For Reference: 11 PM in Japan is 10 AM US EST, 8 AM US MST, and 7 AM PDT. Basically, Japan is 13 Hours ahead of the east coast of the US.
(This chapter has US politics in it, which is necessary due to the subject matter being Metal Gear and the consequences of Metal Gear Rising's plot being made public based on this fic's setting and historical context of how I think the US would handle this. Don't take it too seriously. You know the premise of this fic is batshit already and this is to help build the overall world of VI outside of Japan and the characters inside might not be too relevant now, but will be later.) Anyways, let me show you the weird-ass plotline i've cooked up.
CW: Graphic descriptions of violence, US Fantasy Politics, terrorism
==========================VI==========================
Quirk Warlords: A Documentary Series on the History Channel.
Episode 8: The Goddess of Flowers
During the Quirk Wars, several powerful first and second-generation quirk users used their newfound powers to carve out chunks of territory to rule. However, not all of the Warlords hungered for power. Today we will discuss one of the two pacifist warlords, Nabu Malikata, also known as the Goddess of Flowers. Nabu Malikata, later known as Nabu Akasha after her marriage to the scholar Moseis Akasaha was born in Egypt in 2045.
According to interviews conducted with Mrs. Akasha in the final years of her life, her quirk manifested at the age of six. Her quirk,
Plant Proliferation allowed for the creation and manipulation of flora. As quirks began to emerge around the world, the Egyptian government was one of the first to fall in 2063 with the emergence of the Warlord Amon Deshret.
Amon, and his group of worshippers who went on to form the modern-day terrorist group Al-Ahmar began what they called a "holy crusade" to purify Egypt. During this time, Nabu at this time was attempting to enter college, only for Amon to demolish a section of Cairo with a tornado of sand. Destruction followed everywhere the Warlord stepped, promising death to his enemies and eternal salvation in servitude.
Nabu simply tried to survive at first. It was not until she decided to make use of her quirk, despite the negative stigma that was associated with being a "meta" at the time. Desperate to protect those around her, she unleashed a quirk she had been hiding for twelve years, covering most of Cairo in a lush rainforest that sprawled across the city. In a matter of days, a jungle decayed and regrew multiple times to terraform the desert city into a tropical fortress. After four sleepless nights of channeling her quirk, she collapsed into a coma for nearly a month.
The sudden change in Cario should've been impossible, if not for the special properties of
Plant Proliferation. The plants Nabu created were like nothing ever seen before, displaying special properties that allowed the forest to survive. Water sprung forth from giant buds, shimmering petals that emitted light, and even delicious fruits sprouted into existence. Despite the miraculous nature of these planets, scientists have never found traces of them having quirks. They simply defy logic almost like magic.
When Nabu awoke, she was surrounded by people who had flocked to the giant tree she slumbered in. While she slept, they attended to her needs and protected the tree from intrusion. They came to believe she was some sort of goddess sent to protect them…
==========================VI==========================
[Dept. Of Defence, Washington DC, July 15th, 2242, 8:04 AM US Eastern Time]
Secretary of Defence Timothy Agpar was awoken from a nap in his office by a panicked soldier. "Sir, we have a situation in Colorado!"
Timothy shot to his feet immediately. "What?"
==VI==
"A few minutes ago we lost contact with the Haven facility. They sounded the alarm then went dark." The soldier tried to keep up with the Secretary as he powerwalked toward the command center.
Timothy shoved the doors open to reveal several officers rapidly moving between monitors in panic. "Sir, a storm has started to form over the base. It's blocking our satellites." Another soldier exclaimed as the screen showing an overhead view of the base showed only a massive ever-expanding cloud.
"Is it natural?" Timothy barked out.
"Doesn't look like it, sir. Skies were only partly cloudy a few minutes before." A female soldier ran across the room with her tablet. "We're getting reports of multiple confirmed tornado touchdowns, all Category Fives, as well as intense hail and high winds." She tapped her screen and the map updated to show multiple red dots moving in circles around the storm."
"That looks like a hurricane…" An officer remarked. The display showed the storm was about 80 miles in diameter.
"A hurricane? In Colorado?" Another officer squinted. "Where's the eye then."
"All of you, focus." Timothy demanded. "This is an attack. Put us in DEFCON 3, and get me Secretary Sears and the President on the line, asap!" He pulled a damp cloth out of his pocket to moisturize his head. 'What the hell is going on?'
==VI==
[Dept. Of Heroism, Washington DC, July 15th, 2242, 8:45 AM US Eastern Time]
"I've tried getting Armstrong on the line, but his people say he's been gone all day." Secretary-Director George Sears paced in front of the camera. "Goddammit, where is the Four Winds team!" He shouted at his assistant.
"T-they reported a few days ago they were closing in on Raiden, t-that's the last we heard from them." The man stuttered.
"Well tell them to cancel their fugitive manhunt and get on this! I'm not sending those other morons in Colorado, they aren't equipped for this." He should've overridden the Senator's decision and sent some of his men in.
Secretary Agpar walked back into frame on his section of the monitor. "I just got off the phone with President Johnson. He's being moved to a safe location." The mutant chugged a glass of water nervously. "The Air Force should be there within a half hour."
"Don't get them close to that storm, they'll get shredded," George ordered. "The winds are at least four hundred and fifty mph, not to mention the tornados and lightning. You'd be sending them on a suicide mission."
"Do we have any FOXHOUND operatives nearby? What about Settler? Can he get close?" Timothy asked.
"Rifle is outside his range. He can get about sixty miles away at best, but that's still under the storm and we have no idea what the condition is down there. He could teleport into a flying tree for all we know." George pulled out his phone. "I'm contacting Star and Stripe. This could be an SSS-Villian with this kind of power. If that storm starts to move the casualties will be catastrophic." He paused. "Keep the jets circling. I want to know if anything leaves that storm, especially if it is one of the RAY units or EXCELSUS."
==VI==
[New York City, New York, July 15th, 2242, 8:50 AM US Eastern Time]
"BEHOLD! I AM ELECTROCHRIST!" The massive villain comprised of electricity hovered above Times Square. "BOW BEFORE MY POWER!" A massive wave of electricity burst forward, causing several cars to be thrown into the air. The crowd watching behind police barricades stumbled back in fear.
Star and Stripe: Symbol of Freedom | Civilian Identity: CLASSIFIED LEVEL 7 WHA CLEARANCE (USA Rank 1, CA Rank 1)
"This is Star, got another one in Times Square. Captain Celebrity, what's your status?" All she got was silence on her comms, probably from the electromagnetic interference. Cathleen sighed. She'd been awoken from her vacation by alerts of multiple villains popping up all over New York. The Big Apple was no stranger to villany, but this was an unusual amount of activity from the criminal underworld. Usually they were far more discreet.
