A sleek, black car with tinted windows cruised along the streets of uptown Musutafu. Danny sat in the right backseat, his eyes gazing out the window at the sprawling cityscape with a tight focus. Opposite him, Tony lounged with the kind of casual air only a billionaire genius could afford.

"You're gonna love this place, Danny," Tony said in his typically smooth voice. "Pulled out all the stops. The best of Stark tech and modern Japanese aesthetics. A real East meets West vibe."

"You don't slow down, do you?" Danny offered a grateful smile. But his mind was elsewhere, focused on the mission that lay ahead. The alliance with All Might, Japan's Number One Hero, wasn't something he took lightly; neither was their new common enemy. This League of Villains posed a threat not just to Japan, but to the world at large. Danny was certain of it, and it was the Iron Fist's duty to stand against such darkness.

As for the house now before him, it was an impressive structure of modern design, fused with traditional Japanese elements. It stood three stories tall, with large, expansive windows and a roof that curved gently upwards at the edges, a nod to the classic architecture of the region.

"Wow, Tony," Danny chuckled from beside the iron Avenger. "All this for little old me?"

"Least I can do for the hottest new celebrity hero in town," Tony answered, looking pretty pleased with himself. "Come on, lemme show you around."

As they walked together up the front driveway, Tony pointed out the three-car garage with an attached shed. Inside was a black and yellow Camaro for style, and an older grayish Hyundai model Sonata for subtlety, with his fellow billionaire promising a tricked-out motorcycle specifically for hero-ing soon to come. Tony guided Danny inside, running him through the other areas and amenities he'd have at his disposal. The champion of K'un Lun was even more surprised by the interior. The house was six-bedroom with a large kitchen and den, with various other rooms and all the comforts a person could ask for. Out in the huge backyard, directly on the patio was a pool. The wider, two-story-tall structure beyond it was a spacious dojo with scalable support beams and rafter ties. Danny was taken aback by the sheer extent of it all. "There… There are no words," he breathed as his fellow heir to fortune led him back inside.

"I told you I'd hook you up, right?" Tony said with a grin.

"This isn't hooking me up. This is overkill, Tony." Another dry laugh left Danny's lips. "But I do like the dojo."

"Ah, it's nothing," Tony said, waving his hand dismissively. "I know you've got one of those unique training methods. Thought I'd get you a proper place to do it."

Leading Danny upstairs, Tony showed him to the library and computer room. This spacious office had three large monitors set up in front of a desk, Danny's dragon insignia pulsating gold in the middle of the center screen. "And my personal touch," Tony said, "your own user interface artificial intelligence system. Basically, a mini J.A.R.V.I.S. I call it Multifunctional Intelligence for Surveillance and Tracking, M.I.S.T. for short" The master of machines smirked. "Couldn't get you a butler, so I had to settle."

Danny snorted, grinning further. Tony had even gone and loosely named it after his old flame. "You're spoiling me here, Tony."

"Ah, what can I say?" Tony said, feigning modesty. "You've got a home base here. A safe spot." He took out a small black phone. "And if anything happens, or if I need you for something, call me. Anytime, anywhere."

Danny accepted it. "Thanks for everything, Tony. I appreciate all you're doing for me."

A solemn look crossed Tony Stark's face. "I've made my share of bad choices… some bigger than others. Consider this my continuing way to make up for it."

For a long moment, the two men gazed at each other in silence. Danny's mind went back to the past, to the conflict that had caused his relationship with Iron Man, among others, to fracture. Ultimately, he relaxed and nodded gratefully to Tony. The past was set, but always in motion was the future.

Danny looked at the computer spread, his eyes narrowing with renewed purpose. He would have all the tools necessary to aid in this new endeavor. The Iron Fist would now be America's spearhead in a joint effort against this foreign enemy. Once again, Danny Rand's path had turned. "And so the hunt begins."

"And I've got a lead that you can start with," Tony said, looking just as serious. "After the U.S.J. attack, there's an uptick in small groups of known criminals banding together, some of them mentioning the League of Villains by name. They might just be jumping on the bandwagon, but any eager bunch worthwhile might get enough of the League's attention to make contact. Keep me in the loop, and good luck." With that last word, Tony left the room and departed.

Gazing at the computer layout for a long moment, Danny took a breath. Time to test out this virtual assistant of his. "M.I.S.T.?"

The circular blue light appeared in the middle screen's center. "Yes, Mr. Rand?" The voice was smooth and perfectly spoken, with a feminine quality to it. Despite its virtual nature, it sounded almost alive.

