Tomura's taken a bold step. He planned it well. It was a remarkably carefully thought out plan for him. The investigation went unnoticed. The Eight Precepts didn't notice but then we were allies.

Their drug rests on very fragile foundations. A single quirk user. Tomura was pleased when Toga brought him that information. It's a simple equation. No girl, no anti-quirk bullets. They sound useful in theory but anti-quirk bullets are a double edged sword. They can just as easily be used against you as for you, especially if mass produced.

If the Eight Precepts were going to use them for sniper strikes, Tomura probably wouldn't have cared. The mass production just has too many risks, and even he could see that.

The Yakuza are one type of villain. They are long established, and while they like to pretend they are lawless, they have their own internal rules. The League is different. We are true villains. We will do whatever it takes to get the job done.

Overhaul found that out the hard way.

Tomura only used the most dedicated of Vanguard Action Squad. Not those who were following in Stain's footsteps, those who were truly committed. The strike was simple and fast. Two pronged. One for the stockpile, one for the source.

Both were successful. That's not to say there isn't a few anti-quirk bullets out there. There must be and Overhaul will be saving them for us. It means war but the League had been at war for far longer than the Eight Precepts. They'll learn what that means soon enough, especially with Vanguard Action Squad gunning for them now. All of them. Those who pretend they follow Stain's teachings are more than willing to take out traditional bad guys. It's practically a public service, even if they are villains.

The logic of some escapes me at times but Sensei always pointed out that results matter, not the twisted logic that gets you there. Maybe that's why Tomura is beginning to understand.

-afop-

It was odd to find the new bar mostly empty. Kurogiri was enjoying the quiet. Tomura was present but he was silent. He'd say he was thinking but there was only so much one could think. When Dabi appeared, it was a surprise. He was meant to be training with Vanguard Action Squad.

"I've got a way of taking out Endeavor," he announced, staring at Tomura.

The hand covered face shifted slightly. It was difficult to see Tomura's eyes between the fingers but he was clearly interested.

"You do?" Kurogiri asked for him.

The fire villain didn't take his eyes off Tomura. "I do," he confirmed, "but it will require Kakurete's support."

There was silence in the bar. "Kakurete?" Tomura asked. It was a good attempt. There was enough confusion in his tone to raise questions, to pretend he didn't know who Kakurete was. It wasn't enough.

Kurogiri could tell Dabi wasn't going to be distracted. The villain said nothing but neither did he drop his eyes.

"A way of taking out Endeavor?" Tomura eventually asked.

Dabi smiled gently. "Foolproof."

"I doubt that," Kurogiri said. Sensei liked to say that no plan was ever foolproof, not even the plans he made.

The fire villain had the good taste to nod. "If he's not dead, then his reputation will be ruined."

Tomura scratched at his neck. "And what is this plan?" He'd learned to listen to plans before his dismissed them. That was something.

"I never cared about All Might," Dabi said. "I've always wanted to take out Endeavor. You could say Endeavor is the reason I'm a villain," Dabi continued, with a self deprecating smile. "But while this plan might kill him, I'm hoping it doesn't. Death is too quick, too easy, the destruction of his reputation, that will cause him true pain, but to do that, I need Kakurete."

"And what do you need dear Imoku to do?" Tomura asked.

His question answered Dabi's unspoken question. The League did know Representative Kakurete.

Dabi smiled. "Advertise. His reputation will do the rest."

It wasn't the answer Kurogiri was expecting. It wasn't the answer Tomura was expecting either. The Leader of the League, reached up and scratched at his neck. "It will not tie back to us?" He asked.

"Not in a way that is dangerous," Dabi admitted.

Tomura reached out, and tapped his fingers over the table in front of him. "I think I'll let Imoku be the judge of that."

Kurogiri was surprised. He didn't think Tomura would ever say something like that. It just proved that he was learning.

"You'll go with Toga this week and tell him."

Dabi's grinned widened. It was something feral.

