The Power Left Behind

Hello everyone and welcome to the latest chapter of Hailstorm Vol. 2! The setup finally begins this chapter as we roll into My Villain Academia and get to know our new OC villain Chimera a little better. And as always a great big shout out to you, my fellow readers, for sticking with this story and giving your support up to this point. Now then, with now review questions to answer this week, let's dive on in!

New Year's Eve

The last day of the year meant many different things depending on who you asked. For several, it was a time to make resolutions and try something new or different, perhaps make a choice they usually didn't make. For others, it was a time to leave certain behaviors, habits or objects of sentimental value in the past along with their old selves, choosing to be a new person for a new year. Then there were some who didn't think much of the New Year at all be it due to their work, work habits, their living situation, general apathy, or them just not liking parties.

In the case of Chimera, he was one of the people who liked to set goals as his resolutions. Most of the time they were the kind of goals like 'try to go a week without getting spotted' or 'get better at discreetly eating people'. Though as he sat in a tree outside of the temple where they were ringing the New Year's bell, he found himself thinking of a different resolution this year: survive and thrive into next year. He had several reasons for this current resolution, but the main one was that the League of Villains would be moving sometime soon to enact their plan.

Thankfully his meeting with them had gone, relatively, well thanks to a number of factors. The main one being him providing aid to them in order to deal with a couple of very big problems. The cannibalistic villain smiled to himself a little as he remembered the circumstances of their first meeting.

Two Months Ago: Current 'Hideout' of the League of Villains

'Well now isn't this a sorry state of affairs,' thought Chimera as he spotted his target, a rundown two story building that used to be the offices for a quarry. And this place was most certainly a quarry given the large excavator that was next to the building. 'To think the League of Villains which frightened the whole country at one point has been reduced to hiding out here,' he mused while landing lightly on the arm of the excavator, 'guess losing All for One and Kurogiri really did take the wind out of their sails.' He was about to jump down and see if anyone was home, but the sound of a commotion answered that question for him.

"Answer me Shigaraki!" Exclaimed the voice of who Chimera assumed was Spinner, "where the hell are we heading towards?!" 'Looks like I showed up just in time,' he thought, 'sounds like we're about to have a mutiny.' Chimera put his thumb and forefinger in his mouth then before giving a loud, shrill whistle.

"Hey, I'm looking for the handyman and his crew!" Yelled Chimera, "you guys in there know anything?!" He'd hardly finished speaking when the League all came barreling out of the door on the bottom floor, their weapons and quirks bared.

"Who the hell's out here?!" Said Tomura as he quickly spotted the intruder on the excavator arm.

"Oh just someone here to lend a hand," said Chimera simply as he leapt down, his descent slowed by his spread wings as he landed with a small thud, "I hear you've been recruiting. Though by the looks of it your local pyromaniac has burnt up all the applicants so far."

"It's not my fault there's so much trash out there with no goals or ambitions," said Dabi, "do you think you're different?"

"I know I'm not the same as the run of the mill street thugs out there," replied Chimera, "though I can't say I've got a lot in the way of ambitions. But I do have a goal: simply survive and eat my fill." Dabi clicked his tongue at that, clearly not impressed.

"So you're just more garbage living your life," said Dabi, "this is exactly what I'M TALKING ABOUT!" He sent out a blast of blue flame towards Chimera then as the morphing quirk user expanded the size of his wings and covered them in scales before wrapping them around his body. The flames impacted and easily scorched an area five meters in diameter as Dabi spoke again. "See, nothing but tra-."

He went silent upon Chimera's wings suddenly unfurling, seeming to toss the flames away from his body as the now smirking villain stood in a circle of blue flames. "Come on, you're just making my pits sweaty with a low temperature like that." Dabi narrowed his eyes at that before tossing a much hotter blue fireball at the intruder who quickly leapt out of the way as the ground where he'd been standing was blasted apart. "Now it's a fight!"

Chimera drew his wings back into his body as he dodged, rolled and jumped out of the way of Dabi's next few attacks. When he leapt over a larger wall of fire, however, he was met with a pair of blades belonging to Himiko Toga and Spinner. "You're mine, I hope you bleed a lot!" Exclaimed Spinner and Toga as they struck. A pair of metallic clangs sounded then as Spinner's eyes widened while Toga looked on in curiosity.

Chimera had shapeshifted his left arm into the head of a fleshy lion which was currently biting down on Spinner's sword to hold it in place while Toga kept her distance after a scorpion tail from his waist had deflected her blade. "What in the world kind of quirk is this?" Questioned Spinner as he tried to free his blade.

