Chapter 34

A stunned silence hung in the air, broken only by the sounds of agony coming from Uraraka's convulsing body. The harsh lights of Ken's office drove away the darkness that had engulfed Deku for the last few hours, yet the brightness was somehow more menacing than the shadows. He stared wide-eyed at the wicked grin on Ken's face, still processing his ultimatum.

"You want me to give you One For All?" Izuku asked, dumbfounded. Ken nodded slightly in reply, maintaining his grip on the back of Uraraka's neck. "Ken, you don't know what you're asking-"

"Oh, I know plenty. You did an excellent job filling in the blanks during your interviews yesterday," Ken replied. "A Quirk nine generations in the making, passed down and enhanced with each successor. It's power has grown to a point where only a select few can wield it effectively, and those with preexisting Quirks are doomed to a shortened lifespan due to its effects. Does that about sum it up?"

"And you're willing to take those risks?!" Deku couldn't believe what he was hearing. "You're willing to throw your life away on the off-chance that you can somehow control that power?!"

"Of course not! What, do you take me for a fool?" Ken's glare seemed genuinely offended. "As fragile as my Quirk has made me, I couldn't hope to actually use One For All. The broken bones you amassed in your early days was proof enough of that. No, I just want to hold on to it- nurture it and prepare it for someone more worthy than you."

Deku raised an incredulous eyebrow. "I thought you said you weren't going to be relying on others anymore."

"I'm not," Ken replied, a devilish twinkle in his eye. "I'll get to choose who receives the power and shape them into the perfect vessel for my knowledge and ideals. And I'll be there to do it again, and again, and again."

"I'm prepared to do whatever is necessary to make sure my legacy never fades." Ken's words from earlier put a pit in Deku's stomach as he realized what this was really about. "The vestiges . . ."

"Ah, now you're catching on!" Ken smiled. "I've been facing the inevitability of death for years. So what if One For All speeds up that process? It's a small price to pay for immortality. My wisdom and guidance will live on in my successors. Each generation will have its own Symbol of Peace, meticulously crafted to provide the world with exactly what it needs, and I'll be there every step of the way."

"You're insane!" Izuku cried out.

"I'm a visionary, and I'm willing to do whatever it takes to make that vision a reality. So, one last time . . ." Ken flicked his wrist once again, causing Uraraka to scream out in torment. ". . . give me One For All."

"Leave her out of this! I'm begging you!" Deku pleaded, panicked tears stinging his eyes.

"Her fate is in your hands now, Midoriya! So which will it be: clinging to your power, or saving her life? The clock's ticking!"

Deku grit his teeth, leaning forward as far as his restraints would allow. Now more than ever, he wanted to break free and turn the tables on Ken, but to what end? The building would collapse, destroying the lives of everyone below, but even before that, Uraraka would be dead, a victim of Ken's obsession. He's got me backed into a corner. Whether I trust him or not, it seems like the only chance I have to save Uraraka is to give him what he wants . . . but One For All? This sacred power entrusted to me, in the hands of a lunatic like him? Is that worth the risk? Would she even want me to make that trade? Deku hung his head, eyes clenched shut in conflicted thought. What am I supposed to do?!

"Focus on doing the next right thing," Melissa's advice from what seemed like ages ago came to mind.

But what is that?! I might be able to save Uraraka, but I'd also be giving a madman ultimate power! If All Might were in my position, what would he do?

"Think for yourself," All Might's echo reprimanded him.

Izuku took a deep breath and tried to calm the storm of confusion in his mind. What should I do?

"Look, I'm not going to pretend that I know the type of pressure you have on you," Kaminari's quiet encouragement arose to answer his question, "but even if the weight of the whole world is on your shoulders, you don't have to let it crush you. Just focus on what matters most, do what seems right, and make sure that you can live with your decisions."

"You were always right there to help whenever anyone needed you," his mom had told him earlier that afternoon.

"Be the hero that Toshinori saw in you." He could almost see Gran Torino's encouraging smile in his mind.

"You're going to be that type of hero," Uraraka had said, "and I'm going to do whatever it takes to help you achieve that goal." As her words drifted through his thoughts, her reassuring smile began to take shape in his mind's eye. "We've been helping each other since Day 1, Deku. I'm not about to stop now."

"You made a conscious decision that, no matter what happens to anything else, you don't want to lose this one." Konju's assessment of Deku's ties to Uraraka echoed through his mind as her encouraging grin filled his thoughts. "Once you've prioritized what matters most to you . . ." Deku's eyes shot open, the vision of Uraraka's smiling face instantly replaced by the reality of her terrified agony. ". . . the path forward will be much clearer."

