Izuku POV, age fifteen
The Elite. A name that struck fear into the hearts of villains all across Japan. Over the last eight months, our attacks have single handily dismantled dozens of gangs across dozens of cities. We were even able to bust an international human trafficking ring at one point. Aki had personally added more than sixty kills to her name in just that raid alone.
But, not all is going well. For every gang we eliminate, another takes its place. Every time we struck down a new villain, two more would take their place. It felt like all we were achieving was creating power vacuums to allow fresh talent to step in. Crime across Japan has outright skyrocketed over the last several years, and we were only making it worse.
Unfortunately, Hitoshi's efforts to expose false Heroes backfired catastrophically. The public was in uproar as more and more Heroes were exposed for their heinous crimes. The Hero Commission was becoming increasingly desperate to refill its dwindling ranks as hundreds of household-name Heroes were suddenly forced into retirement. The Commission was loosening restrictions and providing government grants in order to incentivise Hero schools to pass as many students as possible.
The resulting wave of new Heroes that lacked both skill and morals was not making the public happy. Some civilians were losing faith in Hero society altogether, instead turning to various alternatives. The Meta Liberation Army was taking the narrative of Hero society collapsing and running with it. The Japanese government was becoming increasingly paranoid at the possibility of a hostile takeover.
If not for the Symbol of Peace, the Meta Army would almost certainly attempt a coup. If All might is ever defeated then there will be nothing holding them back from taking Japan. The Commission has access to Heroes like Endeavour, but that is not enough to stop what could very well be an army measuring in the millions.
The latest problem was The Hero Killer, Stain, and his brutal crusade against society. He has killed almost a dozen Heroes so far and shows no sign of stopping. Heroes are becoming increasingly paranoid of these attacks, some even becoming too afraid to go on patrols. As a result, crime was ramping up in poorer communities. It's a vicious cycle.
Hopefully, the Commission has some sort of plan in mind. They may be draconic, but they tend to be shockingly good at their jobs. The fact they have managed to organise a regime for decades whilst simultaneously hiding its existence is very much a testament to their competence. Never underestimate the power of sociopathic bureaucrats.
That's not to mention that with the new intake of UA students coming up within the next few months, some of the rival Hero schools may-
I hear a painfully loud knock on my door. There's simply only one person that could knock that forcefully.
"Come in Eva."
She pushes open the doors to my office and comes over to stand before my desk. She fidgets with her fingers a little as she gazes at me.
"Izuku."
"... Yes?"
"I have a gift for you. I-Island is hosting HeroCon tomorrow and Star and Stripe is a guest speaker. I have managed to procure a set of four premium access passes for the event. Kurogiri will drop us off at the Tokyo airport tomorrow morning."
Oh my god.
Oh my god.
Oh my god.
"Thank you Eva this is going to be amazing!"
I have always wanted to go to one of I-island's Hero conventions! The problem has always been coming up with a good enough fake identity to hold up to scrutiny. Clearly, she has been working on this gift for quite some time now. I imagine she has formed a set of backstories for all of us, as well as all of the relevant legal documentation. I wonder how she intends to stop us from being physically recognised?
"Eva, what disguises do you have in mind?"
The edges of her lips curl up.
"I have taken the liberty of preparing some simple backstories and faked legal documentation for us. As for disguises, I will wear contact lenses and hair dye. Hitoshi will dye his hair and comb it into a more controlled style. Aki will simply wear purple contacts as her backstory will be that she is Hitoshi's older sister. You will simply dye the rest of your hair white in order to match the colour of your hair roots. No one on I-island is likely to see through our disguises and guess that we are villains."
She does make a good point. While the Heroes would certainly have descriptions of us by now from interrogating captured thugs, it's not like they had much to go off. Even if someone were to recognise us they would almost certainly second guess themselves. No one would attempt an arrest for merely resembling a description extracted from thugs.
I give her a warm smile.
"Thank you, Eva. This is the best gift ever!"
I'm so excited I'm almost vibrating.
Izuku POV, one day later
I straighten out my tie as I inspect myself in the mirror. I'm wearing a nice three-piece suit that was coloured a deep navy blue, paired with some brown leather shoes. The outfit itself was simple but tasteful. It was the kind of outfit that one would wear while drinking a nice whisky on the rocks. Elegant. Refined.
I clear my throat and rehearse my character.
"Hello, I am Akatani Mikumo, and this is my companion, Lilly Rose. We are from Japan and are here to enjoy HeroCon. Unfortunately, I cannot talk of my work without having an NDA signed. But I'm suRe-"
I wince as my voice cracks. Way too high pitch. I start the sentence over with a slightly different approach.
"I am sorry, but I cannot speak of my work without an NDA involved. The lawyers would be terribly displeased if I were to speak any further on such matters."
There we go. Suave. Smooth. Elegant. Many overseas support companies actually have their entire company under strict NDA, so the lie would be easily believable. No one would ask questions. Sometimes coming up with a good backstory for a persona is as simple as confidently stating "I am not allowed to tell you." and then letting them make their own guess.
With my persona completed, I finish up and make my way to the central chamber. Once I arrive I spot Kurogiri having a talk with the others. I must say, everyone is fabulously dressed.
