AdrianVnz - If canon or not canon cast watched Exiting the Stage, we'd have fatalities by chapter 3-4 at worst, ngl XD Almost makes me want to write such a story.
(***)
When the Paranormal Liberation War ended, its subsidiary groups went underground, trying to escape the attention of the government by hiding as much as possible. The only group that failed was the Inhuman Supremacy Party, too wild, rowdy and disorganised to hide. A major contributing factor to the ISP no longer existing nowadays.
What saved the Meta-Liberation Army, Quirkless Liberation Front and Creature Rejection Clan from being annihilated entirely was the chaos. The war left the country scarred, and set the government on a downward spiral towards dictatorship. As heroes began to turn against themselves, the remnants of the Paranormal Liberation Front slipped into hiding.
The joint coup attempt of the Table of Rejects and the Vigilante Alliance weakened the heroes massively. The Underground Hero Network (supported with many limelight heroes) almost launching a coup on their own made things worse.
Today the New Vigilante Alliance was composed of vigilantes only in name, their members targeting the heroes primarily. And the Underground Hero Network never managed to rebuild after all the arrests. As a result, staying hidden remained an option. Leaving the hiding was the real problem.
What let them continue existing was a problem to Midoriya who now had to find them. As that was, unfortunately, a necessary prerequisite to recruiting them. Of course, he had some… cheat codes to use.
For personal reasons, he decided to start with what was left of the Meta-Liberation Army. He was doing some investigations on the issue even during the time that he spent recruiting his old classmates. He had a lot of intel about their past operations. It was years old, but it gave him some starting line.
It didn't lead him very far. But certain monetary transfers (plus an awful lot of shell companies staying afloat and clearly still being controlled by someone from the shadows) confirmed to him that something of it remained. The rest was following the trails until you ran into some familiar faces.
And when he confirmed that the people you found were involved in what was most certainly a deeply hidden MLA remnant force, he sent Hypothermia after them. The same Soma Michiko that was known to those that used to be high in the MLA command ranks as a living weapon of mass destruction… and their former comrade that vanished years ago.
She was a bait. A bait that was too delightful to refuse. So, she was invited to a meeting with the head of their organization - and she was allowed to take three more people with her. Three people that she made sound as if potential recruits of great power and skill.
The only wrong part of that was the 'potential recruits'. Midoriya decided to take Yaoyorozu and Uraraka with him. The former, out of a certain form of nostalgia that he planned to wield like a weapon. The latter, in case things went awry and he needed someone to defend him from an attack.
The choice of clothes for the meeting was… meaningful. Hopefully, whoever was leading the MLA nowadays was knowledgeable enough to realize that.
(***)
The address they got was one of a rather exclusive club catering to the wealthy, in one of the better districts of Tokyo. They were told to arrive outside of the official hours of the club operations, which was probably when the MLA remnant force was using it.
An interesting choice of location, all things considered. It told Midoriya that the MLA decided to retreat into its old form of operation. The one that let it survive the aftermath of Destro's attempted coup. Hide your executives among the wealthy, spread the message among them, wait until the MLA's rampage is mostly forgotten and slowly build everything up again.
Midoriya was almost certain that if he investigated it deeply enough, he would discover a lot of the club staff (especially the bouncers) to be former MLA operatives. Mostly those that never drew any attention to themselves back then.
And probably at least some of the 'tougher' ones, living in hiding, ready to strike against anyone that endangered the organization, their ties to it deeply hidden and their fanaticism making them prefer to die in combat than be caught.
It worked once. In Midoriya's opinion, the chances of it working again were 50/50 at best. Did the government assume that the MLA was gone again, or did it merely postpone proper purge of potential MLA sympathizers for the time after the NVA was dealt with? The answer to this question was going to be a matter of life and death to the Meta-Liberation Army.
But for now, it existed.
Midoriya was, of course, recognized. Even after all those years. Of course, not as Revenant, the former co-leader of the Paranormal Liberation Front. But as Izuku Midoriya, the quirkless kid whose inability to be normal helped end All Might.