"BWHAAHAHA!" The electric villain flexed his muscles made of pure electricity, showing off for the crowd. 'This one's a tough one. That much electricity would be dangerous even to me.' She pondered, floating directly above the villain who still hadn't noticed her. An idea sprung to mind, and she deactivated her rule allowing flight.
"I am insulated and can punch electricity." She muttered
Top Secret: New Order
The United State's trump card, New Order, wielded by the sole SSS-Ranked hero that the country possesses. New Order is arguably the most powerful quirk to ever exist. Star and Stripe can currently create two rules to impose on herself or another person/object. All she needs to do is say its name and make physical contact.
Star almost always has one rule active, which makes her nearly as strong as All Might. Although she is physically weaker, New Order makes up for the gap in strength through sheer adaptability through her creative mind.
Currently, Star and Stripe has been training to allow herself to wield a third rule with little success.
Top Secret
"I AM INVINCIBLE! I AM A DIVINE! I AM-" Cathleen her fist down on the top of his head, sending the villain crashing facefirst into the pavement.
"Grounded, because I am here." She declared with a smile as the crowd began to cheer. The villain shrunk back down until he was just a man in a yellow bodysuit, quickly taken into custody by the S.W.A.T team nearby.
"Thanks Star, nice work!" One of the officers gave her a thumbs up.
"Any time," She laughed, giving the man a pat on the back while waving to the crowd. "Anything to help the boys in blue keep this country safe."
All the officers felt a sense of pride, being acknowledged by the country's Number One Hero. It was comparable to being in the presence of All Might, filling their hearts with warmth and a feeling of ease.
The large screens began to flicker on, disabled by the villain's power surge. Cathleen was in the middle of greeting her fans when she heard murmurs and gasps. Looking up she saw the news on one of the screens.
"-ar, can you hear me?" She heard Secretary Sears in her earpiece. "I take it you just saw the news?" Cathleen whispered a rule, rising up into the air for privacy.
"Yes sir. What's the situation?" She eyed the newscaster on screen showing a radar view of the storm.
"That thing's been blocking any way into that base for nearly an hour. Not sure if it's magic, a quirk, or a stand making it but we need that storm cleared as soon as possible. I need you in Colorado fucking yesterday." She could hear the sound of footsteps and a helicopter in the background. "I'm catching a flight to Missouri, Agpar's dispatched the Air Force to pick you up. I need you to get over the Mississippi so that Settler can get you close to that storm."
"Yes sir!" She could hear the sound of a military jet flying overhead and shot up. "We looking at an all hands on deck situation?"
"That's what it's looking like. I'm calling in most of the Top Ten. Venom's already guarding the President, and I'm keeping Captain Celebrity in New York in case something goes down."
[North Dakota, July 15th, 2242, 8:10 AM US Central Time]
"Pull!" A clay pigeon shot out of the launcher, flying across the countryside before exploding into fragments seconds later.
"Fifty feet." A young man wearing blue overalls and a knit cap with a horseshoe said, blowing smoke off his finger.
Tusk: The Gunslinger Hero | Civilian Identity: Johnny Joestar (USA Rank 7, KY Rank 1)
"Excellent shot." A large man with concrete gray skin and ruby eyes congratulated. "My turn." He pressed a button on his phone, and several clay pigeons launched themselves. The man crouched, exhaling calmly. "Locked on." Suddenly, several glowing projectiles launched themselves from the holes in his arms, arcing toward the clay discs and enveloping them in small explosions.
"That's cheating if you home in on them, old man." Johnny frowned.
The stone-faced mutant huffed and took a long puff from his pipe. "That's what you youngsters don't understand. It took me years to be able to lock my missiles onto targets that small."
Uncle S.A.M: The Interceptor Hero | Civilian Identity: Samuel Richmond (USA Rank 8, ND Rank 1)
"Well, I still have to aim." Johnny huffed, his Stand manifesting next to him.
"Chumimi~in!"
"See, Tusk agrees!"
"I'll never understand why you chose your Stand's name for your hero name, Joestar." Samuel took another puff of his pipe. "Terrible name, and yet you're still above me in the rankings."
"Maybe if you moved out to somewhere more populated you'd be more popular." He snarked. "Only reason you're so popular is a lot of the Senators like you for being so traditional."
"Oh, don't me me started on them old farts. I take em' out here to the target range, put on a show for em and they 'cream their jeans' as the kids say." Samuel looked over to the younger hero. "Teens still say that, right?"
Johnny stifled a chuckle. "I have no idea man, no idea."
"And I thought you younger heroes were supposed to be more in touch with this generation." Samuel huffed. "Why'd I invite your dumbass out here again?"
"Because of my dashing good looks and incredible aiming skills?"
Samuel stared at him, then let out a hearty laugh. "Sure, lets go with that." He sniffed the air. "Looks like the wife's got breakfast ready. Hope you like scrambled eggs."
As the two headed back to the manor, both their phones began to ring with an emergency signal. Samuel answered his first. "Hello? Yes, he's right here with me. I'll put you on speaker." He turned to the stand user. "It's Secretary Sears. We're being called in."
==VI==
[Las Vegas, Nevada, July 15th, 2242, 6:10 AM US Pacific Time]
※ During the beginning of the Quirk Wars, the bustling Entertainment Capital of the World known as Las Vegas was hit by a nuclear strike. The once shining "Sin City" was reduced to a rubble, and the surrounding desert turned to glass. The culprit was a first generation quirk user whose parents had gambled away their life savings in Vegas, and when he developed a powerful technopathic quirk, he'd "spoken" to the firing mechanism at a nearby nuclear silo. His quirk left a signal that was traced back to him, leading to his arrest, but the damage had already been done. This man is the reason why many nations disarmed their nuclear stockpiles and why military installations have technopath quirk safeguards installed, created by studying the man's quirk.
Following the Quirk Wars, Las Vegas was rebuilt into a city of glass and wonder. The surrounding glassed desert was converted into a massive solar farm, taking inspiration from a similar situation that occurred in a Pre-Quirk comic book.
※ The sun had already began to rise over the Glass City, solar panels rotating to the optimal angle to capture the light. As they did, a blur of shifting color whizzed by, leaving behind a glowing trail of light that began to slowly streak of light continued, a radiant mirage reflecting off the glassed desert sending a rainbow of colors everywhere it passed. Eventually, the light moved onto the side of the road and a man emerged in a flash, sliding to a stop next to a parked car.
Chroma Rush: The Lightrunner Hero | Civilian Identity: Alejandro Lucero (USA Rank 4, NV Rank 1)
'That's today's morning run finished. Time to get ready for patrol.' The chromatic armored hero's faceplate retracted and he took a few gulps from his water bottle. As Alejandro approached the driver's side of his car, his emergency comm began to blink. "Hello?"
