Disclaimer: I do not own My Hero Academia, as my name isn't Kouhei Horikoshi. Or is it? Nah, I don't own this. Enjoy.

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, cutting 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! 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 spark and he wants to slap himself. How could he have not recognised him. "You're Toshinori Yagi! You're All Might's secretary!"

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

Izuku scoffs. "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. "There are?"

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 knows that this guy is going to be a Superhero. It's in the smile, the confidence, the aura. All he needs is an incredible villain to oppose him.

Pants Guy blinks, then laughs. "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 need 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...

"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 starts a little at that. "And do you have a first aid kit in case on injury?"

Toshinori Yagi splutters a bit. "I-ah-well..." his voice trails off into nothing.

Izuku sighs. "You have to have a plan of action, otherwise you're going to suffer when things go wrong." He smiles 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 share a look (and Izuku thinks that they really are father and son. That false name was clearly a cover for Toshinori) before Togata turns 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, Mastermind left the world of supervillains for the hellscape of middle school.


Author's note:

I'm trying to play this as reasonably cracky but plausible. Nest time might be more action packed, and we might get some fan-favourite characters. This feels good though. I'm inspired by THE TECHNO QUEEN and others but also trying to make it reasonably credible. I'm trying to avoid Izuku just having an 'I win' button and making him work for his victories.

Comment and like this please.