"This… this is a disaster."
The President of the Hero Commission watched as Saku paced the hall outside the private hospital room deep within the headquarters. It was a place where those that worked heavily for the Hero Commission could seek treatment for injuries… and the public wouldn't be able to learn just what had happened. It was important for heroes to be seen as invincible warriors who never tired, who never strained, who never got hurt. Their entire world was built on the idea that one couldn't defeat a hero. Not the truly important ones, at least. It was why the Hero Ranking System existed, after all: to allow the public to know the difference between mortals trying to do good and those that went beyond what seemed possible.
Of course… it was all a filthy lie. Heroes got hurt all the time. All Might had been hurt and was living on borrowed time. And those below him had suffered as well. Those that were hurt that could be covered up… well, were covered up. And those that couldn't or, worse, died? Well… they were always sympathetic but left JUST enough wiggle room to make clear that maybe, just maybe, the hero hadn't been up to snuff.
It was a balancing act, of course. When the Water Hose Heroes had been targeted by Muscular the Commission had been quick to decide that it wouldn't be wise to attack their memory and claim that they were weak heroes that had died because of their own mistakes. The public would never have supported that. The Water Hose Heroes had rescued thousands of people, were a polite couple, and had a young son. Their death was a tragedy and attempting to paint them in a negative light would have had the Commission raked over the coals. And that wasn't taking into account that the Pussycats were related to them and were just as popular; they would make their displeasure heard widely. There would be some that would have suggested that the President could… force… the Pussycats to do as they wished but there was a danger in that too. The group owned a large stretch of forest that was very popular with multiple Hero Schools for training. They could easily retire from Hero Work and live off that and if the Commission tried to shut that down too well… well, it would be such a PR disaster trying to explain it that it would be a Pyrrhic Victory.
Too many in the Commission, the President had found, believed that they could weather all. That no matter what happened they would be able to stand. They didn't see that they were many times a paper tiger against a storm. They had to always know just the right way to point.
So, in that case they had to admit that a hero, in this case two, had been killed by a villain. But they had handled that as well. It was one thing to say a hero failed to stop a villain and died in the battle. It was another to remind everyone they were Rescue Heroes and it was a tragedy that they had been targeted by a monster like Muscular but not to worry, the Daylight Heroes who knew how to handle such villains would take him down quickly.
That was a pill the public was all too happy to swallow.
'But now we don't have such cover,' she thought to herself. 'People are going to find out about this, even as we try and hide it, and the reaction will be dark.'
Stain had been a problem for the Hero Commission ever since he had started his crusade, in more ways than one. He had proven to be quite dangerous when it came to heroes, building up a distressingly high body count. Then there was the fact that he had once been a vigilante named Standhal; yes, the Commission knew ALL about that time in his life; it was hard not too when his skills with a blade were whispered throughout the streets long before he became the Hero Killer. Vigilantes were always a problem because so much of the public loved them. People craved rebels… oh, they would cheer All Might but secretly they wanted the hero that would bend the rules because then it made them feel like they too could bend the rules. It was why the Commission went so hard after vigilantes. Stain having been a vigilante meant he would be far more palpable to the public… and make the heroes he killed get lumped in with villains.
That… was something the Commission dreaded.
'And then there is his Revival of Heroics,' she thought as Saku continued to pant and fret. 'We are receiving word that more and more people are listening to it. They are looking at the heroes that are coming out and questioning if they truly are heroes.'
As if he had read her thoughts Saku suddenly declared, "You realize what this means, right? Do you? It means that Stain's little cult will be all the more emboldened! His disgusting religion will gain traction!"
"And just why is it disgusting?" Thrawn asked, making his presence known.
"It… you…" Saku blustered for a moment, utterly shocked by what Thrawn had stated. "You know-"
"It is disgusting to you because it is a threat," Thrawn stated.
"Exactly!" Saku exclaimed.
"Good, we are agreed on that," Thrawn commented and the President winced; she had a feeling that he wasn't going to merely agree with Saku and move on. "Of course what you find disgusting and what others do is quite a different thing. For example, I have recently uncovered a dish that involves a heavy sauce and cooked beans. It is slurped up by many and yet I find myself repulsed by it."
