressed a button on his glove, then another. He was only going to have one shot, so he'd better make it count.

---------------------

Eraserhead whipped to the side at the sound of rotors coming behind him. One of the drones that Mastermind must have loaded up was barreling right towards him. Mastermind himself was reaching into that belt of his - what else did the villain have hidden in there? Eraserhead wasn't going to find out.

The plan changed. As the drone came at him, Eraserhead jumped up and over, the remains of his capture weapon spiralling to try and loop around the drone-

THWOOMP

- But as Eraserhead did that, he got hit in the gut with a grappling hook that came from the villain's other gauntlet. The blow was not enough to seriously damage, but it was enough to knock the wind out of him and disrupt his flow. The best he could do in the air was to haphazardly snag a fire escape with his tape and then turn a complete fall into a rather undignified tumble, but was at least on his feet. The grappling hook was retracted as quickly as it had come out.

The villain took a gasp of air, then immediately took this time to run, cape billowing dramatically. Behind him, Eraserhead heard more rotors spinning - the other drone! Both of them were rising into the sky, and he could see their exteriors change - to bulk-haul Amazon drones. he was kicking himself for not bringing a tracker of some description.

Holographic disguises. No wonder we haven't found this kid's stuff yet. He's shaping up to be one real problem villain.

But he wouldn't be a problem if he got captured. Picking himself up and calling the air back into his lungs, Eraserhead charged once again, Erasure already taking its effect once again. The villain seemed to turn around, and started fumbling with his cape. This villain may have been slippery, but he wasn't faster than Eraserhead, and he was soon right behind the villain.

"As I said, you have no hope of outrunning me."

The villain didn't answer. Instead, he let the cape go, revealing that the hood was seperate from the rest of the cloak - an attempt to protect his identity further? Before the cloak had gotten in the way, Eraser had seen the villain reaching for something in his belt of pouches - the same pocket where he'd been keeping that freezing support item. Eraserhead snorted at the crude ploy.

Using the cape as a shield to peg me with that freeze ray? Futile.

So Eraserhead dodged to the left, around the billowing cloak-

--------------------------

Gotcha.

Mastermind pressed the button for the cape's Dramatic Billowing Function 2.

A wire so thin as to be almost invisible attached his masterpiece to the rest of the body. The cape, formerly billowing like a piece of cloth, needed a lot of extra gadgets inside it for it to dramatically billow. The whole thing was filled with wires in a similar fashion to Eraserhead's own gear. Not exactly - apparently it was made of a special alloy with carbon fibres, and Izuku had only been able to get rather crude fabrics and electronics. But it was enough for it to be repurposed.

Eraserhead grunted as the cloak suddenly wrapped itself around him, halting his advance and sending him skidding to the ground. The Pro Hero was struggling to get out of the cape - he must have gotten lucky that the knife was trapped. Mastermind knew it would take a while and he would need all the time he could get, but he couldn't resist one last taunt.

"I'm sorry to put you in such a bind, Eraserhead... just remember that this," with more bravado then Mastermind actually felt, "was the day that you almost caught... the brilliant Super Villain, MASTERMIND!"

And with that, he ducked around the corner of the alleyway, intent on putting as much distance as he could between himself and the Pro-Hero. A beep on his gauntlet, and the Mastermobile spun up, its smaller form heavier but still a swift getaway vehicle. As it came towards him, he quickly jumped into the vehicle and took off.

As he left, he looked at his hands. He was shaking, the adrenaline still pouring through his system. Mastermind grit his teeth.

That - he'd been lucky up until now. He hadn't gone up against a Hero that was good enough to pressure him. But Eraserhead - he'd shown him the world of Pro Heroes. Hell, he was counting himself lucky to have only lost his cape! A second later and Eraserhead would have caught him again!

How on Earth can I be a suitable villain to All Might if I'm not good enough to beat Eraserhead?

-------------------------

Gentle Criminal was worried. He checked his pocket watch yet again. Mastermind had said that he'd get cake and be back here by this time. Behind him, the other villains looked between each other.

"He said he would be back," La Brava spoke, looking down at her hands.

Inkblot looked at her, giving her a gentle pat on the back. "Well, I have to admit, for all that he's a complete newbie, he's managed pretty well so far." She looked at the door. "Pretty sure he'll be here."

The other villains shifted. Golden Grin managed to pipe up, leaning against the wall. "Yeah, the guy's got guts, that's for sure."

Mr Compress simply shrugged. "He's a near complete amateur, but I really enjoyed the jobs that he's pulled." He seemed to grin. "Pulling back the curtain on that support company - most villains would just take the gear and run. Leaving behind those recordings of them cheating heroes? Brilliant!"

Gentle Criminal nodded. "I couldn't agree more! I'm sure that he's just somebody who needs proper guidance. Now-"

He was interrupted by the sound of rotors coming down, as well as a car drawing up outside. Rushing to the window, Gentle saw that Mastermind had arrived - the young man was looking battered and was missing his cape, but he was alright!  He was accompanied by a pair of drones for bulk deliveries. Before he could properly wonder about them, their exteriors flickered and changed, revealing -

"Is that cake?" Inkblot asked.

"Indeed!"

Both drones were full of cakes - expensive looking ones too. The villains looked back to Mastermind. Mastermind got out of the small buggy-like vehicle that had drawn up near the drone. "40 cakes, to be precise!"

Gentle shared a look with the rest of the group before he asked the question. "...why forty?"

Mastermind looked down. "B-because it's terrible..." he mumbled. Still, he started to come up to the house.

"Mastermind!" La Brava came running down to meet him with a tackle hug that sent the taller villain sprawling. "Don't worry us like that again!"

"Um, okay I won't?" Mastermind managed to get out weakly.

"Yeah! It's pretty bad when your prospective boss gets arrested!" Inkblot lightly punched Mastermind's upper arm. "Makes a lady worried, you know?"

Mastermind just nodded. "Again, I'm sorry for worrying you. I just wanted to do a nice surprise for you guys!"

Golden Grin flashed his nearly trademarked namesake. "Okay, you've convinced me. First time in villainy that I actually get given cake."

As Mastermind came up, Gentle went over to him. "Are you sure you're alright?" he murmured, taking in the scrapes, the crack in the visor, the lack of cape.

Mastermind looked up at him. "...I'm fine. Just had a run-in with Eraserhead."

Gentle and La Brava stilled. Stitch just shrugged. Even Inkblot's smile faded a bit.

"Who?" Golden Grin asked.

Inkblot just turned to him. "You don't know Eraserhead? How on Earth don't you know about him?"

"I only started doing this shit six months ago, come on!"

Stitch, surprisingly, was the one who answered. "He's an underground hero. Uses a Quirk that erases the abilities of others along with some weird scarf weapon. One look and you're out." He shrugged. "Lotta guys come to my clinic after that. They think that they've got a chance of losing their Quirk permanently."

Mastermind nodded. "H-he was too fast. Too strong. I barely got away." He glanced down at his feet. "If there hadn't been a distraction, I-I probably wouldn't be here."

Hearing Mastermind just relay that fact without his usual pomp was worrying for Gentle. And it was something that he knew he would have to acknowledge. Mastermind had managed to deal with some Pros before, true, but that had been with Gentle covering for him and against Heroes who weren't taking either of them fully seriously. Eraserhead? From what Gentle had seen, the Hero was ruthless and sharp as a tack.

"First time going against a real Pro, wasn't it?" Gentle's voice was calm, surprising himself. When Mastermind nodded, he sighed. "You were able to get away, though. Next time you probably won't be so lucky."

Mr. Compress nodded, looking surprisingly serious. "I didn't think it would come so quickly. But thinking about this matter in the couple of days since I started associating with you, I came to a realisation."

Mastermind looked at him. "And that was?"

"Well, rather than be a minion, I was thinking of being a partner. Maybe a tutor." At Mastermind's tilt of his head, he elaborated. "You've made quite a splash in the month or so since you've started, but that just means that the heroes are gearing up as well."

"The nail that sticks out gets hammered down," Inkblot agreed. Reaching behind her back, she pulled out a hammer that was about her height with a head the size of a small trashcan. "See?"

Golden Grin started a bit. "How did you- right, Quirk. But, yeah. Even I've got more know-how than you, and I'm not old enough to drink!" He then slapped his hands to his mouth.

Gentle Criminal looked at him. "Just how old are you, again?"

"I- uh - that was a joke! I'm... 30! Yeah!"

The other villains and Mastermind looked at him. He deflated. "Alright, alright! I'm sixteen. Happy?"

Gentle patted Mastermind on the shoulder. "What we're trying to say is, well... you said that you would help us, right? So we'll help you back. As partners."

Mastermind just stammered, seemingly not able to process what was happening. "I-ah-you- I - I'm very grateful! T-thank you!" He bowed deeply to each of them.

Inkblot grinned. "You're a polite young man, aren'tcha? Wish I could get a date like you!" Her arm snaked around Mastermind's head and pulled him in., ignoring his stammers and red visor starting to glow an even brighter shade. "We've got cake to eat, so let's get on it!"

-------------------------

Well, the day had gone mostly as I had expected it to. I had just had my first brush with a Pro Hero, and had barely managed to scrape an escape. 

But coming back with the cake, getting people worried - that was alright! And - well, I have to admit that it was nice for the other villains to want to help out a silly villain like me. Most of that first meeting over cake had been me recounting how I'd escaped, as well as the various tools I used for my own investigations. 

Meeting everybody here, eating well-earned cake - it felt pretty nice. 

I had other, well, friends is a bit of a strong word for it, at my clubs. Pals? 

We shared the same interests - robotics, drama. And we got along for the most part.

But dealing with people like this, even in a mask? 

It's... surprisingly nice.

----------------------------

"I suppose we haven't really introduced ourselves fully," Mastermind said around mouthful of rather nice cake. He'd had to take off the lower half of his visor to fully appreciate it. He was just lucky he'd remembered to position his mask over his freckles. They were at least reasonably distinctive.

Mr Compress nodded. "Hm. We are going to be working together, aren't we? Beyond names, we are going to need to know each other's Quirks." He took centre stage of the room. "The name's Mr Compress! My Quirk is called Compression. It allows me to take things both living and unliving-" he demonstrated by taking his plate and and spinning it on his hand, instantly shrinking it into a small marble and back, "and compress them for easy transport and storage!"

Mastermind just gazed at it with figurative stars in his eyes, only just remembering to snap his mouthguard back on. "So cool! Is there a size limit Do you have to do the whole object or just part of it? How many things can you compress at one time?"

Inkblot just laughed. "Wow, you really like Quirks don't you?" Her grin took a naughtier turn. "If you want to, you could give my Quirk a full physical examination~." She leaned closer to Mastermind, chest forward. Mastermind just flailed and blushed at that.

Mr Compress just shook his head. "I'll go more in depth later, but for now that's the basics of my Quirk. Inkblot, don't bother him too much."

Inkblot just pouted. "Spoilsport." She sprang up. "Well, my Quirk's Cartoon! Like those old black and white ones! It allows me to create anything I want from cartoons! Also gives me a bunch of cartoon powers, but nothing physics defying!" She pulled out a small black bottle and took a swig.

Mr. Compress looked at her. "Are... are you drinking at this time in the afternoon?"

Inkblot shook her head. "Nah. It's ink."

Mr. Compress stared at her. "Ink?!"

Inkblot grinned. "Yeah, need to drink it to fuel my abilities. Plus it tastes good to me, ya know?"

Golden Grin was next. "Well, my Quirk's pretty simple. S'called Mouth Laser. I build up power in my gut and then I release it from my mouth. Took me a while to get it to the point where I don't feel like I'm crapping myself though."

Stitch was the last. "My Quirk's called Scalpel." He held out his finger. A tiny, shimmering blade made of purple energy formed on the edge of his finger. "It's completely sterile, and razor sharp. I can spread it out over my hand, but that dulls the edge."

Gentle Criminal made a theatrical bow. "You already know that my Quirk is Elasticity, don't you Mastermind?" When the villain nodded, he continued. "I bestow elastic properties to anything I touch! It's gotten me out of many scrapes before."

"And if it isn't enough, I can help him!" La Brava chirped. "My Quirk's called... well... Love!" Her cheeks reddened. "I, uh - if I, well, declare that I love somebody, and I mean it, and we're close enough to hear - then I can give them a massive boost!"

"I've always wondered how Gentle Criminal got away from those Pro Heroes in his videos!" Mastermind gushed. "Since it was always edited out, I never knew. You've got an amazing Quirk, La Brava-san!"

La Brava waved her hands frantically. "It's - it's not that good a Quirk! It doesn't last very long! And - and I can only use it once a day!"

"That's still amazing, La Brava! Quirks that can help those you care about are pretty rare, you know!" Mastermind continued to talk while La Brava turned bright red.

Golden Grin just shrugged. "Yeah, that's pretty neat, isn't it?" He looked at Mastermind. "So, what's your Quirk then, Mastermind?"

Mastermind froze up.

Ah.

Golden Grin continued talking. "Cause it's gotta be, like, an electrical one, right? Or maybe it's a smoke Quirk - you do like those smokescreens of yours." he looked at him. "Or maybe it's a brain booster? Cause if you're a super genius, I could really use your help with homework."

Mastermind shook his head. "I don't have any of those Quirks. I'm... I'm..."

Why is this still so hard to say? 

Mastermind took a deep breath. "I-I'm Quirkless."

The other villains looked at him more closely. "Uh, what?"

Mastermind took a deep breath. "I'm Quirkless. Alright?" The visor went off and he took another bite of cake, chewing it to try and get around the feeling. 

Golden Grin blinked, trying to reshape the words he wanted to say. "You-you don't have a Quirk? Not even one like Bendy Fingers or something?" When Mastermind nodded, he just stared back. "Holy shit." 

Inkblot's eyes had grown to the size of dinner plates. "You-you freaking dodged Eraserhead without a Quirk?"

"I think that made it easier, yes." Mastermind stabbed another piece of cake with his fork. 

"But, I mean, you sure you're not a super genius from your Quirk?"

... Right.

Mastermind put the fork back down. He then gently put his plate on his chair, then stood up and leaned in on Golden Grin. Mastermind put his mouthguard back on, and opened up part of his visor. His green eyes narrowed, locked onto where Golden Grin's eyes were under his mask.

-------------------------

Gentle Criminal had been floored before by things in his life - at failing to help that civilian, at being thrown out of his house... of being forgotten by a friend. But realising that Mastermind was Quirkless was pretty damn surprising. All this time, he'd thought that the young man had some Quirk that powered his gadgets, or helped make building them easier.

His first instinct, admittedly, was pretty craven - to try and dismiss Mastermind. But then he thought further. This young man, inexperienced as he was, was still a genius. Those machines of his were completely beyond Gentle's ability to even think about how to build them! And that planning - rough in parts maybe, but the kid had a gift.

Golden Grin seemed about to say something further, only to be pinned in place by Mastermind glaring at him. "What... what are you looking at me like that for?"

"Believe me, I wish I had a Quirk. It would have made a lot of things so much easier." There wasn't any flair in his voice. Gentle Criminal had never thought that Mastermind could even do quiet menace if he tried.

Gentle Criminal could see that Mastermind's surprisingly green eyes were boring into Golden Grin's. The rather hapless criminal seemed to squirm in his chair.

The golden' skinned villain tried to lean away but couldn't. "Why's it getting so hot? Hey, Gentle," he tried to look away but seemed unable to, "did - did you turn up the thermostat or something? It's boiling in here."

Gentle Criminal wasn't on the receiving end of that emerald glare, but even he felt like it had gotten a bit warmer. La Brava was slowly edging away from Mastermind and closer to Gentle. Inkblot had taken off her jacket. Even Mr. Compress seemed to be on edge.

The other villains shifted in their chairs as Mastermind continued talking. "Me and my mother went to about ten different specialists, They tried every test in the book, and it all came up negative. One of them was using I-Island Quirk diagnostic gear. Are you saying that they're all wrong?"

Sweat was pouring off the other villain. His eyes were darting around the room, trying to take his body with them. Eventually, he cried, "I-I-I'm sorry! I'm sorry! I didn't mean to be rude! Please stop looking at me like that! I'm sorry!"

Mastermind instantly beamed at Golden Grin, then snapped his visor back on. "Good! Glad to hear it."

The other villains shared a look between them as Mastermind went back to his chair, sitting down primly. Golden Grin just slumped in his chair, sweat pouring off of him. "What the hell was that?"

Mastermind seemed to smile. "Oh, that was a long, hard stare. My mother taught me to do that for people who forgot their manners." He seemed to smile to himself. "She tried it on Ka- on a friend who swore in the house. He's never sworn in front of my mother again, and that's a real achievement." Then he bowed. "I-I'm really sorry about that! I-I've never been able to get it to work off the stage! I mean, Mom gave me some tips but I've never been able to do it properly-"

Golden Grin just laughed. "S-sure. It's fine. Just... never look at me like that again, please."

Gentle Criminal shared a look with Mr Compress. Well, at least that was one thing they wouldn't have to teach him.

Chapter Text

Bakugo Katsuki wasn't sure about a couple of things. That he was the greatest, that went without saying. Also, Deku was a gigantic nerd. That was also true.

But lately, he'd been thinking about that damn Sludge Villain. How the guy had overpowered him with a cheap shot sneak attack. How he'd been choking to death while the Heroes were only watching. And then that fucking Mastermind douchebag saving him. He... he hadn't needed to be saved!

He'd had the Sludge Villain right where he'd wanted him! So what if he'd barely been able to breathe! So what if he'd barely been able to move afterwards! And screw people who said that he'd been crying, because he hadn't! He wasn't going to lose to a damn pile of crap like that!

What he was confused about was, was that thing the goddamn hag had set up for them. That had also had his dad involved, a stubborn expression on his face.

"I'm signing us up for therapy, Katsuki! We kinda need it because you were nearly killed out there and we had to watch it on the fucking news!" His mother had trapped him in a goddamn bear hug when he'd gotten home and he hadn't wanted to break free just couldn't be bothered with getting the hag off of him. "I don't... I'd rather not see that happen if I can help it, Katsuki. And, honestly, you need help just as much as we do, probably more!" 

He'd scowled back then, had torn into her about it. That he wasn't weak enough to go to therapy. He didn't need any of that shit! But then...

"Bakugo Katsuki, you are going to a therapist, same as the rest of us! And if you don't go," his mother's face turned to a shark-like smirk, "I'll tell Inko-chan about it. And then she'll get your stubborn ass in gear." 

So Bakugo had gone to the stupid therapist. Mostly because he didn't need Midoriya-san to get involved. He didn't like feeling small when she glared at him. And the therapist? She had a job to do too. And Katsuki wasn't going to be rude to her any more than he'd be rude to a doctor - what? Bakugo wasn't such an asshole to mouth off at people who would keep a hero going like a support nerd doing costumes. Like Izuku Deku. So he'd gone, and, well. She'd not entirely been some damn extra. She was tolerable.

Deku... that was the other thing that had been confusing him. Deku had been going out somewhere after school for the past month. The first month he'd been going different routes (not that Bakugo kept an eye on him or anything dumb like that. Let the damn nerd do whatever. He didn't care.) Then the last week he'd been going to one place. Bakugo had asked him politely where he'd been going.

"Oh, Kacchan!" The nerd had bubbled. "I'm, well, doing some self-defence stuff." He looked down at his shoes. "I kind of, well, got involved in a fight a couple of weeks ago? And it went badly for me? So I'm, ah, going to a class! To learn how to defend myself!" 

"Who the hell beat you up? I'll kick their ass! I'm the only one who gets to do that, Deku!" He'd politely asked again. Not because he was worried. But because anybody who thought they could mess with Bakugo's  friend  annoying classmate was going to fucking die. They would never find the body.

But the nerd just shook his head. "Some jerk at work. Didn't catch his name. But it's alright, Kacchan." The nerd's face had fixed itself in that weird determined expression again. "I'm not going to lose to them again."

Bakugo just scoffed. "Whatever, nerd. And don't even think about getting in my way again, especially if you try to get into UA! You do that and I'll kill you..." Bakugo tried to think of something worse, followed it up with, "and then I'll kill you again, you got that, you damn nerd?!" Deku, the useless fucker, just smiled and waved him off.

Bakugo scowled, stomping off to the agreed on spot for the therapist. Damn Deku. Making him feel shit.

The therapist was waiting for him. "Good to see you, Bakugo-kun." The extra had introduced herself as something - Tomomi? Whatever.

"Glasses," Bakugo grunted, slouching into the chair and putting his feet up on the desk. Glasses simply pulled out a notepad and pen. Time to talk about feelings and shit.

--------------------

After that encounter with Eraserhead and that discussion over cake, I talked it over with Gentle and the others. I didn't really want to admit it, but they were right. As skilled as I was, as relatively cleanly as I had gotten away, I was still an amateur. Supervillains needed more than just luck to get away from Pro Heroes. I mean, sure, I knew that. All of my heists were carefully planned. But at my skill level, I couldn't get away from somebody like Eraserhead.

That really got at me. It felt like I was backing down. But I knew that they were right. I had nearly lost, and there wasn't anything I could really do to change that. I could only acknowledge that I lacked experience and grow from there.

So we decided that Mastermind had to lay low. While I was keeping my head down for a while, I was going to be getting some self-defence training from Gentle and the others. Which, well, I wasn't that bad in a fight ,was I? Plus, I had support gear to build for my friends and myself. Mastermind's triumphant return couldn't be overshadowed or complicated by inferior support items in his partners, after all...

----------------------------------

In Gentle Criminal's garage, now repurposed as Mastermind's second laboratory, La Brava looked at Mastermind as he sighed, stepping back from the android and wiping his hands on a rag. "Alright. This is test 32 of the DEKU. Here's hoping that it works. Mwa-hahaha!" After the obligatory roll of thunder, he pressed a button, watching the robot start to get up. "The power cell is stable. Now, time to see it move."

He pressed the button on the pad. The machine stepped forwards, stiff and barely responsive. Then it toppled on the ground. Mastermind sighed, turning the robot off. "And that's DEKU test 32, proving that it is a way to not build an accurate android duplicate of myself."

La Brava looked over the robot. "I don't get it. All the parts work correctly, right?"

Mastermind nodded, pulling open the head. "Getting the movement of humans down is pretty hard. I'm going to check the code again." He inserted a wire into its head and linked it to his computer. Looking at the screen, he leant forwards, tapping at the keys and checking through the code. Interested, La Brava went over and looked at the code with him.

After a few minutes of this and Mastermind's muttering she turned to look at him. "You wrote all of this yourself?"

Mastermind nodded. "Bits of it, anyways. I'm not the best programmer."

La Brava nodded. "I can see that. There's a few parts that I think could be redone."

Mastermind swivelled in his chair, looking at her. La Brava waved her hands around. "I-I-I mean, there's whole functions that are linked in inefficient ways to the servos, and there's a bit of code spaghetti in there as well, but...but I'm-I'm sure that you know what-"

"La Brava... what can I improve?"

La Brava spluttered, waving her hands around. "What? Eh? I-I'm not... I mean, this is just-"

Mastermind scooted his chair closer. "La Brava, it's okay." He spun around, pointing at the screen again. "I mean, as I said, I'm not the best programmer. My area of expertise is more in, well, I don't really have one area. I'm a bit of a jack of all trades. I guess my best area is Quirk analysis?" He tapped the screen. "I mean, I work hard and I guess I'm a genius, but there's people online who can just do things that I couldn't even dream about doing!"

La Brava flushed bright red as he got out of his chair. "So please, La Brava. I may be Mastermind," A loud crack of thunder followed, "but even my brilliance values different perspectives."

La Brava stood there for a moment, hands clasped. Then she nodded to herself, a determined expression on her face. "Right!" She hopped into the chair, looking over the code. "Well, let's see this bit here..." her hands blurred over the keyboard, adding bits here, deleting bits there. Mastermind watched, mouth running a million miles a minute while he furiously wrote down the changes.

-------------------------

Toshinori Yagi and Mirio looked out over the beach. Toshinori was sincerely impressed with the progress made. "It's only been five weeks but it's already looking better!" Toshinori praised, clapping his arm around Mirio's shoulders. "Just keep at it, and we'll be ready for you to take One for All in no time!"

True to his word, he'd been checking out the past wielders of One for All in his spare time, to see how they had used the power. He'd continue looking up the past users. He just had a roaring feeling in his gut that he was getting to something important on the fourth.

Mirio just nodded, a small smile on his face. "I have to admit, it's unorthodox but it's working. I feel a whole lot stronger already, Yagi-sensei!" He pumped his arm, eyes sparkling with determination. "Let's get back to it, then!"

Before they could return to their work, a young and familiar voice rang out. "Ah, Yagi-san, Mirio-san! Good to see you!"

Toshinori and Mirio turned around to see Young Midoriya run up to them, waving and smiling. Mirio went over to talk with the young boy, smiles all around. Toshinori just leaned back, enjoying the moment. Meeting an earnest young man like Midoriya was refreshing. That first time had been awkward for all parties all around, but soon the young man had become a small part of their lives. He wondered how the young man would fare in life - would he be a policeman? A doctor? Or would he be a fine hero like Mirio?

Anything was possible for that young man. Toshinori was sure of it. Certainly the young man was brighter than he'd been at that age.

Midoriya was talking, gesturing as he talked about the thing he had been working on. "-so, the project went really well, Mirio-san! It went so much better than I could have ever hoped for! But I've got some extra studying to do. I'm aiming for the Support course in UA, after all!"

Well. This was good news. Toshinori should have guessed from all of the materials he had been getting from the beach. That, and all of the tinkering he had seen the young man do. Toshinori had just supposed that it was part of the robotics club - he should have thought that the young man would want to try his talents elsewhere. "It's quite a hard course to get into, I hear," Toshinori ventures. "Some people say that it's almost harder to get in than the Hero course."

Toshinori had been brushing up with Nedzu about the various courses. He had brought up the subject after Midoriya had mentioned the importance of wearing gloves and having a first aid kit all that time ago - he felt that he needed to know more about teaching than just winging it. The Principal had gone over what each course had to do to qualify. For Heroics, Toshinori knew what qualified easily enough. For the business course, they had stringent exams and practical work regarding marketing opportunities. And for the Support Course... well, Toshinori wasn't worried for the young man, though. From his heart to his skills, he was sure that young Midoriya would make it into UA's Support course.

Midoriya Izuku turned to him and nodded, eyes sparkling and a small, determined smile on his face. "Well, what's the point otherwise? Plus Ultra, after all!"

Toshinori just laughed, pumping a fist with young Mirio and Midoriya. "Plus Ultra indeed!"

Mirio nodded with him. "Yeah, I get that feeling working with Sir." He laughed about it good-naturedly. "He's really pushing me with prediction."

Midoriya tilted his head. "Prediction?"

Mirio nodded. "Yeah! It's actually a really important skill to develop with my Quirk. Using my Quirk at its fullest means that I'm blind and deaf with only the air in my lungs. Even stepping through a wall has a whole bunch of steps involved in the process!" He tapped his finger against his temple rapidly. "I need to know where everyone and everything will be around me when I go solid again, so by training my prediction abilities through experience, I've really improved! You should have seen me when I first started!" he laughed again. "I could barely go through a wall without accident!"

Midoriya looked at him with wide eyes, a smile on his face. "Experience..." he breathed, eyes on Mirio.

Toshinori nodded. "I have to agree. Sir Nighteye knows more than anyone the value of foresight." His side ached and he grit his teeth slightly. "Believe me, I know."

Mirio nodded. "He's amazing! His biggest piece of advice, which I try to follow, is this: 'always stay three steps ahead of your opponent.'" He nodded proudly. "Keep that in mind and you're sure to stay ahead of anything!"

Midoriya nodded, face shadowed by the setting sun. "Thank you, Mirio-san! I'll keep that in mind for my future endeavours!"

----------------------------------

Mastermind looked at his fellow partners in crime. "Well, even though you described what your Quirks are, I'd like to go a bit more in detail so that I can design support equipment that best suits you."

Inkblot nodded, arms crossed. "Makes sense. Alright, let's get into it."

She then reached her arm behind her back. "Well, Cartoon is pretty versatile. The more ink in my system, the higher quality stuff I can make, and more of it too." She pulled out the dark grey mallet again, waving it around. "This was one of the first things I made and well, it's a hammer." She swung it around, over her head and SMACK into the concrete, shaking the ground slightly and leaving a near circular indent. She pulled the massive mallet up with one arm.

"Wow..." Mastermind breathed. "Is it heavy?"

Inkblot nodded. "Feel it for yourself, dude."

She gently passed the handle over to the shorter villain. He gripped it and tried to lift the hammer, only for the head to hit the ground.

She chuckled. "Yeah, it's pretty heavy." Taking it back with one hand, she idly spun it around like a cheerleader's baton before putting it back behind her.

The other villains blinked a bit. "Okay, where the hell does that go?" Golden Grin asked.

Inkblot shrugged. "I'unno. It's just another part of Cartoon, I guess. I keep all kinds of stuff there."

Mastermind's eyes sparkled. "You have a personal pocket dimension? That's - that's incredible!"

Inkblot shrugged. "As I said, Cartoon has a whole bunch of benefits." She wiggled her arms in the air, the other villains watching as her noodle limbs flailed about, sometimes twisting nearly a full circle. "I've got stretchy, noodle limbs an' I can stretch pretty far with 'em." To demonstrate, she reached over to Mastermind with a rubbery stretching noise, patting him on the head from a full two metres away. "Also means that explosions and punches don 't do too much to me."

She paused, pulling out another bottle of ink. "I just have to keep refuelling if I do wackier stuff."

Mastermind nodded, notebook out and handwriting blurring across the page. "Uh-huh. So maybe if I can think of something that doesn't need you to have so much ink, maybe ink storage of some kind. Maybe some stuff that could fit in your pocket dimension!"

Inkblot nodded. "The other weird thing about it is that my Quirk's effects aren't as big on living things. Like, if I swung that hammer at your face, what do you think would happen?"

The other villains looked at each other. "...I'd die?" Golden Grin spoke.

Inkblot shook her head. "Nah, you wouldn't. Believe me. Any bombs I make level buildings just fine but don't do much more than blow smoke in people's faces. That hammer blow? You'd be dizzy and disorientated, with little tweety birds orbiting your head, but you wouldn't be dead. Which is a pretty good thing!" her grin faded a bit. "I mean, I really don't want to kill people."

Mastermind raised a hand. "Is everything you make black and white?"

Inkblot shook her head. "Nah. If I want colour I need to drink some other colours of ink. I just drink black since it's my favourite."

Mastermind blinked, writing down. "So what does ink taste like to you anyway? Do different colours of ink taste different? Well, I mean they obviously must given you have preferences," his hand was a blur as he wrote stuff down, "but how much ink do you have to drink to get different colours? Are you limited by the colours you put into your body or does it just come out in colours you want anyways? How much ink can you drink in one sitting? Does the ink go into the same space as your pocket dimension or does it sit in your body?"

Inkblot laughed, slightly nervously. "Well, I'll talk about it later. Maybe somebody else should show what they can do."

Golden Grin laughed. "Sure can!" He stepped up, looking across the yard at the target they'd set up. "You ready?" When Mastermind nodded, he took in a deep breath. His mouth started to glow with a golden light. He then braced himself, and then opened his mouth. A thick beam of golden light shot out at lightning speeds, hitting the target and punching through slightly as he bit the beam off. The last of the laser-light dispersing around his mouth, he turned to the rest of them. "Pretty sweet, right?"

Mastermind nodded. "Really cool! How long did it take you to get that good with it?"

The other villain shrugged. "Eh, coupla months. Firing at targets, that kinda thing. My family's got a lot of people with laser Quirks, after all!"

Inkblot and Mr Compress shared a look. "You, ah, only hit the edge of the target though," Mr. Compress pointed out, showing that the beam had barely hit the edge.

Golden Grin looked away. "It's pretty hard to aim man, come on. I get the light in my eyes!" Inkblot and Mr. Compress let out noises of understanding.

Mastermind nodded, turning to a new page in his notebook and sketching away. "I've got some ideas to help with that. How many times can you fire it in quick succession?"

Golden Grin shrugged. "A fair few times, but then I need to cool down. Otherwise I could blow up my stomach. I mean, used to be I would fire once and then I'd need a five minute breather. Now I can fire up to 7 shots before cooling down."

Mastermind nodded. "Is it a temperature issue? Does it have something to do with your core muscles? How does your stomach even work if the power builds up there? Do you digest food faster as a result of your laser stomach?"

Golden Grin tried to wave him down. "One question at a time, man!"

--------------

Golden Grin had contributed in his own way for the villains, hauling some exercise equipment to Gentle Criminal's house that he swore just fell off the back of the moving truck. Mastermind panted, running on the treadmill with his armour on. Golden Grin stood to the side, head tilted to one side. "Dude, why are you running in your armour anyways? I thought that this was, like, fitness stuff."

Mastermind nodded. "I... I wear this for every job... as a super villain... designed it for all of this... kind of need to be able to run in it..."

Golden Grin shook his head. "Kind of crazy man but, if it works it works I guess." He watched as Mastermind came off the treadmill, passing the shorter man a bottle of water. He then turned to the treadmill. "Guess you can't wear your armour outside, huh. Cause running on a track is really good for you." He turned on the treadmill and started running on it himself. "Shame you don't have, like, body weights or something. That'd make it easier to go out and-"

"Ah, I knew there was something to do!" Mastermind snapped his fingers. "Arm and leg weights so that I can simulate my armour outside in public!" He started mumbling, clearly itching to go back to the lab. "M-maybe if I can swing it as an excuse to go outside and run on natural paths, I can-"

"No way, Mastermind!" Inkblot smacked him over the head. "You're reasonably fit, but we've gotta up your stamina and speed, so no tinkering until you're finished! Then, it's back to learning how to actually fight!"

Mastermind slumped. "Aww..." Grumbling a bit, he went over to the mat and started on his push-ups. Golden Grin shook his head. Crazy. Still, Mastermind hadn't gotten this far by being sane.

Golden Grin just pushed on his own exercise routine. Sure, he wasn't quite as strong as Inkblot was, but he was still pretty good in a fight! Firing laser beams from your mouth is pretty dangerous. With how powerful his were, it didn't bear thinking about.

They continued like this for a while, Mastermind running through routines and Golden Grin working hard as well, before Inkblot checked the time. "Alright, time for a break!" Mastermind practically collapsed, breathing heavily. Inkblot leaned over, handing him a bottle of water. "Tell you what, then. You make these weights, we'll hit the park."

Mastermind just nodded feebly, sucking in deep breaths to try and recover quicker.

---------------------

Gentle Criminal and Mr. Compress checked over the plans on the computer yet again. "It's going to be pretty difficult even with Mastermind's proposed Support Gear," Gentle Criminal mused, hand stroking his goatee.

Mr. Compress nodded, "Major jewellery stores like that are always hard to break. But that's where the fun is, after all."

Stitch looked up from the medical textbook he'd brought from his clinic. "The Heroes are going to be in force. And once they realise that you're teaming up, they're going to mobilize more people."

Gentle Criminal nodded. "That's a risk to all of these ventures. But if it's to show people that these companies aren't the greatest in the world, then that's a fine price to pay!"

Stitch shrugged. "I'm mostly going to be working on distractions anyway." He returned to his book. "Still, considering that All Might has been seen more in Musutafu, we're going to be running the risk of bumping into the Symbol of Peace himself."

Mr. Compress checked his gloves. "We'll have to hope it doesn't come to that then."

Mastermind just nodded. "I-I mean, this plan is about as good as it can get, but if All Might shows up..." he swallowed. "Then it's over. I don't really have a plan for All Might beyond trying to tie him up in other areas."

Gentle Criminal and Mr. Compress shared a look. Stitch was the first to speak up. "I thought you were the master planner?"

Mastermind shook his head. "Well, it's just not realistic to say that any one plan is the perfect plan!" He looked down. "People don't do exactly what you plan. So you work around that. You try to stay three steps ahead, keep them on their toes. Trying to plan around the Number One, with his experience? That's difficult."

Stitch nodded. "Exactly. Glad to hear you've got that straight. Especially about staying ahead of All Might and the heroes like that."

Mastermind nodded in determination. "The world of Heroes may think that it's hard enough... but soon, Mastermind and the... ah..." he scratched his head suddenly, lost in thought.

"We're going to have to come up with a cool Villain Team Name, aren't we..."

Gentle Criminal raised a finger and opened his mouth, then closed it. "He does have a point..."

Mr. Compress shrugged. "Not good presentation if we don't have a uniting theme..."

The rest of the meeting was devoted to brainstorming various villain names. A whiteboard was called out and markers scribbled over the surface, some names getting a vote and others getting lines drawn through them. Arguments broke out, but were thankfully quashed. Stitch left after an hour, citing a need to get back to his back alley clinic, but soon enough, they had hammered out a name.

"It's catchy. I like it," Inkblot nodded.

Gentle Criminal nodded as well. "What a marvellous name. I would have preferred the Gentle Criminal Subscriber Army, but this will work as well."

"Okay, that's most of our prep done!" Mastermind said brightly.

"Really?" Golden Grin frowned.

"No, not really. Most of the Support gear I'm working on isn't quite ready yet."

--------------------------

Detective Tsukauchi looked over the various pieces of paper that comprised their information with the rest of the heroes and policemen. Death Arms was leaning forwards, expression interested. Mount Lady sat forwards, pen gripped tightly in her hand. Kamui Woods looked impassive as ever, arms crossed. "So, let's have a look at Mastermind's criminal activity."

The projector changed slide, Tsukauchi pointing at each bit. "The first incident, at Makoto Industries." Mount Lady scowled at that. "The villain broke in through the front door, then deployed an EMP, most likely from his Quirk. He then stole several items of support equipment-"

"All the stinking good stuff, probably..." Mount Lady muttered, pen creaking in her grip.

"-and then left the building from the front, making a grandiose declaration for the Heroes to find him. A few minutes later, he goes over to a crime scene in progress-" another slide changed, showing a teenager being pulled out by a short man in armour. "He deployed other devices, including what seems to be a freeze ray and a grappling hook. Note that there's no sign of his loot now. And then he escapes."

Death Arms frowned, cracking his knuckles.

"About a week and a half later, and he strikes again at Kinsara Bank, just when another villain -" another slide, this one showing Gentle Criminal's thumbnail for his video - GENTLE CRIMINAL AND LOYAL SUBSCRIBER TEAMUP - KINSARA BANK HEIST, along with security camera footage. "Was making his own move." The other heroes looked sympathetic - at least they'd gotten off light compared with those guys.

Detective Tsukauchi continued, flicking through stills from the video. "The pair of them were able to take out several Pro Heroes, and took the money as well, presumably to fund their next heists."

"They're certainly terrible," Kamui Woods muttered.

"And then the most recent incident." The slide changed again, showing the devastated storefront of Bespin Cakes. "Mastermind showed up here in some form of vehicle with no registration number. He then proceeded to steal-" the detective hesitated for a brief second, then rallied, "steal forty cakes for purposes yet unknown, loading them up into the vehicle. He then engaged in a high speed pursuit with police and heroes, but was able to shake pursuers."

He then turned to the rest of the room. "I got a report that he had been tracked by Eraserhead, but was able to shake him off using an improvised binding device."

Murmurs broke out in the room.

Detective Tsukauchi turned back to the monitor, clicking through it. "Now, Mastermind has proven himself to not be just a typical villain for the, ah, things he leaves behind."

Mount Lady's pen broke in her hand. "Those lousy bastards..." she growled out. She'd been specifically mentioned as a 'country sap who wouldn't know good support equipment if it bit her in the ass.' She'd had a long, hard talk with them about the gear that they had given her on the pretense that they couldn't get shoes to work at all with her Quirk.

Death Arms offered her a pat on the back. "Hey, they got what was coming to then, didn't they?"

She scowled. "All that time learning how to work with barely protected feet, when I could have had shoes on... All that wasted time..."

"Indeed." Tsukauchi picked ups the small, black USB drive, one of the pieces of evidence. "Mastermind somehow made recordings of important phonecalls as well as gained security camera footage from both the bank and Makoto." He looked over the current report in his hand. "And somehow, uncovered evidence that Bespin Cakes was associated with a group known as the Shie Hissakai, acting as another source of income for that group."

The Heroes shared a look between them. "So... he thinks he's Oji Harima or something like that?"

Tsukauchi just shrugged. "We're going to have to do more digging. What we do know is, that Mastermind is an individual wearing potent Support Gear, most likely with an electrical Quirk that powers it all."

The door opened at that point. "Hold it," a familiar voice drawled out. Coming through the door, clean-shaven and in a suit, stood-

"Eraserhead? I thought you were doing something else for the investigation?" Death Arms asked politely.

Eraserhead shook his head, muttering something about the situation being 'irrational.' He then pulled out a laptop. "Please listen to what my boss has to say."

The laptop was opened up, displaying a white screen with an 'N' picked out in gothic font. A distinct piano tune began to play. A voice started to talk, sounding distorted, androgynous and scratchy. "Greetings, police, Heroes. My name is N, and I would like-"

Detective Tsukauchi put a hand over his eyes. "Principal Nedzu, do you have to do this every time you get involved in a police investigation?"

There was a brief pause, then the Principal of UA High popped out from the next room over. "Oh, let me have my fun! It's not every day that I get to play with a mind like Mastermind's!"

He hopped up onto a chair, gesturing Eraserhead to shut the laptop and pass it to him, which the Hero obliged. "So! I'm glad to see fine heroes like yourselves up and about, trying to capture this villain!" He turned to Mount Lady, something vaguely sincere in his eyes. "How are the boots treating you, by the way?"

She nodded, a smile on her face. "They're treating me pretty well! You, uh, probably shouldn't have had to add them on."

He waved her off. "Nonsense! If there's a problem, then I'll just fix it! But enough about boots, I wanted to talk about this villain!"

His tone lost its chipper edge. "I've only had access to the recordings up until the last encounter. It was then that I was able to get Eraserhead out on patrol. After all, he does have the time for it now!"

Eraserhead twitched a bit, but didn't comment. "What I saw didn't impress me. He's an amateur. Even if he was a genius like Nedzu, he didn't really show it."

Nedzu nodded. "Agreed! At this point he's still learning. But that encounter was quite informative! I got a lot of data from those cameras I placed on your Support Gear, Eraserhead!"

"Wait, when did you-"

Nedzu pressed a few buttons on the laptop, opening up a screen. "Here, I was able to confirm some of my theories just watching Aizawa fight him!" He tapped the image. "From the past reports and this, I can confirm that this villain is indeed a genius, having built or developed most of this technology by himself. He has also been steadily improving his gear beyond just a costume change. And finally, I believe that our villain does not have an electrical Quirk, but a less obvious one, potentially even one unrelated to inventing or intelligence?"

The other heroes and policemen sat there for a second. Then, there was uproar.

"Wait, not an electrical Quirk? That can't be right!"

"A genius? Are you saying that he's like you then?"

"These devices you've planted in my support gear, did you remove them?"

Nedzu waved them off, trying to calm them down. "Please, please! Allow me to explain my reasoning." He pulled up the image again. "I first supposed that Mastermind had built this equipment when I had a chance to examine it in older videos!" He zoomed in on one example. "Look at the craftsmanship, the detail. This was not made by any of the typical villain support gear manufacturers."

They craned their heads to see the image. Death Arms was the first to speak. "I don't see it."

Nedzu shrugged. "You see, but you do not understand. I like to try and keep abreast of various villain tech patterns. I can recognise a manufacturer just from a few screws. But this one - wholly original! He must be making the gear himself."

He tapped his head. "The second supposition of genius is simply a rational one! After all, to plan a heist like this complete with escape routes, infiltrate his targets and develop this tech, why, not thinking him some flavour of genius would be insulting!" He grinned. "Certainly he's not in my league! I've simply too much experience and know-how for that. But he is playing the same game."

"You mentioned improvements to his gear," Tsukauchi looked closer at the Principal.

Nedzu just nodded. "There's differences here - some bits of his armour have been streamlined, refined. He must have near completely reworked those boots of his, they're a smidgen thicker on the soles and build."

Eraserhead nodded. "I didn't have too much of a chance to examine his gear in detail." His eyes sharpened. "Now, what was that about him not having an electrical Quirk?"

Nedzu grinned. "Ah, there's the rub of it!" He pulled up the video taken from a camera labelled 'GOGGLES'. (Eraserhead was furiously checking the goggles to find the camera.) "Now then, we see the most important thing... here."

Eraserhead and the heroes looked at the screen. "...I don't get it. He's been caught by that floating scarf thing. What's the hold-up?" Mount Lady asked.

Nedzu's eyes shone. "Exactly! He's caught here! But the important thing is, he isn't reaching for his Quirk!"

Eraserhead blinked, mind running at a million miles a minute and goggles dropping to the floor. "Not using his Quirk..." he breathed, eyes narrowed.

Kamui Woods looked closer. "We thought he had an electrical Quirk of some kind... so why wouldn't he use it here?"

Nedzu just grinned. "Even if you know about Erasure, wouldn't your first instinct be to try and use your Quirk to break free? But he doesn't."

"He might have been out of juice!" Mount Lady argued, still remembering the sting of electricity when she'd grabbed his car. "Maybe he didn't have anything left in his battery!"

"Ah, but he may well have tried, and that's the point! No attempt at all! After that, he's clearly trying to get away, and only narrowly caught you with the cape trick of his!" Nedzu leaned back in the chair. "A couples of theories lend themselves to my imagination. The first, is that he has an Intelligence Quirk, something that boosts brainpower past the human limit. That might account for some of his stumbling with Eraserhead."

The High-specs hero paced. "The other theory is that he is a natural genius with a weak, inconsequential Quirk, something that wouldn't help the situation. Something like the ability to slowly levitate objects into your hand, or creating a marble once a month. That or a minor physical mutation like scales for skin or glowing eyes."

He looked at the screen again. "The third, I don't consider too likely."

Eraserhead was the first to speak. "And that is?"

Nedzu shrugged. "It would be pretty impressive. But the third theory is that he fought like this because he's Quirkless." As everybody in the room started at him, the Principal shrugged. "It makes sense. After all, you wouldn't reach for a Quirk to use in a situation..."

"...if you didn't have a Quirk to erase in the first place," Eraserhead finished. Already, his mind flashed back several years, back to a vigilante with a brutal right hook and a fearless grin on his scarred face. Such things weren't outside the realm of possibility.

Nedzu grinned. "Well, as I said it's just a theory. That one is the least likely outcome." He started to cackle, paws steepled in front of him as he stared at a frozen image of the villain, tied up and helpless. "We won't know for sure until he next makes an appearance..."

Chapter Text

One month ago...

"Self defence classes?" Inko asked, chopsticks hovering over her bowl of rice. "Izuku, are you... are you being bullied at school?"

Izuku shook his head frantically. "No, no, nothing like that! I just, ah... thought I should do something else! Since I'm going into UA's Support course, I thought that maybe I should learn how to handle myself in a fight, then I'll know what the heroes are looking for-"

"Izuku." Inko laid her chopsticks aside and patted him on the back of the hand. "You know you can talk to me. What happened?"