"I call it Flesh Beast," answered Chimera with a grin, "I'm able to shapeshift or produce the limbs of all kinds of predators from my body, all of which are made out of this red and black substance that resembles, well, flesh."

"That's just disgusting," said Spinner, "little wonder you became a villain."

"I'd say I'm hurt by that," replied Chimera as he deflected some thrown knives from Toga with his tail before noting Twice attempting an attack from behind, "but you're not exactly wrong!" He yanked Spinner off his feet then and threw him into Twice, sending the both of them tumbling into a nearby rock pile. He turned back around then and knocked away Toga's latest attack before using his tail to pushi himself up into the air, backflipping over Compress's attempted use of his quirk before landing on the man and pinning him to the ground. He made sure to keep control of Compress's hands while also hovering his scorpion tail near his neck.

"You guys have been fighting small fry for a little while, haven't you," observed Chimera, "or you're in worst shape than I thought if I'm holding my own against you at the moment." He leapt away then just in time to avoid a swipe from Tomura, landing on his feet as he retracted his flesh beast limbs.

"You do move pretty well," said Shigaraki as he dissolved a bit of cloth he'd snatched off of Chimera's costume, "and your instincts are good too."

"Comes from feeding off the streets," replied Chimera, "or at least I used too before All for One found me." That got everyone's attention as the group all gathered together to face the newcomer.

"You know All for One," said Shigaraki, "strange, I don't recall him ever mentioning you."

"Well I haven't even given my name yet," said the Flesh Beast User, "I am Chimera, one of the personal assistants to the Doctor and occasional hunter of those who need to be silenced."

"So All for One uses a guy like you to tie up loose ends," Dabi quickly surmised, "did you come here to shut us up then?"

"Quite the opposite," replied Chimera, "as I said before you started throwing fireballs, I've come to lend a hand. The Doctor has sent me here to provide you with assistance as the newest member of the League, and to bring you all a warning."

"Warning," said Twice, "Oh no, are we about to be attacked? Bring 'em on!"

"More or less," said Chimera, "ya see, there's this big guy who serves All for One, and by serve I mean is entirely devoted too. Which doesn't sound like a problem except for one issue: he doesn't think much of replacements."

"What exactly is that supposed to mean," asked Shigaraki, his raised eyebrow obvious even despite the hand covering his face. Before Chimera could elaborate any further, the ground began to shake as a low, powerful voice sounded beneath them.

"Finally!" Boomed the voice as a giant with light brown, stone-like skin emerged from the ground in explosive fashion, "I found you!" Even despite trying to keep their footing until the shaking stopped, the League was quickly able to note some distinct details about this beast. For one, his hair was long and spikey, almost seeming to be a rock formation as opposed to actual hair. There were also a number of pointed stony plates on his back and a large, rock-like jaw on the lower half of his mouth.

The only piece of clothing he wore was a surprisingly large pair of black shorts and a radio around his neck that he tossed aside for the moment. "So you are All for One's successor," continued the beast.

"Oh," said Tomura as he moved the hand on his face to get a better look, "is this the 'power' Kurogiri mentioned," he wonderd aloud.

"This is the guy," affirmed Chimera before looking up at the beast, "Yo, Gigantomachia, how's the day going?!"

"I've been waiting all this time for a signal," replied Gigantomachia as he lowered himself down to a more crouched position, "know that I devote everything to All for One. Now successor, show me whether or not you are worthy." This short statement was more than a little surprising for the leader of the League of Villains.

"You want me to what now?" Questioned Tomura as he realized this wasn't going to be as easy as he'd hoped. The giant roared then before bringing his fist up to slam down on all of them. Naturally, the league scattered as the fight against Gigantomachia had begun.

"Yeah, this is the part I was supposed to warn you all about," said Chimera.

"Why didn't you lead with it?!" Exclaimed Spinner as he was sent flying by a near miss of their opponent's massive fists slamming into the ground.

"While my timing was admittedly bad," said Chimera as he sprouted wings again to steady himself in midair, "you all could work on your visitor policy too."

"Could we focus on the problem at hand!" Exclaimed Compress before having to move again to avoid another powerful attack from Gigantomachia which blasted apart the landscape and created shockwaves that threatened to send them all flying through the air. The League counterattacked then with Toga, Spinner, Twice and Chimera all striking at the monster's joints while Dabi unleashed his flames at full power. But it wasn't enough.

