The afternoon sun blazed in the cerulean sky, casting its golden glow across the bustling Japanese cityscape. High in the sky, an object, silhouetted against the sun, moved with incredible speed. To the untrained eye, it might have appeared as nothing more than a meteorological anomaly, a trick of light and air. But to the citizens of Hosu, who looked up with wide-eyed wonder and hope, it was a spectacle that brought reassurance and safety.

All Might, Japan's Number One Hero, propelled himself with righteous determination towards the location at the docks detailed to him by Tsukauchi. Muscles rippled beneath his iconic hero costume, his jaw set in a line of unyielding resolve. With every thunderous beat of his heart, he propelled himself forward with rocketing leaps across rooftops, carrying himself what seemed like miles with each bound. There was no hesitation in his trajectory. He was a man on a mission, and that mission was to uphold the safety and security of the people he had sworn to protect. The Symbol of Peace was ready to act, to ensure that this sunny afternoon remained a testament to the light.

With a deft maneuver, All Might descended, landing atop a structure overlooking the portside warehouses with a grace that belied his powerful frame. He stood for a moment, observing the scene before him.

Abruptly, a loud crash and sounds of gunfire came from inside the warehouse. A flash of yellow light flared out the door, and two villains in full-bodied yellow suits were thrown violently through the front door. All Might's head quirked at the unexpected occurrence. "Did someone beat me to it?" He squinted to peer more intently, trying to make out exactly what was going on down there.

A third criminal ran out the door, swinging back to bring his weapon to bear. "Keep your distance! It's Iron Fi—" The villain's shout was cut off with a flash of color and a violent smack of flesh on flesh, a kick slamming into the grunt's face and sending him sprawling before he could pull the trigger. From his vantage point, All Might would see a figure land deftly on his feet. His costume almost resembled a black tracksuit, with yellow bands down the arms and legs and a high yellow collar. Tape like that used by a martial artist was wrapped around his arms and hands. A yellow dragon image covered the chest of his black top. A yellow mask with white slits for eyes covered the top half of his face, its long tails flowing in the air.

All Might studied the figure, intrigued. His costume marked him as a hero, but the Number One didn't recognize him. Was he new on the scene? Whoever he was, he appeared to have some skill.

The depth of that skill was quickly made clear. Amid the group of two dozen foreign villains that came pouring out of the warehouse, the young man danced around them, dodging gunfire and taking the fight to the criminals. He fought the suited minions without any apparent use of a Quirk, but more than made up for it with inhuman levels of speed and perfect fighting technique. He flowed like the wind and struck like lightning with punches, kicks, chops and palm strikes; a controlled frenzy of combat the armed villains were no match for.

All Might watched from above as the mysterious hero made easy work of his opponents, the villains' bodies tossed around like ragdolls from the force of his blows. This new guy was a powerhouse, and judging by his fighting style, most likely a trained master of martial arts. "Well, I'll be darned… This guy is good," All Might thought aloud as he watched the battle. He noted the lack of any obvious Quirk usage; was the stranger doing all that without one? In any case, it was amazing to watch. Even with all his years as a pro, it was rare to find someone so well trained.

Standing at the center of the collapsed and scattered bodies of his enemies, the martial artist rolled out his wrist with a casual smile, looking like he'd barely broken a sweat. "Okay, is that everybody?" His voice, All Might noted, had a foreign accent.

"Not quite." A new voice answered the taunt, cold and full of ill intent. The younger hero turned and beheld a grotesque figure levitating towards him. This foe was a grotesquely misshapen one. Stunted limbs connected to an equally shriveled body, all of which were covered by a high-tech, armored exoskeleton that doubled as a hover chair, and all of which were dwarfed by his freakishly large head. The visible skin of his face was a pale, sickly color, and the face wore a sinister expression. "You're a long way from home, Iron Fist."

The young man, now identified as Iron Fist, suddenly looked much tenser. This opponent was clearly a lot more dangerous. "M.O.D.O.K. I thought Tony and rest sent you back to the Big House."