Izuku stopped talking. "Well, mom, I am the supervillain Mastermind. I've been going out after school in a suit of armour with gadgets that I made myself. I've fought Pro Heroes and am working with other villains, and recently I got beaten up by the underground Hero Eraserhead and realised that I need to learn better fighting techniques," was not what he said.

Instead, he said, "Well, I've been doing all of those part-time jobs, right? And I started a new one just a few days ago?"

Inko nodded. "And I'm so proud of you for finding work like that, even if it's only for a short time." She shot him a warm smile. "You've got your studies to keep up, after all."

Izuku nodded. "Right, yes. So, earlier today I, ah... got into a fight? Some jerk chased me down and-"

"Oh, Izuku! You should have told me! Are you alright? You're not hurt or anything?" Inko frantically looked over her son.

Izuku waved her off. "I'm alright, mom! I ran away. But..." he looked down. "I'd... I'd like to be able to stand up by myself. So I talked with my co-workers about it... and the place I'm working offers a self-defence course for employees. It's just part of the job!"

Inko checked him over once again. "Oh, honey, that's great! Just... just don't worry your poor mother with a story like that again, okay?" She patted him on the arm, tears building in her eyes. "I'm being serious, are you sure you're alright?"

Izuku nodded. "I'm... I'm fine, mom. I've got some really good friends out of it, even though I haven't known them for very long. We had cake!"

Inko nodded. "That's so nice! You'll have to introduce me to these friends of yours some time. I'll have to thank them for being so kind to you."

Izuku nodded, spearing a piece of fish with his chopsticks. "Well, it'll probably be a while before that happens. People are busy with work and all that."

So they finished their meal, chattering about their day, about the work they had done and what other people had done with their day. When all as done, Izuku helped Inko wash the dishes, trying to get his mother to use the newer inventions for speeding up the dishwasher and being gently rebuked. Once that was done, Izuku went to do his schoolwork, and then to the lab.

Looking over his gear, he sighed. "Well, I've got some basic ideas for support gear for myself and my partners in crime... guess I'll have to hit the beach again."

There were plenty of spare parts, and he'd managed to get the forge in. Izuku checked over his blueprints, checking for his pen. A few preliminary sketches were going to be needed. Ah, but he'd need more specific information on their Quirks and their preferences! But what about his own gear? Oh, he had a couple of upgrades to do, a new cloak to make, and maybe something seriously flashy!

Midoriya scoured through his old research materials. It had to be something major. Something impressive. Something that he could use in the future afterwards.

His eyes passed over something in an old comic. They widened. "Yes..." he breathed. "Yes... yes!"

He hurried back over to his desk, pen in hand. Some furious sketches later, and then he returned to the scrap and forge he had managed to hide in the basement. He picked up a couple of tools and turned on the sound dampeners.

"Time to get to work."

------------

Now...

"Okay! Let's suit up!"

Mastermind stood in front of his new workbench in Gentle Criminal's lair, covered with a dust sheet. The rest of the villains looked on with bated breath. Getting improved Support equipment from an up and coming maker? Too good to be true.

"Ladies and gentlemen, BEHOLD!"

With a flourish, Mastermind pulled off the dust sheet, showing off his gear to the rest of the villains.

"YOUR NEW SUPPORT GEAR!"

Each villain blinked. "Wow," Golden Grin spoke first. "My shit looks awesome!"

Mastermind grinned. "As for my own gear, I've been upgrading it as well!" It seemed that he grinned, showing off his massive cloak, now with a dark red trim on the edges.

"The heroes won't be able to stop us with this gear now!" Thunder roared in the room, each other villain grabbing their personalised gear. "MWA-HAHAHA!"

----------------------------

The Kiyashi Mall was a bustling place, filled with families and people going to buy clothes, food, or just use the bathroom. There was a general sense of cheer as people just went about their weekend business. A large jewellery store was doing a reasonable trade, people coming back and forth...Until suddenly, the music playing over the speakers cut out, glitching and screeching. Then...

"MWA-HAHAHA!"

A large puff of smoke originated from just in front of the jewellery store, blinding passers-by. When it cleared, there stood a trio of villains. One was the somewhat well-known Gentle Criminal, his gentlemanly suit now flapping in a non-existent wind and a monocle in his right eye. He even had a new cane made, with a purple head. The other one, they didn't know - a tall man in a yellow overcoat and a blank white smiling mask and top-hat, gesturing good naturally with his cane.

But the third was more well known, even if he had only been around for a month or so. His gauntlets and boots now painted a deep red, a new cloak that seemed to ripple and fold around him and a large 'M' emblazoned on his belt buckle, the shorter villain strode confidently towards the doors of the jewellery store with his compatriots.

"Everybody run! It's a villain attack!"

"Call the heroes!"

Mastermind raised a fist in the air, and the villains pushed through the door into the jewellery store. The attendant trembled. The taller man tipped his top hat. "Good day, madam."

"We are terribly sorry about this," Gentle Criminal continued, looking to Mastermind.

"Please stay calm, for the brilliant MASTERMIND-" thunder roared, causing the cashier to jump, "- and his partners in crime are robbing this jewellery store! MWA-HAHAHA!" Mastermind finished, holding out a couple of large briefcases. "Sorry for the inconvenience, but we have to get something for our mother's birthdays! You don't mind, do you?" That said, he handed a briefcase to each villain and they went to work.

The store attendant looked at them somewhat calmly as they proceeded to open storefront boxes, quickly and methodically emptying the storefront. Her hand went down to discreetly press the panic button and silent alarm. "Y-you won't get a-away with this," she stammered, trying to back further away.

The tall man in the top hat shrugged as he shoved another armload of jewellery into the sack he carried. "I'm afraid that we already are, my dear. I must ask that you stay out of our way for the time being."

The store attendant trembled, but stayed resolute. The silent alarm had been pressed, so the heroes would be here any minute..!

--

"Alright, so we are aiming to hit the Ami-Diamond jewellery store,"  Mastermind paced with the others. "My investigations, along with Gentle Criminal's have confirmed that they have been stealing most of their jewellery using a nearby funeral parlour, replacing the gems and making newer designs with these stones." He pointed to a small camera. "The video footage is right there."

He then turned around. "We absolutely want to avoid having too much Hero presence before we're ready." He turned to the shortest member of the crew. "La Brava. If the police get called too early, then there's a much higher chance we'll have to fight All Might or a really dedicated Pro Hero. So, to delay things as long as possible, I'm going to need you to hack their security systems."

La Brava nodded. "You can count on me , Mastermind!"

Mastermind nodded. "I've added some tech, particularly with your gloves and a mask to make the fullest use of the new computer I built."

--

Outside in an alleyway, La Brava nodded as she looked over her laptop. Her villain gear had been seriously upgraded, the gloves now sporting glowing pink lines leading to the fingers. The mask she wore was heart-shaped and made of clear purple plastic, displays in the corner showing a minimap of the mall. The biggest piece of support equipment she had was a large metallic backpack, painted to similarly match the theme.

"Systems are down!"

Mastermind muttered a quiet thanks to La Brava before striding forwards, Gentle Criminal turning to the store attendant. "Ah, terribly sorry, but we're going to need to head into the back," Gentle Criminal took a deep bow. "If you'll excuse us-"

Panicking, the store attendant slammed the button to get the shutters to drop. The metallic shutters for the front of the store failed to close and trap the villain inside. She stared at the button with an expression of horror.

Mastermind bellowed out laughter. "MWA-HAHAHA! Your security systems have already fallen to my partners and I!" He strode through, shoving the door open with Mr. Compress in tow. The sales assistant tried to stop them, but was stopped by Mr. Compress' cane gently holding her back.

The top-hat wearing villain shook his head. "I wouldn't advise it, young lady." The poor lady could only sink to the ground, trembling.

In the next room, the villains took in the safe. "Complicated looking lock," Mastermind murmured.

Mr. Compress shrugged. "We'll have all the time in the world to crack it back at the hideout if I just shrink it."

Mastermind nodded slowly. "True." He pulled out his pocket watch and clicked the top button three times. "This way just looks cooler though."

Mr. Compress looked directly at his partner in crime before slowly pulling out his custom-made pocket watch. "It certainly will make a more impressive spectacle, won't it?"

--

"Gentle-San, Mr. Compress. I've got some specific support gear you may like."

Gentle and Mr. Compress both craned to look at the items on the table. One silver for Gentle and the other golden for Mr. Compress, they looked like ordinary pocket watches, a fact that Mr. Compress relayed to Mastermind.

Mastermind simply nodded. "Certainly, they look like ordinary pocket watches. But," here he tapped the top of the watch three times quickly, causing the middle to open into a red light, "this is where the similarities end. They have a variety of useful functions, but the first one is that I built in a powerful laser cutter into them."

--

Mr Compress and Mastermind pointed the red lights and then pressed the button again. Thin beams of red light shot out, cutting through the safe's hinges. Carefully, methodically, they cut a near perfect circle in the safe, causing the door to fall to the ground with a thud.

Mr. Compress closed the watch up, replacing it in his pocket. "Ingenious," he muttered, looking in the safe. Various uncut jewels and pieces of jewellery gazed up at them. Mastermind and Mr. Compress shared a look, before Mr. Compress used his Quirk on the larger items, the small marbles falling into his palms and down his sleeves with a nearly inaudible click.

Mastermind placed a small USB in the stricken safe, along with a small calling card. Standing up, Mr. Compress and Gentle Criminal carefully replaced the door. Nodding, Mastermind tapped his earpiece. "And we are leaving. Any hero chatter yet?"

"Seems somebody's finally reported it!" La Brava replied. "Heroes incoming!"

Gentle and Mr. Compress nodded. "We'd better make our exit then," Gentle Criminal muttered.

Mastermind nodded, quickly leaving the store with Gentle Criminal. Mr. Compress left as well, though not before dropping a bouquet of flowers that seemed to come out of nowhere.

--

"Even if we shut off the security systems, people are going to have seen us. They'll make manual calls to the various agencies. We'll have to leave as quickly as possible to avoid any fights." 

Golden Grin groaned. "Aw, man! I mean, sure, I know we don't want to get into fights but I like a good scrap!" 

Gentle Criminal and Mr. Compress shook their heads. "Not really our style, getting into fights," Gentle Criminal said.

Inkblot just grinned. "Sure it isn't. That's why we're here! We're the muscle!" To demonstrate, she flexed her arm. Briefly her arm didn't resemble a noodle anymore, looking like a regular if extremely fit woman's arm flexing. Then she flexed slightly harder, returning it to its noodle consistency with a bicep bulge the size of a small watermelon.

Mastermind nodded. "True, true. But hopefully, we won't have to fight at all..."

--

The three of them raced down to the main foyer, only to hear a crash and the sound of sirens. Mastermind bit off a curse as they saw a couple of Pro Heroes gearing up to come in. "Sounds pretty bad," Mr. Compress remarked.

Mastermind nodded. "Seems that way." The first couple of heroes were already on the scene, civilians running out of the way

He jerked his head at Mr. Compress."Now."

Mr. Compress nodded, raising his cane. A press of the head, and the Heroes swung to the side, concerned shouts as a marble-sized projectile shot at them! It then burst apart in a puff of smoke, revealing...

Inkblot grinned from where she was next to the lead Pro, a large man in a green spandex bodysuit. "Heya." Before the Pro could react, she spun around, swinging her giant mallet into his midsection. Her momentum continued into the wall of the store, smashing the hero so hard a small crater formed where he had hit.

The Cartoon Villain turned back around, hammer resting on her shoulders. Her villain support gear had seen some changes, but the most obvious change was the plain white mask with black, bead eyes. On her head, a pair of large rabbit ears waved, seeming to pick up sound. Resting on her hip were several closed cylinders with different coloured caps.

--

"If things should come to it, then I need Inkblot to be ready for action as a projectile."

Inkblot nodded. "I can do that - wait, what?"

She crossed her arms, a confused expression on her face. "Why am I not out there with you guys? You know, being the muscle?"

Mastermind shook his head. "I don't want to give away too much if I don't have to. The less that people can guess about how we've done it, the better." He turned back to the rest of the gang. "if we want to take on a target like this then we need to move in quick and get out as soon as possible." 

He then went over to the rest of the bench. "So, these cylinders have various colours of ink. They're pretty tough. I've also made this mask with similar features to my own, such as an early warning system linked up to the ears of the costume. The mask itself also has an emergency supply of ink that can be accessed by biting into this bit, here."

Mastermind pointed out a small tube on the inside of the mask near the mouth. Inkblot just nodded. "Okay, all good. One question though." She picked up the mask, which curved around the head and had a pair of large ears sticking out. "Why does my costume have bunny ears?"

Mastermind tapped the ears. "Well, first of all they're designed to amplify far-away sounds and quieten loud ones. Secondly, they're part of your disguise."

Inkblot blinked. "Disguise? In case you have't seen me, I'm pretty distinctive." She waved a hand over her body to emphasise.

Mastermind nodded. "I know that. Which is why we're using this mask." He picked up the white circle. "Using the American design known as the 'Spiderman Mask,' we can map your expressions with this mask! Since it'll look really convincing, it'll tell people that you're just a cartoon bunny rather than a cat!" 

Inkblot raised an eyebrow. "That can't possibly work."

--

Inkblot's rabbit ear twitched, and she swiftly blocked a punch from a rather bulky looking Hero. "At least the early warning system works..." she grumbled before ducking under the Hero's attack. Her mallet came swinging overhead, sending him into the ground. He lay there groaning, tweeting birds spinning around his head.

Mr. Compress was looking at a couple of other heroes coming in from a different direction. "HALT, VILLAIN!"

Mr. Compress shrugged. "That is something we simply cannot do!"

As the heroes approached, the villain suddenly whipped his other arm up, pointing at them. Smoke billowed out from his sleeves, shooting towards the heroes. The heroes tried to stop their advance, but it was a bit too late. In the smoke, something shot forward, catching the Heroes and binding their arms to their sides.

--

Mr. Compress checked over the support gear he'd been handed. It was a pair of long sleeves connected to a pair of gloves, the area above the knuckles slightly raised. It led to a small storage unit that strapped to the side of a belt. "And this is?"

Mastermind grinned. "This is support gear designed to work with your Quirk." He indicated the gloves, turning over the palm to reveal a compartment on each. "Slot your compressed objects into here and then they'll lead to the main chambers." He opened up the small square container to show that it had been split into different compartments. "I'll get more space for it later, but I have several support devices that should work well with your Quirk." 

He pointed each item out. Nets and bolases made up the majority of said items, along with devices labelled 'OIL SLICK' and 'SUPERGLUE.' 

"Basically, load them up and fire them when appropriate. Make sure that each individual chamber is loaded. The firing mechanisms are on each fingertip. Tap the finger for what you want to come out."

Mr. Compress whistled. "This is some seriously impressive stuff, Mastermind."

Mastermind rubbed the back of his head. "Ah, it's nothing, really!"

--

Mr. Compress looked at the pair of Pro Heroes who had been tied up with the nets that had just been released by his Quirk. "Nothing indeed," he muttered, before returning to the escape plan. The rest of the crew were making their way downstairs to the main entrance, where a few Heroes were gathering to try and intercept.

Mastermind glanced at a Hero who was coming at him with an apologetic stare. "Sorry about this," he muttered, before he caught the Pro with a full kick to the torso. Normally such a manoeuvre would wind somebody. It wouldn't send them flying backwards with a mighty TOING into a wall. Mastermind seemed to visibly wince. "They'll-they'll be okay," he muttered, seeming to give the Hero a quick check-over before going for an escape.

Inkblot stared at it a bit, before shrugging. "Pretty nasty to build a capacity like that into your armour..." she muttered, running ahead to try and block some of the heroes.

Gentle Criminal bounced ahead with her, tapping the head of his cane. The end of it sparked with electricity, and he took a swing at a Hero that was leaping in. The hero, naturally, dodged. "You'll have to try harder than that, villain!"

Gentle Criminal's eyes narrowed. "I do so abhor violence." He took his cane up again. "But it is sometimes regrettably necessary!" He swung his cane again, the Hero dodging such a straightforward attack.

"Hah! As I said-" The Hero was cut off when the swung cane suddenly wobbled to the side, striking the Hero in the side and causing electricity to spark through him. The Hero screamed in pain for a short while before collapsing. Gentle Criminal looked over at the other Heroes, cane wobbling in his hand.

--

"Ah, Gentle Criminal. I have for you, a new cane!" 

Gentle Criminal looked over it. The new cane now had a metal tip to the end and was slightly longer than what he had used before, as well as a different top. Mastermind picked up the cane. "Carbon core with some electronics built in. By pressing this-" he pushed in a tip at the head, causing the cane to light up with electricity, "-you have a powerful stun baton. It'll put most Heroes out of commission somewhat painlessly." 

Gentle Criminal nodded, picking it up. "It's... really well done," he murmured. 

Mastermind nodded. "I've also made you a monocle! It's linked up with La Brava's computer, allowing her to identify heroes and keep you up to date with them! As for the cane, I thought that you should use it with your Quirk!" 

Gentle Criminal blinked. "My Quirk...?"

Mastermind nodded. "I mean, it's only the gentlemanly style.So, you know, you could make it really bendy, or stretch it to whip out! I-I dug up some old works! On a gentleman's martial art known as Bartitsu! I also got some pointers from the French Canne de Combat and more modern cane styles! I think it would help you and Mr. Compress as well! Give you more options to defend yourselves without necessarily using your Quirks!" 

Gentle Criminal blinked, looking over the cane and the small list of manuals that Mastermind had added. "This is... incredible, Mastermind. Thank you, from the bottom of my heart." He bowed, causing the shorter villain to start waving his hands around and trying to get him to stand up.

--

Gentle Criminal readied his cane again. "Gentle... Curve!" he thrust his cane forwards, the solid body wobbling backwards and forwards in an unpredictable fashion, causing the Heroes to back up.

The four other Heroes watched warily as the villains continued to come to the doors, ready to do what they could to buy time. The rest of the civilians in the shopping mall watched with bated breath as the villains seemed to regroup. Mastermind seemed to clear his throat. "Well, Heroes, here we are! Unfortunately... you will be unable to stop the devilish machinations of Mastermind-" KRAKATHOOM, "-and..."

The four villains suddenly struck a pose. Gentle Criminal and Mr. Compress pulled out roses and smelled them dramatically, Inkblot swung her hammer down with a massive grin on her face, and Mastermind simply clutched a fist dramatically and laughed.

"THE LEAGUE OF SUPERVILLAINS!"

Another crack of thunder followed by explosion of multicoloured smoke emitted from behind the four villains to punctuate their statement.

The Heroes stared at the villains for a moment. Then, one of the heroes, a skinny man in a black leotard with a bandaged right arm, stepped forwards with a grin on his face.

"A League of Supervillains? Hah! I'll have to use my Quirk to its fullest potential! Behold! The Sealed Right Hand of the Forbidden One!" Laughing, he started to unravel his bandages as the other heroes stared at him with odd looks on their face.

Gentle Criminal's gentlemanly smile twitched. "Is that really what's on your Quirk registry?"

The Hero leaped into the air, bandages trailing and starting to loosen. "BEHOLD! ITS AWESOME POWER!" The bandages unravelled, revealing a monstrous shadowy limb. He then swung it down. "ULTIMATE TECHNIQUE: UNSEALED ARM CRUSHER!"

Inkblot went to defend, but Mastermind held out a hand. As the Hero came down, Mastermind watched with both arms outstretched to block. The arm came down, intent on dealing a powerful finishing blow-!

--

"So, what kind of modifications have you made to your gear, Mastermind?"

Mastermind blinked. "Oh, I made some modifications to my gear! Mostly to my gauntlets." He showed off the newly painted red gauntlets, now thicker and with a circle design in the palm. 

Inkblot looked over it. "Looks neat! So what do they do now"

Mastermind smiled. "They work on a similar principle to my Spring Boots. It's basically a pair of really powerful springs with a one way gear to hold it until I release it." He held out a palm. "Punch it." 

Inkblot raised an eyebrow. "Okay..." She took a swing at Mastermind's palm, not even shifting him. She raised an eyebrow. 

"And now I'll demonstrate it." he placed his palm on her, then shoved forwards. Inkblot staggered back a bit, a slight TOING sound being released. 

"Wow. That's pretty neat." 

Mastermind nodded. "Yeah! I got the idea from looking at the Black Panther's vibranium suit! And also the Impact Dial from One Piece. I mean, obviously that's more manga than anything, but the idea was sound!" He turned the gauntlets over. "It's both a shield and a spear. It'll take a while before I could make something that can absorb kinetic energy, and it's really going to hurt with big impacts, but it works!" 

--

The arm came down, causing a massive cloud of dust as it hit the villain! The hero grinned from above. "SUBMIT VILLAIN, BEFORE THE MIGHT OF MY UNSEALED ARM! A-HAHAHA- eh?"

The dust had cleared, revealing that Mastermind was standing proud, feet pushed back slightly but unharmed. "Not bad, Hero! Now..."

Mastermind suddenly swung to the side, under the massive arm. As the Hero dropped, he leapt up to match him with a palm to his chest. "HAVE IT BACK!"

The Pro Hero tried to block the attack, but it was too late. The villain pressed his flat palms on his chest, and with a TOING of force the hero was sent cannonballing backwards, smashing through the door and colliding with a car outside. The villain himself as blown back slightly, arms shaking from the impact.

Mastermind immediately started running over. "Oh my god, I am so sorry! I-" he was pulled backwards by Mr. Compress as another hero came forwards, swinging their staff to try and sweep his legs.

The senior Villain fired off a net at the Hero, forcing them to get out of the way. "He had a super strength Quirk, he'll be fine!"

Mastermind stared, then shakily nodded. "Yeah... I checked his data on my visor. He'll be fine. I-I just didn't expect it to be that extreme..." he glanced at his gauntlets, which had visibly dented. "And it went over the limit. The rest of my gear's fine, but I'll need to replace the shock absorbers in my arms." The Villain winced. "I-I can barely feel my arms..."

Gentle Criminal swiped through the air, causing the female Hero with what must have been a speed Quirk to suddenly pinball into an invisible barrier. "La Brava says that they're calling in more Heroes. We need to leave as quickly and as gentlepersonly possible! Gently... REBOUND!" The Hero was sent flying backwards, causing the other Hero to break away from his charge to save her.

Mastermind nodded, pressing a button on his gauntlet.

--

Golden Grin raised his hand. "Okay, but how are we going to get away? That little car of yours won't seat us all." 

Mastermind turned to him. "Golden Grin, you can drive, yes?" 

Golden Grin shrugged. "I mean, I can? I mean, I'm on my L's." 

Mastermind nodded. "The car doesn't have to seat all of us. Mr. Compress could shrink us down. Would it be comfortable in those little balls?" 

Mr. Compress shrugged. "Never been inside them, but they're not too uncomfortable if Inkblot is accurate." Inkblot nodded, a slightly uneasy look on her face. 

"Yeah, it's not the most comfortable experience, but at least it isn't too claustrophobic."

Mastermind shrugged. "Well, it'll have to do. So I just thought... what if we made it look like Mr. Compress didn't have Compression as a Quirk?" The other villains looked at him as he continued. "What if... we made it look like he had a warping Quirk?"

Stitch looked at him. "That's be pretty difficult. It's going to be obvious that they're coming from tiny marbles." 

Mastermind just nodded. "But if we use some pyrotechnics and smoke machines-"

"-Then we can cover up the marbles and the compression," La Brava finished. "Meaning that most people will assume that it's a warping quirk that manifests in a burst of smoke." 

Mr. Compress pulled on a smiling mask. "Well! That level of prestidigitation, to fool heroes and onlookers alike..." He laughed. "I haven't heard of anything that would be more amusing!" 

"Perfect!" Mastermind nodded. "So, I'll equip your gear with some smoke machines, that'll only take a day. Going back to the plan, we'll have Golden Grin as our backup driver in the Mastermobile!" 

"Uh..." Gentle Criminal looked at the younger supervillain. "Are you sure that's wise?" 

Mastermind waved him off. "Driving's easy! And besides, it's an automatic!" 

Golden Grin sighed. "That's a weight off my mind..."

--

The heroes heard the revving of an engine. Before they could properly react, the dark green Mastermobile came tearing out of a side alley, a villain in a black and yellow mask driving it. The bottom half of his mask, a transparent golden bubble, had been painted with sharp teeth. "YEAH! GRAND THEFT AUTO!" The villain yelled, spinning the vehicle near to the other villains.

Mr. Compress nodded. "Now then! Inkblot, Gentle, let's return to base!" He spun around, a massive burst of smoke suddenly bursting around them. When the smoke cleared, only Mr. Compress remained. He turned to Mastermind. "Let us away!"

The heroes charged at the car, but the villain there seemed to narrow his eyes. "Oh no you don't!"

As they came in, a glow of light suddenly came from his mouthpiece. The Heroes tried to back up, but it was too late. A searing beam of golden light shot from his mouth, hitting the ground under their feet and sending them flying through the air.

"Gotcha!" he crowed. Then he checked the area behind the flying heroes and he froze, hand flying to his mouth.

"Uh oh..."

--

Golden Grin looked over the black and yellow helmet. "Nice one, Mastermind! And you even kept my trademark smile!" 

Mastermind nodded. "I made this piece of gear pretty efficient. The mouthpiece is designed to help focus your blasts, as well as prevent excess energy from coming out."

Golden Grin turned it over in his hands as Mastermind continued. "The main helmet, here, is designed to prevent light exposure from affecting you too much. It automatically darkens so that you aren't blinded. If you put it on-" he pulled the helmet over Golden Grin's head to demonstrate, "You'll see that I added a target sight so that you can line up your targets. I'd add more features, but that would require longer practice. The helmet's also got a built-in radio so you can keep in tabs with us and La Brava. Oh! And the bottom half works as a gas mask as well!" 

"Dude." Golden Grin pulled the helmet off so that he could make direct eye contact. "If you were a girl I'd kiss you."

--

Eraserhead had just ran onto the scene when the explosion happened.

He'd been patrolling in the Ward when he'd gotten word that Mastermind was robbing a jewellery store in the mall. He'd been slightly tied up with a villain attack and had had to resolve it quickly. Running over, he'd been keeping up to date on the information that the Pros on the scene had relayed.

Apparently Mastermind was working with Gentle Criminal (no surprises there), a cartoon bunny woman (more surprising) and a villain with some kind of Warping Quirk (a real surprise, those Quirks were worth a huge amount.) And then they'd declared that they were likely to continue to team up in the future, declaring themselves a 'League of Supervillains.'

So he'd just arrived, and then there'd been a fourth member with a laser breath Quirk or something that had sent the Pro Heroes flying. The only problem was that there were still civilians crowding around outside, police and other Heroes trying to keep them back. As they went through the air, they were going to crash down on other people!

One of them, sent flying further back, was on a collision course with a teenager who stood there, frozen in shock, purple eyes wide. Eraserhead's capture tape lashed out, to try and pull away the teenager or get the other Hero to safety. The other heroes on the scene were trying to keep order.

But then something surprising happened.

Eraserhead had to blink at it.

Never, in his career as a Hero, had he seen a villain stop their escape and run back. Ignoring his comrades' protests, he'd leapt over to the teenager, catching him in a tackle and knocking him backwards, away from the falling Pro. Now with his options changed, Eraserhead's capture weapon snaked out to latch onto the Pro and pull him back to safety.

His eyes narrowed. What the hell was the villain thinking?

---------------------------

Mastermind didn't know what he'd been thinking. He'd been running to the Mastermobile, then Golden Grin had fired his beam (and he'd be a bit grumpy later, since he knew that there weren't many options available to them at that point.) He'd seen, as if the crowd had parted, somebody his own age about to be crushed beneath a hero and...

He'd just moved like that again. 

Mastermind looked at the guy beneath him, picking himself up and hauling him to his feet. "Are you okay? Not injured?"

The teenager stared at him, purple hair starting to droop in front of his face. "I-I'm fine." he stated, looking at Mastermind with a confused expression on his face.

Mastermind nodded. "Well now Mastermind-" KRAKATHOOM -"Must take his leave! Sorry for the inconvenience!"

"Wait!"

Mastermind didn't look over his shoulder as he ran. The other teen (who as taller than he was, that was unfair) grit his teeth, expression seeming conflicted but ultimately deciding to call out as Mastermind had managed to make his way about halfway to his comrades.

"Why the hell did a villain go and save me? Huh?"

Mastermind rolled his eyes. Did he have to explain this to everybody? "SUPER villain-"

-----------------

I am going to get into so much trouble.

The purple haired teenager felt his thrown line connect, the villain suddenly stopping in place, rocking slightly. A grin spread across his face.

Mom alone is going to kill me, let alone the Pros. But...

Shinsou Hitoshi couldn't help grinning.

Catching a villain with my villainous Quirk? That's too rich to pass up.

Chapter Text

Shinsou took a moment to catch his breath.

Okay. He had a supervillain under his control. Somehow.

(Really, he hadn't expected the villain to actually respond. It had been a desperate use of his Quirk, hoping to God that the villain would take the bait.)

He could feel the twisting feeling of guilt in his stomach - after all, the villain had only talked to him after saving him from getting hurt - but he squashed it down. He wouldn't have been in danger in the first place if Mastermind hadn't tried to rob a store. And he thought he'd caught a glimpse of another Hero, one more familiar, reaching out to try and catch the falling Hero in the first place.

So instead, he managed to get a command out. "W-walk over to the heroes. With... with your hands up!"

His heart was thundering in his ears and he was aware that he was hyperventilating. He was pretty sure that he was covered in enough sweat to fill a pool. But he couldn't help but grin ear to ear.

He'd done it. He'd used his 'Villainous Quirk' to take out an actual villain! And sure, he was going to catch hell for it from both Pros and parents, but at least he could hold his head high and say that he'd actually acted something like a hero. Maybe that'd get people to shut up about his Quirk only being good for villainy.

Slowly, the villain turned around, raising his hands in the air with stiff, robotic movements. Then, he started walking towards the Heroes. The Pros looked at each other, still unsure of what to do, carefully starting towards the villain in case it was a trick.

Murmurs broke out around in the crowd.

"Wow... seriously?"

"This has to be a trick of some kind!"

"Sure the guy's a moron, but he can't be that dumb!"

"Wait, did that kid use his Quirk or something?"

Shinsou let out a breath. This was okay. The heroes were going to get the Villain.

Nothing could go wrong.

-------------------

A few minutes earlier...

La Brava had pulled off most of her Villain gear when she heard the commotion out in the crowd. With a small groan, she watched the crowd shift, trying to squeeze through without being trodden on. Idly she slipped her mask back on, checking the feeds again.

Mastermind had left a few things in the 'prototype' stage due to working on five sets of Support gear at once. She'd been really hoping that he could get the drones equipped with cameras so that she could get better shots of Gentle and her friends-!

La Brava stopped, near the edge of the crowd. Around her, people weren't paying attention, their eyes on the action in front of them. She was beneath their notice, literally. Her head was spinning, thinking it over.

Friends... that was something new.

Back when she'd been plain old Manami Aiba, she'd never had friends. Nobody had really wanted to talk to the short girl with a Love Quirk. People thought she was freaky or weird. And, well, she was woman enough to admit that she could get a bit... stalkerish regarding her love interests. She'd tracked down Gentle Criminal, had covertly snuck video of him sleeping, had even dressed like him -!

But then they'd met Mastermind, and things had changed a bit. Meeting with the other villains had been different as well. There'd been something resembling a kinship there. Mr. Compress' own classy attitude, Golden Grin's thorough knowledge of dating sims, Inkblot's antics, even Stitch's standoffish yet caring attitude - she remembered him thanking her for helping organise his laptop with a smile in his eyes. She'd never really thought that any of them could be her friends.

She watched as Mastermind and the rest of them went out. Her heart leapt into her chest as she saw her partner in crime, her friend, suddenly dash off to save somebody in the crowd. While there were still Heroes around! They hadn't made their escapes yet! If they stayed here, then it'd all be over!

Intellectually, Manami had wanted to cut her losses there. Meet up with Gentle, get into the car and leave. And then, maybe, they could see if Mastermind could pull off a miraculous escape.

But then she saw him, just as he was running away, suddenly halt, like a marionette that had had its strings cut. La Brava's felt her heart stop at the sight. That - that was nothing like the villain she knew!

--

La Brava checked over the improved gear that he'd given her. "This is... wow." 

Mastermind just nodded. "Well, it's nothing, La Brava! It's not complete yet, but I was hoping to do something like Sombra from Overwatch with your gear. You know, a virtual keyboard thing?" 

La Brava sniffled. There were slight tears in the corners of her eyes, and Mastermind noticed. "AH! Are-are you okay? Is-is it not good enough? Did I get the measurements wrong?"

La Brava shook her head. "I-I'm fine. It's just... this is one of the nicest things that anybody's done for me."

Mastermind paused in his fussing to tilt his head slightly. La Brava continued. "I mean, it's nice, but... is this only if we work with you?" 

Mastermind looked at her strangely. "What made you think that? This is all for you guys!" 

La Brava looked up at him, sniffling stopped. He just patted her on the shoulder. "I mean, you guys are pretty cool for going along with my crazy ideas as partners. So all of this stuff, even if we only do one job, is yours." 

La Brava had stared up at him for a few seconds, then suddenly leaped forwards to give him a hug. "Thank you... thank you so much!" 

--

La Brava had... had never had somebody other than Gentle Criminal who she wanted to keep safe with everything she had. Seeing Mastermind, somebody so full of vigour and life just... stop like this was horrifying. In a panic, she looked all over the crowd, hoping that the other villains were going to do something-

Mr. Compress was yelling out for Mastermind to get in the car, but he wasn't responding. Golden Grin had already leapt out of the car, trying to catch his attention. The police started to respond, forcing the other villain to back up and make space by threatening to use his Mouth Laser.

A voice rang out over the confusion. "W-walk over to the heroes. With... with your hands up!"

La Brava's head snapped over to where that voice, louder than the others had come from. The guy there -really tall and skinny. Purple hair and eyes and with a huge grin on his face.

La Brava's eyes narrowed.

-----------------

Eraserhead watched the villain suddenly turn and start walking over to the Heroes, hands in the air. His eyes narrowed, turning around to where the teenager was. He must have been at the end of middle school. Tall, with purple hair that stuck up like a cotton brush and with a shaky yet present grin on his face.

A mental Quirk? Those were pretty powerful, but they had problems with their use. But it was the kind of Quirk that could resolve situations effortlessly.

Looking over the kid, Eraserhead wasn't impressed with what he saw. The kid had practically no muscle tone in spite of his height. He probably thought he'd only needed to develop his Quirk to get through anything.

The most common problem U. A. had was kids who thought that a powerful Quirk was everything. It did count for a lot in the test, but U. A. had failed students with Quirks more powerful than the students who made it in. To get in, you needed a decently strong body as well as a brain.

Eraserhead watched Mastermind, ready to intervene with the villain if needed. Technically, the kid had broken the law pretty badly, but it could be chalked up to an accidental Quirk activation-

"LEAVE MASTERMIND ALONE!"

Eraserhead's attention snapped back to where the kid was. A short woman with long red hair and a miniature version of Gentle Criminal's outfit - was this the camerawoman? - had suddenly leapt at the teenager, knocking him to the ground.

"Clear the area!" he yelled, ready to get his capture tape wrapped around this newest villain. Forget Mastermind, a potential hostage situation took priority.

The crowd, rather than act rationally and move in a single direction, instead started milling around, trying to get out of the way but failing. With a sigh, Eraserhead leaped up and over the crowd, trying to get to a better vantage point.

At this point, the teenager was fighting a woman who was only slightly taller than a toddler. And was losing.

He was trying to hold her off with his outstretched arms, but a kick from her to his elbow was enough to disrupt his grip on her. She fell on his chest with a roar, forcing him to put his hands in front of his face to try and shield himself as she furiously whaled on him with both fists, not doing much damage but preventing him from getting up. From what Eraserhead could see, his expression was a mixture of incredulous and stressed.

The woman wore a mask that was made of what looked like pink plastic, hiding her features. The teenager tried to throw a punch only for the smaller woman to slap it away to continue to try and punch him. "LET HIM GO! HE'S... HE'S MY FIRST FRIEND!"

Eraserhead wasn't sure what her Quirk was, but he had to be careful. Erasure in effect, being careful to not look at the teenager, he quickly wrapped the smaller woman in a cocoon of his Capture Weapon. "Stand down, villain. If you surrender-"

---------------------

Mr. Compress was a lot of things. A magician. A thief. The great great grandson to one of the greatest villains of all history.

But watching his erstwhile partner in crime just staggering off like a zombie, the thing that mattered most of all was that he was fast.

So when he saw La Brava pick a fight with the teenager that Mastermind had inexplicably saved and all eyes turned there, he took an opportunity.

The greatest acts of magic didn't happen when everybody could just see what happened. A moment of distraction, making all eyes on the scene shift if only briefly, And there you had it.

Magic.

So he dashed over to Mastermind, watching as Golden Grin kept the heroes at bay with another blast of Mouth Laser. He grabbed Mastermind roughly by the arm to do his signature trick, smoke machine activating with a press of the button-

Mastermind hissed in pain, and suddenly he stopped walking, arms dropping down.

-------------

Mastermind felt like he'd just woken up from a deep sleep. Where...?

He focused on Mr. Compress, who was gripping him by the arm. "Hey, what... AH!" He hissed, That impact redirection had really done a number on his arms. If not for his fingers moving, he would have thought they'd been broken.

Mr. Compress looked at him. "You're... you're back."

Mastermind looked at him with a tilt of his head. "What do you mean, back? I was just telling the guy I saved that I was a Supervillain when-"

"That's not important right now. It looked..." Mr. Compress swallowed. "You were moving like a zombie or something."

Mastermind's mind ran a million miles a minute. "A Brainwashing Quirk? But none of the heroes here have a-"

They were cut off when a Hero came through the smoke with a flying kick, yelling a battle cry. Mastermind had to duck and let Mr. Compress hit the intruder with his cane. "Right, right. Think about this later, escape now!"

As the smoke cleared, he turned around to the rest of the heroes and assembled police. "Well, Heroes! It seems that your trick to get us... has been thwarted by MASTERMIND!" KRAKATHOOM!

He wanted to talk more, but then he heard La Brava's muffled voice in his ears. Mastermind's eyes narrowed. He scanned the crowd, watching - there!

La Brava had been grabbed by Eraserhead! He knew he'd seen the strands of capture weapon over his head! He hadn't been thinking about it, the other teenager had been basically the only thing he'd thought about. Speaking of the teenager...

"Is... is he alright?" He asked Mr. Compress. The teenager looked like he'd been hit in the face with a fish - his eyes were wide and his expression was dull. Like somebody had shown him irrevocable proof that the sky was actually green and 2 + 2 = 5.

Still! There was a comrade in trouble, and Mastermind was not one to shirk a friend of his. He glanced over at Mr. Compress, turning on the private communicator in his mouthpiece. "Let's go."

Mr. Compress tilted his head. "We're in severe danger-"

"Nobody gets left behind, Mr. Compress! Not if Mastermind-" KRAKATHOOM "- has anything to say about it!"

----------------

Eraserhead watched the villains in front of him. Whatever the other villain had done, it had worked. Mastermind had been snapped out of the brainwashing Quirk, and now the pair of them were looking at the Hero, obviously aiming to get their comrade free.

The villains looked at each other, with a brief exchange of words. Then, apparently on some unseen signal, they moved. The Warping villain was the faster of the pair, Mastermind suddenly flying forwards with a mighty TOING - the villain must have added mobility support gear to his boots after their last encounter.

The Warping villain reached out a hand. "Apologies, Eraserhead! That's our comrade in your hands there!"

Eraserhead ducked under his arm, more strands of the Capture weapon ready to try and intercept them. Mastermind was coming up, hand encircled around something in his grasp-!

Eraserhead sent a kick into the torso of the Warping Villain, keeping his Erasure up on him. Mastermind was a less difficult opponent - for all that the Villain's movements had refined, he was still nowhere near the level of skill that would threaten him. Trying to keep a hostage like this was going to be difficult, but preventing Mastermind's warp villain escaping was more important. After all, without a warping villain like this, Mastermind's ability to escape would be severely limited.

The Warping villain had to suck in a breath as Mastermind swung his hand down, clicking something in his palm. Eraserhead bit off a curse when he saw a red beam of light shoot out, hitting the Capture tape strand that had looped around the shorter villain. The tape glowed red, then smouldered, loosening around the shorter villain.

A couple of things then happened rapidly. First, Mastermind raised his other hand, almost posing as he did so. "LET'S BRIGHTEN UP YOUR DAY, ERASERHEAD! MWA-HAHAHA!"

A bright white, searing light emitted from the villain's hand, brighter than even his goggles' tinted glass could handle, forcing him to close his eyes. A sharp impact from a boot caught him in the chest, staggering him. He heard the distinctive whoosh of smoke that meant the Warp villain was starting his Quirk, instinctively throwing out his capture tape to try and catch one of the villains-!

But it was too late.

As his vision returned and the last of the warp villain's smoke receded, he saw that Mastermind and the shorter villain had vanished from sight, the warping villain already out of range of his capture weapon. The other heroes were trying to respond, but the beam villain had been holding off the rest of them. The car sped away, springing over the barricades and speeding away, police cars in hot pursuit.

Eraserhead shook the last of the light from his eyes. This marked the second time that Mastermind had escaped from him. The villain was starting to shape up to be a problem.

A slight groan alerted him to where the teenager had been sitting, obviously trying to process what had happened to him. Eraserhead hesitated.

He wanted to go out, to continue the chase and capture these villains. That would be the logical, rational decision.

But it was also the right decision for a hero to stay and help somebody in need. And the teenager who'd impulsively used his Quirk certainly needed a hand.

---------------

Shinsou Hitoshi was currently having a bit of a crisis. Ever since Eraserhead (and hadn't that been a surprise) had pulled that weird short villain off of him, he'd been about to try again when it had hit him.

He'd been beaten up by a villain the size of a toddler.

Hell. He'd been physically overpowered by a toddler-sized villain. He was almost twice as tall as her and he'd still been overwhelmed! Hell, he hadn't been able to even try and use his Quirk! She'd just put way too much pressure on him!

Sure, Shinsou knew that he wasn't exactly the strongest guy around. He liked reading - it was one of the few things that people didn't get on his case about. So he'd spent a lot of time in the library, and not a lot of time in the yard or gym. However, he knew that he had to be good at running to crime scenes if he wanted to be a hero.

So a couple of months ago he'd started jogging around the area where he grew up. He didn't exactly have access to weights and stuff to lift, but he'd thought that he'd built up a decent amount of muscle.

Yeah, he really hadn't.

Eraserhead went over to him. "Are you alright?" It was quiet, but gruff. He didn't seem all that used to saying stuff like that.

Shinsou nodded, a bit shakily. "I-I'm fine."

Eraserhead pulled his goggles off, giving him a sceptical look. "Really?"

Shinsou looked away. "Well, I guess... I guess I'm embarrassed." He stared down at his arms. "I mean - I mean, I couldn't get her off of me! She just - and I..." he trailed off, staring at the ground.

"You used your Quirk on Mastermind," it wasn't a question, just a statement.

Shinsou swallowed the lump in his throat. "I-yeah."

Eraserhead started reeling his scarf back in. "Did you mean to use it, or was it an accident?" At Shinsou's stare, Eraserhead sighed. "Look, Quirk law isn't completely draconian, especially since you're a minor. If it was an accident, your Quirk activating without your conscious choice? If this was your first offence, you'd receive a warning, especially since you're a minor. Maybe some community service if it was damaging."

He looked Shinsou dead in the eye. "Intentional Quirk usage in this situation... you would be lucky to get away with a permanent black mark on your record. It wasn't a case of clear self-defence, and there were Pros on the scene who were ready to deal with the villain. If somebody had gotten injured, you would have been legally responsible for damages if you weren't a minor."

Shinsou swallowed. He... he knew that Quirk laws were restrictive, but being held accountable like that?

...That made sense.

Thinking about the statement, at Eraserhead's serious face, Shinsou weighed it up. He could just... lie. Say that it wasn't intentional, that it was an accident that he'd tried to capitalise on. Get off with a slap on the wrist.

Shinsou swallowed again, clearing his throat. "I..."

Looking at Eraserhead, Shinsou weighed it up. He could lie about it. But to Eraserhead? To any of these actual heroes? Or to the police who were actually trying to keep people safe?

No.

Shinsou closed his eyes. Took a deep breath. "I used my Quirk on purpose. It wasn't an accident. I... I just wanted to help."

When he opened his eyes, he could see the Heroes' expression lighten. "I thought so. But I'm glad to hear you admit it."

Shinsou let his breath out as the Hero looked him in the eye. "What's your name, kid?"

"Shinsou... Shinsou Hitoshi," he managed to get out in a pained squeak. The Pro nodded.

Shinsou looked down at his feet. "I've thrown away my chance of getting into a hero school, haven't I?"

Eraserhead knelt down to look him in the eye. "You want to be a Hero?"

Shinsou swallowed, nodding. "It's... I guess it's a dream of mine. Getting to help people... that'd be pretty cool."

Eraserhead shrugged. "You weren't able to fight the girl off, though."

Shinsou bit his lip. He'd been... pretty pathetic, hadn't he? "If I'd been just a bit stronger..."

"You could have won?"

Eraserhead cut him off, Shinsou looked at the Hero with wide eyes as he continued. "Maybe if you'd been more skilled and could handle yourself in a fight better, things might have turned out differently. But they didn't."

He poked Shinsou in the arm. "If you want to be a Hero, you're going to need to work out more. It's not enough to have a strong Quirk if just anybody can beat you in a fight."

Shinsou actually pushed himself up at that. "I know that!" He then clapped his hands to his mouth. He'd just yelled at Eraserhead!

He shook himself - there was time to worry about that later. Because it really hurt to know that his Quirk hadn't been enough. Had he really been trying to get in U.A. if he couldn't fight without it?

Eraserhead looked at him levelly. "So. You couldn't fight her off. And you say you want to be a hero?" He stood up, looking down at Shinsou. "You lost today. What are you going to do?"

Shinsou glared up at him, purple eyes meeting black. "What am I going to do? I'm..."

It almost hurt to say. But he knew what he needed. "I'm going to get stronger!" He pushed himself up, getting closer to the underground hero, pointing a finger at him. "I'll go to a gym, or I'll get some weights, or sign up for martial arts or something! But I'm gonna get better!"

The Erasure hero's face split into a menacing grin. "Good answer."

Shinsou stood there, panting. Hearing that from an inspiration of his - it was a dream come true. He winced. Fat lot of good it would do him though.

"Eraserhead!"

One of the police officers came over to them, the Hero looking him over. The police officer looked at Shinsou with a sympathetic eye. "Regarding this young man's Quirk use-"

Shinsou closed his eyes. Well, his Heroics dream had been nice while it lasted. This whole incident - it would probably go on his permanent record or something. Would be about par for the course for somebody with a Villainous Quirk like him.

Eraserhead nodded, minutely. "I've interviewed him. Regarding Shinsou-kun's Quirk usage..."