"Chroma Rush, this is Secretary Sears. We've got an all-hands-on-deck situation in Colorado. How fast can you get there?"
'Mierda!' He thought. "I can be there in about an hour. I'll run there. Going to the nearest Air Force base would take about the same time."
"Understood. I'm sending you the coordinates to the rendezvous point. You'll be briefed on the way there." With that, the line went dead.
Looks like he would have to call one of his sidekicks to bring his car back to the agency. He quickly texted the agency line, then prepared to move out. 'This must be big, calling in the Top Ten.'
With a whir, his faceplate activated, and the hero started to run, form blurring until it turned into a streak of light.
※ Chroma Rush's quirk, Lightrunner. He can turn himself into a living beam of light, capable of traveling at speeds of 500 MPH. His light form maintains most of the properties of light except for speed and heat, and he is able to change directions. While in this form, he can still see, but all outside forms of communication cannot reach him.
In addition, when coming into contact with highly reflective surfaces he will bounce like a pinball without causing damage. Non-reflective surfaces will be damaged with physical force. This makes large cities like Las Vegas perfect environments for his quirk.
While running, Chroma Rush will also leave behind a shining wall of hard light, which will slowly disappear over time once he is 200 ft away. He can activate and deactivate this part of his quirk at will, and is the only person who can freely pass through the barriers if he so chooses.
※
==VI==
[St. Louis, July 15th, 2242, 12:30 PM US Central Time]
As soon as his plane touched down, George was already making his way toward the exit, Secretary Agpar trailing behind them despite protests from their aides. Airport regulations could wait. This was a national emergency. George's quirk gave him boosts to all physical abilities, so he yanked open the plane's emergency exit and deployed the emergency inflatable slide.
"Sir, that's unnecessary, the-" One of the aides began to say.
"You, shut it. Every second we aren't in Denver could be more lives lost." He glared at the man, causing him to shrink back. Both Secretaries slid down, followed by their security teams and made their way over to a restricted hangar, where a small square was blocked off by cones with a man dressed in military khakis and a cowboy hat standing.
Top Secret: FOXHOUND Team
FOXHOUND is the United State's black ops hero team, specializing in supernatural termination and national security. They report only to the Secretary of Defence, the Secretary of Heroism, the President, and the head of the CIA.
U.S. citizens with powerful or useful quirks are inducted into this team to ensure the defense of the country and the free world. Much like the HPSC in Japan, this is not limited to adults. Top Ten hero Raiden was trained under Secretary George Sears's program as a child but was selected for public hero work due to his talents.
Top Secret Operative: Settler
Settler is the United State's only warping hero. His quirk is called Louisana Purchase, which allows him to teleport himself and anyone he is touching to any coordinates located in the area defined by the 1803 deal between the United States and France. He must have a clear image of where he is going in mind or exact coordinates. Areas are usually prepared for him to warp in to ensure his safety.
His quirk only functions while he is inside this area. If he is outside the Louisana Purchase area, he cannot teleport back to it. With this in mind, he is required to be stationed within the midwest at all times.
Top Secret
"Settler, report. What's the situation?" Timothy demanded.
"Sir!" Settler saluted. "All members of the Top Ten you requested are on site and preparing for Star to disrupt the storm. We have soldiers standing by to retake the base as well."
"Very good. Let's get over there then." Both men took Settler's offered hands, and the three of them vanished in the blink of an eye.
==VI==
Timothy keeled over the trash can, depositing the last of his lunch. "This is why I told you not to eat before we teleported. You aren't used to it." George shook his head, pulled a granola bar out of his suit pocket, and handed it to Timothy.
Both men stood in a hastily erected command center a few miles outside the storm, soldiers franticly issuing orders and rushing in and out of the room. Even outside the storm, the winds were still oppressive.
"Begin the operation, Star, you know what to do," George spoke into his headset.
The winds began to die down, and the clouds rapidly started to dissipate.
"Good work, everyone get ready to move in and secure the area."
"Sir!" Cathleen's voice cut in. "That… that wasn't me."
"What?!" George exclaimed. "Everyone hold positions. You!" He pointed to one of the soldiers. "Get me satellite, now!"
An overhead view of the rapidly dissolving storm appeared, slowly zooming in on the base. Already those present could see plumes of smoke and fires raging. The area around the base was completely dry in a nearly perfect circle. In the center of it all, the collapsed carcass of the prototype Metal Gear EXCELSUS, clearly fucked up beyond all repair.
"What the hell…"
==VI==
"Jesus Christ," Tusk muttered as he approached the perimeter on his motorcycle. "More Desperado mercs, all dead." He radioed in, kicking one of the bodies. 'Fucking terrorist bastards.'
The entire base was littered with corpses, both Desperado and the U.S. Army. Several soldiers were slumped over on their knees, hands tied and a bullet wound to the skull. This was an execution site.
Some of them had gone down fighting, and judging by the other wounds the executed men had, they held out as long as they could. Curiously, very few of the terrorist mercenaries had bullet wounds. Most of them were dismembered and sported various slashes. It looked like they'd been shoved through a blender. "What happened here?"
==VI==
Star and Stripe floated down to the destroyed Metal Gear. Judging by the indentations on the legs, it had been slashed and punched until its legs gave out. This led her to believe that at least two people had been fighting it due to the difference in attacks.
As she touched down on the machine, she could see several scraps of cloth, blood splatters, and a giant hand-shaped crater embedded in the deck. Out of the corner of her eye, a glimmering piece of metal caught her eye. It was the broken hilt of a High Frequency (HF) sword, one she recognized all too well.
"Raiden?"
==VI==
The entrance to the underground hangar where the rest of the Metal Gears were stored and maintained was completely buried under the collapsed cliffside. Several burning tanks lay flipped over, a trail of destruction leading to the downed EXCELSUS.
"Y'all think that big ol' machine broke the cave?" A female voice called out, thick with a Texan accent.
Cow Lady: The Bovine Hero | Civilian Identity: Maryanne Wells (USA Rank 4, TX Rank 1)
"That's what it looks like." Uncle S.A.M said. The Interceptor Hero had swapped out his casual outfit for his hero uniform, inspired by the classic American "Uncle Sam" from the recruiting posters. It looked a bit off, seeing the man wear a fake beard and patriotic red, white, and blue outfit. He even had a little top hat on his head.
"We need to get inside to check for survivors and the status of those Metal Gears." A deep voice rumbled behind them. "Can you blast it open Uncle?"
"I can try, but that cliff looks a bit unstable. I could end up making it worse, or hurt anyone still trapped inside. We'll have to do this manually."