Gigantomachia's skin proved to be so dense that it took multiple hits from Chimera's sharpest and strongest formations just to create a small wound. Often times he didn't have too many chances to hit the same spot repeatedly as he was dodging out of the way of Machia's powerful blows that drove them off despite not making a direct hit. It was much the same story with the weapons of the other League members as they tried in vain to penetrate the giant's skin. Dabi's flames also proved to be useless as Machia's rock-like skin was very much like the minerals it resembled, including a very high melting point. Even Tomura's decay quirk couldn't work fast enough and that was when he managed a split second of actually touching their opponent.

To make matters worse, Mr. Compress got taken out early on which left the rest of his teammates to fend off Machia with little chance to try reviving him. The result, one long drawn-out battle against an opponent with incredible endurance. And after knocking the lot of them down for what must've been the umpteenth time, Machia decided to let out his frustrations. "WHY!WHY!" he exclaimed as a ferocious wind was generated from his body.

"Why All for One?! I can't take this, I can't accept this! He's too weak master, TOO WEAK!" The twenty-foot-tall giant was actually in tears now, his hopes for the current successor clearly at rock bottom.

"What in the world's his problem," grunted Spinner as he struggled back up to his feet.

"I told you he was devoted," said Chimera while utilizing his quirk to pop his left shoulder back into place, "in his eyes, All for One is the strongest there is. If anyone's gonna take his place, he also has to demonstrate incredible strength, the type that inspires dread in one's enemies." Spinner might've commented on that if not for the sudden sound of radio static reaching their ears.

"Right you are, Chimera," said the voice that he knew as the Doctor over the radio that Gigantomachia had brought, "and it seems like you're having quite a problem, Shigaraki."

"So you do know the Doctor," said Shigaraki before turning to the radio, "it's been a while."

"Indeed it has," replied the Doctor over the radio, "are you doing well right now, Shigaraki?"

"I've been worse," he replied, "though I might get turned into mincemeat here in another minute." Currently, Gigantomachia was still in tears while releasing the powerful wind from his body, but that could change at any second.

"Ah yes, I imagine Chimera's told you about All for One's former bodyguard, Gigantomachia," said the Doctor, "his stamina is extraordinary. His body is also incredible, able to hold multiple quirks without modifications like we had to use for the Nomu. All for One kept this man hidden, suspecting that he might be defeated by All Might. His thoroughness is astounding as he took these steps just a few years after he took you in. It was all so his dream, his will, would continue no matter what happened to him."

"So if this guy was ordered to help Tomura, why is he still attacking us?" Questioned Dabi.

"It's just as Chimera explained," said the Doctor, "he's in despair at the massive gap in strength between Tomura and his former master. If you want him to obey, you must prove that you're worth obeying."

"That's just fantastic!" Exclaimed Dabi as he unleashed his most powerful blast of flames yet. The heat was so intense that Chimera could feel it even through his wings which he put up for protection. But despite the power of the flames, Gigantomachia still came charging at them.

"Hey Doc, if you wouldn't mind doing that thing real fast," said Chimera, "there's still a lot of explaining that needs to be done!" He didn't receive a response immediately as their giant opponent was barreling down on them, ready to crush them with his next attack. Then the radio came back on, this time with a recording of All for One's voice.

"Machia," said the voice of All for One, causing the monster to stop in his tracks as if he'd been physically restrained. "Machia," said the recorded voice again before said former bodyguard slammed down onto the ground where the radio was and started rubbing against it like a loyal dog.

"Now what in the world is he doing?" Questioned Shigaraki as he watched the scene before him.

"One of the most full-proof ways to calm down Machia is a recording of All for One's voice," explained Chimera as he retracted his wings, "I'd probably have died on more than one occasion if not for that recording. Machia makes for a pretty deadly sparring partner."

"Something that could kill me even in practice," said Tomura, "I don't need something like this."

"You don't think you need him?" Questioned the Doctor, clearly surprised, "after all this time you still think you can just get whatever you want? You need to wake up, Kurogiri's not here anymore!"

"Why so cold, Doctor?" Questioned the Leader of the League of Villains.

"I think it's best if I put things in a better perspective for you, one moment," said the Doctor, "and there."

"Ah please don't tell me you're gonna use that quirk on us?" Groaned Chimera as he put a hand over his face.

"What is it?" Questioned Toga, "what did that old man just do?"

"Ruined all of our appetites," said Chimera with a sigh as he waited for the inevitable bad taste.

"You're not making any sen-BUUUUUUURP!" Said Twice as he suddenly covered his mouth.

"That's just gross Jin," said Toga, "we've got other problems on our hand so cut it-Guh-BLEEEEECH!" Black, tar-like fluid suddenly burst out of her mouth with Twice, Chimera, Spinner and the rest of the League following soon after. It swirled around their bodies and quickly started to engulf them. The villains instantly recognized this as the teleportation method used at Camino.

