'A week before the recommendation exam.'

UA High School

All the teachers were present in the conference room. As everyone sat down, Nezu spoke.

"I believe everyone is wondering why this meeting was called?"

Everyone agreed. There was only a week left before the examination since they had a meeting regarding it recently.

"A lot of things have happened in the last nine months. We have two new staff members, and I gained a protegee. The very same protegee pulled up a few things that I had neglected. So after investigating these problems, we have a conclusion."

Taking a sip of tea, he continued.

"There are four problems we need to deal with. Even though I hoped some of these problems to be already dealt with, they will still present themselves in the not-too-distinct future."

"First is 'Stain' aka 'Stendahl' also Chizome A, quirk 'unknown'. He is becoming a problem. His motive is for every hero to be selfless like 'All might' or be the hero, not only in name but also in reality. While his aim can be considered good for the people, it is illogical to expect that from everyone. His so-called crusade creates two problems. It encourages villains to act and helps other criminal organizations to recruit. So he needs to be caught as soon as possible."

"How is problem child related to this?" Aizawa asked.

"Problem child, who?" All Might asked everyone ignored.

"He recognized Stain's fighting pattern/style similar to the vigilante. Only after that, we figured out that he was Stendhal." "Oh!"

"Anyways next problem is about two drugs. One is something that most people here know about it. 'Trigger'. Yes, it's back. We still have to find its source. The second drug is something we only have heard rumours of. They say it can get rid of a quirk. We have no conclusive evidence of it, but I would ask you to keep your eyes and ears open."

After that, he stopped talking and stayed silent, checking his PDA.

All Might was getting agitated. After hearing the first two problems, he couldn't sit still, so he asked, "What's the third and fourth problem, Principal Nezu?"

"Have patience, Toshinori. I am waiting for Detective Tsukauchi. He should be here in a few minutes."

They didn't have to wait for long.

"Sorry for being late, Principal Nezu. Got caught up in traffic." After saying that, he gave greeted everyone and gave Nezu a nod.

"Alright then, Higari initiated the lockdown procedure. I ask everyone to shut down whatever devices you have if you don't want to lose them."

Seeing everyone settled, Nezu asked, "I take all the information is confirmably true, Detective?"

"Unfortunately, everything written in the diary was true. It's quite difficult for me to believe everything. These facts have solved plenty of unsolved cases. I apologize in advance because I have come with bad news."

"Who are you guys talking about, Nezu?"

"And what dairy?"

"Detective, send a copy to the underground Hero-net. It can help out solving some of the pending cases."

They asked one after another. While All Might turned stiff, he was able to figure out to who they were referring. He looked at them with disbelief.

"They are talking about All For One. And that's my father's dairy." Inko didn't wait for the duo to answer their questions.

"I thought he was a myth, a tale to frighten children from misusing their quirks. Are you telling me he is real?" Midnight asked.

"He was never a myth. I have heard his name many times since he was the King of the Underworld. Though, I haven't heard anything related to it for a while. The last I heard about him was something like 'the boogeyman' was either mortally injured or dead." Aizawa answered. "But what's the relation of her father's diary with him?"

"Nezu, why are we discussing 'him'?" All Might asked him in a low voice.

Nezu fake coughed, making everyone silent and motioned the Tsukauchi to begin.

"All the people present already know about Mr Midoriya's case, I won't go into details regarding it. A day before the court case, I was at Midoriya's house for some formalities when Mr Midoriya approached me. ..."

Flashback

Detective Tskauchi POV

"Detective Tskauchi, I have a few questions I wanted to ask you. May I?"

'Wonder what he wants to ask?'

"Sure, ask away."

"You know All Might, right? I mean, personally. You don't have to deny it. I have seen you guys together in plenty of newspapers and news. I wanted to know if you know about his skeleton form."

'Looks like Toshi was out of time when he first caught the Sludge Villian. But still, he debuffed in front of Mr Midoriya.'