Shinsou screwed his eyes up tighter. This was it.

"...it was an accidental usage."

Shinsou's eyes shot open.

The police officer looked at Eraserhead. "Are you sure?"

Eraserhead nodded. "Positive." Shinsou looked between them, head whipping back and forth. No fucking way...

"Shinsou-kun was startled by a known villain coming at him. His control of his Quirk slipped, and when he'd caught himself, he saw a chance to help the heroes."

The police officer looked between them. Shinsou, somehow, found it in him to just give a shaky nod. The officer sighed, making a note of it. "Well, if that's the case, young man, we'll leave it at a warning. If this happens again, then there will be more serious consequences." He tipped his hat. "Take care."

Shinsou watched the police officer go. When Eraserhead turned away, he gasped, letting out a breath he hadn't realised that he'd been holding. "How...what...but...you..." he tried to speak, the words tumbling over themselves as he tried to put his thoughts in order.

Eraserhead just looked him in the eye. "You don't have zero potential to be a hero." His dark eyes bored into Shinsou's eyes, narrow to Shionsou's wide. "Don't waste it."

As Eraserhead turned to go, all of the nervous thoughts and energy in Shinsou's head collected. Bounced off of each other, creating mental sparks.

Eraserhead lied to a police officer.

Eraserhead thinks that I've got a chance to be a hero.

I technically lied to a police officer.

Mom is going to kill me.

I have no real idea of how I'm going to get stronger.

All of these collided in his head. The Pro Hero had just taken a step when Shinsou, mind racing and bystanders already leaving, found that he was moving forwards, grabbing the underground hero.

Eraserhead stopped and turned around. "What?"

Shinsou sucked in a breath. "Could-Could you train me?"

Eraserhead slapped his hand off. "Absolutely not. I have students to deal with already."

"Please."

Eraserhead stilled. Shinsou kept talking. "I... It's selfish of me to ask, I know. You-you already helped me so much! But... but you're the first... you're the first person outside of my dad, and my cat, who actually listened to me! Who really thinks that I have a chance!"

Shinsou felt his eyes pricking with tears. He'd been about to cry before, so there they were, about ready to cause a flood. "Please. I'm begging you, train me! I-I can't justify it!" He shook and sniffed, tears pouring down his face like a miniature waterfall. "I'll- it's a half-baked hero dream, but... please, help me make it real!"

Eraserhead stood there, still as a statue as Shinsou slumped like somebody just out of his Quirk. He was spent, drained dry. For a few moments, there was no sound of sirens or the murmurs of pedestrians going back to their routine. Then, the underground Hero sighed. "Show me."

Shinsou looked up, tears poring down his face. "What?"

Eraserhead's eyes flashed red. "Show me your cat. Now."

With shaking hands, Shinsou pulled out his old battered phone case, its cover with a stylised cat on it. He tapped in the passcode. Scrolled to his photos, before pulling up the entire gallery of Huro, the tortoise shell cat that had shown up. He handed his phone over to his favourite Hero.

Eraserhead scanned through the photos, expression unreadable. Then, he pulled out a piece of paper, wrote something on it. He handed the paper and phone over to Shinsou, then sighed.

"Meet me at this address tomorrow. If you're late, no second chances."

Chapter Text

Mr. Compress and Golden Grin checked behind them again. They couldn't hear any sirens, or see any other heroes. They'd had to take several extreme manoeuvres, and even used some of the car's other features like the smoke screen and deployable tacks. It seemed that they were alone.

"Did we lose them?" Golden Grin asked.

Mr. Compress nodded, "It seems that way." From his pocket, he pulled out four marbles. With a dramatic flourish, they returned to their default state. Inkblot was leaning on her hammer, while Gentle Criminal and La Brava shared a hug. Mastermind himself looked out of sorts, obviously wincing a bit.

Golden Grin turned to Mastermind. "Okay, now that we're out of danger, I have to ask: what the hell was that?"

Mastermind stuttered. "I-uh-well-"

Golden Grin stepped closer. "I mean, seriously! I know that I messed up knocking the Heroes at the crowd, but why'd you go and save that kid? Not that that wasn't the moral thing to do, but Eraserhead or whatever was there, so why-"

"Because if I was the kind of person who'd stand by and let people get hurt because of us, then I wouldn't be the villain you all agreed to work with!" Mastermind retorted, voice losing most of its affected tone.

He continued talking. "I'm a Supervillain, like I said! And, well, I-I saw that he was in danger! I wasn't thinking, I just... moved."

Golden Grin and Mr. Compress shared a look. "It's not a bad thing to want to help people," Mr. Compress began.

"But we were in the middle of escaping from the Heroes. As a result of trying to save that teenager-"

Mastermind nodded. "I-I know. I-I got us all into trouble, and I nearly got La Brava captured-"

Mr. Compress made a 'zip-it' motion across the flat mouth of his mask. "That was an unfortunate turn of events. And we're going to need a serious discussion about everything that happened then, but not now. At least we were able to make it out in one piece."

Mastermind glumly nodded, then started. "Ah, La Brava-san-"

"Mastermind, it's okay."

Mastermind looked over at La Brava. "Are-are you sure?"

La Brava nodded. "Well, I don't know if you heard, but..." she swallowed. "...but you're... you guys..." she sniffed, eyes down to the ground.

Then she wiped her eyes clear of tears. "Mastermind, you're honestly the second person who I can say was my friend." She looked up, meeting Mastermind's eye. "So thank you for that. But I... I kind of have to agree with not endangering us like this again."

Mastermind nodded. "I'll do my best. And besides!" His cape started to flutter dramatically in the wind as he clenched a fist. "Next time, the Heroes will have to try harder to catch THE LEAGUE OF SUPERVILLAINS!"

KRAKATHOOM!

Stitch poked his head out of the front door. "Ah, god! Stop doing that! I've got a terrible hangover!"

"Oh, Stitch!" Mastermind ran over to the back alley doctor. The rest of the gang came in, making sure that the front door was closed. He seemed to be vibrating with nervous energy. "Did the, ah, contingency-?"

Stitch held out a large envelope for answer. Mastermind opened it, taking a peek at the contents. Quickly sealing it up, he clapped Stitch on the shoulder. "Thank you for your hard work."

Stitch just shook his head. "Not a problem."

The rest of the crew just sat down in various places - on the couch, at the table. Mr. Compress held his hands out, then with a dramatic flourish, revealed several marbles. Popping open, the marbles deposited their spoils  for the villains to look over.

Gentle Criminal looked over the villain. "Well, we shall all have to work on making sure that nobody gets hurt during one of our jobs. La Brava and I shall have to get started on editing the video," the shorter villain nodded, camera in hand, "and tomorrow we'll have to meet with Giran to get our plunder laundered. But for now... what say we have a nice cup of tea?"

He held out the pot of tea, already starting to steam and its subtle fragrances floating out through the room. Mastermind nodded. "I'd love to!" He then checked his watch, wincing. "Ah! I-I have to go! Sorry Gentle! My mom's expecting me back for dinner!"

Inkblot blinked. "You're still living with your mom?"

Mastermind froze, then nodded. "Yes. I... I still live at home with my mom."

Inkblot blinked, then gave a small grin. "Huh. Real momma's boy huh?" She leaned in slightly, eyes lidded. "You know, I could be your mommy~".

Mastermind's visor started to glow cherry red. "I-uh-wha-I-I've gotta go!" Mastermind yelped, taking off. "Catching a train!"

Inkblot watched him leave, his hand rapidly waving as he went. "For a twenty-something guy, he's surprisingly jittery about these things..." she mused.

Mr. Compress and Gentle nodded. Well, it made sense to all of them that somebody like Mastermind would be so awkward. Excepting Golden Grin, the rest of them were fully grown adults who had achieved no small degree of infamy. They'd each looked at Mastermind, checked over his invitation, and formed the opinion that he was a serious Manchild in his early to mid twenties. The kind of grown man whose idea of villainy was dressing up in a costume and delivering speeches out of a comic book was in all likelihood a serious villain otaku. Not to mention all of the time needed to make that tech by himself!

Gentle Criminal shrugged, pouring himself and the others a cup of tea to celebrate, the brown liquid flying through the air, "Well, I suppose I'll have to teach him about keeping his composure. Imagine him dealing with somebody like Midnight..."

Inkblot shuddered. "Yeah, she'd eat him alive."

Something like that happening to Mastermind? Not happening before she'd gotten to him. Inkblot hadn't met many people who were nice to her without being freaking weirdos. After a few dates with people like that she'd given up on meeting anybody who'd be decent. Somebody like Mastermind? Who was so nice that it was illegal?

Yeah, she was going to get through to him.

Mr. Compress looked over at Stitch, cup of victory tea in hand. "Okay, what was that about with the envelope?"

Stitch simply seemed to smile. "Mastermind gave me something to guarantee that I managed to deal with that objective."

Gentle Criminal nearly spat out his tea. "Y-you mean-?"

Stitch nodded. "Yeah. I actually delayed All Might. Believe me, you wouldn't believe how I did it."

The other villains nodded, slightly shakily. While there was no way to know for sure whether he could have come in, nobody in the room wanted to risk it. After a few seconds, Mr. Compress clapped him on the back. "Well, you've certainly earned your share of the loot!"

Stitch nodded. "I know." He accepted the cup of tea. A hand reached into his pocket and pulled out a small flask, pouring the contents in. When he saw the other villains looking at him askance, he shrugged. "What?

-----------------

Later we did, in fact, talk about everything that had gone right and wrong with the heist, mostly on my end. We'd kept our copies of the videos we'd taken, and we edited it together for the new League of Supervillains ViewTube channel. Then we made our plans to get rid of the evidence.

After we'd hit the jewellery store, most of what we planned over the next few days was, essentially, to resell the jewels. If you have the right contacts,  then you can find fences who will take the jewels and return money. That, and unscrupulous jewellers who took the gems, no questions asked. I didn't exactly like working with jewellers like that, but we would make a huge amount of money, even when it was split seven ways.

I kept a few diamonds, as necessary in case I needed to rebuild the Freeze Ray.

That had been a nightmare to build the first time around - a whole bunch of work theorising and analysing ice Quirks that various Heroes possessed. Frozen and Cooldown in particular, since their Quirks manifested in a similar freezing cold light - I had to check their energy signatures to make sure they were replicable. Then, I had to figure out how to incorporate that kind of freezing energy. I'd done it, but mostly because of a lucky find on the beach in the form of some lost diamond rings. It had taken me about three years before I'd been able to take my idea for a freeze ray from merely a dream to reality.

Initially, the freeze ray had been massive - it had been basically a fridge-sized beam gun. But after nearly a hundred prototypes, a lot of explosions and near frostbite, I had finally managed to shrink it down to a small pistol. Sure, it took a lot of power, and I'd had to modify my armour substantially to provide the power source. But it was all worth it! I had a freeze ray! 

But most importantly, it had convinced me that the miracles of Quirks could, on some level, be replicated. The energy-imaging tech that I had had to develop for this project, based off of my own investigations into the I-Island Quirk diagnostic technology had paid off. I had to admit, the possibilities of reproducing other Quirks had stoked the fires of my imagination.

Quirks may bend the laws of physics, but they have never broken them!

--------------

The apartment of All Might is a spacious affair, a massive penthouse in his headquarters at Might Tower. Yagi Toshinori's apartment was a small yet pleasant place in the Musutafu area. He had moved there, mostly so that he could be closer to his old school so that there was the minimum time spent getting there when he would teach. Partially because staying in his penthouse had gotten more and more oppressive.

But here he was, checking over old documents and furiously trying to work out what to do with the information. Yagi winced, checking over the various pieces of paper he had found. He had wanted to deny what was contained on these pages, but... there was no denying the plain truth of the autopsy report.

The fourth bearer of One for All, Shinomori Hikage. He'd done the research, had actually talked with his old teacher about who had met with Nana Shimura. Then tracked down a long list of the bearers, retracing the steps of history. It had been... illuminating. But everything had led him to this point.

Toshinori couldn't help but laugh, blood coming from between his lips. All this time Sir Nighteye had spent worrying about making a proper successor, and his choice wouldn't have lived past forty. Heck, considering that it was four generations later, then young Mirio may have had even less time! He didn't have conclusive proof, just a massive hunch about what may have done his predecessor in. Something that they had had that he didn't.

Toshinori frowned, a sigh passing through his lips.

Sometimes, he just felt so... tired. He sat back in his chair, face cradled in his hands. So many villains had slipped through his fingers. And there was so much still to do. Being the Symbol of Peace was a heavy burden, one that he would shoulder time and again for the good of all.

Toshinori stood back up. Well, he was going to have to change his plans for the future. All for One was dead, so there wasn't any real need for One for All to stick around. It had served its purpose. Later, he would have to call Sir Nighteye and Mirio...

And now that he thought about it, a couple of old friends as well.

His hand brushed against a framed photograph of a much younger All Might and a man with wavy brown hair in glasses. A smile quirked his skull-like face.

David Shield... he hadn't seen his friend in so long. Yagi knew that whatever David would develop would end up being better than anything Mastermind could create. He doubted that the Villain had even thought of dealing with All Might given the handkerchief he'd handed Yagi.

-------------

Earlier...

Mastermind looked over the gear. "Here you go, Stitch-san!" On the table holding the rest of the support gear was a long white lab coat, as well as a pale blue plastic facemask and a T-shirt. 

Stitch picked each piece up as Mastermind continued. "The lab-coat has been reinforced with an underlay of metallic wires designed to harden the garment with the press of a switch. Underneath, the shirt has been made of a kevlar weave with armour plating over vital areas." He picked up the facemark. "This serves as an air filter as well as voice changer."

Stitch looked over the gear. "And why are you giving me all of this? Because if you think I'm going to get involved with a heist-"

Mastermind cut him off. "Oh, I'm not planning to have you on the heist itself. Rather, you're a last-ditch contingency in case of the big problem."

La Brava raised a hand. "And what, exactly, is the big problem?"

Mastermind simply pulled out a small hologram projector. "Him."

The holo-emitter flashed, showing the imposing figure of All Might. Everybody own the room swallowed. "D-do you think he'll... that he'll show up?" Gentle Criminal asked. 

Mastermind nodded. "It's always a possibility." He tapped the hologram, showing a small graph. "I'm hoping that if we time this right, then he won't show up. All Might's appearances nearing the end of the day, going off of social media, taper off. Why, I don't know - maybe he's figured out that he doesn't have to kill himself to be the Symbol of Peace."

--------

All Might stared at his phone. There were a few numbers in there, mostly colleagues, some friends. He flicked through them, eventually finding the number he wanted. He looked out over the balcony, phone dialling.

It only rang for a few seconds before the other end connected. "All Might?"

Toshinori smiled. "Hello, David. I am here!"

There was a chuckle on the other side of the line. "You certainly are. Do you want to do this over video, or-"

Toshinori shook his head, "No, David. I..." he swallowed. Even now... "How is Melissa progressing with her studies?"

A shameless change of subject, but Yagi would have rather talked about his goddaughter than anything else. If David had picked up on the deflection, then he didn't show it in his voice. "She's doing an amazing job! Near perfect scores across the board!"

"That is excellent, David-san! I'll have to remember to get her something! Maybe arrange a call."

For a short while Yagi just enjoyed talking to his old friend, catching up with him and sharing a few incidents of his own, villains he'd captured, people he'd saved. He even talked briefly about Mastermind, the inexperienced Villain's panic and mistakes still on his mind. But he knew that he would have to cut to the actual purpose of his call.

"David... there's something that I'm planning in the future." He paused, mustering up the will to continue. "Something big. And I also have to talk with you about some old baggage. I've known you for so long, and I didn't want you to get involved. But it's long overdue."

David seemed to pause. "Should I get Melissa on the phone now? You know that she'll want to talk to her godfather. And the line is definitely secure."

Yagi shook his head. "No... this is something I should have told you a long time ago in person. Both of you." He swallowed. "So please, come over to Japan. I'll talk to you then, probably with a stiff drink."

"Toshinori, you know that personnel on I-Island can't leave-"

"You and Melissa are practically family, and I'm on the board. I'll deal with it." All Might cut him off. While true in the sense that there was no easy way for a scientist or their family to leave, it was not impossible. Just very, very difficult. But All Might had sunk a lot of money into I-island, enough for a controlling share. He had never really abused his technical position of power on I-Island's board.

Well, it was time to pull some strings even if they broke.

There was a pause on the other end. "This... what are you planning to do? Because I-I'm working on something that should help-"

All Might sighed, "Nothing drastic. Just something that I've probably been putting off for too long. I'll see you soon."

He clicked his phone closed, sitting down at the table. There was a lot to do. Maybe if he'd had a bit more time, he could have helped out that fan with the cat up in a tree and helped deal with Mastermind's latest antic. But he had just spent a second or two too long, and had to gauge that he would have to push his Quirk to stay and help.

But he hadn't regretted helping that fan. If there was something in front of him, he couldn't not help.

Toshinori sighed, pulling his phone back. One call to the board of Directors at I-Island, one that he knew would be long, boring and fraught with bureaucracy. Then... he'd have to call Sir Nighteye.

----------

Before the Heist...

The planning room had gone quiet, the other villains looking at Mastermind. Stitch stared at Mastermind with wide eyes. "You're clearly nuts," he said, glaring at the armoured villain.

Mastermind made an 'eh' gesture with one hand. "Probably. But this plan could work! All you have to do is get your cat-"

Stitch's scalpel manifested on his finger as he loomed over Mastermind. "Lose my cat?"

Mastermind furiously shook his head. "No! I was saying that you should get your cat to climb a tree and hope that All Might or some other Hero helps get it down! And if he doesn't show, then you could get your cat down yourself!" 

Stitch relaxed slightly as Mastermind continued. "Listen! If All Might hears somebody in trouble, then he'll take the time to help them first! I'm basing this off of the Sky Egg incident!"

Stitch's eyes widened. That whole situation had been a pretty bad one - it had been all over the news. "You mean the time where other incidents delayed him from immediately coming into the situation?"

Mastermind nodded. "I mean, I love All Might as much as anybody, but if there's a problem in front of him he will jump in, 100 percent!" 

Stitch crossed his arms. "That sounds extremely unlikely. What, All Might's just going to show up to help me with a lost cat?"

Mastermind stood there for a moment, then nodded. "I completely agree. All Might's just one man, even if he is the Symbol of Peace. Him coming across you is so unlikely I'm not going to bother thinking about the odds."

He looked at each of them in turn. "And no plan is ever going to be a hundred percent reliable. Truly, when thinking about All Might... he's amazing. A true Super Hero." 

He chuckled, short and slightly bitter. "I'm nowhere near his level. This plan that I have, it's really a beta of a plan. It's not the best, but it has the least risk to you or to us." 

He looked at Stitch, the other villains watching, Stitch himself just leaning back in his chair. "So I have to ask for a leap of faith with this. If it doesn't work? Nothing happens! You get your cat down. But if All Might shows up, then you could delay him for a second. Maybe two. And that might be all the time we need. And the next plan shall be better." 

He extended a hand. Stitch looked the shorter villain in the eye for a second or two.

Slowly, Stitch reached out to shake Mastermind's hand.

-------------------

All Might had thought that dealing with I-Island's security would be the hardest thing he would do. But a few mentions of potentially taking away his name or visitations caused the other directors to fall over themselves to get him to stay. David and Melissa Shield would be travelling from I-Island to Musutafu in only two weeks.

Then he'd called Sir Nighteye. He'd tried to explain as much as he felt he had the strength to, but then the man had blown up at him.

Taking the receiver away from his ear, Yagi winced. "It's-It's not anybody's fault-"

"Not anybody's fault?" Sir Nighteye's voice lashed out like a whip. "Of course it's nobody's fault that the protege that I chose for you is suddenly not good enough."

Yagi winced. "It's not like that-"

"Not like what? You suddenly call me, tell me that you can't give Mirio One for All and that you can't explain it? How exactly is it not like how it is?"

All Might tightened his grip on the phone. "This is not something that I can just talk about over the phone. It's... it's complicated. It's not that I think Mirio has no potential."

He frowned. "He would be incredible with it. But... I simply cannot hand it to him." The thought of Young Mirio, lowered into a grave at the young age of forty (or even lower, One for All could have taken him earlier at its current power) was too horrible to bear.

So he steeled himself. "In a few weeks, I'll be meeting with my old friend from America to talk about why I'm doing this. I wanted you to come there so that I can explain it all in person."

There was a pause. "David Shield? He's coming here?"

Toshinori smiled. "Yes. He is one of my oldest and dearest friends. I pulled some strings for him." He looked out over the skyline, memories passing through his eyes. "Why, I'd say that he was my first sidekick! We certainly got into a lot of trouble together."

"I thought I was your first sidekick."

Toshinori laughed. "Ah, you were my first Hero sidekick in Japan, that's certain. David and I were roommates at college together. Why, we practically did everything together!"

"I see." Sir Nighteye seemed to pause. "That would certainly explain why you're so close to him. He's... lucky. To have met you during your time in the states."

Toshinori just nodded. "And I was lucky to meet him. He took me all over the place! Even made me the godfather to his daughter!" An idea hit him. "Young Mirio and her would get along well! It's also important for Young Mirio to get to know her was well! She is a nice young lady."

"Godfather?" 

Toshinori paused. "Is something the matter?"

"No, no. It's... nothing. I'll be there with Mirio." There was a distinct pause. "And this is not over, Toshinori. We will be discussing One for All and its next bearer." 

Toshinori frowned. "We certainly will."

He hung up, plans in the back of his mind.

--

After the long discussion that they'd had over the video call about the Heist, Izuku had at first felt drained. Then he'd remembered his personal package, his additional objective. Slowly, reverently, he'd crept over, slapping on his blast shield. The raw power of the item had nearly blinded him the first time he'd taken it out. Carefully, he got its display case ready, plastic gloves on to prevent damage.

He eased the envelope open, slowly moving the item out. It seemed to shine with its own light, and he could swear that a choir of angels was singing. Midoriya Izuku was over the moon with his planned distraction. He checked over it again, chuckling. "Good, good..." he breathed.

He had never thought that he would have the chance to get this, even by proxy!

Earlier...

As the plans had been finalised, Stitch had been about to leave when Mastermind pulled him to a side room with 'come here' gestures on top. Stitch cocked his head at Mastermind, the shorter villain seeming a bit nervous. "Stitch! I, uh, wanted to talk with you a little!" Mastermind whisper-shouted.

Stitch looked down at the shorter villain. "About what, exactly?"

"The plan to distract All Might."

Stitch nodded. "So what did you have in mind? Taser gloves for me? Personal forcefield? I don't think it'll do much."

Mastermind shook his head. "I mean, I have an idea from the Incredibles movie but I don't have zero-point technology yet - but that'd not important!" He pulled out from behind his back a large envelope, passing it over to Stitch with both hands. "I-I have a distraction that is sure to keep him occupied!"

Stitch accepted it. "Well, if you say so-" He opened it. Looked closely at the item inside. Then he looked at Mastermind with tired, dead eyes. "What the hell is this."

Mastermind tapped his fingers together. "It's-it's a limited edition All Might 21XX poster."

Stitch stared at Mastermind. "It's-It's a limited edition! They only released it in the states! I-I, uh, had to steal it from... from an orphanage! That's pretty villainous, right?!"

Stitch stared some more. "So-so he'll notice that it's rare! if you ask him to sign it! It's a classic!" 

Stitch sighed. "If you're sure..." 

He started to talk away only for Mastermind to stop him. "Wait!" 

Stitch stopped. Mastermind stared at the taller supervillain, fingers tapping together. "Well, this is, uh, it's important..."

"So spill it."

"Uh, well... I have a request! For how it's signed!" 

Stitch looked at the poster. "I can't just say that it's-"

Mastermind shook his head rapidly. "No! It's... it's for a friend!" He nodded, hands on his hips. "Yes, for a friend! It has to be made out, ' to my biggest fan!' It's important!"

Stitch stared at Mastermind. Mastermind stared back. This continued for a short time. Then, Stitch sighed. "Fine. If All Might comes by to save my cat in a tree, then I'll ask him to do that. I'll say it's for, I don't know, a nephew or something."

Mastermind nodded. "Thanks!" Then he froze. "Ah, wait, nephew?"

Stitch just smiled. "For a supergenius, you do act a bit like a teenager sometimes. So it's accurate." 

Mastermind laughed, back ramrod straight. "Haha, yeah! You guys sure wouldn't want to be working under the diabolical leadership of a teenager, would you?"

--------------

Izuku ran his hands over the poster lovingly. The only way that this poster could have been improved was if he'd been able to ask All Might to make it a personal dedication! As it was, the poster was going back in its vacuum sealed glass case, so that future Midoriyas could look at it and be overwhelmed by its amazing power.

There was still so much to do. he had his own gear to upgrade, his friends' gear to find improvements in-!

Midoriya Izuku stopped.

He had friends. Friends with gear. Gear that he had designed, gear that was currently only in the beta stage.

He had willing test subjects friends who needed his help to make them better! And enough of a budget to make what he really wanted for them!

In their apartments, the other villains suddenly shivered. Inkblot's fur stood on end. La Brava and Gentle Criminal felt the urge to hide, clutching each other closely. Golden Grin grabbed his old teddy bear. Mr. Compress' hands twitched, spilling his deck of cards all on the ground. Stitch shuddered, pouring himself a double that went down like a glass of water.

The feeling that something was wrong was near impossible to avoid. That they were mice in a maze with a scientist waiting to hook them up to electrodes.

Izuku started to giggle, then chuckle. Then he let out a full laugh, smile stretching nearly ear to ear. "MWA-HAHAHA! SO MUCH POTENTIAL! SO MANY IDEAS AND SO LITTLE TIME! PROPER FUNDING!"

Ideas sizzled in his brain like a delectable pork cutlet in oil. He threw himself on his blueprints, pen furiously scribbling. He didn't want to hurt any of them or allow them to come to harm. They were his friends, after all. But thinking of how he could help them become the greatest they could ever be...

Oh, he'd have to do so much testing!

"MWA-HAHAHA! MWA-HAHAHA!"

"Izuku! It's a school night! You have to go to bed now!"

Izuku blinked, then shook himself. "Sorry mom! I'm going now! Goodnight!"

Chapter Text

Shinsou hadn't gotten over the feeling that everything that had happened was some sort of dream. The police and other heroes on the scene had gone over everything that had happened that day in further detail. He'd stuck to what Eraserhead had said - that his Quirk had initially activated on accident and he'd tried to help the Heroes like that. With Eraserhead's testimony and the lack of damage to anybody else, he'd been released thirty minutes later with a warning that any further activations of his Quirk without a license, accidental or not, would be met with a fine and a criminal record.

He sighed, glancing over the address he'd been given and a time after school hours. Shinsou hadn't even thought about the piece of paper, feet going on autopilot back home. The entire situation seemed so surreal - being beaten up by a midget villain, his personal hero telling him that he had potential to be a Hero, him grabbing the man and begging the Hero to train him...

He opened the door to their apartment to find his mother rushing forwards, dad obviously not home yet. Tall with black, wavy hair, she frantically looked over him. "Shinsou! Are-are you okay? I got a call from the police, you didn't answer your phone and I'm honestly this close to a breakdown-"

Shinsou just stared at her as she continued to look over him. "Were you hurt? Are you in trouble?"

Shinsou managed to get out a, "No, I'm fine." He checked his phone - he'd forgotten to charge the damn thing this morning.

His mother relaxed. "Alright." She sighed, then she frowned and crossed her arms, "Then what were you thinking?! You could have gotten hurt!"

Shinsou nodded, "Yeah, I know. I had a bunch of Pro Heroes tell me the exact same thing for ten minutes-"

"Don't you snark about this, young man!" She pulled him closer, dark purple spiralling eyes glistening with tears, "You - you could have gotten seriously hurt. You were lucky that it wasn't that laser firing villain!"

"I get it, mom! It won't happen again. The police just gave me a warning after hauling me over the coals."

She stared at him. "Only a warning? Huh." A trace of bitterness entered her voice. "They didn't give me a warning when I was your age."

Shinsou couldn't help but wince. His mom's Quirk was, like his, one of those so-called 'Villain's Quirks,' known as Hypnosis. His own Quirk was just a version of hers that needed vocals rather than eye contact. She'd never really used it. People had still avoided making eye contact with her, still freaked out if she spoke in a calm way. But she'd managed to be somewhat popular, if only because she was tall with good hair.

Then there had apparently been something bad in the girl's bathrooms involving a wealthy student with a 'heroic Quirk' as described by the school. Mom had only ever mentioned the barest details and Shinsou had never had the courage to dig it up on seeing the pain in his mother's eyes. All he knew was that a fellow student had been involved, and it had been bad. She'd used her Quirk then, gotten the girl to safety and called the police on him.

Instead, the guy had claimed that she'd used her Quirk to frame him. That she had lured him in there with intent to defame him. When she'd denied it, other students had stood up for him, claiming that he was a good guy, that he could never do that. It all had to be her, trying to stop his heroics career before it even started out of jealousy. Even with the other girl trying to speak up, the school had covered for him, and he was let off without even a slap on the wrist. His mom, on the other hand, had been given a black mark in her record and a reputation as a troublemaker. Her parents had tried for a lawsuit, but the school had chosen to give a settlement.

He had made it into a Hero school and apparently was a graduate, even if he'd never made it big like he'd boasted. She'd barely made it into a half-decent school. After graduating, jobs were scarce for somebody with a mark on her record about using a mental Quirk on others. So she was stuck in a dull office job that she was overqualified for because it was the only one that would hire her. About the only good thing that came out of her job, she'd said before, was that she'd met his father and had Shinsou.

Shinsou didn't say anything for a short while. "Mom... I..." he swallowed. "I had somebody in my corner then."

His mom looked him in the eye, face caught between disbelieving and hopeful. "Really?"

Shinsou nodded. "Yeah. A Hero."

His mom just scoffed. "Right. A Hero. One of those cash-grabbers then? Somebody who says that all quirks are equal?"

Shinsou shook his head. "Eraserhead. He..." Shinsou looked his mom in the eyes, "He-he lied to the police about me using my Quirk accidentally."

The door opened then, his dad coming in on a tableau of his son and wife just talking, mom standing there shocked. "Ah, I'm home-" he managed to get out before he was cut off by a shout from her.

"WHAT?"

Shinsou nodded. "Yeah, I can't believe it either."

His dad stood there in the hallway, purple hair slicked back and suit dishevelled. "Shinsou, you... what happened?"

Shinsou opened his mouth when his mother cut him off. "He's been trying to catch villains-"

"-It was just the one villain-"

"-And apparently his personal hero comes around and lies to the police for him!"

His dad boggled, before looking at his wife. "Nemu-chan-"

Mom shook her head. "He was attacked by a villain! I-I mean, he's lucky that there were Pros on the scene to help him! I mean, what if the villain's other friends had come to try and-"

His dad made a 'zip-it' motion with his hand. "Nemu-chan!"

As Mom was temporarily silenced, he turned to Shinsou. "Is this true? You tried to brainwash a villain by yourself?"

Shinsou nodded, "I nearly had-"

His dad cut him off. "Shinsou, you really shouldn't have endangered yourself like that." Shinsou nodded.

"I... I know that. Got told enough-"

"Shinsou." His dad looked him directly in the eye. "You know that we're concerned for you, don't you?"

When Shinsou nodded, he continued. "Now, I'm not going to tell you off more about this, since it seems that your mother and the police have done that already. What matters is that you're home and safe." He cracked a grin. "And you're going to have to tell me all about it later."

Mom sighed. "You shouldn't encourage him going into Heroics, Kazuya." She started pulling out plates for dinner. "I don't want to have to identify my son's body. Is that so much to ask?"

Dad just chuckled, removing his jacket. "You worry too much, Nemu-chan."

She flicked him on the side of the head lightly. "I'm his mother. It's my job to worry about my son, especially since he's going off and trying to brainwash villains."

Shinsou looked down at his feet. He... he really hadn't thought it through, had he? He thought about what the situation would have been like if one of the other villains had gotten to him. "It was just the one villain. But don't worry."

Shinsou started getting the plates onto the table, his parents watching him. "It won't happen again."

--

Later, Shinsou was looking over the piece of paper again when his dad came in. "Hey."

Shinsou looked up. "Hey."

His dad looked him in the eye. "Now, I want to hear about what happened."

Shinsou winced. "it was kind of embarrassing, really..." He recounted what happened, his dad nodding along with the story. When he got to the bit about being beaten up by La Brava, his dad just patted him on the back.

"That sounds pretty bad, Shinsou."

Shinsou just nodded. "Yeah, it sucked."

His dad just nudged him. "And it's funny, you have to admit."

"It's not funny!" Shinsou shot back, his dad backing off, hands in the air. Shinsou paused, looking back on it. "Well, maybe a little."

"Okay, okay. No more interruptions. Carry on."

Idly, Shinsou wondered what Mastermind was doing as he retold the story.

--

Meanwhile, Midoriya Izuku sneezed in his sleep. He turned over, pen in hand, twitching as ideas came to him in his dreams. His sheets were already mostly covered in designs for body armour, robot minions and death rays. The notebook on his bed had already been filled with half-sketched ideas. In the morning, he would beat himself up for scribbling on his limited edition Silver Age Might sheets, but that was a problem for conscious Izuku to deal with.

--

"...And then he gives me a piece of paper and tells me to meet him there tomorrow," Shinsou finished.

Dad just smiled. "Well, are you?'

Shinsou nodded, and his dad patted him on the shoulder. "I won't lie to you, Shinsou. I don't want to have to identify your body any more than your mother does. But I think that if you put your mind to it, you can do it."

Shinsou nodded. "I know dad."

His dad just smiled. "I'm serious! And about your homework, I don't mean to nag you, but-"

"I get it, Dad! It's been done already, you don't have to nag."

"Just saying!" He stood up and was about to leave, then paused.

"Goodnight, Shinsou."

"Goodnight."

--

School for Shinsou was, well, school. The incident at the mall had mostly entered legend at this point - no details released yet since there was no high profile Hero dealing with it. Mastermind and his cronies had apparently released a video this morning detailing why they'd robbed a random jewellery store. Shinsou checked it over, incredulous. The grave robbing was pretty bad, but what startled Shinsou was that there wasn't any video of him. More specifically, there was a brief video clip of somebody being beaten up by the short villain - La Brava, apparently - but nothing that could be identified.

"Wow, that guy's gotta be pretty weak to get beaten up by a toddler!" One of his classmates laughed.

"No, she only looks like a toddler! But I mean, this guy's pretty tall, why did he have so much trouble?"

Shinsou just twitched.

If he never met Mastermind or La Brava again it'd be too soon.

--

Izuku sneezed, pen briefly stopping its frenzied scrawl across the pages of his notebook. It then resumed, accompanied by a low mutter.

The rest of the class was keeping a not so subtle eye on him as he continued muttering and scrawling in his notebook. He'd arrived at school with his pen flashing and a Mutter Storm encroaching, every other student giving him a wide berth due to how... focused he was. Even the teachers looked slightly wary.

Maybe it was in how he only blinked apparently once every thirty seconds. Or the shrunken pupils paired with the veins standing out in his eyeballs. It might have been the smile on his face, which was stretched ear to ear and hit the primitive monkey part of the human brain with the signal that he would attempt physical violence if somebody tried to take his notebook off of him.

The teachers definitely knew that he was a major hero nerd and fan of science after the science teacher had received several schematics explicitly outlined as potential support gear. After the laser rifle schematic and the fifth test where he had corrected the questions, the science teacher had given up. In exchange for the required letter of recommendation to enter the Support Exam, Midoriya was given access to the lab, so long as no explosions went off. It was a happy arrangement for both parties, and it meant that students didn't have to deal with potentially being roped into experiments.

Bakugo glared at the damn nerd. "Oi, Deku."

Bakugo's friends leaped back with fright as Midoriya snapped his head around to look Bakugo in the eye, smile seeming to stretch wider. "Yes?"

Bakugo sighed. "What the fuck are you doing?"

The damn nerd's eyes sparkled. "Well, Kacchan, I'm working on somereallycoolstufflikei'mworkingonsomeautonomousrobotsthatflyusingtheEarth'smagneticsfield-"

Bakugo clasped a hand over the nerd's mouth as he entered what other students and all of Izuku's teachers had labelled a Critical Mumblestorm. The teachers may have given up on trying to get him to shut up but not Bakugo. "Shut the hell up Deku. I'm working."

Izuku just nodded, clearly lost in his own little world.

Bakugo scoffed, turning back to his work. In front of him, Izuku continued mumbling, but at least he was quieter about it.

----

Shinsou stared up at the building.

After school had been through, he'd headed over to the address Eraserhead had given him. He hadn't known what to expect. Was it going to be Eraserhead's actual address? Some sort of high profile gym? A cat cafe? He had been prepared, bringing his exercise gear from home with him.

What he got was what looked like a dingy warehouse in Naruhata. It was in a less inhabited part of town and it honestly looked like it was about to fall down.

Shinsou stared at it. Was this some sort of elaborate prank on Eraserhead's part? It wouldn't be the first time something like this had happened - a few too many invitations to social events had happened to be pranks in the past.

Story of my life I guess. I finally get told that what I want isn't so impossible and then he decides to mess with me-

"You're early."

Shinsou jumped what felt like a whole foot in the air. Whirling around, he saw the familiar figure of Eraserhead standing there. The Pro continued as if he hadn't nearly given Shinsou a heart attack. "Enthusiasm is good." His tired looking eye swept over Shinsou.

"Get changed. I want to see what you can do before I can make a proper training plan for you."

Shinsou blinked, at first frozen in place. Then his body got into action. Quickly he ran into the warehouse, dashing behind a screen. As he changed, he got a further look at the place. The walls looked like they'd been holding quite a few weapons. A large board looked like there had been photos or other items pinned there until relatively recently. A set of weights, a couch, a fridge - it looked like a base of some sort. The rest of the warehouse looked like it had been set up was some sort of gym, with a knotted rope dangling from the ceiling over a padded floor.

Shinsou stepped back out to see Eraserhead. "Good." He looked Shinsou in the eye. "How much do you know about fighting?"

Taken aback, SHinsou tried to think. "Uh... I've watched a few martial arts movies?" He tried, Eraserhead just staring at him with a flat expression. "I've, uh... I've gotten into a few scrapes before."

Eraserhead looked slightly unimpressed. "How fit are you? Do you know about parkour?"

Shinsou swallowed. "I, uh, started jogging a few months ago. I... I know what parkour is but I've never done it."

Eraserhead made a tutting sound, making a note in a small book. "...I've seen worse," he muttered, before looking Shinsou in the eye. "This warehouse, it belongs to a... friend of mine. He gave me permission to use it."

Shinsou blinked, wondering as Eraserhead continued. "We're going to start with a nice two kilometre jog." He glared at Shinsou.

"Understand this, Shinsou. I have other students to teach, so this is me taking time out of my life to help you." He tossed a small package at Shinsou, who scrambled to catch it. "This is an initial training program, and I expect you to follow it. I'll adjust it as needed based on your current fitness. Overtrain or slack off and I will stop training you. Understood?"

Shinsou managed a shaky nod as he leafed through it. The small program was surprisingly detailed. Meal plans, exercises, stretches to warm up and cool down... "I- thank you-"

Eraserhead held up a hand to cut Shinsou off. "This routine is not just to improve your general fitness, it will be me teaching you how to fight and move properly. Any whining about this program being too hard, and you can find another teacher."

Shinsou just nodded. "I-I honestly hadn't expected anything else."

Eraserhead smiled. Or was that a leer? "Good, now get warmed up and strap these on," he tossed a pair of what looked like black leg warmers at Shinsou. The teenager caught them, only to let out a small grunt at the weight.

"These are leg weights, each a kilogram and a half. You'll be wearing them for this nice two kilometre run through the streets I've planned. After that, we'll be doing close combat drills."

Shinsou stared at Eraserhead, then the weights. He briefly thought about objecting, only to ruthlessly quash the thought.

I've only got one chance at this. Better not blow it.

Nodding, he went through his warm-up exercises as detailed in the book.

Idly he wondered if anybody else was having as much trouble as he was.

--

It was a horror movie in Gentle Criminal's house. There were scorch marks on the walls, the lights flickering ominously. The other villains had each made their escape, making for the front room. Golden Grin looked around for the last bastion of safety - only to see the glowing red visor of the shorter villain round the corner.

"Come on fellow villains! I have so many beautiful creations to share with you!"

Golden Grin sprinted away from the shorter villain, trying to get behind the door before it fully closed. "Come on guys! Don't leave me like this!"

On the other side of the door, Mr. Compress shook his head. "Sorry about this, young man-" He heaved the door shut, Inkblot and Stitch already rushing to barricade it, "-but your sacrifice shall be duly noted!"

Golden Grin pounded the door. "Let me in! LET ME IN! I-"

"Oh hey, Golden Grin!"

Golden Grin froze, fist on the door, Slowly, he turned around, to see a villain that he had half a head on cheerfully coming closer. "I just need you to test out this new body armour! I think I've worked out all the kinks for it! I've also worked out the kinks in that-"

Golden Grin tried to force his way through the door. "No... no please!" He scrabbled at the door, only for Mastermind to grab him by the legs. "HELP! HELP ME! DON'T LEAVE ME HERE!!" He wailed as the much shorter villain dragged him away back to his lair laboratory, hands desperately scrabbling to find purchase on the floor. "I DON'T WANNA BE A GUINEA PIG!"

Behind the door, La Brava winced. "He... he wasn't this bad before, was he?"

The other villains shook their heads.

"Ah, typical gear-head." Stitch opined, already pouring himself a drink.

Mr. Compress looked at him. "What do you mean?"

Stitch waved a hand vaguely. "You see a lot of the really crazy ones in the technical fields. They're brilliant - mad as hatters but brilliant." He shrugged at their stares. "He'll get it out of his system eventually. Or he'll moderate himself." He took a pull. "He seems a bit saner than most of them I worked with - at least he hasn't offered cybernetic upgrades yet."

Gentle Criminal shuddered. "I really wish I did know about this happening before we'd let him in and volunteered to test the gear out."

The shorter villain had shown up with that small car of his, positively buzzing with excitement and eager to show off past inventions and new ones that he was sure the other villains would like. The other villains had been slightly wary of his demeanour, but had consoled themselves with a thought:

What's the worst that could happen?

Several minor explosions later, each and every one of them was regretting thinking that.

Inkblot just shuddered. "I knew he was too good to be true," she whispered, hugging her knees close to herself. "I knew that there had to be something off with him."

La Brava knelt near the slightly older lady. "Um... what did he do?"

Inkblot whimpered. "That support gear... if I'd had a regular arm it would have broken it. He just... I know he smiled, and said, 'whoops! I know what I did wrong with this! I'll get it ready without a problem!' No shit!"

La Brava shuddered. "The virtual reality display in my helmet malfunctioned. He just pulled it off, asked for my advice on some other gear and tried to strap a jetpack on me."

Gentle Criminal swallowed. "That tea machine of his... it exploded! And all he said was that it was an 'unfortunate accident, but he'd get it working again!'" He shuddered. He wasn't the kind of man to cry over spilt tea, but a superheated tea-splosion that had caused the tea to start melting through wood... he could live without ever experiencing that again.

Stitch just shrugged. "Some of the people I went to school with were worse. At least he isn't calling them his 'babies' or something."

Outside, it sounded like Golden Grin was trying to escape from another equipment test and failing miserably. "Hopefully he snaps out of it soon," La Brava whispered.

--

Shinsou Nemu looked over her son as he lay in bed, passed out. A week ago she'd been confused when Shinsou said that he was going to be doing some activities after school so he would be home later. She'd asked him what he was doing.

He'd said that he was training to get into UA. Trying to learn how to run and fight.

Her first instinct had been to say no. She didn't exactly have the best opinion of Heroes, seeing them more as glory hounds than anything else. But she also knew that Shinsou, more than anything else, wanted to be a Hero. Wanted to go beyond his 'Villainous' Quirk and help people.

She had ultimately agreed, and he'd come home exhausted and covered in sweat. He'd explained that he was training with Eraserhead and the Hero had drawn up an exercise and meal plan for him.

She'd stared at him. "What did he have you do? Are you sure you're alright?"

He'd just grinned up at her. "I've... I've never been better."

That had brought her up short. It had been a while since she'd seen her son so... happy. He'd asked her to help him with the plan Eraserhead had suggested.

The only thing she'd asked him was to get a contact number for Eraserhead, in case something went wrong. He agreed. After getting in, he went to do his homework, had eaten dinner with them with a ferocious appetite, then staggered off to bed and passed out as soon as he hit the covers. This had been the routine for the past week.

Nemu sighed, running a hand through her hair.

"Are you worried about him?"

Nemu didn't turn as she heard her husband come up behind her, hand coming to rest on her shoulder. "As I've said many times before, I'm his mother. Of course I'm worried about him."

Kazuya nodded. "That's certainly true. Practically the whole job of parents is to worry about their kids."

Nemu just sighed. "Certainly feels that way."

She closed the door to his room quietly, then turned to her husband. "Kazuya... does it make me a bad mother that I want to tell him to stop?"

Kazuya only stared at her as she continued. "There's a lot of dangerous villains out there. I... the thought that our son is going to be fighting those kinds of villains if he gets into UA and graduates... I don't want to think about it."

Kazuya just hugged her. "I know. I have a lot of nightmares about something like that happening."

She stared at him. "Then why-"

"Because he's got the heart for it. Too many heroes nowadays are doing it because they want money or the deals. Our son wants to use his Quirk to help people." Kazuya just smiled fondly. "Nice for him to get some help achieving that dream. Not everybody gets that chance."

Nemu couldn't help but agree.

--------------

Shinsou looked at the item in his hand.

When Eraserhead had mentioned weapons training he had been ecstatic. He'd thought that he'd be using the signature weapon of Eraserhead, the coiled Capturing Weapon. Instead, he'd been handed a simple black staff and instructed through a set of katas. He'd gone through several before he'd started to voice what was on his mind. "When I asked you to train me, I thought-"

"Is that whining?"

Shinsou shut his mouth. "No, no! I just thought... I thought-"

"That I'd be teaching you to use the Capture Weapon?" Eraserhead cut him off, the weapon floating as if to emphasise his point.

When Shinsou nodded, Eraserhead sighed. "Not completely illogical. But I can't." He raised a finger when Shinsou opened his mouth. "Simply put, the Capture Weapon requires a considerable amount of training to use effectively. For the entrance exam in 8 months? Not feasible."

Eraserhead picked up his own staff. "Then there will be illogical arguments about nepotism as well, which will seriously hinder your score even though I won't favour you over anybody else."

Shinsou looked down at his hands. Eraserhead continued talking. "A staff, on the other hand, is much easier to use, and it will produce adequate results." He swung his own staff and beckoned. "Now we'll practice."

Shinsou made a series of moves that Eraserhead blocked, parried, made his own strikes. Shinsou made an overhead strike, then tried to shift into a leg sweep that Eraserhead blocked before it could be finished before launching a series of jabs. The whole exchange ended with Shinsou sitting in a pile of his own bruises, groaning. "When... when did you get so good with staff moves?" He managed to grunt out.