No one was screaming at him. No one threw any rocks. Villains had a different outlook on ending All Might, after all. Of course, it was the MLA. They also had a different outlook on the quirkless.
Its hostility towards the quirkless was greatly overstated in popular outlook on the organization, in Midoriya's opinion. Some extremists had an issue with them, yeah. But those guys had an issue with almost everyone.
Most of the others lacked hostility when dealing with the quirkless. There was no official position when those were involved, so you could expect a wide array of reactions. Some demeaning looks, some weird form of curiosity (as if they were seeing an odd animal in a zoo rather than a human being), a whole lot of indifference.
Midoriya suspected that most of them didn't see anyone quirkless for most of their lives. In their entire life, if they were recruited after the PLF collapsed and the QLF went its own way.
"Those are the people you wanted to bring in?" One of the MLA bouncers asks. They are the side entrance, of course. No one is letting weird people enter through the still crowded street. What if heroes spot that? The man's eyes are darting among Hypothermia's 'companions', but it's clear that they are oddly focused on Midoriya. "Isn't that a bit…"
"We're here to see the MLA leader." Hypothermia cuts in. Midoriya explained things to her in detail. "Leave your questions for later. I vouch for them."
"Alright." The bouncer replies. He probably heard that Hypothermia was powerful and decided to not die on this hill. "But we're going to need some IDs on them before we let them in."
"S-Rank villain Counterfeit." Midoriya cuts in, gesturing at Yaoyorozu. "I'm Revenant and this is Singularity. Both currently unranked. We're not saying anything more than that, unless you're ready to tell us who is your leader."
The bouncer gives Midoriya an incredulous look, before looking at Hypothermia for confirmation. Revenant would have complained about it, but after being treated that way for most of his life, he simply got used to it.
Soma nods. The bouncer has no idea that if Midoriya said a word, Hypothermia would have murdered him without batting an eye. He is still thinking that Hypothermia is the boss here.
"Right, please wait for a moment." The bouncer says, before turning to the side and pushing a button on his commpiece. "It's Hypothermia. Plus three. Counterfeit, Revenant and Singularity. Revenant is…" The bouncer blinks. "Are you su… Alright, alright! I'm letting them in."
Oh. Someone in the modern MLA knows Revenant? That's an interesting thing to know. But who could it be? It wasn't common knowledge back then. And as far as Midoriya knew, none of those privy to it survived Deika.
Interesting.
"You're expected." The bouncer announces. "You'll be escorted to the conference room."
(***)
It's a very nice looking conference room. Once again, Midoriya's taste in decor fails him. He can't say a lot about it, even in his mind. There is a large, long table. Five people sit on each side of it, most of them wearing business suits.
Six men, three women, and one person that Midoriya doesn't know how to identify. The fact that they are all wearing masks doesn't help. Simple, all-white ones. Probably seen-through from the inside. Something to conceal their identities, although to be honest, Midoriya is almost sure that he managed to ID three of them based on hairdo and body shape alone.
One is an S-Rank pro-hero, Airhammer. One is a bigshot in the Ministry of Justice. One is a CEO of some media conglomerate, though one playing in a much smaller league than Shoowaysha Publishing once did.
The MLA is at it again, it seems. Well, they are clearly sticking to what used to work in the past. It probably won't work this time, but… it's not easy to teach new tricks to an old dog. The MLA clearly failed at it.
They treated Hypothermia seriously. Seriously enough to bring their entire new board of executives to meet her. She WAS a living weapon of mass destruction, after all. A mighty asset, regardless of circumstances.
There were more people… and for a second, Midoriya felt an urge to kill. The figure in the wheelchair reminded him of his 'father'. Business suit. Scars for the face. A breathing apparatus. All for One after Kamino, no doubts.
But it wasn't him. The apparatus was a simple breathing mask, connected with a tube to an oxygen tank behind the wheelchair. The scarring was different, the facial features still visible although barely.