Hitoshi is wearing a traditional two-piece suit paired with some white shoes. The suit itself was actually a midnight purple, but the colour was only noticeable under certain lighting. He had dyed his hair brown in order to match with Aki's, as well as combing it back and applying some hair gel. The official story is that he is the younger brother of Aki and they work at the same unnamed company.
Aki herself was wearing an off-shoulder black maxi dress that almost reached the floor. It was an elegant dress that she had carefully selected to show off an uncomfortable amount of cleavage. It definitely did as she wished. Sometimes I get the feeling that she just enjoys having attention.
Eva is-
Wow.
Eva looked nothing like what she usually does. With her hair dyed blonde combined with vibrant blue contacts, her face was almost unrecognisable. Her hair had been curled with a curling iron and then allowed to spiral in a wave that reached halfway down her back. It was a beautiful and stylish look.
As for her outfit, she was wearing a navy blue dress with a narrow waist and cutoffs that exposed her muscular shoulders. Along her left leg was a long leg cut out that ran from the floor to halfway up her thigh. The cut-out would serve to stop the dress from inhibiting her mobility if the need arises.
At almost a hundred and ninety centimetres in height, she was now a full head taller than me. I was starting to suspect that there may be some subtle genetic engineering involved in her rapid growth. Eva's earliest memories are of training and doctors, so for all we know she was made in some sort of lab. It would explain a lot of things, to be honest.
I walk over to the small group.
"So, how are we looking?"
Hitoshi shrugs.
"Eh, I think I look decent enough. You three are showing me up for sure."
Aki scoffs.
"Nah, just those two. Izuku has that magical ability to strike the perfect balance between handsome and cute. His jawline is so sharp, but his eyes are so pretty! Not to mention the curly hair and freckles! If he ever decides to quit being a villain he definitely has a career in modeling. Total catboy vibes."
Honestly, it feels good to be appreciated for once. I put so much effort into skincare only to end up wearing a mask half the time! No one appreciates all the effort I put into this stuff. Glad that at least Aki can appreciate my work.
She then turns and gestures to Eva.
"And damn, Eva's disguise looks amazing! She's almost completely unrecognisable! Well, except for being really tall, having lots of muscles, and having loads of cake."
I blink.
"Cake?"
Aki nods enthusiastically.
"A whole damn bakery!"
A bakery? Why would Eva have a bakery? I'm fairly certain she can barely boil water, let alone make pastries. Why does Aki say such strange things sometimes? Annoyingly, Hitoshi seems to know exactly what Aki is saying, at least judging from the way he is now laughing hysterically. I'm definitely missing something here.
Eva pouts like a confused kitten that can't find its milk.
"I do not understand this conversation. Why would I have a bakery? I do not know how to bake a cake."
Aki has to visibly hold back a laugh. She leans over and pats her on the shoulder.
"Don't worry about it, it's super fashionable these days! Oh look at the time, Hitoshi and I will go head off to I-island now byeeee!"
Kurogiri opens a portal and we give them a wave as they leave. The plan was to have them take the first flight, while we'll take the next flight thirty minutes later. It'll help with our alibi as they'll have footage of us boarding two different planes at the Tokyo airport.
Izuku POV, two hours later
Eva walks alongside me as we pass the exit gates. The security checkpoint took forever to get through. Every part of I-island was built with protection in mind and it really shows. I can count dozens of turrets and security bots in just this room alone! I would love to have a talk with whoever designed this part of the island, I wonder if it's a single concrete pour or if they-
"This way, Akatani."
Eva pulls my hand to stop me from wandering off in the wrong direction. I have a horrible tendency to auto-pilot when I'm lost in thought. We make our way to the final checkout terminal that is meant to hand out our access cards. The woman at the counter gives us a big smile as we approach.
"Hello, welcome to I-island! How may I help you today?"
I pull out an ID card and place it on the table.
"Hello, I am Akatani Mikumo."
Eva places her own card on the table.
"Greetings. I am Lilly Rose."
The woman types our names into her computer and then clicks a few things. She reaches under her desk before presenting two bright red keycards to us. They each have a ribbon necklace that goes around your neck, presumably to ensure that we are always visibly equipped with our identification.
"Here you are Sir and Ma'am, two premium access cards. Please enjoy your stay!"
The two of us give our thanks and move onward. Once we exit through the airport terminal we are finally greeted with the full sight of the event. It's amazing. The place is a gargantuan maze and is positively teeming with Heroes. There are hundreds of expositions and thousands of people from dozens of countries. It's a breathtaking sight.
Eva nudges me.
"Excited?"
An understatement.
"I must admit, I am rather eager to start looking around. Where do you think we should go first?"
She points out a place where a whole bunch of Heroes are gathered.
"We should go to that exhibit first. People must be gathered there for a reason."
As we come closer I get a better idea of what is going on. Toha Heavy Industries is showcasing what they describe as their 'Hero Gauntlet', a special piece of armour designed to help Heroes protect themselves from their own strength.