"Now let's talk in a more personal setting," said the Doctor as they were fully engulfed by the black sludge which quickly turned into nothing more than puddles. For several agonizing moments, nobody knew what was what as they seemed to be surrounded by darkness, half expecting to drown in it. Then, it was over as quickly as it began with the black fluid suddenly dispersing to reveal that they'd changed locations.

"Oh that stinks!" Exclaimed Toga as she and the other League members wiped, or in some cases flung, the unknown residue off of themselves.

"Of all the quirks you have at your disposal, why in the world did you have to choose the grossest teleportation quirk you could find?" Questioned Chimera as he spat some of the excess liquid out of his mouth.

"The better question is, where are we," asked Tomura as he took a look around at the dimly lit facility, "and what is all this?" It was a good inquiry. The room they were in was lined with large glass tanks on either side of them that were lit with purple lights on the bottom, the main source of illumination. What was for certain was that the contents of said tanks were definitely Nomus of various shapes, sizes and body types. A number of cords and cables also ran underfoot, posing a potential tripping hazard if one wasn't careful.

"These Nomu are a little different from the ones we've used before," noted Dabi as he took a closer look at one who had some kind of probes in his exposed brain.

"Oh, so you can tell," said the voice of the Doctor as everyone turned to see a collection of six monitors with one large monitor in the center. And right below that, was a rotating chair where their host was currently residing as he spun around to face them. "You have a good eye after all. Yes, this batch of Nomu are indeed different from the previous ones. I call them High Ends, super Nomu who are even closer to being masterpieces!"

If Doctor Eggman, or Robotnik depending on which name you like better, had a brother it'd probably be this man. He was short and bald with a mustache that seemed to cover his entire mouth. He wore a standard button-up lab coat but what was most striking was the goggles he wore which had extra lenses for adjusting magnification. "Hey, I've been looking for you too," said Tomura, "I've got a favor, I need you to duplicate a certain something."

"Your hair's gotten longer, Shigaraki," noted the Doctor as Chimera moved to one of the nearby tanks and began to lean on it, "are your father and the rest well?" This question seemed to surprise Shigaraki a little, but he quickly answered in the affirmative. "I didn't want my location known, so I summoned you all here via transmission. Come to think of it, this is probably the first time I've met those of you besides Tomura and Chimera, so a quick introduction is in order. I am Doctor Daruma Ujiko, a close aide to All for One like Gigantomachia."

"Oh, having fun making fake names again, Doc?" Quipped Chimera, "you know I always love to visit the lab, but we'd better cut to the chase. Not all of these guys are in the most patient of moods."

"Indeed," said Doctor Ujiko, "I summoned you all here due to a compromise I made for All for One's sake. My life, my skills and these little ones I've created are all dedicated to the great All for One. Up to this point, what you've been relying on is merely bits and pieces of these. I'm not doing it that way because I dislike you or anything, I just want to make sure you're worthy of my full devotion. I want to know, what will a societal reject who hasn't accomplished anything in his twenty odd-years show me?"

"I think you should at least give him some credit," said Chimera, "he's made plenty of messes and managed to survive up to this point. Though given the state they're in right now, it's a good thing we found them."

"Found," said Tomura suddenly, "I…..honestly don't remember much before you and master found me. All I know is," he pulled out one of his hands that was part of his costume, "whenever I put everyone on, anger comes surging up. I've been thinking about it a lot lately, how my memories only really begin with me in master's arms. Up until then, I was nothing but empty. All that comes to the surface are fragments and this unidentifiable sense of irritation, it made me feel sick. I'm at my most calm, when I put them all on."

'And people call me depraved,' thought Chimera as he noted how Shigaraki was looking at the hands on his body, the last remains of his own family members. "Don't you think it's strange," continued Shigaraki, "there's nothing inside me but fragmented images and yet, there's also this lump of lead that sinks in my mind where anger gushes out endlessly!"

"Join the club," said Chimera, "we're all here right now because society rejected us in one way or another. Though even without heroes running around all over the place, we'd still be looked at as depraved individuals."

"I know," said Tomura, "even if hero society were to collapse or if I were to rule from the shadows, this weight on my mind will never go away. Yes, I must hate everything, everyone who draws breath in this world irritates me, so let's wreck it all! It'll create the most beautiful horizon you've ever seen in this world! So help me, Doctor, help me, Chimera and I'll show you everything from Heaven to Hell!" The Cannibal villain and Doctor exchanged a quick glance before both of them burst out laughing.