-afop-

Izuku agreed with Dabi's plan, after a few modifications. Surprisingly the kid also agreed that death was too good for Endeavor. He sent a note to Tomura via Toga to tell him that destroying the Number One Hero's reputation would do more damage in the long run. I suspect it plays into Izuku's plans, not necessarily Tomura's plans but we are working towards the same goal, so forwarding one plan is forwarding them all.

Killing Endeavor would prove to the world that the League is still there, but he'd just be replaced. He's not All Might. It wouldn't be the blow killing the former Symbol of Peace would have had. Tomura knows that.

But destroying Endeavor's reputation, no matter how that is achieved, will rock society and that will help our cause. Hero society was very careful to portray All Might's reveal as a victory. He went out (into retirement) by taking out one of the most dangerous villains the world has ever known. They spun it as a glorious end. They had too because everyone knew Endeavor was a poor replacement. That has sown some doubt, taking down Endeavor will sow more. And the more people doubt heroes, the better it is for us.

Society relies on a certain amount of trust. People trust that their government is doing its best for them. They trust that heroes are doing their best. If that trust falters... it is a delicate balance between social order and chaos. I would say that hero society has become weak. It had become complacent because for a long time the balance has been towards them.

It's time to shift the weight.

-afop-

The first indication that something happened came when the news channel broke to a new story. Around the new bar, there were several beeps from phones. The tones indicated that it was a news update rather than a text or something else. Just because they were villains didn't mean that they did not follow the news. In fact some of them were far more informed than a regular hero about the goings on in the world. Several of the gathered villains reached to their phone to see what the commotion was. Others started at the TV.

Kurogiri caught the words 'Breaking News' as he cleaned a glass. He turned slightly and felt his eyes widen.

On the screen was a picture of Endeavor and the scrolling bar underneath was... proclaiming that the Villain Dabi, associated with the League of Villains was really Touya Todoroki, Endeavor's supposedly institutionalised son.

"What?" Tomura demanded. Dabi wasn't present. He'd gone out earlier saying that today was the day he'd organised with Imoku.

Most of the villains put their phones down as they looked at the TV.

"We're going to a live interview now," the announcer was saying. The view on the screen changed.

Dabi was there. His blue eyes were piercing under the studio lights. His usual jacket and t-shirt had been discarded and he was dressed in a blue changshan. It brought out his eyes and highlighted the burnt skin covering him. He looked good in it. "Thank you for having me," Dabi said to the interviewer.

Kurogiri vaguely recognised the woman but couldn't put a name to her face. She was an investigative reporter who usually focused on politics. She was known for her hard hitting exposes on scandals politicians would far rather be forgotten. That explained Imoku's involvement. He'd probably been able to contact her on Dabi's behalf and then discreetly arrange the tests required to prove he was Touya Todoroki.

"I guess the first thing I have to ask is the thing everyone wants to know," the woman was saying intently. "You are the first born son of the Number One Hero Endeavor and his wife but you are an acknowledged part of the League of Villains, so how did that happen?"

Dabi smiled and held up his hands. There was a cuff on each wrist. Quirk suppression. Had he given himself up or was that a term of the interview? Kurogiri didn't know. Only Imoku would but he wasn't here.

"It's not a nice story, Kazue."

She looked sympathetic. "Just take your time," she encouraged but didn't relent on the question.

Dabi sighed theatrically. "I guess it starts with my mother," he said with a soft smile.

Kurogiri would have watched more but his phone rang. It was on silent so he felt the vibrations. He pulled it out of his misty form and looked down at the screen. The number was one didn't recognise. Cautiously he answered.

"Kurogiri."

He recognised the voice. Imoku. Unseen Kurogiri worried one lip.

"Dabi's coordinates are 35,51,13.60 139,38,27.26 at an elevation of 10.4 m."

Kurogiri felt his eyes widen even as he committed the coordinates to memory. "You set this up?" He couldn't help the question.

There was a moment of silence to his question. "Death is... quick," Imoku explained. "This will reverberate further. Pick him up whenever you think he's said enough."

The line went dead. The mist villain didn't bother to save the number. Imoku wouldn't have used any phone that could be traced to him.

