Alone: an MHA spin off

The Growing Storm

It was still early morning when the news hit.

Every major outlet, every hero agency, every media station across the country was buzzing with one story: the destruction of the isolated hero training facility. Within hours of the attack, the entire facility had been reduced to rubble—no casualties, but the damage was staggering. Critical equipment had been destroyed, and half of their defensive systems had been compromised. The heroes, though unharmed, were shaken.

The destruction was attributed to an unknown group, but one thing was clear—the violence was intentional. The targets were strategic. Someone was sending a message.

The heroes had no idea who, but the **League of Villains** had already made its presence known. And the world wasn’t ready.

---

Back at their hideout, the warehouse was quiet—too quiet. Shigaraki paced restlessly, his fingers idly tapping the edge of a rusted metal chair. His grin was back, wide and manic, but something else simmered beneath the surface. He had been expecting retaliation, but the speed and brutality of the attack had exceeded even his expectations.

Next to him, Hana sat cross-legged on a makeshift couch, flipping through a pile of old, tattered magazines. She hadn’t spoken much since the mission. In fact, it had been hours since she said anything at all, her eyes fixed on the pages in front of her, but her mind was elsewhere.

It was strange, though. Hana had always been quiet, but tonight there was something different. Something deeper behind her gaze. Shigaraki noticed it, but he didn’t press her. He was too caught up in his own thoughts.

A voice broke the silence.

"Tomura."

It was *Kurogiri*, his voice smooth and cold as ever, as he stepped into the room, a briefcase in hand. He didn’t need to say much—he never did—but his presence alone brought a strange stillness to the air.

"What is it?" Shigaraki asked, his tone barely masking the irritation he was feeling. Kurogiri wasn’t known for delivering good news.

Kurogiri opened the briefcase, revealing a stack of photographs. He spread them across the table with a deliberate motion, each one carefully placed. The first showed the aftermath of the attack—rubble, scattered debris, and the burning remains of a building. Nothing unusual. But the second picture caught Shigaraki’s attention immediately.

A close-up shot of a hero-in-training, one of the students who had been inside the facility when it was attacked. The young hero’s face was now plastered across the media, his wide, terrified eyes filling every screen.

“That’s… Ikari Yuuto,” Kurogiri explained. “He’s been identified as one of the trainees. He’s the son of a prominent hero—a rising star in the pro-hero community.”

Shigaraki’s eyes narrowed. *Ikari Yuuto.* A name that would draw attention.

“Why are we looking at him?” Hana’s voice cut through the tension, still soft, but tinged with an edge Shigaraki couldn’t ignore.

Kurogiri was quick to respond, his voice steady. "His father is a well-known public figure. *High-profile*, even. This could complicate things."

Shigaraki leaned in closer, studying the photo of the terrified student. His grin, though still present, grew darker. "It’s perfect."

"But if he’s a hero’s son…" Kurogiri began, his voice cautious.

"Exactly," Shigaraki interrupted, his eyes gleaming with something dark and calculating. "A perfect pawn. We hit a nerve. The heroes will respond, and they'll bring the full force of their resources against us."