Prologue

In a three story manor house in the woods, tucked away among mountains that kept it far away from the view of the rest of the world, a group of men in black cloaks and half skull-face masks had gathered to hold a secret meeting of the Creature Rejection Clan.

They were a hate group known for their rejection of heteromorphic type quirks, a brutal hate society known for ritual murder of heteromorphs going back centuries. In the early days of quirks they had taken to meeting in secret, wearing the masks to hide their identities, tracking down heteromorphs and setting them on fire, stringing them up on poles to hang by the neck, coating them in black tar and feathers, boiling oils, or various quirk attacks. Any form of murder, the more brutal the better, to exterminate these beings from human society.

Of course, as laws against hatred-based crimes came into place the Creature Rejection Clan's meetings became far more secretive. They were in many ways a fossil of a bygone age, yet still affluent enough to afford a three story mansion for a meeting place.

And this particular band was being interrupted unexpectedly in their latest meeting by the arrival of a group of familiar faces.

"How did you all get in here?" Cried the leader as a group of five rather eclectic individuals faced them - a young blonde woman in a schoolgirl uniform with twin buns, a tall athletic man in a black bodysuit with a grew half mask, a magician in top hat and mask, a lizard-type heteromorph in a mask and goggles, and a tall lean, lank man with scraggly white hair and a severed hand covering his face.

"Wait - that's the League of Villains!"

Even fossils from the past couldn't help but recognize the most notorious villain group in recent history.

The eyes behind the half mask of one fell on Spinner, the lizard-type.

"They have a lizard with them. How disgusting."

Spinner's face twisted in a scowl. Nearby, the magician - known by many as Mr. Compress - was looking through the items on the shelves.

"We seek things of value. Are any of these worth anything? We're running low on funding, you see - and yes, yes, I know, common burglary is hardly in vogue. I don't relish it either."

To this, the CRC raised their torches and other items that rather resembled pitchforks and rushed at the League with the battle cry, "Get out of here, you sins against nature!"

As the leader took a swipe at Tomura Shigaraki, the man with a hand over his face, the League of Villains' leader moved with the evasive skills of a very quick snake and seized the back of the leader's head with his right hand.

"We'll leave when we're done. If you don't want us overstaying our welcome, DON'T MESS WITH US."

The leader's head began to decay from the places where the League of Villains' leader's fingers had touched the scalp.

As the CRC's members rushed the League, each met a similar fate. Twice, in his black bodysuit, whipped out a tape measurer that cut through the neck of his attacker. Two fell when sliced by Himiko Toga's blades. A third was cut down as a limb became a marble in the hands of Mr. Compress. And Spinner's massive blade cut through members like butter.

Their attempts at ruffling through the CRC's belongings however proved less successful.

"There's not much money in religion nowadays, huh?" Sighed Twice.

"In this economy?" Said Compress, taking a stroll along the balcony. "Everyone is just scraping by."

"AH!" Gasped Himiko Toga in horror, looking at her broken needle weapon. "It broke!"

"And my prosthetic is in dire need of repair as well," added the Magician from above. "I shall have to request a new one from Giran."

"And where're we getting the cash for that?" Demanded Spinner.

To that, Shigaraki had no answer.

It was a crappy and run-down old house tucked away amidst bare rocks, scraggly trees and broken down construction equipment, barrels of waste and piles of unused logs. The sort of condemned two-story building the rest of the world could easily pass by. If anyone had been wandering this uncomfortably hot day in late September, they would have been astonished to see a man entering the place, a man in a long black overcoat, boots and full-length pants, spiky hair to match and only a loose, v-neck white t-shirt conceding any of the heat.

The man slid back the decrepit door on a scene of similar waste; live wires running about the walls, cracked windows and plaster, mismatched furniture with stuffing peering out of cushions. The fluorescents were peeling away or hanging from wires on the ceiling, a battered bookshelf emptied with broken glass shelves.

"Is that a joke? Not funny," snapped Shigaraki.

"Ha ha ha. Come now. . We're the Mighty League of villains that terrorized the nation, and we live in squalor? We do a disservice to all those who idolize us and what we stand for."

In the corner, Twice and Toga were rooting through the refuse from the heist. "It's just junk."

"Ooh, this is pretty though!" Cried Toga.

"Ooh, real cute!" Said Twice, then as usual contradicting himself corrected, "For a spinster, maybe! Toss it!"

The door opened and Dabi, the League of Villains' resident fire-power, joined them.

"You're all just kicking back?" He growled out. "I guess I'm the only one pounding the pavement looking for recruits."

"Yeah?" Said Twice. "Too bad you roast everyone you bump into. And you haven't brought in any fresh blood!"

"They were all worthless. Just trash, living day to day without any real ambitions."

Toga smiled at him. "Maybe you're just bad at judging others!"