M.O.D.O.K. sneered. "My genius cannot be contained so easily." An evil smile formed across his oversized face. "I've found an extremely generous client here in Japan. Soon, I will have all the capital I need to rebuild my forces. I will return A.I.M. to its former glory, and take revenge on all my enemies as I conquer the world!" The centerpiece of his purple headband began to glow a fierce red. "But first…"

And then M.O.D.O.K. attacked, firing lasers from the headband. To his credit, Iron Fist dodged and flipped around the red beams of energy. But then his enemy sent out a barrage of mental waves, attacking the martial artist's mind and trying to tear his brain apart. Danny screamed in pain, grabbing his head and crumpling to his knees.

The mechanized telepath laughed harshly. "Ha! A mere human with a fancy fist is no match for M.O.D.O.K.!"

Astonishingly, Iron Fist's gaze lifted. Pain was still clear across his face, but so was determination. He struggled, slowly getting one foot underneath him as he tried to rise.

"What?!" M.O.D.O.K.'s artificially evolved mind spent three seconds reviewing memories, calculating odds, and reaching conclusions. "Ah, of course, I forgot. That arcane blasphemy you wield grants you some resistance to mental attacks. But no matter! Your chi can never compare to the power of science!" Another laser of increased speed and power level fired out at the hero.

Now, Iron Fist activated his namesake, a golden flame coming to life around his hand. He held it forth and caught the laser with his open palm. The red beam split and reflected around him in a crackling display; the martial artist was protected, but pinned down.

"'Immortal' Iron Fist." M.O.D.O.K.'s sinister grin widened. "Let's put that name to the test." The villain ramped up the energy level, and the laser beam intensified.

All Might looked on as the younger hero strained against the assault. He didn't look like he could hold back the attack forever. Righteous anger washed over the Number One at the thought of this villain hurting the courageous foreigner. He had to act—and so he did. With conviction in his heart, All Might leaped from his vantage point, ready to meet this challenge with the full might of justice. "Fear not, brave warrior! For I am here!"

The Japanese hero's booming voice drew the attention of both Iron Fist and M.O.D.O.K. as he descended suddenly. M.O.D.O.K. was flabbergasted at the unknown arrival. "What?!"

All Might went straight for the floating head, ready to meet this new challenge. He curled back a fist, then let off one of his signature moves: a punch strong enough to fire off a powerful burst of wind pressure. "Texas Smash!" The shockwave blasted M.O.D.O.K. away at breakneck speed, the giant-headed villain blasting immediately through the front wall of the warehouse, out through the back wall, and landing somewhere out of sight with a loud crash.

Freed from the laser blast, Danny dropped his hand, the gold glow of his namesake fading away. Still holding his throbbing head, he glanced with a growing interest at the new arrival who'd intervened on his behalf. M.O.D.O.K.'s mental attack had caught him off guard and left his defenses weakened. If not for this heroic stranger, there was no telling if he would have made it out of that. Danny stood, a grateful smile coming to his masked face. He lifted one hand to call out to his rescuer. "Hey, thanks for the assist! You really saved my neck there."

All Might looked at the stranger with a relieved smile, gladdened that this new mysterious hero was alive and well as he laughed. "No thanks required! Simply doing a hero's duty! I'm happy to lend my support!"

The two men walked towards each other. All Might held out a hand, which Iron Fist took for a firm handshake. 'Strong,' Danny thought about his grip. He glanced across the taller man's costume and features. On the long flight over from New York, he'd pursed a few of Japan's recent headlines. There was frequent mention of a particularly sunny individual who was supposedly the top hero in the country. Someone the Japanese called their Symbol of Peace. This, Danny realized, must be him.

All Might studied the stranger. He was already feeling confident about the younger hero, and it wasn't just because of his fighting skills. There was something else about him he couldn't quite put his finger on it yet. But he noticed one thing immediately. "Young man, would I be right in guessing that you're American?"