Eraserhead stopped helping Shinsou up. For a moment he was looking at somebody from another time and another place. "I had a friend who used a staff once."

Shinsou stayed where he was, digesting this information before Eraserhead sharply rapped him in the ribs. "When spinning your staff, lead with your thumb. Again."

Shinsou pushed himself up, using the staff as a brace. He glared at Eraserhead, managing to steel himself. This time, when he spun his staff it was leading with his thumb in the spun direction. The rhythm came slightly easier, the staff in his hands flashing and darting out, Eraserhead briefly defending before knocking his staff aside and then quickly spinning the staff into Shinsou's ribs. The Pro Hero's attack left him flat on his back, staring upon at the ceiling.

Eraserhead swung his staff back. "Again."

Shinsou pushed himself back up.

-----------

After they had finished their set, Eraserhead looked across at Shinsou. "You've started to get better with that staff. It might be beneficial for you to change opponents."

Shinsou looked up. "Who am I-"

The warehouse opened. Coming in was a tall man wearing a long jacket, with sharp teeth and turquoise hair covered with a black bandanna. He scowled at Shinsou, before turning to Eraserhead. "This the kid?"

Eraserhead nodded. "Thank you for letting me use this place, Kugisaki."

Shinsou pushed himself up, a slight grin on his face. "The name's Shinsou Hitoshi, not kid."

Kugisaki turned around. "Well, I wasn't asking. He thinks you could be a hero?" He paused, then looked Shinsou in the eye. "What's your Quirk, kid?"

Shinsou paused. "Brainwashing. I can take control of somebody if they respond to me after I talk."

He waited to hear Kugisaki say that it sounded like a Villain's Quirk. Or to react with fear.

Instead, the guy simply nodded. "Not bad. Kind of wish we'd had that kind of Quirk here in Naruhata a while ago."

Shinsou nodded. He'd heard about the Naruhata Lockdown and the actions of the villain termed 'Anonymous'. Somebody with a brainwashing quirk could have hopefully resolved things before they'd turned out so badly. "So this is your warehouse, is it?"

Something painful crossed the man's face. "Something like that. Me an' a coupla buds use this place. Eraserhead's not total shit, so when he asked me for a favour I let him have it."

Eraserhead shrugged. "I've known Kugisaki for a while. Now," he turned to Kugisaki, "I feel that it would not be a bad idea for you to spar. Quirks are allowed."

Shinsou stared at his teacher. Kugisaki himself seemed out of sorts. 'You sure?"

Eraserhead nodded. "You've got ten minutes. First one to submit or be unable to fight is the loser. No lethal or incapacitating damage."

Kugisaki just shrugged. "Fair enough." He squared up with Shinsou, hands raised in what seemed to be a classic boxer's stance.

Shinsou readied his staff. "What's your Quirk then, Kugisaki?"

Kugisaki didn't respond, instead lunging forwards, swinging a fist. Shinsou barely had time to react - he barely blocked the fist with his staff. Looking at Kugisaki's knuckles, he saw that there was a set of three spikes protruding out. The other guy kept up the offensive, Shinsou having to swing his staff quickly to keep the spikes from hitting him.

"Spikes or something, huh? Guess it fits."

The other man didn't respond beyond a concentrated scowl, quickly lashing out with a series of rapid jabs. Shinsou was able to push the man back with a double-handed block with his staff, then managing to get some momentum to try using his own attacks, a shaky smile on his face.

"Guess you feel pretty good about beating up a middle schooler, huh? I bet-"

Kugisaki spun out with a kick to Shinsou's midsection before closing the distance, knocking him to the ground with a set of three spikes over his throat. They stayed like that for a few seconds before Eraserhead called out. "Enough."

Kugisaki stood back up, spikes retracting into his body. He offered a hand to Shinsou, who gratefully accepted it. "Not bad, Hitoshi." Kugisaki said gruffly.

Shinsou just nodded as Eraserhead turned to him. "Not a bad attempt to use your Quirk in physical combat. More focus on punches or kicks would be helpful. However, you also need more practice with trying to catch attention."

"Yeah, that kinda tracks," Kugisaki acknowledged, "You kind of tried to get me angry, which is good. But I ain't the kind of guy to react to that."

Eraserhead nodded. "There are other ways of attracting attention." He seemed to stop and shudder. "I can name one Heroine who certainly knows how to grab a response..."

In a different part of Tokyo, a green-haired heroine sneezed. "Ah, Shouta must be talking about me." She grinned ear to ear. "I can't wait for him to try and sweep me off my feet."

Chapter Text

The main office for the Hirōyama construction firm was a rather small, understated affair. Located in the Mie prefecture, the company had a solid reputation for delivering cheap, affordable building projects. They got the job done quickly and with an apparent lack of major problems. Around the area, they had poached a considerable number of construction projects simply due to offering better deals than the competition.

Outside of the main offices, a regular car pulled up. The man at the gate looked at the man inside - a rather gentlemanly figure with grey hair and a distinguished black suit. He was being driven by a rather plain looking chauffeur with a large pair of sunglasses and brown hair.

"Do you have an appointment?"

The man simply laughed. "Of course! I'm expected - check your screen."

The man looked at the screen, then blinked. He could have sworn that this man wasn't on the list before, but here he was. A major investor, ready to meet with the CEO. "Well, if you're expected..." The gate swung open, letting the man in.

With the car parked, the tall man came out without delay, his chauffeur following after securing the vehicle. As they entered the main building,  the secretary on the desk perked up. "How can I help you?"

"We have an appointment with your boss, at ten?"

The secretary glanced down at the schedule, frowning. "Huh. I could have sworn..." She looked up at the men in front of her, then back to her schedule. "Well, I suppose I'll just call the president to let you know that you're here on time."

"We'll wait here."

As the two men sat down she paged the main office. "Sir? Your ten o'clock is here."

The President of Hirōyama came back. "I have a ten o'clock meeting?" There was a brief bit of rustling on his end. "Huh. Well, that's strange. I don't have it written in my day planner."

The secretary turned back to the two men. "Are you sure you have the right day?"

For an answer the chauffeur suddenly took a theatrical bow, his gloved hands shooting out plumes of purple smoke that surrounded the two men. The secretary desperately reached for the emergency button only for her arm to be gripped not unkindly with a gloved hand. As the smoke cleared, she saw five people in front of her, brilliantly costumed.

Gentle Criminal smiled at her with apologetic look on his face. "I'm terribly sorry, my dear. But the League of Supervillains is going to be robbing this company."

Beside him, the tall cartoon rabbit lady smirked, gloved hands stretching behind the desk and slapping a strange circular device to the surface. A series of lights lit up on it, and then it gave an electronic chirp. "Systems down, boss!"

Mastermind stood next to the currently unidentified Warping villain, a fist clenched dramatically. "MWA-HAHAHA! Stay calm and tremble, workers! The brilliant machinations of the League of Supervillains requires considerable capital and raw materials, so we're going to have to use your resources! MWA-HAHAHA!"

Dark shadows lurked within new clouds of purple smoke, lights glinting.

---------

Mastermind looked at the rest of the League of Supervillains, who were still slightly shaky after the last promises of 'no more experiments, I mean it.' "Okay, after last time I''m thinking of stepping up our game. Taking on some bigger targets."

Mastermind paced, turning over the table. "I've been making several upgrades to your gear-"

"We know," the other villains chorused. 

Mastermind paused. "Ah, heh, right." He shook himself, "Anyways! I reworked the smoke dispensers on Mr. Compress' gear. It should be slightly easier to use without compromising the storage capacity."

Mr. Compress checked over the new devices for his wrists. "Impressive," he muttered. 

"I also reworked the pneumatic tubes on your gear. They fire faster and more accurately due to the rifling and upgrades to the air compression."

He pulled out a flat disk. "This is more of a general one. We'll be having La Brava hack everything already, but this is just a bit of trickery." He pressed it to a surface. "It lights up and then makes a little noise, and nothing else. We'll be calling it a Hacking device."

--------

Tsukauchi sighed, glancing over the reports in front of him yet again.

It had been a couple of weeks since the first appearance of the group calling themselves the 'League of Supervillains.' To say that the group had made a small splash would not be inaccurate. Mastermind had already been a known quantity, causing numerous incidents in a relatively short period and escaping each and every time.

 Gentle Criminal and La Brava had been bit villains, nowhere near prolific enough to justify a move-out of any heroes competent enough to oust them.

The three others were relative unknowns -the black rabbit villain had a similar quirk to a minor C-rank villain known for minor assault and demolishing an empty TV studio, Golden Grin was wanted for petty thefts and using his Quirk for minor nuisances and the warper was an unknown.

The police and Pro Heroes were working on tracking down these mysterious villains, but progress was slow. For starters, there was confusion about the nature of Mastermind - whether he had an intelligence or invention Quirk, or if he even had a Quirk at all. The Principal of UA had retained an interest in the case, if only to 'helpfully' offer a few pointers.

Officially, the bureaucrats had decided that the League of Supervillains were a group that only ranked at C-Rank. The cited reason was that there was 'insufficient evidence of more dangerous abilities.' As a side-effect, it meant that the higher-ranking heroes would be passively funnelled away from dealing with the group. An unfortunate effect of the industry was that, unless you were just a starting Hero, most heroes would prioritise villainss of higher ranks for being more notorious.

Sitting across from him, the newer heroes on the scene sighed, checking over the board. Mount Lady idly flicked the photo of Mastermind on the board. "So, you think Nedzu's suspicions are correct? That this villain is a Musutafu native?"

Tsukauchi nodded, "Nedzu is rarely wrong. All of Mastermind's crimes thus far are accessible by a short train ride from the district, and his first crime was committed here."

The heroine nodded, digesting the fact. Death Arms scowled. "What's making it harder is these idiots pulling their Uncanny Thief routine."

Tsukauchi just nodded. And wasn't that the most frustrating thing about this whole issue?

These villains had thus far only struck places that they then revealed incriminating information for. That was one of the reasons why there wasn't much response after the scene - the police had had to handle everything else once the information was revealed. With the League of Supervillains' first video, they had revealed considerable incriminating evidence illegally gathered on the Internet. The cybercrime division had tried to stop these uploads due to the illegally gathered nature of the data, but for every video they deleted, another one sprouted up out of nowhere.

It wasn't a bad thing that these businesses were being exposed. The criminal behaviour that they had displayed was reprehensible. But Tsukauchi knew that there was a right way and a wrong way to do it. These villains were putting innocent people at risk with their videos. Innocent employees had lost their jobs as part of this. Even the yakuza cake shop had cost people their wages and several clients their goods (and wasn't that a sentence he'd never thought he'd think.)

They'd even started to grow a fanbase. Even if the insane maniac Stain was far more popular, Tsukauchi knew from his experiences in Naruhata it was only a matter of time before the number of fans grew. Already there were people saying that the villains shouldn't be stopped - a tiny number of people that were rapidly silenced by every other person online, but it was growing. If it weren't for the insistence of Mastermind that this was all villainy, he would have called it extreme vigilantism like the Naruhata group.

Still, he could live without these villains killing people. He'd dealt with enough villains willing to use lethal force in his lifetime.

A police officer burst into the office. "Sir! We've got the League of Supervillains! They're breaking into a construction company in the Mie prefecture!"

The heroes in the room swore, feet flying as they gathered their effects. As the apparent 'Mastermind taskforce' they were the Heroes that people would first think of when dealing with the shorter villain. It would take them a reasonable length of time to reach the Mie prefecture even on the bullet train.

"Are there any heroes near the scene?" Tsukauchi asked, strapping on his gun.

The officer checked his phone. "Seems that there's some local heroes that are close! They'll be on the scene within ten minutes!"

Tsukauchi nodded. That would have to do while they travelled to the scene. With the rest of the League of Supervillains, they needed all the help they could get.

----------------------

Mastermind looked over his friends, who were wary. Golden Grin still had the crucifix in front of him. "I... I guess I went a bit overboard, huh?"

From where they were huddled, the other villains stared at the short villain. Inkblot was the first to speak. "Overboard? You almost killed us!" 

"No! I just wanted to give you all the best gear I could! Some of these old prototypes could be reused, and I was also working on improving your gear from last time!"

The other villains shared a look. "I mean... it's nice that you want to help us like this," Mr. Compress began carefully.

"But maybe... a few less inventions?" La Brava tried. "And less trying to lock us in the room and forcing us to try invention after invention."

Mastermind seemed to slump. "They're all so useful though..." he whined.

Gentle patted the younger villain on the back. "Then we can use the other pieces in later jobs. For now, let's see how we're going to get through this next job."

Mastermind slumped down. "It's such a waste though... I wanted you to use all of these cool gadgets..."

--------------

Upon hearing the commotion downstairs the President of Hirōyama calmly pulled out his laptop. He selected a folder marked 'PENSIONS' and moved it to the bin, then tapped 'DELETE.'

His screen flashed pink. REQUEST DENIED.

Frowning, he tried again.

REQUEST DENIED.

Sweat was beading on his brow as he tried again.

NICE TRY, BUSTER.

He stared at his screen, then moved over to the window. He was about to open it when the door to his office burst open, a black rabbit woman swinging a massive mallet through the door. He gaped, then threw the laptop through the window. A lot of glass fell, but the villain had managed to clear the distance, her arm stretching an impossible distance to grab the laptop. "Sorry, Mr President! We kind of need your account details." With a rubbery noise, her arm pulled back to a more reasonable length.

"I-I - Y-you won't get away with this! Do you even know who I am?" He blustered, making the decision to try and grab the laptop back.

The villain in font of him rolled her eyes, then shoved him back into his chair. "You want to get hurt?" Reaching behind herself, she pulled out a bright red gun with a yellow bulb and green discs, helpfully labelled 'ACME LASER PISTOL.' She pressed a switch, the front lighting up with an ominous hum. He stared at it as she gestured. "Well?"

He laughed shakily. "T-that's just a-"

He was cut off when she pointed it at the desk lamp and fired. A beam of bright green light shot out and vaporised the lamp. When she pointed it back at him, he collapsed on the ground.

She grinned, pulling out a coil of rope. "Have a seat."

------------

"So, Inkblot. I've done some other stuff regarding your Support gear!"

Inkblot glanced over the support gear, "... I don't see any improvements here."

Mastermind simply shrugged. "Mostly it's in the functionality of the various devices, making them software upgradable, adding some minimal changes to the look, that kind of stuff. The canisters with ink in them are better armoured. I also did the utility belt to house the various canisters. Press a button for the relevant ink, and it'll pop out."

Inkblot blinked. "...huh." She picked up the belt, checking it over. "I kind of wonder why you haven't given me as many nice toys as the rest of them."

Mastermind gestured over the rest of it. "Inkblot, your Quirk is incredible! I could include a few bells and whistles, but I honestly think your Quirk doesn't need much beyond a steady supply of ink. Most people only have one of the abilities you possess!"

Inkblot started slightly. "Huh. Usually people just told me that it was for silly stuff. Never really thought to use it like that."

Mastermind nodded. "I mean, you could potentially create laser guns and all kinds of stuff with your Quirk! I mostly only use the freeze ray because I used it without thinking, and using actual guns and not Quirk-created constructs would cause a more serious response."

Golden Grin stared at her. "Wait, hold up. Are you saying that Inkblot could be packing heat?"

Inkblot looked down. "I mean I could. But, uh, I don't really like guns. My mom insisted I learn how to use them though."

Mastermind looked at her in a funny way. "Um, why-"

"She's American."

The other villains let out a chorus of understanding noises.

Inkblot just shrugged. "I mean, I have a license to use them, but that was mostly for hunting. And anything I make with my Quirk doesn't kill. Worst thing that happens with a laser gun is a burnt hole in your shirt, maybe a burn."

Mastermind nodded. "That's incredible, Inkblot!" Inkblot flushed bright pink as he continued talking. "A nonlethal laser gun is fantastic! It'll mean that we can make threats that won't result in horrific injury!"

-------------------

Meanwhile, Gentle Criminal and Mr. Compress had headed into to the main warehouse, looking over a few rather rough looking construction workers. Here, there was most of the company's raw metal, wood and other assorted building materials.

"Good morning, gentlemen," Gentle Criminal made a slight bow. "My companion Mr. Warp and I will be liberating your establishment of some high grade metal in large quantities. Please don't try and resist."

The workers looked at each other. The apparent leader, who had some sort of bear heteromorphic Quirk glared at him. "So you're Tokyo villains, are you?" He spat derisively, just in front of Gentle's elegant boots.

Gentle Criminal just tutted. "That's rather rude, don't you think? Please, don't try and fight. If you all cooperate then nobody has to get hurt. I rather detest violence."

The bear growled. A few other workers glared at the dandyish villain. "And what if we don't want to back down to some wimps like you?"

Gentle Criminal just shrugged. "Then I'm afraid we shall have to come to blows, gentlemen."

The bear glared down at the shorter man, the other workers getting closer. Gentle Criminal for his part seemed only mildly perturbed. Then the named Mr. Warp called out, startling the workers. "I've taken what we came here for, Gentle! We should go now!"

Gentle smiled at his companion. "Ah, perfect timing. No need for violence after all, gentlemen."

Mr. Warp had already run over to the door, making to leave. As Gentle Criminal turned to go, one of the men suddenly started. "Oh, I know him! He's that villain that gets his girlfriend to film him!" Gentle briefly paused as the man continued. "I'd show her what a real man's like, you ponce!"

Gentle Criminal took a deep breath, then strode over to the door. Mr. Warp looked Gentle Criminal in the eye before leaving. Gentle Criminal shut the door. "Manners-" he rammed the bolt in to punctuate the statement, "maketh-" Another bolt slammed into place, Gentle checking the lock, "man."

The workers shifted slightly as the villain turned back around. "Do you know what that means?"

When he heard no response, Gentle Criminal's face hardened. "Then let me teach you a lesson."

Glancing to the side, he swung his cane into the metal drink bottle resting on the ground. It shot through the air and hit the bear worker square in the forehead, dropping him like a falling tree.

The other works shifted nervously as Gentle Criminal glanced over then. "Are we going to stand around all day, or are we going to fight?"

----------------------

Gentle Criminal looked over the slightly reworked gear on the table as Mastermind continued talking. "I upgraded the costume while keeping the look. The fabric is kevlar with silk with some armour plates around vital areas, designed to wick moisture away from the body. It's loose around the joints, designed to handle the physical increase that happens when La Brava uses her Quirk on you." 

Gentle looked over it with reverence. "Incredible..." he breathed. 

Mastermind continued. "The monocle has been upgraded slightly, adding in a targeting reticule similar to what I've done for Golden Grin. I'll need to do more testing for figuring out how to track Elasticity." He turned out various other pieces. 

"These cuffs have a built-in taser dart shooter and an electrified bolo! They've also been armoured to prevent damage to your wrists."

Gentle just gave a grin. "You have outdone yourself yet again, Mastermind."

The shorter man just rubbed the back of his head.

---------

La Brava checked over the cameras, making sure that everything was progressing smoothly. In the warehouse, she spared a glance to check on Gentle, then turned back to the timer. "We've got heroes coming in! Gentle, are you-"

Gentle Criminal left the warehouse, impeccably attired. "I'm fine, La Brava! Just had to teach those fellows a lesson in manners."

La Brava nodded, tapping away at the keyboard. Her gear had some minor upgrades, mostly in the glowing lines on her gloves and the lack of a computer keyboard. "They're coming in on your location, Mastermind!"

"Understood, La Brava! We're almost done here, we just need to make a dramatic exit!" Over her speakers, she heard the villain starting to leave. "Now, Hirōyama, you won't forget... the villainous machinations of THE LEAGUE OF - urk!" 

La Brava blinked as she saw Mastermind's cloak get caught in the door yet again. "Um, Mastermind?"

"Damned cloak, I thought I solved this already..." The villain muttered.

La Brava checked her scans again. "I think we've got a few more heroes than we initially thought..."

At least it'll be easier to get out of the way with less gear on my person...

-----------

Mastermind hoisted up a slightly different pink heart shaped mask. "La Brava, you have a good idea of what I managed to get to work in this piece of gear. I have your coding efforts to thank in part for it."

La Brava rubbed the back of her head. "Aw, Mastermind, it was nothing."

"Nonsense!" Mastermind patted her on the back. "You're a much better coder than I am!"

Gentle nodded. "Without your technical assistance, the Gentle Criminal ViewTube channel wouldn't even exist in its current form."

La Brava flushed bright pink as Mastermind continued talking. "I finally got that virtual keyboard set-up, as well as some other self-defence tools after last time!" He pulled out a pair of gloves sized for La Brava. "These gloves are the interface for the virtual keyboard. I also built in a taser similar to my armour as well as a pepper spray function. Tap the palm with your two middle fingers to activate the spray function, and clench a fist to complete the circuit, allowing for a powerful electric shock!"<

He turned to Stitch, "I added a similar virtual keyboard and self defence mechanisms to your gear as well, Stitch!" He gestured to a redesigned mask with a transparent blue visor with a light blue mouthpiece, as well as a pair of white gloves with blue TRON-lines tracing the bones of the hand to the fingertips.

The back alley doctor picked up the pieces specific to him as Mastermind continued. "After last time, I want you and La Brava to be our support team. We'll have eyes on the cameras as well as checking radio chatter. Stitch, La Brava, I have some other surprises that I think you'll both like..."

--------------

Mastermind blinked. In front of them were about ten heroes, the sound of police sirens in the distance steadily growing closer. "That is a few more than I thought would show up..." he muttered.

Inkblot had already pulled out her mallet, Golden Grin already preparing a charge. Gentle Criminal and Mr Compress looked over the group.

"Surrender, villains!" One of the heroes called out, the others getting ready. Behind them, the gates of the company were shut, preventing an easy escape.

Mastermind just shrugged. "Surrender?" He looked at the Heroes, relaxed. "Terribly sorry, Heroes! But you won't be capturing any of the LEAGUE OF SUPERVILLAINS-" KRAKATHOOM "-today or any other day! Especially not when I have... THESE!"

He dramatically pressed a button on his gauntlet. Nothing happened.

Mastermind stared at his gauntlet. "Hold on... let me just..."

He pressed the button a few more times, and finally...

They appeared.

------------------

Mastermind grinned at the other villains. "Friends, you may have wondered why I didn't have much gear to show you this time."

The other villains stared at him. "Not much gear?" Golden Grin muttered. "That's what he calls 'not much?'"

Mastermind didn't seem to hear him, instead turning to Stitch. "Stitch, I'm sorry that I didn't have any great plans for you on the last job. This time, I'm giving you the remote control to one of my greatest inventions of all time!"

He whipped off the cloth obscuring a large number of shapes, revealing...

"Wow," La Brava breathed. 

"So many robots..." Golden Grin looked like he was about to faint. 

Gentle checked over the various pieces. "When did you even have the time to make these?"

Mastermind put his hands on his hips. "Oh, that's easy! I haven't slept in about a week! I needed the extra time to make the robots, and I still haven't quite got the materials to allow them to flyusingtheEarth'smagneticfield-"

Inkblot shared a look with Gentle Criminal. As one, they grabbed Mastermind and hauled him off. The shorter villain flailed in Inkblot's grip. "Hey - what? This is a day of triumph-"

"You need to sleep. Now," Inkblot ordered, putting Mastermind on the couch.

"I don't-" he yawned blearily, then lay back on the couch, "-don't need to sleep... m' just closing my eyes..." 

He rested his head on the couch cushion, and within a few seconds was snoring.

Inkblot just sighed. "Honestly, it's like dealing with a child." 

Gentle nodded, already putting the throw over the sleeping villain. 

---------------------------------

The heroes stared at what was coming out of the building. What came out was about ten small boxy robots on spider like legs, painted dark red. Glowing green optics scanned the gathered heroes. Pincer arms snapped in earnest. Mastermind just laughed.

"MWA-HAHAHAHAA! TREMBLE BEFORE MASTERMIND AND HIS DASTARDLY ROBOT MINIONS! MWA-HAHAHA!"

The heroes looked at each other. The lead hero turned his head to the side to look at the others.  "Where the hell did he get robot spiders-"

Mastermind pointed at the Heroes and the drones charged forwards, scuttling at the Heroes. The other villains fell in behind the robots, Gentle Criminal grandly gesturing through the air. One hero that flew directly at the villains was extremely surprised that the air itself seemed to trap him, before sending him flying back the way he came.

Mastermind blocked a mighty blow with an outstretched palm. "Impact!" He shouted, pressing his other palm on the chest of the Hero, sending him flying. He continued striding forwards, seemingly unaware of the closed gate.

Mr Compress gestured over the field, sending out thick purple smoke to hide the nets, oil slicks and electrified darts that were being decompressed.

Golden Grin backed up slightly, firing a beam of brilliant golden light at the Heroes. They were forced to break, the beam hitting the gate itself and blasting it off the hinges.

As the Heroes tried to recover, Inkblot simply nodded at Gentle. With a dramatic flourish on the air, she leapt onto it. It stretched back, then shot her forwards like a cannonball. Her mallet smacked a Hero who had grown to the size of a small building, forcing him to block the attack and knocking him slightly off balance.

The robots themselves were relentless - throwing off a Hero's weight by jumping on him, dodging to the side with disturbing agility, the Heroes found themselves trying to deal with too much too quickly. It didn't help that when they did land an attack the robots proved to be quite tough - they'd managed to take out a couple but the rest with the villains were proving to be too difficult to handle.

Still, they had to try and apprehend these villains before they escaped. The police were trying to provide backup and deal with the robots, but they weren't having much better luck on their end as Mr. Warp's nets were making their life difficult as well.

On the other side of the road, unnoticed by the Heroes and police as they fought, a messy-haired man in a bright blue mask checked his screen again. He was comfortably sat in a hotel room, the door locked and a blue-tinted screen projected in front of him. He tapped a projected keyboard and moved his fingers around. "Got you!" he muttered, one of the units on his screen tackling a Hero.

----

Now fully rested, Mastermind looked Stitch in the eye. "I've built the robots, but I haven't properly made their A.I yet. Currently they're remote control only." 

Stitch looked at him with an odd expression. "So, what? You want me to drive them?"

Mastermind nodded. "We'll have Mr Compress deploy them as needed. If La Brava hacks the cameras then you'll have the proper viewpoint to manage a large group." 

Stitch stared at the controls. "I'm not driving a bunch of robots and making them hurt people."

Mastermind nodded. "I remember. These droids don't have weapon systems - they have hands and spider legs, but no weapons." He rapped the side of one of them. "They look scary and can take a few hits, but that's about it. They're powered with the same thing that fuels my armour and other gadgets in the field."

That got a few reactions. "Your armour has a power source?" 

Mastermind nodded. "Sure it does." He pulled his shirt open slightly and tapped a panel, revealing a round disk with a bright green light. "It's not that much - it's a plasma reactor that I made a while ago-"

Gentle stared at it. "A plasma reactor? Is it dangerous?"

Mastermind shook his head. "Plasma reactors are used in a lot of smaller support technologies, though mine's a bit more efficient. They ironed out all the bugs years ago. Plus, it's the most heavily armoured piece of technology that I have. You'd need to be All Might or somebody to breach it."

The villains stared at the light before Mastermind shut it away. "Anyways! With the droids on our side, we'll have an easier time dealing with large numbers of Heroes. They look good though."

Stitch considered the design. "No weapons?"

Mastermind just nodded. "No weapons."

Stitch glanced at the others, then at Mastermind. After a moment, he gave a curt nod to the Super Villain, who positively beamed. 

"Perfect! So, our escape plan?"

"Make a suitably dramatic exit, then have Mr. Compress shrink us all down in a cloud of smoke," Golden Grin recited from memory.

"Then meet back up with Stitch and La Brava at our getaway vehicle. Get to the train station, catch the next bullet train back to Musutafu," Inkblot finished.

--------------

Mastermind glared down at the police and other Heroes, a glove raised in triumph. Several robots had been wrecked, but the majority were in proximity to the villains. "MWA-HAHAHA! Today, heroes, you have failed once again to capture the Brilliant Mastermind... and the LEAGUE OF SUPERVILLAINS! MWA-HAHAHA!"

Thunder roared once again. As the Heroes tried desperately to reach them, purple smoke wrapped them all up, When it cleared, the villains had vanished once again.

The heroes glared at where the villains had disappeared. "We're going to have to check the company itself! See if they left any clues on the robots!"

As if on cue, the robots melted into a thick sludge, quickly leaving no traces of anything that had happened.

The police closed off the area and checked with the employees in the main building. Apart from some construction workers in the main warehouse nobody had been seriously harmed, though the President of the company had been irate. He had subsequently lost most of his bluster and fury when the officers found his laptop playing a long video explaining the numerous building code violations that their buildings suffered, as well as some serious irregularities in the pension fund.

The calling card of the League of Supervillains - a piece of card with a cartoonish graphic of Japan being gripped by a series of tentacles picked out in green and red - had been taped to the laptop.

-----------------

Yagi Toshinori pulled out his phone and dialled one of his other close friends. Within a few rings, his call went through. "Hello, Yagi?" 

"Tsukauchi!" Yagi smiled. "How have you been?"

There was a deep sigh on the other end. "I've been dealing with Mastermind's latest case. The police over in Mie prefecture have sent me the details on what he's done. Apparently the joke villain now has a small squad of spider bots."

Toshinori blinked. "...that's new."

Tsukauchi sighed. "Certainly is. On top of that, we're getting a huge amount of corruption from the place he robbed - the Hirōyama company's corrupt as hell. Substandard building materials, overcharging, irregularities in the pension fund - it's a real mess."

All Might winced. "I can't believe that the situation got that bad." He blinked, remembering why he'd called. "Oh, Tsukauchi! I've, uh, invited some friends to my place for dinner. I was wondering, if you had the time, if you would like to come?"

Tsukauchi was silent on his end of the phone. "... who did you invite?"

Toshinori chuckled. "Some old friends - David, Mirai. There's some things that I need to clear up with them... a decision I'm making for the future."

"Well, I'll be there Yagi-san. Is this about your successor?"

Toshinori shook his head. "No, no. I'm retiring."

Chapter Text

As the plane from I-Island arrived, All Might took a deep breath. Stretching into his full powered form, he walked outside to the runway. A part of him still couldn't believe that this was happening.

The door to the plane opened. All Might's smile widened when he saw his goddaughter Melissa Shield step out, looking around before she saw him. "Uncle Might!" she waved, a huge smile on her face.

All Might grinned, holding up his sign. "I've got a cab call for a David and Melissa Shield?"

His old friend, David Shield stepped out, blinking in the late afternoon sunlight, then looked at All Might. "All Might!"

The pair of them ran down the steps, Melissa jumping into All Might's arms and forcing him to drop the sign. "My god, Melissa! It's been a while since I've seen you, huh?"

"You're always busy, Uncle Might! I've been trying to get you on video call for a while."

All Might's smile slipped a bit at that. "Is that so? I'm sorry, but you know how the business can be."

In truth, he really didn't want her to see him at his weakest before. Mostly because he didn't want her to see the Symbol of Peace so defeated, and slightly because of a small amount of personal vanity.

She nodded somberly. "That's why I'm working on Support Gear in the first place - I want Heroes to be better!"

All Might smiled back. David had been nothing but proud of his daughter for going down the support route. That was one of his prouder moments as a father - the other one being the collective times that Melissa had stood up to a variety of bullies for her friends, whether they were expressing anti-heteromorphic sentiments or beating on those who couldn't fight back.

All Might had briefly thought about offering her One for All, especially since the story was that she'd moved on her own. But ultimately he had decided against it - after all, his goddaughter had made it clear to him that she was interested in creating support gear.

All Might turned to David. "How's things, Dave? The board told me you were working on something impressive."

David winced a bit. "Yeah, it's... it's really something. Classified, you know how it is."

All Might nodded as he continued, eyes shining. "I haven't quite finished it yet, but I think you'll be seriously impressed. I think it'll be a major help in your Hero work!"

All Might beamed. "David, I could never be disappointed in your work. Without you, I wouldn't be the hero I am today!"

David just laughed. "You always had a way with words, Toshi."

All Might smiled, "So, first I'll drop you off at Might Tower, then we'll go to where I'm currently living." He hesitated. "I'm... a bit closer to U.A. at this point. "

Melissa's eyes shone. "Wow! So you're really going through with teaching at U.A?"

All Might grinned, tapping his nose. "Of course I am! It just needs to be on the down-low. I've got enough paparazzi trying to follow me as is."

Melissa just giggled.

----------

Nedzu checked over the photos again. One of the officers at the scene of Mastermind's latest crime had a photographing Quirk, allowing him to reproduce images from memory. He'd managed to get some shots of the robots before they had melted away into nothing, exposing their innards and wiring. "My, what an interesting villain you have to deal with, Tsukauchi."

Tsukauchi sighed, brushing his suit off. "I wasn't expecting a robot army. That's practically out of the comic books."

Nedzu shrugged. "Most of the world is at this point. And I wouldn't call ten robots with no observed weapons an army."

The being who might have been a bear, or a rat or a dog stood up and stretched. "Well, in any case we shouldn't dawdle any longer! All Might is expecting us at his place for dinner."

Tsukauchi paused. "Nedzu... is he really going to retire?"

Nedzu nodded. "From what he told me, he was planning to discuss his exact plans tonight. He hasn't turned down the teaching invitation I extended to him."

Tsukauchi sighed. "Somehow I can't see him doing that. But if he's serious..."

---------

The guests arrived at All Might's house in Musutafu. It was a bit smaller than one might have expected. Just a simple townhouse with a front yard. All Might had dropped their bags off at Might Tower before taking them back to his place. Melissa looked around in awe. "It's a beautiful place, Uncle Might."

"Yeah, I wanted somewhere quieter than Tokyo."

The inside of the house was similarly neat and tidy, though that was more because he stubbornly tried to use his time as much as possible. The thought of sitting back when people needed help simply did not sit well with him.Still, he knew that sooner or later he would have to sit out of those situations, if only because he would finally be too weak to help.

The doorbell rang, All Might's head whipping over. "Ah, please excuse me."

He went over to the door and opened it. Sir Nighteye stood at the door, stiff and formal. Behind him, Young Mirio smiled in a neat polo and slacks combination. All Might smiled at the pair of them.

"I brought a bottle of wine," Nighteye's eyes bored into All Might's as he stiffly extended the libation.

All Might accepted it as Sir Nighteye came in, Mirio following. The young man smiled. "So this is where you're living, All Might? It's a nice place."

All Might nodded. "Well, I thought I should live somewhere a bit closer to U.A. since I'm planning to teach there."

Mirio's eyes widened at that. All Might just smiled. "Come. I'll introduce you to my old friend David."

Sir Nighteye nodded, "It'll be an honour to talk with him. However," and here his tone sharpened, "I hope you will be willing to discuss why you have changed your mind about passing One for All on."

Toshinori paused as he was about to show them through. "...Later, Mirai."

Sir Nighteye frowned, but let the matter slide.

--------

Melissa P.O.V

Melissa looked at Sir Nighteye with wide eyes. Sir Nighteye was a figure that had been acknowledged worldwide - the sidekick to All Might! Her father had always said that he was technically All Might's sidekick before the Japanese hero, but always with a small smile on his face. Technically the world was correct - her dad had been All Might's roommate at college and had driven him around, operating as a sidekick without legal qualifications. The serious Sir Nighteye working with All Might had been a classic duo, until he had left All Might's agency.

Her father bowed politely to Sir Nighteye. "Sir Nighteye, it is a pleasure to meet you!"

The serious looking Hero bowed back deeply. "To meet the man who has designed All Might's costumes... the pleasure is all mine." His voice shook a little. "Without your tireless efforts, All Might wouldn't be as incredible as he is today."

Her father shook his head. "Ah, Toshi'd still be the Symbol of Peace even if I wasn't working on his costume. But you, Sir Nighteye, you got to work and fight alongside him! I did a bit of that in my college days."

Sir Nighteye looked at him with a refreshed gaze. "You did, didn't you? I'm curious as to how All Might did in that kind of environment."

Dad shrugged. "You know how it is with Toshi - one day, I kid you not, there were three cats up trees, a bank robbing and a mugging on our way to class. We ended up late that day."

Melissa smiled to herself. Stories like that about her dad and godfather - most of Dad's stories about Uncle Might tended to end with them being late for their lecture.

Sir Nighteye nodded solemnly. "Getting All Might to prioritise is nearly impossible."

Dad barked out a laugh. "Tell me about it. I love him, but something always came up, causing him to leap through a window to deal with whatever he saw."

Melissa smiled, turning to her godfather. "It sounds like my father and Sir are getting along just fine."

Uncle Might's smile winced a bit. "Do they have to talk about me like I'm irresponsible?"

"Well, you do foist your paperwork off on me."

Melissa turned to the tall man in a fedora as Uncle Might just sighed. "You don't have to put it like that," he grumbled before perking up slightly. "Ah, Melissa! This is Detective Tsukauchi. I met him a while ago - during the Villain Factory incident."

Melissa bowed politely, the detective returning the gesture. All Might had talked about that incident a few years ago over video chat. The emergence of Queen Bee, the Naruhata Vigilantes and then the Anonymous incident that had caused such destruction. "A pleasure to meet you, Tsukauchi-san."

"Ah, a pleasure to meet you miss!"

Melissa blinked, looking down slightly to meet...

"Principal Nedzu!" She gasped.

"Indeed! Am I a mouse, a dog or a bear?" The short being greeted her, bowing to her first, then All Might. "You didn't invite anybody else, did you Toshinori?"

Uncle Might shook his head ruefully."Ah, no, I did not. I tried to invite Star and Stripe but she's currently tied up with foiling a terrorist organisation."

Melissa's eyes widened. Just when she thought she couldn't be more surprised... "You - you know Star and Stripe?!"

In hindsight, she should have really picked up that Star and Stripe may have been a little influenced by Uncle Might when she'd seen her hairstyle.

Uncle Might grinned. "I have to say, when I got a call from the US' Number One saying that I'd saved her a long time ago, I was over the moon! She's a charming lady!"

Her dad smiled, before looking at Uncle Might. "This has been enjoyable, Toshinori. But I have to ask... why did you insist on calling us here?"

---------

All Might blinked, before sighing. Well, there was no time like the present. He'd have to talk about it eventually.

"Let's sit down," he said, gesturing to the dining room. As his guests filed in, he steeled himself. This was just like talking to the press. Except these were his closest friends and family - excepting Chiyo, who had bowed out after an emergency, and Gran Torino...

All Might shuddered.

Best he didn't come.

All Might had chosen to have a Western-style meal. Hamburgers, steak, sausages with a wide variety of accompaniments. He grabbed his dinner - a slider with a side of coleslaw. Recovery Girl was going to give him hell for this, but he didn't care. "God, I missed you," he quietly muttered to the hamburger before taking it over to the table.

Sir Nighteye looked All Might in the eye. "While it has been nice to visit your house, I have to ask about the purpose of this event."

All Might nodded. "It's something that I had to realise." He looked at Melissa and sighed. "You tried to get me on video conferences before, right?"

As his goddaughter nodded, he sighed. "The reason is, well..." he let go of One for All, feeling his body shrivel back to its default state, iron in his mouth. Melissa stared at him, eyes wide and hands to her mouth. All Might smiled sheepishly. "I... never wanted you to see me like this."

"Uncle Might... what happened?"

Toshinori sighed, pulling his chair in. "It's a story I should have told you and your father a long time ago." He looked at David ruefully. "There's a few things I haven't disclosed about my Quirk to you."

He looked his best friend and goddaughter in the eye. "You know how I've always laughed it off and let people think it was just a regular strength enhancer? It's not." He gestured. "I've always acted like my strength was inborn, but the truth is that I wasn't born with this Quirk - it was passed down to me."

Silence for a few seconds. Then:

"What?"

Melissa looked at Toshinori like he'd grown a second head. "But - that's - how-"

Toshinori held up his hands. "The story of this Quirk goes back, to the very beginning of Quirks. During that tumultuous time, there was a villain, one terrible enough to earn the title of the Underworld's worst. His Quirk, All for One, allowed him to give and take the Quirks of others."

David stared. "That's... how could that work?"

Toshinori shrugged. "Not sure. Anyway, he was the Number One Villain of Post Quirk Japan. However, there were people who resisted, including his sickly brother. A brother who had no Quirk of his own yet still stood against him. I couldn't say whether it was pity or an attempt to control him, but All for One, for whatever reason, saw fit to give his brother a Quirk - a strength stockpiling Quirk."

He smiled. "Little did he know that the brother had a Quirk of his own - a Quirk that could only pass itself to others."

Melissa's eyes widened. "Uncle Might - you can't mean-"

"Indeed. The two Quirks merged, becoming... One for All!" Toshinori gripped his fist. "A Quirk that passed from hand to hand, building power as it went. It's a sacred torch of a Quirk, born from the worst villain the world has ever known."

He looked between them all. "Each bearer has cultivated the strength and passed it on. There have been seven users before me - I'm the eighth."

Nedzu nodded. "The Quirk is quite unique. I had to dig up quite a bit of information on them for Toshinori here." His black beady eyes locked onto Toshinori's. "I must assume that it has something to do with your request for guests."

Toshinori nodded. "This is what I wanted to talk about." He looked David in the eye.

David, for his part, looked struck. "Toshinori... why didn't you tell me about this?"

Toshinori looked down at his lap. "David, you had just had a child. I didn't want you to get involved."

David sat forwards. "Get involved with what?"

Toshinori looked down. "The bearers of One for All have fought All for One for just over a hundred years. Each one died fighting him - I was the latest in that fight. You'd just gotten married and had a child - my own teacher, she had to give up her children so that they would be safe from his machinations. I didn't want you to be a target."

David stared at him. "Be a target? Toshinori, what-"

Toshinori stood up. "You've never met the man," he stated firmly. "The man is pure evil. He takes people, uses them, then discards them when they have given everything to him. He-"

The words got choked out of him.

---------

Melissa watched as her Uncle went from nearly enraged to suddenly deflating almost as dramatically as when she'd seen him shrink down. "Uncle Might...?"

He sat back down, the energy drained from him. "He... he murdered my mentor."

Melissa could have sworn that the shadows grew darker as Uncle Might spoke, as if each word tired him beyond belief. "He - there was an ambush - she - she had already passed One for All to me. She stayed behind so that I could escape."

Melissa felt tears in her eyes. "Uncle Might..."

Uncle Might sat back up. "Please understand, David. Knowing about One for All would have painted a target on you and your family's back. I didn't want All for One to attack you." Her dad looked down at his hands.

"I'm your friend, Toshi! No matter what, I would have found some way to help!"

Uncle Might sighed. "I know. I just didn't want your family to get hurt because of me."

He steeled himself. "So I left the country, I got stronger myself. When I returned to Japan, I had one mission - to find All for One and bring him to justice." There was bitter satisfaction as he talked. "Sir Nighteye and I tore through his bases, cut his supply lines. Five years ago, I found him."

Melissa shuddered as Uncle Might continued talking. "The battle was long, and hard, but eventually, I dealt with him."

She gasped when Uncle Might pulled up his shirt, displaying a mass of scar tissue down his side. "This is what he left me. But for stopping his reign of terror, that is a small price to pay."

Sir Nighteye looked down. "I... I'm sorry that I couldn't do more for you in that fight."

Toshinori shook his head. "Without you I would still be searching for him." His tone grew more sombre. "But I won't deny that I incurred a heavy price."

He pulled his shirt down. "I lost a lung and my stomach. The doctors were able to stitch me back together but there was too much damage. Ever since, I've only been able to be a hero for a few hours every day." He shakily smiled. "But if you think I look bad, you should have seen what I did to him."

Melissa stared as Uncle Might coughed, blood coming from his mouth. "Uncle Might, have you - have you been coughing up blood all this time?"

Uncle Might looked sheepish. "Well, I-"

"That's incredibly irresponsible, Uncle Might! You've been bleeding out like this for five years?"

"It's - it's unavoidable-"

"You need to be more responsible for your health, Uncle Might! What if - what if you collapsed from blood loss somewhere?"

Uncle Might sighed. "Well, it seems like part of One for All is keeping up with it, at the very least."

He looked down. "But telling you about One for All wasn't the only reason I called you here."

--------

Toshinori knew he could do this. All he had to do was say it.

He took a deep breath. "I'm planning to retire soon."

The reactions around the table were varied. Nedzu and Tsukauchi nodded - they had been some of the first to know, after all. Sir Nighteye and Mirio's eyes widened. "You... you're listening to my advice?"

Toshinori just nodded. Sir NIghteye sat back, a look of relief on his face. Mirio gave his mentor a supportive smile.

As for David...

"Toshi, I - what are you saying?" David looked Toshinori in the eyes, pleading. "There's - I'm not allowed to talk about it, but the project I'm working on? I'm designing it for you! It's nearly ready, and if it works then-"

"David."

David stopped when Toshinori met his gaze. Toshinori sighed. "I know you want to help, David. But it's something that I've heard already."

He took a drink of water, trying to wash out the bloody taste in his mouth. "I don't doubt that you would help me or make something that could."

"I am, Toshi! It will work! So why-"

"Because sooner or later, I am going to have to retire." Toshinori's words cut through David's like a knife, leaving the other man frozen. "David... I'm missing my stomach and a lung. I can still use One for All, but my time limit will eventually shrink to nothing."

David went to argue, only for Melissa to tug on his arm.

She looked him in the eye, expression resolute. "Uncle Might, you really mean to retire?"

Toshinoroi nodded. "Well, of course. Japan is currently at peace. There's no major threats on the horizon. And with All for One dead, then One for All can quietly fade away."

-------

Mirio could feel Sir wanting to interject. He knew that Sir wanted to ask All Might about the reason why he didn't want to pass One for All to him.

In truth, Mirio's feeling about being the successor were mostly positive, but he still had his reservations. Being chosen to be the Symbol of Peace was incredible! And having the strength of All Might, well, who wouldn't want to have that? But at the same time, he didn't want to take All Might's Quirk from him - that wouldn't be fair. And with how much effort he had put into mastering his Quirk, he wanted to make it to the top solely with Permeation.

Sir Nighteye decided to talk. "Why are you planning to let One for All fade away? Wouldn't it make sense to pass it to a worthy heir?"

All Might winced. "It's a bit more complicated than-"

"Toshinori." Sir Nighteye looked down at his plate. "I-I can't imagine why you haven't chosen a successor - somebody to hold that power for the future." He looked up, glaring at All Might. "So please, tell me why."

Toshinori sighed. "I researched the past bearers of One for All. It took a reasonable amount of time - I had very little to go on. I had to ask my old teacher." He shuddered. "After that, I eventually found the Fourth bearer - he was the only one who hadn't died fighting All for One."

Nedzu snapped his fingers. "Ah, so that's why you had me hire people to investigate that grave, All Might!"

Tsukauchi nodded. 'And why you had me pore through fatality records of various Pro Heroes in the past."

All Might picked up his not-approved-for-his-diet slider. "I think he must have felt that he couldn't fight All for One by himself - he didn't have the strength. He cultivated this power for as long as he could, then he found the fifth bearer, passing One for All to him and, shortly after, he died of old age."