A satisfied smile played across Danny's face. "Bring up all currently known members of the League of Villains."

"Acknowledged. Searching." It took the AI a moment. "Multiple entries found for 'The League of Villains.' Displaying records of individual members now." M.I.S.T. then started displaying photos and short profiles of available information on the criminals. Danny's focus sharpened on names above the images at the top; the pair All Might mentioned at the docks. One individual seemed more shadow than man, his face a black and purple mist with gleaming yellow slits for eyes. The other's face was covered by a pale, disembodied hand worn almost like a mask, with messy, grayish-blue hair hanging over the fingers. Kurogiri and Tomura Shigaraki—the League of Villains' main architects. Sadly, there was scant information available on these central figures.

"Have there been any other sightings of those two?" Danny asked the AI.

"Negative," M.I.S.T. responded. "Tomura Shigaraki was injured during the attack. Both he and Kurogiri have since gone into hiding. Current status and other associates are unknown at this time."

Danny clicked his tongue in annoyance. So they were in the wind. "And all the other U.S.J. attackers have been arrested?"

"Affirmative," M.I.S.T. replied. "However, two of the reported attackers have escaped police custody within the last week. Whereabouts currently unknown." The computer program scrolled down the list of profiles and highlighted two lower-tier villains: Steel Bulwark and Invisible Wall. Would you like me to run a search for these individuals' last known locations?" M.I.S.T. suggested.

"Not yet." Danny paused, taking stock of the situation. Two minor associates weren't the strong trail he was hoping for. More importantly, he was in an unusual environment. If his exchange with the Musutafu police was any indication, he was bound to encounter difficulty with Japanese law enforcement. He'd need some more help. "M.I.S.T., pull up the local times for Musutafu and New York, please."

"Of course." Two different clocks with their location labels popped on the right screen. Musutafu: 3:30 P.M. New York: 2:30 A.M.

Danny chewed the inside of his cheek as he noted the time difference. For a second, he thought about reaching back out to Luke, if only to check in with his best friend. But he didn't want to bother him and Jessica at such early hours. They were both probably dead asleep, anyway. But there were some other dependable people he could reach at these comparative late hours. And knowing Tony's forward thinking, M.I.S.T.'s system should have access to their frequency. "Run that search for those two escapees in the background," Danny said at last to M.I.S.T., "and put a call through on the Bat Family's comm line."

"Understood." The program began doing the requested tasks. While the search for the two minor criminals was run, a box on the left computer screen popped up, the chime of a ringing phone issuing from it.

Danny took a seat in the chair and waited. In time, his signal went through and three different faces showed up. Nightwing, Batgirl, and the current Robin. Barbara Gordon was seated, Damian Wayne standing beside her in what Danny recognized as the Batcave. Dick Grayson's face filled the screen it appeared on, probably somewhere out of Bludhaven. Danny was happy to see them. "Hey Dick, Babs," he greeted casually, the older pair among his oldest Bat Family allies. Then he looked at the son of Batman and nodded. "Damian."

Barbara was a bit more subdued. She looked like she was half-asleep. "Nice to see you, Danny," she grumbled.

Damian's face was a mix of confusion, intrigue, and a bit of suspicion. He and Danny had only ever heard of each other in passing. This would be their first meeting. Bruce Wayne's son appeared to measure the Living Weapon. "Rand."

Dick had his signature grin. "Hey, it's been a while. I assume this is business-related, given the time zone?"

"Something like that," Danny replied. "Greetings from Musutafu."

Nightwing's eyebrow raised. "Musutafu, huh?"

Robin's eyes narrowed slightly. Batgirl's sleepiness faded a bit and she became more alert. "What are you doing in Japan?" she asked.

"At first, only a favor for the Avengers," Danny answered. "Helping them mop up the whole mess with A.I.M. from a few weeks back. You know we can't have those high-tech weapons of theirs flooding the black market again."

"Makes sense," Nightwing acknowledged.

"So why are you still there?" asked Batgirl, her tone more serious. "Did something happen?"

"Things got more complicated," said Danny, with a seriousness that matched Barbara's. "For one, someone back home wasn't doing their job on lockup. I ran into M.O.D.O.K."

Batgirl and Robins' eyes widened, looking at each other briefly. "M.O.D.O.K. escaped?" the redhead asked.

"How'd you make it out of that one?" Dick inquired, unable to hide his concern. M.O.D.O.K. was a formidable enemy, even for the Iron Fist.

"I lucked out," Danny said with a smile. "I got to meet the Japanese Superman today. They call him All Might. He showed up in time to pull my ass out of the fire."

