One more chapter next Saturday, then I'm going on vacation. :)

Anyways, here's your chapter. Here's the Discord: /cgFmXz3qJ5

"POWERRRRRRRR!" Mirio yelled, as the four students collapsed to the ground, Mirio stood above them, panting heavily.

Bakugou groaned. "Damn it..."

Izuku slowly got up, panting heavily. "We...we couldn't even touch him..."

"You kids are amazing. You gave me a run for my money, and that's saying something!" Mirio laughed. "Keep working hard, and maybe you'll be the ones standing on top someday. And don't worry- you'll get stronger. I can feel it."

The rest of the class got back up, still feeling woozy from that fight. "So, whatcha learn from that?" Mirio asked.

"T-that getting punched in the gut hurts..." Alan mumbled.

Mirio grinned. "Think my quirk is strong?"

"WAYYYYY too strong!" Sero elled.

"And totally crazy!" Tooru added.

"How'd you even do all that?" Mina frowned.

"Oh, oh, can I say your quirk?" Nejire said, jumping up and down excitedly. "Can I? Can I? It's Permeation!"

"Hado. This is Mirio's time to shine." Amajiki said.

"Nah, it's fine! So, my quirk's called Permeation!" Mirio said.

"How's it work, exactly?" Izuku said, eager to hear. His hands were moving like he was taking notes in an invisible notebook, Ochako noticed.

Mirio chuckled. "Well, it's pretty simple. I can phase through anything! It's kinda like being intangible, you know? I can't touch anything, and nothing can touch me."

"Whoa, that's pretty crazy." Ochako exclaimed. "I just thought you were some kinda…ghost or something."

"Yeah, and I can even phase through the ground and walls!" Mirio said. "And as Bakugou and Izuku noted, I have to be tangible for some parts of my attacks. I can also control when I want to become solid again. So, I release my quirk, and suddenly I shoot outta the ground like a rocket! It's pretty awesome."

"Attacks pass right through you, and you can warp around the place..." Tsu said. "Crazy powerful, more like."

Bakugou scoffed. "And cheap."

"Not really." Mirio said. "I made it into a strong quirk."

"Huh?" Ochako asked.

"When I'm permeating through something, I can't see or hear anything around me. It's like I'm falling through an endless void. Plus, I can't breathe, eat, or drink anything when I'm in that state. So, it's not a quirk that can be used all the time." Mirio explained. That explanation was...pretty scary.

Mirio chuckled. "Well, I've been training my quirk for years. I've found ways to compensate for those downsides, like using my other senses and predicting movements."

"Impressive," Izuku said, nodding. "You really know how to make the most out of your quirk."

Mirio nodded. "Exactly. That's why I believe it's important for aspiring heroes to train under a pro. It fills in the gaps that school training can't provide. For me, I was lacking in prediction, and my mentor helped me improve in that area. It's made all the difference in my hero work."

He looked around at the class, a determined glint in his eye. "And that's why I'm firing you guys up for the work study program. It's a chance to train under real pros, and to gain experience you wouldn't be able to get in the classroom. Trust me, it'll make all the difference when you become a hero."

The class murmured in agreement, feeling inspired by Mirio's words. They knew that the work study program was going to be tough, but they were ready for the challenge.

Mirio's words fired up the class. Ochako felt her heart race with excitement. She had always known that UA was just the beginning of her training, but now she felt like the possibilities were endless.

Especially with Albedo- which she still had no idea who he was.

Maybe she should ask some people.

As the rest of the class dispersed, Mirio motioned for Izuku to come over to him. Izuku hesitantly walked over, wondering what Mirio wanted to talk about.

"Hey, Midoriya. I wanted to talk to you about something," Mirio said.

"What is it?" Izuku asked, feeling nervous.

"I was wondering if you wanted to come along and join me at my work study," Mirio said.

Izuku's eyes widened in surprise. "Me?"

Mirio nodded. "Yeah! I think it would be a great opportunity for you. I had a lot of the same problems you did back in the day...and look at me! I'm a lean, mean, butt kickin' machine! I see a lot of myself in you, y'know, you finger breaker."

Izuku turned red. Is that all people are gonna remember me for!?

"Hey...who is your work study with?" Izuku asked.

"Oh! With Sir!"

"S-sir?" Izuku asked.

"Yeah! You know, Sir Nighteye!"

