The air in the abandoned parking garage was thick with settling dust. The mid-morning sun cast its light over the scene of defeat. The inert bodies of five villains lay sprawled across the ground, several knives and a steel baseball bat scattered alongside them. Steel Bulwark, the last villain still conscious, struggled to lift his bulky frame from the concrete floor. Blood trickled from a gash above his eye, mixing with the sweat and grime on his face, his breath came out in ragged snorts. The four-armed Mutant lifted his head to glare up at his assailant, his eyes burning with pain and anger. "Bastard…!"

Iron Fist strode past the other inert criminals, the sticky pavement pulling at the souls of his shoes. It'd taken a few days, but M.I.S.T. had pulled enough info to narrow down Steel Bulwark's location. He'd taken care of the rest. Now, he had villain right where he wanted him. "All right, Goro. Let's have a little chat."

Steel Bulwark tried to stand back up, but his body was still suffering from the punishment he'd absorbed. He clenched his teeth through the pain and looked up at the hero in anger. "You think you can just walk in like you own the place and demand whatever you want?!"

"We all have our role to play. This is mine." The whites of Iron Fist's masked eyes narrowed. "You were a part of the U.S.J. attack from several weeks ago. I wanna know about the League of Villains."

The four-armed criminal's expression turned surprised, then hardened again. "You're wasting your time, foreigner."

"I'll be the judge of that," Iron Fist replied evenly. "Kurogiri and Shigaraki. Where can I find them?"

The villain spit blood onto the floor. "Forget it! I've got nothing to say to you!"

Silently, Danny focused his chi to employ his empathic powers, reaching out for a feel of the four-armed man's emotions. He felt anger and wounded pride at the forefront of Steel Bulwark's mind; behind it was a trace of fear, which Danny targeted. "Do they scare you that much?"

The villain bristled, his eyes widening briefly. "I said forget it, you stupid gaijin! You won't get a word out of me!"

Danny's eyes narrowed when the criminal used that word. It wasn't so much the term itself, but the particularly hateful disdain he'd sensed behind it that suddenly irked him. He sighed briefly; the hard way it was, then. Eyeing one of the steel bats on the floor rolling towards him, the Iron Fist used his foot to flip it up into his left hand. He held it straight, and with a quick chop of his hand, cut the fat end straight apart.

Steel Bulwark's eyes went wide, stunned to see the mysterious hero tear apart steel barehanded.

"For every question you don't answer, I'm gonna break one of your arms," the Living Weapon said. "When I'm done with the four of those, I'll move on to your legs. Then your ribs. And then… oh, why not, how about we go with the fingers? Maybe the police will get here before all of those are broken." A twitch of his will brought the chi of Shou Lao the Undying burning around his fist. "When you lie—and trust me, I'll know—it'll get worse."

The villain's expression turned to one of shock and fear. "You wouldn't dare…!" His voice was uneven, his confidence shaken.

"You were one of the only two people from the U.S.J. incident who escaped custody," the Living Weapon said, his voice as iron as his fist. "Who approached you about attacking the place?"

Steel Bulwark hesitated, but only for a moment. "I-It was the shadowy guy! Kurogiri! He said we'd be paid a lot if we killed All Might! He just appeared at one of the back alleys where guys like me hang out. I don't know where him or that Shigaraki guy are!"

Danny's empathic sixth sense detected no deception from the man. Disappointment tightened his jaw. "And your partner you escaped with, Invisible Wall. Where is he?"

"We… We split up after we escaped, trying to throw off the cops and heroes!" Steel Bulwark said quickly. "I haven't seen him since!"

"Details," Iron Fist pressed, his tone sharp. "Where did you split up? When?"

"A-At Kosai! The east side!" Steel Bulwark said, cringing. "We went our separate ways the day after we escaped! I haven't seen him since! That's all I know, I swear!"