Robin exchanged another quick look with Batgirl. "I've heard of him."

"Me too," Barbara said, her fatigue a thing of the past. "He's like a national treasure over there. As charismatic as he is powerful."

Nightwing chuckled. "First you're gambling with your life against Shiva. Then you're sparring with Ryu and Bronze Tiger. Now you go to Japan, survive an encounter with M.O.D.O.K., and top it all off by meeting their national icon?"

Danny laughed softly as Dick recounted his recent rollercoaster of adventures. "Sometimes I wonder how this is my life too. The good news is we took care of Mr. Big Head and destroyed all the weapons." He leaned in on the board, putting his fist in his hand. His lip made a straight line. "But I'm gonna be in Japan longer than expected."

Barbara's curiosity was piqued at this point. "Why? What else is going on?"

"M.O.D.O.K. blabbed that he'd already been selling weapons here for a while," Danny replied in a solid voice. "He was pretty positive his new Japanese client was going to be a problem. I don't like loose ends."

A lightbulb seemed to flash in Robin's head. The son of Batman's countenance went even stonier. "You mean the League of Villains."

Danny's head perked; then he remembered what group he was talking to. "I should have figured at least one of you might know about them."

Batgirl cracked a small smirk. "League of Villains, huh? Really pushing the villain motif with that name."

Damian ignored the joke. "Father has made note of them recently. The League of Villains has been a blot on the Japanese heroes' infallible image ever since they attacked U.A. High School's students and tried to assassinate All Might."

Nightwing's expression adopted a harder edge. "Going after kids… So what's your plan, Danny?"

The Living Weapon knew that look and tone. Everyone close to Dick Grayson knew well that endangering children was his biggest trigger. It was something both men had in common. "I've got a setup here to start me off." Danny put his elbows on the desk, his fingers interlocking. "But I've also been introduced to the concept of professional heroes for the first time." He looked at Nightwing. "Dick, did you know this was a thing?"

"You didn't?" Robin commented dryly.

Nightwing shrugged. "Well, yeah. They've been around for a long time. It's pretty much their whole way of life over in Japan."

"There's been some in the States over the years," Batgirl interjected. "Former heroes like Electoplant and Cow Lady, and the biggest one, Stars and Stripes." She considered. "And technically, if you're talking about government-sanctioned teams specifically, that's what China's Great Ten and America's Thunderbolts are."

Danny pursed his lips, unable to shake his misgivings at the idea of registered heroes as the norm. It brought up too many old and unpleasant memories. "In all honesty, it's throwing me for a loop. The last time someone tried to do that wholesale in the U.S., we had a hero civil war."

"Sounds about right," Dick commented grimly. "The Superhuman Registration Act and everything that came with it. It caused a big mess for the hero community."

Batgirl sighed. "Playing devil's advocate for a second, it's not the worst idea in theory. Some think it gives some credibility to the whole idea of superheroes. And there's been more than a few incidents when the public's trust in us has been shaken… but you're right. It was such a bad time."

Damian was frowning now too, as if remembering from their history books.

Danny was silent for four seconds, his mind filling with distant memories. But he breathed and moved on. "Anyway, you can imagine my surprise. When the police got on the scene with me and All Might, that chief of theirs wanted to straight up arrest me for vigilantism. Apparently, unlicensed heroes are a big no-no around here."

Nightwing nodded. "Japan's serious about that. You need to be certified as a pro hero to operate legally or to even use your powers."

Danny's brow screwed up in disbelief. "You're kidding. Just to use them?"

"You better believe it," Nightwing confirmed. "Even other foreign pros have to go through their procedures to be properly approved."

"You didn't get in any trouble, did you, Danny?" Batgirl spoke up, sounding concerned.

"Fortunately, no," Danny said. "Tony showed up and ironed out all the kinks for me. Guess he saw this coming before I did."

Batgirl let out a sigh of relief. "Good…"

"That sounds like Tony," Nightwing chuckled, "Always planning ahead. I'm impressed he's got that kind of pull."

Now Robin chimed back in. "And how does this licensing policy affect your mission?"

"As long as I stay well-behaved, I've got permission to fight crime for the foreseeable future," Danny replied. "I'm going after the League."

"Where are you gonna start?" asked Nightwing.

"Their two main guys, Kurogiri and Tomura Shigaraki, are off the grid. Two of the small-timers from the U.S.J. incident just escaped custody. I'll start with them. Hopefully, I can learn some more about the attack itself as time goes on. See if there's another trail to pick up. For now, all I can do is wait to find out more."