Izuku hesitated. He had heard about Sir Nighteye- He knew that he had been All Might's sidekick, and that he was known for his accurate predictions of future events. But he also knew that Sir Nighteye had a strained relationship with All Might, at least according to the media.

"I'll think about it," Izuku said, still feeling unsure.

"Take your time, but don't take too long," Mirio said, giving Izuku a reassuring pat on the back.

As Izuku walked away, he couldn't help but feel overwhelmed by the offer. He decided to talk to All Might about the offer. The boy needed his mentor's advice and guidance, and he hoped that All Might would be able to help him make the right decision...

Ochako walked into the dorms, the delicious smell of cooking wafting into her nostrils. She followed her nose to the kitchen area, where she saw Blake and Yang hard at work making dinner for the students.

"Evening!" Ochako greeted them with a smile. "What's cooking?"

Blake turned to her and smiled. "We're making some stir fry for dinner. Do you want to help out?"

Ochako shook her head. "No, thanks. Actually, I wanted to ask you guys something. Do you know anything about a person named Albedo?"

Yang gave her a look. "Alan blabbed, didn't he?"

"He mentioned him, but I've got no idea what he's like..." Ochako said. "And, well, if he's gonna take over for Ben..."

Blake nodded. "I getcha. Well, Albedo is definitely... unique. He's an alien, for starters."

"An...alien?" Ochako repeated.

"He's a genius. Also got one hell of a talent with tech…but, he can also be a bit aloof and distant at times." Blake went on. "He takes his work very seriously."

"Yeah, he's not really one for small talk or making friends," Yang said. "But that doesn't mean he's not a good person. He's just...focused. You know how it is when you're really dedicated to something. We rarely see him or his wife nowadays…"

Ochako raised an eyebrow. "Wait, his wife? I didn't know he was married. Who is she?"

Blake and Yang exchanged a look, and Yang shrugged. "Sorry, can't say. That's Albedo's business to share, not ours."

"But trust us," Blake added, "she's a force to be reckoned with."

"In a good or bad way?"

"They make an interesting pair, that's for sure."

"But that doesn't mean Albedo isn't worth getting to know," Blake said, placing a hand on Ochako's shoulder. "Trust me when I say- he's more like Ben than you realize."

Ochako pouted. "Okay, now I have a better picture in my head, but you guys need to stop being so cryptic."

Yang smirked. "Get used to it."

"Well, alright. Thanks for the info. I'm gonna go change-" Ochako turned to leave but before she could, Alan burst into the room, panting.

"Ochako! I've got news!" he exclaimed.

"What is it?" she asked, turning back around.

"The Omniworks agency is officially back in business! And taking on new interns!" Alan said, beaming with excitement.

"Really? That's great news!" Ochako said, smiling.

Alan grinned. "And, best of all? Albedo specifically requested you and Momo!"

"What? Why Momo?" Ochako asked, surprised.

"I don't know, but it's gotta be a good thing, right?" Alan said excitedly. "Come on, let's go find Momo and talk to her about it!"

"R-right! See you later!" She said to Blake and Yang.

Ochako couldn't help but feel a spark of excitement at the prospect of interning with Omniworks properly this time. Nothing could break her stride…

Except what was coming next.

"You were offered an opportunity with...Sir Nighteye?" All Might said, a bit shocked.

"Yeah. I met one of his interns today, and he kinda kicked everyone's butt." Izuku said.

"Makes sense." All Might chuckled. "But this is kinda sudden..."

"So, yeah. I was...curious about your opinion. Should I take it?" Izuku asked.

"Honestly up to you." All Might said. Izuku gave him a weird look. "I'm not trying to be rude here, but, here's my three reasons...First, I don't want you to rush into the internships too quickly. You're still a first year, and while you've shown a lot of potential, it's important to take your time and develop your skills at UA before diving into the real world hero work," All Might explained.

"Second, I think it's important for you to master Blackwhip before taking on additional responsibilities. It's a new power that you've only recently acquired, and I don't want you to get overwhelmed with trying to balance that and a work study with Sir Nighteye."

"And third...well, to be honest, it's been a while since I've talked to Nighteye, and it might be a bit awkward between us," All Might admitted with a slight grimace.

"...how awkward?"

"...We broke up."

Izuku raised an eyebrow. "I….in what way?"

"You decide." All Might said. "But again, your life. I can't steer which path you go on forever, you know."

"So, you're...not against it, but not for it?" Izuku asked.

"Yeah. You could even intern with Albedo, but I doubt he'll take you on." All Might said.

