Chapter 99 (Vigilantes)

Phases (フェイズ) is the ninety-ninth chapter of Hideyuki Furuhashi and Betten Court's My Hero Academia: Vigilantes.

Summary
The illusion of O’Clock discusses with Number 6 about their multi-phase plan known as “Operation Anonymous”, the first being the electromagnetic pulse which shut off power and communications all throughout Naruhata, forcing everyone to become disorientated. The second phase is to block off the roads with a series of accidents, with O’Clock reminding Number 6 to avoid flashy pileups and just to limit the traffic, which the mindless drones 6 is controlling accomplish by disrupting the cars and trucks. Ingenium passes by noticing the traffic jams, and knowing it can’t be a coincidence that the power and communications are also down at this time.

The third phase is to cause trouble throughout Naruhata, once again through just minor aggressions, which the drones proceed to do by destroying windows, vandalizing property, and more, all with the purpose of creating a sense of unease amongst the public, leading them to become paranoid with each other and thus unable to easily cooperate. Thinking about this slice of society being “divided” reminds 6 about Eraser Head and Koichi’s current squabble, glad that it gets them out of the way.

Eraser Head calls out to Koichi telling him that something’s wrong, which Koichi is also aware of, but still trying to keep his distance so Eraser can’t catch him. A civilian riding a scooter notices the chase above and ends up getting into an accident, forcing Koichi and Eraser Head to intervene, stopping the scooter from hitting others and saving the civilian. Number 6 is annoyed about them starting to get on the same page, but O’Clock reassures him that they can’t derail their plans.

Koichi is approached by a group of civilians asking him what is going on regarding the power, which he tells them he’s unsure about too. They turn to Eraser Head for help next, reminding the civilians Koichi isn’t actually a “Hero”, and saying they should lie low for now, only to receive backlash for the trepid response.

Best Jeanist, Edgeshot, and Ingenium soon arrive to their location, with Jeanist and Edgeshot creating a make-shift string phone to communicate with the public. While they say they are still looking into the situation, they reassure the public not to worry and that they are there for them, which they cheer on.

O’Clock notes that All Might hasn’t arrived, which Number 6 adds is that he is the only true Hero and whatever the lesser Heroes attempt to do will not amount to much. At the same time, Naomasa Tsukauchi tries to figure out what’s going on, recognizing all this as a coordinated attack, and thinks about how to contact the head office. A police officer approaches him regarding the status of the hospital wing, all the while the mindless drones watch over in the shadows, with 6 pointing out that All Might will never deploy for an unseen threat.

Chapter Notes

 * Number 6 executes "Operation Anonymous": a plan to covertly spread discourse amongst Naruhata, leading the Heroes, police, and civilians unable to cooperate long enough for him to attack the hospital, all the while keeping damage low enough to avoid an appearance from All Might.
 * Koichi and Eraser Head, alongside the other Pro Heroes, temporarily cease fire on their chase to work together to try and resolve the issue.