The warrior in black and yellow smiled. "You guessed. Would I be right in thinking you're who the locals call All Might?"

All Might laughed. "You most certainly would! It's great to make your acquaintance. And what would your name be?"

"Ah, where are my manners?" The younger hero respectfully inclined his head. "My friends call me Danny Rand. You can call me Iron Fist."

All Might was surprised at how polite this American hero was. His friendly demeanor and respectful, down-to-earth way of speaking was something All Might found quite endearing. Maybe it was part of his training in martial arts. Either way, the Number One was quickly growing fond of him. "Iron Fist." All Might mulled the name over. "That sounds… a little familiar. But in any case, you're quite the gifted fighter."

"Years of study," Iron Fist replied easily. "And you could say I've had my fair share of adventures."

"It certainly shows!" All Might praised. "You did an admirable job. You're a credit to the heroes everywhere."

Iron Fist chuckled softly in response to the compliment. "It's an honor to receive praise from Japan's Number One."

All Might laughed again, then looked over the warehouse. "So what brings you to Japan, Iron Fist? And who was that large-headed ne'er do well?"

"He goes by M.O.D.O.K.," Iron Fist answered, walking into the warehouse as All Might followed close behind. "He leads this group of bad guy scientists called A.I.M. Weapon making of all kinds is their bread and butter. I came to help track down some last few shipments they were trying to sell off."

All Might considered what he'd observed of the villain's arsenal. Again, he found himself impressed at his new acquaintance's resilience in the face of such a menacing threat. "He seems pretty dangerous."

"He is," Iron Fist said plainly. "I thought some friends of mine in the Avengers had already taken care of him. I wasn't expecting the big man himself to be here. Good thing you came along when you did."

All Might suddenly looked at Iron Fist, his attention entirely caught by the American's words. "Wait, Avengers? As in the Avengers?" He blinked in surprise. "Are you… one of them?"

"I used to be," Iron Fist clarified, "but that was a while back. I do things more on my own again now." He pushed open one of the crates, looking over the high-end weapons inside with a measuring sternness.

"Interesting." All Might was continually fascinated. He wouldn't have guessed the young man would have once counted among a group as iconic as the Avengers. Part of him appreciated the fact that Iron Fist seemed more interested in checking out the crime scene's aftermath than bragging about his history; still, the Number One's curiosity continued to grow. "If I could ask, why did you leave?"

"I just had my own path to follow, is all." Lifting and curling a fist, the gold flame of chi again burned to life around the Living Weapon's hand. He looked over at the Symbol of Peace with a smirk. "Feel like doing some recycling?"

All Might couldn't help but grin at Iron Fist's mischievous nature. He was already enjoying this newfound friendship with this foreigner. "I always enjoy recycling some trash!"

Minutes later, every weapon in the warehouse was made into a heap of ruined scrap metal. Iron Fist dusted off his hands, standing side by side with his Japanese counterpart with a satisfied expression. "And the day is saved once again."

All Might's ever-present smile shined brighter. "As long as heroes like us are around, it always will be!" All Might was pleased with how they'd taken care of the issue. Now, these dangerous weapons would never reach their intended hands. All in all, it was a successful day.

A more serious look suddenly passed over Iron Fist's face. He touched his thumb and index finger to his chin. "Hmm…"

All Might glanced over at Iron Fist, who suddenly seemed a bit distracted. "Something on your mind, friend?"

"M.O.D.O.K. mentioned a new client that he'd found in Japan." The champion of K'un Lun turned to the Symbol of Peace. "That might mean he's done some business over here already."

All Might's lip straightened out, recalling the villain's earlier comment saying exactly that. "That's a good point…" The experienced pro was perceptive, quickly recognizing there could be more to this situation, and that Iron Fist was trying to get to the bottom of a potential problem. "And you're worried about what they're up to?"

"A.I.M.'s hardware doesn't come cheap," Iron Fist said seriously. "Anyone with the money to throw around to get it and the intention to use it can only be up to no good."