"When you do, don't hesitate to let us all know," Batgirl affirmed.

"We'll investigate as we can in the meantime," Nightwing added. "If you need anything, just call."

Danny smiled, a new confidence surging up in him. If there was anyone he could depend on, it was this clan of detectives. "I knew I could count on you guys. I'll be in touch."

Damian nodded firmly. "Good hunting, Rand."

And with that, Danny closed down the call. He took a moment to close his eyes and collect himself, sitting back in the quiet of the study. Breathing meditatively, he let the swirl of thoughts and worries flow down the mental river… and then his stomach growled. Abruptly realizing he hadn't had a bite to eat since morning, Danny eased out of the chair and headed downstairs to the kitchen.

Checking the fridge brought a welcome surprise; Tony had taken the liberty of making sure it was fully stocked. But Danny noticed just a few things for his specific tastes were missing. "Guess I'll need to do some shopping," he mused out loud. Might as well get a more personal lay of the land that he'd be calling his home for the next however long.

After a quick change into more casual clothes, Danny went for a walk, eschewing the use of either car. It was a good twenty-minute walk to the city proper. Danny didn't mind it, enjoying the smell and feel of the cool spring air. Clicking into his phone's map app to pull up the nearest grocery store, he walked steadily through the city streets, taking in the scenery, sounds and smells.

It all seemed so peaceful.

As he walked, Danny noticed a lot of glances being aimed his way by the occasional passersby. He wasn't surprised. Being a blonde foreigner in Japan had a way of making one stick out. But he paid it little mind. The looks were more of intrigue than anything hostile; so far, anyway. Shortly after, Danny arrived at his destination. It took only a few minutes of perusing to find the last few items and ingredients for his favorite meals. The people were either quietly polite or gave him space.

It was as he left the store that he crossed a takoyaki stand. That smell was enough to make mouth water; he couldn't resist. The local running was cheerful enough, exchanging a few pleasantries as exchanged some cash for a stick of three takoyaki balls. Danny thanked the man and pressed on. Shuffling along an emptier street, Danny gobbled up his food and headed down another, sparser street. The warm, peaceful aura and enticing flavor on his tongue were almost enough to make him forget the future battles to come.

As he rounded a corner, Danny had to suddenly stop before he bumped into someone; someone he, surprisingly, had to look up to. A strikingly tall girl stood in front of him. Even at five foot eleven, she was several inches taller. She had to be at least six foot three. The girl had wild gray hair that stretched down to her back. The top of her head had brown-furred, rounded ears. Her forearms were covered with light brown, dark-spotted fur. She looked like a human-animal hybrid, vaguely reminding Danny of Tigra. A mutant, maybe? The girl's magenta eyes widened she suddenly flinched; she seemed caught off guard by this random encounter, as surprised as Danny.

Danny gazed up at her for a moment. Her face made her seem fairly young, but she was practically a giant by Japanese standards, especially for girls. Not to mention she was jacked. With her size, powerful build, and animal features, most would probably find her intimidating. But he was only intrigued. "You're tall," Danny said, sounding as impressed as he looked.

"E-Eh?" The girl's face flushed slightly as he stated the obvious, but appeared to shrug it off. Maybe she was used to this kind of thing. "Yeah." She took a beat, then continued, her tone gaining more confidence, and her face gaining a small smirk. "And you're pretty… short."

Danny's eyes narrowed, but he gave a small smile. "I happen to be well above average height."

The girl raised an eyebrow at Danny's comment. Her amused expression grew. "Uh-huh. Above average height… for a third grader."

Danny snorted. So now this was a thing. Well, she didn't seem hostile, at least. "Oh, so Giganta over here's got jokes."

His comment appeared to tickle the girl. She giggled, showing two rows of pointed teeth. "Giganta, huh? Never been called that before… but I could think of a few jokes about Shorty McShortterson over here."

"Whatever you say, Titania," Danny mildly sassed her back. He might have been enjoying this interaction more than he cared to admit.

The girl laughed at verbal ripostes. She looked like she was getting as much of a kick out of the back and forth as he was. "Ooh, I hit a nerve with that one, Shorty?"

Danny rolled his eyes even as his smirk grew. "My name is actually Danny, not 'Shorty.'"

The tall girl's toothy smile grew, her magenta eyes flashing as she returned fire. "Well, it is now, because that's what I'm calling you from now on." She leaned forward a bit as if inspecting the audacious stranger.

With a look of sly determination, Danny replied with another little taunt. "You got a name of your own, Eiffel Tower?"

