All Might hated Tartarus prison. He didn't hate the concept; a place where the absolute worst and most dangerous quirk users in society are held for the safety of everyone else. That idea was a solid one. What he hated was visiting it. There are many criminals locked away in Tartarus, but All Might was only ever called in to interrogate one. He would not speak to anyone else. And there he sat, locked in binds and chains, staring through the reinforced glass, smiling that despicable smile. A smile which always seemed to say 'I know something you don't know.'
All for One.
The age old enemy of All Might, his predecessor, and all those before, smiled on in gleeful malevolence. Despite the scar tissue, the bindings and the respiratory aides, he still looked healthier than All Might, who was a far cry from the tall, muscled symbol of peace that he once was. All Might's harrowed, gaunt, features were reminiscent of a skeleton with a very thin layer of skin strapped over it.
He just wanted this to be over. He wanted to leave All for One there to rot till the end of his days.
"I'm going to ask you again," All Might said unemotionally. He knew that any minor twitch, any display of emotion would give All for One some idea of what he was thinking or feeling, and that would be disastrous. All for One was the type of man who would set himself on fire if it would even perturb All Might. "Where is Shigaraki? Where is the League of Villains?"
"Oh All Might. You came all this way just to ask the same questions as before and expect I'll give you a different answer? Do you know what Einstein's definition of insanity is?" His voice was an amused and spiteful one. All Might grew more and more agitated at every mocking word which oozed like venom from his mouth. Even though he was behind bars, it still felt like he had all the power. It all felt like a high stakes game of poker, and All for One was the guy who liked to hide a royal flush up his sleeve. "You're old and weak now, All Might. I'm beginning to think you're showing signs of dementia. You should get that check out, along with that gaping wound in your stomach."
"It's been a long time since they last showed themselves. We'll find them sooner or later," All Might proclaimed, faking what confidence he could. "The League is tiny and fractured, they lost you and Kurogiri. Their movement is limited."
"A necessary sacrifice. One can't win a game of chess without losing a pawn or two."
"You consider yourself a pawn?"
"In the grand scheme of things? I suppose so. You're so obsessed with becoming this metaphorical shining beacon of light that it has blinded you and you can't see the consequence of your actions. More and more people are developing quirks, and they're only getting stronger. Who do you think was there to regulate the emergence of them? I have taken so many that I've forgotten most of them," he said with a ominous chuckle. "And then there are the quirks I would never use. Even now."
All Might always knew All for One had a lot of quirks, the very power over eighty percent of the people on Earth now hold, but it never really occurred to him just how many quirks one could obtain from over one thousand years of living on this planet. It was a thought All Might didn't want to think.
He must be bluffing, All Might thought to himself.
"What if there's a quirk that can emit massive quantities of Ionizing Radiation? What if there's a quirk that spreads Smallpox?"
I really hope he is bluffing, All Might thought to himself.
"Quirks will become too strong for even you at your prime to handle. And we haven't even begun to talk of those outside of Japan. Will your protege be able to carry on the legacy of One for All when the world is burned to ash? What good would heroes be then?"
Just like the times before, All Might knew he would get nothing useful from this interaction.
"This conversation is over," All Might said dismissively, as he left his seat and headed towards the door.
"This game of ours is changing. Now that I'm gone, many new players will want to take my place. The world has set their eyes on your little Hero in training. A storm is coming, All Might. Will Midoryia weather it, or will it cast him aside?" All for One called as All Might left the room, his eyeless face smiling that unnerving smile.
Even though he was out of Tartarus and away from that man, All Might couldn't help but feel uneasy. He certainly felt better now that he was out of there, but the event lingered on in his mind like an ill omen. He sat in the passenger seat of Tsukauchi's car, idly flicking away at the lock screen of his phone, trying to distract himself from the foreboding sense that sat like a lead brick in the pit of his stomach.
A storm is coming.
The bridge to Tartarus was clear of most traffic, as was the sky of most clouds; the few were there spilled over the horizon. Tsukauchi could see the concern etched on All Might's face and understood it well. Most people end up in a worse state just being near the guy, let alone having a one on one conversation with him. He thought it best to try and distract him with another important topic.
"So, I hear that it's Midoriya's graduation soon." This seemed to work as All Might snapped out of his distant thought and that old, familiar smile finally crept along his dour face.
"Yeah, that's right. A fully fledged Hero soon. He's been doing a lot of growing up, lately." All Might's mind cast itself back to when he first met Izuku Midoryia; when he was just that child with very little power, but a whole lot of heart. He looked back at the young boy's time at U.A and slipped into a nostalgic day dream.
"Any idea what agency he'll go with?"
"I assumed he'd get more training with Gran Torino. He still hasn't mastered his quirk yet, so my old tutor would be a big help to him."
"Well, do you know about that skyscraper they've built in Tokyo?"
"The one that looks like it's out of some sci-fi movie? Yeah I know it."
"I heard it becoming the HQ for some big, tech company that's moving over here. Apparently the guy who runs it used to work for David Shield."
"Really? Who?"
"Name's Ethan Wright or something."
All Might's mind shot back to his time in the U.S. He was sure he remembered a kind of apprentice who worked with David. A timid, quirkless kid with a talent for making all kinds of gizmos and gadgets.
Is that him? Is he part of David's company?
"If he's a friend of Davids," All Might announced, as the late sun attempted to radiate a face that was already beaming with excitement, "then he's a friend of mine. I'll will have to give him a big, warm welcome."