Iron Fist grimaced. It wasn't much, but at least he had a narrower search on the other guy; as good a start as he could hope for right now. "Thanks." A swift kick to Steel Bulwark's jaw knocked him out cold, and the villain's back limply met the concrete. Danny cast a quick look around the parking garage at the other bodies. After ensuring they were all unmoving, he flipped out his phone. Punching a few buttons, he held it to his phone and waited.

He only had to hear it ring twice before a crisp female voice answered. "Musutafu Regional Police, what's your emergency?"

"Hi, there are eight villains knocked out at a warehouse on the far end of Chidori Avenue," Iron Fist told the operator. "Would you mind sending someone to pick them up?"

The operator responded with a professional calm. "Okay, I'll get that sent out to our closest patrol truck right away. They should be over there in about ten minutes. I'm going to stay on the line with you until they arrive, is that all right with you?"

"I wish I could, but I've got other important places to be," said Danny. "Don't worry, they won't be going anywhere any time soon."

The operator didn't respond for a few seconds; Danny imagined she was surprised. Thankfully, she didn't question things further. "All right, then. We'll have a unit there shortly to handle the criminals. Is there anything else you wanted to report?"

"That's all, thank you."

"Okay," the operator said politely. "Please don't hesitate to contact us for any further disturbances. Have a nice day."

With that, Danny hung up the phone. After his frosty reception with the dog-headed Hosu police chief, he wasn't keen on sticking around for more interactions with the law enforcement. He imagined the Japanese cops wouldn't be too friendly to a foreign "vigilante." Besides, he had a lead to track down. Hopefully, Invisible Wall would know something more about the League of Villains than Steel Bulwark had. Making his way to the edge of the parking garage ledge, he hopped over it and let himself freefall through the air. Even with the thirty-foot drop, he landed smoothly into a roll. Danny took a moment to breathe, looking out over the city, his mask's tails flowing sideways in the wind. Progress was slow; and truthfully, this one lead wasn't much. But every little scrap of information counted if he and All Might were to make progress on this mission to find and stop the League.

Abruptly, Danny's phone started ringing. He reached into his pocket and checked for the caller ID; his expression at the sight. Speaking of whom… He picked up the phone and answered. "Afternoon, All Might."

"Hello, Iron Fist." All Might's voice said through the phone. "I wanted to call and check in. Is everything all right?"

Danny noticed that All Might's tone was different. It still had its usual friendliness, but it was less… loud; more subdued. Was the inflection Danny had first seen part of a show he put on for others, then? Something he used when out on the job as a hero? Well, even if so, Danny supposed he wouldn't be the first. "As good as it can be." The corner of his lip quirked upward. "And you can just call me Danny. Feels like I'll be here a while, might as well get familiar."

All Might chuckled dryly. "All right. Danny, then. Any luck getting new information on the League?"

"Not much so far," said Danny. "I just finished having a chat with one of those two escapees from the U.S.J. attack. Four-arms didn't know anything. I'm gonna start tracking his partner next."

"I see." All Might's voice held a touch of dismay. "Shame he couldn't tell you more… but don't give up. I'm confident the trail will lead to a clue that'll point us in the right direction."

"Right." Danny smiled, grateful that he had at least one friendly face to rely on in Japan. "I appreciate the call. Hope I'm not cutting into your busy schedule."

All Might's friendly and uplifting tones came through over the phone. "Of course not. I just finished today's class. Besides, it's never too busy for me to offer some words of encouragement."

Danny nodded to himself, happy for the support. Then he smirked, his tone turning playful. "I've gotta be honest. It's a little funny picturing Japan's Superman teaching reading, writing and arithmetic."

All Might chuckled, sounding amused. "I suppose so. It's not the usual line of work most people expect from a hero of my caliber, but I've come to enjoy guiding the next generation as they come up. And this newest class might be the most promising group I've seen in a long time."

Danny's head tilted to the side. "Is that right?"