"Alright then, let's get to it." Cow Lady stretched, then flexed her arms. Her body began to morph, growing hair and taking on a more bovine shape similar to the mythical minotaur. "C'mon Diamond, lets get this path cleared."
"Understood." A tall, muscular man whose skin looked like it was made of obsidian followed her, grabbing a boulder and tossing it to the side.
Black Diamond: The Vitric Hero | Civilian Identity: Kain Pyrell (USA Rank 3, IL Rank 1)
Richmond looked over his shoulder at the soldiers patroling the area. "Any of you have quirks that can safely remove rubble?" A few hands shot up. "Go on, help them." He ordered, then shook his head. His quirk was useful for defense and offense, not rescue and recovery. 'Maybe there's some machinery over here I can use…"
==VI==
"I heard you the first time, Star. Are you absolutely positive that it's Raiden's sword?" George hissed.
"Yes sir, I'd know that blade anywhere."
"So would I, I trained the kid." He muttered. "Shit. This just got ten times more complicated." He turned to one of the soldiers next to him. "I want you to get me a line to Armstrong's office right now. I need to talk to someone there and figure out how the fuck the Four Winds lost track of him.
At the desk next to him, Agpar set down his phone. "The President wants an update. He says he needs to give a speech to calm down the nation."
"Well, tell him to fucking wait or just give some calming words. This whole thing is turning into a clusterfuck." George snapped.
==VI==
"What the fuck do you mean they are all dead?" George shouted at the Senator's secretary.
The woman flinched over the video call. "Sir, we were ordered to keep quiet by the Senator to avoid a panic. I was told you were already informed!"
"If we knew that they were dead we would've dispatched federal heroes sooner. Why the fuck didn't he tell us that Raiden killed them?" He demanded.
"He- we didn't publicize it because they were colluding with Desperado!" The woman blurted out.
Timothy dropped his coffee cup in shock, then turned and sprinted out of the room toward where Settler was resting. "I'm deploying a strike team to Denver." The mutant Secretary shouted as he exited.
George continued to stare at the screen, frozen in thought. 'Ok, them helping a Villain Terrorist gang is a good reason to cover it up, but why lie and say that he told the govern-' His eyes widened as he realized what Secretary Agpar had figured out seconds ago. "Armstrong you motherfucker." Calmly, he ended the call, closed his eyes, and took a deep breath. "FUCK!" George grabbed the computer monitor and yanked it free with a shower of sparks, throwing it so hard it punctured through two walls before shattering.
"Sir?" A worried soldier scurried over.
"Put out an order for the arrest of Senator Armstrong and his staff, as well as any sidekicks and staff of the Four Winds hero team. Lock down Denver, and mobilize the National Guard. Shit. Shit. FUCK!" George slammed his hand against the desk, crumpling it like aluminum under his strength.
==VI==
[Denver, Colorado, July 15th, 2242, 1:50 PM US Mountain Time]
"Everyone on the ground with your hands up now!" The soldiers announced as they burst into the Four Winds headquarters.
The sidekicks and staff inside did the exact opposite, pulling out an assortment of guns and quirks and immediately firing upon the federal agents storming their building. Several men fell, shredded beyond recognition before they pulled back, and the traitors inside heard loud metallic footsteps approaching. One of the sidekicks tried to call something out, only for one of the skyscraper windows to shatter and a sniper round to punch through her skull. The others were so startled by this that they were momentarily distracted from the UG Mastiff unit that burst through the wall seconds later.
The robot swing its arms as it bulldozed through the hostile forces, leaving several staff members with broken limbs at best. A second armored figure backflipped off the construct's back, already having unsheathed his HF Katana and sliced two of the rebel's guns in half, before unloading a stun pellet Mini-Uzi into the men surrounding him before they could react to his presence.
The man, wearing a suit of power armor with yellow and gunmetal plating sheathed his sword. "This is Gray Fox. Floor cleared, heavy casualties on both sides."
Top Secret FOXHOUND Operative: Gray Fox
One of FOXHOUND's exterminators. His quirk, Martial, lets him master any weapon he uses instantly. His reaction speed is high enough to slice bullets. Curiously, his quirk also considers his body a weapon and grants him minor superstrength and superspeed in short bursts. This puts significant strain on his body by ignoring it's limiters, necessitating a power suit. His body underneath the suit has suffered damage due to overuse before the suit's development.
Top Secret
"This is Sniper Wolf. Multiple combatants are heading for their server rooms. Looks like they are going to destroy the-" A massive explosion shook the tower. "Nevermind, one of the sidekicks just destroyed it from below." The blonde shifted her aim and blasted through the window with her rifle, kneecapping the man with two precise shots.
Top Secret FOXHOUND Operative: Sniper Wolf
FOXHOUND's expert sniper. Her quirk, Highlight, can outline anyone within 100 yards of her. This even works through walls. She can change the color of the outlines beforehand to identify friendlies. These are only visible to her. Even without her quirk, she is one of the most dangerous snipers in the world, able to go days without food or water to wait her prey out.
Top Secret
"I'll handle those ones then." Settler said, disappearing from his position next to her in the adjacent skyscraper. Just because he was valuable didn't mean he wasn't deadly in combat. He was specifically stationed to extract key operatives if their lives were at risk, but if there were easy targets…
The men formerly heading toward the server room were startled by Settler appearing in the middle of their group, grabbing two of their rifles, and disappearing. He reappeared seconds later, jabbing a combat knife into another man's neck then dropping a flashbang in the middle of the group, then disappearing again. Moments later allied soldiers burst into the hall, taking the men down with nonlethal shots.
He reappeared next to Sniper Wolf seconds later, sweating and holding an energy drink. "Phew, that's always exciting in close combat, but a bit too close for comfort."
"Sears will be angry you took unnecessary action." She deadpanned, taking down another sidekick.
"Well, I never get to put my training to good use. Hold on." He vanished, grabbed a soldier who had been thrown out a window, and teleported him safely to the ground. "This is not how I imagined my day going…"
==VI==
[Haven Metal Gear Development Facility, Rifle, Colorado, July 15th, 2242, 2:20 PM US Mountain Time]
"This is Black Diamond. Entering the hangar now." The crystalline hero said as he moved the last bit of rubble out of the way. The lights of the huge cave were still on thankfully. Kain could smell the distinct scent of burning flesh and ash as he pried a section of the hangar open.
The details of this facility were heavily classified, but he'd been told that the hangar was supposed to contain four Metal Gear RAY units and the experimental Metal Gear EXCELSUS. Obviously, the latter wasn't inside anymore.