"You, of all people, don't get to say that."

Shigaraki, currently eating a biscuit, added, "It has been about a month since they caught Kurogiri, right? He said he was getting us some new power…Oh well. He failed, so that's that. No luck finding the Doctor either."

"Kurogiri was your babysitter," Toga noted as Twice helped her fasten the necklace, "so you must miss him a lot, Tomura. What's so important about that Doctor anyway?"

"He was master's personal doctor. A real cautious guy. The only way to get in touch with him was through the computer at the hideout. Since he's the one who developed and managed the Nomu."

Compress nodded. "No matter how cautious the doctor is, you'd think he could drop us a line, and maybe give us a hand. Especially when you consider that his former employer's golden boy is reduced to squatting."

"He didn't deny missing Kurogiri," piped up Toga. "Aw, Tomura really does miss him!"

"Hey," interrupted Spinner. "Where're we going with all this? I'm only here cuz Stain inspired me to take action! I was born in a real backwater place, stuck in the last century. Around there I was known as the Lizard freak. And I just accepted it! That whole time my heart was totally empty. That is, until I learned about Stain's final stand on the evening news! He was trying to change the world on his own! That day was the day I realized how suffocating society really is. I just couldn't take it anymore! This is the reason I joined up with you people!"

Dabi sneered, "So what you're saying is basically you're just an empty cosplayer.

"That's right! Totally hollow!" He reached down, seized Shigaraki's coat, and pulled him off his rear to look him in the eye. "Which's why I don't get why we're sitting around doing nothing! I was ready to have some new life breathed into me! To be inspired! So answer me, Shigaraki! Where're we going?"

There was silence.

"Like I said, he -" Shigaraki began - but he was interrupted by a terrible rumbling sound.

Something was approaching.

The League seized their equipment and hurried towards the door to see who their new visitor was.

"I WAS WAITING FOR THE SIGNAL," came a booming, terrible voice from far, far above them. They all looked up to see a man the size of a gigantic mountain towering over, a muscular and powerful being that seemed to dwarf them all in size by a mile. A radio dangled from this neck, blaring out the sounds of a curious voice…

"ARE YOU THE ONE WHO SUCCEEDED ALL FOR ONE?"

Shigaraki tipped up the severed hand that covered his face and smiled. "Is this the power you alluded to, Kurogiri?"

Dabi tilted his head to one side. "Soooo, who's this?"

"You mean to say Kurogiri set out in search of this fellow?" Asked Compress.

"He must be the secret weapon Master left behind for me," hissed Shigaraki.

As he spoke, the giant discarded the radio which had hung from his neck. "I…DEVOTE MYSELF TO ALL FOR ONE. NOW, SUCCESSOR. PROVE THAT YOU ARE WORTHY."

2

"A classy lady who happens to have four arms. A gentleman with a handsome coat of fur. A squishy boy with skin like gelatin. Individuals like these fine people used to belong to the minority."

Thus began the Detnerat Company's ad for hero gear. Striding down the street past the three individuals so named was the Company CEO, long, lean and birdlike.

"But the appearance of the extraordinary continued to accelerate, bringing us into their era. While mass production and consumer culture has been expanding ever since the industrial revolution, this phenomenon suddenly pumped the brakes. By the time everyone realized, it was too late! Those with newer types of bodies spent their days just trying to find products to fit their daily needs." He threw his hands up in the air, his arms crossed over his head, and cried out,

"Many found themselves struggling in this new era for that reason alone. We've made a point of never forgetting that history, while creating products to suit each and every valued customer. WE offer customized designs, guaranteed on your doorstep in three days or less! It's the technology and the proprietary system behind this personal touch that have made us number one in the industry! And now the world of heroes too can expect big things from Detnerat!"

Thus ended the commercial. Aired on all major channels, coming soon to a store near you.

Quirks, sometimes known as Meta Abilities, entered the world many years ago. After the chaos brought about by the advent of the extraordinary, people wanted peace. They started planning ways to co-exist with metas. But among metas themselves, there was a pervasive desire. Liberation over suppression. Wielding one's abilities freely seemed like it should be a basic human right. Chikara Yotsubashi, the man who unified the liberationists to form the Meta Liberation Army. He called himself Destro - the one who would destroy the status quo. While the government trudged ahead with legislation, Yotsubashi opposed the powers that be and vied for supremacy, prompting a struggle that ended several years later with his defeat. Yotsubashi's army dissolved, and many of his followers were caught. While in prison, the man himself did some writing before taking his own life. Unbeknownst even to Yotsubashi, he had a child out in the world…

The Metahuman Liberation Army's four chiefs of staff, Curious, Geten, Skeptic, and Trumpet, were gathered about the table as well, and gave the same salute of a thumb to the forehead and forefinger pointed upwards as their chief joined them.