Sir Nighteye looked confused. "Toshinori, what does that have to do with-"

"He died of old age at forty."

Sir Nighteye's eyes widened. "What?" he breathed.

David mirrored his expression. "I - how can that happen?"

All Might took a bite of his small hamburger. "The autopsy said that his body had incurred a massive amount of cell damage - if not for carbon dating they would have thought he was a man over twice his age."

Nedzu and Tsukauchi nodded grimly. They'd seen the record themselves, though they hadn't fully appreciated the seriousness of it.,

Mirio couldn't believe his ears. "That explains why you decided not to pass One for All to me," he breathed. It was one thing to be ready to die for others but quite another to only have until forty to live.

Melissa looked All Might in the eye. "But Uncle Might, you're-"

All Might coughed. "Please don't remind me of how old I am, Melissa."

Melissa sighed. "You're, well, over forty." She looked him in the eye. "So why aren't you suffering these effects?"

All Might looked down for a moment. "This is just a theory, you understand. But I think that the reason why I haven't suffered this effect... is that they had something I don't."

Mirio leaned forwards, Melissa doing toe same. "What was different about you, All Might?" Mirio asked.

All Might smiled grimly. "Well, they all had Quirks of their own to begin with. I didn't."

Melissa stared, gobsmacked. Mirio boggled as well. Of all the reason why All Might had lived beyond his predecessor, this was not the one he had predicted - his personal bet was something like his height or a difference in diet. David mirrored his daughter, while Sir had nearly choked on his drink. Even Tsukauchi looked like he'd been hit in the face.

Nedzu took a long drink of tea. "Ah, humans. So predictable." The mouse-bear-dog grinned, looking All Might in the eye while the adults in the room managed to recover from this shocking revelation. Sir managed to hastily put his facade back together, trying to recover his dignity.

Melissa was the first to speak, looking at All Might with wide eyes. "Uncle Might... you were Quirkless?"

With a rather sheepish grin, "It was, well, kind of important that I present as a 'Natural-born' Quirk user. Mostly to try and throw off All for One until I was strong enough to beat him."

Melissa nodded, shakily. "If it wasn't you telling me this, I wouldn't have believe it..."

Nedzu cheerfully picked up a piece of cheese on his plate. "I've already been talking with All Might about the future. He's planning to officially announce his retirement from active hero work when the school year starts. Give people time to acclimate to not having All Might around." He then began gnawing away at the cheese at machinegun speed.

All Might simply shrugged. "It'll be hard to adjust but I'm confident that this is the right decision."

Melissa just gave him a sad smile. "I'm going to miss you from active hero work, Uncle Might."

David mirrored her expression, before a thoughtful look crossed his face. "It would be interesting to find All for One's body. See what we could learn about his Quirk from an autopsy."

All Might paused slightly, before he let out a bitter laugh. "Having him be experimented on... that would be a fitting fate. Digging him up shouldn't be too big of an issue. The government probably secured his body - it was right next to mine, after all." He paused to take a sip of water.

Sir Nighteye looked at him oddly. "There wasn't a body next to you."

All Might choked on his water, causing both David Shield and Sir Nighteye to leap up and attempt to clear his airways. Nedzu's gnawing stopped.

All Might managed to recover, wiping his mouth with his napkin. "I-when I recovered, I didn't see the body..." He looked Nedzu in the eye. "When you were digging for those records, did you see if they recovered it?"

Nedzu shook his head, a frown on his face. Mirio had a bad feeling about this, but he wanted to double check. "All Might... are you saying that you didn't see the body after you collapsed?"

"I felt that somebody must have secured the body - I was in no condition to after my fight with him." He looked Sir in the eye. "Mirai, please, tell me we got the body," he begged.

Sir Nighteye shook his head. "When you were in hospital... I searched the battlefield. Nothing. I-I assumed that he'd been blown to smithereens by your final Smash! There was blood everywhere!"

Nedzu set his cheese down. "Oh, dear. I'm afraid to admit that... I've never thought of this as a possibility."

Tsukauchi was already on the phone, making calls, trying to get a different answer for the question they were all asking themselves.

Now, Mirio had been training his prediction abilities for a long time now. His instincts were top notch, better than most Pro Heroes. One look at All Might's face in that moment told him everything. "Mirio, Melissa." His emaciated hand gripped the wooden table in a vice-like grip, pupils shrunken to pinpricks. "Could you step outside for a moment please." Mirio saw the wood of the table start to splinter in his grip.

Quickly, Melissa and Mirio left the room.

Just as the door closed, he saw All Might stand up, taking a deep breath, the other adults in the room suddenly taking note and backing away themselves. Mirio doubled his speed, Melissa following only a second behind him.

"FU-"

The house rattled with the force of the exclamation.

-------

Once he'd made his feelings appropriately clear, Toshinori flopped back into his chair, staring moodily at his half-eaten slider. The other Heroes and Tsukauchi sat in silence, David looking worried for his friend. Melissa and Young Mirio came back, expressions shocked.

A bitter laugh passed his lips. "I really, truly, wanted to retire," Toshinori sighed, picking up his slider. He bit into it, savouring the illegal burger.

Sir Nighteye shook his head. "The body may just have been destroyed-"

"Supervillain 101!" Toshinori slapped the table. "Never assume the Joker is dead unless you have the body! He'll be out there somewhere!"

Sir Nighteye winced but didn't press the point. Next to him, David looked despondent. "Maybe that idea I'm working on wasn't so good after all," he muttered.

Nedzu shook his head. "To think I never thought he could have survived. Bias creeps in no matter what."

Sir Nighteye glared at Toshinori. "All Might, please tell me you're still going to retire," he begged.

Toshinori had never felt more tired. "He may still be out there. I... I can't retire now."

Sir Nighteye glared at him. "What are you talking about? Do you not care for your own-"

"I do, Mirai!" Sir Nighteye stopped as Toshinori continued. "I do. But it was my duty to make sure that All for One faced justice for his crimes. If he is truly out there... I'll finish him myself."

Melissa looked Toshinori in the eye. "So, what are we going to do?"

Toshinori ran a hand through his hair. "Well, I've got to cancel my retirement plans -" what Melissa had said went through his mind, crashing his train of thought. "Wait, 'we'?"

Melissa nodded, eyes blazing. "Uncle Might, I want to help with this."

David shook his head frantically. "Melissa, it's too dangerous-"

"I don't care about the danger!"

Toshinori and David stopped as Melissa practically shouted. She composed herself. "Uncle Might, I'm not just going to sit back and ignore you! Not if there's a chance I could help!"

"I just want to keep you safe-" Toshinori pleaded.

"I'll help you even if you don't want me to, Uncle Might!"

Toshinori looked his niece in the eye, saw a fire blazing away as she continued. "It doesn't matter if I don't have a Quirk! I'll help you in any way that I can! Because you told me, Uncle Might, that Heroes always put their noses where they aren't wanted!"

She blinked back tears, grabbing Toshinori in a hug. "So let me be your Hero. Please."

Toshinori's mind raced. Unbidden, he remembered his first meeting with Nana.

Do you think I could be a hero?

Beside her, Mirio nodded, his smile beaming brighter than ever. "That's right, All Might! If All for One comes back, we'll be there to fight him together!"

Sir Nighteye's frown seemed to deepen. "I don't agree with you going back on your declaration to retire..." a slight smile graced his lips as he looked All Might in the eye, "but I will help you find him if he is still out there."

"Same here!" Nedzu chirped, a smile back on his face. "The greatest villain in Japan's history alive? It's an insult to my intelligence to just let him go!"

David pushed his glasses up. "I'm no good in a fight, but whatever support you need, I'll always give it, Toshi."

Tsukauchi clapped Toshinori on the back. "I'll help you in any way you see fit, Toshinori. You know that."

Toshinori's eyes watered. "Everybody..."

Melissa smiled. "You're not alone in this, Uncle Might."

Toshinori hadn't felt like this since Nana had told him he could be a hero. "Melissa..." he breathed. He knew what he was going to say next was irresponsible, but he had a feeling in his gut that this was the right choice.

Was this what Nana had felt, all those years ago?

"Melissa... would you accept One for All?"

Chapter Text

Midoriya Izuku felt excitement pouring through his body. First of all, it was only about seven months before the U.A exams, and he was confident in his ability to pass it. He had several designs in mind that were sure to wow the judges.

The other thing to be excited about was that he had finally managed to replenish the robots. The design for the robots themselves had been perfected over the years. Making them wasn't hard but it was time consuming. But they were going to be necessary as a last resort for any Villainous Schemes in future.

"Well, I've gotten all of them up to standard," he muttered, rubbing his chin. "Their weapons should be fully operational. I'll just have to do another test before the weekend - hm?"

He had been heading over to the beach to grab some more electronics and steel - he needed a large quantity for his future projects. Looking ahead, he saw a familiar tall, scraggly figure.

A smile broke out on his face. Seeing Yagi-san always made him feel happy. Sure, Yagi hadn't been the most safety conscious person he'd ever met, but Izuku knew better than anybody else that sometimes you had to throw caution to the wind. Yagi always had the best stories about villains that All Might had fought. If Izuku didn't know better, he would have sworn that Yagi had been there in every fight.

Maybe All Might told the stories really well. Izuku would expect nothing less from his idol/nemesis.

"I wonder what Mirio-senpai is doing," he muttered, jogging over to Yagi. A couple of weeks ago, Mirio and Yagi hadn't shown up at their normal time. When Izuku had tried texting Mirio, he'd just gotten a message from the older teenager that he had his internships to worry about, as well as exams and hadn't been able to come. They had met up a few times, but not as frequently as they had used to when Mirio was cleaning up the beach.

He squinted, seeing a shorter and similarly blonde figure to Yagi on the beach. Izuku frowned. For some reason, they looked familiar. He couldn't imagine why though.

------

Melissa looked at the beach. "So Mirio was cleaning this before me?"

Uncle Might simply nodded. "It's good strength training, as well as community service. Not all heroics can be punching deserving Villains in the face - sooner or later you have to get your hands dirty."

Melissa scanned the area, frowning. The beach had the potential to be a beautiful place, but people just kept throwing their trash here. She nodded to a large area of the beach that was free of detritus. "Mirio certainly did a good job."

Uncle Might - Toshinori - gave a small smile. "He did, though he can't take all of the credit."

Melissa was about to ask about that when she saw somebody approaching - a teenager her age with dark green curly hair with a wide smile on his face. "Ah! Hello, Yagi-san!"

Uncle Might's grin widened. "Midoriya, my boy! It's good to see you!"

Midoriya just grinned back even wider. "I was pretty worried about you and Mirio-senpai, Yagi-san! I know he's studying, but I really enjoyed talking with him about other heroes!"

Uncle Might's smile dropped a bit. "Don't worry too much about Young Mirio, Young Midoriya. He'll be coming along later today. "

Midoriya's face lit up like a Christmas display. Beaming, he turned to Melissa. "Oh, and, ah-" he suddenly flushed. Melissa looked him over. Had he come down with a fever?

"I-ah-oh, h-hello! Uh, how - how are you?"

Melissa gave a small smile. That explained it. Some things never changed no matter what country you were in. "It's nice to meet you - "

He flushed and stammered, trying to get words out and failing. Melissa turned to Uncle Might, who coughed into his fist. "Young Midoriya, this is Melissa Shield. Melissa, Midoriya Izuku."

Melissa just smiled. "It's a pleasure to meet you, Midoriya-san."

Midoriya was frozen in place. His eyes were unfocused, staring at some point behind Uncle Might's head. Uncle Might leaned towards him. "Um, Young Midoriya? Are you alright?"

"I-I-I - huh - Shield!"

Uncle Might blinked. "Not the first reaction I thought you'd have."

Midoriya just swayed in place. "I -  I can't believe I'm meeting somebody like her, that's all! I - my hair's a mess, and I'm just wearing my school uniform, and-"

Melissa's smile widened. "Have you heard about me?"

"Heard about you - you're David Shield's daughter! He makes All Might's costumes! Of course I've heard about you!"

Melissa laughed. "Not a lot of people acknowledge that bit."

Midoriya looked offended. "Well most people are wrong! Without David Shield's research into Quirks, there wouldn't be as many innovations to help peoples' lives go smoothly with their Quirks. He's helped inspire me to go into the Support field in the first place!"

Melissa shook his hand. "I'll tell him that. As I said, not many people think about support gear."

Midoriya hummed. "Without that gear, All Might would have been unable to bring the full force of his Quirk to bear."

Melissa looked over at the beach. "So, I'm guessing that you've been cleaning up this beach as well?" She looked Midoriya over - he was more muscular than he seemed at first glance, with worn hands that spoke of a lot of hard work. "How long have you been doing that?"

"I-I haven't really been cleaning it up that much," he managed to squeak out. "I - I mainly use it for raw materials for some gadgets-"

Melissa's eyes lit up. "Wow! What kind of stuff have you made so far?"

Midoriya seemed to focus more. From his backpack he pulled out a pair of bracers. "Well, this is just a prototype - the materials here aren't the best, but they're good enough for a proof of concept. These are designed for a quick change into most of a bodysuit."

Melissa examined it. "This is pretty good! You're using a carbon dioxide jet to shoot the fabric out quickly, aren't you?"

Midoriya's eyes sparkled. "Yes! And the main fabric has-"

"Wiring coupled with a thin mesh to map out the body of the wearer? And the fabric-"

"Carbon fibre over silk for proper armour, but I could add in some kevlar for proper-"

"But you've tested that it works? This would be a major help for some heroes to build a flashy style-"

"Had to go through like twenty different versions before I got it right! But it'll be -"

"Like a Transformation watch - I've been working on something similar but with special materials! To make something like this with mostly recycled material is -"

A cough from behind her snapped them out of their shared fugue. Uncle Might was watching with an expression that seemed caught between worried and admiring. "I have to admit you've kind of lost me there."

Midoriya coughed. "Well... this is one of the gadgets I'm thinking of for U.A. For the Hero on the go!" He posed dramatically, holding the bangles out. "All you have to do is press the switch, and bam! Hero costume on!"

He turned the bangles over in his hands. "Well, I'd probably have to add a belt for the pants - trying a full bodysuit from the bangles was a bad idea. You would need to wear loose clothing, but it would equip most of the costume, enough to help in a dangerous situation."

Uncle Might glanced over it appraisingly. "Well, I won't pretend to understand how it works or all the babble, but the basic idea is impressive!"

Melissa nodded. "Too many Heroes don't have access to a basic protection if they're out of costume," Uncle Might pointedly didn't look her way, "but this could be a real change! You're thinking about focusing on a high mobility Hero for this, right?"

Midoriya frowned at his gadget. "That's right. It's a good start, but I need something a bit more impressive for the entrance exam."

Melissa could understand the desire to make something more impressive. "Well, I'm sure you've heard advice like this before, but sometimes you have to look at the problem from a different angle. And maybe get some better materials."

Midoriya sighed. "Getting proper materials for my gear is a pain though," he grumbled.

Melissa could relate - even on I-Island you had to sign off on Support gear materials with several different places. Too many villains were using the gear illegally, after all. "If you need a hand with that kind of stuff, you can talk with U - with Yagi-san or Mirio if you're really worried."

Midoriya just shook his head. "Ah, don't worry too hard about me. I've found a few places that do decent materials. And this is only one idea. I've got some better ones in the works." He checked his watch. "Ah, sorry! I've got a shift coming up soon."

He hitched up his backpack, dashing over to the road. "I'll maybe see you around, Melissa-san! I'd still like any electronics for prototypes! Have fun in Japan!"

"I will!" Melissa waved him off.

As he left, she turned to Uncle Might. He stood there with a gentle smile on his face "So, are we going to get started with the American Dream Bodybuilding plan?"

Melissa nodded, checking her gloves. "Ready for anything."

She wondered, briefly, what kind of job Midoriya was working at. Probably a coffee shop job, or maybe repair work.

------

Midoriya Izuku got off the train and headed to a back alley near Gentle Criminal's house. Checking in both directions to make sure nobody was around, he removed his shoes then pulled a tag on his backpack. With a hissing of gas and clunking of machinery, Mastermind's villain costume assembled itself around him. Striding out confidently, he went into Gentle Criminal's house.

The villain had, with Mastermind's help, fenced off the abandoned lot behind the house. A few sheets of metal and some of Mastermind's sound cancelling technology later, and the League of Supervillains had a convenient training dojo.

Mastermind had been coming here for a reasonable length of time with the other villains, talking about what made a Villain a Super Villain. Mostly it was about fighting training; throwing a proper punch, how to properly throw, and how to best run away. A couple of times it had been on proper posture and dramatics. Inkblot had called him here for something she thought had been important.

Mastermind wasn't sure what for, but her tips had been excellent so far.

Inkblot grinned at Mastermind, hands on hips. "So, ready for more lessons in villainy?"

Mastermind nodded, fists clenched. "Of course!"

Inkblot put her hands on her hips. "Well, Mastermind, we're going back to the classics! We're talking bombs!"

Mastermind stared at Inkblot. "Bombs? That's pretty, well... dangerous, isn't it?"

Inkblot just shrugged. "I can bench-press a fridge, Golden Grin's laser can blow up cars and Gentle Criminal can beat up teams of heroes. Anything's dangerous. Now, I think that this is the ideal form of a bomb right here!" She reached behind her back, her Quirk manifesting in a splotch of spurting black and white light.

She hoisted out her creation, holding it up in front of the class.

Mastermind stared at it for a few seconds. "It's... a few sticks of dynamite rigged to an alarm clock." The items created had the signature appearance of Cartoon's creations - a thick black outline traced over the object, looking like it had been pulled out of a cartoon.

Inkblot beamed. "Yup."

Mastermind tapped his mouthplate with his finger. "Well, on the one hand it will be effective - I mean, it's a bomb. But on the other hand, I could definitely make more potent explosives-"

"It's not just about effectiveness!" As Mastermind stared at her, she explained. "See, the thing about this that I like is that it ticks! Listen!" She held it aloft, the bomb audibly ticking as the second hand went around.

Mastermind stared. "I mean, it looks and sounds cool-"

"Thank you,"

"But it would be more efficient to have a regular bomb with a digital timer."

Inkblot just shrugged. "Shows what you know. In my opinion, the important thing about this isn't the bomb, it's the tick!"

Mastermind stopped as she kept talking, her eyes shining. "See, you can hear it tick, getting closer to the big boom! It's the anticipation of it!" She frowned. "Nowadays bombs are digital or come from a Quirk. No sound, no peril."

Mastermind stood there for a few seconds. "Peril..." he muttered.

Inkblot nodded. "Exactly. It's the 'will it go BOOM or not' element that's the whole point of being a Villain."

Mastermind stood stock still for a moment, then pulled out a notebook. "That's... how could I have missed that?"

He frantically scribbled down notes, schematics. "I've got a brilliant idea for the next job! Something that will be properly villainous!" He laughed, thunder roaring with him.

Inkblot smiled slightly shakily. "Attaboy! We keep this up, you'll be tying people to train tracks in no time!"

----------

Melissa panted, pushing the fridge towards the skip. She didn't know what muscles were being worked, just that they were all on fire. In a few more minutes, she would take a break. Uncle Might stood nearby, face set in a determined expression.

It wasn't that she was out of shape - she exercised regularly and had taken some martial arts classes before -  but Uncle Might had designed this program to build her up as much as possible before taking One for All. One for All had so much strength built up that anything less than maximum strength would blow the user's limbs off.

Mirio had given her some tips, especially to prevent overtraining. She knew that overtraining wouldn't help, but there was that perpetual need to better herself. She was aiming to become a Hero, and technically wouldn't have a Quirk until the entrance exam. She was only going to be entering into a Hero course exam with other people who might have been working on their Quirks their whole lives, but no pressure.

At that dinner they had had a long, frank discussion about the future. Her dad had to return to I-Island soon due to his secret project, but she could stay as long as she liked apparently. Uncle Might had offered her the same training program that Mirio had gone through, though slightly modified to account for the difference in build. Sir Nighteye and Tsukauchi had promised to keep an eye out for any signs of All for One.

When she had been offered One for All, she had accepted after a moment's hesitation. Later, when thinking about it, she'd talked with her dad about what to do in the future. Because on the one hand she really, really wanted to be a hero. That part of her from her childhood had never grown up and had her jumping into fights between bullies and others without real conscious thought put into it. But on the other hand, she loved inventing.

Building Support Gear and working with Quirk science was just miraculous and seeing what came from researching Quirks and building technology that supported it was just fascinating. For most of her life Melissa had decided to be the Hero that kept the Heroes equipped and safe. She had fought and studied and struggled to get to her current level of skill, and had been worried that she might be encouraged to drop it.

Her father and Uncle Might had dismissed that notion. When she'd said it out loud, feeling silly saying it, they had both asked why she would put her passion on hold for Heroics. "It's a part of who you are, I would never ask you to compromise on yourself to become a Hero!"

Uncle Might had put it best.

Melissa privately didn't think she could be better than her uncle, but didn't let that stop her from hauling the fridge into the skip, leaning against it to catch her breath.

Being a Hero and saving people, and planning to do so with both her inventions and One for All... what more could she ask for?

--------

Mastermind checked over the plans once again. With the materials they had gathered from the building firm, they would have enough to rebuild the robots.

He chuckled. Meeting Melissa Shield with Yagi-san had been quite the surprise. To be close with somebody like that... it was like third-hand exposure to the awesome power of All Might!

Golden Grin looked at him slightly funny. "Uh, you okay there Mastermind?"

Mastermind coughed. "Oh, ah, sorry! I'm just excited for the next job."

He looked at the plan on screen. It was going to be large scale, with plenty of peril. But, at the same time... there wouldn't be any actual danger.

Underneath his mask, a wide grin spread across his face. "We're going to need these supplies..."

For Mastermind, the future was looking suitably... villainous.

Chapter Text

The Heroes assigned to what had become known as the Mastermind Taskforce had been out on patrol when they had gotten the call.

"Mastermind and the League of Supervillains have been seen in the House area robbing a bank!"

Mount Lady and Kamui Woods shared a glance. With a sigh, Mount Lady called up Death Arms, who was in the office dealing with paperwork and call-ins. "Are there heroes getting to the scene?"

"Seems so. Several local heroes are going to the scene along with the police."

"Which members are out there?"

"Looks like it's just Mastermind, Mr. Warp, Inkblot and Gentle Criminal."

Kamui Woods gave a short nod. "We'll have to stay on our route. We'll offer any help we can."

As badly as they wanted to be on the scene, they were on patrol to help keep the streets of Musutafu safe. They would have to help in the ensuing investigation, mostly because the League of Supervillains and specifically Mastermind were kind of... weird.

Mount Lady sighed. "When did that guy figure out he could rob other places than Musutafu?" She smiled widely at a passer-by. "Any idea what Eraserhead's been doing?"

"Teaching mostly. Seems that his students are having to work their asses off for him."

"Wait. It seems that a pair of heroes are engaging with them right now!"

Kamui Woods shook his head. "Only a pair right now? Those heroes won't have much chance."

"Who's confident or dumb enough to try that?" Mount Lady pondered.

"Hold on. I'm just checking... oh! These two?"

When Mount Lady and Kamui Woods heard the names, they shared a look.

Mount Lady was the first to speak, a confused expression on her face. "Her? Really?"

---------------

Mastermind cackled, striding out of the bank with his cape fluttering dramatically behind him. Flanked by Mr. Compress and Gentle Criminal with Inkblot bringing up the rear, he felt on top of everything.

Robbing the bank had gone extremely well. The villains had arrived, delivering a dramatic entrance and, most importantly, Mastermind's cloak hadn't gotten caught in the door! Progress!

With money in hand, the villains quickly headed for their escape vehicle, the employees helpless to watch them leave with most of the money in the building now contained in comical bags with yen symbol on them. Mastermind hoisted the spoils in his hand dramatically. "MWA-HAHAHA! WHO CAN STOP THE LEAGUE OF SUPERVILLAINS NOW?"

"Hey! Villain with a pie to the face says what?"

Mastermind turned, reaching into his belt pouch. "What-"

The short supervillain was hit in the face with a custard pie with enough force to send him backwards a few steps. The supervillain seemed unfazed, merely pressing a button on the side of his mask. As a small wiper came up around his eyes, he turned to look at the offender. He actually seemed to be taken aback.

Standing there, hands on hips and with a huge grin on her face was a green haired heroine, wearing an orange bandanna with a navy shirt paired with orange and green pinstripe puffed shorts. A faint green glow surrounded her, barely visible. Beside her was a well-built man who gave the impression that he was about to offer you a mortgage, wearing a serious brown business suit with an orange pocket square, creases so sharp they could cut somebody. His black hair was slicked back, the oddest thing about his serious appearance being his rectangular eyebrows and fingers.

"The Smile Heroine, Ms. Joke!" Mastermind shouted. His posture changed to one of utter seriousness in spite of the cream dripping from his mask.

From his belt, he produced a small notebook and pen, holding out the pair of items in a serious bow. "Can I have your autograph?"

The other villains stared at him as if he'd lost his mind.

Ms. Joke didn't seem flustered. "Sure thing, villainous scum!"

As she accepted the items with a huge grin on her face, the Warp villain suddenly giggled. Gentle Criminal turned to look at him. "What's the matter, Mr. Warp?"

The named villain clutched a hand to his face. "I-I don't know... just thinking about him getting a pie to the face -snrk!" He started shaking, trying to hold in his laughter.

Mastermind froze. "Uh oh." He looked the hero in the eye as she finished signing. "You've... you devilish hero! You've already started using your Quirk on us! No fair!"

Ms Joke just shrugged, a slightly mad grin on her face. "All's fair in heroics and war! Here's your signature!"

She handed it back to Mastermind, the Villain carefully taking it by the edges. He began to back away, only to pause. "Thank you so much, Ms. Joke! I didn't expect-"

He was cut off by a sudden fart sound coming from the autograph. Looking at the bottom, Mastermind saw what looked like a typical sound chip from a gift card attached to the card, evidently from when she'd taken it. For a moment, everybody was still, looking at the card. Then the villains broke down in laughter.

Gentle Criminal was on one knee, laughter coming from around his gloved hands as he desperately tried to stop laughing. Mr. Warp had actively fallen over from the effort, his own sack of money lying on the ground forgotten. Inkblot had tears pouring down her face, pounding the ground with one hand. "Why is this... so funny?" She wheezed, desperately trying to get her composure back.

"Yeah, your boss has the right idea!" Ms. Joke said. "That's all on Outburst!"

Ms. Joke! Quirk: Outburst! When she smiles, she can emit an energy that makes people more susceptible to laughter! Everything is funnier, so it doesn't take much to generate an incapacitating burst of laughter! Thanks to training she can choose which people in her area are affected!

Mastermind himself was slightly bent over, wheezing. "That's... a good one..." he giggled before he seemed to regain his composure. "N-no matter how funny it is... we have to leave now! Inkblot! Let's make a way out!"

Inkblot, still laughing a bit, managed to push herself up. "On... on it, Mastermind!" She managed to get out, before charging forwards, mallet in hand. As she came up, mallet swinging at Ms Joke, the Hero in a suit leaped in front. He shoved out a palm at the shaft of the weapon, which suddenly bent at a right angle, throwing her weight off.

She blinked. "Aheh... what?"

The hero sniffed. "I'm afraid that it won't be quite that easy."

Mastermind readied himself. "Be careful! That's Straight Edge, the 90-Degree Hero! He's a common partner for Ms. Joke! Their Boke and Tsukkomi routine is legendary!"

The Pro Hero blinked, pushing his glasses up. "I'm surprised that you have heard of me, Mastermind." Mr. Warp's smoke coiled out, releasing a net at the Hero. Unphased, he stretched his arm out to block the net, the item suddenly shooting up into the sky and wrapping around nothing.

Mastermind clapped. "Seeing Right Angle in action... that's pretty impressive!"

The Hero stood his ground, frowning. "Crooked people like you really annoy me. You could be using that technology of yours for good, yet here you are."

Straight Edge! Quirk: Right Angle! Any solid surface he touches with his open palm is bent at a perfect 90 degree angle! It can also affect the momentum of objects if he so chooses! It's a powerful Quirk for setting up barriers as well as a brutal incapacitation method!

Inkblot's eyes narrowed. She pressed a button on her belt, a canister popping out. Quickly she chugged the lot down, before glaring at the heroes. "That's a surprisingly annoying Quirk." Reaching behind her, then slightly into herself, she pulled out another mallet, identical to the one that had been rendered useless. "Guess I gotta try harder."

----------------------

La Brava desperately typed away at her keyboard. Several alerts came through, telling her things she already knew. "No, no, no..." she muttered, staring at her saviour as he tried and failed to recover.

This job had gone slightly differently.

Mastermind had planned his big, Evil scheme, but had found that there weren't many places that he could rob that had been involved with shady business. It had been with a heavy heart that they had decided to rob the downtown bank in Hosu. Mastermind had chosen a bank heist because, "Bank heists are suitably villainous. And they'll be insured!"

And now it looked like the Heroes would capture them all.

"Stitch, how are the robots coming?"

"Still placing the device properly. More than that, we've got more heroes and police incoming."

La Brava bit her lip.

She'd have to time it just right, to get Gentle-sama her Love at the right point to make an opening. And then, he could help her friends out!

---------------

Mastermind glanced over at Inkblot, then returned his gaze to the Heroes. Ms. Joke was standing there with a confident grin on her face in a more traditional fighting stance, while Straight Edge stood with an impassive look on his face. "You Heroes are the real deal, aren't you?"

Inkblot looked over at him. "What's the plan, boss?"

Mastermind looked over at the rest of the team, tapping a button on the side of his helmet. "Nobody gets left behind," he said, inaudible to the Heroes but heard on each member's commlinks. "Inkblot, deal with Straight Edge if you can." She gave a slight nod, hand already reaching behind her back slowly.

Mastermind continued talking, tapping some panels on his wrist and not taking his eyes off the Heroes. "Gentle, Compress, make for the car and get Golden Grin out of compression. La Brava, Stitch, be ready with my backups."

"Mastermind, be careful!" La Brava warned. "We've got other Heroes coming in! They'll be here in about five minutes!"

Mastermind sighed a little. "It's not unmanageable, but we have to leave now! Everybody ready?"

As a chorus of acknowledgements went through the commlink, albeit in a slightly wheezy way on the part of Gentle and Mr. Compress, Mastermind greeted the pair of Heroes with a raised and outstretched hand. "So sorry Heroes, but we have to be off! I'd laugh, but then I wouldn't stop."

Ms. Joke pouted, arms crossed. "I think you should stick around! You haven't even heard all of my hilarious jokes yet!"

With that, the two groups squared off. Gentle Criminal had managed to mostly recover himself while Mr. Compress was still recovering. Ms. Joke was the first, leaping into close combat with Mastermind, The slightly shorter villain had to back up slightly, blocking a fist to the face with his armoured gauntlet then retaliating with a sparking hand. Gentle and Mr. Compress looked briefly before their priorities caught up.

The pair of villains quickly made for the car that they had arrived in. Ms. Joke tried to get closer, only for Mastermind to attempt a wild attack. With a grin on her face, Ms Joke blocked few more attacks from the shorter villain, seeming to be slightly overwhelmed but not losing that smile on her face.

Meanwhile, Straight Edge engaged directly with Inkblot, who had finished her preparations. With a wide grin on her face, she pulled out a black sphere with a fizzing fuse and a skull and crossbones on it. Making a bomb like this wasn't her favourite thing to do, but it would work. Straight Edge's eyes narrowed, and he quickly pulled out -

Inkblot blinked, staring at the tiny object in his hand. "Is... is that a pen?"

It looked like a rather fancy pen, with a gold nib and an elegant black body. The Pro Hero didn't give her a response, instead holding the pen in his palm. Inkblot had seen a lot of weird things with Quirks, mostly hers. She hadn't seen a pen go from a vertical position to shooting forwards in a perfectly straight line, cutting the fuse to the bomb and embedding itself in a wall.

"90 Degree Missile," The Pro Hero proclaimed. From his pockets he pulled a few more objects that you would see in a typical office workers' pockets, including a stamp and credit card. "Surrender in the face of this stationary stationery assault."

Inkblot cracked up. "Stationary stationery! A-HAHAHA!" The bomb in her hand fell to the ground.

Straight Edge just glanced at her impassively as she laughed, trying to recover. "I would strongly advise you surrender. That pen alone weighs a full kilo. If you give up, then the justice system will be more lenient."

Inkblot's retort to that was a raspberry, hoisting her hammer higher. The Pro Hero frowned seriously, sighing. "Crooked people need to be straightened out."

--------------

Meanwhile, Mastermind was having serious second thoughts about his ability to handle Ms. Joke. He knew that it looked like he was winning, but he knew the truth. Ms Joke was controlling the pace of the fight and was maneuvering closer to Mr. Compress and Gentle as they staggered to the car.

He could see flashes of Inkblot and Straight Edge fighting, the cartoony woman trying to hit him with her mallet, and him trying to take her down. It seemed that Straight Edge was a lot physically stronger than he looked, the serious Hero delivering blows that actually staggered Inkblot.

If he tried to pull Ms Joke away from them, the move was easily countered in a way that looked ridiculous but insanely difficult. She moved like no other fighter except for Inkblot, all unorthodox angles and silly poses. He had actually tried to take down Ms. Joke, but the heroine had proved to be too wily for him.

It probably didn't help that Ms. Joke was turning the whole fight into a slapstick routine. He'd nearly slipped on a banana peel that had come out of her utility belt. His own taser glove had been turned on him with a joy buzzer in her hand that still left him smarting, and as for her chosen melee weapon...

Mastermind had to block a flailing rubber chicken with his forearm, Ms. Joke expertly swinging the ridiculous weapon around to try and brain him. After seeing the Pro Heroine break a window with a chicken that had slipped out of her grip, Mastermind was fighting more defensively. Whatever the chickens were filled with, it was heavy and was making his arms ache. It was also a nuisance that seeing the chicken flying through a window had caused Gentle Criminal and Mr. Compress to break out into another fit of near paralysing laughter.

Outbreak was proving to be a far more troublesome Quirk than he could have ever imagined! It was great! It was also not good for their escape attempt.

"Do you believe that you can stop a supervillain like me?" He bantered, checking over his gear. If this kept up, he'd have to switch to the other surprise he'd built into his armour...

Ms Joke just grinned. "Comes with the job description! Now..." she pulled out another rubber chicken, tying them together by the necks. "It's time to get serious!"

Gentle Criminal was wheezing at this point, the chickens wobbling in her hands. Mastermind nearly collapsed at the image, a hand over his mouth and shoulders shaking. The Pro Heroine flicked the chickens around while making a series of Bruce Lee noises. With the noises she made being paired with the chickens making a series of squeaks, it caused Mastermind to actually collapse on the ground, laughing maniacally.

Gentle tried to stay upright, but was on his knees, Mr. Compress in a similar state of collapse.

"MWA-HAHA! Oh-oh god - A-HAHAHA! Please-please stop! I'm-I'm actually going to throw up!"

Ms. Joke gave him a short glance, a pair of handcuffs dangling in her hand. Behind her, there was the sound of sirens as the police finally arrived. "It's over-"

La Brava ran out of an alleyway, desperately. Ms. Joke turned immediately, trying to get a laugh with an improvised pratfall, but it was too late.

"GENTLE! I LOVE YOU!"

Gentle Criminal managed to stand upright, a pink glow surrounding him, his eyes serious. He swung his cane, the green-haired heroine being forced to back away as the weapon cracked the pavement. "I would rather not fight a charming lady such as yourself... but it cannot be helped." His eyes blazed with determination.

Ms. Joke tilted her head. "Hm. That's weird. You should be totally incapacitated right now. Guess my routine wasn't a success, huh?"

Gentle laughed. "Don't you know, Hero? Love always wins!"

Mastermind managed to shove himself up, taking heaving, gasping breaths. "Run," he managed to gasp out.

Gentle Criminal spared a glance to the staggering Villain and Mr. Compress, before returning his attention to Ms. Joke. In a sudden burst of speed, he was on top of her. Before she could properly react, he swept her legs out from under her, and with another tap she bounced off the pavement impressively far, the heroine letting out an impressive scream as she flew.

Mastermind seemed to recover as she was sent further away, the effects of her Quirk diminishing but still desperately trying to get air in his luings. "In the car, now." Him and Mr. Compress quickly jumped into the Mastermobile, Gentle Criminal staring off at the police.

"What about the money-"

Mastermind shook his head. "We-we still have some that Mr. Warp got! Leave it!"

Mr. Compress put the Mastermobile into drive, flooring it, La Brava jumping in the back. With a screech of rubber, the vehicle shot forwards, Gentle Criminal latching onto the back. Mastermind took a few deep breaths, trying to compose himself.

In front of them, Straight Edge broke away from Inkblot. He slammed his hands on the ground, the tarmac in front of the Mastermobile suddenly shooting upright in a wall. It was a noble effort to try and stop them, but Gentle Criminal and Inkblot were too tough for that.

Gentle's fist combined with Inkblot's mighty mallet blow. The barrier was torn down, Inkblot stretching her arm out to latch onto the side of the car.

He saw the green-haired heroine appear, riding a unicycle with a motor, and he immediately tapped the side of his mask, dialling up the volume and gesturing for the Mastermobile to stop. "MWA-HAHAHA! IT'S BEEN FUN, MS. JOKE, BUT THE LEAGUE OF SUPERVILLAINS MUST TAKE ITS LEAVE!"

Ms Joke pulled up, a smile still on her face. "Hey, come on! You haven't heard all of my jokes yet!"

Mastermind chuckled nervously. "I-IF YOU SAY SO! HOWEVER, I HAVE LEFT A PRESENT BEHIND FOR YOU! LOOK!"

Ms. Joke stared at the bank, frowning. A pair of Mastermind's drones fled the scene, leaving behind a large black sphere, an alarm clock rigged up to it. It ticked ominously, the tones sounding out above the police sirens.

Ms. Joke's eyes narrowed. "What exactly are you planning, fiend?"

Mastermind chuckled. 'Oh, nothing. Just... A PREPERATION THAT WILL TAKE ADVANTAGE OF THE CHEMICAL REACTION OF A COMBINATION OF CARBONIC AND ACETIC ACID, WITH AN INFUSION OF SODIUM BICARBONATE! IN THE NEXT TWO MINUTES... IT WILL GO OFF!"

The Mastermobile sped up, Mastermind shaking a fist. "MAKE A CHOICE, HEROES! THE CLOCK IS TICKING! MWAHAHAHA!"

------------------

Ms. Joke grit her teeth as the villains left, before a smile came on her face. When the villain put it like that, there wasn't much she could do. "You think a bomb is going to stop you from being taken to justice? Think again, foul knave!"

She slapped Straight Edge on the arm. "Hit me!"

Straight Edge nodded. Lining up, he pushed her, suddenly causing her to rocket towards the bomb at a perfect 90 degree angle. "Straight Boost!"

As she went flying, he tried to catch up to the vehicle, but unfortunately even with a quick boost by springing off a small barrier he made, he wasn't able to catch them.

Ms. Joke rolled and tumbled next to the bomb, staring up at the wires. With a frown of concentration on her face, she pulled out a pair of clippers. The alarm clock was connected to a part of the device that looked like it would lower a capsule into the main body of the bomb, with a vent at the top for the result to go.

The tick of the clock seemed so much louder as she looked over the wires. There wasn't much time before the alarm would go off. Sweat beaded her brow as she selected a likely looking red wire.

Selecting the wire, she managed to snip it. The clock stopped. She waited, gingerly, then sighed. With a frown she shook her head. "This is way beyond the pale. Using a bomb threat like that..."

She had seriously misjudged them, Mastermind in particular. It seemed like he was the brains behind the group, the one calling the shots. With the whole autograph thing, she'd really thought he wasn't that kind of person. But at least she had been able to stop this before it had gone too far.

Straight Edge came up, shaking his head. "Crooked people like them have strange ideas. They need to be straightened out."

Ms. Joke looked over where the villains had made their escape. As much as she wanted to see if she could follow, her vehicles weren't going to catch up. Already the villains had managed to get too far for her to reach them with Outburst. The other heroes were chasing, but it didn't seem like they would catch them, unfortunately.

Ms. Joke sighed. "Well, at least they dropped most of their loot." She slapped the side of the sphere. "And the bomb didn't go off!"

Something was nagging her in the back of her mind. She wasn't sure what.

Straight Edge sighed. "A chemical weapon attack seems odd. Sodium bicarbonate and those other things... That's-"

Ms. Joke shushed him, her eyes wide. That had been what was bugging her. "Could you give me a hand?"

She pried it open, Straight Edge flustered. "Ms. Joke, wait! Those chemicals-"

"Aren't dangerous."

Straight Edge blinked. "What-"

She pulled it fully open, revealing a childish model of a volcano, though on a huge scale, four feet high. Looking inside the main item, there was a clear red liquid. The cylinder on top was filled with a white powder. She grinned. "Bicarbonate soda, added to vinegar and red food colouring."

Straight Edge blinked. "A baking soda volcano? These villains are twisted in the head."

Ms. Joke giggled, then chuckled. It turned into a full on belly busting laugh, the heroine rolling on the ground with tears pouring down her face. "A-HAHAHA! They - he actually said - and I'm a chemistry teacher, I can't believe I forgot that!"

The police sirens came closer, the police running up, concerned that the heroine had been subjected to some sort of chemical attack. Straight Edge jogged over, a serious expression on his face. There was going to be a lot of paperwork about this, but he always came with stationery.

---------------

Eraserhead looked over the paperwork with the rest of the Mastermind Task Force. "A baking soda volcano."

Mount Lady just shrugged. "Apparently so. Rigged to an alarm clock, just to fake the heroes out."

Eraserhead sighed. "Well, at least that Heroine was on the scene. And she's far away from us."

The other heroes shared a look. "Well..." Mount Lady spoke first.

Eraserhead stared at her. A sinking feeling was building in his gut. "What is it, Mount Lady?"

Kamui Woods spoke up. "Considering that the villains dropped most of their haul, she has the best track record of dealing with Mastermind. So..."

Eraserhead's danger sense went haywire. "Please, no."

The door slammed open, and Ms. Joke came bursting through, a huge grin on her face. "When I heard about this group, I decided to sign up!" She looked at Eraserhead, then did an exaggerated double-take. "Hey, Shota! Marry me."

Eraserhead sighed. "Not interested." As the Smile Heroine let out a laugh at that, he slumped back onto the ground, pulling his sleeping bag over himself. "Honestly, you're worse than my students."

Ms. Joke let out another laugh. "Honestly, Shota. Did you forget that time in Paris?"

Eraserhead's eyes stared straight ahead. "There was no time in Paris. You just made that up."

She flopped into the chair next to him. "There could have been though. After all, it was a fated pairing at our internships. You and I, we could have been the best team! Straight Man and Wise Guy! Speaking of, Straight Edge is still dealing with some paperwork, but he wasn't interested in this anyways. Said something about dealing with other stuff."

Eraserhead didn't comment. The other heroes shuffled awkwardly, unsure if this was something they should intrude on. Eventually Eraserhead sighed. "You did a good job against Mastermind, though."

Ms. Joke's smile seemed warmer as she looked at him. "Aw, Shota! I'm touched."

Eraserhead stared up at the ceiling for a short time. Death Arms was the first to respond. "Well, we're glad to have another hero on board to try and catch these Villains."

Ms. Joke shrugged. "So are they still C-rank?"

Death Arms scowled. "Damn pencil pushers are going for the most technical definitions of 'threatening.' Since they haven't caused any fatalities or major injuries, they're still C-rank."

The other heroes grumbled. The Hero Public Safety Commission had been more lenient with the rest of them since the Mastermind incidents had continued, but it still rankled that some moron in cosplay had been consistently outrunning them.

As the discussion continued, Eraserhead looked over at Ms. Joke. "I've got a favour I'd like to ask you," he murmured.

"Your hand in marriage? Very well, I accept."

"Not that."

-----------------

Shinsou stared at the green haired professional Heroine as she grinned at him. "Shinsou, eh?" She nudged Eraserhead in the ribs. "I can't believe you adopted a kid for our family already."

Eraserhead just slumped into his sleeping bag. "I'm training him for the entrance exam. And I have no intention to start a family with you"

Ms. Joke looked Shinsou in the eye. he looked back hesitantly. "Really? You know, kid, if you want to go into heroics, Ketsubutsu High School is an excellent heroics school."

Shinsou wasn't exactly sure what to say. "Uh..."

Ms. Joke just laughed. "I kid, I kid. If Shouta's got his eye on you..." She stretched out a hand. "Put it there."

When he gripped her hand, he jerked back when a loud farting noise came out. "Good, eh? The old whoopee cushion in the hand trick. It's always funny."

Eraserhead just sighed. Shinsou stared at his teacher, then back to Ms. Joke. "Well, uh... it's... nice to meet you?"

She was way too intense for his liking.

Ms. Joke looked at Eraserhead. "So you want me to teach him...?"

Eraserhead shuffled into a more upright position. "I would like you to teach him some comic timing."

Shinsou stared at Eraserhead as Ms. Joke's eyes widened. "You want me to teach him... oh-o-hoho!" She turned on him, eyes sparkling. "Just you wait, kid. I'll teach you the art of punning in no time!"

After a moment, Shinsou shook himself. "Comic timing? I - I don't-"

Eraserhead looked him in the eye. "Comic relief is an important part of some heroes' work. It helps put people at ease."

Ms. Joke nodded, the smile going from her face. "My Quirk needs me to be funny to use it in a combat situation. I've had to learn the art of timing and how to read the room."

"Not just that, but you might be able to catch people off guard more consistently if you make it funny."

Shinsou blinked, then thought about it.

He had to admit, against Soga his insults hadn't been able to get a reaction. In other sparring matches, against people who knew what his Quirk was he hadn't been able to work in a good enough insult. More than that, he hadn't wanted to insult his teachers.

He looked her in the eyes. "I'll be in your hands then."

She grinned. "Right." She handed him a small book. "We'll start with this material and then we'll work up to funny impressions."

Shinsou looked at the title of the book.

1001 Dad Jokes: For embarrassing your Friends or Children!

His lips twisted into a grin.

Chapter Text

Timeline: 5 months 3 Weeks to Entrance Exam

Kaneshiro Daiki opened the door of his apartment. His school uniform was rumpled, and his shining gold skin was covered in sweat and grime. "Mom, I'm home."

His mother looked over the kitchen counter - she must have just gotten home since she was still in her work clothes. Her eyes lit up as she saw him come in. "Oh, hello dear. How was school?"

Daiki ran a hand through his spiky black hair. "Uh, school was alright mom." He flopped onto the couch.

School had sucked like it always did. At least Mastermind had been helping him get his grades up to a decent level.

"Big bro!" Daiki got a moment's warning before his eight year old sister crashed into him. He grunted, eyes bulging as she gripped him. "Hey big bro! Guess what I did at school!"

Daiki grinned. "What did you get up to, Akari?"