"I don't care about your diet," Saku complained. "I care about what Stain did!"
"You should care because it is, to be frank, the perfect metaphor for the current Hero Society: something that has value that has been covered in a thick, disgusting, needless thing." Thrawn turned and looked at one of the doors, studying it as if it were the most important and interesting door to ever be created. "A majority of heroes should not be heroes. They are thrill seekers and glory hounds. Stain's teachings are that a hero does not do what they do unless they desire no reward and have sacrificed all to the cause. Not WISHING to sacrifice all… but have. Some misunderstand this to mean that a hero must give up their life, that the title of 'hero' is to be rewarded only after death. That isn't the case, from my reading of the matter. Rather a hero must care for nothing else but the cause of being a hero. They give up their families, their hobbies, their pursuits. They make the entire exist around the protection of others."
"Are… are you saying you support Stain!?" Saku said, at first shocked and then viciously delighted; he had been trying to find some way to pierce Thrawn's armor ever since the man had embarrassed him during the Sports Festival. His finger was still in a cast from Thrawn breaking it.
That caused Thrawn to scoff. "Of course not. That is such a narrow minded view that would lead to destruction of our world. Not just that it would drive heroes to quit on mass if we asked for such dedication but those that would commit would end up dead. There are very few that can live up to such ideals… even Stain himself fails at it. All Might is a rarity but even he had a daughter." Thrawn paused. "That is something we must watch out for. Stain holds All Might as the most pure hero but with him having a daughter he no longer fits the mold. The man will either readjust his beliefs, which I very much doubt as he has dedicated far too much energy to them, will turn on All Might with all the viciousness of a scorned lover, or he will find a way to justify it. I lean towards the last of these but the second is a dangerous possibility."
Thrawn shook his head.
"But we have gotten off track. Stain is not wrong that Hero Society has become far too corrupt. Heroes do less and expect more. And there are many in the Commission who prefer it this way."
"P-prefer a corrupt hero!?" Saku declared, his tone shocked by Thrawn's blasphemy.
"Of course. How do you control a good man? Perhaps by sullying yourself but that is never recommended. Because they can turn that on you. But one that has, well, stained themselves? They are easier to control. One that craves merely fame can be bullied into doing good deeds by us with the threat that we will take that fame away. A hero that gets into a bit of trouble, if found soon and early, will be one that we can place under our thumb forever. It is a common thing, after all. The 20th century American military often sought out the poor and the desperate because they knew they had no choice. Then there were conscripts into the armies, men who knew they must fight or return to their cells. Russia used them quite often, though the government denied they directly recruited them. And the French Foreign Legion gained many loyal soldiers by offering men who had made mistakes a chance to gain honor through them. I am simplifying it, of course, but you are welcome to research it. You will find that I am speaking true."
Saku's face had turned red with anger during Thrawn's speechifying and he raised his hand, clearly to wag his finger at him, only to think better of it, remembering the injury he'd received from the blue skinned man before. Instead he kept his distance but still stated, "While you preach how wonderful Stain is we now have to deal with him having paralyzed the Number 2 Hero!"
The President grimaced at that. The doctors had been quite clear: Endeavor would never walk again. Perhaps Recovery Girl could have healed him… but the man didn't have the energy for her to use her quirk. Even if they pumped him full of every stimulant they had he would still end up dying before he even felt a prickle on his soles. Endeavor was completely paralyzed… and it would be hard to cover that up. And when it got out the public would be terrified beyond belief.
"We… we need someone to blame for this," Saku said, running his hands through his hair. "We need someone that we can pin this on." He suddenly looked up. "The Sir Steel."
"Skywalker?" the President asked. "The one that found him?"
"The one that stood by and let Endeavor be hurt because of his cowardice," Saku stated.
"That isn't what happened," The President said firmly. "Skywalker arrived and engaged Stain. Endeavour was already injured before he arrived."
"So he says. But how do we know he wasn't waiting in the shadows. After all, Endeavor did make clear he wasn't happy with UA and Skywalker is tied to them…"
The President though shook her head. "it won't work. Skywalker was seen often fighting against the Nomu."