"Yes, I have known All Might since he debuted in Japan. Why did you want to know about my knowledge regarding his current situation? If you want to know who wounded him, then I can't say anything because it's classified."

"I don't need to ask that because I figured out that All for One was the one who caused his injury the day he told me about his injury. I can't think of anyone else who can injure All Might to this degree."

"He told you about his injury? Why? And how do you know who All for One is?"

'How the hell does this kid know such classified information? The Government destroyed all shreds of evidence regarding his life. They made sure that he would be nothing more than a myth.'

"I left some parts out of my statement. After All-Might defeated the sludge villain, he was going to leave when I grabbed his leg. You already know what happened previously. I was very desperate at that moment. So I wanted to ask him if a quirkless person can become a hero. While I was monologuing about my life, he ran out of time and deflated. Seeing him in skeleton mode, I could no help but call him an imposter. So, he explained about his injury and how dangerous his profession is. Answering bluntly without considering what consequences he would face if I went on an 'evil' path. After all, he was someone I looked up to."

"Yeah, I can see him doing that. His way of thinking became pessimistic after that incident five years ago. But that doesn't explain how you know about All for One?"

"Please wait a minute." After saying that, he returned to his room with a book. He then handed it over to me.

"Thanks to this. This book is my grandfather's diary. You might have heard his name, Tatsuya Midoriya, also known as the Devil King of the Court. He also had a very close relationship with Nana Shimura, who used to go by the hero name 'Maverick' before he fell into a coma."

I am worried that my heart won't be able to take any more shocks. I had heard about 'Devil King'. One of the most successful lawyers this country has ever produced. He was under suspicion for working for All for One. Though we never found any evidence. But to think he was related to Toshi's mentor is a shock. Neither he nor Grand Torino ever said anything about it. I'll ask Grand Torino about it later.

Mr Midoriya continued, "Whatever I am saying is something you can cross-check. I have already done that. That's why we are having this conversation. My grandfather was totally into her, so he worked hard to stand by her side, but for some unknown reason, he felt weakened, there several times, and he didn't have enough energy to work. He didn't even know what happened when he woke from the coma four years later. After getting up, he found that his family had died and his girlfriend had her wedding not long ago."

As a veteran detective, it's not strange that I understand what happened next. I always thought that All for One had a thing for pre-quirk movies.

Mr Midoriya continued, "Frustrated, but he didn't know what to do. That's when Underworld King himself came to him. He promised he'd do his best to help grandfather return to his best. Grandfather readily agreed. He had nothing to fall back to, and someone was there to help him. Grandpa did find it strange, considering how the person in front of him knew everything about him, including his affair, which he and Nana kept secret. But he let that thought away and accepted the offer."

"Years went by as grandfather helped All for One by keeping his slate clean, making sure he had a good picture in public, 'Maverick' passed away. According to mom, grandpa didn't take it well. All those years, she never contacted or even tried to meet him. He kind off held a grudge against her. At the same time, he started to feel weak."

He paused to drink water. So I asked, "I don't think All for One would need to harm him again, so how did he get weakened?"

"Detective, I am telling this like a story so that I don't leave any important details, so have patience. A few days later, he met All for One again for a case. While leaving, he forgot to shut off his recorder and left it behind. The next day, he went to collect the recorder, but no battery was left.

So he brought it back home for charging. Late at night, he started to listen to the recorded statement and jot down points for the case. After he finished his work, he was going to switch off the recorder when he heard All for One and a gruff voice. They were discussing or talking about a lot of things very happily. Both were drunk. After listening to their discussion, a few things became clear."

"First, his coma was their doing. Second, his client was the famous Underworld king All for One.

Third, he was going to die in a matter of time. Why? Because human body as a vessel can have a single quirk, but if an additional quirk is given to them artificially, they die an early death. It causes acceleration of cell decay. All for One gave him a stockpile quirk to cope with the lack of energy in his body.