One of the Heroes straps the gauntlet to himself before throwing a few punches at a target. He seems pleased with the results. Another man is handed one of the gauntlets and prompted to try and break it. He attempts to crush and bend it but is ultimately unable to so much as scratch it. It's an impressive piece of equipment.
A woman in a uniform approaches us with one of the gauntlets held in her hands.
"Enjoying the expo? The Hero Gauntlet is essentially indestructible! I bet you that no one here can break it!"
She holds it out towards us. I turn to Eva and give her a smirk.
"Well Lilly, are you up to the challenge?"
Eva takes it from the woman's hand and proceeds to crush the contraption within her palm. The metal makes a horrible screeching sound as the material is extruded from between her fingers. The final product looks more like a bizarre porcupine than anything else. Eva looks at the piece of modern art with a bored expression.
"I believe this unit may have been defective."
The woman gingerly takes back the mass before dropping it once it touches her skin. Evidently, the friction caused the metal to become extremely hot. The expo worker chooses to ignore the mass on the floor and gives us a bow while maintaining a very strained smile.
"Ah, that must be it! Thank you for your feedback, I'm sure our engineers will resolve the quality control flaw!"
After that, the two of us simply wander our way around the convention. We observe the many expos and watch a few Heroes do some sparring. At one point we sit down and listen to an interview with Fortress, the Hero famous for his amazing forcefields. I make mental notes to start ensuring that my forcefields are always angled to deflect attacks diagonally. Deflecting anything vertically always gave it chance to fall back on your head.
After another thirty minutes of exploring we hear a voice over the intercom.
"Attention, Star and Stripe will be speaking in ten minutes. Please move to the central plaza if you wish to hear her speech. Thank you."
We hurriedly made our way over to the central area of the convention grounds. Once there we wait a few minutes for her arrival. The crowd goes silent as a very recognisable woman steps out onto stage. I watch with rapt attention as Star and Stripe takes the mic.
"Hello everyone! I am so happy to be here today, to see the Heroes of the world united!"
The crowd loves it.
"But unfortunately, I don't have anything fun to talk about today. I will be frank. The world is turning to shit. Crime across the globe has been steadily increasing for the last five years. We have new international supervillains emerging every day. The world economy is in a recession. People are angry. People want change."
She walks forward past the podium and stands at the edge of the stage.
"But, we cannot let this stop us. Everyone assembled here today needs to work together, regardless of borders! Let it be known that if anyone here needs my help, for any reason, I am happy to assist in any way I can. We need to stop our petty rivalries between nations and start truly working together as an international community. I have no doubt that if we continue on the path we are currently on, we will be led to ruin. We need to change things for the better."
The mic starts levitating in front of her as she places her hands on her hips.
"If we all work together, we will get through this! I will be discussing my plans in further detail later in the night. To summarise things, the American government is willing to provide resources to help form regional Hero centres that we will use to ensure stability within each region. Please be back here by seven PM if you wish to help hear of my plans in further detail. Thank you."
There's an applause as she walks off stage. It was a short speech, but her passion was intoxicating. I can't help but find myself clapping along.
It's an interesting speech. But, unfortunately, I fear it is too little too late. With international agitators creating tension between nations, the chance of successfully forming any sort of regional body in Asia or Eastern Europe is simply zero. China or Russia would almost certainly interfere in whatever attempts are made toward world peace.
Any effort to better Hero society would go against their interests. The world may very well be approaching a war. A world war involving both nukes and quirks. One unlike anything ever witnessed. It would be impossible to predict the victor once you factored in quirks, even nuclear bombs were not invincible.
With the right combination of danger sense and precognition, one could see an attack coming before it happens. Then, you send out fighters to intercept the warheads mid transit. In the age of quirks, anything is possible.
Star's goal is very clearly to form an alliance between Heroes that operates at a layer above what the various governments of the world can control. Heroes would be able to simply negotiate with the Hero groups of other countries, undermining the authority of oppressive regimes.
It's a good idea. By doing this it will force the ruling party to either go against the wishes of their Heroes or be forced to change their policies to match them. It is difficult to maintain a dictatorship when your superpowered police force is actively conspiring against you.
The problem is, it's too little, too late. If this was done a decade ago then we could have been in a completely different situation. As it is, China is threatening to take all of Asia with each passing day. The only thing stopping them from starting a total war is the presence of All might. The man was so powerful that he could very possibly defeat the entire Chinese military on his own.
As always, everything rides on the Symbol of Peace. If he falls, we all fall with him.
After Star's speech, we decide to have lunch in the food district. On our way there I spot a truly peculiar sight. There's a bearded man wearing what could only be described as a tourist's outfit. He's dressed in a horrible Hawaiian shirt paired with camo-patterned cargo shorts, and of course, sandals. He's walking along with a bottle of some foreign beer in hand and not a care in the world.
Everyone near the man is giving him a wide berth and actively moving to stay out of his way. Many of the Heroes are glaring at him with contempt. There is simply only one man this could be. I make my way up to the controversial figure and stand before him.
"Hello, Murder Cunt! I am a big fan of your work!"
He gives me a nod and raises his beer bottle in what I presume is some sort of greeting.
"Ah no problem mate, just doing what I do."
Before me stands the most infamous "Hero" alive.