"Definitely," All Might said, sounding proud. "They've got a ton of potential, most with really promising Quirks. They even fought bravely against the League during the U.S.J. attack"

The smile Danny had spread further. Having the courage to stand up to nasty bad guys, and the stuff to back it up to boot, brought a spark to his heart. It reminded him of the Titans back in their younger days. "They sound pretty impressive. Might be fun to see them in action."

All Might's voice carried a spark of pride when the Number One spoke again. "If you think so, maybe you'd be interested in watching the U.A. Sports Festival scheduled for this Saturday?"

Danny blinked. "Sports Festival?"

All Might chuckled at the younger hero's reaction. "It's an annual competition hosted by the school. It involves first-year students participating in preliminary trials against one another. Those who make it through the initial event face off in the finals in one-on-one bouts, basically like a tournament. And it'll be broadcast live for all the viewing public."

Now Danny's interest was piqued. A tournament of young heroes-to-be squaring off against each other to decide who's number one? It was right up his alley. "Sounds cool. I think I'll take you up on that."

"I'm sure it'll be exciting." All Might's voice sounded brighter from his new ally expressing interest in watching. "Say, how'd you like to get lunch at the end of next week? We can touch base about your progress and everything else."

Danny's head perked. Food always got his attention. "Now you're speaking my language."

"Great!" All Might said cheerfully. "I'll get a spot for Sunday afternoon. It'll be a pleasure to see you again. With any luck, you'll have made some headway in tracking down the League by then. Anyway, I've gotta get going. We'll talk more later. "

"Gotcha. See you Sunday." Then Danny hung up. There was still a lot to do, but All Might had an uncanny way of inspiring hope. It made him think of a few other motivational heroes back home. He was beginning to see why Japan considered him their Number One.

Walking to the end of the parking garage and turning the corner, he came to his final gift from Tony: a stylish black and yellow motorcycle to go with his colors and emblem, specifically for fighting crime. It even included his AI program from Tony built into its interphase to give him virtual assistance in the field. The iron Avenger really spoiled him. Danny went ahead and sounded off for his personal assistance program. "M.I.S.T.?"

"Good morning, Mr. Rand." The AI's feminine voice was calm and monotone. "How may I be of service?"

"Narrow down the search for Invisible Wall to the east side of Kosai. That's where Steel Bulwark and him split off from each other. Keep me updated on what you find."

"Of course," M.I.S.T. responded. "The probability of finding Invisible Wall in Kosai is 76.84 percent based on all the information we have. I will keep you updated on what I find. Is there anything else you need my help or assistance with?"

Danny paused to consider. "Any other nearby crime reports in the meantime?"

The AI went quiet for a moment, presumably checking the available data, then replied. "Police radio shows there's a robbery in progress approximately three kilometers away. Six suspects of unknown affiliation."

Danny smirked. "Bring it up on the map. I'll go introduce myself." As Iron Fist had requested, the map to the place where the robbery was in progress was displayed on his bike's interface. It showed him exactly where to go, and the AI provided a few details on the robbery itself. Danny revved his motorcycle, and then he was taking off through the streets.

Curving around cars as he went, it only took a few minutes for the martial artist to see what was going on in the distance. Six villains, just as the report said. One of them stood seven feet tall with blue skin and unusual facial features. From what Danny had studied about Quirks, this one looked like the Mutant variety; a Quirk that gave its user an abnormal body structure related to their power, and that couldn't be changed or concealed. But neither the giant nor his friends appeared to have seen him yet. his bike to autopilot, Iron Fist braced himself to perch his feet up on the bike's seat. As a couple of the criminals finally noticed the fast-approaching motorcycle, he leaped. "Hyaaa!" The full force of his flying side kick caught the giant dead center in the chest. The blue-skinned villain was sent careening back and crashing back into the wall of an adjacent building, where he stayed. His decisive action had immediately taken the most dangerous enemy out of the fight. Now, only five remained.

The civilians in the distance looked surprised; so did the five other villains.

"What the hell?!"