"Alright, Ken," Izuku said with defeated resolve. "You win."

"I'm sorry, what was that?" He cupped his free hand to his ear and smirked. "You'll have to speak up; your friend is making an awful racket."

"I'll give you what you want!" This time, he made sure he could be heard as he locked eyes with the glassy monster. "I'll give you One For All."

"How's it coming, Aegis?" Denki asked as he used his sharpshooting to provide cover fire for the tiny video-conference cubicle just off the main lobby.

"Still working on it!" Melissa's voice called out from the tiny drone sitting on the desk. An ethernet cable connected the piece of tech to the building's internal network. "I'm in the system, but these security protocols are no joke. Just buy me some more time!"

"We'll do our best!" Kyoka said as she created a Heartbeat Wall to slow down the oncoming attackers. She stole a glance at her husband, and saw that her concerns were valid. It was subtle, but his eyes were growing less and less focused, signalling that the constant usage of his Quirk was driving him closer toward his wattage limit. "Not sure how much longer Chargebolt can keep this up, though."

"What are you talking about?" he retorted with a smirk, stunning another assailant. "I'm yay-okay!"

Before Kyoka had time to express her doubts, a large crash drew their attention toward the hulking figure of a rogue Hero charging toward them, Kaminari took a shot at him, but he continued unabated, breaking straight through Kyoka's barrier. Just before he reached the two heroes, he collapsed into a screaming heap on the ground, eyes wide with terror.

"Sweet dreams, big guy," Yumei's voice said in Kyoka's ear. She turned to see the drone hovering over the cubicle with its camera pointed toward the battle.

"Hey!" Kyoka yelled. "Keep your eyes on the skies! You've got a baby on board!"

"Sorry! Just trying to help!"

Kyoka sighed and looked at her rapidly deteriorating partner. "Do you have a problem with it?" All she got in response was a goofy smile and a thumbs up. "I guess I could use the help- but only until Aegis cracks the system!"

"Don't need to tell me twice!" she replied enthusiastically as another one of Ken's heroes crumpled in fear. Kyoka couldn't help but smile at the girl's enthusiastic turn from villain to hero, a smile that was short-lived as Bakugo landed nearby, blasting several would-be attackers into a wall on the opposite side of the building.

"Aegis, any word from Uravity?"

"Nothing since she made it to the top floor. Ken must be blocking transmissions in and out of the office."

"Then wipe that stupid grin off your face and get me an update, Earphone Jack!" he snarled.

Kyoka didn't argue, shooting her jacks into the floor and focusing intently. She quickly filtered out the noise of the surrounding battle, trying to isolate the sound waves originating from the top of the building. As the noise came into focus, Kyoka froze, her eyes growing wide with concern. Of the three people she was getting a read on, only one had normal vitals. The second was in a state of high stress, and the third . . . What's going on up there?

Deku watched out of the corner of his eye as his blood flowed out of his neck and into the syringe in Ken's hand. He felt a bitter regret well up in his heart as the needle was slowly removed, ending the voluntary process.

"So this is it?" Ken said, examining the vial closely. "Doesn't seem all that special. Are you sure you did it willingly?"

Izuku slowly nodded in response as he stared at his tortured friend. Her cries of pain had fallen silent, but she still remained firmly within Ken's debilitating grasp. "I've done what you asked, so please . . . let her go."

"All in good time, Midoriya. I just want to finish our little transaction." He slowly turned the needle toward himself and brought it toward his arm.

"Once you do this, there's no going back," he cautioned.

Ken grinned malevolently. "I wouldn't have it any other way." With that, he stabbed the syringe into his arm.

Midoriya watched as the red liquid slowly flowed out of the test tube and into its new host. At the same time, he felt something else slowly draining out of him. It was a subtle change, but it was definitely there, and the slowly widening eyes and smile on Ken's face confirmed that it wasn't his imagination. The transfer has begun.

"At last, this is what true power feels like! It's . . . intoxicating." Ken loosened his grip on his hostage, allowing her to fall to the ground, barely breathing and hardly moving. He slowly rolled away, basking in the glory of his newfound power. "Oh, what I wouldn't give to see what this Quirk can really do! Ah well, that will have to wait for my successor."

"If you can find one," Izuku retorted, trying to keep up his confidence in spite of his rapidly waning strength. "To get the most out of it, you're going to need someone without a Quirk, and we're a dying breed."

"Well thanks to you, I already have my first candidates," Ken said with a smirk. "What was that boy's name? The one from the fundraiser? I think he'd make an excellent successor."

