The List of Japanese Supervillains [Updated after the Training Camp Battle]
SSS-Rank
Re-Destro [Meta Liberation Army]
Overhaul [Paranormal Liberation Front]
Doctor Ujiko [Paranormal Liberation Front]
Legion [League of Villains]
SS-Rank
Mr. Compress [Levellers]
Purity [Creature Rejection Clan]
Beast [Inhuman Supremacy Party]
Nine [Paranormal Liberation Front]
S-Rank
Geten [Meta Liberation Army]
Slidin' Go [Meta Liberation Army]
Stain [League of Villains]
Sunset [Quirkless Equality Movement]
Gremlin [Villain Industries/League of Villains]
(***)
"First thing's first." Nedzu announces once everyone gathers in his office. Gran Torino is missing due to still being in a hospital. There is detective Tsukauchi, Sir Nighteye with his arm bandaged, Eraserhead that has barely recovered from a concussion and still has half of his head under wraps and, finally, Lemillion and All Might. Those two actually feel pretty well, especially the latter, who is eating his first cheeseburger in years.
The only unexpected addon is the thoroughly tired Recovery Girl.
"Namely, damage control." Nedzu concludes. Eraserhead decides to ask the obvious question.
"Before that, why are we here? In THIS room?" They knew it was wiretapped, after all. I mean, sure, League did save their collective asses, but it's not like they were now all cozy.
"Because the League has evacuated their spy." Nedzu replies. "Shihai Kuroiro of class 1-B. The danger has passed, and I've made steps that will make him unable to infiltrate us ever again."
That was a new thing. Eraserhead decides to ask further questions.
"That pitch black kid?" He remembers him faintly from some joint training. Nedzu nods in an answer.
"I currently believe that he was the contact between the League and their QLF agent in the past." Nedzu adds. "He was the 'friend with heroic aspirations that ended up in juvie for assault after saving a quirkless girl from rape'. Legion forgot to mention that he later on cleared his record and got him to join UA. I planned to make an arrest during the last day of the training camp, but… alas. Water under the bridge now." The rat shrugs. "It appears that he forgot to mention that his quirk allows him to hide various items, such as microphones, in sufficiently dark places. Like behind the furniture in this room. "
Eraserhead nods. His curiosity is satisfied. Nedzu moves on.
"Recovery Girl?" The principal turns his head towards the tired woman.
"We haven't lost anyone more than my last report. Forty-seven students. Fifteen more have various degrees of permanent damages. The rest should make a full recovery." She sighs. "Our counselors will have a lot of work in front of them, though."
Being attacked like that, having to fight for their lives and in many cases scoring some kills? Eraserhead doesn't look forward to Hound Dog's work after all this. Although all of that won't start until Hound Dog leaves the hospital. If he leaves the hospital. Doctors were optimistic, but…
UA's heroic course had 118 active students. It was now down to 82 (if you included the nine hero students with permanent damages that were going to end their careers). The remaining casualties were from either the gen-ed or support course.
"And… All Might?" Sir Nighteye asks. Recovery Girl looks conflicted for a few seconds. Then she answers.
"I believe the girl that Legion brought with him has the world's first Class-Six healing quirk." Silence in the room. Eraserhead only recently found out that Class-Six quirks existed, although he only knew One for All and All for One. "It wasn't conventional healing. All Might's body was chronologically rewinded to its physical state before his fight against All for One. He has a small gash on his side that fits the wound he received during his fight against Toxic Chainsaw earlier that year. His mind retained all memories from after that date, however."
Eraserhead's headache starts. The implications of the possibilities this quirk opened…
"There are almost no limits to what it can heal." Recovery Girl continues. "Guaranteed perfect recovery for as long as you remain alive until she gets to you. It can even heal old age. Not to mention reset diseases like cancer to an earlier stage, allowing repeated attempts at therapy. If not to just rewind the body to the point before it started." She sighs. "I guess this explains why Legion was hiding her from the world so well."
How many people out there would be willing to kill to get someone who could make them immortal? This was a quirk that was a blessing as much as it was a curse. Especially to a girl that was already hurt so much because of it.
"Very well." Nedzu officially concludes this part of the talk. Eraserhead really hopes that he won't do something stupid with that knowledge. Empathy isn't his strong point, but those two DO share the part of being experimented upon due to their quirk. "What about your quirk?"