There were no mercenary bodies inside, only US Army soldiers and scientists. Workstations were knocked over, and smoke hung on the ceiling from fires that had burned themselves out. Kain could spot several men who were covered in what looked like hardened volcanic rock, some with sharp red blades
"Spread out. I want all four auxiliary maintenance bays checked." A captain shouted out. One of the men ran over to an undamaged console and began to type in commands. With a loud groan the bays where the RAY's were kept opened, all four completely empty.
"This is not ideal." Kain monotoned.
※ Before quirks emerged, the first generation of Metal Gears were designed to be mobile nuclear weapon stations that could function as both infantry and artillery. Heavily armored, and mobile. After quirks emerged, and the rapid disarmament of most of the world's nuclear weapons, they became obsolete.
Years later, following advances in technology during the Quirk Wars and increasing fear of powerful villains, various countries constructed new Metal Gears and Unmanned Gear (UG) units. Since quirks are prohibited from use in open warfare, countries would use Metal Gear as a deterrent and to avoid sanctions from the rest of the world. The popularization of heroes has led to a sharp decline in the production of these machines, especially with the emergence of more powerful quirks.
Some countries like the United States and China still work on advancing the technology, in case of emergency with their large budgets. The United State's Metal Gear Ray in particular is capable of fighting multiple SS-Villains at range and in close combat.
※The RAYs had been stolen, each the equivalent of a higher-end SS-Ranked villain. They couldn't stand up to the full might of some heroes, but if they were to be unleashed on a city the destruction would be immeasurable.
==VI==
"Yes Mr. President, I'm raising it to DEFCON 2. We didn't detect the RAY units leaving the facility, which means they have a powerful warping villain on their side. I've notified the Council in case they strike overseas." George said.
"And has Armstrong been located?" President Johnson asked nervously. "We need to keep this quiet until we know all the facts. This will reflect badly on us."
George fought back the urge to glare at the man. "Sir, frankly we have bigger things to worry about than your approval ratings. I don't think you realize how serious this is."
"I think it's cut and dry, we have a treasonous Senator and a hero team colluding with terrorists. The Metal Gears I can understand the threat of." Johnson waved his hand. "Just find Armstrong and Raiden and we'll come up with the cover story later."
George took a deep breath. James was a decent President most of the time, but the man had never had to handle a serious crisis in his life and it was showing. "Sir, since you seem to not understand the gravity of the situation, let me spell it out for you." He said, attempting to not sound condescending. "A presidential candidate, someone who could've potentially taken your office next year just conspired with international terrorists and stole four WMDs. We are four months out from the election and Armstrong was the primary candidate, and frankly, the other options are fucking morons."
He couldn't say it knowing what he did now, but he'd respected Armstrong and his policies. If not for the treason then he would've made an excellent president, frankly both candidates would.
"Which means that Senator Valentine is pretty much guaranteed to win?" The President surmised. He thought for a second, then came to a sudden epiphany. "Oh. Oh fuck."
"And that's why I'm preparing the National Guard because people are idiots and are going to jump to conclusions. I've ordered FOXHOUND to place a protective detail on Valentine for now." He explained. "Right now we have the situation under wraps, but the news is already reporting our assault on the Four Winds building."
"I see." The president was visibly white-knuckling a rubber stress ball now. "And what about Raiden? Clearly he wasn't working with the Four Winds, seeing as he killed them."
"We're thinking he was framed. The police are being told to stand down and I'm sure that we'll be auditing them for corruption shortly." The video call buzzed. "Speaking of Raiden, the head of his agency is requesting to speak to me."
"Put him on," James ordered. "I want to hear what he has to say as well."
James's image moved to the side as a mustached Russian man appeared on the screen.
"Mr. President, Secretary Sears." Boris greeted. "I understand that a situation has arisen concerning Raiden. I have acquired some… information that you may find enlightening."
"Mr. Popov, if I recall correctly the Maverick agency was suspended from all heroic activity while the investigation was ongoing?" James asked.
"Ah, yes. Well, it seems that one of our sidekicks, Blade Wolf, without me ordering of course," Boris said, full of shit. "Disappeared to trail Raiden. He was just dropped off, erhm…" He scratched his head. "He was just dropped off an hour ago by Glorious Golden God, injured, but we pulled his helmet feed. He was at that base."
The President nearly fell out of his chair. "He what!"
"Fucking Glorious Golden God? That dipshit?" George shouted, incredulous. Glorious Golden God was an SS-Ranked villain, although he was considered a joke and a minor threat by the United States government. The reason? He was a nonthreatening idiot. The only reason he had such a high Villain Rank was because he knocked out Star and Stripe, by his admission during his trial, on accident. The man had escaped from prison almost a year ago and hadn't been seen since. What the hell was he doing helping Raiden?
"I assume that us sending this footage will clear any crimes associated with obtaining it?" Boris interjected.
George nodded. "Depending on what you show us. Play the damn footage."
"Understood. Courtney, play the tape." Boris yelled to his assistant offscreen.
==VI==
The audio on the footage was choppy, likely due to the sidekick's injuries. They could see Raiden in his heavily damaged power armor, as well as Glorious Golden God in his ridiculous solid gold suit and top hat engaged in battle with Armstrong on top of EXCELSUS's damaged hull.
The Senator was kicking their asses. It was well documented, as required by federal law, what Armstrong's quirk was. His quirk allowed him to harden his body in response to physical trauma, making it virtually impossible to penetrate his skin. The only downside was the immense energy requirement needed to maintain the quirk. Armstrong didn't seem to have a problem with that requirement considering he was deflecting blow after blow. The man probably could've been a pro hero if he hadn't decided to join the Navy.
One thing both men noticed is that the sky around the base was completely calm in a sphere. The clouds were still covering the base but there was no storm. Someone was helping Armstrong as suspected.
Eventually, the Senator kicked Golden God away and grabbed Raiden's sword, snapping it like a twig stick in his large hands. The footage began to glitch, and Blade Wolf didn't have a good angle. It especially didn't help that the sidekick looked away from the fight and began to drag himself across the rubble searching for something. After a few minutes of fast-forwarded footage, he found it.
'That's Jetstream's sword…' George noticed. The former Brazilian hero didn't have a particularly flashy quirk, just a slight improvement to his reflexes. He made up for it with his suit of power armor and the blade he used. If he remembered right, it was a cursed sword that had been reforged into a HF blade. The magic imbued in the sword allowed it to weaken whatever it sliced over time. 'He must've taken it off Jetstream's body.'
By the time Blade Wolf had crawled back, the battlefield had shifted to the ground below the Metal Gear. It was at this point the screen flickered and the audio finally gave out. Frankly, it was a miracle that it'd lasted this long considering the state the sidekick must be in. Raiden was lying on his back with the Senator stalking toward them. They both turned to look at Blade Wolf. Some words were exchanged, and then when Armstrong tried to jump toward the sidekick Wolf threw the blade toward Raiden. Blinded by a sudden flash of lightning, Armstrong failed to catch the blade.