All Might looking grimmer at his words. It seemed things were getting more and more complicated. They would need to investigate further. "Where do we start?"

Iron Fist's head perked in the direction of the warehouse's rear wall, his sharp ears detecting something. He looked at the blown-out hole in the back wall. "At the head."

M.O.D.O.K. groaned, slowly regaining consciousness. His exoskeleton's hover mechanism had been damaged, but if he could concentrate his mental powers enough, he might be able to levitate himself to abscond and regroup. But a sudden chop of Iron Fist's hand destroyed the headpiece, scuttling that plan. M.O.D.O.K. snarled as the damaged piece of equipment sparked with electric output. With the equipment broken, the mad genius was effectively helpless, to his great displeasure and discomfort.

"Rise and shine, Big Head," Iron Fist said, standing shoulder to shoulder with All Might over the disabled M.O.D.O.K. All Might smiled next to him with his hands on his hips, taking some satisfaction in seeing the villain get his just desserts for his wrongdoing.

M.O.D.O.K. let out a hiss, trying and failing to regain control of his psychic powers. "Miserable inferior lifeforms! I will see you suffer for this outrage!"

"Yeah, yeah, love you too," Iron Fist quipped. "Now, let's talk. That new client of yours. Who is he?"

"I suggest you cooperate, villain!" All Might added in his powerful voice.

"You presume to command me?!" M.O.D.O.K. raged. "I am M.O.D.O.K.! I am the ultimate in human-machine interphase! I am designed only—!"

"'Designed only for killing,'" Iron Fist interrupted flippantly. "Blah blah, blah blah, we get it. Let's get back to the part where you tell us who this mystery client is."

All Might's smile curled up further, amused both at Iron Fist's banter and that their efforts appeared to be getting to the criminal.

M.O.D.O.K. glared up at his American foe, his expression one of defiance and wounded pride. "I will never tell you that information!"

"I see." Curiously, Iron Fist started smiling. "All Might, about how long do you think it'll take the police to get here?"

All Might considered the question for a few moments before replying. "I'd wager about fifteen minutes, give or take."

The Living Weapon's smile stretched wider as he held up his hands, tightening them into two glowing fists. "So in other words, I've got fifteen minutes to do whatever I want to Mo' Dork until they get here."

All Might's eyebrow lifted. He wasn't expecting his new friend to suddenly raise the tension by threatening M.O.D.O.K. with physical action in the interim. Still, he couldn't help but smile a little. "Yes, I suppose you're correct."

M.O.D.O.K.'s wide eyes bugged even wider. "N-Now wait a minute... Bah! All right, fine! I'll talk! Just keep that occult mumbo jumbo away from me!"

All Might could barely contain his excitement as he watched the stubborn villain submit to his new friend. It was a satisfying result.

"Thanks for being so cooperative," Iron Fist said cheekily, deactivating his chi and crossing his arms over his chest. "Out with it, then. Tell us who he is."

M.O.D.O.K. grumbled. But then he gave an eerie smile. "Not 'he.' Them."

The white slits of Danny's masked eyes narrowed. Another group? "Who?"

M.O.D.O.K. seemed to be enjoying the buildup before he finally answered: "The League of Villains."

All Might's eyes went wide. "The League of Villains?! The League is your client?" That instantly changed things.

Danny looked at the older hero. "You know them?"

"All too well," All Might said distantly. "They're a group of evildoers who very recently staged an attack at the U.S.J."

Danny's head tilted. "U.S. what now?"

"Oh, right," All Might began, reminding himself of the need to fill in some blanks for his foreign guest. "A facility at U.A. High School, U.A. being the premier academy in the country for aspiring heroes."

Danny raised an eyebrow. There was superhero high school now? Since when did the plot of Sky High become reality?

"The League coordinated an attack on the school, endangering my students in the process… all with the goal of killing me." The Number One's thoughts were already beginning to spiral. "At first, we thought they were only a ragtag band of hooligans looking to cause trouble."