Instead he looked back to the screen. Tomura was glaring at it.

Kurogiri listened to what Dabi was saying. "... perfect child, one with both quirks so that he could train them to defeat All Might."

"Defeat All Might?" Kazue seemed surprised.

"Not in combat," Dabi was quick to reassure her. "To become the next Number One Hero. And Endeavor was prepared to do whatever it took to get that. All you need to do is look at the birth dates of my siblings. We are all born about 5 years apart. When Fuyumi didn't show both quirks, he got my mother pregnant again with me. When I didn't have both quirks, he sired Natsuo and when he didn't have both quirks either, Shouto, who finally has both quirks."

Kazue Matsushita did a good job of looking outraged. Kurogiri could tell the feeling was real but at the same time he knew she would also be happy. This was one hell of a story.

"And how do you feel about that?" Kazue asked.

"Once it was known I didn't have both quirks, once it was known any of us didn't have them, we were abandoned. Oh, not cut off, and not kicked out of the house. That would destroy father's oh so carefully built reputation but he ignored us. So how do I feel about that? I feel sorry for my little brother Shouto. He's had to put up with dad's abuse for all his life."

"Abuse?" That was a strong term.

"Abuse," Dabi insisted and his eyes flashed despite the quirk suppression bracelets. "What else do you call training until you can't move, until you throw up? What do you call verbal attacks, and physical attacks all designed to try to make you into something that can take the number one hero position? Your entire life planned by him? That's why I'm meant to be in some institution." The smile Dabi gave wasn't pleasant. He gestured to himself, pulling up one sleeve to reveal that the burns went all the way up his arms. "Not all of these are self inflicted."

Kazue gasped when she understood the meaning of that. "He burned you?"

"Every day until the day he decided I'd never get Mother's precious Ice quirk. Though I have to admit, not all of the burns are his. They are the reason I was in that institution. I wanted to get away. I wanted to get away so badly I'd take any opportunity. And thankfully for me, I have one built in. I set myself on fire."

Kazue looked sick. Dabi looked detached.

"Fuyumi put me out and saw that I got to the hospital but then he decided that he didn't want anything come out, so instead of coming home, I was shuttled off to the institution. He never once visited me. He never once allowed Mother to visit me either. Fuyumi tried but he controls her too."

"Those are some very serious allegations but surely you know with your status, any evidence you provide would be discounted?" It was a dangerous question but it was one that spoke to the truth of the world. A villain's word, even when speaking the truth, was worth less than a hero's.

Dabi chuckled. "That's the beauty of it. I don't have to testify against him. With the exception of self immolation, everything he did to me, he did to my siblings, including Shouto. I know the word of a villain isn't to be trusted, and even if I showed up to testify, I'd be arrested but I don't need to. I've opened the door. You have the blood tests to prove that I'm Touya Todoroki and villain or not, with my three siblings able to corroborate the facts, that's enough."

Kazue looked surprised for a moment before she nodded. She'd probably not thought of that. "If your Father was found guilty of things, would you give up being a villain?"

"No," Dabi's response was instantaneous. "The world has forgotten what the word Hero truly means. Now it's a title assigned to any punk with a strong enough quirk, and thus, there are too few true heroes in the world. I want to change that, and to do that, the false heroes have to be weeded out."

Off set there was a noise and some shouting. The police and Heroes had finally tracked down the interview site.

"You can't come in here!" The shout was heard.

"Dabi!"

Dabi looked off to the side for a moment before he smiled. "That's my cue."

Kurogiri knew what that meant. He expanded, opened the warp gate. On the screen a swirl of darkness appeared behind Dabi, and the Leader of the Vanguard Action Squad stood and stepped around the chair. Kazue just watched. At least she knew better than to interfere.

Dabi nodded his head to her as a salute before he stepped into the swirling black and it disappeared the moment a hero leapt into the shot.

In the bar, all eyes turned to Kurogiri, who gestured and the portal opened for Dabi to step through. He looked around, his eyes glittering before he bowed to them all. "And that dear League, is how you take down the Number One Hero," he said happily..