Armstrong swore, then kicked Blade Wolf in the chest, sending him flying into EXCELSUS and landing facefirst in the rubble. The feed flashed "CONDITION CRITICAL" and erupted into corrupted static
"There is more, let me fast forward a bit," Boris said.
The screen returned in a flash of color, still flashing a warning about the suit's condition. Wolf wasn't conscious at this point but the suit was still attempting to record everything. The camera shook wildly as his body was launched by an explosion, landing in front of the two combatants. The magic in Jetstream's sword had worked wonders on Armstrong as he was covered in cuts, and the rate of hardening extending from his heart was slowing with every impact.
The Senator lunged at Raiden, who retaliated with a slash to his neck. 'A feint!' George realized. There wasn't enough power in that swing to be a harmful blow. Armstrong's quirk activated, spreading to his neck to block the damage. Immediately after the swing Raiden whirled around and buried the blade in the larger man's stomach.
Armstrong staggered back, coughing up blood with a furious look in his eyes. He swung his arms back, and Raiden did the same trying to force each other to the ground. The Lightning Reflex Hero pulled his head back and slammed it into Armstrong's, dazing the man. Raiden spun around and yanked his borrowed blade from the treasonous Senator's stomach with a jet of dark red blood, then began repeatedly slashing at the man's heart.
And then he shoved his fist into Armstrong's chest.
"Good lord!" President Johnson gasped.
"Holy shit…" George agreed. 'Damn Jack, glad to know the FOXHOUND training I put you through wasn't a waste.'
Armstrong slumped forward onto Raiden's arms, the rouge hero barely able to support the Senator's weight with his injuries. It was hard to tell from the angle, but he could tell Armstrong was telling Raiden something as he bled out.
"Well, now we know what happened to-" James said after watching for another few minutes, only for Raiden to yank the man's heart out of his chest and crush it in his hands. The President paled and moved off-screen making retching noises.
'I did not teach him to do that.' George sweatdropped. 'Well, fuck. Where the hell is Armstrong's body then?' Star and Stripe had flown over that area multiple times and found nothing but blood and rubble. "Boris, thank you for supplying this information. I want you to save all this footage on a drive and hand it over to an agent I'll be sending over. We need to keep this footage under wraps."
Boris nodded. "Da. I will have our IT team purge the server as well." Raiden stopping Armstrong after being framed was something they could spin. Footage of him ripping the man's heart out? Not so much. "I believe Glorious Golden God is still with Raiden. If we find him, we find our missing hero."
President Johnson returned at that moment. "We aren't going to have to give Glorious Golden God a medal of heroism for this, are we?"
"God I fucking hope not."
Immediately after he said that he heard a frantic knocking on the door. "Sir! You need to see this."
Goddamit, what was it now?
==VI==
"Ladies and gentlemen, we've just received footage from the ongoing situation in Colorado. The footage was sent to a multitude of stations from the SS-Ranked Villain… Glorious Golden God?" The anchor said with an expression of 'are you serious' as she stared the the teleprompter. Quickly composing herself she continued. "Ahem, We wish to caution our viewers that the following footage contains graphic content."
The footage from Blade Wolf's helmet began to play.
"Fuck fuck fuck fuck!" George paced back and forth across the room. "That absolute imbecile. Why the hell did he post that video?!"
"After he dropped off Blade, he did say something about 'Hoping we would assist in clearing his courageous compatriot's good name' or something along the line. We weren't exactly thinking about it at the time." Boris remembered. "If we'd been any slower Blade Wolf would be dead." Right now the kid was still in a coma with no signs of waking up.
"Fuck!" George turned back towards the video call. "Boris, we aren't blaming you. You weren't even supposed to be involved. This probably would've ended much worse if Wolf hadn't been there anyways." He ran his hand through his hair. At least the stress couldn't make it go any grayer.
"What are we going to do about this?" President Johnson asked. "We'll have to disavow his actions. Now that this is public we can't cover for him."
"Damn!" Boris slammed his fist into the table, shaking his camera.
"We need to get a handle on the situation now. Mr. President, you need to make a statement. Go meet with your people and work up a strategy. I'll handle things on my end." James nodded and disconnected from the call. His spot was immediately filled as Agpar joined the call.
"We've just finished the cleanup operation on the Four Winds agency. I just saw the news." The Secretary of Defence said urgently.
"We're handling it. This just keeps getting worse and worse, so I want some good news, Tim." George instructed.
"We've arrested most of the Four Winds agency staff. We lost about fifteen troops and one UG unit. The losses would've been higher if we didn't catch them off guard. In total they lost two pros, seven sidekicks, and twenty staff."
George raised an eyebrow. That was a lot of resistance. "You said most?"
"Only one Pro under their agency is unaccounted for. Khamsin, also known as John Waller." The man's Department of Heroism profile appeared on the screen. "As for Armstrong's office, we encountered no resistance. From what preliminary investigations show, he kept his dealings with the Four Winds separate. It looks like he was going to have them take the fall for this. None of the Heroes at Four Winds even knew he was involved with them either. They just said they had plans to try and assassinate him."
Oh that crafty sonofabitch. He was going to use the Four Winds attack for sympathy in the upcoming election and bury any loose ends. After seeing Armstrong in action, he could tell that the man could've easily taken most of the Agency barring Jetstream by himself. In all likelihood, the core members of the Agency were in on Armstrong's plan and would've held back against him to put on a show. If it weren't for Raiden's interference it most likely would've worked. A genius plan.
"We also recovered the bodies of Sundowner and Jetstream and have shipped them off for processing." After the bodies were autopsied they would be cremated as a precaution against Necromancy quirks and magic. "From their records, it looks like Mistral was frozen to death and shattered, and Monsoon's body was unrecoverable," Timothy said uncomfortably.
"Alright, so we have one traitor on the run and a rogue hero running around with an SS-Ranked villain." Golden God would probably be considered less of a joke considering he helped take down EXCELSUS even with Raiden's help. "I want all our people to locate them before they cause any more damage. Also," he remembered. "Send Settler to the Maverick agency to pick up the footage for analysis. Maybe our boys in the lab can recover more from the original files." That man was going to get a good vacation for all the teleporting he was doing today.
==VI==
[Desperado Kerykeion-class submersible Battleship: Ferrous Invictus, Deep Pacific Ocean, July 15th, 2242, 2:00 PM Hawaii Standard Time]
John finished editing Armstrong's manifesto. All the hard work, years of planning, all thrown out the window by some hero that Monsoon tried to get rid of. Damn it! They were going to change America! Get rid of all this Hero vs Villains nonsense and show the world that the greatest country on Earth still belongs on top. That was the Senator's dream, and John was willing to face being labeled a monster if it meant that dream could be made a reality.
