So! The last chapter had a bit of an explanation. First off, I want to say that-
Huh? What? Why did the tape stop?
H….lo?...hear….e?
*Clik…*
Ahhh… that's better…
Hello readers of Ghost… I am All For One.
So happy that you could take an interest in my daughter's story…
I am sorry to say that I must interrupt your scheduled chapter to bring you a bit of a tale from the past… after all, so many of you have wondered how Tatsumaki and I met…
)=(
Shida Tatsumaki laughed as she walked through the halls of UA with her best friend. Nezu had been rescued from a terrible place by some heroes, and brought to UA. Shida took a great interest in the animal.
"Shida… how do you know everything?"
The girl laughed. "I don't know everything Nezu."
"Sure you do! You know about every quirk! You can even tell downsides to powers by looking at a person long enough!"
"Having good senses doesn't mean I know everything. You know, I still have a bit of trouble with history, and some trouble understanding other things."
"Like what?"
"Feelings… Why am I warmer when I talk to you? Why does the air get colder when the principal storms through the hallways? Why do I shake when I smell something delicious?"
Nezu chuckled. "Shida… You're so funny."
"What? Why?"
"It's because you always gravitate to food. Every conversation we have… food comes up at least once."
Shida blushed. "Hey! It's not my fault that food is delicious! Seriously!"
A tall blonde boy ran down the hallways with a laugh, accidentally bumping into Shida.
"Whoops! Sorry!"
Nezu helped Shida up. "Toshi! You need to watch where you're going."
"Sorry!" The blonde bowed, before turning white. "Oh shit, I forgot, I gotta run."
"TOSHINORI!"
A small man zipped through the hallways, aiming a kick at the blonde. Toshinori ducked, before running away.
"SORRY GUYS! YOU KNOW HOW MR. TORINO IS!"
Shida and Nezu laughed as the teacher chased Toshinori out of the school.
"Gosh… those two are always causing a ruckus."
"Well, you know how Mr. Torino is…" Shida giggled. "But he's strangely been paying more attention to Toshinori as of late… Maybe their training for the sports festival?"
"Possibly… By the way, how do you think you'll do in the festival?" Nezu asked.
"I think I'll do pretty well… I don't know if I can make it to the leaderboard though…"
Nezu smiled. "Well, I guess we'll just have to wait and see… Now where are we going?"
"Studying." Shida said. "The library remember?"
"Ah yes!"
The two made their way to the large library in UA. Shida found an empty table and sat down. Nezu joined her. They both opened history books and began studying.
After a while, Shida groaned. "Why is the world full of meatheads?"
"What do you mean?"
"In the quirk war of xxxx Japan could have stopped the battles way quicker. Here, look. General Ukairo. He had a lightning quirk. When the Americans attempted an invasion he could have done several things that would have ended the battle in an instant. You see this picture?"
Nezu looked at the picture Shida was showing him. A man with yellow hair in a military uniform stood on a cliff, overlooking a small navy fleet. Off to one side in the water was an islet that the flagship was using as cover. The sky was dark, and judging by the general's hair, it was windy.
"Look. the flagship was over there. Japan had the home advantage. The general had a powerful lightning quirk. He could have used that to do several things."
Shida pulled out a notebook and began sketching furiously. "For one, he could have struck the islet cliff with a lightning bolt and crushed the flagship. That, in turn, coupled with a few water quirks. He could have created a whirlpool and sucked the ships in."
"That's assuming that the enemies didn't have any ways to counter the attack." Nezu pointed out.
"It wouldn't matter. The invasion was camping at that spot for a few days before landing. They were waiting for a specific date to attack. However, a spy for the Japanese informed the Japanese military of the troops. If they attacked like this, the american forces wouldn't know what hit them until it was too late."
"Hmm… You literally just nitpicked a battle that happened years ago."
Shida smiled. "Yup!"
