Disclaimer: I do not own My Hero Academia. I just think it's neat.

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 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 Hippocratic 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."

He looked at Mastermind 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 black.

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)

AN: Wow this one was surprisingly difficult. I had some scenes in my head for months. Technically Jin snapped later in canon... but different timeline, differences all around! Also, we have Takeshi Bushijima from Team up! Yay!

I really wanted to get one scene, but for the life of me it did not fit. It'll come later.

Next time... the League sorts some stuff out, and we might even get to the Entrance Exam!

Please comment. It sustains me in these dark times.