"I do not have One for All, that much didn't change." All Might replies between the bites of the cheeseburger. "But the remaining energy was recharged fully. It will decrease as time passes, but for now I'm back to my peak level of strength." That was, at least, rather reassuring. All Might in full power was a massive asset.
"Now… damage control." Nedzu says and everyone flinches. The chaos in the media was insane. Principal and the police already sent the full report to the Commission (they, unfortunately, had to) and there were many changes in the villain ranking. "I really need to issue a public statement. My current idea is to try to spin the tale in our favour. Attribute Zealot's kills to All Might to restore his image, make it look like League of Villains' alliance with us was just a ruse to get intel back to the attackers to explain our casualties. With this the blow to the school should be dampened, and..." Some scarce nods in the room. Eraserhead is horrified. He is about to say something, but someone intervenes first.
A fist lands on his desk. The sound is loud - and surprising - enough to have Nedzu go silent. And stare in shock at someone who just almost damaged his (very valuable) desk, despite being a student.
"Are you insane?" Lemillion is standing in front of him, clearly furious. "Are you diagnosed as clinically insane, Principal Nedzu?"
"Mirio…" Sir Nighteye is mortified. Eraserhead is getting better at reading his face. Although in this case, he is entirely in Lemillion's team. As the only person in the room, save for (possibly) unreadable All Might who is still munching on his burger.
"I'm asking because if you are actually insane, then I'm not in a position to thoroughly laugh and butcher what you just said as some of the dumbest thing I ever heard." Lemillion is more furious than Eraserhead imagined was ever possible. Enough to completely ignore his mentor. The underground hero didn't think that it was possible. "So, once again, are you INSANE, principal Nedzu?"
Silence. Long and awkward.
"No. I'm not." Nedzu finally replies. His face is unreadable.
"So let me now explain why what you just said was absolute bullshit." Sir Nighteye is horrified by the language used. He is like a doting father that just discovered that his eighteen years old 'baby girl' knows what sex is. Eraserhead is vaguely amused by the scene. "Did any of you hear about such a thing as the Second World War?"
Unexpected jump of a subject. Eraserhead is more or less aware. History wasn't his strong point, but not a weak one either.
"It was a pre-quirk war." Lemillion doesn't wait for the answer. "Horrible loss of life, with some estimating that more than sixty million people died. Do you want to know why it started?" Another rhetorical question. He isn't waiting for an answer before continuing on. "It started because the First World War was so horrible, that no one, absolutely no one was ready to acknowledge that the second one had already started. The victorious powers of the First World War let a genocidal maniac devour two European countries without a single shot fired, letting him build up his strength and popular support, because they preferred it to admitting that they are waging and losing a war."
Eraserhead understands what Lemillion is going to say. Huh. High time for someone to say it openly. Perhaps they will listen to an One for All holder. Eraserhead is too young (apparently) and not a veteran of their war against All for One, so they would probably ignore him. Lemillion is even younger, but he has That quirk, so...
Go get them, Lemillion.
"This is what you are doing right now, but even worse." Lemillion continues. "For months I keep hearing stuff like 'oh, at least he isn't All for One', or 'please just not another war, I'm so tired of the last one'." The latter sentence is done with an impression resembling Detective Tsukauchi. Who, promptly, freezes, with an expression on his face that makes Eraserhead laugh internally. "Well, newsflash. The second war has already started in Hosu, and yesterday we almost lost it."
He pauses for a few seconds. Nedzu is about to open his mouth, but Lemillion interrupts him before the first word comes out.
"When you were fighting against All for One… Do you remember your War Council, Nedzu?" The rat freezes again. "Monthly meetings of influential heroes whom you and All Might trusted enough to believe that All for One didn't buy them. Exchange of ideas and information, ways of understanding a bigger picture of the villain operations in the country. Well, back then All for One ruled the villains from shadows while being able to transfer quirks and killed a lot of people in nasty ways. For weeks the QLF has been destroying entire cities and we know since Eclipse's death that its leader can transfer quirks. So where is your War Council, Nedzu?"
Silence. You could drop a pin on the ground, and it would deafen everyone involved.