"It's incredible how a battle could be changed with such a simple attack…"
"A chain reaction. By crushing the flagship, you confuse the troops. You also make the waters a bit more deadly for when you throw in a whirlpool."
"Something so small could do something so big…"
Shida chuckled. "See why I don't like history? Idiots… all of them."
The two began laughing harder as they discussed history. They sometimes got weird looks from other students, but they ignored them.
And so the next month passed. We find ourselves at the third year sports festival. The finalists take their place in the ring.
Shida steps up to the fighting ring. Her opponent is none other than Toshinori.
"You ready to lose?" The blonde asks with a grin.
"In your dreams." Shida replies.
In a flash, Toshinori is behind Shida. The girls eyes widen as he punches her. The force of the blow sends her flying through the air.
"SHIDA!" Nezu shouts from the stands. Shida flipped over and landed on her feet. Sliding back until she was next to the boundary line.
"That was a close one… *Cough*"
Toshinori stalked forward. "Shida… you have a weak psychic quirk… You've made it this far with your skills, but you cannot defeat me. I don't want you to get hurt, so please concede."
Shida's eyes flashed a brilliant green. "Really Toshi?"
"Shida. Please. You know that you'll be really hurt if we continue."
"Toshinori Yagi… you underestimate me…"
The blonde stepped forward, his body changing to become more muscular. "Shida. You can't fight me. Your quirk isn't powerful enough."
"WILL YOU SHUT UP?"
Toshinori stopped. Gran Torino raised his eyebrow from where he stood, monitoring the fight.
"You think… that this is all about quirks? My quirk this, your quirk that… you're obsessed!"
Toshinori scowled. "Shida, stop it-"
"You talk about how you want to be a righteous hero, to inspire others. YOU DON'T EVEN BELIEVE ANYTHING CAN TOUCH YOU!"
"You've heard of my theories on quirk evolution right?" Shida raised her hand.
Gran Torino chuckled. Silly ramblings from a schoolgirl. But then why was Nezu smiling in the stands like that?
"You know that your theories are false. You can only work with the power you've been given."
Inko's eyes flashed green again. "You need to understand something Toshinori Yagi… My theories are born from experience."
Tendrils of psychic energy began twisting around Shida.
"Wh-what is this?" Toshinori narrowed his eyes.
"And my power-" Shida's hair fanned out behind her and turned mint green. Her eyes became galaxies as power twisted around her. "Is born of feeling."
A blast of wind exploded from the schoolgirl. Toshinori barely managed to counter with a shockwave of his own.
The blonde charged his opponent and punched. His strike hit nothing. Gran Torino watched the battle with wide eyes.
'Does this mean… she was right? Has she achieved what she theorized? Quirk evolution?"
Shida whirled through the arena. She dodged punches, blocked wind blasts, summoned tornadoes, and stood toe to toe with the future symbol of peace.
'This is more than some sort of evolution… it's as if something awakened inside of her…'
Toshinori leapt in for a desperate attempt to knock Shida out. He became wrapped in a mint green light. Shida moved the boy up to meet her. Their eyes met.
"You need to understand… You are not a god Toshinori."
The blonde was hurled out of the ring. A sonic boom shook the arena. Shida landed in the fighting ring and rose her fist. Before clutching her head and stumbling out of the view of the spectators.
Nezu found her in the hallway. Her eyes hadn't changed back completely. They were still vibrant green. You could see the matrix of energy swirling behind them.
"Are you okay?"
Shida nodded. "Yeah… just needed some water. Doing that gave me a migraine."
"Shida Tatsumaki! We need to talk."
The principal walked down the hallways towards Shida. "What did you take?"
"Excuse me?"
"I want whatever you took NOW! A person like you couldn't beat Toshinori."
"That's quite enough." Gran Torino appeared at Shida's side. "Shida… I apologize for the principals accusation. Sir, you have no grounds to base an accusation like this on. I suggest you carry on with your day."