Deku's blood ran cold at the thought of Ken residing in Aomisaki's subconscious. Images flashed through his mind of the grotesque scene he had witnessed within Tenko's vestige realm. Instead of All For One leeching off Shigaraki, however, Ken had his porcelain claws wrapped tightly around the young Aomisaki's head, his eyes pleading for help.

"Or perhaps Miss Shield would be a better candidate?" Ken mused. "Oh yes, with that intellect of hers, we could accomplish many things . . . like resurrecting the Shie Hassaikai's Quirk erasure project. Then I would have no shortage of potential candidates." He let out a maniacal cackle as Deku's eyes widened in horror. "No need to trouble yourself with the details, Midoriya. It's not your problem anymore."

Izuku hung his head, remaining still as One For All continued to ebb within him. Was this really the right thing to do? His eyes drifted toward the weakened body of the girl at his feet. You have to pull through this. Please. Stay with me, O-

"De . . . ku . . ." the girl groaned as her body began to stir. A wave of relief washed over him as he watched her eyes open. "What . . . happened?" she asked weakly as she struggled to get to her feet. "I remember charging at a shadow in the dark, but then . . ."

"Ken got the drop on you with his Quirk."

"His . . . Quirk?"

"I'll explain later," Deku said dismissively. "Right now, you need to get out of here while he's distracted."

"Not without you," she replied firmly as she went to remove his restraints.

"Wait! They're rigged! One wrong move, and the entire building could collapse. You need to help get the hostages to safety."

"Bakugo and the others can handle that." She flashed him a determined glare. "I already abandoned you once today; I'm not going to do it again."

"You don't understand," Izuku pleaded. "I need to be the one to face Ken, but I can't do that while anyone else is in danger."

"No, Deku! You're not alone in this!" Frustrated tears began welling up in her eyes. "You always try to place all the responsibility on your shoulders, but you don't have to!"

"This isn't about that, O-"

"Then let me help you! If we work together, we can-"

"Ochaco!" Deku said forcefully as his emotions boiled over. The way his mouth moved as her name left his lips felt foreign, yet liberating. "I . . . I can't go through that again."

". . . Deku?" Her eyes were wide with surprise and concern as she fell silent.

"I would rather break every bone in my body than watch you suffer like that again," he said quietly, her tortured screams still ringning in his ears. "I need to be the one to face Ken . . . because I don't want to lose you."

"But . . ." she tried to protest, but no words came out.

"You've been helping me since Day 1, Ochaco. You've always had my back when I needed it most," He looked her directly in the eye, trying to convey the gravity of the situation. "I need you to trust me, one more time."

Ochaco stared back at him silently for a few moments before a small, sad smile graced her face. "I do trust you, Deku," she struggled to say. She took a deep breath to steel herself. "What do you need?"

Deku glanced across the room at his successor, sitting patiently as the transfer proceeded. "I need to get out of these restraints, but as long as there are hostages, I can't do anything."

"Not if I use my Quirk," Ochaco said with determination. "If I can slow the building's fall, you can break free without worrying about the people in the lobby."

"But your limits-"

"-aren't important right now. Even if I go help the others, there's no guarantee how long it'll take with all the fighting downstairs." She slowly knelt to the ground and prepared to touch her finger-pads to the floor. "At least this way you can take on Ken sooner without having to wait for an evacuation."

Izuku stared at Ochaco, realizing their options were limited. "Do you think you can hold it for long enough?"

"I trust you, Deku, and I trust our friends." She turned her head and gave him an encouraging grin. "Do you trust us?"

Deku's gaze softened as the contagious confidence of that smile overtook him. "Always."

He felt the familiar spark of One For All coursing through him as he prepared to finally break his bonds. He gave Ochaco a quick nod of approval, and the two simultaneously activated their Quirks. Izuku tore at his restraints, ripping out a large chunk of the floor and the beams beneath it. He was relieved to see that the supports were only connected to the office, but that relief quickly faded. The room creaked and lurched from side to side, feeling as if it was about to plummet downward through the rest of the building. The lights flickered out, plunging the room back into darkness save for the starlight shining through the rapidly shattering windows. The shards of glass hung in the air, suspended by the effects of Ochaco's Quirk on the room. Despite the amazing show of strength, Deku saw her struggling to maintain control and realized time was of the essence. I have to end this quickly.

In a flash, he closed the distance between Ken and himself. I only have one shot at this, and it's in there. He maneuvered quickly around Ken, reaching out for his chest before the man could react. No sooner did his hand make contact then everything went black.