The man in question didn't receive mortal wounds, only to be saved by a regeneration quirk from the state of practically missing his head. It was a man who received nigh-mortal injuries with nothing but his body's natural ability to heal (and modern medicine) to save him.
There was also a teenager standing beside the wheelchair. No mask. Midoriya recognized the face. It was probably the last face that he expected to see today. So many things have changed over the years.
It was a reveal most likely intentional.
"I must say…" The scarred man says before wheezing painfully for a few seconds. "... that I didn't expect to see you again." Midoriya finally recognizes him. It's… shocking. There is a dead man sitting on the wheelchair in front of him. Something that no amount of smarts, foresight and investigation could prepare him for.
Considering the man's eyes being burned out, the 'see you again' seems to have been a form of a joke. He didn't change, even after all those years, didn't he?
"Is it safe to assume…" Midoriya speaks back. Outwardly calm… but only outwardly. "... that you're talking to me, and not to Hypothermia?"
Some slight tremble in the audience. The scarred man's authority is strong enough that no one decides to speak. But it's true that the quirkless one speaking up first like that caused some controversies.
"But of course." The leader replies. With something resembling a faint smile on what's left of his face. "Uuugh. Hypothermia is a powerful asset. Well worth this gathering. You being here, uuugh, is more than that, however."
"... I get the feeling that we're out of the loop here." Airhammer comments. He's a dangerous and competent fighter, combat-wise playing in a similar league to the Top 100 Heroes of the old ranking.
His quirk oddly resembles All for One's Air Cannon. Then again, there are billions of people out there. You can't expect them all to have utterly unique quirks. Besides, All for One might have stolen the quirk from his distant ancestor.
"Indeed you are." The man on the wheelchair replies. "I thus believe, uuugh, that certain introductions are in order. We're the inheritors of an ancient tradition after all, aren't we? Let's do things properly."
He raises his hand. It's clear that it's hard for him. There are flinches of pain on his face. The burns aren't limited to his face, and every movement is pain. The willpower necessary to continue living with injuries like that is impressive.
The willpower necessary to continue living like that while leading an underground organization, constantly in fear of the government finding you, was even more than impressive.
The hand reaches his forehead. There it forms the L letter. The ancient salute of the Meta-Liberation Army. The hand is trembling there slightly, the man holding it up regardless.
"First Advisor Trumpet greets Notebook…" The words finally come. "... Grand Commander of the Meta-Liberation Army and an rightful heir of Destro." The hand falls down, the strength behind it spent, yet the smile blooming on the ruined face. The shocked gasps fill the room. Yaoyorozu stares at Trumpet slackjawed, shocked equally by Koku Hanabata still being alive and by what he just said. "You had us waiting for you long enough, Midoriya."
Few of the executives actually stood up in shock. Some manage to utter some half-formed words. Yaoyorozu's stare drifts from Trumpet to Midoriya. On her face, a total shock. One that even Counterfeit failed to keep hidden.
"That's…" Midoriya eventually speaks, his eyes narrow. "... a new one. Why wasn't I informed?"
"Apologies for that organizational oversight, Grand Commander." Trumpet replies. "Deika, uuugh, happened before Re-Destro managed to make it official." He wheezes painfully before continuing. "Only the First Advisors knew. I'm the last one around."
Not exactly, but it was a subject for another talk.
"You were in Deika." Midoriya says. Everyone but Trumpet is completely ignored as he and Midoriya talk.
"Is it that obvious?" Trumpet asks, his scarred face twisting into a smile. "On the outskirts, which saved my life. I've spent months in a hospital bed, with third degree burns and radiation sickness. Saved from Tartarus only by the fact that my face and fingers were burned off, and my DNA wasn't in police databases. By the time I was conscious, uuugh, and capable of leaving the bed, the Paranormal Liberation War was over. I tried to look for you, but you hid too well. So I focused on rebuilding the MLA, hoping that one day you would find us." The smile grows wider. "It seems that miracles sometimes happen."