-afop-

It's been a few weeks since Dabi gave that interview. Tomura was angry in the aftermath. He remained angry until he saw the next Pro-Hero ranking list. Endeavor was down to five. The official rankings are published once a year, but updates are available every month and there is reason to believe that Endeavor will fall further. The issue just hasn't gone away. There is a lot of speculation in public about what it means to be a hero. There is a lot of scrutiny on heroes. Every aspect of Endeavor's life has been picked at and pulled apart.

I don't know if there is a case being built against him. I suspect there is.

Imoku has been quiet. Tomura demanded he come to the bar and after some wrangling he did. There was nothing really to say though. Dabi's actions fitted more into one of Imoku's plans but politics doesn't give fast results, not like Tomura's attacks but politics generally gives a more lasting outcome. It's a balance and both are needed. Imoku took Tomura aside and spoke to him privately for a while. It looked odd. Imoku was dressed in a suit, Tomura in his usual t-shirt. It almost looked as if a respectable father was telling off his wayward child. Yet, Tomura seemed happier after their discussion. I expect Imoku had to explain a few things to Shigaraki but it appears to have worked.

In the meantime, those Sensei saved have been making another Noumu. A stronger one. It is nearly ready to be unleashed. Tomura radiates a sense of childish glee every time he talks about it. Now is the time to use it, with the world already reeling, with the seeds of doubt already sown, now is not the time to hold back.

-afop-

"What the hell is this?" Representative Masami asked. She was more than exasperated. She was horrified.

"Proof that the system has failed," one of her colleagues answered immediately.

Usually Masami wouldn't be part of such a group. She was still in her first term but given that she had been instrumental in bringing Imoku Kakurete's proposal through the party and seeing it brought into law, she was now involved in this party room meeting.

They were reviewing the evidence against Endeavor, which included interviews with three of his children. The fourth child, Touya had given an all too public interview but it was not considered evidence. But everything Touya had alluded to was confirmed by Endeavor's other children, though the youngest, Shouto had been reluctant to speak. She could understand that. This was not going to be easy for him.

"Maybe not failed but it needs an overhaul," one of the other's said before he fixed Masami with one eye. "Do you believe Imoku might have anything ready?"

They could write a proposal but why bother if an independent had already done it? It wasn't like the independent Imoku could get his policy through without their help anyway. And Imoku knew it. It was actually nice working with an independent who wasn't arrogant, though they were all waiting for something. Independents always had one issue they refused to be pushed on. It was just a matter of finding it.

Masami looked confused for a moment before she nodded. "Probably," she admitted. "He had that other bill ready."

"And the sales pitch for it," someone else grumbled.

There was a moment where they wondered if they were being played. In the early days of quirks, that possibility had been guarded against. All Representatives were routinely checked for signs of quirk control. Imoku could not be using any quirk on them. But it was possible he was simply playing a political game. Except, they all stuck on the fact that Imoku was independent. He simply couldn't progress further in politics unless he had a party's support. And even if he created his own party... it would just be a fringe one. It was unlikely that he could climb to the top.

"Is there any chance Imoku would join us?"

"Join us?" Masami asked.

"Join the party," came the clarification.

Masami considered it. "Maybe," she said slowly, "but let's face it, he has his own agenda."

"Which is not necessarily a bad one."

That was true. Public approval in the wake of the HMBH (Heroes Must Be Heroes) bill had been high. The Party had benefited from implementing it. "With what's come out about Endeavor the public is calling for us to make sure that Shouto doesn't become a villain. So maybe that's the easiest thing. We extend the HMBH bill. Instead of just targeting incoming students, it should cover those already in training."

"It wouldn't take much to amend it," Masami admitted. Imoku's proposal had been written very carefully. "But why not just extend it to cover Heroes as well?" She asked.

"Because the public isn't ready for that." A new voice broke in on their conversation.

Masami looked up. "Imoku!" she exclaimed.

The others looked slightly suspicious before Imoku smiled at them. "Sorry to intrude," he said gently with a bow.