The principal grumbled. "Fine… but Shida has to withdraw from the competition."
"What?" Shida gritted her teeth. "How dare you say-"
"Either withdraw from the competition, or withdraw from the hero course."
Shida gritted her teeth. "Fine. Come on Nezu. I'm sure we have better things to do than waste the principals time."
The girl took Nezu by the paw and stormed out of the arena. Gran Torino glared at the old principal.
"Why did you do that?"
"She needs to know her place. A person with a weak quirk isn't suited to become a hero."
)=(
Shida stood next to Nezu, both wore graduation caps and gowns. Toshinori was given his pro hero licence in front of everyone.
"Young heroes, go out and spread hope throughout the world!"
Everybody cheered, minus Shida. Nezu noticed her staring daggers at the principal. If looks could kill, he would be unrecognizable.
"Hey… you okay?"
Shida looked at the animal beside her. "I'm fine. You don't need to worry about me!"
Nezu nodded. "Okay… just making sure… You have any plans for next week?"
"That's the last week before you head overseas right?"
Nezu nodded. "I'm going to study more… and then become the principal here."
Shida looked at the animal. "You want to be the principal?"
"I want to make sure that the world improves, what better way than watching over future generations?"
Shida nodded. "Okay… I guess I'd be able to deal with the school if you watch over it."
"So are you free?"
Shida tapped her foot on the ground. "Unfortunately… I don't think I am… but I can try to make room okay?"
Nezu nodded. Shida gave him a hug. "If I can't make it, remember that I've always got your back."
The girl planted a kiss on Nezu's cheek, before pulling out a bag and reaching in to grab something.
"What is that?"
Inko pulled out a small silver charm that was shaped to look like her.
"It's a little good luck charm that I made of me… just for you! I made one of you that I can hold on to!"
Shida reached under her neck and showed Nezu a small necklace. A silver shape of Nezu holding up one paw dangled from a silver necklace.
The animal took the charm in his paw and held it close to his chest. "Thank you Shida…"
"No Nezu." Shida smiled. "Thank you."
)=(
Shida crumpled up the paper in her hands. A diploma… she received a diploma. Not a license.
Everybody else received a license with their hero diploma, not Shida. The girl picked up the note that was clipped on.
-Dear Shida Tatsumaki,
We regret to inform you that you are not eligible to receive a hero license, due to use of substances in your highschool career. We hope you understand, and will allow you to take a licensing exam in ten years time.
Sincerely, The Hero Licensing Committee of UA High.-
Shida clenched her fist. The paper smoked, before bursting into flames.
"Worthless… Every one of them…"
Shida changed into black leggings and a black skirt. A white button up and a green scarf, as well as black shoes completed the look.
It was midnight. Shida didn't care. She had spent the day celebrating everybody else while the principal relegated her to nothing.
A hero diploma doesn't help you get other jobs. She had been conned.
Shida stormed out of her apartment angrily. Toshinori tiredly walked home, and saw her leave. He lived in the apartment across from her.
"Hey Shida… You okay?"
The girl didn't answer. She just left. Toshinori walked up to her apartment and took a look inside.
Any furniture that hadn't been destroyed was overturned. Papers were everywhere. Shida's diploma was stuck to the wall by way of a kitchen knife. Toshinori's eyes went wide as he looked at the note left with the diploma.
"Oh shit."
The blonde pulled out a flip phone and dialed Gran Torino.
"Sir… It's Shida. The principal fucked her over."
)=(
Shida sat on a black iron bench in Musutafu. It was raining, she was getting soaked, but she didn't care.
The small playground in front of her was empty. No children in the middle of the night. No teenagers either. Just her. Just Shida.
The girl sat quietly as tears dripped down her face. The rain masked her tears to everyone but a man in a suit, who was walking by slowly.
The man sat down next to Shida. "Tell me, why are you crying?"