"Re-Destro wanted to make a quirkless kid his successor?" One of the executives finds it in herself to speak out. "Is that because of All Might?" Ouch. Painful subject. One more thing that Midoriya mostly got used to. There was no point in arguing back.
"... he was never quirkless." Trumpet announces. "Misdiagnosed, yes, but not quirkless. The heroes failed to realize the value of the gem that life gave to them. If you need to, uuuh, imagine it somehow, think of him as an intelligence meta-ability holder. One that makes him learn faster. Master skills quicker. Something impossible to measure properly, but confirmed beyond reasonable doubt." The mouth twists into something resembling a smile. "I truly wonder how much it bloomed after all those years."
"Probably by a lot." Midoriya replies. "But people are rarely good judges of themselves. And I must say that this ruins the symbolism that I planned for this meeting."
"The… symbolism?" Trumpet asks, clearly curious.
"You." Midoriya points at Airhammer. "Describe our outfits." Trumpet is clearly blind. Otherwise, he'd realize it immediately. He was there when it happened.
Airhammer is clearly confused about the situation. Everyone but Midoriya and Trumpet are. But he decides to cooperate. And describes their outfits.
Black business suit for Midoriya. Black jumpsuit with some disembodied hands on it for Uraraka. Elegant suit with a tie for Yaoyorozu. Momo found the order to wear it questionable, but followed it. There was a meaning to it, that she was going to understand soon.
"Oh." Trumpet says. There is a faint laughter that follows it, one mostly suppressed. With his injuries, laughing was probably horrifyingly painful. "That's… a most interesting symbolism. The same outfits that All for One, Entropy and Kurogiri wore when they visited Deika after Kamino. When they offered Re-Destro an alliance that created the Paranormal Liberation Front. Although, I believe, All for One was bound to a wheelchair back then, like I'm now."
"I didn't get everything perfectly." Midoriya sighs. "Worst of all, I just discovered that I visited myself to make an alliance with myself. There goes my desired symbolism of this meeting."
"That sounds…" Trumpet's head tilts a little. "...as if you were planning to start a second Paranormal Liberation Front." He says slowly and deliberately. All eyes in the room are on Midoriya.
"Because I do." Midoriya replies. "The new League of Villains is already here. The logistics are all but prepared. We have bases, plans and spies ready. We have the foundations built, now we need the four walls to keep the roof in place. I've decided to start with the Meta-Liberation Army."
"... the desired outcome?" Trumpet asks, ignoring the shock of his lieutenants.
"What we were denied back then." Midoriya replies confidently. "Victory. Destro's dream finally coming to fruition. The end of the society built upon oppression. Our lost ones getting the funeral pyre that they deserved, its flames mighty enough to burn this country to the ground."
"You truly know what words to use." Trumpet says after a few long seconds of silence. "Well, then, ladies and gentlemen. The Grand Commander is seeking your help. Asking you for your input on the future operations of the MLA. What do you say?"
Is he truly asking? Or is he doing that to persuade the others to cooperate? He was, after all, a former politician.
"I get the feeling that we should learn more about the 'Grand Commander' here." Airhammer leads the charge once again. Heroes are like that, even if they are also villains. "You're just going to hand him this seat after all that time?"
"But of course." Trumpet replies. There isn't a sliver of doubt in his voice. "I was merely governing the MLA in the absence of the rightful Grand Commander. I made, uuuugh, preparations for someone to replace me, as I feared the worst after all those years…" The teenager behind him gives Midoriya a rather cold stare. "... but now that the king has returned, who am I to deny him his throne? As for our new Grand Commander…"
Oh dear. It's going to be a longer lecture, isn't it? Trumpet always excelled in those.
"... I met him soon after the first PLF was created." Trumpet says. "All for One offered him as a loan to the MLA. Both to help him improve his craft and as a form of… hostage exchange. We got Midoriya, League got Geten. Something to make both sides behave while tying them closer."