"That's like a child's pipe dream!" Cheered Ujiko while slapping the arm of his chair.

"But you said it all with a straight face," laughed Chimera, "you're dead serious about this bit. So what'll it be, Doctor?"

"Why not," he replied before turning his attention back to Tomura, "we'll assist you, Tomura Shigaraki, so give it a shot! After all, what the word 'Villain' really means is one who turns nonsense into action."

"Tomura," said Toga suddenly, "you've been thinking about doing that sort of thing? You aren't going to try and get rid of the things I love too, are you?" She had an annoyed look on her face when saying the last part.

"There's always room for my comrade's wishes," said Tomura, "live as you see fit."

"Yes!" Cheered Toga as she hopped in the air excitedly. Chimera couldn't help but shake his head a little at that. 'How would he even go about making his dream compatible with those of his comrades if he does really plan to wreck everything?'

"My, my," laughed the Doctor as he was bent over slightly, "you're more appalling than I realized, Shigaraki!"

"Wait," said Tomura as he reexamined Chimera's position between him and the Doctor, "you were trying to pick a fight?"

"My intention was to work with you from the start," explained Ujiko, "I even have some incredible power prepared for you. However, I can't hand it over just yet. You guys are still a bit too weak for it. You'll need to reach the minimum rank before I can grant anything to you besides Chimera's aid. You see, Machia is simple and rejects you from the bottom of his heart, so in order to reach the minimum rank, you'll need to make Gigantomachia submit. Do that and I'll devote everything to you, so if you want it, you'll have to seize it for yourself."

"Yeah," said Tomura with a smile, "this was quite the long tutorial, but now we're moving."

"Well I'm not going to help," said Dabi with a shrug and the usual humorless expression on his face.

"You're just sulking because your flames don't work on Machia," teased Toga.

"As if you'd know, you lunatic," said Dabi, "I have a good ally I think I can gain for us, so that's where I'm going to focus my time. Is that alright with you, Shigaraki?"

"It's fine," said Tomura as he turned to him, "I look forward to the results."

"If he's got some free time, I'd also like Dabi to help with a high-end test," added Ujiko as he picked up a dog-sized Nomu with a cylindrical tank on its head that covered everything but its lipless mouth. Despite that, the tank was transparent, allowing one to view its brain and the electrodes attached to it. "Their tastes and aesthetic sense match up quite well and should mesh quite easily."

"Were you even listening to me?" Questioned Dabi with mild irritation in his voice.

"Relax Burning Man," quipped Chimera, "he's just gonna have Johnny there send us back. Though it is still gonna suck a bit."

"Good," said Shigaraki, "I feel motivated all of a sudden, so send us back right away." A mechanical arm sprouted from the floor then, holding a tray with communicators for their ears.

"From now on, use this to contact me," said the Doctor, "Chimera already has one and can walk you through anything you don't know." Tomura nodded while quickly passing them out to the other League members. "Now Johnny, send them back to Gigantomachia." The small Nomu opened its beak-like mouth then, releasing the same black substance as before.

The League was quickly engulfed and in less than thirty seconds, all that remained of their presence was some black fluid on the floor.

Quarry: The League Hideout

Gigantomachia had, fortunately and unfortunately, not moved from the spot he'd been ever since the teleportation as he was still fawning over the recorded voice of his master. But he did notice when the League returned as a wry grin spread across his large face. "Yo Machia," said Shigaraki as he put the hand back on his face, "your future king has returned."

"And we're about to start one of the longest sparring sessions ever," added Chimera as he cracked his neck, "hope everyone's gotten plenty of sleep recently." And he wasn't kidding. From the moment the battle began it was a chore. What attacks Gigantomachia didn't shrug off he either powered through or gave back five-fold with his powerful fists and impressively strong stomps of his feet.

They tried one strategy after another, from collapsing the ground beneath Machia to assaulting vital points like his throat and eyes, chipping away at a single point, getting him into the air and attacking him. And each one was rebuffed by Machia as the battle dragged on and on. Naturally All for One's former bodyguard was most focused on Shigaraki and would more or less ignore the other members of the League unless they started doing some actual damage. It was also here that the beast's incredible stamina really showed through.

When awake, Gigantomachia would attack for a total of forty-eight hours and forty-four minutes without taking any sort of a break. When he did finally stop, he slept for only about three hours before waking up and resuming his attack with one of his quirks which enlarged his body for combat. This wouldn't have been such a huge problem if not for the fact that he seemed able to find Tomura wherever he was. Chimera explained that it was one of his quirks that gave him an incredible sense of smell, one that he wasn't sure how to fool, unfortunately.