"Any progress?" He asked Trumpet.

"We found someone with a potential connection to the League. If we're gonna make contact, it needs to be sooner rather than later."

"Move on that."

"Right."

"They are enemies to the Liberation army, and if the state is struggling to handle them then it's up to us. I swear on Destro's good name we will end the League of Villains!"

"On that note," asked Curious, "What's all this about you expanding into the hero industry?"

"Right. If it's a track record you're worried about, we have it. The country is full of those who lie in wait, hoping for liberation…"

—

In Gang Orca's office, the tall, powerfully built superhero leaned back in his chair and placed his fingers together. He was sitting opposite Police Officer Yukimura, a reliable friend on the force who had for some time served as the Gang Orca agency's main source of intel. The officer had placed a series of case files on the Pro hero's desk and was nursing a styrofoam cup of coffee.

"K.N.I.G.H.T.M.A.R.E. What does that stand fore?"

"We don't know yet, sir. It's possible it doesn't actually stand for anything. But we've learned what we can about them, and in particular their leader. 'Nightmare' is a villain name, obviously. Her real name is Kyofu Hiromeru. She's thirty-eight years old, has been operating as a villain for the last fifteen years in underground circles. We learned what we could mostly from interviews with her family."

"Hiromeru. That name seems familiar."

"They run a radio program. Competitive with Present Mic's apparently. News, weather, music sometimes. 'Hiromeru 780.' Not especially lucrative, but it does enough to get them by."

"What are their quirks?"

"Sound frequency from the father, emotion sensing from the mother. Unfortunately that's a bad combo. Put them together and you get a kid with a quirk that manipulates feelings from a distance. Like a psychic sound wave."

"Manipulates how?"

"To put it simply, it induces panic attacks. In a more complicated statement, it creates fear and anxiety, giving anyone she uses it on a vision of their own worst nightmare. First time it manifested was on the parents. They both collapsed in a panic attack; it's almost like an anxiety coma. Depending on how intense the concentration is it can leave the victims paralyzed for up to three days, as far as we know. And three days of thrashing about in fear is lethal - can't eat, sleep, drink or even think straight. Three days is the longest anyone's lasted, but that level of concentrated terror? The heart rate, the mental strain, the physical reaction? It can get deadly really fast."

"What was the reaction when the quirk first manifested?"

"Intense quirk counseling. Safe to say the parents were afraid of their own kid after that. I mean, hard to blame them. And the thing with quirks of course is that everyone wants to use them. What kind of good can anyone do with a quirk that shows people their own worst fears?

Still, they tried, anyway. They hoped their daughter'd become a radio therapist, work on the show with them. The idea was maybe she'd use her quirk to help people face their own fears, like exposure therapy. Seemed the only proper career for someone with that kind of power, the only chance she could use it for something good. But then when she was thirteen she decided she didn't want that. Got it here…the parents' account.

"'That thing - that wasn't even our daughter anymore, really - she came to us and said, 'Mother, father, I won't be what you want me to be. I will never be a therapist.'

"We tried to reason with her. 'There's no other way. There's nothing else your quirk will help with. You can't give up on it.'

'You do not understand. I have seen the light, which you cannot. You are nothing but petty, foolish entertainers. Your so-called work is nothing but a bit of vanity. You immerse yourselves in something so trite in order to pretend that your lives have meaning. But I have found a true cause, a worthy use for this great ability.'

'You must - there's no other option. You will obey us,' we said those things, tried to reason with her, tried to tell her that she could do good and her quirk could help the world. But she simply laughed and threw it in our faces.'

'See what good you think I can do,' and she - she used it on us. When we woke, hours later, she was gone. The police found her, and never got close enough to touch her. They tell us she's a villain now. That she's decided - decided to use her power to terrorize people. She seems to go around using her quirk to spread fear and paranoia throughout the world, almost for fun really, as if she enjoys it. She gets money I suppose, but really it seems like she does it - for the fun of it."

"That's their story. Seems Nightmare runs a kind of frequency broadcast of her own quirk. Sends psychic fear waves out through whatever neighborhood she's in; stirs up panic, profits from the chaos. And she stays in the shadows. It's pretty much impossible to catch her; most of the quirk counseling they did was to try and help her manage it, nobody figured out a way to stop it from hurting people."

Orca leaned back in his seat again, examining the case file. He sighed.

"There will be an answer, Yukimura. I'll show these to my staff, and we'll keep an eye out. I assume you wanted my help because my quirk can operate over a distance?"

"Best bet at dealing with her. Though hard to tell what the minimum safe distance is."

"Hm. You know, one of my student interns has - had - a quirk that operated using sound waves, over a distance. If UA ever reinstates the Work Studies, she might come in handy for dealing with this one."

"Sounds useful. What's her name?"

"Kyoka Jirou. Hero name, Earphone Jack."