"Why would him being in MLA make All for One behave?" Airhammer asks the correct question. "That man was…"
"... Izuku Midoriya's father." Trumpet cuts in. That shoots everyone in the room down. Midoriya makes no indication of hating those words. Trumpet knows the truth. But he decides to simplify it to enhance the persuasion attempt. "We were originally told that our newest recruit was quirkless, but also that he loved meta-abilities and had a brilliant mind. Re-Destro decided to make him into his personal assistant, as the former one was… unavailable."
Midoriya missed cleaning the carpet by a few days. Re-Destro was genuinely saddened by what happened. Alas, Midoriya's predecessor reacted badly to the revelation about the MLA's existence.
MLA wouldn't survive in hiding for so many years without being extremely wary of potential information leaks.
"Re-Destro was a man of many abilities and skills." Trumpet continues. "One of his greatest strengths was his eye for talent. Each one of us, First Advisors, were chosen by him long before we obtained our positions. When he met me for the first time, I was just elected for the position of a town councilor. Yet somehow, he knew that I was worth investing into. Few years later I was the head of the second largest political party in Japan. As you can expect, it didn't take him long to realize what a gem we were handed to."
Trumpet coughs painfully for a few moments. He forces himself to speak once it subsides.
"An intellectual brilliance to equal people like All for One and Re-Destro himself." Trumpet says. "The true love for the meta-abilities and the almost instinctual understanding of their inner workings. The commitment to the concept of ending the hero system. They've spent hours talking about meta-abilities, politics and numerous other things together. It was Midoriya that created the initial idea behind the Claustro' improvements that led to Re-Destro defeating Edgeshot and Best Jeanist at the climax of the Siege of Deika."
Defeating, in Midoriya's opinion, was a very light term for 'goddamn brutalizing'. The Number Two and Number Three Heroes being changed into blood smears was a breakthrough. The Siege of Deika ended, and the PLF began to gain ground.
Especially painful to Japan after losing All Might, Endeavor and Thunderbolt. What was left of the pre-war Top Heroes wasn't enough to win. When it became apparent that the heroes were going to lose, the government panicked. And with All for One, Re-Destro and most of the PLF leadership spending the time in a city populated almost entirely by the PLF members...
"Re-Destro considered letting him join the First Advisors circle officially, based on that alone. Ignoring his quirklessness completely." Trumpet continues. "After all, his exploits were known to most of those really high in our ranks. But then, his meta-ability was revealed. Which is when Re-Destro realized that he had just found his heir. A young man to match his wits, one that at this point shared his belief in the meta-liberation ideology." Trumpet chuckles. "It was almost funny how much he was trying to set you up with his daughter, wasn't it?"
"I wasn't exactly against it, to be honest." Midoriya shrugs. Completely ignoring the audience. "She was nice to me, even before my Mastery was revealed. I guess being blind since birth made her more… understanding of what it meant to live what was pretty much a disability." He sighs painfully. The talk was… opening an old wound. "I left Deika on an errand a week before the city was destroyed. Do you know what her answer was?"
One of the many things that haunted him for years. A question he never expected to receive an answer to. Trumpet remains silent for a few seconds. What's on his mind is hard to say. His face is almost gone. It's very easy to conceal emotions when there is nothing to display them.
"The answer was yes." Trumpet eventually replies. Midoriya stares at him for a few long seconds.
"I guess I now know why Mr. Compress was in Deika." He replies eventually, before sighing painfully. That's good enough of an answer. He isn't sure if there was a genuinely good answer. "Does my 'claim' to the throne still works if I'm an outsider? Re-Destro probably planned for me to hold the post until his grandchildren would grow up. Grandchildren with Destro in their family tree."
Trumpet shakes his head.
"Blood of Destro is gone from this world." He says. "At least in the main line. You're the closest thing Re-Destro had to an heir. You're a man of commitment and willpower. Your beliefs didn't change, yes?"
"No, they didn't." Midoriya replies. The only thing that changed back then, after Haiboro Woods, was that he gave up on making them into reality.