"Who?"

"Ah, forget it. But, seriously. It's your choice, Midoriya." All Might said.

"...I think I'll take it."

"Oh?"

"I think it'll be a good opportunity for me to improve," Izuku said. "I want to measure up to you, All Might. And training under Sir Nighteye, who was once your sidekick, feels like a step in the right direction. I might even get a better handle out of Blackwhip from it."

All Might nodded. "Good to hear."

"...but, going back to it, when you said things were awkward between Nighteye...what did you mean?" Izuku asked.

All Might stared off into space. Honestly, he was still dreading this conversation, but…he needed more time to sort of think on it.

"It's...complicated." All Might said with a sigh. "It's been years since we've talked. I'm not even sure if he'd want to see me."

"Really?" Izuku looked at All Might with concern.

"It's not important right now." All Might said, shaking his head. "What's important is that you take this opportunity seriously and make the most out of it."

"I won't let you down!" Izuku said.

"You never do." All Might said with a smile.

To say that this place was nothing to write home about was an understatement. Ever since their original hideout was completely demolished during the incident in Kamino, the League needed to scrounge around and find a new base. This is what they decided on, for now anyway. It was an abandoned factory, untouched for who knows how many years. The chain link fences that surrounded the place were rusted, the gate that shut it off from the rest of the world was thrown open and broken from disrepair. The factory itself was nothing special, just a simple concrete building with plenty of exterior ventilation shafts snaking all over the place. At first glance, there only seemed to be one way in, a pair of industrial shutter-doors that would slide to the side. Aside from the main building, there was a small supply shed off to the side, another simple concrete shack with some windows to let the light in and a simple door.

The black car came to a halt right outside the factory and the doors opened. Twice stepped out of the driver's seat and shut it behind him.

"Alright, we're here! I know it's not much, but it's home for now! This place is a dump and I can't wait to trade up!" Twice said.

The passenger side door opened and closed shortly after his "new recruit" stepped out of the car. He took stock of the area and followed Twice as the duplicating villain made his way over to the factory. Even with his beak-like mask affixed to his face, the man couldn't help but start coughing.

"Couldn't have picked somewhere less," the man was cut off by one of his coughs, "dusty? Air's thick with it."

"Beggars can't be choosers here!" Twice said, "And if anything, it ain't the dust that's making you cough, it's the fur!"

"...fur?" the man asked, taken off guard by that. Surely that rumor was just a rumor right? Twice confidently walked up the sliding doors and pulled them open. Light began pouring into the old factory, illuminating the faces and forms of the League's members. Toga and Compress were seated on some old stairs, looking over at the door. Toga's favorite cat, Patches, wasn't too happy that Toga had stopped him. Nyancy-Chan was sitting on the edge of a crate, a cat in her lap to be petted and two more beside her. All of them turned to face the opening doors. Cass was off on her own, leaning against a wall while side-eying the newcomer.

"Yo boss!" Twice called out, "We're here!"

Shigaraki sat on another crate's edge, looking up from the ground to see the black-and-white costumed League member walk in with the new guy. Between the gray fingers of the hand on his face, the new leader of the League's red eye locked onto the new guy.

He was wearing a black dress shirt with matching dress pants under a dark olive-green bomber jacket with a thick purple fur collar, with white lace-up sneakers with tan soles. A pale gray tie hung around his neck and a belt with a long, thin buckle around his waist. He sported three beaded lobe piercings in his left ear, but that was all rather normal. The most striking parts of his ensemble were the white surgical gloves on his hands, which he dared not take off, and the magenta plague mask, tipped and embroidered with gold, that covered his mouth.

"Interesting…you got us a prize catch there, Twice," Shigaraki said after looking the newcomer over.

"Him? Really?" Cass scoffed, "Looks like he'd get along well with Torchwick."

"Now, Cass," Tyrian hissed from the shadows, "Let's at *least* give him a chance, hm?"

"So what? He a celebrity or something?" Nyancy asked?

"You could say that. My master showed me a picture of him once. He's what you call 'yakuza.' Standing before us is the young head ot the Shie Hassaikai," Shigaraki said, "To what do we owe the pleasure?"

"H-he's in charge of the whole thing?!" Nyancy asked in surprise, scaring one of her cats.

"More like the second in command," Compress explained.

"Ok, so what?" Toga asked, "We're all criminals."