His sister grinned. "I went on the playground with my friends, and I did really well on my English test, and I got a photo of a dog!"

Daiki's smile took on a mischievous light. "A photo of a dog, huh? Wow, you gotta show me!"

Akari laughed, trying to get out of him suddenly lunging at her to tickle her. "Nooo!"

His mom sighed wistfully as he wrestled with his sister, pointing a finger at the pot on the stove. A bright beam of light shot from her nail, hitting the stew inside and starting to heat it up. "I remember when school was 'alright' as well." She smiled, her eyes tired. "And how has your work been?"

Daiki froze. "Well, uh... it's been..."

A few hours ago...

Golden Grin ducked under Death Arms' sparking fist, furiously scuttling backwards. Mastermind had tracked down some unusual expenditures that had been coming from a high rise skyscraper, but as hard as he and La Brava had tried, they hadn't found what was being spent. They also didn't know what happened in a certain room.

So of course, Mastermind had decided to rob the place. Him, Mastermind and Inkblot had decided to do the job - Mr. Compress had bowed out due to a cold, and Gentle and La Brava were investigating something else. Stitch had said he was working on a critical patient in his back-alley clinic.

They'd grabbed some money and were trying to leave when the Heroes had arrived. Golden Grin and Inkblot had taken point, Mastermind supporting with blasts from his freeze ray. Inkblot was grinning like a maniac while swinging her mallet around, hitting the walls and leaving sizeable dents.

Death Arms spun his arms around, the buzz of electricity building up. "We've got you now, Villains!" He shouted, preparing to deal a mighty blow-!

At the last moment, Mastermind rolled out of the way, Death Arms' fist smashing through the wall and revealing-

Golden Grin stared. Mastermind stared. The heroes stared.

He couldn't remember the guys' name off the top of his head, but he was some really conservative politician. All about 'family values' and that other shit. He was just the most prominent one he could remember.

The room they were staring into was made up like a typical preschool. Light blue walls with white fluffy clouds, bright yellow sun, balls and toys, the works. And a bunch of grown-ass men in their fifties or sixties with attractive young women, frozen.

All of the grown men were dressed like kindergarteners. The politician was on a tricycle with a giant lollipop in hand and a propellor beanie on his head.

Golden Grin was never more aware of the fact that Mastermind's helmet had a camera and was streaming this to La Brava, going by the confused screaming piercing his ears.

For a moment, everybody stared at each other. "I-uh..." Death Arms trailed off.

Collectively, the League of Supervillains backed off while the Heroes were frozen stiff. The money they'd grabbed was divided between them, and they had video material at least. Daiki had taken the train back home, trying desperately to forget what he'd seen.

Now...

Daiki just shrugged. "I've met a whole lot of weird customers." He shuddered - he never wanted to see something like that again. "But... I mean, I love working with my new boss and the other guys. We're all friends, kind of."

His mom just smiled. "Well, it sounds like you're enjoying it better than your last one."

Daiki nodded. Those early days of being a villain were still a bit raw.

"Come on, the pig's basically Quirkless. Just blast his head off already!"

Yeah, never going back to those assholes. He smiled at his mom, getting up. He looked over at the photo of his uncle before sitting at the table. His uncle smiled at the camera, a bright blue beam shooting out from his navel. His mother looked over at the photo, her expression tight.

"...I think he would have been proud of you, Daiki."

Daiki felt a knot in his throat. He knew his uncle was still alive - he had to be. His mother smiled kindly. "Could you get the bowls out for me?"

"Sure thing, mom."

His uncle was alive. He'd find him, whether by himself or by his private detective.

-------------

Timeline: 5 months 2 weeks to Exams.

Sumi checked her tight white dress for any shed hairs. When you're covered head to toe in black fur, you tended to be particular about any leftover hairs. Idly she checked the straps one more time, then checked herself out in the bathroom mirror one last time. Inspection finished, she left the bathroom to meet the rest of the League of Supervillains. "Well, I've got a date for tonight! What do you guys think?"

She'd been trying to get a date with somebody who was somewhat decent. Most of her dates were either those kinds of weirdos, or were assholes. At least a couple of them had actually been in the closet.

Mastermind looked up at her from his workbench, where he was fiddling with one of the drones. "It's a nice dress Sumi."

Gentle nodded, having changed to his more comfortable clothes. "You look stunning, Sidney. Go knock your paramour dead."

Sumi's smile widened, giving a little twirl to show off the dress. "Aw, thanks! And I really hope the guys' decent. Not like the last guys I've been dating."

Aiba gave her an encouraging smile. "You're gonna get this, Sumi! I got a good feeling looking at the guy's profile!"

Sumi grinned at the shorter woman. "Aw, did you hack his Facebook or something? Not everybody's got a friend who's willing to do that."

Mastermind gave her a thumbs up. "Well, I think it'll go really well, Sumi! You look fantastic!"

Sumi's grin widened. Trust Mastermind to say something like that.  "Hah, well, of course it will! Nothing can go wrong!"

Two hours later...

Pretty much everything had gone wrong. Well, not everything, the restaurant itself was nice - at least she could afford to go to better places than when she was just an extra in some small movie studio. Sumi and her date - Hayate Maete - had gotten through most of a bottle of nice wine and a pleasant meal while they'd talked. He was handsome, with a strong jaw and intriguing yellow eyes.

Just a shame that he proved to be an asshole.

"-It's pretty interesting what's in that redone Destro book." He glanced around, obviously annoyed. "Hello? When are we getting some service?"

Sumi's eyebrow twitched. Hopefully he wouldn't be too bad. He was one of those guys with a strong Quirk who thought that they were owed everything, so kind of business as usual. "Well, they're pretty busy here-"

"Wasn't asking you," he sighed, trying to get his smile back. "But it's interesting, what Destro was trying for. You know what, he was completely right about Quirks. Those with strong Quirks like you and me, we should really be running this place, getting better service."

Sumi's hand twitched. She knew she wasn't going to be happy with the answer, but she felt she had to ask. "So what about people without Quirks?"

He smirked. "What about them? They've tried to drag us down to their level for so long, so- hey!"

Sumi had gotten up, looking down at him coldly. "Thanks for the dinner, but I'm not putting up with your shit."

She left the restaurant as he spluttered, idly scrolling through her contacts to get to Aiba.

"Hey, what's up Sumi?"

She sighed. "My date's a bust and I kind of want to get smashed. Are you down?"

Aiba paused. "...I'm sorry to hear that. I honestly didn't think-"

"Hey, it's fine. Not the first time, I'm just angry and want to get a drink."

Aiba paused. "I'm could meet you at Bīrukami's? I-it'll be nice to go out like this, even if it sucks your date didn't work out."

Sumi knew that place. It was a bit out of the way, but it was worth it. "Great. See you there Aiba-chan!"

Later...

The bar was dark, classic records decorating the walls. The pair of villains sat at the bar, the dark red leather seats adding to the atmosphere.

"I guess I don't have any luck with guys," Sumi grumbled into her beer. "They're either weirdos, condescending pricks or gay."

Aiba stared off into the distance, her own drink something violently pink in a cocktail glass. "I kind of get it. The only guy who wanted to date me in high school only wanted me to be a 'legal loli.' Then I tried ask out another boy, and, well..."

Sumi gently tinkled their glasses. "Well, here's to finding a good man someday!"

"Already found one!"

They both knocked back their drinks, waving for another round.

Aiba patted her on the shoulder. The bartender had raised an eyebrow at her ID, but it was still legal. "Cheer up, Sumi! You'll find somebody for you, like I did with Gentle!"

Sumi put on a slight smile. "Yeah, you and Gentle work well together." She lifted her mug to her lips. "Besides, we're two gal pals! We should talk about something else other than love."

Aiba looked slightly offended. "Yeah." She took a sip of her own drink before a wicked look entered her eyes. "So, when are you going to ask Mastermind out?"

Sumi choked on her beer. After some frantic coughing, she managed to recover. "What? Why would I-"

Aiba let out a short laugh. "I knew it! You started teasing him but now it's real, huh?"

Sumi shook her head. "No, no! Come on, let's talk about something else! Do you really want to fail the Bechdel test? We could be talking about, I don't know, philosophy or something!"

Aiba poked the taller woman in the ribs. "Come on! You like him!"

Sumi stared at Aiba for a few moments, then sighed. "Alright, fine! I do like him. Happy?"

Aiba grinned, leaning on the bar. "Yep. So when did it start?"

Sumi waved for another beer. "Probably it started with that whole declaration thing. Then..." she remembered talking with Mastermind a couple of months ago, during the gear trials. The self-proclaimed Supervillain had been nice, really nice. "Well, that was when I tried to go with Kei, remember?"

Aiba wiggled her hand "Vaguely. Was he-?"

Sumi sighed. "Incredibly in the closet, yeah. But Mastermind..."

She'd shown off her dress then, mostly to Aiba and a little to the others. Mastermind's compliment was really sweet, and somewhat unexpected given how timid he could be when not out in public.

"W-well, Sumi, I think you look wonderful! It really brings out your eyes! You're going to have a great time with anybody!"

Most guys were interested in her being a 'furry,' or looked at her breasts or butt exclusively. Her smile grew fond. "And then I remembered those eyes of his," a surprising shade of mossy green, "and then, well..." she trailed off.

"And he's always so kind! He treats me like a princess, which I am!" She chugged her second glass of beer, letting out a loud burp.

Aiba stared flatly at her.

Sumi huffed. "What? I can be princessy and I can also bench a fridge! I'm not compromising on either!"

Aiba laughed. "Sure, whatever." Her expression turned more serious. "Have you thought about it?"

Sumi glanced at her glass. "Okay, so you can NEVER tell him this... but a few nights ago, I had a dream." She took a deep breath. "With him in it."

It had been... nice. She'd been in a classic princess dress, he'd been in a classic nobleman's outfit, and a bit taller than he actually was. They'd danced, in a masquerade that mostly comprised of various Heroes that she'd fought. The dream had ended just as he took off his mask.

Aiba's eyebrows raised and she leaned in. Sumi stared at the shorter villain, then knocked back her drink. "H-hah! Got you!"

Aiba looked at Sumi oddly. "I mean, I'm not going to-"

"Too late, it's a Friday night and I'm not talking about this any more, alright?" She stood up, slightly unsteadily. "There's a karaoke joint nearby, let's hit it up!"

She'd gone there with her former co-workers many times before. They'd had a few drinks, enjoyed themselves, relaxed, sang badly. It had taken the sting off of not getting good parts somewhat, of being stuck with only a minor change in salary for bullshit reasons.

Then, well, the studio head had decided to can the project she'd been cast as the lead in, citing that, "Nobody would want to watch a film with a mutant heroine anyway."

Prick.

She shook her head. "Come on, Aiba! Trust me, it'll be fun!"

Aiba shook her head. "I-I'm not good at karaoke-"

"Don't worry, I'm bad at karaoke as well!" She picked up Aiba one handed, slapping down her card. "Let's go!"

Karaoke was as fun as it always was. Probably more fun, with her and Aiba consuming more beer and singing a dreadful version of Lovers again, with no work to get in the way.

----------

Timeline: 5 months to Entrance Exam

The back alley clinic in Naruhata was a small, poky place. Just a typical small, practically abandoned building in a shadier part of town.

Tsuchiya Hideo glared at the light as if it had personally offended him. With a weary sigh, he peeled himself off of his bed, turning on his shower to clean himself up.

His personal room looked like a bomb filled with dirty clothes and beer cans had gone off. The cleanest things in the room were a framed picture of a younger and happier Hideo on his graduation day, the others being a set of scrubs hanging up in the wardrobe, scrupulously clean. A collection of newspaper prints were on the walls, pictures of Hideo at various stages of his career, one of them covered in small dart holes.

He grabbed a cup of coffee, swilling it down. Sooner or later he'd have a client. There was always one. He pulled on his Villain outfit for the minor protection it would give him then slowly descended, enjoying the quiet before a patient.

Sure enough, there was a knock on the door. He sighed, going to the door. He opened the door, his tired eyes scanning over the caller. A young man with red hair and spiny skin stood there covered in blood. "Come in." He pointed the teenager through the place with its horrible brown walls, to a small room with a bench. "Please, have a seat."

The teenager sat on the provided bench as Stitch snapped on his gloves. This room was incredibly clean, the supplies almost what you would find in a regular hospital. "What's the problem?"

The teenager took a moment to get his breath. "I, uh, got in a fight, Real bad one."

Stitch hummed, looking over the damage. It looked like the patient had been clawed by a bear all over his chest. The bleeding had stopped for the most part, but he had lost a fair amount of blood. "Right."

He moved quickly yet methodically, pulling out several different antibiotic creams. "Are you allergic to any of these, and are you on Trigger or other substances right now? Because if you are it could have adverse effects."

"N-no!" The teenager coughed up some blood. "I-I don't think I have any allergies to that stuff."

Stitch pulled out several antibiotics and a piece of cloth. "Bite into this, because this is going to sting."

A purple blade flickered into existence on his finger. With an elegant movement, the shirt the patient was wearing fell into pieces. Stitch carefully cleaned the wound, then applied antiseptic, causing the teenager to grip the edge of the bench and let out muffled screams. When he was finished, he carefully wrapped the wound up. "There."

He pulled out a small tube of antiseptic and a roll of bandages and pressed them into his hand. "Come to me or have somebody help you change those bandages for the next couple of days. Make sure you wash your hands before trying anything with the wound."

The young man smiled. 'Thanks! So, uh, what do I owe you?"

Stitch looked him over. The kid didn't look like a gang member - probably just some kid who got in over his head. "That depends, how much can you afford?"

The teenager pulled out his wallet, looking through it. "Uh, I don't have too much money."

"As I said, what can you afford?"

He pulled out a handful of yen, only finding 5000 yen. "I- this is all I have on me."

Stitch snatched the bills. "That'll be enough then."

The teenager stared at him. "I-) can come back tomorrow with more money-"

"You've paid and that's enough." Stitch stared the teenager down. "If you want to pay me more, then get injured again. As far as I'm concerned this is over."

He shooed him out, sighing.

The next few clients were Villains, a small gang that had gained some notoriety for robbing a jewellery store. The leader, a large man with a bull's head, laughed as Stitch painstakingly cleaned their wounds. "Come on, doc! You should be working for us, as our personal surgeon! We can pay you good money!"

"Sorry, but I treat anybody who comes through my doors. I'm a doctor after all," Stitch muttered, needle and thread flashing as he stitched up the two Villains on. his table.

The bull head's smile slipped. "You sure about this? It'd be a bad idea to make me angry."

Stitch's finger lit up with a purple light. The Villains tensed as he gestured at the thick lead pipe that one of the members had. "As I said, I'm a surgeon. I treat anybody who comes in. I may not have a medical license right now, but that was part of the oath I swore."

Quicker than they could react, he slashed the pipe in the thug's hand. After a moment, the top slid down onto the ground, jangling loudly. He looked them in the eye as they flinched back. "So do you want me to continue treating you, or do you want to leave? Your choice."

Shakily, the Villains allowed themselves to be treated.

----

Stitch idly flicked through the channels on the television as he waited for clients. One of his patients had paid him in a bowl of ramen as payment for a tonsillectomy, offering that and lunch for a week. Stitch had accepted this offer in lieu of money, warning the man that he would expect to be paid in full.

"-And Doctor Garaki's revolutionary treatment was used today by Doctor Kirikuchi-"

Stitch turned the television off. "Bastards!"

He stomped off, glaring at one article on his walls.

BRILLIANT YOUNG SURGEON STRIPPED OF MEDICAL LICENSE.

Memories came back of that time. An older man in critical condition, and he was operating when another one came in - a younger man, barely younger than he had been at the time.

"Kirikuchi, I need you to treat the new patient! This man's a higher priority!"

"He'll die anyway! This kid? He's a VIP! We need you on him right now!"

"I trust you to do that procedure. This man will die if he doesn't get treatment."

"You didn't operate on my son when he was called in? I'll see you never work as a doctor again!"

Furiously he picked up a dart and threw it at the article, the dart thudding into the wall. "Bastards!"

More darts flew, punctuated by the single word. When he was finished, he stood there, breathing heavily, before he heard the door open downstairs. Coming down, he saw Mastermind entering with Mr. Compress, the pair battered but not looking seriously hurt. "Oh, Mastermind. What happened?"

Bitterness over his stolen work would have to wait.

Mastermind paused as Stitch came closer. "Mastermind-" KRAKATHOOM "-is in need of some medical assistance. I got burnt pretty badly." The younger man's posture was sheepish.

"Some fire based Hero caught him on the side. It's not a bad burn, but it will probably need treatment."

Stitch sighed. A doctor's work was never done. "Let's see the wound."

-----------

Timeline: Four months three weeks.

It didn't look like very much - a small house covered in ivy next to a hardware store. If you didn't know about it, or you didn't travel near it and smell the delicate fumes coming from inside, you wouldn't know that it was a teahouse.

Gentle Criminal breathed in the rich aroma of the pot coming closer. "Ah, Golden Tips Imperial tea." The Kazura teahouse was known for its Golden Tips Imperial tea, subtle yet refined.

Mr. Compress nodded. "Nothing like it."

The pair of villains sat in the cafe in civilian clothing, the elderly proprietor setting the pot down between them. Without his mask on, Mr. Compress was just another face in the crowd. Gentle Criminal had styled his hair differently and wore a pair of thick black sunglasses with a subdued collared shirt and pants.

The rich, golden-brown liquid was poured into the gentlemen's cups, Gentle pouring the pot without his typical flair. When Mr. Compress commented on this, Gentle simply smiled. "Waste Golden Tips Imperial? No, no. That would be a far worse crime than what we are planning."

Mr. Compress nodded. "A fair point." They gently tapped their cups together, inhaling the delicate aroma before sipping.

"Ah, delightful."

"Quite."

Mr. Compress put his cup down. "What an exquisite place. I must admit I had never heard of it before."

Gentle chuckled. "I found it when I was researching a corrupt business in the area. Though I did not have sufficient funds at the time to visit, I memorised its location."

Mr. Compress took another sip. "Kazura-san has undeniable talent." He looked around subtly, lowering his voice. "It'll be good to relax before we go for the next job. Mastermind seemed enthusiastic about it at least."

Gentle's expression softened slightly. "Mastermind? Truth be told I worry about him slightly. He's..."

"A kind soul. Very kind."

Gentle sighed. "I won't deny I see myself in him. I... before one bad day, I truly wanted to be a Hero."

Mr. Compress nodded. "I can't blame you, though I never had ambitions like that."

Gentle looked slightly surprised, then frowned, taking another sip of tea. "I've no taste for violence. Most villains are so brutal. But Mastermind... he's a gentle soul. And he's smart enough that he really shouldn't be in this business."

Mr. Compress' cup stopped before it came to his mouth. "You think so?"

Gentle's expression turned bitter. "I... I'm not really anything special. I never had the grades to make it anywhere in Hero school. Mastermind though - he doesn't have to be a Villain."

He chuckled. "I mean, he is a friend, and I wish him the best. But I honestly wonder why he's a Villain at all."

Mr. Compress paused for a moment. "Everybody has a reason for doing what they do. And I feel that Mastermind and myself are very similar."

When Gentle looked at him, he waved a hand, a bunch of roses appearing. "Even without my Quirk, I am a master of prestidigitation. I'm a fully accredited magician with and without Quirk. If I didn't want to be a Villain I wouldn't be here."

He stood up dramatically, cup delicately balanced. The elderly proprietor dully stared at him before shaking his head, leaving the room and closing the door. "So why? My reason... I want to expose the corruption in the Hero world." He sipped his tea. "I wager that his reason is similar."

Gentle thought for a moment, then nodded. "I guess it's been weighing on my mind. I suppose I have to live up to the Phantom Thief's example and keep on with it, don't I?"

Mr. Compress chuckled as he sat back down. "Yes, I think he would approve of that."

Gentle looked at Mr. Compress with an odd expression before shrugging. "Still, I hope that the other villains out there stay out of our way..."

-----------

A while ago...

The shady room above the abandoned bar was bare of furniture, save for a variety of television screens and consoles. A laptop in the corner was plugged in to the wall, displaying various screenshots. The futon on the ground was messy and unmade, and there were dirty clothes and empty cans scattered everywhere. A neat figure with black and purple smoke coming off of his body sighed, starting to tidy the clothes and detritus away before glancing over at the other inhabitant as he tapped away furiously on his handheld console.

"Shigaraki, I don't suppose you want to read the newspaper or watch the news? There has been an interesting development-"

"Not interested Kurogiri." Shigaraki didn't even look up from his console.

Kurogiri tried again. "It might help you plan your next move."

Shigaraki looked up, red, bloodshot eyes staring at Kurogiri's. "Why should I waste my time with this Hero Society's biased media when I could be spending it doing something productive like gaming?"

He hunched back over his console. "Now I've got to get back to this. Breeding a shiny Ralts with perfect IVs so then I can start EV training to beat that fucking bitch Cynthia."

Kurogiri stared ahead with the expression of a man who was already dead.

-------

In a shaded lair, a small, fat bald man looked at the television screen displaying the antics of a certain figure. "So, my lord... what do you think?"

The figure that sat in the chair leaned forwards slightly. Scarred, sightless sockets locked onto the figure on screen, loudly proclaiming its status as a Supervillain.

"I think this moron is hilarious," All for One commented, a wide grin on his face.

Chapter Text

Mastermind and Mr. Compress slammed the door shut behind them, then slumped to the ground, panting. "Did we lose them?"

Mastermind checked a screen in the corner of his vision. "Looks like it."

With a sigh, Mr. Compress pulled out a small collection of marbles.

With a dramatic flourish, the rest of the League of Supervillains came out in various states of disarray. Gentle Criminal rearranged his cravat with a fastidious air, La Brava fussing over him. Inkblot took a shaky swig of her ink canister.

"We really got a big response, huh?" Golden Grin said.

Mastermind had prepared this location and others like it in advance. The League had been increasing the scale of crimes they were committing, and the response against them had grown in kind. So using some of the money that hadn't gone to buying better equipment and making donations to various charities in the League's name, he had purchased a couple of warehouses.

The League of Supervillains took advantage of the quiet to take a breather, Gentle pulling out some teabags and going over to the kettle to make some tea. "Wow. That was pretty intense," Inkblot sighed.

Mastermind nodded. "Well, we're going to need to stay low to the ground until everything goes over."

They had decided to rob another Support company, Mon Kara. Mr. Compress had infiltrated as a new employee, using his talents as a master of disguise to slip in and patch them through while planting cameras. Through tireless investigation, the League had determined that this company was ripping off civilian and Hero clients by overcharging, as well as discriminatory hiring practices against heteromorphic Quirks.

Inkblot had been pissed off about that. "We should totally tie the CEO to some train tracks," she'd growled.

Mastermind had shaken his head. "If we do that, then we'll attract really heavy hitters, and I don't think we're ready to fight those kinds of people yet," he'd explained. "Believe me, I want to do something like that since it's classic Supervillainy, but when we have a bit more preparation time!"

Inkblot had frowned, then sighed. "I know, I know."

Mastermind and co. had taken advantage of the distraction that had afforded to pull off a big robbery. However, the company had been a bit more prepared than the usual ones that they had been hitting. Not just that, but there had been a visit by a private school tour in the area - something about 'demonstrating the benefits of the Hero industry to enquiring young minds.' That had made the robbery more difficult owing to the need to avoid too much collateral damage.

Whether they had forewarning or just luck, the Heroes had been close at hand.

The kids had scattered, making things harder, but Mastermind and Mr. Compress had prevailed! With some quick thinking, they had taken advantage of the chaos and managed to escape with loot in hand! With the League of Supervillains safely compressed for ease of transport, Mastermind and Mr. Compress had taken a stealthy route to the nearest warehouse.

Mastermind checked over the stored haul. "Everything has gone according to my design." He started to laugh. "The plan to get out worked! MWA-HAHAHA!"

Mr. Compress checked over his pockets, then seemed to do a double take. "Hm. That's odd," he muttered.

Mastermind paused his laughter to stare at Mr. Compress. "What's odd?"

Mr. Compress rummaged in his pocket. "It seems that I grabbed an extra item on the way out."

Mastermind shrugged. "Well, it's probably no big-" Mr. Compress pulled the marble out, everybody looking closely and then doing a double take, "-deal."

Inside was a small figure in school uniform with black hair and glasses, frozen in place. Golden Grin was the first to speak. "You... grabbed another person?"

Mr. Compress looked away. "Well, in the smoke it's not exactly easy to keep track of everything and we were in a rush," he mumbled.

La Brava chewed her thumb. "This is bad, this is really bad!"

Inkblot couldn't help but nod.

Gentle Criminal looked at the marble, then at Mastermind. "Do you have a plan, Mastermind?"

Mastermind had been muttering this whole time, a piece of paper in hand and furiously scribbling on it. When he heard his name, he folded the paper in half. "We'll have to do the damsel in distress then," he stated.

Inkblot gave a small grin. "Seriously? We're going to do that? What about the plan that we'd need for that?"

Mastermind shrugged. "Well, this happened and it's not really anybody's fault. So we might as well go for it and make it look intentional."

He suddenly posed dramatically. "Besides! You think the brilliant MASTERMIND-" KRAKATHOOM "-has not just thought of one? Mr. Compress!"

The taller villain turned to Mastermind neatly. "Yes?"

Mastermind pulled out a couple of marbles from his own pocket. "We need to make sure that our guest is... comfortable, and doesn't get any ideas about escaping." Thunder roared.

"MWA-HAHAHA!"

--------------

Iida Tenya staggered, vision slowly returning through the thick cloud of smoke. He had just gone on a tour to the Mon Kara Support agency, a business that provided quality Support gear to a wide variety of Heroes. Then the League of Villains had shown up, and he had been trying to guide his classmates to safety when thick purple smoke had enshrouded him and the others. Then... nothing.

As he tried to recover, his arm was suddenly pulled behind him, holding him in place with a grip like a vice. As he strained to see through the smoke, it cleared, revealing several figures he'd only seen what must have been a few hours ago. Mastermind, lounging on a throne with Gentle Criminal and Mr. Warp standing on either side! Next to them, Golden Grin and the diminutive La Brava were looking over the space they were in, keeping an eye on him. Behind him, the rabbit themed Villain that vaguely resembled Inkblot kept her grip on his arm firm yet gentle.

"MWA-HAHAHA!" KRAKATHOOM!

Tenya gasped. "The League of Supervillains!"

Mastermind cackled. "Indeed!" The rest of the League of Supervillains stood around what was clearly a warehouse, refitted with various pieces of equipment. A large vat behind them let off green fumes, a sickly scent in the air. "You're currently in our deepest lair! Which is super secret!"

Tenya's eyes widened. He was in their secret lair? Why would they take him here? Unless... a horrible thought snuck in. He broke into a cold sweat. They couldn't know about it - the crime he had committed.

Mastermind simply laughed. "Oh, the plans we have in store for you! MWA-HAHAHA! MWA-HAHAHA!" Thunder roared, the other villains seeming to grin as well. "We need your help with a little-"

Tenya froze in place. He knew it, he'd always known this was going to happen! They had found out his crimes and had him here for only one thing!

They wanted a new member of the League of Supervillains and had found him to be a candidate!

His mind swam with his horrible crimes. Which one had they found? Mastermind was a genius who had an uncanny knack for finding any corruption, such as that bank which had been revealed to be ripping off other people! Mastermind must have found his shameful deeds and found him prime Villain material! What a devious, nefarious Villain!

Mastermind got out of his throne. "Um, kid? Are - are you okay?" He made his way closer to Tenya, hesitantly. "What's with that look? We-we aren't actually going to hurt you! It's just a bluff for the Heroes!"

Inkblot checked Tenya over. "I-I'm not hurting you that badly, am I? You're just a kid - unless you're some sort of businessman or something." She smiled slightly shakily. "It's going to be okay-"

Tenya took in a deep breath. "I don't- I don't want to be a Villain, but if you know what crimes I've done, then so be it!"

Mastermind stood frozen. "Uh-"

Tenya looked at the ground. "I-I need to think of a new Villain name! Maybe... maybe Reverse Ingenium, that'll work! And I need to work on my Villain laugh, don't I?"

"Mastermind-" KRAKATHOOM "-does not know what you're talking about-"

Tenya whipped his head up, pulling his arm free. "You know what horrible crimes I have committed!" He gestured animatedly, arms chopping for emphasis. "Just last week... I saw that the light was red, but there were no cars... so rather than wait for the walk signal, I crossed the road! Oh, my shameful moral degradation!"

"What-"

"And there's more! Only a few days ago, at the vending machine I paid for a can of orange juice, and the machine dropped two!" Tenya shuddered, in his own personal hell. "I wanted to pay for it, but I didn't have enough money in my wallet! So I-I took the can for myself!" He burst into tears, batting away Mastermind's All Might handkerchief. "I'm too evil to be a Hero!"

Gentle Criminal looked confused. "Well, um, that's pretty... nefarious, but I don't really think that one was a crime-"

"And just a couple of weeks ago, I had to borrow a pen-" Tenya's heart spasmed with the shame of not having a pen and showing how unprepared he was for Heroics, but he pressed on "-and I said I would return it... but I haven't! I stole his pen!"

He curled up into a ball, rocking backwards and forwards with self-loathing. Mastermind hesitantly patted him on the back. "It's, um, okay. I forget to return pens all the time-"

"Such casual theft!" Tenya chopped the air in front of him rapidly, causing the Villains to back up. "And at Christmas, I said I was going to write a Thank You card to all of my family, but I forgot to write a card for my uncle until two days later! Truely I can never be a hero after this!"

Mastermind looked at La Brava for assistance, only getting a shrug in response. "Um... what's your name?" He passed Tenya another handkerchief that wasn't soaked through.

"I-iida Tenya," Tenya sniffed, dabbing at his eyes. "But from now on, I must be known by my Villain name, Reverse Ingenium! It's all I deserve for my crimes!"

Mastermind paused. "Um... those all sound, um... villainous, but we just grabbed you so that we could threaten to lower you into a vat of toxic chemicals. Grabbing you wasn't intended, but we're going to make the best of it!"

Tenya stared at Mastermind in shock. "You mean... in spite of my offences to mankind you're just going to hold me hostage? You don't think I'm Villain material?"

Mastermind gave him a hesitant thumbs up. "Yes?"

Tenya breathed a sigh of relief. Then his eyes shot open. "Wait, toxic chemicals?!"

Mastermind just nodded. "Don't worry, the Heroes'll get you free! It's not exactly what I planned, but-"

Tenya tried to run for it, only for Inkblot to grab him by the back of his shirt and pull him back. "Jesus, you're muscular for a teenager," she grunted. Golden Grin crossed his arms and 'hmphed.'

Tenya's mind spun. On the one hand, he could use his Quirk and escape! But on the other hand... he'd be using his Quirk without a Hero License! That would be... that would make him a Villain!

While he agonised over it, his arms were tied behind him by Inkblot, and wasn't able to stop her from ragging him away to the huge vat in the corner. He looked down at the ground in shame. How could he face his brother like this?

-----------

Iida Tensei nearly dropped his phone. "What do you mean, Tenya's gone missing?"

Horrible thoughts swam through his mind of what could have happened to his adorable little brother.

His mother took a deep breath, obviously freaking out herself. "The League of Supervillains attacked the company that his class was touring. W-when they took a count of students...  I'm sorry, but Tenya-kun wasn't there."

Tensei took in a deep breath. "It's alright mom. I'm going to help handle it."

There was a pause on the other side of the line, then his mother sighed. "I know you will, Tensei. Make sure that you capture them all."

Tensei gave a tight nod. "Of course."

When he hung up the phone, he pulled his helmet back on. "Team Idaten!"

Enigma poked her head around the corner, the rest of the agency following suit. "Yes?"

Ingenium looked them over. "The League of Supervillains has kidnapped a student after their latest robbery. Team Ingenium will be helping the heroes assigned to Mastermind's specific case make a complete capture."

Enigma looked at him oddly. "You seem on edge, Tensei.  Are you-"

"I'm fine, Enigma! Let's move out!"

As the rest of Team Idaten started to get moving, he scowled in his helmet.

If Tenya wasn't fine when he got there, he was going to make sure that every Villain that had hurt him would pay.

What were they planning with his little brother?!

----------------

"So, what's the plan?"

Mastermind took a deep breath. "Okay, so Iida-san is suspended over the vat of toxic chemicals - hold on." He turned around, turning up the volume on his mask. "Are you alright? The harness shouldn't be cutting off your circulation! I tested it myself!"

Iida was held on a large platform above a giant vat of glowing and bubbling green liquid. Toxic fumes wafted off of it as the young man squirmed. "Release me you fiends!" he cried.

Mastermind nodded. "He's fine." He looked over the rest of it. "So, this'll be a perfect distraction so that we can get away from here and back to our secure hideout. The machine itself won't lower him too quickly. It should be-"

Inkblot looked at the vat again, turning on the private communications. "I still don't know why you had Mr. Compress shrink a vat of toxic, acidic chemicals."

Mastermind tilted his head. "In case I needed a vat of toxic chemicals!"

"Why would you even need something like that?"

Mastermind looked at her, and it dawned on her that Mastermind legitimately couldn't think of why you wouldn't need a vat of chemicals just in case.

Golden Grin looked at him oddly. "A vat you filled with Mountain Dew?"

Mastermind coughed. "As I said, a vat with toxic chemicals and acid."

Gentle Criminal opened his mouth to argue, then frowned, thinking it over. "I suppose..." he murmured.

Iida continued to struggle. "Your schemes won't work, foul Villain! The heroes will be here any moment!"

Mastermind grinned. "I'd like to see them try! Nobody knows you're-" He suddenly froze in place.

Then he turned around. "I knew I was forgetting something," he mumbled. "Guess I'll have to leak the warehouse location-"

Golden Grin boggled at Mastermind. "You- you want to lead the Heroes to our location?"

Mastermind fidgeted. "W-well-"

Mr. Compress sighed. "Mastermind, while it would be dramatic to have this kind of death trap, our own escape should be paramount."

Mastermind nodded. "I know, I know! That's why, after we release the clues and we know the Heroes are coming in, we'll slip through the back alleys to get away!"

The other villains shared a look. Mastermind looked down. "I-I know this is risky. But... come on! It's a classic death trap scenario! The Heroes will save him for sure, and in doing so we can slip away! It's worked so far, hasn't it?"

The League of Supervillains thought about it for a moment. Finally, Inkblot spoke.

"Let's do it."

------------------

The Mastermind Taskforce was already working hard on the scene of the Mon Kara break-in when Ingenium burst in on the scene, skidding to a stop. Death Arms stared at the younger Hero as he panted, before he made a polite bow. "Hello, Death Arms-san! I understand you're the one in charge of the current Mastermind investigation!"

Death Arms recovered quickly, nodding. "Yes. We're just going over everything that Mastermind's left behind - his usual modus operandi." He picked up a tiny screen, scowling. Doubtless it would have some recording of some crime that the company had committed, or Mastermind's taunting the Heroes with their foolishness. Or both.

Ingenium hummed. "Have you had any success at tracking down their bases? Usual routes?"

Kamui Woods was the one to answer, shaking his head. "They seem to take different routes every time. We haven't had any luck in tracking them down."

Ingenium looked around, distracted. "Well, if you have any reports on their movements after their activities then Team Idaten could lend a hand. We're currently involved in an ongoing investigation with the Hero Killer, but I'm sure we can spare a few-"

He was cut off my a surprised gasp coming from the rest of the team. Whirling around, he saw a a tiny red cube float down, no rotors holding it aloft. As it came closer, a small green lens popped open, lighting up. Projected in a haze of green light was...

"Mastermind!" Death Arms exclaimed.

The supervillain made a generous gesture. "Indeed, Death Arms! How are you? I'm doing great, thanks for asking."

"What have you done to Iida Tenya?" Ingenium practically shouted, glaring at the Supervillain.

Mastermind turned to look at Ingenium, then froze. "Oh my god it's Ingenium!" He turned to somebody off camera. "Is - is my cape alright?"

Ingenium stared at Mastermind, the wind taken from his sails. Mastermind really was just as confusing as the reports said.

He suddenly remembered that he was on camera and coughed. "Oh, he's fine, fine! And will continue to be for some time! However... if you don't want him to take a bath, you'll have to find us first!" 

Death Arms stared upwards for a moment before clearing his throat. "Enough of your games, Villain! Tell us where you are so you can face..." he sighed. "So you can face our Supercool Justice!"

Ingenium stared at Death Arms. "What?"

Death Arms looked shifty. "It helps get him talking. Just roll with it."

Sure enough, Mastermind laughed maniacally, thunder roaring through the hologram emitter's speakers. "Very well then, Heroes! Better think quick, for the answer will be in these riddles!" 

He cleared his throat, then tapped something on his wrist. The sight of Mastermind faded, replaced by a text box with several seperate sections. He read out each one, the Heroes watching carefully, Kamui Woods taking a photo of the riddles.

"What weighs six ounces, lives up in a tree and is very dangerous?"

"Normally I have a small apartment. Once every month I live in a large house, but I did not move out of my apartment. What am I living in?"

"I can be found underground and in cards. So what am I?"

"I'm bright but I'm not clever , I burn but I'm not a bonfire, I sound like I'm a celebrity but I'm not famous, I twinkle but I'm not an eye, I can be seen at night but I'm not the moon. What am I?"

Ingenium glared at Mastermind. "Enough games! If you don't hand back Iida Tenya, so help me I'll-"

Mastermind turned around to somebody off-camera. "Eh? What? Car's ready? Oh! Hold- hold on. I'm talking to the Heroes." He turned back, attempting to get his composure back. "Where was I? Oh, yes!" Thunder roared yet again, the shorter man laughing as he posed dramatically. "Come on, foolish Heroes! If you can't figure out my riddle... then Iida-kun... will take a long bath in some toxic chemicals! MWA-HAHAHA! MWA-HAHAHA!" 

He tapped a button on his gauntlet, turning around. The Heroes watched, searching desperately for any clues. "Okay guys, I've just told them the location. Now, we're going to have to-"

"Uh, Mastermind?"

"What is it, La Brava?"

"The camera's still running." 

"What?" Mastermind frantically hammered at the control panel. "Oh, god - I'm- I'm sorry Heroes! This is... intentional! Totally not an accident! Mwa-hahaha - seriously it should be-"

The video ended, the tiny cube hanging in the air for a second. Kamui Woods quickly lashed out to try and grab the cube, but it shot through the air at an incredible speed, rocketing over the horizon.

Ingenium stared off in the distance before turning back to Death Arms. He could already feel a headache coming on. "Is Mastermind-"

"Oh, he's always like that!"

Ingenium jumped about a foot in the air at the sudden cheerful interjection. Whirling behind him, he stared at the people behind him. Ms. Joke gave him a cheerful wave, the Heroine standing there with a confident grin. Next to her was a familiar face.

"Principal Nedzu?"

The short rat/dog/bear smiled. "How good to see you again, Ingenium! I only wish it were under less serious circumstances."

Ingenium nodded, not trusting himself to speak yet. Nedzu gave him a sympathetic pat on the back of the knee before turning to Death Arms. "Now, to finding young Iida. You say that Mastermind left some riddles for us?"

Death Arms nodded, passing them on with a disgruntled look. "Can't believe he's making a game out of it. Putting somebody's life at risk like that..." he clenched his fist.

Nedzu hummed, checking over the riddles before passing them up to Ms. Joke. "What do you think?"

The Pro Heroine looked over the riddles, a small smile on her face. After a couple of minutes she handed it back. "I know the first one, but I still haven't figured out the other ones."

Nedzu shrugged. "The others would be a bit tricky for most people, I will admit."

Ingenium looked at them. "So what's the answer?"

Ms. Joke looked him in the eye. "Well, the first one's from a classic movie - the answer's 'a sparrow with a machine-gun.'"

Death Arms and the rest of the heroes stared at her. "Is this a joke?" Ingenium demanded.

She shook her head. "Nope. Dead serious."

Nedzu pointed at the second riddle. "That one is a bit trickier, but I believe I've found it. If he hasn't moved out, and it happens once a month... what happens about once a month?"

Ms. Joke pondered for a moment, the other heroes looking between themselves. Suddenly her eyes shot wide open. "The full moon!"

Nedzu grinned. "Exactly! Which makes where he lives-"

"-A Were-house!" Ms. Joke grinned widely, a laugh passing her lips. "I'll have to remember that one."

Death Arms and Kamui Woods looked between each other. "So, what was the third one?"

Nedzu grinned, but Ms. Joke beat him to the punch. "Well, I thought about it, and it's a word play. If it's in cards and underground, I thought of similar sounding words. Then it hit me!" She grinned. "Taro! It's both a root vegetable-"

"-And the name of the fortune telling deck." Ingenium mulled it over. "And the last one?"

Nedzu grinned. "A star, obviously! Think about it."

Ingenium stared for a minute. "So... Sparrow with a machine gun, warehouse, taro and star? Those are our clues?"

Nedzu nodded. "Precisely Ingenium! So, we're going to need a map!" From a breast pocket he pulled out a small map, unfurling it. The Heroes crowded around, looking at Nedzu as he did so. "So, over here in Musutafu, there is indeed a Sparrow Street." he pointed to a part of the map, letting the Heroes confirm.

Once they were satisfied he continued. "This part of town does have a lot of warehouses, but I'm confident in this address." He pointed it out. "Number 17."

Ingenium looked at him. "Why seventeen?"

Nedzu grinned. "The Star in the traditional Tarot deck has the number 17. Mastermind made that choice deliberately."

Ingenium frowned in his mask, but didn't object to Nedzu's choice. "Still, we'll have to check all other warehouses in the area just to be sure."

He turned around, tapping his earpiece. "Attention, Team Idaten! We're going to be helping the Mastermind taskforce! I want everybody to get to Sparrow Street! Now, let's co-ordianate!"

Mastermind wasn't going to get away with this.

-----------------

Mastermind and the rest of the League of Supervillains checked the radar. "We're going to have to time this very carefully," Mastermind murmured.

The plan was simple yet effective. As the Heroes would figure out the riddle, the Mastermobile was ready and raring to go. The Mastermind security grid was fully functional, and would pick up when the Heroes were in the area. When that happened, Mastermind and co would toss off a pithy one-liner, then flee the area...

"And make for the back alleyways, where we can split up and get lost. Then we regroup at...?"

"We'll make it to Giran's place," Inkblot finished, "You sure we can trust him?"

Gentle nodded. "The man won't sell out some of his best clients. He'll help us lay low if we need to."

La Brava checked over her computer screen. "It seems that the Heroes have figured out what your riddles were about. They're on the move!"

Iida struggled in his bonds again. Mastermind carefully pressed a button, starting the process to lower him into the vat. "Curse you, you foul Villains! You-you won't get away with this!"

Mastermind gave him a thumbs up. "Thank you for being a great hostage! It's really encouraging to hear that! Hope to see you when you become a Hero!"

The computer for the security grid beeped. Mastermind grinned, gesturing. "Alright, we're getting a hero coming-"

The door was smashed in, Ingenium skidding in. He took in the scene, then glared at Mastermind. "YOU!"

Mastermind grinned. "Yes, it's me! The Devious Criminal Genius, MASTERMIND!" Thunder boomed, the Mastermobile starting up.

Ingenium was about to start towards them but then Iida's bonds dropped lower. Mastermind waggled a finger. "Capture us or save Young Iida from a chemical bath? You decide!" The car shot off, Mastermind's maniacal laughter echoing around the room.

Ingenium didn't hesitate. He sped over to the chemical vat, seeing the obvious control panel. For a brief moment, he scanned the control panel, trying to find how to get Iida down safely. Checking one last time, he pressed the big red button marked 'POWER.' It felt too obvious, but considering Mastemrind's typical style, it would have to be that one.

Tenya stopped, hanging a few feet from the surface of the liquid as Ingenium ran up the steps to the vat's top. "Iida! Are you alright?"

Ingenium pulled Iida in closer, freeing him from his bonds. Once free, Tenya wrapped his big brother in a hug. "T-Tensei! I - " he gripped his brother tighter. "Thank you for coming to save me! I'm so sorry for causing you to worry about me!"

Pulling his helmet off, Tensei smiled at his brother. "It's alright, Tenya. Besides, I'm your brother, I kind of have to worry about your safety."

Tenya pulled back slightly, trying his best to be serious. "But Nii-san-"

Tensei shook it off. "The most important thing to do when you're a Hero is make sure that everybody's okay after the fact, right?"

Tenya stared up at his brother with eyes. "But what about Mastermind?"

Tensei patted his head. "Did you think I was going to let him get away?"

He pulled his helmet back on, thinking about the plan. Team Idaten's philosophy was to make sure that the right Hero was in the right place at the right time.

Ingenium knew that the right place for him to be was at his brother's side, getting him to safety. The rest of the team he'd called in was focused on catching the League of Supervillains.

He'd been counting on them deciding to make a quick getaway rather than fight.

Based on their profile, they're a group that prefers not to fight unless necessary. Combined with Mastermind's penchant for drama, and there's no way he wouldn't stay near me long enough to give me a pithy one-liner! That gives the rest of Idaten time to manoeuvre, and means that we can stretch our net wide enough to catch them. 

Over his earpiece he heard the rest of Idaten communicating.

"Mastermind and co. seen travelling down side roads! Estimated destination is the back alleys of Musutafu!" 

"Got that! Make sure that the cordon is properly enforced!"

In typical Team Idaten fashion, they accomplished this through strong teamwork with plenty of surveillance. There were a few eyes in the sky, along with Heroes on the ground. They were aiming to get the League of Supervillains into a dangerous position, one where they'd have the maximum opportunity.

He turned to his little brother. "Tenya, are you okay to get home by yourself?"

Tenya gave a stiff nod. "Of course! As befitting a civilian, I'll be heading home after I debrief with the police and heroes!"

Tensei smiled. "So serious, Tenya. You did a good job holding out."

Tenya shuddered with happiness, a giddy smile on his face. "Of course brother! I-I want to be a Hero just like you after all!"

Tensei patted his brother own the back. "be the best Hero you can be, Tenya. Now, off you go."

His headset beeped. Ingenium pulled his helmet back on, ready to hear the news.

"We've managed to get the League of Supervillains into our ideal position! Enigma and Big Shot are with Kamui Woods and Mount Lady, ready to capture!" 

------------

Mastermind stared out at the scene in front of him. The other Villains in the car shifted nervously.

The Heroes had managed to cut them off, leaving practically no way out. Every way they had turned seemed to have a cordon up. And then they had ended up here, in a small street where the Heroes stood. Mastermind recognised the Giant Hero Enigma, the girl's body a huge black mass with a bone white face. Big Shot, the Blast Hero, stood with his hands together, letting his Quirk charge up to its maximum size.

Mastermind half-turned to the rest of the crew. "Guys, I'm so sorry! I let my love of drama get in the way again and now-"

Inkblot shook her head. "Nah, it was my original idea!"

Behind the barricade, Kamui Woods pulled out a megaphone, pointing at the League. "VILLAINS! COME OUT WITH YOUR HANDS UP!"

Mr. Compress straightened his sleeves. "If anybody is going to be blamed, it should be me for grabbing him in the first place."