"All for One had problems amassing fifteen notable villains for an operation without you or Sir catching wind that something is brewing." Lemillion continues. "Paranormal Liberation Front is moving around five thousand soldiers, dozens of tanks and self propelled guns, and hundreds of bio-engineered monsters. How's that NOT a war? You could conquer a small country openly with an army like that!"
Eraserhead caught himself nodding slightly.
"You won the first war, great." Lemillion tries not to sound sarcastic, but fails. It's almost hilarious considering how his face is always so optimistic. Like a second coming of All Might, really. Now he looks more like Eraserhead on a bad day. "But now we're being attacked by another enemy, one to equal if not surpass the old one, while being in the middle of the civil war against the Hero Commission. I came here, hoping for some source of optimism after the worst night in my life. Some grand plan, some lead to capture Overhaul and stop him from killing more people. Instead I hear Nedzu saying that he wants to start a war with one of our few remaining potential allies to… what exactly? To make himself look better in the media than the HPSC?" He leans forward over the desk, making Nedzu shrink in his chair. "What the hell is wrong with you, Nedzu?" He leans back and looks around the room. "What the hell is wrong with you all for me, a student, to be the only person to call Nedzu out on that?"
And now the kid started to sound like Eraserhead after he caught Nedzu using Stain as a problem solver. Oh joy. Another problem child to look at with a mix of worry and pride. If Lemillion is to become the next Symbol of Peace, then… Eraserhead looks forward to seeing it.
"Not the only person." Eraserhead decides to interrupt the silence. "I'm with you on that, Mirio." Some of the eyes in the room turn towards him. "Keep chewing them up, kid. Time for someone to talk some sense into them."
All Might says nothing. Just nods. Looks like Eraserhead isn't the only one on it.
"Mirio, I understand that Legion fought alongside you, but…" Nedzu still doesn't get the hint. He is smart, but his understanding of social cues and emotions is sometimes… painfully lacking. And there are cases - like this one - when he is having issues with understanding a new situation, and will stick to an old mindset. Like the oldest, most conservative person you can think about.
"Nedzu, for god's sake, take your head out of your ass and listen to what I'm saying!" Lemillion is clearly on fire, and Eraserhead hopes that there is some wiretapping left. Would Legion hand him a copy of a recording of that talk? Sir in the meantime appears to be approaching a heart attack. "We need the League more than it needs us. Can you finally understand that one thing?"
"Now you're overreacting…" Nedzu is stubborn. Probably infuriated by the indication of him having a hateboner against Hero Commission and being too single-minded about it. Despite having a hateboner against it AND being too single-minded about that.
"He is right." All Might finally speaks. Sir looks at him with more shock than horror for the first time in a while. "What would have happened if Legion didn't intervene in this battle? Without Gremlin restoring our communications, the entire UA would be wiped out. We would have lost the Symbol of Peace, the One for All alongside of its bearer, three years worth of prospective heroes, numerous pro heroes, and both Nedzu and Sir Nighteye, our main strategists. Without Legion, Overhaul would achieve what All for One never did - he would have WON. In the span of a single night. Then he would just have to finish the Hero Commission and voila. In three weeks from now on he would be fighting Re-Destro over who gets to inherit the entire country."
He lets this image float in the room for a few seconds. Enough for various emotions to settle in. Sir is either incapable of saying no to All Might or finally started to think about what Mirio said. Nedzu is still in his personal cuckooland. Detective Tsukauchi is… hard to read.
"Legion has saved our asses." Mirio picks up where he left. "More than that. While we were hiding out from the world before the training camp, hoping that no one is going to attack us again and that Overhaul would just stay in hiding indefinitely, he actually dismantled QLF's entire popular support." Nedzu opens his mouth again, but Lemillion once again doesn't let him. "Stop. Did you even watch Sunset's manifest? VIllainy but with ethics and attacks against relatively valid targets, like what Legion does. All directed by Mr. Compress, personally a great fan of Legion's mother AND head of the Levellers. Whom Legion worked with before, if Gentle Criminal's presence during the USJ attack is any indication. Is it really that hard to connect the dots?"
Nedzu closes his mouth. Eraserhead whistles quietly. He did have some suspicions, but if Lemillion got the same idea, then it just confirmed his thoughts. Sir and Tsukauchi appear fascinated and surprised by the connection. The underground hero is just slightly disappointed in them for not suspecting it earlier.