"That guy just took out Big Blue!"

The group immediately began to swarm toward the masked figure in black and yellow, powering up their unique Quirks. "He doesn't look familiar," one of the villains commented, pulling out a chain for a weapon.

"What the hell kind of hero are you supposed to be?!" another one demanded.

The Living Weapon smirked, hands lifting and feet spreading into a fighting stance. "One whose fists have no equal."

The villain with the chain looked ready to get the fight started right away, twirling it around in a circle. "Oh, yeah? Well, I think you're full of hot garbage!" He didn't hesitate to attack, running in and swinging the chain for a hard blow across the mysterious figure's face.

A retaliatory chop of Iron Fist's hand broke the chain apart. "Think again." A hard fist to the gut doubled the broken-chain-wielding villain over, and a twisting back hook kick knocked him violently through the air.

The other villains were shocked as their companion hit the ground. They hadn't expected the stranger in black and yellow to be so powerful. They all rushed in at once, using a variety of Quirks. One produced metal spikes from his shoulders, and another lit his fists on fire. But try as they might, the fight didn't last much longer. Moving almost quicker than they could see, the Living Weapon took the group apart with alarming efficiency. Twenty seconds after the fight began, it was over.

The civilians who'd seen the fight were left in awe. They didn't recognize the masked martial artist, but they were glad to see the criminals defeated. With how fast and how efficiently the stranger had taken out the group of villains, it was clear he was something special.

Dusting off his hands, Iron Fist looked at the clerk who was finally poking his head out of the store with wide eyes. "Hey, can you go ahead and call the police? They'll be out cold for a while."

The clerk's wide, awestruck eyes blinked. "H-Huh? Oh, uh, right!" He scurried into the store, presumably to look for a phone.

Giving a satisfied nod, Iron Fist glanced left to see his motorcycle slowly wheeling back towards him on its own. Good old reliable Tony. He strode towards it, ready to move on.

"U-Um…?"

The sound made Iron Fist pause just as he reached his bike. He turned around to see a woman in her late twenties, with family and friends behind her. For a long moment, she simply stared at him, looking lost in thought. "That was…" The woman hesitated, as if considering what to say as if for the first time. "That was amazing! I don't think I've ever seen you before… Are you a new hero?"

Danny spared her a small smile. "Here? I suppose so. I'm just a traveler looking to do some good."

The woman nodded her head, her face brightening. "Well, you've definitely done some today. Thank you so much!"

An older man, probably in his early to mid-forties, came forward beside the girl. His forehead wrinkled as he heard the masked stranger speak. "You're a foreigner?"

"American, to be exact," Danny commented casually, hopping onto his motorcycle. "I'll be visiting for a bit."

The man's eyes squinted, running over the black-and-yellow-clad fighter. "American, huh?" There was a faint, but noticeable lowering of his voice's pitch. "You're pretty far from home."

"I like to think that helping those in need knows no borders," the martial artist replied easily.

The man paused; he appeared to think about that one for a minute, not saying having a reply. As the American visitor revved his motorcycle to leave, the young lady spoke up excitedly. "Wait, wait! You have to tell us your name before you go! Who are you?"

Danny glanced at the group one more time, smiling as he gave his answer: "I'm the Iron Fist." Then he was riding off into the distance.

The group of civilians was left in a state of surprise and wonder, gazing off as he left the scene behind him.

"Iron Fist…" The man repeated the name as if trying it out.

The young woman's eyes sparkled as she watched the day's dashing savior make his exit. "What a hero…"

The group and other observers in the distance were intrigued. The skilled foreign visitor with masterful fighting skills was suddenly a very exciting prospect. Japan appeared to have a new, capable hero on the block, and that suited most of them just fine.

Not much outro message for this one. Just the next leg of Iron Fist's latest saga underway. Soon I'll be able to start bringing in more of the MHA cast, and we can really start cooking. Let me know what you think and there will be more to come.

-SSD