But the Flesh Beast Wielder made himself useful in other ways, mainly by keeping Shigaraki out of the hands of the giant beast when he needed rest most severely. It wasn't the most comfortable way to sleep, hanging off the back of someone with huge wings, but given that Tomura wasn't getting much in the way of decent sleep anyway, it worked for him. Thanks to a lot of practice, Chimera could keep himself aloft for a few hours so long as he had enough altitude in the air, though he needed a lot of rest himself afterwards.

That was the one fortunate thing about Machia focusing on Shigaraki, the other League members could rotate out and get some much-needed rest and even go out for supplies before reengaging with their foe again. The Doctor had been kind enough to provide them with a minimum level of monetary funds so they could afford enough food, water and occasional nice items like a new brown duffel coat that Toga purchased. While Spinner might've commented on how it was wasteful for her to buy such a thing, it quickly became apparent that it was a good idea as the increasingly cold days dragged on. Before anyone knew it, their mission to conquer the beast that was Gigantomachia had gone on for a month and a half all the way into December.

Currently, the League was regrouping in a more mountainous area by a running stream. Chimera found it honesly amazing that no one had picked up on their presence with all of the destruction Machia was causing, but then again, he figured it wouldn't matter much if someone did show up. "He's finally asleep again," said Compress as he adjusted his now mangled hat which looked as ratty and dirty as the rest of him, "when does that monster ever eat?"

"His massive endurance was further augmented by All for One," explained Chimera who was currently laying on his back with his arms behind his head and his eyes closed, "even I don't know how long he can go without food or water, assuming his body isn't fed by one of his other quirks."

"Hey, Tomura," said Toga as she came hopping down the rocky pathway with Spinner right behind her. They'd just returned from their latest supply run. "Are you alive over there?"

"Yeah," answered Shigaraki, smiling despite his filthy appearance, "his movements are dirt slow right now. And I'm definitely a lot closer than when we started. Just a bit longer and I swear I'll bring that gorilla to its knees!" One of the other members might've commented on that if not for the suddenly annoying sound of a farting ring tone.

"Oh, it's Giran," said Twice, his phone being the source of the annoying ring tone, "but why now?! He never picked up when I called!"

"Start by asking him if he has damage insurance," said Compress quickly as he held up his now broken prosthetic.

"Good ol' Giran still worries about me even after introducing me to the League, what a great guy," said Twice, acting as if he hadn't heard Compress before putting the phone to his ear, "why the fuck won't you answer Mr. Compress's calls?! You friggin' suck man!"

"Oh, apologies," said a high-pitched voice in response that was definitely being altered artificially by a voice changer, "it's our fault he can't answer, not his. You must be Jin Bubaigawara better known as the villain Twice?"

"Please tell me that's Mickey Mouse calling," commented Chimera as he shifted some of his fingers into claws, "I've always wondered what talking mouse tastes like."

"Who in the world are you," questioned Twice, "and where's Giran?"

"Why not try checking the news right now, if possible," replied the Unknown caller on the other end of the line.

"You wouldn't happen to be referring to this, would you?" Questioned Chimera as he pulled up a news report on his phone. It was detailing a currently unfolding case where one severed finger after another had been found at multiple locations. The funny thing about those locations was they were places like Kamino Ward, Huso Terminal, the Shie Hassaikai hideout, all locations the League had shown up at before.

"Who in the world are you?!" Questioned Twice angrily, putting together rather quickly that those fingers likely belonged to Giran.

"I am Re-Destro," replied the voice over the phone, "supreme leader of the Meta Liberation Army."

"So we've gone from Yakuza to a liberation army," said Shigaraki, "is this supposed to be some kind of retro boom? Because I hear you've sold quite a lot of books lately, but don't get caught up in the fad."

"We're actually the ones who started the fad," replied Re-Destro.

"Enough about that, what have you done with Giran!" Exclaimed Twice, "he's a really nice guy!"

"We have him right here with us," replied the Liberation Leader, "he's alive, of course. Now, our objective is to liberate meta powers by demolishing the existing framework and rebuilding the world into a place where people can be people and use their abilities to one hundred percent."

"It sounds like you and us have a lot in common," Chimera pointed out, "the League's been working to tear down society too. This isn't your idea of an invite, is it?"

"If it is then release the broker and call us back later," said Shigaraki, "we're busy right now. Once our task here is done we'll talk, revolution club."