"And now you want to declare de facto war against Legion to improve your public approval rating?" Lemillion looks almost insulted by the idea. "We might hate that fact. I certainly do. But we NEED him. Because League is the only group that can get at least some heat off us and occupy Overhaul's attention until we get back to the combat shape that we heroes had during the war against All for One. And do you know why Legion is even assisting us at all? Because he thinks that we are trustworthy. Because he thinks that we are heroes honest to the meaning of the word. And you want to use the UA's entire authority to publically shit on him and one of his friends that died saving YOUR students by claiming that he was a villain there to kill them all?" There is silence in the room. "Did you try to think for a second what Legion would do after seeing you on the TV saying things like that? Because while I can't claim that I know him, I'm almost certain that none of us will like the result."
Eraserhead doesn't like to think about it, either. But he is certain that Lemillion is right. Legion would be absolutely furious. Especially after his friend's death - League was no standard 'business first' villain crew. It was more like a family. Dysfunctional, but loving. Legion would probably be alright with one of them being arrested (he would try to break them out, but he wouldn't hold a grudge if that failed). But a family member dying to save UA students, and Nedzu then publicly shaming the person in question for that...
Considering the fact that all Legion needs to damage UA seriously is get Stain an interview about how Principal Nedzu set him against his enemies, the results of the UA versus League of Villains war would be nasty. And not to the League. At least in the short term.
Lemillion quietly returns to his chair, and sits there. His face clouded and furious. Nedzu keeps deflating in his chair. Finally he speaks.
"I'll… rewrite my public statement." Nedzu says. "Taking into account what was just said. Thank you for bringing it into my attention, Mirio." He is thoroughly destroyed. His mind has probably finally unpacked what was said, making him understand just how close was he to committing an elaborate form of public suicide.
"And I'll add that…" Sir sighs loudly. "We should reform the war council. There are still some members of the past one in active duty, and there are many recently emerged notable agencies to invite to it. Mirio is right on all issues he talked about. Including the part that there's just no way that no one noticed any signs of Overhaul amassing his forces, even with warp quirk taken into account. But the team-ups between agencies grew thin in numbers in the past few years, and with the Commission hounding the reports from their agencies… we simply missed the warning signs."
Tsukauchi nods. He is… tired. Not as much as Nedzu is, but he certainly will need some time to get over it. Recovery Girl says nothing.
"That's an excellent idea, Mirai." All Might comments. Nedzu nods faintly.
"I'll ask the Vigilante Alliance and the underground hero network if they want to join officially or semi-officially." Eraserhead decides to add. "They have information networks to match Legion's, but are operating practically independently from the surface heroes. There is a fair chance that they noticed some things concerning Overhaul's operations, but simply failed to put it in the proper context."
Time to talk about the actual damage control. And about Midnight's funeral.
(***)
Mirio Togata: I just paid back my debt to you for saving my and my friends' asses from that Noumu.
Mirio Togata: So don't expect to have me do anything for you in exchange for that. I don't like being in debt to a villain.
Akatani Mikumo: ?
Mirio Togata: Nedzu had one of his 'I Don't Understand Humans' brain aneurysms.
Mirio Togata: He was about to pin the blame about the attack on the League. I talked him out of it. With All Might and Eraserhead.
Akatani Mikumo: holy fucking shit
Akatani Mikumo: I was afraid he would try to pull shit like that
Akatani Mikumo: thank you
Mirio Togata: Try to influence me slightly less, alright?
Mirio Togata: i feel like I'm falling into a bad crowd
Mirio Togata: three years of being an exemplar student and here I am,
Mirio Togata: telling the principal to take his head out of his ass and listen to me
Mirio Togata: to his face in his office, with several teachers and my two mentors listening
Mirio Togata: sigh
Akatani Mikumo: oh
Akatani Mikumo: my
Akatani Mikumo: god
Akatani Mikumo: that had to be hilarious to watch
Mirio Togata: well eraserhead did look like christmas came earlier sooo
Mirio Togata: maybe?
Akatani Mikumo: xD
Mirio Togata: I'm going to be a hero. And I'm going to save a million people with a smile. That doesn't change and will not change.
Mirio Togata: But knowing you DOES give me some perspective. Watching news and figuring out what a mess this country is did expand the perspective too.