"And that's where you're only *half* right. Allow me. Back in the day, the underworld was run by all kinds of scary and nasty troupes. But with the rise of heroes, those groups were disbanded. With the rise of All Might, they essentially became a non-entity. Any survivors of that era fell on hard times, resorting to becoming hired muscle for larger villain groups. Once a criminal empire, degenerated to lowly rent-a-thugs. A true tragedy if I'd ever heard one."

"Ohhh. So in other words, they're like an endangered species? Rare," Toga giggled.

"I suppose you're right there," the yakuza admitted.

"So, lemme guess, All Might calling it quits got you all up in arms?" Cass asked.

"It's a good thing, sure, but there's a different absence I wanna address. All for One's."

That got everyone's attention, especially Shigaraki's. This lowlife better choose his next words carefully or else he'd find himself crumbling.

"The Dark Emperor Who Ruled Over the Shadows. Most guys my age thought he was an urban legend. The old timers, though? They always feared him, even when he was rumored to be dead," the yakuza shrugged, "So you can imagine the shock when he showed up in the flesh."

"It would be as if my own goddess returned to us, I'm sure," Tyrian smiled.

"...sure. Like I know who you're talking about. Anyway, now…both sides are leaderless. All Might's retired and the 'Symbol of Evil' was thrown into Tartarus. So…who's gonna step up?"

Shigaraki hopped off the crate and straightened up partially.

"You know who my master is," the decay villain asked, "but you still have the nerve to ask about who's next in line? Sounds like a challenge to me."

"And if it is? What's your counter?"

"I'm the next leader. Every day, our numbers increase and when we've consolidated our strength, I'll turn this hero-worshiping society to dust," Shigraki clenched his fist.

"Do you have an actual plan for that, though?"

"So you came here to join us…but you decide to start questioning me instead? I'd watch your tone, yakuza…" Shigaraki began to scratch his neck in frustration.

Twice was panicking, he tried to signal both of the arguing men to calm down, but his movements went unnoticed.

"A goal without a plan's just a wish," the yakuza head began walking closer to the League's leader, "If that's what you're offering, then why should I, let alone anyone else, join you? You're on a recruitment drive, that's step one. But do you have any idea what to do next? How would you even organize this ragtag League of yours? You had the Hero Killer on your side, but his sword's been broken. You had Muscular and Moonfish, too, but they're locked behind bars. Three top tier pieces…and you just threw them away."

Shigraki sneered behind the hand concealing his face.

"Maybe you just didn't know the rules of the game. I mean…look at you. You can barely manage a handful of people and you wanna build an army? That wouldn't even be an army. It'd be a mob."

"Mobs can work out just as well," Shigaraki countered.

"Not for what you want. Mobs are chaotic, directionless. They just do whatever the hell they want. There's no leader in a mob, just randomness. I have that direction," the yakuza placed a hand on his chest, "and I have a plan. Today's meeting was never about me joining you."

"Twice…you didn't even know what he wanted…did you?" the decay villain hissed, causing Twice to shake in fear.

"In order to execute my design, I need funding, money. Not a lot of willing investors interested in an 'endangered species' like some small-time yakuza. But a group like you? You're well known, your name's on the lips of every would-be thug and villain out there. Work for me, make me the new leader of the League, and I will show you how to use the tools you have to their fullest," the yakuza dangerously offered. Dangerously, because Shigaraki was not known to take well to people like this.

Silence hung in the air for a few silence was broken by the sound of Patches jumping from Toga's lap and moving over to the yakuza head.

"Wha-Patches, come back!" Toga yelled, following the cat down the stairs. The eye-patch wearing cat then walked up to and jumped on the pant leg of the insubordinate new guy. He looked at the cat with a raised brow, more like he was surprised more than anything. He sighed and, without looking at it, kicked the cat away. Patches let out a pained mewl as he hit the concrete.

"I hate cats," the yakuza said, boredly.

Nyancy's eyes went wide. The cats around her cleared away as her claws came out.

"You…BASTARD!" Nyancy hissed, charging at the masked yakuza.

"Wait Nyancy!" Cass yelled, but it was too late. Nyancy tried to take a swing at the arrogant thug, but he ducked under the swipe. He shot back up, quickly taking the surgical glove off his and barely grazed Nyancy's cheek with a finger.

The cat-lover froze in place, before what could only be described as a wet popping sound filled the warehouse.

Every last one of the League members watched on in shock and horror and Nyancy's head just…exploded.

Blood splattered against the yakuza and the concrete floor.