Iron Fist's countenance hardened as the words left All Might's mouth, sensing the worry in his voice, face and body language. "But if they've got the resources to shop from guys like M.O.D.O.K. and A.I.M., they clearly have a lot more going on behind the scenes than meets the eye."

"My thoughts exactly." The Symbol of Peace looked troubled as he considered the implication of the League's true capabilities. Not only were they organized enough to plan and carry out a large-scale attack, but they also had the money to buy state-of-the-art technology. "And where are they now?" All Might demanded of M.O.D.O.K.

M.O.D.O.K. just smirked. "They never tell me that. I get the rendezvous point, some shadowy guy comes and collects the product."

All Might's expression continued to darken. "Kurogiri…" One of the League of Villains' key members. There was no mistaking it, they were involved.

M.O.D.O.K. loosed a laugh, full of mockery and spite. "You're nowhere near as popular as you think, 'Number One.' Savor the time you have left. You'll wish I put you out of your misery when they—"

Iron Fist silenced M.O.D.O.K. with a punch to his oversized temple that knocked the villain unconscious. "That's enough from the talking head."

All Might nodded his thanks to Danny's quick action. "So… the League." He folded his arms. "We need to figure out what the League was planning for with all those weapons."

Firming his jaw, Danny looked back at the Symbol of Peace. "You said they invaded that school to kill you. Obviously, they didn't succeed?"

"No," All Might responded, "but it was a very close call. We defeated them, but it took a lot out of me to do it." All Might was usually an upbeat, positive person. But as he said this, his expression grew dark. He took a deep breath, remembering how dangerous the encounter had been. "They brought a creature that their leader Shigaraki called Nomu. Some kind of artificial monster. Not only did it have several different physical enhancement Quirks, but it also had enough raw strength to push me to my limits and beyond."

Danny couldn't help the pang of worry that crawled up his back at the thought. The "Quirk" terminology wasn't familiar to him, but he could sense All Might's incredible power through his frame, his presence, his earlier grip, and that blast of air he'd used to instantly take M.O.D.O.K. out. If someone could create something that even he struggled to defeat… "And now they're shopping around for even more dangerous weapons to add to their arsenal," Danny intoned. "That's not good."

All Might's chin dipped, his fist clenching. "Not good at all… It seems they're a much bigger threat than we'd realized."

Soon afterwards, the police finally started to arrive. In short order, they were cordoning off the area and starting to apprehend the members of A.I.M. All Might and Iron Fist were approached by two of the figures: the Japanese hero's close friend, Detective Naomasa Tsukauchi, and Hosu's dog-headed chief of police, Kenji Tsuragamae.

All Might turned his focus to the two law enforcement agents, his face instantly relaxing a bit when he saw them. Their arrival felt like a welcome sense of normalcy, given the chaos that had ensued just moments before. "Ah, Tsukauchi! Tsuragamae! It's good to see you both!"

Both police officers nodded appreciatively at the Number One. "What's the situation?" asked Tsuragamae.

"Everything is well in hand," said All Might. "The villains have been stopped and the weapons they sought to distribute have all been destroyed."

Tsukauchi smiled, never having a doubt. "You have our thanks as always, All Might."

All Might returned the smile, gesturing to Iron Fist. "Truthfully, I only offered some well-timed assistance at the end. We owe most of the thanks to my young American friend here."

Danny lifted his open palm in greeting. "Glad you could join us. I'm Iron Fist."

Tsuragamae, however, was less appreciative than Danny had expected; the police chief's expression hardened. "I know well enough who you are, vigilante." Tsukauchi also appeared to regard the American hero with a studying caution.

Iron Fist blinked, a little taken aback by the less-than-warm demeanor. And the way the chief said "vigilante" puzzled him, causing him to look at All Might. All Might tilted his head and glanced between two men, only vaguely grasping what the police chief might be getting at.

"You seem confused," Tsuragamae said to Iron Fist. "Allow me to explain. I'm quite familiar with you unlicensed American heroes. What you do in your own jurisdiction doesn't concern me. But your type of loose cannon stunts isn't something we tolerate in Japan."