Mirio Togata: still arresting you and putting you behind the bars for numerous cases of murder and villainy, for the record
Akatani Mikumo: awesome!
Mirio Togata: how're you holding? I mean, about Zealot
Akatani Mikumo: it hurts, but… he always wanted to be a hero
Akatani Mikumo: couldn't, due to his background, but
Akatani Mikumo: he was probably happy that he at least died as one
Akatani Mikumo: saving people
Akatani Mikumo: I'm still getting my promise to him fulfilled, though
Mirio Togata: promise?
Akatani Mikumo: I promised to stop Purity and the CRC from hurting innocent people.
Akatani Mikumo: Zealot might have died, but my promise to him still lives.
Mirio Togata: if you find two bases of the CRC, tell me about one. I'll arrest everyone inside in his memory. He killed 94 noumus before dying, can you believe that? This was practically All Might at-the-peak level of power.
Akatani Mikumo: 94? holy shit, I thought that Mindscrew was joking with his 'like a hundred'
Akatani Mikumo: he must have had another level of his quirk entirely, that he only activated when he understood that it's his last battle but still marched into it willingly to save people.
Akatani Mikumo: fascinating
Mirio Togata: so… righteousness?
Akatani Mikumo: more like a perception of himself being good and the enemy being evil.
Akatani Mikumo: the greater the difference, the bigger the power level he could generate
Akatani Mikumo: apparently he depowered almost into quirklessness when he understood that what CRC is doing is evil (and he was a part of it, and actually did some ugly things).
Akatani Mikumo: took him a while to look at himself in the mirror and not hate what he saw
Mirio Togata: that's… an extremely cool quirk
Akatani Mikumo: aye
Akatani Mikumo: how is it on your side?
Mirio Togata: horrible
Mirio Togata: so many people died
Mirio Togata: Gran Torino had his arms massacred by a noumu so much that they had to be amputated
Mirio Togata: Eraserhead will probably lose an eye.
Mirio Togata: Team Idaten will freeze operations until Tenya Iida graduates because they lost several crucial members (Nedzu will probably hire remaining sidekicks for the meantime until there is Ingenium to lead them)
Mirio Togata: almost everyone I know is more or less wounded
Mirio Togata: we don't even have the school counsellor because he is still in hospital and has like a 70% chance of making it after putting himself between some students and two Near High End Noumus.
Mirio Togata: Nedzu is hiring outside help to deal with the fallout, we expect a lot of people to drop out
Mirio Togata: for many of students it was the first time they used their quirks with an intent to kill
Mirio Togata: myself included, to be honest (the punch in Hosu was more of an accident than intentional murder)
Mirio Togata: and they lost one of the teachers too
Akatani Mikumo: which one?
Mirio Togata: Midnight
Akatani Mikumo: oh fuck
Mirio Togata: ?
Akatani Mikumo: sorry it's really hard to describe and you'll probably find out sooner or later
Akatani Mikumo: I apologize profusely for doing this but I need to go right now
Akatani Mikumo: we'll continue the talk tomorrow
(***)
Satan 2: You just made a big mistake, good doctor.
Doctor Evil: Mistake?
Doctor Evil: The only mistake here is you.
Doctor Evil: You are a disgrace.
Doctor Evil: You spared All Might in the USJ, you saved his successor in Hosu, and now you intervened to stop me from killing them both?
Doctor Evil: You expected me to take that face down?
Doctor Evil: What did you plan to do next? Find All for One's corpse and piss on it together with All Might?
Satan 2: Oh no no no, good doctor.
Satan 2: You do not understand.
Doctor Evil: Enlighten me then.
Doctor Evil: I look forward to hearing how saving One for All holders is doing justice to All for One's memory.
Satan 2: Did Overhaul tell you how I killed him?
Doctor Evil: He doesn't have that memory.
Satan 2: Yes. If he had it, he would know that when I cornered him, I was still quirkless. I didn't steal his quirk. My All for One (quirk) was awakened when I got his quirk. From All for One - the person. Three years ago.
Doctor Evil: What?
Satan 2: You almost ruined a six years long operation of his. You almost killed his FIRSTBORN SON. The first person in two hundred years to be BORN with All for One's quirk (albeit as a late bloomer). His chosen successor and right hand man in his second empire.