The headless body stumbled around a bit before falling back with a wet thud.

"No…Nyancy…" Toga managed to squeak out.

"Just remember…you made the first move," the masked murderer said, "All over a dumb cat. This is why I hate the aftermath. Stench lingers for hours." This guy had the gall to try and wipe away the blood that was covering his face.

Toga growled, flipping open a wrist-mounted centrifuge. Compress and Mercury managed to overcome their shock and charged at the yakuza.

"I'll seal him away," Compress said.

"And I'll fire off some rounds to blast him to pieces!" Mercury finished.

Mercury fired off a few rounds behind Compress, but by the time the masked thief actually reached the germaphobic gangster, the shots…detonated around the trio.

Shigaraki's eyes went wide at the implication.

"Don't…TOUCH ME!" the yakuza yelled. Another wet pop filled the warehouse, followed by what sounded like a grenade exploded, then came the screams. Mercury and Compress fell to the floor beside the masked man, the former missing a mechanical leg and the latter missing his arm.

Shigraki went in next, charging right at the yakuza. He was watching the man's face and noticed a subtle shift in his expression. Something just went wrong with his plan. The successor to the Symbol of Evil smirked behind his hand-mask and reached out his hand.

"SHIELD!" the yakuza yelled, crossing his arms to brace himself. From out of nowhere, another bird-masked criminal jumped in front of his boss and took the full brunt of Shigaraki's decay. His body quickly became muted and gray, pieces of his body flaking off like dried paint before he completely collapsed into an ashen heap.

"W-wait! Where'd they come from?" Twice yelled. "I swear I wasn't tailed!"

Shigaraki grumbled. "Must've been one of their damn quirks..."

A white cloaked member approached his boss, for a quick 'status update'. He glanced down at the dead body- he'd like to say 'poor Kenshin', but he knew what he signed up for when he joined the job.

[Author's Note: Kenshin ( 献身 ) is composed of the kanji characters for "offering" and "body". While it can also mean devotion or dedication, it is often used in the context of sacrificing oneself for the sake of others.]

"Too slow on the draw..." Overhaul mumbled. "You wasted one."

"Still, plenty effective." Chronostasis argued. Overhaul turned away, vigorously cleaning his arm with a cloth that Chronostasis handed him.

"I wanted this to go peacefully, League of Villains..." Overhaul frowned. "No way we're coming to any deals now...losing things on both sides isn't exactly productive."

"THINGS?!" Toga yelled, ready to go just crunch down on the vial in her hand and go fucking crazy. Cass held her back, as Toga snapped at Overhaul like a wild dog.

Overhaul ignored her tantrum. "Let's talk again when you're all cooled down." Overhaul huffed, turning to the door...only to be blocked by a purple barrier. Sunny had placed it over there...no way she was letting this asshat get away.

"Let me hex this fuckin' asshat, boss." Sunny begged, tears rolling down her cheek. "Let me make him wish he'd never been born-"

"NO." Shigaraki flatly said- but there was a tinge of sadness in his voice.

Twice felt betrayed. "B-but, someone's gotta pay for this!" He yelled.

"Lift the damn barrier." Shigaraki said- and Sunny reluctantly did so.

"Wise choice, face palm guy!" Mimic teased. "Better make your choice sooner than later."

Overhaul walked over to the door, and without looking, tossed over a card to Shigaraki. "My contact." Overhaul said. "Don't rush it. Think carefully about what you want next...then, when you've calmed down..."

Nigheye glared at them from the corner of his eye. "Give me a call."

Just as quickly as they arrived, the yakuza left. The League stood there, dazed. The world felt dizzy...

And Toga felt heavy. Cass finally set her down, and Toga just laid on the floor, screaming every horrible thing she could out. It was a jarbled mess of anguish and madness, but the reaction was justified. While some of the others came to comfort her, Shigaraki just focused on the paper at his feet.

He stared at for a few moments.

...then the meowing started.

The cats were surrounding Nyancy's lifeless body, trying to get her to wake up. In Japan, there was a proverb..."Neko no hitai hodo no niwa de oosawagi." Translates to "Making a fuss in a garden the size of a cat's forehead.". Making a big deal out of something very trivial or insignificant.

To the Shie Hassaikai, Nyancy Chan was the human equivalent of spilled milk. Nothing to really get depressed over.

...but to the League, she was their heart.

And they'd ripped it out, and stomped all over it.

It hurt.

Shigaraki hated what he had to do next.