What happened to Eri changed that once again. Even if it was a secondary goal to him, it was a necessary prerequisite to getting her and the other kids back. And, honestly, life kicked Midoriya one time too many.
He wanted the hero society to burn. Like Deika did.
"Then there is no issue from my side when it comes to you getting your throne back." Trumpet replies. "Although, considering you wanting to create a new Paranormal Liberation Front, I assume your ambitions lie much higher."
"They do, yes." Midoriya replies. "Having two Grand Commanders in a single organization would just cause needless chaos. I'd be the one and only, for the entire PLF, while leaving MLA in the hands of a… viceroy, of sorts. Judging from the presence of people like Airhammer, Mr. Shuji and Ms. Suzu in this room, you're doing quite well."
"How…" Airhammer tries to shoot back, but isn't allowed to.
"Of course you figured out that much." Trumpet sighs. "As dangerous as ever, probably much more than I, uuugh, remember. And not only is Hypothermia in your party, but you also got Ms. Yaoyorozu on board. Makes me wonder what sort of brilliant new talents you gathered for the League of Villains this time around. This is going to be a completely different war than the first one, isn't it?"
"Yeah." Midoriya smiles faintly. "It will be. If only because we're going to win this time."
Trumpet takes a few deep breaths. He is clearly exhausted. Midoriya can only imagine the amount of pain he has to be living in daily. Yet, in front of his executives, he is keeping up the face.
"So, ladies and gentlemen." Trumpet asks loudly. "What say you? Are we ready to make a stand? Are we ready to step out of the shadows, to strike into the government while it's busy with the New Vigilante Alliance? Take it down while it's still vulnerable? Are we ready to follow the rightful Grand Commander and an heir of Destro once again?" He pauses for a second, just to spice up the epilogue of his speech. "Are we ready to fight another war?"
It seems that the MLA remnants have been pressured more than Midoriya suspected. The MLA executives agree, though it's clear that several of them are still rather conflicted about it.
Once again, the Meta-Liberation Army has accepted an alliance with the League of Villains. Once again, the Paranormal Liberation Front was born. What was left was bringing the remaining three groups back in line.
(***)
"Before you go, Grand Commander…" Trumpet announces as the meeting is adjourned. The executives are leaving the room. "... I'd like to have a bit of a private talk with you. I… assume that you'd like to be accompanied at least by Miss Yaoyorozu."
"I take that it's going to be one of those… talkative dinners." Midoriya replies. "People talking about politics, history and their future plans over food."
"You truly grew more fearsome." Trumpet replies jokingly. "I'm really looking forward to working with you again."
Flatterer. As expected from a veteran politician.
"I also assume that I'm going to find out how exactly you ended up here." Midoriya then says towards the teenager pushing Trumpet's wheelchair around. While being clearly treated by Trumpet as a potential heir apparent in an absence of the rightful Grand Commander. "It's been a while since we've seen each other, Kouta."
(***)
Well. This is a new arc of the story. You didn't expect me to leave it without an earthquake or two to keep you interested in what happens after? The next chapter is going to explain what exactly made Izuku join the Meta-Liberation Army in the past, why exactly Kouta Izumi do the same, and how much is actually left of the MLA. What will not be answered (yet) is why Trumpet said that Midoriya's quirk makes him learn things faster.
Lie? Maybe. Truth? Maybe. You didn't expect this Izuku Midoriya to be straightforward about things, now did you? Feel free to speculate. Both about what will be described in next chapter and about what will not be described :P
As for the part about the answer and Mr. Compress... Well, Mr. Compress organized something in Ties that Bind. That's all that I can say. That plus, well, that it just makes Midoriya's backstory even more tragic. If it makes you feel any better, it's the peak tragic when that's involved. From now on the story will be mostly about Midoriya giving other people tragic backstories (or, even more commonly, ending their stories entirely).
[also every story is better with a nuke or two, even if its in a backstory, duh]