But that didn't matter now. The name "Stephan Armstrong" was going to be synonymous with "Benedict Arnold" in the eyes of many. His dream, crushed just like Raiden had done with his heart.
Not if he had anything to say about it. On this computer were the core tenets of Armstrong's beliefs. Much of it was loosely based on the villain Destro's Meta Liberation War autobiography which wasn't talked about much in the US because of how lax their quirk laws were compared to Japan. Armstrong's spin on it was more of how America had fallen and needed to be rebuilt, heroism and villains eradicated, and focusing on traditional American values, for every man, woman, and child to use their quirks in support of their country.
Unlike those cowards in the modern MLA cozying up to the Japanese government and getting their way of life restricted to a single city, America would be truly free. All he needed to do was plant the seed of revolution.
"Still working on that?" Wolfram walked by, holding a hot meal. "You should be celebrating! We made a lot of cash today!" The villain motioned to the stored military hardware neatly stored in the destroyer's bay, being stripped of anything that could track it.
"I don't care about your heist." John took the plate and glared at the man.
"Oh come on, still bummed out about the Senator?" He got an angry nod in response and exhaled. "Welp, Sunny always said you were a principled one. Heard you were trained at West Point in the hero program, huh soldier boy?"
"He wouldn't like you calling him that." John glared at Wolfram.
"Well, then my dumbass brother shouldn't have got himself killed if he didn't, otherwise he and the others would be here with you." Wolfram sat down on the other side of the lunch table and removed his mask, exposing his facial scars. "He always did have good things to say about you, ya know. Probably could've been made the "Fifth Wind" or something like that." He reached across and grabbed a cracker from John's plate.
"Thanks, I guess." He scooted the plate out of the villain's reach and hit send on the manifesto. It would bounce around for a few hours before being posted to not trace it back to the sub.
"That's gonna start a bunch of shit back in the States. It really worth it now that his plan turned out the way it did?" Wolfram asked.
"I won't let his dream die, or else this was all for nothing."
"Eh, I don't really care for lofty ideals or all that, so long as I get paid." Wolfram shrugged. "There are only three things that matter in this world: Finance, firepower, and fucking. I'm only partial to the first two. Relationships are shit. There is one exception though, and that's the man I follow because he's the strongest."
John ignored him and started to eat.
"Well, now that this is finished, what are you gonna do now hero?" Wolfram said, part mocking, part serious. "We owe ya, helping us out and all. Do you wanna be dropped off next time we dock? Or perhaps you're looking for a job?" He leaned back, nearly falling over as he'd forgotten there was no backing to the bench he was sitting on. "Oi, Khamsin, you hear me?"
"I don't know what to do now. Now that I'm a disgraced hero I'll be a wanted man in every country with what I helped do."
"Well, Sunny and the rest of the gang were gonna come and work for me. Would you have joined 'em?"
John thought for a moment. "I guess so. I didn't really have any aspirations besides heroism and changing the US…"
"Everyone fights for something, boy. We all have our own little battles. Heroes, villains, it doesn't matter. You tried your lot with playing hero, so how 'bout you give war a chance?" He gave the former hero a shit-eating grin that gave John a nostalgic feeling and held out his hand.
'Sundowner always told me that I should follow my gut, and right now it's saying that this is the way to go…' John pondered. "I guess I'll join up with you then." He replied after a moment.
"Well then, welcome to Desperado!" Wolfram shouted gleefully, raising his arms in celebration.
==VI==
"Riots continue in several major cities following the release of Senator Armstrong's alleged manifesto titled "Sons of the Patriots", which called for the elimination of heroes in society and a return to America's pre-quirk goals."
*CLICK*
"The footage from the base is clearly doctored! All the distortion is just an attempt to hide it!"
*CLICK*
"Raiden is a hero! He stopped those traitors."
"What, so he had to kill em' so what? They had it coming!"
*CLICK*
"President Johnson is facing criticism from both parties for his slow response to the crisis…"
*CLICK*
"It's all a conspiracy, Senator Valentine had him killed to win the election! Everyone knows Armstrong would've been a shoo-in!"
*CLICK*
==VI==
Earlier…
[Haven Metal Gear Development Facility, Rifle, Colorado, July 15th, 2242, 1:35 PM US Mountain Time]
"Well, this is disappointing," Curator mumbled. "He's dead."
"Sir, I can't keep this up much longer." A hooded man in green robes and a cow skull with several beads hanging from the horns gasped out. "The substitute is about to give out, and he'll suffer the backlash from his quirk." One of his hands was clasped on a fleshy creature covered in glowing purple scars that were rapidly beginning to grow. The thing smelled of rotten flesh and decay.
"He can't take much more." A woman with long red hair said, worry etched into her otherwise calm demeanor out of concern for her lover.
"I can… keep going…" The white-haired man in a black bodysuit wheezed."
"Kurushi…" She held her hand out.
"Slice is correct. You need to stop. Just give it enough power to cover our retreat." Curator instructed, his one visible eye twitching. "Homunculus, prepare to eliminate your proxy once Kurushi deactivates his quirk.
❁ Homunculus, a member of Curator's organization W.I.L.D, is one of his Eco-Wardens. His quirk, Proxy, allows him to create a fleshy abomination that absorbs all damage sustained by two connected targets. It requires both Homunculus's hands to be touching the proxy and target. This can also be reversed to be used in combat, but he thinks this is impractical and dangerous.❁
Kurushi channeled a final burst of energy into the storm that would allow it to self-perpetuate for the next few minutes, then slumped over, only to be caught by a scaled hand. "Careful boss," Chimera cautioned. "You've never maintained a storm this long before." The man was obviously suffering from quirk exhaustion, but none of the cellular degeneration thanks to Homonculus's quirk.
"Smoldge, destroy the proxy," Curator commanded.
"I'm not putting that thing inside me." What appeared to be a glob of burning fluid with eyes and teeth gurgled. "Volcano, you do it."
🜂 Smoldge, a reserve member of the Volcano Thieves. His quirk is a mutation type that turns his body into a substance that is a mix of lava and tar. 🜂
"Fine, but we're charging extra for this. We were hired for breaking in and stealin' shit, not cremation." The burly orange-haired leader of the gang replied with snark.
"You will be well compensated, regardless of the unfortunate outcome." Curator gave the man a side eye, nose crinkling at the smell of burning flesh. "Despite the loss of Armstrong, this is still a victory. It would've been ideal if his involvement had gone unnoticed, but this will aid in hiding our involvement by giving them a convenient target." He turned to look at Kurushi. "Your contribution will be rewarded as well."