"Was he though?" Saku asked, warming up to his little conspiracy. "After all, it is just his word. Those that may have saw him might sing a different tune after I talk with them…" He grin grew darker at that and the President frowned. While she was all for doing what was needed to preserve the image of the Hero Commission and Hero Society she didn't take pleasure in it. Such darker acts were purely business. She didn't like that Saku seemed to be delighting in destroying the Sir Steel-
"I would suggest NOT going down that route," Thrawn said, cutting through the President's thoughts and Saku's scheming.
"Its perfect," Saku argued.
"Its utterly flawed," Thrawn countered. "Far too complex. Have you never Mastermind's Folly?" At Saku's blank look (and the President had to admit she had never heard of Mastermind's Folly herself) Thrawn sighed. "Whatever are they teaching the Japanese in their schools?" He began to pace, lecturing them while at the same time ignoring them; Saku tried several times to interrupt but Thrawn just talked right over him, a force of nature in a white suit. "A man wishes to frame another man for a crime. Why doesn't matter, he just wishes to do so. This man, our Mastermind, is cunning and begins to lay out all the ways to do so. Bribing the right people to claim they saw the man committing the deed. Planting evidence. Altering the crime scene. Fabricating past dark deeds. They prep it all like a grand chef preparing a fine dish for his harshest client. The Mastermind leaves no stone unturned. Everything points directly to their target, so that only a dunderhead would miss it.
"And then the police turn their attention on the Mastermind.
"The reason is simple: life is messy. NOTHING is perfect. I can already see it in your mind your scheme. How you will find every police officer, every paramedic, every victim that Skywalker saved, every hero he worked with, and convince them all to turn on him. They will tell their perfectly practiced tales as you plant your evidence… and anyone with a brain will see it as false. Because it is too tidy. Too neat. Too clean. And most dangerously you have made things so complex that when one string is pulled all of it comes crashing down. You try and bury the truth in evidence but pushing even one aside, one mistake… and all of it crashes down. A witness that refuses to be bribed. A bit of evidence that one looks into. All of this would bring your schemes to an end and worse bring far more attention to us."
Saku glowered at Thrawn. "So you are all willing to dismiss solutions but very slow to actually create them."
"On the contrary," Thrawn informed him, turning his back to Saku and looking at Endeavor's hospital room door. It was currently shut, the #2 Hero still asleep… thankfully. Everyone was worried how he would react when the news reached him that he was paralyzed. The President knew that it was going to be rather violent and explosive… much like how all things involving Endeavor were. "I have a solution that not only will reassure the public but also deal with another problem that has plagued us for far too long."
"And just what problem is that?" Saku demanded.
"Endeavor himself."
Saku and the President just stared at him.
"Come now, neither of you are blind to the issues that he has brought to our society. The man is utterly reckless, has no concern for innocent life, causes countless property damage-"
"He has one of the highest capture rates ever," Saku argued.
"And the highest fatality rate amongst bystanders," Thrawn countered. "Have you actually looked at the Hero Ranking vote? Endeavor, I admit, receives plenty of 10s from those scoring him. But he also receives more 0 votes than any other hero in the Top Ten. If it weren't for these low scores he would easily beat out All Might years ago."
"Impossible!" the President exclaimed in shock. "All Might is the most popular hero in Japan!"
"Yes, he is," Thrawn said dryly, arms coming to be held behind his back. "Which is why he actually received fewer total votes than most of the Top Ten Heroes."
"That… that makes no sense!" Saku protested.
"Doesn't it?" Thrawn said, shaking his head sadly. "Come now, use your intelligence, man! If everyone knows All Might is going to win then there isn't a need to "waste your vote" selecting him. Better to throw it at someone else… perhaps in an attempt to move another hero up in the rankings? All Might is often given a 9 at the worst and never receives any 1s, 2s, or even 3s. That allows him to win the vote every time because he doesn't have to battle against the negatives. Just as Endeavor barely squeaks to Number 2 due to his very negative numbers.
"So, we have a Number 2 that has a dedicated fanbase… but just as dedicated group of citizens that dislike him. Someone who has caused many problems for us when it comes to public relations… and following orders." He glanced at the President. "Why was Endeavor in Hosu last night? He was there before the attack by the Nomu."