Shida stopped and turned slowly, looking at the man sitting next to her. He was young. His looks belonged to one who was no more than twenty five. He had hair that was the same white as the moon. His eyes were grey. The same grey as an empty void.
"H-how did y-you know th-that I'm c-crying?" Shida stuttered.
"Ah, that's simple my dear. It's one of my quirks."
"Quirks?"
The man chuckled and showed the girl his hand. In the center of his palm was a small hole. "My quirk allows me to give and take quirks freely. One of the quirks in my possession allows me to sense the feelings of those around me."
Inko looked at his hand in awe. "How does it work?"
The man took her hand in his. "I can take a quirk by touching someone."
Inko felt her quirk leave her. Her eyes kept their galaxy like appearance however. She motioned to a rock on the sidewalk. Nothing happened.
"That's… Incredible…"
The man was taken aback by that statement. Normally, people would refer to his power as villainous. He took the woman's hand and gave her quirk back.
"How many quirks do you have right now?"
The man smiled. "Roughly fifty…"
"Incredible… How did you get them? Nobody would be willing to part with their power…"
"You're right… which is why you don't want to know how I obtained these powers."
Inko looked at the man. "Have you killed people before?"
"Sometimes."
"Then you're a villain…"
The man chuckled. "I suppose I am…"
"Is it a side effect of your quirk? Do you hunger for these super powers?"
The man gave Shida an incredulous look. "How did you know?"
"You hesitated before giving my quirk back… And you seemed to get a little shaky as you gave it back. It's like you were hypoglycemic."
The man whistled. "You noticed all of that?"
Shida nodded. "I notice a lot of things that others don't… For example. Your pinky finger on your left hand twitches every so often. It's a side effect of a quirk you have, possibly an emitter, but it's not emitting any energies, nor am I detecting any with my quirk. It's puzzling."
The man burst out laughing. "Wow! You're pretty smart! The twitch is a side effect from a specific mental quirk. The constant stimulation results in a few nervous tic's. The main one is my finger."
Shida looked deep into the man's eyes. "So then… if you hunger for quirks… why did you give mine back?"
The man remained silent, before turning away. "It's… because you didn't call it villainous…"
"I called you a villain…"
"But you didn't freak out when I took your power… you didn't scream at me… you were in awe…"
Shida looked at her hand. "You… hear that a lot, don't you…"
"Yes… I do…"
The two sat in silence for a while. Shida cleared her throat. "I'm the same way…"
"How so?"
"I have all of these theories in my head. Yet nobody pays attention to them… I get called a fool a lot. I've also been called an idiot, a child…"
The man in the suit chuckled. "Then I guess we do have that in common…"
Shida nodded. The two sat in silence yet again.
"So… why are you crying?"
Shida looked at the man next to her. "The principal of UA conned me… I graduated today, but I'm unable to receive a hero license due to false accusations of using illegal substances. I have a diploma… but a hero diploma is only good for becoming a hero…"
The man nodded. "Interesting… would you like a job?"
Shida looked at the man. "A job? But aren't you-"
"Don't worry. I won't ask you to kill anybody. I just want to ask if you'd become my research partner?"
Shida felt tears brimming in her eyes again. "You… want me to be… your partner?"
The man nodded. "I think that you can help me quite a bit, and in return, I can help you. What do you say?"
Shida grabbed the man's hand and smiled. "Yes… I'd love to!"
"Good… What is your name?"
"My name is Shida Tatsumaki. What's your name?"
"My name is Hisashi Shigaraki."
)=(
So now you know… Inko-... Shida had, well. She had some rough spots in her life. It was a blessing meeting her. The years that we were together were the nicest in my life…
I hope that they were the nicest in hers as well…
*Clik...*
...lo?...any… there?...
Hello?
Oh good! We're back! I don't know what that was. Maybe just a glitch in the recordings… I'll work on figuring it out. Until next time!
Sushui Out!
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