Fourth, he was strengthening All for One's empire. He thought several times that he was doing wrong, putting the wrong people behind bars, but grandpa thought he needed to fulfil his promise/commitment to All for One.

Fifth, this was how All for One took care of pawns which fulfilled their usefulness.

Who knew that all the pain he experienced came from the same person he felt gratitude? So, in the last three years of his life, he spent collecting information about All for One and his pawns. Down to every detail he could find. This diary is a culmination of his efforts. I have marked the evidence that I couldn't acquire because of restrictions. I hope you keep this diary very safe. As for other details, please read it yourself. Do you have any questions?"

"I have only one question, i.e. why are we discussing All for one? I mean, he is already dead."

"There is no way he is dead. His presence has always acted as a deterrent to international criminal organizations. Japan wouldn't be half as peaceful as it is. If you think All Might is the reason, then you are wrong because he is a good deterrent only for day-based criminal activities. The other obstructions are the underground heroes who work with you.

I cannot say that I'm 100% sure All for One is alive. To confirm this, you only need to keep your ears open. When you find an increase in the number of low-level thugs, thieves and minor criminals going missing, it's most likely that he is alive. Similar cases happened before 'Maverick' died. Alone, their quirks are not of much harm, but when they are used together at once, they can cause much damage. There is one person that I know who can do this. Plus, there is one question that I wanted to ask. Did you guys recover his body after the fight?"

'All for One's body was recovered by the HPSC. There were no further updates related to this matter. The previous HPSC Commissioner has always been a suspicious character. I need to look up this matter.'

"I don't have any details regarding it, and even if I did, I can't tell you anything. If there is nothing else, I'll take my leave."

"Have a good day, Detective."

POV end. Flashback end.

"After that, I have spent the last eight months confirming the details written in the diary."

After listening to the report, the atmosphere became more sombre than how it was. All Might asked, "Nao, have you confirmed it? Is he still alive? How is it possible? I burst his head open."

Everyone's attention went straight towards All Might. It's not every day you hear something like that. He is the Symbol of peace, after all.

"Unfortunately, he survived. I did what Mr Midoriya suggested. The diary had several places mentioned. Checking out those places helped out. It happened recently we were keeping tabs on several ex-convicts for a few months as a precaution when they disappeared from our radar. So when we were checking out one of the mentioned places, we found a group of smugglers disposing of a few badly mangled corpses.

Their condition made it difficult to find their identities. After the DNA test, we confirmed that they were the same ex-convicts we kept our eyes on. But they didn't have any quirk factor in their bodies.

Although there is a drug in the black market which disables the quirk, it is a temporary effect. Plus, there is a good amount of clues that make it very clear. All for One is alive but heavily injured. The main reason that indicates his survival is the previous President of the HPSC, Orichi Yukimura. All for One had groomed him since he was a kid. We found Mr Yukimura's involvement while checking out all the names mentioned in the diary."

" So he used Lady Nagant to eliminate his ex-pawns and obstructions," Inko asked with a straight face.

"Umm, how did you know that?" The detective couldn't help but ask. He had yet to mention anything related to the assassinations, Lady Nagant or even the targets.

"I never knew the existence of that diary. Before Izuku completed his therapy, he used to mutter a lot. I could understand it since I was used to it. I found about about the diary after hearing his muttering. For the next few days, we kept discussing the details mentioned in it. What you just said is something he already theorized."

They didn't know what to say only Nezu was cackling. There weren't surprised by this. The last six-seven months they have known Izuku Midoriya have been nothing but surprising. From his appearance to his stuttering speech, from his lack of confidence and self-doubt to his intelligence. The speed of improvement was astounding.

"So Orichi Yukimura was All for One's pawn, who used Lady Nagant to remove his master's obstacles. Lady Nagant killed the President since she couldn't handle more killing or found out the truth. Wonderful!" Aizawa couldn't help but sigh and raise his hands in surrender. "Anything else we need to know about this bullshit situation?"