She sighed. "He wished to deal with the Hero Killer after his attack on Ingenium."
"Ingenium… now that is a hero we should be shifting into the Top 10. Good with the people, a quirk that can have some destructive issues but he has trained well, but most importantly he LISTENS. A good Number 2 or 3 to go along with Hawks and Star Might." The President didn't deny that comment about Star Might… already there were people wondering where she would fall in the Top 10, especially for her actions during the Nomu attack. While she hadn't been as flashy as some heroes the great number of lives she had saved had many reporters wagging their tongues. "Endeavor… you were foolish to allow him to rise as high as he has." Thrawn shook his head. "He has been a millstone around your necks."
That caused Saku to bristle. "He is a great hero-"
"He is an arrogant buffoon," Thrawn said, cutting Saku off. "A blunderer who thinks only of his status. A Hero… a true Hero… cares about stability. That is what we all want, is it not? What we do here?"
The President slowly nodded her head. "Endeavor has been a loose cannon but like All Might he is too popular for us to get rid of."
"Of the two of them All Might is the lesser of two evils. All Might seeks to help people. We can't control him but we can at least predict his actions. But Endeavor must be dealt with and this incident has given us the way to do just that." Thrawn looked at the two of them coolly. "You claim that he is untouchable because of his popularity. How long will his popularity remain now that he can no longer be a hero? The public… they are shortsighted. They forget the past quickly and only think of the now. I suppose Endeavor could earn some pity… but I doubt it very much. The man is too abrasive. No… he will lash out and that will drive away those that would remain with him during all of this. It is important that we strike while the iron is hot."
"What do you suggest then?" the President asked.
"Remove any notions of trying to pin this on the Sit Steel for one," Thrawn stated. "It will be too messy and also mean angering Nedzu. And there is the fact that his wife works for All Might. No… that is far, far too cluttered. So, what to do then? Who to blame? It is as I said: Endeavor himself. He went rogue, upset that he not only failed to surpass All Might but that Hawks is rapidly moving to supplant him. He decided to become involved in the hunt for Stain and failed to even move to deal with the Nomu. We have reports that his actions killed several people Star Might was attempting to aid, so I am sure All Might, if not speak up against Endeavor, will remain silent.
"It is a tragedy what happened to him but it should be a lesson for all heroes that it is important to follow the Hero Commission's safety guidelines, as they are there to ensure that all, civilian and hero, return home safe. Had Endeavor not believed himself to be above such things then it is entirely possible Stain would be captured. This event makes it very important that all heroes follow our guidelines, including the new ones we are putting out concerning Stain, so we might capture him. We will not have another incident like Endeavor happen again and risk other heroes' lives because one person longs for glory."
"…Stain Guidelines?" the President asked.
Thrawn nodded sharply. "Of course. The man has shown that he is a threat. Heroes are growing nervous. They aren't patrolling on their own anymore and there will be great fear in going into dangerous situations that might be traps. This will only make it worse-"
"Which is why we need to do something!" Saku exclaimed, earning a withering glare from Thrawn.
"We will." He looked at the President. "We have longed wished to implement better guidelines to keep track of heroes but have received pushback due to concerns over privacy. But now such things as 24/7 trackers? Check ins with the Commission? They will be FAR more open to such things if the mean protection."
The President slowly nodded at that. "Yes… yes, that is very true. And it will also work to get the public to began considering their surroundings… if they know a hero might be leery of entering a dark alley…" She trailed off, seeing how this could get some of their long held plans through… and also push heroes to embracing the more extreme ideas that had been discussed. The dream of Regional Governors who would act as hero wranglers, with agencies no longer being so independent? Well, Stain might be able to make that happen.
"And if it drives some of the less desirable heroes to quit?" Thrawn said. "Or… allows us to deal with some heroes that have been rather troublesome and blame Stain for their disappearances?"
"Yes… of course." The President smiled. "I believe we are in agreement." She looked at Saku who, after a moment, nodded. It was slight but it was still a nod.
"Lovely," Thrawn said with a tight smile. "Then we will work now to begin laying the groundwork, while Endeavor remains asleep. For when he awakens… the explosion will be great."
The President knew that wasn't an embellishment.