Satan 2: Because you THOUGHT that you know better than my father did. Because you ignored his clear instructions in favour of your private initiative. It's called treason, my good doctor. And Midoriyas don't take that lightly.
Satan 2: When I capture you, I'll drag you back to my father. And then we're going to kill you together. Probably alongside Overhaul. We had so much fun killing him together last time, after all! It was a good father and son bonding experience.
Satan 2: Tell your new boyfriend that Eri's new mom is looking forward to tearing his internal organs out of his body with her quirk. She'll start with the eyes. Then I'll reset the wounds with his quirk. And probably make a recording of the whole thing, to watch with my friends from the League as a quality entertainment. Maybe I'll even invite them to figure out some other creative forms of execution? I'm really looking forward to what Gremlin adds to the list.
Satan 2: She can do some truly wonderful things with white phosphorus, you know that? Seeing you two choke on it will truly make my day great.
Satan 2: Oh, and tell Overhaul that he wouldn't be so cocky if he remembered how he was ready to offer me everything, from Eri through his own eternal servitude to a fucking blowjob just to make the pain stop. I've killed him only when he broke so much that he was begging me to kill him. He was so pathetic at this point that there was no fun in torturing him anymore.
Doctor Evil: You're lying! All for One would have never lied to me!
Satan 2: Oh? Is that so?
Satan 2: Yes, honesty is obviously one of his most defining character traits. He told EVERYTHING to EVERY of his followers, instead of keeping it on a strict need-to-know basis. Yes. Certainly.
Satan 2: If so, then certainly you'll find no discrepancies in your old records. No surplus medical supplies delivered to you - and then inexplicably vanishing without a trace. Supplies needed to nurse a person in critical condition for the time between his fight against All Might and original Overhaul's death. Supplies that were used by you on my father, before you were made to forget about it with one of his memory tampering quirks.
Satan 2: Ask Overhaul what Eri's quirk is and think what it could do to my father's wounds.
Satan 2: He knows you rarely checked those records. So he intentionally left discrepancies for me to use as a proof. In case you ever went renegade against me. Check them now. You'll just love the results.
Satan 2: Consider comparing my photographs with his and my mom's. If you don't have a spare vial of my blood somewhere in your lab. Then you can just test me for blood relations with All for One. I wonder what the result of that will be?
Satan 2: You made the greatest mistake someone in this country - hero or a villain - can do.
Satan 2: You made me hate you. You made my war against you PERSONAL.
Satan 2: I'm looking forward to meeting you irl. We'll have so much fun together, good doctor!
Satan 2: I wonder how you'll be looking when I steal your quirk?
[[SATAN 2 left the chat]]
Psychological warfare was a mean thing to do. But Izuku was capable of it - and he knew how to apply it to Doctor Garaki. It was, honestly, like torture. But for people who didn't like to make their hands dirty. If scaring those two assholes was going to make him a priority target to them, then it was a low price to pay - heroes really weren't in combat shape, and if Nedzu still failed to find their hideout, then what were the chances of Overhaul locating it?
"Did I ever mention that you speaking or writing things like that is the hottest thing ever?" Himiko asks after looking at the text over his shoulder. He let her do that. He knew she would love it. Her eyes are just a tiny bit dreamy.
"What about me while being cute, flustered and shy?" He asks back, while hiding his phone in his pocket.
"You are always super hot and super cute, Zuku!" She replies, not adding 'silly!', but it was probably implied. "Flustered and shy, commanding and scary, bloodied and tired - you are always the hottest and cutest thing ever! I just like enjoying different flavours of you."
Heh.
"Nice one, Himi." She beams for praise. He ends her ability to participate in the talk with some quick kiss. Her mind practically melted.
She was really weak to things like that.
Now he had to find Mustard before he does something stupid.
(***)
I mentioned a while ago that there is going to be a moment when the heroes start putting in an effort. Well, Overhaul just kicked them out of the comfort zone (or at least he did that to the UA). So it will happen right now.
Also damn, Lemillion was kinda on fire in this chapter. And Nedzu is consistently portrayed throughout my fics as incredibly smart but also having serious problems with altering his base assumptions. Mentally conservative in the bad way, I suppose - he excels at analyzing data, but can go really side-line if some of the data he used for his decision-making turned out to be false (and persuading him into realizing that might take a while - or some really angry Lemillion, it seems).