Curator narrowed his eyes at the scene below, his singular goggle zooming in on the compound below. He would've been a fool not to account for the possibility of Armstrong's failure, but he wasn't prepared for this.
Raiden was a variable he could handle. What he wasn't expecting was for the hero to recruit Glorious Golden God of all people, nor for the lunatic to actually be beneficial in a serious fight. Neither was the appearance of Raiden's sidekick who had decided to investigate by himself and bringing the key to his mentor's victory.
"Curator, should we eliminate those three while they are injured?" Mummy asked. Chimera stood next to him looking eager for a fight.
"No." Curated decided. "Leave them alive."
"You serious?" Volcano exclaimed. "I thought you hated loose ends."
"There is no need to involve ourselves further. Personally, I don't want to risk fighting Star and Stripe or the other members of the Top Ten likely approaching." Curated twirled around and began to walk off. "It is far more advantageous to allow them to spread the news of what Desperado did here." The less attention on them, the better. "Killing them risks exposing more of our involvement."
Outside their assistance in the initial assault and Kurushi's large scale Weather Manipulation, this would most likely be blamed on Desperado and Armstrong. Wolfram had already departed with his surviving men and the stolen tech anyway.
Curator took a last look back at the burning base. It would've been advantageous to have an asset in the White House, even if he calculated Armstrong would betray them once he obtained his position as President. Regardless, in Armstrong's victory or defeat the resulting political instability of the upcoming election would hamper America's involvement on the global stage for the next few years.
The PLF's work here was done.
==VI==
Raiden slammed his fist into the ground and let out a screech of rage.
Armstrong's corpse was gone.
==VI==
[Hiroshima, Japan, July 16th, 2242, 1:35 PM US Mountain Time]
"You American heroes, constantly chasing fame. Celebrities, politicians, influencers." Spit sprayed from his lips at the last word. "Raiden is a true hero! Not chasing fame or glory. Even in the face of the law he stood up against corruption. A corruption I will not allow you to spread to the heroes of Japan. Your disease must be purged." The visiting foreign hero shuddered and tried to crawl away, but the Stain's quirk still had him trapped.
He'd come here to the country of All Might, the world's greatest hero. He was an 'influencer' type hero, a rich kid who decided to gain fame through a combination of heroism and social media. His goal had been to gain some traction with some pics with famous heroes, maybe even All Might or Endeavor from the World Leaderboards. If he was lucky maybe he'd pick up some hot Japanese babe for a night or two.
Ironically, this hero's social media turned out to be his downfall, since it made it easy for Stain to track him down at night.
"P-p-please! I'll do anything! I have money! You like money, right?" The so-called "hero" cried out, tears slipping from his eyes. Despicable.
"Nothing you offer me can dissuade me from my righteous crusade. Vermin like you must be culled before you are allowed to reproduce." Stain hissed, bringing the blade down on the man's neck. The blade shattered on impact.
Heartbreak was the hero's name, a man with incredibly strong skin. Stain had exploited the weak joints to draw blood, but none of them were near a lethal area.
Heartbreak let out a laugh. "You stupid fuck, my skin is unbreakable!" His bravado restored. "Once your quirk wears off I'll kick your ass." He smiled smugly, imagining the fame he'd get once he posted about taking down the notorious Hero Killer of Japan.
He could hear the sound of approaching sirens. Someone must've seen him. "You're right. Your skin is unbreakable. But not all of you is skin."
"What?" Heartbreak asked in a moment of confusion. Had his brain worked a bit faster he would've understood what Stain meant. Instead, the Hero Killer drove a sai into the fake's eye and straight into his brain.
"Another fake eliminated." Stain stared up at the moon, taking in a deep breath of the crisp nighttime air. "My work must continue." He leaped up two whole stories, disappearing into the dark.
==========================VI==========================
Dual chapter release is complete. Hope y'all enjoyed it. We're about halfway through the pre-UA arc by my estimations.
Onto the new characters. They will not be relevant until later, so they aren't too important now.
Here is the US Top Ten full list.
1. Star and Stripe (Canon)
2. Venom (Metal Gear)
3. Black Diamond (OC)
4. Cow Lady (Canon, Two Heroes)
5. Chroma Rush (OC)
6. Godzillo (Canon character, Two Heroes)
7. Tusk (JJBA P7, which is why he is #7)
8. Uncle S.A.M (OC)
9. Captain Celebrity (Canon, Vigilantes)
10. Raiden (MGR, removed from rankings)
As for the OC's and their quirks:
Chroma Rush is themed after Umbra from Bionicle's ability to bounce off reflective surfaces and become a beam of light, and the lightcycle from Tron. He's a younger Mexican-American man and his costume is themed after the stereotypical rgb gaming gear.
Black Diamond has a quirk that makes his skin as hard and have the appearance of diamond. He's generally gruff and blunt, and doesn't tend to speak for very long.
Uncle S.A.M is a more traditional conservative hero in public and far more laid back when he doesn't have to put up a front. His quirk is based off a Surface To Air Missile and can move fast enough to intercept an ICBM if he wanted.
For the Goverment, We have Agpar from later MHA, George Sears is Solidus Snake from Metal Gear Solid 2, with James Johnson being the later president in that game. Funny Valentine (JJBA P7) is the other presidential candidate besides Steven Armstrong running for office.
In this setting, Foxhound is an American Equivalent to the HPSC Paragon program.
Gray Fox and Sniper Wolf were both members in Metal Gear's canon, and Settler is an OC with a really specific powerset I came up with.
For the Villains, we have The Volcano thieves and Nine and his crew from the MHA arcade game and second movie respectively. Nine's name I came up with, Kurushi, is derived from from
苦しむ (Kurushimu), or "to suffer". Smoldge is an additional OC member of the thieves whose name and powerset is based on a bounty target in Guild Wars 2. Curator is also from the same arcade game as Volcano. Homunculus is another OC.
EDIT: Almost forgot about Electrochrist being a shout to The Minute Hour.
I've always thought that the world of MHA wasted its potential in terms of heroes outside Japan. There's a whole entire world of Quirks out there that doesn't really get explored outside Two Heroes, World Heroes Mission, and a bit in Vigilantes and Post liberation war MHA. I understand why though because that would be a lot of work for Horikoshi to come up with all the backstory for a Japan-centric manga, plus all the extra drawing.
However, I'm unhinged enough to try it, and I have the help of using other series as well in a weird crossover that shouldn't work but does. Is it still going to be Japan-centric? Yes, but things that happen in other countries, like the Russia Incident and what happened in this chapter will affect the entire world, as will anything major that happens in Japan. AFO said in CH329 that he has friends all over the world so I'm gonna use it.