The girl's grin turned almost predatory. "Eiffel Tower? Really? That's the best you could do?"

For once, Danny simply paused, waiting for the animalistic girl to return the courtesy and answer seriously.

The giant girl blinked once. Then she looked away and scoffed jokingly. "Fine, fine, I guess I'll reward you with my real name. But you won't have the right to call me by it. You've gotta earn it first, and you're on thin ice right now from all your teasing, Shorty."

"Hey, you started it," Danny defended himself through his smirk.

The girl snickered. "Yeah, but you're the one who's been keeping it going for way too long now."

"You could always just…" Danny almost laughed at his own incoming joke first, "be the bigger person."

Haibara almost immediately rolled her eyes, her expression turning into one of playful annoyance. "That joke isn't funny. Get better material." She paused, gazing down at the foreigner before finally giving in. "Alright, whatever. My name's Enako Haibara."

"Haibara…" Danny raised an eyebrow, rolling the new name around in his mouth. "Ash?"

Haibara chuckled, appearing to appreciate he had at least some knowledge of the language. "That's just one kanji. A literal meaning is 'where the south wind blows.'"

"Oh, that's good," Danny said playfully. "Giants and talk of ash usually lead to cities getting stomped through and destroyed."

Haibara laughed again, her sharp teeth almost sparkling. "You're pretty obsessed with making jokes about my height. You jealous or something?" she asked jokingly, raising a brow.

Danny just snickered back. She didn't act anywhere near as menacing as she looked. He found her to be pretty pleasant. "You're a funny girl, Enako-chan."

Haibara froze at the use of her first name, her face suddenly flushing red. The girl didn't have the best poker face. "Y-You…" She started to stutter. "W-What did you just call me?"

Danny belatedly caught himself, remembering that first name use in Japanese culture was reserved for those you were extremely close to, either for family or beloved friends. "Oh, sorry, my bad." He shook his head at his error. "I guess it's supposed to be Haibara-chan." He blew air between his lips. "Japanese naming conventions."

His comment made Haibara crack another smile. "Uh… it's fine," she said, trying to get her bearings back. "At least you know better."

"Honestly, it comes off a little unfriendly from an American perspective," Danny commented in this small moment of cultural exchange. "For us, last names are used more after a formal or professional title like Mr. or Dr." He smirked. "Or if you really don't like the person."

Haibara chuckled again, her body stance relaxing as she nodded. "Yeah, I've heard."

"Well, this has all been great, but I'd hate to take up any more of your time." Danny gave one more smirk. "I'm sure you have a busy day of flattening the National Diet Building or breaching the Wall Maria ahead of you."

Haibara rolled her eyes at his final jokes, but still laughed, despite herself. "Wow, you're just trying to get on my bad side, aren't you?"

"Sorry, it was too much to pass up," Danny sniggered. Deciding he'd had enough fun, he inclined his head to part ways. "Nice meeting you, Haibara-chan."

Haibara let out a soft sigh and found it in her to smile more genuinely. "Nice meeting you too… Danny." She turned around to watch after him for a few moments as he walked off. That had been an unusual encounter. The foreign stranger wasn't even afraid of her; that didn't happen very often. Her pointed teeth showed as she grinned to herself again. "What a weird guy…"

Eventually, Danny returned home. He strode through the empty house to the kitchen. It took him only a short while to whip up some chicken and vegetables for his dinner. Sitting down at the table to eat, he thought about this situation. Everything just seemed so calm here. Like the calm before the storm.

He closed his eyes, breathing deeply before letting it go. Try as he might to relax, the concerns of this mission pricked at his mind. Particularly the hostility and mistrust he'd sensed from that chief of police. Even All Might had reacted with concern to his unlicensed status. There was so much more he didn't know, Danny realized. Not just about the League of Villains, but this modern Japanese environment. The people, and their way of life. That needed to be corrected. Climbing the stairs back to the computer lab, he returned to the desk and called out for his AI assistant. "M.I.S.T.?"

The system immediately came online. "Welcome back, Mr. Rand. What service can I provide?"

Danny took a seat and got comfortable. It was time to begin his education. "Tell me about Japan's professional hero industry."

Some proper setup, a few more established allies, and a guest appearance, and the adventure is off. Villains beware, here comes the Iron Fist. I'll try and get some more done on the original Iron Fist Chronicles to give some more context to some of the conversations. In the mean time, leave me your thoughts. If you'd like to contribute to me getting a few commissions out to flesh out the story going forward or otherwise assist with my regular going-ons, feel free to tip me on Kofi. Link's on my profile.

-SSD