"You may want to take a break and listen to what I have to say first," replied Re-Destro, "we are not releasing Giran as he is a hostage. I've heard your group is big on solidarity and this one's certainly demonstrated it. He's admirable with a strong work ethic and ever watchful and mindful to have kept himself out of the sights of both the heroes and the police. But he didn't think to watch that same darkness and that's how we got him."

Re-Destro paused for a breath before continuing. "Let us also praise him for disposing of his client list, not giving out the slightest bit of information or even a single moan when his fingers were cut off. But once we restored the deleted data all that was left to praise was his meaningless resistance! You see, we Liberation Warriors have made preparations for the coming day. We've endured, withstood, and taken root over the generations and made ready. So I don't appreciate jokes like calling us Revolution Club, not when we have 116,516 hidden warriors prepared to take action!"

"That has to be a buff," said Spinner, his voice a mixture of annoyance and disbelief.

"Niigata, huh," said Re-Destro, "you sure are deep in the mountains."

"Shit!" Said Twice as he threw his phone towards the river. But Chimera caught it, already suspecting what the Liberation Leader would say next.

"It's already too late," he said, "we have a satellite camera focused on your position. Wherever you go, we'll know the whereabouts of the notorious League of Villains! We could call upon Endeavor, Hawks, Mirko, Edgeshot and Crust, they'll likely come immediately upon being notified of your whereabouts."

"Sounds like a party," said Chimera as he cracked his neck before tossing Twice's phone back to him, "wonder how long it'll take 'em to get here, I'm still finishing my last bit of lunch."

"What exactly is it you want to do, anyway?" Questioned Shigaraki, "I'm guessing there's a reason you haven't called the heroes already."

"The leader of the Liberation Army must be a Destro," explained their apparent adversary, "your group has become too well-known. So we'll personally crush you and use that as our signal for the revival of the liberation army. The fingers are an oath to that effect so there's no need for any sluggish bargaining. Very soon now, we shall fight to liberate the meta powers! So this is our demand, come to Deika City in Aichi within the hour and I'll release Giran. Then you will have your choice, fight us and go under or go under after being caught by the heroes?!"

The call cut off then as the League thought quickly on what to do next. "If this guy really does have his own satellite camera to use, that's it for us," said Compress.

"Do we even need to stop and think about this," asked Twice, "we're going after Giran! He gave me a place where I belong, so let's go save him right now!"

"But what if he's been killed already?" Asked Toga as she formed an 'x' with both of her pointer fingers. "All that guy did was talk and it all could've just been lies."

"If there's even a small chance that he's still alive then we should go," argued Twice.

"Why are you suddenly so hung up on friends?" Questioned Compress, "and what are we even going to do? Charge in without a plan?"

"Because he's an outcast like the rest of-AAAAAAAAAH!" He was silenced by Shigaraki pulling his mask off, or rather he was too busy freaking out to form a coherent sentence.

"Twice's rambling aside," said Chimera, "if we don't go then this Re-Destro guy is planning on sending heroes after us and he clearly knows our location. So we're in for a fight whether we go or not, though heroes coming after us won't be as big of a problem as they think, not with Machia around."

"Why don't we take that idea one step further," said Shigaraki before putting a finger to his ear, "Doctor, did you hear all of that?"

"I did indeed," he replied, "Chimera informed me that he'd run into and disposed of a few of their members, but I had no idea the Meta Liberation Army had such a large operation running. You guys really do provoke the darkness."

"How long do we have until the big guy wakes up again?" Asked Shigaraki.

"Provided there are no outside interferences, he'll wake up in exactly two hours and thirty-five minutes," answered Ujiko.

"And do you have Dabi's location?" Tomura further questioned as a smile spread across his face.

"Currently he's at the prefectural border between Mie and Shiga," replied the Mad Scientist.

"How fortunate," said Shigaraki, "alright, I'll need you to handle the transmission. Let's go everyone."

"What, we're just charging in there," said Spinner in disbelief, "what are we going to do if they really do have 110,000 people?"

"Then they'll be great fodder for the big guy," said Tomura as he pointed towards Machia's location, "and even better, I now know after a month of fighting him that he's not invincible, he just has stupidly high HP. And no matter where I go, he'll sniff me out and find me. So why not take advantage of that," he put his fist to his hand then, "and throw the big guy at all 110,000 of them! Even he's gonna be a bit tired after that."

"How sneaky of you!" Exclaimed Ujiko, causing Shigaraki to cringe a bit from the loud noise in his ear, "and what'll you do if it all really turns out to be just a bluff?"

"Then there'll just be another dead idiot," grunted Tomura in response.