Iron Fist frowned. "Unlicensed?" Again he looked at All Might for an explanation.

"Heroes who haven't been sanctioned or given a superhero license are referred to as vigilantes," All Might answered, looking a little more concerned. "You aren't aware? I'm familiar with the registration system in America. I assumed since you were such an accomplished hero you would have already been licensed by now."

Iron Fist made a face like he'd never heard of the concept a day in his life. "I'm sorry, when did this become a thing?"

The Symbol of Peace looked very surprised at the American's reaction. "It's always been the case for us in Japan, and there are other such policies in place internationally. You really didn't know? I was under the impression that most American hero work was still sanctioned by the government to some degree." All Might's eyes narrowed as he finished speaking. Empathetic as he was at his new friend's abrupt sense of culture shock, he couldn't help but feel concerned that an active, very public hero was unregistered.

"A good chunk of it is, but not so directly," Iron Fist explained. The concept of government-licensed heroes being a part of everyday life in Japan was both puzzling and troubling to him. It sounded too much like a controversial concern from the past. "The last time someone back home tried to push for something like that, a lot of people got hurt."

"Really?" All Might couldn't help but feel intrigued by the situation. The way Danny spoke made it clear he was referring to a very specific incident, but the Number One didn't know what that was. All Might glanced to the police chief, who still looked sternly at the Living Weapon; as were several of the other nearby officers.

"Regardless," Tsuragamae went on, "I'm afraid the fact that you are unlicensed makes your heroic actions on Japanese soil quite illegal."

"Oh, no, it's cool. He's on the level." A new voice, smooth and confident, suddenly issued from above.

Everyone on the ground looked up at the interruption. Descending through the air towards the four main actors was a human-shaped suit of red and yellow armor. All Might's eyes widened, recognizing the figure immediately: one of the most intelligent men on Earth and co-leader of the Avengers.

"Tony?" Danny looked as surprised to see his former Avengers ally as the others. "I figured S.H.I.E.L.D. might be around to deal with the cleanup at some point, but I didn't think I'd you'd show up for them."

"Yeah, I wasn't gonna," Tony Stark said mildly, touching down on the ground and striding towards the group of four. "But I figured you'd need some smoothing over, Mr. Punch First Ask Questions Later."

Danny put a fist on his hip, smiling thinly at the jab. "You guys are the ones who said you needed help."

Tsuragamae, Tsukauchi, and even All Might looked stunned to see Iron Man. The billionaire genius playboy philanthropist's fame carried the world over; and now here, he was. All Might couldn't help smiling slightly as the two Americans traded quips back and forth, getting along like old friends. This situation just got ten times more interesting.

In the background, the gray and blue forms of Iron Man's multiple Sentry drones started landing around the warehouse, analyzing and collecting the remnants of A.I.M.'s contraband. The scientists themselves would be left to face the Japanese criminal justice system, but containment of these particular weapons was an American matter.

Iron Man's helmet opened and folded back, showing Tony Stark's fully bearded and dark-haired face. The Avengers' co-leader looked at All Might and nodded. The two had never met before now, but both their reputations preceded them. "All Might."

"Mr. Stark." Japan's Symbol of Peace and Justice nodded back. It was a little surreal, to see someone of such notoriety casually show up here. Then again, this was a pretty serious situation.

Now Iron Man turned to Tsuragamae. "Danny boy's in the clear. I's dotted, T's crossed, the whole shebang. You can call it the Current and Former Avengers Pass."

Danny's head perked. Tony appeared to have squared away the technical and legal details between the American and Japanese governments while the martial artist was en route. Odd that he hadn't mentioned any of this before…

Tsuragamae gazed at Iron Man; his expression told the story. While he didn't doubt Stark's words, his face was a mix of curiosity, suspicion and concern. "I see… And just how far does this agreement of yours cover for him?"

"That depends." Tony looked at Danny. "You planning on taking a vacation?"