Mastermind took a deep, calming breath. "It was my plan as I said, but - well, what's done is done. We can argue about it later." He stood up suddenly. "Everybody. Get ready to run."

Inkblot turned to the shorter villain, eyes wide. "M-Mastermind?"

Mastermind tapped a panel on his armour, the sound of his plasma reactor firing up. "I've been holding a few things in reserve, just in case things got dangerous."

Inkblot looked at him in horror. "You can't be thinking-"

Mastermind shook his head. "I'm not going to blow them up. But I am going to make an opening for the rest of you to escape-"

Inkblot cuffed him on the back of the head. She scowled down at him. "Idiot." Her frown split into a shark-like grin. "That kind of plan ain't flying."

Mr. Compress twirled his cane. "Indeed. My love of drama matches, and possibly even exceeds your own, Mastermind. To make a final stand against these heroes, possibly escaping?" he swept into a bow. "What greater show could there be?"

Gentle Criminal wiped some sweat from his brow, adjusting his cravat. "All for one and one for all! This will be our best video yet!"

La Brava puffed herself up. "We're in this together, and we'll make a spectacular getaway!"

Mastermind stared at each of them. "No, no! You have to run-"

Inkblot gripped him tightly. "Nobody gets left behind, remember?"

Mastermind stared at each of them. "Y-you guys..." he sobbed.

Mr. Compress and Gentle Criminal patted him on the back. "Let's give them a show, Mastermind."

Mastermind took a deep breath, trying to recover. "Yeah... yeah..." He suddenly perked right up. "THE HEROES THINK THEY'VE GOT US, BUT THEY'VE SEEN NOTHING YET! MWA-HAHAHA!"

La Brava smiled, tears glinting in her eyes. There was the Mastermind who had become her best friend.

The villains all exited the car, the Heroes watching. A burst of Warping smoke from Mr. Compress came, Golden Grin popping out with a similarly determined expression on his face. The whole conversation had been transmitted, since Mastermind had built the communicators to work with Mr. Compress' Quirk. Kamui Woods asked the question.

"Are you surrendering?"

For answer, Mastermind posed dramatically. "NOT A CHANCE, HEROES! YOU'LL HAVE TO DO BETTER THAN THIS TO CAPTURE THE BRILLIANT MASTERMIND AND THE LEAGUE OF SUPERVILLAINS! MWA-HAHAHA! MWA-HAHAHA!"

As the thunder roared, La Brava stared up at all of these wonderful people in her life. A grin formed on her face as they prepared to take the fight to the Heroes.

"I love you guys, so much."

Chapter Text

Ingenium looked over the attempted capture site for the League. It was, to put it bluntly, a mess. Groaning Heroes were picking themselves up, while others were helping them.

Enigma's large form was laid out flat and cold, her Mass Expansion Quirk slowly reverting her back down to regular human size.

Ingenium had ultimately decided to stay with his brother and help with the police, since he knew that was a stressful thing to go through. He had been confident that Team Idaten working with the local Heroes would be enough to contain the Villains, ready to cut in if needed.

Nedzu checked the scene with a surprised expression on his face. "Curiouser and curiouser," he commented.

Ingenium stared at the Principal as he spoke. "That's not exactly how I would put it, sir."

Nedzu shrugged. "It's certainly a conundrum, isn't it? They've never demonstrated that level of ability before."

Ingenium didn't respond to that, instead sighing. He turned to Big Shot, who had pushed himself back up. The larger Hero looked his boss in the eye as Ingenium came closer. "Big Shot, what happened out here?"

Big Shot sighed, a grim expression on his face. "Well..."

---------

One Hour Earlier...

The Villains strode out, intent on making one last scene. Inkblot took point, a grin on her face and her mallet in hand. The Heroes came upon them, readying binding moves to try and catch the Villains as quickly as possible.

"I love you guys, so much."

Enigma's hand came down on Inkblot, to pin the strong Villainess before she could cause more damage.

Just as the Heroes were about to make contact, there was a small lightshow.

They had expected Gentle Criminal to light up - it wasn't widely spread, but many Heroes had mentioned him glowing then growing dramatically in strength. La Brava's Quirk was powerful when used with others, which meant that trying to catch her was the best option to stop her empowering Gentle.

They weren't expecting the other Villains to start glowing. The diminutive Villain looked as shocked as they were, before she suddenly fell.

Enigma's hand came down, Inkblot's eyes widening as she blocked the massive palm. She briefly struggled, then she glowed with a yellow light. "What the-" she breathed, before shoving back Enigma with as much force as she could muster. Normally that wouldn't have done much more than briefly delay Enigma from pinning the subject.

Instead, the oversized Heroine was forced backwards a step by that action, managing to catch herself before she landed on any police vehicles. Inkblot checked herself over, her confused expression slowly changing to a grin. Her jacket's sleeves had exploded from how hard she'd pushed, revealing her noodle arms as they seemed to shift between muscular and their normal hose-like state. "I don't know what's happening, but I like it!"

She pulled her mallet out from behind her back, the Heroes holding their ground. Behind her, Gentle Criminal shone with his own pink light, turning back to grab La Brava. "Are you alright, La Brava?"

La Brava managed to push herself up, but seemed to be out of energy. "I-I've never used my Quirk like that before..." she stammered, shock warring with exhaustion.

Gentle Criminal's face turned serious. Quickly, he picked up La Brava, securing her with a cord from his pocket. "Apologies, Heroes. We must leave." He bounced off the tarmac then through the air, rocketing off invisible platforms almost too fast to blink. A Hero that got in his way was met with a cane that smashed him down into another Hero, sending them sprawling.

Mastermind himself was in the front with Inkblot, laughing maniacally. "I guess I didn't need my surprise after all!" He slammed his open palm into the side of a car. With a mighty TOING the vehicle was shot forwards like a cannonball, forcing Kamui Woods to turn his binding manoeuvre into an impromptu net to save some Heroes. Mastermind blocked a Hero's jab and responded with a blow to the solar plexus that caused the Hero to collapse with a hand over his mouth to keep from vomiting.

Golden Grin shone even brighter from the glaring yellow light, actually bracing himself to fire. Big Shot managed to unleash his signature Blast Quirk from his cupped hands, trying to overwhelm the Villains. The shot came out as a massive bright blue beam about two metres wide. Golden Grin opened his mouth, light building up and-

Fired, his beam matching its opponents' size. Golden Grin's eyes were wide behind his mask as he unleashed hell.

The blast of golden light hit Big Shot's own blue beam, the atmosphere between the two crackling with raw power. The lower half of Golden Grin's mask cracked under the sheer strain, the Villain himself only staying in place after having braced himself against a building. Big Shot was sweating himself, the larger Hero trying to overpower the beam as the pair raged against each other.  Eventually, the blasts faded, Big Shot falling to one knee to try and recover from the strain of using such an incredibly powerful blast. Golden Grin managed to stagger to his feet, breathing heavily and with one hand clutching his stomach.

Mr. Warp's smoke billowed out and over the Heroes assembled, the Villain seeming to disappear from sight before slamming into a Hero. He landed a series of blows that left four Heroes flat on their backs before they even knew what was happening. The Villain's coat was shredded from the force of the attacks, his cane bent at an odd angle.

Ingenium had been called then and he'd responded. As one of the fastest Heroes nearby they hoped he would be able to catch the Villains. With a quick apology to his brother, he shot into action, speeding down the street using the guidance of Team Idaten. It was still going to take even him a fair bit of time to catch up to where the League of Supervillains was fighting.

Enigma tried to block them in, going to her maximum size, but Inkblot got there first. The Villainess leapt into the air, shoving her formerly gloved hand into her mouth with a canister of ink. With her cheeks puffed, the Villainess' gloved hand expanded in size until it was about as large as she was. Enigma was barely able to get her arms up to block the incredible swing, Inkblot following through the crushing blow to knock the Heroine down to the ground, other Heroes scrambling out of the way.

Enigma tried to push herself up, but another hammer like blow to the face and she was knocked out cold. As her fist shrank back to its regular size, the smile on Inkblot's face was positively feral, only changing when she saw the rest of the League coming closer.

The rest of the League of Supervillains shared a glance, Mastermind especially focusing on Golden Grin and La Brava, then they nodded. With Inkblot and Gentle Criminal leading the main offence, the Heroes were simply unable to regain the upper hand. The League of Supervillains smashed a hole through the barricades, the Mastermobile followed behind them. Mastermind helped haul Golden Grin into the Mastermobile, gesturing to the other Villains to come with him. As the police tried to get back into gear with the Heroes, Mastermind let out one last taunt.

"HEROES! TODAY IS THE DAY YOU WILL ALWAYS REMEMBER AS THE DAY YOU ALMOST CAUGHT... MASTERMIND, AND THE LEAGUE OF SUPERVILLAINS! MWA-HAHAHA! MWA-HAHAHA!" Thunder roared as the Villains shot away, the few Heroes not incapacitated cursing as they tried to track them.

Well, Ingenium and the police tried to catch them but the Villains were ahead of them. Oil slicks, caltrops and smokescreens were all unleashed from the Villain's car, foiling vehicular pursuit. And for as fast as Ingenium could run, eventually the Villains made it into the choked alleyways of Musutafu, and he had to give up the pursuit. He could have gone at his maximum speed, but there were far too many tight corners to take while the Villains knew the territory. They'd lost visual, and there were no trackers on the Mastermobile or any of the Villains.

The Heroes had to give up, setting up cordons to try and intercept them. But the Villains had, once again vanished without trace. They weren't entirely sure how Mr. Warp's ability fully worked. Nedzu's guess based on evidence was that he could warp inanimate objects from as far away as he wanted, but needed longer to try and warp his companions. However it worked, it meant that the League was gone.

----------

Ingenium sighed, looking over the rest of Team Idaten. "Well, if they were easy to catch, they would have been taken out by now."

Nedzu frowned, tapping his chin. "We should be grateful that this is a group that is disinterested in killing. And more than that, they operate in a very different way than most Villains."

Ingenium smiled. "At least this way, we know that they can have a massive boost like that."

Mount Lady sighed, expression bitter. "Well, at least we know that now," she grumbled, glaring at the ground.

Ingenium gave her a thumbs up. "Nothing's ever going to be completely certain. What matters most is that we know now and that they didn't kill anybody."

She chuckled, managing to regain some of her former confidence. "Guess we should be thankful for that."

Nedzu chattered cheerfully. "I'll be going over any footage I can to see if we can anticipate this happening again. But from my instinct for this, I'd say that the Villains weren't sure about this manoeuvre or didn't know it was a possibility."

-------------

They'd managed to get back to Gentle Criminal's house, Mastermind and Inkblot staring straight ahead. It took them a bit of time to get out of the vehicle. The golden light had long since faded, but the adrenaline was still pouring through their systems.

With a deep breath, Mastermind turned to the rest of the League as they staggered out of the Mastermobile. "That-that was incredible! I-I never thought - that was so close!"

Inkblot gave Mastermind a bone crushing hug, pressing him into her chest. "Holy shit!"

"I know," Mastermind's voice was muffled, trying to pry himself off of her without being rude about it.

Gentle Criminal gave them a gentle pat on the back. "I understand. First time in Lover Mode for me was something like that."

Golden Grin stared at him. "Wait, is that how you felt doing it all the time? I-I felt like I could do anything!" He staggered out of the car, shadow-boxing.

Gentle Criminal helped La brava out, the shorter woman still slightly drained. His expression turned serious. "La Brava, are you sure you're okay?"

"I'm fine, Gentle!" Her cheeks were a brighter shade of red than they normally were. Then she frowned, tapping her chin. "But I-I don't know how that happened! Love doesn't work like that!"

Golden Grin turned suddenly. "Yeah! Didn't think it worked like that either! Unless..."

The rest of the League stared at La Brava with varying degrees of incredulity.

She gave Golden Grin a flat stare. "You're sixteen years old. No way. That, and I really love Gentle!" She grabbed him by the arm, before releasing it. "So I don't understand how..."

Mastermind managed to pry himself out of Inkblot's grip, staggering slightly as he came over. "Well, these things can happen. Sometimes, your knowledge on what your Quirk can do isn't complete. Sometimes Quirks can evolve based on use, or they have capabilities you just never explored."

La Brava stared at the ground. "I... well, Love is a strong Quirk, and I can't deny that it has grown a bit stronger."

Gentle Criminal nodded. "I have to agree. It feels like Lover Mode is staying active for longer, and it feels like I can accomplish more with it."

She smiled warmly, then frowned. "But this doesn't make sense! I mean - I like you guys, but not romantically or anything! You're my-"

La Brava stopped talking, her eyes wide. Inkblot came closer. "Aiba? Are you-"

"You're my friends," Aiba Manami whispered. Then she grinned. "You're... you're my friends. That's-"

Mastermind tapped his chin, already pulling out a small notebook and pencil as he started to think. "We're your friends? It could be that Love doesn't just refer to romantic or sexual love, it could apply to platonic forms of love as well. Love's power boosting effects increase depending on the danger that the subject of the affection is in, but that was an incredible amount of power, about as much as Gentle must experience. I'd observed that the strength of the feelings involved mattered. Oh, would different kinds of love produce a different colour from Love's power boost? Well, some of those would be hard to-"

Mr. Compress tactfully coughed. "Mastermind? You're, uh, muttering."

Mastermind jumped, nearly dropping his notebook. "Ah, heh. Right. Sorry!"

Manami smiled. "Don't be sorry, Mastermind. We're all friends here."

Golden Grin looked between them. "So, wait. Love applies to friendship?"

"Wouldn't you do anything for your friends or family?"

Golden Grin opened his mouth, then closed it. "Fair point." He pulled off the wrecked lower half of his mask, wincing. "Still, that was one serious power boost! I still feel sick from that laser blast."

Gentle Criminal nodded. "Mastermind had to specifically design my costume so that it wouldn't get destroyed by prolonged usage of Lover Mode." He chuckled. "I remember how frequently I had to replace my costume - I have to have a backup jacket and pants on any Villain activity I had planned for the camera - to make sure that I could keep up the illusion."

Mastermind straightened up. "Now that I know that Love can affect all of us, I think I need to upgrade everybody's gear to handle Lover Mode!"

Inkblot nodded. "Hell yeah. Though, I don't think Lover mode is appropriate. Probably not the right term since we're friends."

Manami nodded. "That's true." She tapped her chin, trying to think about it. "Best Friends Mode?"

Mr. Compress shrugged. "We can always workshop it."

-------------------

"You sure you don't want to join us?" Death Arms asked. "Seems that pretty much every Hero that deals with Mastermind joins us."

Ingenium shook his head, a warm smile still on his face. "Sorry, Death Arms-san. Team Idaten is already involved with the so-called 'Hero Killer' case."

Death Arms scowled at the mention. Stain was kind of a bogeyman, a figure that had already killed a couple of heroes and crippled others. Knowing that Idaten was on the case was reassuring, at least. "Would have been nice to have you here," he grumbled.

Ingenium gave him a confident smile. "Mastermind is certainly a problem. But you know more about handling him now. Plus, if he's involved and Team Idaten is nearby, then we'll help out. And keep me updated on anything interesting."

Death Arms smiled. Then he saw Kamui Woods and Mount Lady come back in. "How did it go? Are Mastermind and the League considered high grade Villains now?"

Kamui Woods grabbed a cup of coffee. "They're still C-list."

"What?" Ingenium boggled. "They escaped from all of those Heroes, and they're-"

"The goddamn bureaucrats stated that there wasn't enough damage dealt to justify moving them up a rank," Mount Lady sighed, angrily pouring a cup of coffee.

Ingenium couldn't believe his ears. "What about their past damages? The death trap?"

Death Arms stared straight ahead. "Chemical testing for that came through. It's Mountain Dew."

He didn't mention that Nedzu had laughed himself sick when he'd seen the label 'toxic, acidic chemicals,' on the side of the vat after the chemical analysis.

Ingenium stared at the older Hero.

Death Arms sighed. "Since it wasn't actually toxic chemicals, the HPSC decided that only the results mattered. As for their past damages..."

"'The HPSC guidelines do not state that past damages should be added up into current offences,'" Mount Lady sang, slamming back her cup.

Ingenium managed to find his voice after a few seconds. "That's ridiculous."

"Bureaucracy often is!" Nedzu came into the room, a smile on his face.

Ingenium shook his head. "They're really not going to have them declared more dangerous?"

Nedzu climbed up onto a chair, tapping at a laptop. "On paper the League of Supervillains are at most a minor nuisance. Without fatalities-"

"They were threatening to kill my brother, how is that not-"

Nedzu held up a paw. "I understand your feelings on the matter. Unfortunately, the HPSC guidelines for these matters were put into place to prevent opportunistic Heroes from exploiting the system and have not been updated for proper nuance. A similar argument was used for the threatened baking soda volcano to prevent their being justified as more dangerous."

He continued typing as the Heroes stared at him. "Now then, I've gotten into contact with the owner of the warehouse. He says that the buyer was a large fat man who didn't leave a return address. However, he did leave an email."

Ingenium shook his head, still in disbelief over the inanity of the HPSC. "He sold a warehouse to somebody without a return address?"

"It's not exactly illegal. If he was selling explosives I would be worried, but he really only owns a few warehouses and rented this one to somebody who was paying good money. Ah, and here's the address!"

Nedzu tapped further, bringing up the relevant information. The other Heroes looked at the address with slightly blank expressions. Nedzu grinned. "[email protected]," Ingenium read.

Kamui Woods scratched his head. "I'm not sure what the name is referencing."

Nedzu grinned. "Oh, it's not something you'd immediately notice. This name is interpreted by kun-yomi. Going to the on-yomi form for these characters, and you get..."

The heroes checked the characters, parsing them through their heads. Ingenium was the first to get it. "Shubou," he sighed.

Mount Lady facepalmed. "Mastermind? Are you kidding?"

y?"

Nedzu giggled. "I'm looking for other buildings that have this email associated with them, but I doubt I'll find any."

Death Arms turned to Nedzu, eyebrow raised. "Why? I mean, Mastermind-"

"-Has consistently evaded Heroes and the police for over five months," Nedzu cut him off. He then sighed. "This one seems to have been a deliberate joke. Any other bases may have other, jokey names attached to them, but I highly doubt that anything else on this name will be found."

-------------

In the base, things were relatively quiet. Golden Grin had been checked over by Stitch to make sure that his surprisingly powerful blast hadn't caused him any serious harm. With a clean bill of health apart from a reminder to eat a more balanced diet, the League of Supervillains sat around, checking the news while waiting for it all to blow over.

"They won't be able to track the warehouse back to us, right?"

Mastermind nodded, distracted as he sketched future designs. "The first one I purchased with a silly joke name. The other bases used actual, proper aliases."

La Brava sighed. "You really had to use the joke name, didn't you?"

"Only once!" Mastermind pouted. "It's a classic bit!"

Gentle Criminal poured everybody a cup of tea. "Well, here's to our success!"

Everybody accepted a cup, clinking them together before taking a long sip. Once again, plans were made for what to do with the money. Most of the money went to the Villains themselves, but a large portion was used for other purposes.

------------

Gentle Criminal and Mr. Compress had been extremely supportive when he'd outlined his plan after the first job.

"Well, I really admired the Uncanny Thief! In particular, I respected his generosity - giving to the poor when he stole from the rich," Mastermind had explained.

Mr. Compress seemed to look off into the distance. "He certainly did," he stated, before seeming to shake himself back to reality. "So you plan to do the same?"

"Oh, I already did that with my own money," Mastermind idly commented. When the other Villains stared at him, he hastened to explain. "Well, not the stuff I needed to get better materials, and I-I bought myself some nice stuff, but I gave the rest of the money away!"

Gentle Criminal looked at Mastermind with an appreciative eye. "You've been doing this from the start?"

Mastermind nodded, the older Villain sitting back. Inkblot nearly dropped her drink. "Wait, wait. I mean, sure, that's noble and all. But I mean - how much?"

Mastermind rubbed the back of his head. "Well, it wasn't that much really, and I just-" he looked at her expression, decided to hedge. "I think about half?" 

The rest of the Villains stared at him as he seemed to wilt. "I-I mean, I didn't need it after I got the materials, and, well, we wouldn't be giving away as much as half - much as I'd like to, we would need more money since you guys might need it as well and-"

Inkblot looked at him with wide eyes. "Half your haul?" 

Mastermind nodded slowly. "Yes?"

Inkblot looked stunned. "Jesus, you're way too nice for your own good."

Golden Grin stared at him. "Really? Half your haul?"

"I think I answered that question already-"

Mr. Compress held up a hand. "As he said, he probably wasn't going to be donating those figures if we're all working together. As a crew, we can hit larger targets, and we can make a donation of about a third or a quarter and still have enough money to get by comfortably." 

Mastermind nodded. "Oji Harima donated to those who had been affected by corrupt Heroes or businesses. While I don't think Heroes today are as bad as they once were... I still want to help people who needed a hand."

The rest of the Villains gave the matter some thought, a couple of them considering. Mastermind decided to go for the pragmatic option. "Plus, it would give us some much needed good publicity. People might be more sympathetic and less likely to go after us."

That seemed to be the straw that broke the camel's back.

The League decided that a generous donation from the League of Supervillains and Mastermind would circulate to charities that actually helped people out. There were certain causes that grabbed their attention, mostly for how close and personal they were for each of them.

Quirkless help. Heteromorphic support in the more rural areas of Japan. Helping small families. 

Nobody asked too many questions about why each member chose a business or charity to donate to. 

-----------------

After their plans and a lovely cup of tea, the League of Supervillains went their seperate ways. Inkblot dragged La Brava off, citing a 'girls' night.' Gentle Criminal stayed at home, Mr. Compress dramatically leaving with a smoke bomb. Stitch headed to the bar in a similar direction as the other supervillains. Golden Grin waved Mastermind goodbye, heading to his train. Mastermind's own departure was quieter, his plain looks attracting no attention.

In his basement lair, Midoriya Izuku cheerfully tinkered away, checking the wiring and circuits on his armour. "Lovers' Mode activating on me using platonic feelings of friendship was interesting," he muttered, idly pulling out his sketchbook and sketching an improved armour design.

Really, he'd been fortunate that he'd made all of those upgrades. Ever since he'd fought Eraserhead in that back alley, he'd been aware of how much he needed to upgrade his armour. At least he hadn't needed to deploy its more impressive features yet. But the possibilities! He would need to seriously overhaul the costumes, and that would take some more serious chemicals and fabrics! Future upgrades to his armour were going to be interesting. He'd need to see if his surprise would work with Friend Mode...

"I wonder if Giran can source some titanium-gold alloy," he mumbled, checking his available fabrics. "And maybe some more of those really high-end fabrics as well, we need more Hero grade material-"

A beeping from the wristband of his armour snapped him out of his thoughts. Checking it, he grinned.

Unusual Energy Signature analysed. Frequency information downloading.

Izuku grinned widely. Now this was going to be interesting.

Chapter Text

Toshinori checked over the beach, before turning to give his goddaughter a reassuring smile. "You have done an exceptional job today, Melissa."

Melissa panted, managing to scrape herself up off the beach. The determined expression on her face hadn't left. "I think Mirio did most of the work already."

Toshinori shrugged. "True, though some garbage came back."

Melissa checked her work, already thinking of the next step. "I think the beach looks better today, don't you?"

Toshinori just nodded. Only a few months ago the beach had seemed to be covered in trash. Now, there was an ever-growing clear part, its size expanding with every day that Mellissa was here. "If you keep this up, you'll have completed the goal before the U.A entrance exam!" He hesitated. "Ah, speaking of which, are you sure you don't want to be on the recommended list?"

Really, it wouldn't have been hard. Nedzu knew that One for All's next bearer was being trained so that she could handle the Quirk. With All Might's own recommendation, she would easily be able to make it in. But Melissa had turned down the recommendation, stating a desire to get in with her own merit.

Melissa gave a determined nod. "I mean, Uncle Might, you've already done so much for me." Her expression turned wistful. "Everybody's done so much to help me, and-"

Toshinori gently patted her on the shoulder. "As I said before, Melissa. Power you earned is different from power you gained by chance." He gave her a reassuring smile. "You've worked hard for this. You're not indebted to me or anybody else."

His phone buzzed. "Ah, one moment." He turned the screen on, checking the information. He frowned at it.

Melissa glanced at her adoptive uncle with a concerned expression. "What's wrong, Uncle Might?"

Toshinori sighed. "It's another donation in the name of the League of Supervillains."

He wondered if it was some sort of joke. Ever since the first appearance of Mastermind there had been donations. Not just to him, but to various other groups and people in need. All made out from Mastermind or the League. His Quirkless charity in particular had seen some large donations.

Melissa gave him a pensive look. "It's not typical Villain behaviour."

Toshinori shrugged. "They really take the Phantom Thief routine seriously." In spite of his better instincts, a smile crossed his face. He had studied the past Villains of history, mostly for any hints regarding All for One. They had ranged from revolutionary figures like Destro, to people who had lashed out at a world that hadn't understood them and made no effort to, monsters and almost noble figures.

Oji Harima had been an interesting person. Certainly what he had done had caused major damage, but the man's donations had been on the level. Combined with his choice of targets, and it left Toshinori wondering whether he could have been a Hero if born in a different time.

"Are you going to keep the donation?"

Toshinori thought about it, before nodding. "It's an important cause they're donating to. If it really is the League, then at least the money is going back to something important. And if it isn't, then it's a joke in slightly poor taste but will still help people. That's what ultimately matters."

The money involved in the donations was always clean with no criminal traces. And Toshinori wasn't going to deny people the right to donate in his name. Mostly he'd founded his various charities because even in his prime he'd known that he couldn't be everywhere and give people the help they needed. Some small part of him still remembered what things had been like when he hadn't had a Quirk.

Melissa sipped her water bottle. "Too right, Uncle Might." She turned back to the beach, face set in a determined expression. "I've got a lot of catching up to do."

Toshinori smiled gently. He knew the feeling.

Timeline: 4 months two weeks to exam.

-------------

Shinsou hadn't had a lot of free time with his training regime. Most of his time was taken up with going to school then meeting with Eraserhead and Ms. Joke. Training with Eraserhead and Sōga was usually physically intense, going on parkour runs and sparring until he could barely move. Ms Joke's idea of training was to do physical exercise while forcing him to recite terrible jokes.

Today though, he had a rest period. Eraserhead had drilled into him what would happen if he overtrained, including some extremely informative diagrams and symptoms of what would happen if he did. After that presentation he'd been seriously freaked out.

He couldn't deny that his hard work had been paying off. He couldn't pinpoint the exact time when he started to actually have something resembling muscle tone, but it was there. Overall he felt stronger, faster, more resilient.

It really felt like he could be a Hero.

But today was a rest day, and so he was going to spend it going to a bookstore. Shinsou had read a lot of books, mostly because it was a hobby that didn't risk somebody accusing you of trying to brainwash them.

The store itself was pretty small, the smell of books fresh and old permeating the air. Shinsou idly flicked through the various magazines - they had a couple of entertaining conspiracy magazines. Shinsou didn't believe in any of that conspiracy shit but it was good for a laugh.

Somebody else came into the magazine aisle, looking at the same magazines. Shinsou hadn't seen this person before - he was pretty sure he'd remember somebody whose hair was split red and white like that. Looked like a private school uniform as well. For a short time Shinsou flicked through magazines, though Shinsou noticed that the other teenager was staring at him.

He turned to the magazine fan. Yep, the other guy was definitely staring at him, grey and blue eyes focused on him. And that was one hell of a burn scar. Shinsou's limited social repertoire didn't cover what to do with this, so he hedged his bets. "Uh-"

The words from the other teenager were clipped and cold, almost resigned. "Get it over with. Are you going to ask about my father?"

Shinsou looked at him with a slightly funny look. He looked vaguely familiar, maybe? But Shinsou didn't particularly care, especially about his father - definitely some rich kid or something. "Not... really?"

The other teenager stared at him for a few seconds, then picked up a magazine stiffly and opened it. Shinsou idly looked at the cover. "Well, guess they're talking about reptilians in government again. Hey, you know what lizards are great with computers? Monitor lizards."

The teenager blinked, turning the pages. His eyes traced the article, following through the 'evidence' that the author had produced. He didn't say anything, but he seemed to be interested. As if he'd found something that he hadn't realised he'd needed until now.

Shinsou managed to get out a deadpan smile. "Yeah, that's pretty good. They tell you the truth that's been suppressed by the government. Considering how many leaks get out of big government, I think they need to get a plumber or something in."

Still no response, but Shinsou knew he was getting somewhere.

Shinsou grinned. "You know what's weird? Politicians and lawyers, they're both kinds of reptile."

The other teen's mismatched eyes flicked up briefly. "How so?"

"They're both slimy and cold blooded."

The other teenager stared at him for several seconds with a neutral expression. "That was pretty funny."

Shinsou returned the stare. "That wasn't exactly my best joke but sure." He picked up an older issue. "If you liked that one then you should read this. They talk about how the moon landings were faked."

The guy picked it up. "I didn't know about that."

Shinsou grinned. "Yeah. Hey, why was the Moon landing fake?"

The pages flipped to the main article. "It says here because the shots from the Moon show the Earth in the completely wrong way-"

"The moon's still up there, it didn't go anywhere."

The teenager stood there for a second. The corner of his mouth twitched. "Sidesplitting."

Shinsou grinned. "Name's Shinsou. What's yours?'

The other teenager stood there for a few seconds. "...Todoroki."

And that was that.

They spent the next few minutes talking about the various theories in the magazines, Shinsou cracking jokes that failed to get more than a customary reaction. Eventually, the other teenager left, several pulpy magazines in hand. Shinsou said goodbye to his new... friend? Maybe? But he still hoped to meet the guy another time.

Timeline: 4 months to Exam.

--------

Bakugo Katsuki pummelled the sandbag as if it had personally offended him. Sweat dripped off of him as he continued, the mat beneath him absorbing it and neutralizing the highly explosive compound.

The U. A. exams were coming soon - just a couple of months away. The rest of the extras in his class were slacking off doing other dumb stuff. As if they thought they were going to get in without putting in the effort. His own friends, Fingers and Teeth were doing some other shit.

Not Bakugo.

Only the best of the best made it into U. A., and he was aiming to be the best of all time. Sure, his Quirk was amazing, but they also required you to be near the top of your class in every subject. He'd aced the mock test, sure, but that was just the written test - there was still the practical.

He finished his routine, taking a moment to recover. Then he carefully mopped up the rest of his sweat and put the rest of his equipment away. He frowned at the holder.

"Okay, which fucking moron didn't put the weights away properly?!" he yelled, grabbing the offending items. He slammed them back into their proper positions. "Fucking assholes, not giving a damn about people in the gym."

And people said he was an asshole.

One shower later he scrubbed the floor clean and was back in his regular clothes. He stomped out, heading back home to work on the next bullshit project. Bakugo walked down the street, grabbing a can and slamming it into the recycling bin.

Ever since the Sludge Villain he'd been pushing himself harder and harder. Getting rescued by Mastermind, some weird Villain like that had immensely pissed him off and still did. How some moron who acted like that hadn't been caught by the Heroes was pretty weird, but Bakugo had a plan of his own.

When he became a Hero, he was going to find Mastermind and beat the shit out of him!

A feral grin crossed his face as he went home. A large man about a head taller than him took one look at him and crossed to the other side of the street. Bakugo didn't pay too much attention to that extra.

If there was one good thing that had come out of that goddamn moron, it had been seeing how the Heroes had reacted and seeing what he'd have to beat. Bunch of losers standing around with their thumbs up their asses, not pushing themselves at the crucial moment?

He was going to shove his victories in their faces-

"MWAHAHAHA!"

Bakugo whipped around.

The fucking dipshit was running with those goddamn robot spiders of his, a cartoonishly large sack over his shoulder. The other Villains with him - Bakugo didn't know or care about their names, so he nicknamed them Rabbit, Shitty Hat and Piss-Stain - were keeping pace. For a moment Bakugo blinked, then he tore after them with a bloodthirsty grin on his face.

This was going to be his third direct Villain encounter - he was still a little pissed off at that sand Villain who he hadn't been able to properly beat up. He knew he could have taken that guy out. Sure, the Heroes had said that he shouldn't try that again, but he knew that if he could take out some shitty Villains without their help it would be a jump start to his Hero career!

It didn't look like they'd noticed him.

He rounded the corner, the shithead on his fucking robot spider laughing. They'd gone to what looked like a park of some sort, obviously trying to escape. Mastermind posed to the few onlookers watching the scene. A few of them started to take pictures. "Who would challenge the BRILLIANT MASTERMIND now?" KRAKATHOOM!

Bakugo couldn't wait. "HEY, DICKHEAD!"

Mastermind whirled around, the other extras turning as Bakugo stomped closer. The fucking prick seemed off balance, which was good. Meant Bakugo could kill him that much more efficiently. "Ah, you're the guy I rescued! Uh, what was your name? Because I don't know."

Bakugo's hands popped with explosions. Bunny stepped forwards but Mastermind shook his head. "Doesn't fucking matter. You ain't running away from me."

Mastermind seemed pleased, pointing at Bakugo. "Really? Are-are we arch-enemies or something?"

Bakugo shook with restrained rage. "Sure! Whatever! Arch-goddamn-enemies!" He raised a hand, preparing for a larger and more threatening explosion. "Not gonna matter since I'm gonna fucking kill you-"

"Halt, Villain!"

Bakugo's explosions temporarily went down as he saw a couple of Heroes round the corner. Kamui Woods was the one who had shouted, wood curling to try and capture the Villains. "Stealing jewels in broad daylight? You're truly the scum of the Earth."

Mastermind laughed. "Aw, Kamui Woods! I'm touched!"

Mount Lady scowled, the Heroes and Villains getting ready to fight. She shot a glance to Bakugo, eyes widening a bit. "Kid, you should get out of the way."

Bakugo weighed the situation up. If it had been just the shitty Villains, he would have definitely crushed Mastermind and the extras. However, the Heroes were there. Getting into a fight with the Villains with Heroes there would likely leave his record damaged - Bakugo wanted to crush Villains, not get a record for something as fucking stupid as fighting without self-defence as a justification.

Ultimately he shoved his hands in his pockets. "Sure, fine." He glared at Mastermind. "I'm still gonna pull you inside out and make you swallow yourself."

Mastermind gave him a thumbs up sign. "Sure thing K-uh, Killer Hands! Or whatever your name is since I don't know what it is!"

What a weirdo.

Mastermind turned to the Heroes. "FOOLS! You cannot compare to the brilliant machinations of Mastermind!"

Mount Lady sighed, getting into a fighting position. "Don't be so sure, Villain! Justice will prevail today!"

Mastermind giggled. "You think so? Look where I'm standing!"

Bakugo had backed up a fair distance, watching the scene unfurl before him. Mostly because he wanted to see how Mastermind fought. He scanned the area, trying to see what Mastermind was-

KEEP OFF THE GRASS.

That was what the sign near the park said. Bakugo blinked, then stared at the Villains, who were plainly stepping on the grass. The Heroes' eyes travelled from the sign to their location as well. Shitty Hat facepalmed while Piss-Stain laughed.

Kamui Woods was the first to speak, trying to get back some of his prior attitude. "S-stepping on the grass when there's... there's a sign telling you not to? That's... that's pure evil!"

Mount Lady stared at Kamui Woods as if he'd grown a second head. He looked back, clearly trying to excuse his shitty behaviour.

Mastermind posed triumphantly. "Indeed!" He threw his head back-

"MWA-HAHAHA! MWA-HAHAHA!"

Bakugo looked around as the Heroes and Villains paused. Bunny spoke to Mastermind while the other extras stared. "Uh, Mastermind? Did... did your voice change?"

Mastermind shook his head. "No, I didn't!" He glared at a side street, dramatically pointing. "It came from over there? How could you? I am the one who laughs!"

The figure strode out from the side street, a dramatic light shining on them. "Foolish Villain! You stand before... ODD EYE!"

The freak had a black leather coat with a huge collar. The guy was skinny as hell with a shock of purple hair and red eyes, and wore belts on his arms, two goddamn chokers, along with a goddamn eyepatch. He even had heeled boots on!

Bakugo felt the overwhelming urge to steal this guy's lunch money and call him a nerd. What was his name again? Whatever, he'd just think of him as Belt Fucker.

Mastermind and the other Heroes stared at the newcomer. "...Who?" Mastermind asked.

Belt Fucker slumped. "C-come on! I'm Odd Eye, the Edgelord Hero!"

Bakugo stared at him as a bunch of other weirdoes in black robes and white cloth masks, each decorated with a single eye, came around him. The other Heroes were similarly confused, trading glances with each other. Mount Lady was the first to speak. "So... you're actually a Hero?"

He stared at her. "Of course! For though I have a dark power that requires me to keep my right eye covered-"

"He doesn't. He just thinks it looks cool."

The dork ignored the extra, gesturing dramatically, "-in my chest beats the heart of a troubled Hero!"

Mastermind shared a glance with the other Heroes. They shook their heads. "That's, um, good for you. So are you-"

Belt Fucker turned to his extras. "Come, my familiars! Let's help our noble friends capture this wastrel!"

"We're your sidekicks, Odd Eye," the man sighed, the other extras getting ready.

Mount Lady looked at one of the others as she expanded to her full height. "Why are you working with this guy again?"

The sidekick spared a glance. "He pays well. And we get holidays and overtime."

Mount Lady blinked, temporarily distracted. "...wait, you get overtime? I don't get overtime!" Then a robot spider tried to attack her ankle. With a growl of frustration, she stomped on it like a bug.

The extras charged, Mastermind's robot spider things fighting off the weirdly robed extras. Mastermind started laughing, idly bringing up his freeze ray to stop Kamui Woods' attack solid. "MWAHAHAHA! YOUR STUPID AND USELESS ATTEMPTS TO CAPTURE THE LEAGUE OF SUPERVILLAINS ARE AS STUPID AS THEY ARE USELESS!"

Thunder boomed, the other Heroes trying to get closer as Piss-Stain fired a beam and Shitty Hat threw some nets from his fucking smoke. The rest of the extras on the sidewalk had already dispersed, but not Bakugo. Seeing the Pros up close was not completely shit. He watched as Belt Fucker did some sort of tricky manoeuvre to get closer to Mastermind, managing to dart across the space in the blink of an eye. Belt Fucker had a decent turn of speed at least.

He clasped a hand onto the Villains head. "Now... reveal your darkest secrets!"

Mastermind seemed to struggle, then started talking. "All Might's the coolest!" The fighting briefly stopped as Mastermind started babbling. "When I become a big enough Villain, I wanna be All Might's Arch-Nemesis! Then, I'll be K-"

The Villain suddenly jerked his head away from Belt Fucker's grasping hand, seeming to curl up on himself. "How-"

Belt Fucker laughed madly. "Impressed?! That was my Quirk, Mind Reaper! With a touch of my hand, I can force you to reveal your deepest, most embarrassing secrets! What's more, if I keep my hand there long enough, I'll start to learn about you more and more! Including whatever secrets you're hiding under the mask!"

Mastermind recoiled. "O-oh, really? Because I don't have any secrets under here! Not at all!"

He turned to the other Villains. "Okay, I think we, uh, need to make our escape! Like right now!"

Belt Fucker grinned madly. "Ah, but you think you can overcome a Hero like me? Think again!"

Mastermind started to run, the other Villains taking the obvious route as well. The other Heroes saw this and decided to try and corner the group. Piss-Stain tried to hold off Belt Fucker, but then he got touched on the head.

"I like Hero Idol Singer Pop☆Step and I sing her songs in the shower!" Piss-Stain collapsed, clutching his mouth with his hands. "Shit! My Street Cred!"

Bunny glared at Belt Fucker as she grabbed one of his extras, slamming the other man into Kamui Woods' latest attempt to bind the Villains. "So help me, I'll-"

Belt Fucker managed to grab her, grinning. "So, what's your secret, pretty lady?"

Bunny seemed to be struggling, trying to keep her mouth shut and glaring at the idiot. Belt Fucker looked pleased. "Oh!"

He looked at her with an amused leer, glancing between her and the other Villains. "So you have a crush on-"

A couple of things happened very quickly.

First, Bunny grabbed Belt Fucker by the mouth with a mortified expression on her face, a canister of ink pouring into her mouth. Then, somehow, she tossed him the length of the street, a peal of maniacal laughter coming from the Hero... right at Bakugo. The other Heroes tried to grab him, but the Villains started to get away, forcing them to return attention. Bakugo had REALLY wanted to go after the Villains but he wasn't going to see this fucking moron get hurt in front of him if he could help it.

So with a sigh he managed to grab the nerd, bracing himself as the Hero crashed into him. "Got you, you fucking-"

The Hero's hand fell on his head.

Bakugo had a brief moment to freak out before he found he was shouting. "IT ALWAYS FEELS LIKE DEKU'S BETTER THAN ME EVEN THOUGH IT SHOULDN'T BE! SO I'VE BEEN MEAN TO HIM BECAUSE IF I'M NOT THE BEST I'M NOTHING!"

The Heroes stared. The extras stared. The Villains stared. Mastermind in particular seemed to be especially thrown, before shaking himself. With a gesture, he started to pull the Villains away, managing to get away as the Heroes had to shake themselves a bit after that outburst.

Bakugo stared straight ahead. He should be moving, but hearing himself say that was...

Bakugo didn't exactly have the right words for that shit. He just focused on some point in the distance as his brain tried to pull itself back together. 

Belt Fucker picked himself up. He looked at Bakugo with wide eyes. "Young man, I am so sorry about unleashing your inner darkness-"

Bakugo couldn't bring himself to beat Belt Fucker up. While the heroes were trying to chase the Villains, he went home.

Probably was going to have to go back to the therapist again.

Timeline: 3 months 2 weeks to exams.

--------------

Fuyumi quietly rang her mobile phone. A few dials later, it was picked up, a familiar voice ringing out. "Heya, Fuyumi. How're things with the old bastard?"

Fuyumi sighed, glancing at her little brother's room. "Well..."

"What happened with Shoto? Is he alright?"

Fuyumi shook her head. "It's... same old, sort of. But..." she took a breath. "I think Shoto's become a conspiracy theorist."

There was a distinct pause. "...What?"

Fuyumi sighed. "Well, this was a couple of weeks ago..."

A couple of weeks ago...

Family dinners were always quiet. If you could really call it a family dinner when there was only one parent and two children there, one because he had no choice and the other because Shoto desperately needed somebody at least somewhat normal there. Fuyumi passed a dish over to Shoto, her brother accepting with a quiet nod. Endeavour - their father - ate quietly and efficiently.

Fuyumi felt the vacuum opening up again. "So... how was your day, Shoto?"

Shoto briefly looked up, then back to his bowl. Their father briefly paused eating, some expression flickering on his face before he gently took another portion. Fuyumi sighed - tonight was not a night where anybody was talking, it seemed. She was about to let it go when Shoto spoke.

"I went to a bookshop after school."

Fuyumi's chopsticks stopped before they entered her mouth. Endeavour - Father - blinked as well, a surprised look on his face before it went back to his customary scowl. "Why?"

Surprisingly the question didn't have any heat to it. Shoto stared at him. "...It was a rest day. I thought I should do something with my time."

Their father grunted. As if he hadn't known the intense schedule that Shoto lived under. Fuyumi managed to smile. "Well, that sounds good, Shoto," she said for lack of anything else. At least it felt a bit more... normal.

"Unnecessary, Shoto. You should be focused on your school work and Heroics Theory. Anything else is pointless," Endeavour grunted. Fuyumi shot him a glare which he let wash over him as he always did when she tried to get him to let Shoto have something resembling a childhood.

Her brother shot Endeavour - Father - a cool look then simply nodded, returning to his food. Fuyumi and Endeavour - Father - did the same. For a short time there was silence. Then:

"Did you know that the reptilians control the government?"

Enji Todoroki choked  on his grilled fish.

Now...

Natsuo had listened quietly, then broke into laughter. "Please - please tell me there's a picture, Fuyumi," he gasped.

Fuyumi frowned. "This is serious, Natsuo!" She hissed. After she'd managed the Heimlich manoeuvre, Todoroki Senior had stared at Shoto for a moment, then had asked with the boiling politeness of a banked volcano where on the Internet he'd heard that.

Shoto had coolly replied that he'd read it in a magazine, so it was more likely to be true. And then started citing evidence about the increasing number of politicians with reptilian Quirks in power.

Their father had stared at Shoto for several seconds, before abruptly leaving to go on patrol. Fuyumi had managed a slightly shaky smile to Shoto as he left to do schoolwork.

"And now, he's saying that Mastermind is a reptilian agent of the government, apparently All Might has at least three secret love children, and the Moon Landing was faked." Fuyumi took a deep breath. "I'm honestly worried he might have fallen in with somebody weird online who's exploiting him for Father's reputation."

"...You think the old bastard is going to try and, well... force him to stop this conspiracy stuff?"

Fuyumi glanced out in the hallway. "He's trying to find those magazines, but Shoto must have hidden them pretty well. Usually if Shoto says any of that nonsense he just sighs."

Natsuo seemed to pause. "Alright, maybe I'll come back. Only to see if Shoto's a loony."

Fuyumi glared at her phone. "Natsuo..."

"Got it, he's only a conspiracy nutter."

Fuyumi sighed as Natsuo hung up. Brothers. Infinitely frustrating sometimes.

Timeline: 3 months 1 week to exams. (Late November)

Chapter Text

Sumi sighed, glancing over at Aiba. "Any luck with new recruits?"

Aiba shook her head. "No luck. Most of these people aren't going to work with us -  they either don't want to lose their reputation or they're too violent. Or both."

Sumi groaned, falling back on the couch. Ever since they'd had to deal with Team Idaten, the League of Supervillains had been considering taking on other members. However, they did have to fit in with the group's general... nature. "Honestly it's a bit frustrating. Some of these people would be great to have. Like Magne!"

The shorter villain gave her a flat look. "You mean the same Magne who refused the offer, stating that she liked having the option to kill people?"

Sumi pushed herself back up, returning the flat look. "She's not too bad-"

"She does actually have a body count."

Sumi nodded gloomily. Magne wasn't, well, that much of a bad person compared to most others - when you went in the Villainy circle you tended to meet a lot of unsavoury characters. "I know, I know! Still a bit annoying that one of my gal pals wasn't interested."

Aiba weighed it up. "Can't believe you're friends."

The inky cat Villain gave her a flat look. "Come on, Magne helped hook me up with my apartment! Besides, she's a lot more competent than some of these losers," she grumbled, lying back and closing her eyes. "Be nice to have one or two more people to back us up."

Aiba shrugged. "True, true." A mischievous smile crossed her face. "You know, we're getting closer to December, right?"

Sumi's eyes shot open. "Oh, no."

Her friend grinned. "So... are you thinking about mistletoe already, hmm?"

"Nope, nope, nope, not listening-"

Aiba tackled the much taller lady as she tried to leave. "You're not denying it~!"

With a huff she pulled Aiba off of herself. "Hey, Aiba, how about we talk about things other than my love life!"