"So we're going then," asked Spinner with a serious look in his eye.

"I just said we are, didn't I," replied Shigaraki as he put Twice's mask back on his head, allowing him to finally calm down, "and we're going to crush them all."

"Works for me," said Chimera with a toothy grin, "I was starting to get hungry again anyway."

A Short While Later: Deika City

The location certainly had all of the trappings of a city with just enough tall buildings and just enough acerage to be called a city. Mr. Compress's analysis summed it up rather nicely: not big but not small either, like the epitome of provincial. Because the League all warped there using the 'Johnny' Nomu's teleportation ability it took no time at all for them to find it. Currently, they were gathered in a forested area that overlooked the soon-to-be site of their battle.

"I like the atmosphere here," commented Twice, "it pisses me off!"

"Either way it looks like it would be capable of holding a force of 110,000 Liberation Army personnel," said Compress as he pulled out a pocket watch and checked the time, "we have an hour and forty minutes remaining before Machia wakes up and chases Shigaraki over here. If everything goes to plan, he and the Liberation Army will take each other out. But the main issue is whether or not we can actually last that long."

"We'll just have to take our time and try to strike up a conversation or two," said Chimera, "fanatics like these Liberation pricks love to talk about their ideology and how great it is so I doubt they'd back down from a philosophical debate."

"That just sounds plain annoying," said Dabi as he rubbed the back of his neck, "and why do I have to be here for this too?"

"Didn't Giran introduce you to the League too?" Asked Twice.

"What does that have to do with anything?" Questioned Dabi.

"It's supposed to mean you owe him one for setting you up with a group to fulfill your goals," said Chimera matter-of-factly, "but even putting that aside, I thought you'd jump at the chance to burn some…..what is it Toga?"

"Someone's coming," she said as a stranger came surfing over the nearest hill to them, on their feet? Naturally the League all took fighting positions as the stranger came to a halt with his hand up.

"STOP!" He said in a booming voice, "I have been commanded to be your guide!" It was then that Chimera realized he knew this particular person now that he got a look at his purple costume with a green scarf and cape around his neck. He also wore a black cowl which covered his head and eyes while leaving his gargantuan chin exposed. It was the pro hero Slidin' Go, who Chimera only recognized because he'd evaded him before, quite easily. "If you wish to speak with the leader of the Liberation Army, then come with me."

"This guy's a hero," noted a surprised Spinner, "though not one that I've ever seen."

"His name is Slidin' Go," explained Chimera, "about the only major thing his quirk can do is allow him to slide across the ground like he was a minute ago. Guess that makes him a perfect errand boy."

"My station is far higher than you'll ever know," replied the Pro Hero as he turned around, "now follow me!" He began moving again using his sliding quirk as the rest of the League followed after him, their eyes and ears poised for the first sign of trouble. It took them only a few minutes to enter the city which they quickly noticed seemed to be deserted, or at least no one was moving within sight of them. About the only other signs of life they saw were one or two more pro heroes along the way standing on the rooftops.

"I see," said Shigaraki as they turned a corner where Slidin' Go bowed and took his leave, "this whole city is under the control of the Liberation Army."

"We call it a Liberation District," said a man in a black business coat with long dark hair, some stubble and purple shades, "ninety percent of the population here are dormant Liberation warriors. But first, thank you for coming so far to see us." Chimera also noted a blue-skinned woman standing on the man's right side with purple hair, a black dress and a red winter coat with a furred hood. Though he found the most striking feature of her to be her green eyes with black sclera. "Today is a day of celebration and you are all the guests of honor!"

"I hope that means you brought plenty to eat," said Chimera, "I've worked up an appetite over the last few days."

"And who might you be," said the Woman who he now recalled was named Chitose Kizuki, nicknamed 'Curious', "we don't have you in our database."

"You can call me Chimera," he replied with a bow, "the newest member of the League of Villains. Would you mind telling us what's brought all this on?"

"I believe it will be more beneficial to show all of you," said the man who Chimera finally remembered was called Hanabata of the Hearts and Minds party, a political group. "Now let us begin," he held up his thumb and forefinger, "the Meta Liberation Army Revival Party!" And with a snap of his fingers, the carnage ensued.

And so it has begun, the League's struggle against the Meta Liberation Army and the start of a nasty bloodbath! Gives one something to look forward too in the next chapter. In the meantime, feel free to leave a comment or review about what you liked/disliked or if you've got any neat ideas for future chapters. Be sure to stop in next time as Chimera unleashes his full power against the Meta Liberation Army to tear up Deika City! 'Til then.