K'un Lun's protector was quick to lay things out. "There's more going on here than we thought. M.O.D.O.K.'s been selling weapons over here to a group called the League of Villains." He gestured to the warehouse of weapons he and All Might had destroyed. "From what All Might says, this is only the beginning."

Iron Man looked at the Japanese pro for confirmation, receiving a solemn nod. "It's true. A group of over seventy of the League's criminals infiltrated and attacked U.A. High. With the current environment so saturated with heroes, there's any number of restless small-timers willing to band together. The problem is that the two lead figures behind the incident escaped. My other coworkers at U.A. and I already suspect they plan to try something like it again."

Tony appeared to take the notion seriously, putting his hand to his chin. "So they're a very real threat… and not just a local one either. A.I.M.'s involvement means they've been forming connections on the global scale."

All Might's expression showed grave concern. He could only wonder how far those connections went.

Tony looked back at Danny. "And you just can't leave it alone, huh?" The corners of his lip curled up as he asked.

Danny didn't hesitate. "We've both seen enough crises to know what can happen when bad guys start building themselves up," he said firmly. "Lives are on the line. If I can help, I will."

Tony snorted lightly to himself, his smile curling wider. "Yeah, I figured."

Now Iron Fist looked at the police chief, who was still regarding him with stiff caution. "If your country is willing to tolerate me, that's all I intend to do." He bowed his head to Tsuragamae. The deference was real, as was the urgency behind it; a hope that the dog-headed man could grasp how serious the situation was.

"I can't claim to know Mr. Rand well, but from what I've seen, he's a capable young man with a righteous heart," All Might added, voicing support for his new friend. "Having an ally such as him would be a great boon to our cause."

Tsuragamae remained quiet for a long moment, carefully observing both iron heroes. It was as though he was trying to decide how far he was willing to trust this American. Even with the appropriate clearance being granted, he still couldn't shake his unease. "Hmm. Just don't make any trouble," he said at last. The police chief still wasn't entirely comfortable, but he seemed willing to trust Danny Rand… for now.

"And if you have any complaints," Tony put in, "feel free to take it up with the president of your Public Safety Commission."

Iron Fist loosed a faint sigh. On the one hand, he should be grateful Tony had enough clout to get him approval from up on high. But he wasn't sure appeals to authority like that would go over well with people. "I don't think you're doing me a lot of favors with that one, Tony."

Tony merely looked amused. "Hey, if you got it, flaunt it."

"And this is why everyone hates billionaires," Danny sassed his friend with a faint smile.

"Oh, don't get snippy with me, fellow rich orphan," Tony said through his smirk.

Tsuragamae, Tsukauchi and All Might both glanced between the two iron heroes as they started bantering again. The dog-headed police chief snorted; the U.S. seemed to be its own unique little ecosystem. All Might may have vouched for him, but he'd continue to keep a careful eye on this Iron Fist character.

All Might found the interaction rather amusing, even admiring the casual way Tony flexed his ties to the Japanese authority. It certainly took some bravado. "Two rich orphans," All Might said with a laugh. "Seems like the modern American hero scene really is run by the top one percent."

Sharing a chuckle with Tony, Danny looked back up at the taller hero. "Hopefully we'll be seeing more of each other. We're gonna need to work together to stop these guys."

The Symbol of Peace and Justice nodded. A ray of light shined through the dark cloud that had been gathering around his heart, his earlier worry now gaining a level of cautious confidence. With a driven and powerful new ally in the conflict between the heroes and the League of Villains, he was sure that they would succeed in stopping this threat. "Looking forward to it, my friend."

And a new adventure begins for mister Kung Fu Man.

The most interesting part of this chapter and this story's whole lore is balancing the professional hero norms of MHA with the less standardized universe of Marvel and other American comics, and showing how the two perspectives clash. Some details have to be played a little looser for it to all work - like the Civil War allusions - but I'm pretty confident in the results. Leave your reviews and thoughts, and I'll see you next time.

-SSD