The smaller Villainess struggled in her grip. "Come on, you have to tell him how you feel sincerely!" Her expression turned more serious. "Believe me, it'll only get worse until you do."

Sumi stared, then sighed, putting her shorter friend back on her chair. "I know." She'd had a lot more distracting fantasies of Mastermind taking that armour off to reveal a muscular physique - the Villain was actually pretty strong as well as ridiculously smart. "I'm just trying to find a good time to bring it up."

Aiba shook her head. "As a Love expert, you've gotta make a move sooner or later. Otherwise-"

The taller Villain sighed. "I know, I know." She stared out the window, checking on Mastermind as he continued his routine. "I'll tell him, alright? Soon."

Aiba raised an eyebrow, but gave her friend a supportive grin. "He'd have to be an idiot or gay to turn you down, Sumi! You got this!'

Timeline: 3 months 2 weeks to Exams (Mid November).

------------

Takeshi Bushijima stared at the piece of paper in his hands. His insides twisted, spasming with the toxic load they held.

MEDICAL QUIRK USAGE PERMIT - REJECTED.

He looked back up at the secretary. "I don't - what-"

"I'm terribly sorry, Bushijima-san. The analysts and doctor have both confirmed that there is insufficient evidence to suggest your Quirk is actively hazardous to your health." She gave him an insincere smile. "Perhaps you should find a-"

"This isn't a joke!" He was aware that he was on his feet and shouting, but he didn't care. "My Quirk - I can feel it building up all the time, I need to-"

"Please calm yourself, Bushijima-san." The plastic smile hadn't shifted. "Your lack of control over your Quirk is not enough justification for a medical exemption. If you need help with managing it-"

Takeshi took a deep breath. Through gritted teeth, he tried to make her understand. "I. Can't. Manage it. My Quirk constantly builds up - I've tried everything to try and control it or stop the production-"

"The decision is out of my hands, Bushijima-san." She gave him a cool look over her spectacles. "Many others have claimed similar things. You are hardly special in that regard."

He glared at her. He felt the gas inside him building up, screaming for release. As always, he kept it inside him. "You're not listening to me. My Quirk - it'll kill me if I can't release some of this gas."

She slowly shook her head, speaking as if to a child. "Bushijima-san, you're exaggerating. Besides, the doctor and analyst have examined your physiology, and have determined that you will be fine-"

Takeshi stormed out of the office, a frustrated scowl on his face. Another sharp spasm of pain shot through him, causing him to stagger slightly. They'd mentioned that his stabs of pain were likely an act - as if he'd want to fake any of this.

His Quirk - Poison Gas - was unimaginatively named. All his Quirk did was cause him to create a highly toxic compound. For anybody else, it would knock them out at least, potentially causing severe damage to people's lungs.While it was in his body, all it meant was chronic pain and dark grey splotches on his skin.

He'd have to find somewhere to release the gas. Somewhere isolated. He tugged his hoodie back up, putting his mask back in place. Furiously he looked around, even as his body lurched. An alleyway - not perfect but at least there wouldn't be many people there.

He managed to run into the alleyway, breathing heavily. The splotches of his Quirk were growing, pushing to the surface of his hand. "Gotta let it out," he mumbled. He stretched his hand out, and he felt the poison within him pour out, a thick bluish-grey fog. He sucked in a breath, the pain in his body receding - how ironic that when it left his body it didn't hurt to breathe it.

He hated that he had to release it here, but it was the best he could do. Shakily, Takeshi started to head for the edge of town. If he could just get out of Musutafu-

A loud boom interrupted his thoughts. He whirled around, hoping it wasn't somebody in a car who'd succumbed to his Quirk. If it was a Hero... he'd have to run. When he saw it was a certain green and red figure, he started.

Mastermind had been gaining a lot of traction as a Villain. Takeshi mostly knew about him through Internet memes and reposts. Stuff like 'MWAHAHA, You've been MASTERMINDED!', and videos of his exploits had been going around for a while.

The guy may have been a clown, but he was still a Villain. Takeshi's control of his Quirk slipped with shock.

The cloud of blue-grey mist shot out from him despite him trying to regain control. "Stay - stay away from me!" he tried to warn the short Villain.

Mastermind seemed surprised, then a small 'beep' came from his visor. "Are you okay, random civilian? Not that I'm concerned at all, since I'm a devious evil genius and have just robbed a Bank." He paused, no trace of his usual pomp in his voice. "Wait... Is your Quirk-" he started to walk closer to Takeshi, stance showing concern.

Takeshi stared at him as he waded through the fog of his Quirk, unphazed by it. Two other Villains appeared - Mr. Warp and Gentle Criminal, the latter keeping his distance with a smaller mask pressed to his face. He barely noticed them. "My Quirk - Poison Gas - it just... keeps building up. If I don't release it, I'll die."

Over a decade of frustration came pouring out of him. "But I can't, can I? They keep saying that I'm not approved for medical use of my Quirk, and society doesn't allow us to use our Quirks. So I have to keep it held back."

He glared at Mastermind, another spike of pain shooting through him and tears starting in his eyes. "So before my own Quirk kills me, I've gotta let it out! Does that make me a Villain?! Huh? Not wanting to die?"

He couldn't see Mastermind's face, the short Villain seeming to think. Then he shook his head. "No. It doesn't." He turned to Mr. Warp, and gestured towards Takeshi.

Takeshi tried to run, but thick purple smoke washed over him. He felt a sharp impact on his back, a needle hitting him, then the world faded to black. The last thing he saw was the dim figure of Mastermind coming through the smoke.

A short while later...

When Takeshi woke up, it was in a dingy looking office. "Where..." he sat up, only to be shoved back down with a gloved hand. The figure in front of him wore a lab coat and a light blue plastic filter over his mouth. Tired purple eyes looked him over,

"Right, let's take a look at you. Sit down."

He tried to push himself up but a spike of pain came at that moment. The lab coat wearing figure sighed, putting pressure on him. "Right, say 'aah.'" When Takeshi didn't, the other person pulled out a tongue depressor and forcibly opened his mouth, examining the insides.

Takeshi managed to push him off. "Who are you?"

He got a flat glare in response. "Call me Stitch. Now, I'm going to do some other checks. I want to know about your family members."

He glared at the named Stitch. "Why would I tell-"

"Your Quirk is doing its level best to kill you." Stitch glared Takeshi down. "I got a sample of that gas and took a blood sample. Just from that, I can see that your Quirk has built up to unhealthy levels. You were right to try and release it from your body at that point. Whatever doctors you were going to were negligent to the extreme. Now, family members?"

Takeshi sucked in a breath, then let it out with a sigh. Stitch let out a sigh, frown clearing up. "Listen. I am a fully qualified doctor, I swore the Hypocratic Oath. Nothing about your family will leave this place. Do any other members of your family have similar Quirks? How do they manage it?"

Takeshi looked up. "Well, I've got some cousins on my father's side with similar Quirks. My cousin's Quirk's called Gas, and it's very similar to mine. Kid's a jerk, though."

Stitch hummed. "Do they have to regularly release the gas like you do?"

Takeshi nodded. "My cousin's kind of got the opposite issue to me though - his own gas is toxic to him outside his body, while mine isn't."

The scraggly doctor looked up, obviously interested. "I don't have as much here as I would like to. I'd really love to have an X-ray so I could confirm-"

Mastermind burst in, some sort of contraption in hand. "MWA-HAHAHA! IT'S READY!"

Stitch glared at the shorter Villain. "Get the hell out of my office! The patient needs actual treatment!"

Mastermind ignored Stitch, coming over to Takeshi. "Now, this is just a crude mock-up, but it SHOULD work!"

Takeshi looked at the melodramatic Villain as he attached some sort of device to his arm - a gauntlet with a large nozzle on top, the bracer extending a short way down his forearm. The whole thing looked like a high tech stove top burner had been attached to his arm. "Uh-"

Mastermind's head snapped over to meet his gaze. "Right. So, when we met, you were emitting your Quirk from your hands, right? Does it emit anywhere else? Highly unlikely, consideringthatthevastmajorityofEmitterQuirksareattachedto-"

Takeshi felt like he was drowning in a sea of words as the Villain chattered. "Uh... from my hands, yes."

Mastermind nodded, already forcing the second gauntlet on Takeshi. "Good! Now, tap the palm of the gauntlet, middle two fingers please."

Takeshi looked at him warily. "...why?"

Mastermind patted him on the shoulder. "That will ignite the pilot light." At Takeshi's alarmed expression, he explained. "See, this glove here's airtight, so your Quirk will have to funnel through to here. I did a bit of testing, and I found that your gas is extremely inflammable, and leaves no other toxic byproducts when burnt. So try it out-"

"You are not lighting a flamethrower in my office!" Stitch glared at Takeshi as if he was the one at fault.

Takeshi didn't notice, as he was busy staring at Mastermind. The weight of the gauntlets on his arms just added to the strangeness of the situation. "Why... are you doing this?"

Mastermind seemed stunned. "Uh, it's because... I think I can recruit you as a Minion! That's it! No other reason!"

He nodded to Stitch. "Once you're done, could you take him into the lot? I want to make sure that these gauntlets work properly."

Stitch sighed deeply, pointing to the door. "Get out of my office."

As Mastermind left, Takeshi looked at Stitch, the doctor pulling out other pieces of equipment. "Now, do you have any allergies-"

"Why did he just give me these?"

Stitch shrugged. "Don't know. I think he just thought your Quirk was interesting. He really loves Quirks."

Takeshi stared at the doctor, before looking down. "...I've got a minor allergy to peanuts, if that helps."

The doctor looked at him, then to the gauntlet. ":Turn that pilot light off before you set my whole office on fire." Shakily, Takeshi did so.

One short consultation later, Stitch recommending some drugs based on initial data that might help with mitigating his Quirk and he was dragged outside to a vacant lot, Mastermind watching closely. "Good, good! Now, let's get to testing. I want these gauntlet to be safe."

Takeshi stared at Mastermind. "I just... why are you doing this?"

Mastermind stared at him. "Well, mostly I wanted to test drive a flamethrower design-"

"I mean, why..." Takeshi flapped his hands in the air, trying to put words to what he was feeling. He struggled, going for, "...just, why? Why care about some guy in an alleyway?"

Mastermind seemed to drop out of the persona. "Because... you looked like you needed help." Those didn't seem to be the words he wanted to choose. "Ah, just kidding! I want you as a Minion and I decided to bribe you with these! That's the only reason!"

He slapped Takeshi on the back. "Now, try them out!"

Takeshi numbly pointed his arm, tapping the palms. A click sounded in the gauntlets, a light on the side flashing. Mastermind gave him a thumbs up, checking a screen in his hand. "Now, use your Quirk!"

Numbly, Takeshi did so. A flare of blue, focused flames came out, like a kitchen burner only much larger shooting out across the yard. Mastermind cheered, checking other things on his screen. "It looks like there's no residual gas leakage as well! How do you feel?"

Takeshi blinked, stunned as the fire raged. "...Better," he managed. A grin crossed his face as he poured more gas out, watching as it burnt up in the flames.

A few more tests later, and Takeshi was once again surrounded by purple smoke. When he was aware of things again, he was back in that alleyway, a small piece of paper in his hand.

Let me know if you want to be a member of the League of Supervillains! Consider the gloves a gift. Call me if there's any issues with the gear. MWA-HAHAHAHA!!!!!!!! KRAKATHOOM!!!!!!

Takeshi staggered back to his shitty apartment. He felt healthier than he had in years, he was wearing a pair of gauntlets given to him by a literal Villain who wrote out his maniacal laughter and sound effects, and he had said Villain's phone number.

The piece of paper was stuck in his meagre contacts book. Maybe he should throw it out. But for all that they were Villains, at least they'd given a damn about him.

Timeline: 3 months to Exams.

----------

Jin Bubaigawara stared out at the grey sky, cigarette dangling loosely in his fingers. Another dull day, coming up to a new year in his latest shitty motel room. His stomach grumbled. "I should get something - kinda feel like ramen - I want karaage!"

He staggered, clutching his head as he felt himself want to split. "Come on, I just want to get lunch - Not hungry! Don't really want anything!" 

He searched the fridge in the shitty motel he was living in, trying to find something halfway edible. Last time he'd tried to order take-out he'd gotten into an argument with himself over the phone, and he'd had to leave that motel pretty quickly after that. His search turned up with no results. With a frustrated groan, he pushed himself over to the paper bag. At least with that on his head he wasn't in immediate danger of splitting.

He tried to smile at himself. "Today's going to be better - no it won't, it'll suck."

The sad thing was, he wasn't sure which of him had said what.

------

Mount Lady had been a Hero for about eight months at this point. Most of that time had been devoted to dealing with a certain maniacally laughing Villain. It was honestly hard to decide which was more frustrating - dealing with Mastermind was weird, but at least it wasn't stepping on people to stay in the red.

It wasn't as if the idiot was the only Villain she'd fought! She'd helped with a lot of Villains with gigantification Quirks as well! Even some Villains who didn't grow huge! It just seemed that her career was going to be defined mostly by a certain giggling lunatic. The only good thing you could say was that he was as harmless as a Villain could be - no deaths to his name.

Considering some other Villains in the past and present, that was a blessing. Combined with their 'Phantom Thief' routine, and it meant that most Heroes didn't go out of their way to track them down.

They'd heard a few things from the police that the League of Supervillains had been seen in force. Apparently they'd been setting something up in a poorer neighbourhood in Musutafu. Kamui Woods and her had gone out to see what the problem was.

It was a pretty simple affair - an empty lot that had been fitted with several tables and benches. A large table with Mastermind and the rest of the League of Supervillains behind it was piled with bowls and a large vat of what looked like ramen on a portable stovetop. The crowner had to be the banner above them, clearly set up to advertise exactly what they were dealing with:

EVIL SOUP KITCHEN.

A small group of robot spiders were putting what looked like heaters in strategic spots. The place had a small gathering of people down on their luck, gratefully accepting bowls and sitting down to get out of the cold.

Mount Lady could feel a headache coming on. "So... what makes this an evil soup kitchen... nefarious Villain?"

Ms. Joke's idea of dealing with Mastermind had been to continuously spout those kinds of lines. It worked, but Mount Lady could feel her credibility going with every sentence. It had gotten to the point where people were expecting her to say these cheesy lines in Hero work, even when Mastermind wasn't involved!

Mastermind giggled. "It's an Evil Soup Kitchen... because we haven't registered as a non-profit group with Musutafu Council!" He put a hand to his mouth to stifle his giggles, before pouring a bowl of ramen for a customer. "Here you go! Remember to stay warm!"

Kamui Woods and Mount Lady traded a look. The League of Supervillains were actual criminals, so they should be arresting them right now. On the other hand, apparently the group wasn't doing anything villainous - nobody who had eaten here showed signs of poisoning. Plus, taking down a soup kitchen in winter didn't exactly feel... right.

A plan of action presented itself. It was unorthodox, but that was just dealing with Mastermind.

"Right." Mount Lady turned back to the League of Villains. "Well, Villain, we are going to put a stop to your nefarious ways, once and for all!"

Then she sighed, pinching her eyes in frustration. Maybe she should have stayed in Hokkaido after all - at least there she'd had some respect, even if it was just lifting cows out of ditches.

"Oh? How so, Heroes?"

Kamui Woods stepped up to the plate, the plan apparent. "We're going to get the paperwork through to make this an approved non-profit venture, that's how!"

Mastermind staggered back. "Y-you wouldn't!"

Mount Lady grinned. "Not just that, but one of us is going to stay here to help while we do that!"

Mastermind seemed to grin. "So you are interested in taking over THE ENTIRE MUSUTAFU PREFECTURE! I knew it! If we join forces-"

"No way in hell. We're just going to stay here so that we can subvert your wickedness," Mount Lady explained. She glared at Kamui. "Kamui, you could leave and I stay here to keep an eye on them."

Kamui Woods glanced at her before giving a short nod. "Be careful."

Mount Lady smiled back. "It's alright. I mean, what could possibly happen?"

-----------

Jin had managed to get out of his motel room and out of the house without coming across as creepy. Great! Terrible! 

Now it was just a matter of getting some food. People gave him odd looks as he walked along, trying his hardest to avoid pulling his paper bag on. Giran had said that he was getting him a costume that would help stop him splitting apart. Giran's words seemed to play themselves on repeat.

"What's a guy with nothing left s'posed to do?"

"Find people who'll trust you. Friends. Allies." Giran offered Jin a cigarette. "There's a certain gang that's been making some noise lately - very fun people! I'm sure they could use a guy like you." 

Jin had taken the cigarette as Giran kept talking. "Don't worry. There are plenty of others like you. More than you think." 

Giran had apparently been making calls about getting him a proper outfit - some sort of Christmas gift or something. Jin honestly didn't care, as long as he was covered up.

He sniffed the air. "Smells good - shit's rank, yo!"

His stomach growled. He may have been at war with himself, but he was still hungry. With a determined expression on his face, he followed his nose. It took him a short time, before he stopped and stared at the formerly empty lot. "What the hell - this ain't surprising!" 

Well, at least he'd get food. He got in the short line, the spell of ramen getting stronger as he came closer. The figure at the soup pot he recognised. "Mastermind?"

That guy had been making waves in the Villain world, though they probably weren't the waves most people would want. Apparently Giran wanted him to work with the guy. He wasn't sure about it - he was completely on board, 100 percent!

He stumbled, clutching his head. A hard, metallic hand caught his arm. "Are you okay?" Blinking, he saw that Mastermind had apparently leapt over the table to catch him.

"I'm okay - no I ain't!" 

Mastermind tilted his head. "A-alright, if you say so..." gently, he directed Jin to a seat. "Are you hungry?"

Jin's stomach growled, Mastermind seeming to take it as confirmation. "Right, just wait here for a second." Jin watched him leave, mouth slightly agape as Mastermind poured a bowl of ramen, the noodles freshly shaken. The steaming smell of pork ramen hit his nostrils, Mastermind putting it in front of him.

"Here. You look like you need it."

Jin was aware that his eyes were tearing up, but he didn't care. He ate his ramen in silence, not trusting himself to speak lest he split. That done, he hurried away, pulling out his phone and dialling the only other number there. Within a few rings, the man on the other end picked up.

"Bubaigawara! How have you been?"

Jin leaned against a wall. "I've been pretty good - I feel like shit!" Grunting in frustration, Jin gripped the phone tightly. "So who did you say was up and coming again?"

A few days later...

He'd only had the mask available, but that was enough. In Giran's poky little office, Mastermind was a polite presence. "The name's Twice! Don't you forget it - screw you!" 

Mastermind tilted his head. "I think we met - at the Evil Soup Kitchen?"

Twice gave him a thumbs up. "You got it, Boss!"

Timeline: 3 months to Exam (December)

Chapter Text

"Welcome to our EVIL LAIR (trademark)!!!" Mastermind cheerfully gestured to Twice to follow them into Gentle Criminal's apartment.

Gentle Criminal bowed deeply. "Please, welcome. I'll get us some tea."

"Sounds lovely - miss me with that hot leaf water!" 

Gentle Criminal paused, then shrugged, gesturing to the living room. "I've got the heater Mastermind built in here. It will definitely help us tolerate the freezing winter."

Twice fidgeted with his mask. "This is - I mean-"

Mastermind grinned. "Well, you wanted to join us, right? So we're going to do some pre-Christmas stuff together! I mean, my mom was interested in meeting some of my co-workers for the family and friends thing we have, but I haven't told her you guys are actually Villains, and-"

Golden Grin perked up. "Oh! She made that really nice cake, didn't she?"

Mastermind twitched. "W-well, yeah? She thought it would be nice to treat my co-workers to something. I've- I've sort of told her that it was a coffee shop job, and she may be a bit worried-"

Inkblot looped an arm around Mastermind's shoulders. "Come on dude, we can pretend to be work friends or something." Then she seemed to think better of it, pulling her arm back like Mastermind had turned on his taser. "I mean - if you want to. You know."

Mastermind tilted his head. "Uh..." Trying to shake himself, he gestured to a different room, where several items could be seen. "W-well, anyways! This is my back-up lab! I've got the big one at home. I've got a couple of projects developing!"

Twice looked at the gear. "Wow..." he breathed. "Eh, I've seen better!" 

The other Villains traded a glance, before deciding to go with it. Twice's problem seemed somewhat manageable at least. The Villain pointed at the large item in the middle of the room - what looked like a ray gun the size of a fridge. "Kind of curious but what's that?"

Mastermind glanced at it. "Oh that's the Quirk Erasure Ray. Still working on getting it to work."

Gentle Criminal and La Brava sighed as Twice choked on nothing. They remembered when Mastermind had initially brought it up...

--------------

About a month and a half ago...

The League of Supervillains stared at Mastermind as if he'd grown a second head. Gentle Criminal was the first to speak, sounding rattled. "You... you figured out how to replicate Erasure?"

Mastermind nodded. They could hear the manic grin in his voice. "Yep! Really cool, huh?" He held up the small screen, displaying a squiggly line proudly. 

La Brava was the first one to speak. "But... how?"

Mastermind grinned. "An easy explanation, fellow Villains!" 

With a booming laugh and a crack of thunder, he dramatically swept his cloak to gesture at a screen (Gentle had spent quite a bit of time coaching the younger  Villain on how to do that.) "Much earlier, I faced off against Eraserhead. In that time, my visor's scanner picked up that Eraserhead was emitting a specific energy - an energy that must have been trying to suppress the Quirk I do not possess." 

He clenched a fist. "Unfortunately, I needed more time to properly examine his energy signature. Way more time."

Golden Grin looked confused. "So how did you build this thing then?"

"You remember back at the mall, where we clashed with Eraserhead?" 

With their hesitant nods, he pointed at the screen. "First of all, I was seeing the energy suppressing Mr. Compress' Quirk and La Brava's at close hand, got a lot of practical information from that. While I was in close contact with him, I took the opportunity to smear a tracking chemical on his clothing."

To demonstrate, he tapped his gauntlet. A small hatch opened, revealing a stamp plate with an 'M' engraved on it. The substance coating it glowed a dull green. 

"A tracking chemical? How does that work?"

Mastermind gave Mr. Compress a dramatic wave of his cloak. "It emits a harmless radiation that I can track remotely! From there, I tracked him back to the Naruhata ward - I think he has a base there." 

He tapped the screen. "From there, it was a simple matter of deploying scanners in the most likely areas for Heroic conflict, and bam! I was getting a whole bunch of data. I only got the full scan of Erasure's energy signature a couple of days ago."

The Villains were silent for a bit, each thinking about this new development."So... we can erase Hero Quirks," Inkblot breathed. "That's... I mean, that's a game changer!" 

Mastermind shook his head. "Oh, God no. This will need months of work before I'd deploy it against Heroes."

That surprised the Villains. "But... I thought you said that you had Erasure?" Inkblot managed to get out.

Again, he sadly shook his head. "I have his energy frequency. I'd need to get my energy modulator to put that frequency out. I'd also need to make sure that the energy projected is nonhazardous - I don't want to accidentally give Heroes brain damage or cancer." 

That sobered the Villains up quickly. "That sounds like a good idea, Mastermind," Gentle Criminal muttered. 

-----------

Mastermind patted it appreciatively. "I'm getting closer to replicating the energy signature, but it's a ways off yet."

Twice seemed to stare at his new boss. "That's pretty incredible! Wish I knew what that even meant."

Mastermind cheerfully bounded over. "Basically, a lot of Emitter Quirks have to do with some form of energy. Usually it's just a matter of examining the frequency. There's another project that took a lot of effort to realize," he nodded over to a diagram of a much larger, more complete looking ray gun, "but that's for a rainy day!"

Twice seemed a bit overwhelmed as he took in the sketches and half-finished pieces. "Have to say that's all pretty good, but maybe later? Tell me now, science man!" 

Normally Mastermind was good at keeping his obsession with technology at a minimum. However, permission had been granted. "Say no more, Twice!"

He started to rattle off a stream of enthusiastic jargon, the poor man barely staying afloat. Various pieces were taken off, Twice trying to find a way out.

Fortunately, he was tossed a lifeline. Gentle Criminal delicately coughed. "As enlightening as demonstrating your technology is for our newest team member, maybe he would appreciate some tea?"

Mastermind paused his stream of dialogue, then nodded, "Alright! We can talk about Support Gear later."

Twice mouthed a silent 'thank you' to Gentle Criminal, who gave him a short nod in return.

Gentle had laid out a small number of sweets to go with his preferred tea. As the League of Supervillains' fortunes had increased, so too had the general quality of his tea. As they sat down, Gentle Criminal frowned at an unexpected addition to the table.

"Who brought champagne?"

Inkblot grinned, already putting another bottle and some glasses on the table. "Guilty!" She looked at the other members of the League. "What?"

Mr. Compress coughed tactfully. "Should we really be drinking in the afternoon like this?"

He got a hard, flat stare from the feline Villain. "It's a party! Come on, it's good quality stuff as well!"

Stitch smiled, eyes creasing behind his mask. "I have to agree. Let's have a nice drink." He'd already poured himself a glass, already waiting to take a sip.

Mastermind looked at the rest of the group. "I, uh, don't really drink-"

"You don't?" Inkblot looked at Mastermind quizzically, then shrugged. "Well, that leaves more for the rest of us then!"

Gentle sighed. "Very well. Let's have some tea first. Give the champagne a welcoming friend."

The League of Supervillains raised their delicate cups, the warm brew within sloshing around. "To our newest member, Twice!"

Twice flushed brightly enough to be seen through his costume. "Aw, you guys! I'll murder ya in your sleep!" 

The other Villains stared at him for a few seconds, then shrugged, having gotten used to his sudden outbursts. "So, Twice, I'd like to hear more about your Quirk!" Mastermind leaned in closer. "If you don't mind, that is."

His notebook and pen were already in hand.

Twice looked at the Super Villain for a couple of seconds, pulling his mask back down. "Giran didn't tell you?"

Mastermind shook his head. "He told me that. you were somebody who needed friends. And besides, it's much more interesting to talk to somebody about their Quirk than to hear a second-hand account!"

Twice took a deep breath, then took a more confident stance. "Well, my Quirk's called Double! I can produce two copies of anything, living or dead! Why, the copies I create are so good that they can even use their Quirk!"

Mastermind stared at him admiringly. Already he'd filled an entire page with notes on possible uses based on his initial impressions. "That's incredible, Twice! A Quirk like that is simply amazing! So, what are the limits?"

Twice had a confident smile on his face. "Well, first of all I can only provide two copies period, not two copies of anything. Secondly, the copies are much less durable than the original - an injury about as potent as a broken bone would be enough to dispel the copy."

The smile slipped off his face. He stared at some horrible scene only he could see. "Believe me, I know."

Mastermind gently patted him on the shoulder. "I'm sorry to have brought it up, Twice. I wouldn't have asked if-"

"It's okay! I'm fine! Everything sucks!" 

Mastermind looked at him with concern. "If you're sure..." He picked his cup of tea back up.

Twice shook himself. "Today's a good day! Where was I? Oh, yes!"

He pulled out a pair of measuring tapes from his wrist bracers. "The other thing is, I need to know the exact details of what I'm copying! Height, weight, hairstyle, facial features, age-"

Mastermind nearly choked on his tea. Coughing, he managed to wipe his mouth clean. "Age? Really?"

Twice nodded. "Yep! It's not the most important detail but it's a factor!" He looked at Mastermind with a raised eyebrow, the other Villains also curious. "Is that a problem? It better not be!" 

Mastermind froze slightly. "Uh..."

Just for a second, then he was back on track.

"...It's not a problem!"  Mastermind laughed it off. "I've just never seen a Quirk with an age restriction!" His pen resumed its blur, hastily copying this information down.

-----------

I've been so worried about keeping my age under wraps. It's why I'm careful leaving - I always make sure that I'm safely away somewhere else before I remove my costume and head home. 

I mean, it's not as if I don't trust my friends with my age! That would be silly! It's just... I like having the barrier of my suit.

With the suit on, I'm Mastermind, a Super Villain! The Villain that the Heroes need and deserve!

Out of the suit, I'm just... Midoriya Izuku, giant Hero Nerd and tinkerer. Quirkless. Useless.

I... I knew that my friends would support me! They had to, we'd been through so much!

But...

I guess I was afraid that they'd just... 

Send me back to being Quirkless Izuku.

...I didn't want them to do that. So as long as I could, I was going to keep Izuku out of my life for The Plan to work.

I didn't want to keep lying to my friends, but was it really lying if nobody directly asked me how old I was?

----------

The party had been going for a short time. After the tea and cake, the other Villains were entertaining themselves with various means. Mostly making small talk, talking about the holidays and what they held. Stitch had flopped onto the couch, napping.

La Brava looked at Inkblot slightly disapprovingly. "How much champagne have you had?"

Inkblot shrugged. "Not much! Come on, I've got great tolerance!"

The shorter Villain gave her friend a look. "Uh-huh."

Her feline friend grabbed the bottle, pouring herself another glass with a slightly shaky hand. "Come on, it's Dutch courage. Just one more."

La Brava took the bottle away from her friend. "I'll give it back if you tell him," she coyly suggested.

Inkblot glared at her friend, then sighed. "Fine! You win, and you're probably right. I've gotta ask before somebody else does."

Mastermind was chattering away to Mr. Compress, excitedly mentioning the possibilities of Twice's Quirk in conjunction with his own. La Brava gave her friend a smile. "The worst that can happen is he says no!"

Inkblot groaned in despair. "Thanks for the reminder, Aiba," she groused.

The shorter Villain only grinned at her taller friend. "Go for it!" She sneakily reached into her pocket, pulling out a small bunch of mistletoe. "In case you need it~!"

Inkblot slammed her glass of champagne back, gripping the small bunch of mistletoe.

-----------

Inkblot found Mastermind cheerfully chattering to Twice. "-so what happens to a copy if they change out of their clothes? Can you make inanimate objects based solely on a description or do you need to see the item itself?"

Twice looked like he was a bit overwhelmed by all the questions.

Inkblot steeled herself. Well, all I have to do is... ask him out. No biggie. Surely he's gotten the hint by now?

"...hey."

Twice looked up. "Hey Inkblot! Want to join in? Fuck off and die!" 

Twice slapped his mouth. "I'm sorry! I'm... just going to go over here!" He darted off.

Mastermind turned to her and what she was about to say next left her mind. She pushed on anyway. "W-well, uh..." she trailed off.

He turned a bit to focus on her. "Is something wrong?"

Just say it, Inkblot! I'm not in goddamn High school anymore! 

She took a deep breath. "I... like you. A lot."

Mastermind seemed to beam. "I like you too, Inkblot - Sumi-san!"

Hearing her name used so familiarly caused the massed butterflies in her stomach to multiply. "R-really? You... you like me?"

The other Villain looked at her oddly. The rest of the League seemed to have disappeared. "Well, of course I do! You've been a great friend, and I'm not so embarrassed by the banter-"

A lead weight sunk into her stomach. Did he not pick up on it? "Wait. Banter?"

Mastermind nodded, oblivious to the feelings in her head. "Yeah! You flirting with me like that. It's just banter, right?"

Inkblot wanted to slap a hand to her face or get another drink. She settled for staring at her boss, amazed that somebody so smart hadn't figured out that she was actually interested in him. Then again, if he'd grown up Quirkless, maybe he wasn't used to that kind of positive attention?

As Mastermind took another sip of tea, Sumi cast a helpless glance out to La Brava. The shorter lady, perched on the countertop, made frantic gestures to keep talking.

"W-well... I, really, really like you." She took a deep breath. "You're kind, and smart, and you don't actually seem to care about me being all..." she waved her hands, trying to convey the typical standard she dealt with.

"I really want to go out with you, is what I'm saying."

Mastermind froze in place. "Um...alright?" he squeaked out. Then he seemed to remember himself, hastily pulling his mouthpiece back on. "I-I-I mean, um? What? R-really? That's, uh-"

A bit too late. Sumi's eyes widened. She was sure that Mr. Compress had choked on his sip of tea. Stitch sat up, eyes focused on the drama happening behind him. La Brava was looking at her friend with concern, the same thought obviously having just struck her.

Oh no.

With a sinking feeling in her stomach, Sumi looked closer at Mastermind, really looked at him. The Villain was short - that could be put on his natural adult height, but there was something about his build even through the armour that suggested he wasn't an adult. A few other things clicked - how Mastermind wasn't available during normal hours, that he lived with his mother, his general awkwardness and that latest high pitched squeak...

She was aware that the room had frozen with that outburst but she had to ask. "Mastermind, please, tell me you're an adult."

If the room hadn't been tense before, it was now as the other Villains looked at the pair of them. Gentle Criminal and La Brava were looking between each other and her. Twice seemed uneasy, Mr. Compress having swapped his mask for one that had a raised eyebrow design on it. Golden Grin had sat up properly, face serious.

Mastermind stayed clutched, then he slumped, sighing. "I guess I had to take my helmet off sometime."

He tapped some panels on the side of his mask, the seals hissing and clicking. The mouthpiece came off first, followed by the upper visor. Sumi stared at Mastermind's face.

A mass of dark green fluffy hair. Brilliant green eyes. Freckles on slightly chubby cheeks. He winced, looking away from her. "Um... w-well, I'm not. I'm... just leaving middle school."

He put on a wobbly smile.

Inkblot managed to find her voice, low and quivering. "Oh my god, you're a teenager."

Visions danced in her head, of the thoughts she'd had about Mastermind. The teenager's face superimposed itself on a particularly intimate thought involving rather a lot of oil.

She was able to make it to the toilet before she threw up.

-----------------

Gentle Criminal simply stood there, Mastermind looking just as stunned as he felt. Mastermind, a teenager... he really hadn't thought about it.

The shorter Villain stood up. "You... probably don't like that I lied, huh?"

When nobody responded, he slowly stood up. "I'm sorry for bothering you. I'll just leave now."

Gentle felt a dark pit opening in his stomach with those words. Was Mastermind...? The other Villains looked at each other uneasily. "...Why are you leaving?"

Mastermind looked up. "Well, I-I mean, it's late, and... maybe me being a Villain was stupid."

With a quick switch of his mask to a worried face, Mr. Compress stood up. "I must admit this is a surprise. But-"

"It's fine, it's fine!" Mastermind put on a shaky smile. "It might be better if I just... stopped the Villainy thing. Focus on something realistic. You don't have to put up with me and my dumb plans anymore."

La Brava's face crumpled. "You really want to leave?"

Mastermind winced in turn, already turning to grab his bag. "W-well, who'd want a Quirkless teenager around? It's fine, it's fine!"

Gentle Criminal could see Mastermind's smile turning steadily more plastic. He'd seen those eyes in the mirror before. "Mastermind..."

"A-and! If you guys need any gear upgrades, you can just call me! I'll get it done!"

"Mastermind-"

"Who was I kidding, this was a mistake, I-"

"MASTERMIND!"

--------------

Midoriya Izuku stared at Gentle with his mouth open. Gentle Criminal had shouted.

Gentle Criminal had shouted?

The older man took a deep breath. "Apologies, Mastermind. I just..." he sighed. "This won't be easy to say."

Izuku looked at Gentle as he continued to talk, slowly and carefully. "I won't deny that, if you had told me after the robbery that you were a minor, I would have probably advised you to stop. Being a Villain is a hard life, and you've got your whole life ahead of you."

Izuku's heart tightened. "S-so it's fine! I'll just leave now-"

Gentle Criminal held up a hand. "Young Man - Mastermind - that was then, this is now. What I mean is that, time and again, I have seen you in action."

Izuku was aware that there were tears in the corners of his eyes. "You-you don't have to sugarcoat it-"

Golden Grin piped up "You've built all of this gear when you're not even in high school? You're frickin' awesome!"

Mr. Compress chimed in. "You managed to get away from actual Pro Heroes, young man. Most Villains can't claim that!"

Mastermind seemed to shrink in on himself. "...You don't have to be so nice about it... it's alright, I'm not going to be hurt, it's-"

La Brava stepped closer, concern on her face. "You're clearly not okay. I - believe me, I know what it's like to be pushed away."

Gentle Criminal stepped closer to his young fan. "As do I."

Mastermind looked at him with wide eyes as he continued. "I can't deny that I'm offended that you never told us how old you really were but I get why you hid your age from us. But Mastermind... whoever you are..."

Mastermind's eyes were brimming with tears. "M-Midoriya... Izuku..." he choked out.

Gentle Criminal and Mr. Compress traded a look. "Midoriya-kun..." He smiled at his young fan, feeling like history had repeated itself ever so slightly. Just like with Manami before him, this young man needed help.

"What I'm trying to say is that we want you to stay."

---------

Izuku stared at his idol, open mouthed.

The other Villains in the room grinned, looking at Mastermind with surprising smiles.

Golden Grin, with a smile as wide as his namesake. "You helped me ace my mid-terms man! Course I want you to stay!"

La Brava's own smile was a bit teary but she was still determined. "Remember when I said you were my first real friend? That didn't just change you know!"

Mr. Compress chuckled. "I believe there is still some prestidigitation I can teach you, young man!"

Twice gave him a big thumbs up. "Look, you treated me nicely before and I want to help you with your Villain thing! You ain't getting rid of me even if you want to!" 

Stitch rubbed the back of his head, scowling. "You're a bit infuriating, but I can respect the expertise behind your technology. It's only logical for you to stay here with your creations."

"You... I..."

He knew that he would have to talk with them. He needed to make a lot of apologies, for keeping himself secret while learning about each of them. But in the moment that just... didn't seem to matter.

Izuku stared at the rest of the Villains. There were tears coming from his eyes and he had sunk to his knees as the knot of emotions in his chest unravelled. For a few seconds, he just sat there as the Villains simply looked on. No words were said. Then La Brava got closer.

"Izuku."

Izuku looked up, managing to push himself up. La Brava looked at him with a sad expression of her own. His mind ran quickly. "Inkblot," he breathed.

He pushed himself upright, but La Brava held up a hand. "You should probably leave her," she said.

Izuku stared at the doorway, then back to La Brava. "I just-"

La Brava simply shook her head. "That was a bit of a shock. I don't think she's... angry, per say? But I'll talk to her tomorrow."

For a second Izuku thought of running after her. Then he saw Gentle Criminal and Mr. Compress shaking their heads. "I... I guess I should work on my apology, shouldn't I?"

Stitch pulled his mask down so that he could leer at Izuku properly. "You sure do, kid. Maybe you should buy her some flowers or something."

--------

It was a couple of days later. La Brava had called Inkblot and had managed to help get a meeting. She'd managed to stress that Izuku had genuinely been unaware that she'd been flirting with him properly.

Sumi was sitting across from Mastermind - Midoriya. The other Villains had decided to leave the room. She looked him in the eye, then sighed. Trust Mastermind to be cute.

Like a puppy.

Midoriya sighed. "I-I'm... really sorry. For hurting you like this."

Sumi gave him a pained smile. "I know. You didn't do it on purpose."

Didn't make it feel any less humiliating or make her feel less depressed with herself. You didn't need to do something on purpose to hurt other people, she knew that.

Midoriya stared at his hands. "So... I mean, why would you even... like me like that?"

Sumi whipper her head back up from where she'd been looking at the ground. "What? You're smart, kind, you've got muscle... I don't get why you don't have more people interested!"

Midoriya shrugged. "Most of the people in school think the mumbling is weird. I'm still a massive nerd."

Sumi gave him with an odd look. "Right."

With Midoriya looking even more miserable, Sumi pinched her eyes shut in frustration. This was... how did you go on with this kind of thing?

Midoriya was the one to break that silence. "Things aren't going to be the same, are they?"

Sumi twisted the hem of her jacket. "Probably not."

Looking at the kid, she managed to suck in a breath. "Look." As Midoriya turned, she gathered her thoughts. "I mean, sure, this whole... reveal sucked, but at least we figured it out like this. Rather than having to find out who you are by pulling your helmet off your body."

Midoriya nodded, face ashen. He looked up. "Being Mastermind has been... fantastic. I'm not a Quirkless teenager anymore when I'm wearing my armour."

Sumi managed a small grin. "You did pull the wool over everybody's eyes this whole time though. Pretty Villainous if you ask me."

Midoriya looked up at her. "So-"

She held up a hand. "It sucks that you're not exactly..." she waved her hands, settling for, "...old enough. For me. But... you're also a great friend, and I really don't want to lose that."

She grinned. "Now then, who are you again?"

Midoriya stared at her for a second, then he beamed. A wicked grin split his face, the light of burning buildings shining in his eyes. "W-well then! I'm Midoriya Izuku! Also known as the Brilliant Supervillain... MASTERMIND!"

Thunder roared.

Sumi grinned back. "The name's Anime Sumi. Inkblot."

-------

It took a bit of time, but eventually the League of Supervillains got back together again, stronger than ever! I owed everybody for not trusting them with my real identity and obviously I had to prove that I meant it - mostly by giving some help here and there. But it all worked out!

I'd made a strong connection with the helmet on, and with it off I had a bit more freedom. Most importantly, I knew beyond a doubt that we are all friends, united beyond just big heists and Villainy. 

Sure, I still occasionally felt that I should have kept my helmet on. Worked a bit like Doctor Doom, where nobody saw my true face. But it meant that I could get up to bigger and better plans...

And it meant that I had an excuse to show of the basement area! 

After Christmas... I had such big plans. And it felt like the U.A entrance exams were coming closer than ever!

Chapter Text

Toshinori Yagi huffed, the cold air making his breath mist. Next year the U.A. entrance exams would start and he'd be a teacher. Seeing the beach being cleaned, looking like the area would be completely cleaned by the time of the exams... a warm feeling blossomed in his heart just thinking about it.

With their work for the day done, Mirio had popped over. He beamed, a regular ray of sunshine. "You've done a great job here, Melissa!"

Melissa nodded, a smile on her face. "Sure feels like it." She stretched, loosening up her tired muscles. "This is going to be one of the cleanest beaches in Japan by the time I'm done with it!"

Mirio let out a hearty chuckle, slapping her on the back. "That's the spirit!"

"Ah! Mirio-senpai!"

Toshinori smile widened as he saw their favourite beach comber coming towards them, the green haired boy beaming when he ran up to them. He chuckled as the teenager rushed up to them. Midoriya glanced over to Toshinori, giving him a quick bow. "It's good to see you, Toshinori-san!"

With a chuckle, Toshinori gave the young man a warm smile. "It is good to see you as well, my boy."

Young Midoriya rubbed the back of his head. "Ah, it's nothing, really."

Melissa gave him a grin. "So what have you been working on lately? Anything interesting?"

The young man grinned. "Sure have! I've really been thinking about what to make for the Support Exam."

Toshinori and Melissa both pondered this. Midoriya had been doing a lot of work on his concepts, and like many other people had been worried that his concepts weren't good enough.

"I see what you mean," Melissa murmured. "What would you say your area of focus was again?"

Midoriya slumped a bit. "W-well, I would say that my best area is Quirk analysis. I-I'm really good at breaking down Quirks and how they work! Ah, but that wouldn't be the best thing to do for a Support exam, since I don't know what Quirk to design the gear for-"

Mirio gave him an encouraging smile. "Well, I have to admit your science talk kind of goes over my head. Maybe you need to look at it from a different angle?"

Midoriya nodded, a frustrated expression on his face. "Oh, I know that! It's just... hard to find the right invention."

Toshinori could relate. He'd listened to David gripe about his gadgets and potential applications many times. "Still, young Midoriya. I have faith in your ability. Just think about what a Hero might need."

The young man sighed. "Well, I'm close, I can just feel it."  He looked over the beach, then turned back to Melissa. "This is incredible, Melissa! I can actually see the ocean from here!"

It was just a bit of small talk after that, catching up and talking about exams. Melissa had been doing online schooling, transmitting back to I-Island to keep up with her friends there.

Midoriya had enjoyed his brief break from schoolwork, leaving him freer to invent, but was still a bit glum. Toshinori noticed this. On questioning the young man, Midoriya had sighed. "Well, there's something I've always wanted to get personally, but... it's just a bit too far."

"What is that, Young Midoriya?"

He sighed glumly. "Well, it's silly really, but I want to get an All Might signature!" His eyes lit up as he continued. "W-well, All Might's a really busy Hero, and the only major signing event he does is in the Might Tower in Tokyo, and I-I've never been able to get the booking-!"

Toshinori patted Midoriya on the back. "Don't worry about it, Midoriya! All Might has been doing some Hero work here lately-"

Midoriya's eyes lit up. "Hero work here? I-I mean, there were a lot of report about that, but-"

He was silenced by a quick wink. "Keep quiet about it, young Midoriya. Who knows? You may get to meet him soon!"

Toshinori's heart warmed up with the stunned, happy smile that came across the young man's face.

Midoriya eventually left, practically skipping home with a cheery wave. Toshinori traded a glance with Melissa and Mirio. Ultimately, Toshinori had lost out due to having a larger face.

All three of them were trying not to grin.

(Later, All Might 'coincidentally' ran into Midoriya before doing a signing at the Musutafu mall. The young man had stammered at volumes almost too high for the human ear to pick up, offering a notebook with shaky hands.

When All Might had pulled his signature 'your book is already signed' trick, Midoriya had nearly fainted. And Toshinori Yagi had a warm and fuzzy feeling in his chest for the rest of the day seeing that earnest smile and declaration that it would become a family heirloom.)

Timeline: 2 months 3 weeks to exams (Mid December)

--------

The League of Supervillains had gone surprisingly quiet over December. Apart from a minor robbery in the week before Christmas, the League had seemed to disappear from the face of Japan. The Mastermind Taskforce had kept vigilant, unsure whether this was some sort of bizarre ploy by Mastermind or not.

They had appreciated the break though. Christmas had come and gone, and soon enough it was the dawn of a New Year. Unknown to each other, Heroes and Villains both participated in hatsumode, even going to similar shrines.

Two different prospective Hero students had made the trek to the shrine, and made similar promises - 'I want to get into U. A. this year, to become the best Hero I can.'

The rest of the Heroes had prayed that Mastermind would get captured soon. Eraserhead had simply stayed in line outside a camping store, waiting for a new sleeping bag.

Mount Lady's personal prayer had been simple. 'Please, no more fan meets where I step on people. I'd even take more Mastermind over that.'

Midoriya Izuku's prayer had also been to the point. 'I want to get good enough to be All Might's arch nemesis.'

Later, of course, things would get back to normal for the various Heroes and Villains out there. A time of relative peace that would soon shatter. The devilish machinations of Mastermind and the League of Supervillains would soon start again, and the Heroes of Japan would rise to oppose them. But for now, Heroes and Villains welcomed the New Year in.

And the New Year certainly had interesting incidents.

-----------

Eraserhead stared at his best friend and sighed. "Hisashi, this isn't going to work."

'This' referred to Present Mic's idea to get Mastermind into a set location where they could grab him.

By making a shout on social media for Mastermind to join Present Mic on his radio show. For an interview for the 'most diabolical Supervillain the world has ever known.'

Needless to say, the Mastermind Task Force had been... less than thrilled with that idea. Mostly because it meant that Present Mic would drum up his own popularity. They'd resigned themselves to checking on other businesses in the area, just waiting for Mastermind to show up.