"We are still looking around. If anything pops up, we will inform you." Detective replied.

"We need to make preparations for any kind of attack on the U.A."

"Why do you say that, Inko?" Midnight asked.

Inko simply pointed at All Might. No words were needed to explain that.

Nezu waited till everyone collected their thoughts and said, "Higari, we will talk about the security upgrade later. Now onto the last trouble which is brewing." He took out a book and passed forward.

"How many of you have read this book?" Only a few raised their hands. "What are your thoughts?"

"I read only a few pages and threw it in the dustbin." Present Mic said.

"It depicted Destro as if he was some sort of messiah that would help the weak, the poor, etc. He was a slaughterer and nothing else. They are using this book to recruit more people." Aizawa said.

"It is indeed, as Aizawa said. I bought this book secretly because I got curious about why it is among the best-selling books. A few days later, I had a study session at Izuku when he pointed out that he had seen this book in the hands of several teachers and the Principal of Aldera."

It didn't require a genius to understand what this meant.

"So I thought of looking at the situation of various schools with Tsukauchi, who went undercover. The situation of these schools may not be the same with Aldera, but it is a fact that these places have become doctrine centres for the Destro army.

I request everyone present to find out more information regarding this discreetly. I'd suggest starting from the publication house of the book. That's all for today's meeting. Toshinori, please stay behind." Nezu said.

After everyone left, Nezu began, "You told me previously that you have found your successor? Who is it? Have you passed on your quirk? What is their current status? Are they going to come to UA?"

"Yes, it's my niece, Melissa Shield. I haven't passed the quirk to her. I am waiting for her to be physically strong enough to handle the quirk. She is still on I-Island. She will be coming to Japan near the end of the month." There is no need for him to hide from Nezu. It would cause more harm than good.

"Call her to come to Japan by next week. While you are going to become a teacher here, you have no skill or experience in teaching. You cannot even explain how you use your quirk to others, so she should come here and learn. I'll have Izuku teach her how to use the quirk, considering the similar nature of the quirks."

"Wait, Young Midoriya has a quirk!?" 'Did he lie to me?' All Might thought.

"Right, we never informed you. Izuku was never quirkless. He has an energy stockpile quirk, which manifested after he got hit by lightning. Anyway, details for later. You have quite a workload pending. Go ahead and finish it."

'Why does Nezu have this habit of leaving people hanging?', All Might sighed. He took out his phone and called, "Hello David..."

A Day after Recommendation Exam.

We see our protagonist at the gate of U.A. 'Wonder what Nezu sensei want. He said I wasn't supposed to come to U.A. this month. And then he asks me to come here. I was supposed to meet Momo and Mei today.'

Reaching Nezu's office, he asks, "May I come in, Nezu sensei?"

Hearing the confirmation, he went into the office. He saw Nezu talking with skeleton-might and a female foreigner.

"Good morning, Sensei. How are you today? I was going to ask why you called me here, but I have already figured out the reason."

"Good morning, Izuku. It's been a good day so far. It's always nice to have intelligent people around saves me a lot of time. Anyway, let me introduce you to All Might's successor, Melissa Shield."

"I thought she looked familiar, David Shield's quirkless wonder. You have made quite a name in the field of support engineering. So, All Might have passed your quirk to her yet?"

All Might cough blood in shock so was his successor. Nezu only cackled.

"Young Midoriya, how do you know about One for All? It is supposed to be a well-guarded secret."

"Are you sure that it is a well-guarded secret? If that were the case, why are there photographs of you and your mentor on the internet? Why are your mentor and her mentor's pictures on the internet? The same thing happened with all your predecessors. The only thing I didn't know bout it was its name."

All Might was speechless. So was Melissa, but for a different reason.

"I can say for sure that you don't know anything about your predecessors except Maverick. Well, do you?"

He got a negative answer, as he expected. Melissa looked confused. "Um, who is Maverick?"

"All Might, have you not told her anything about the quirk's history?" All Might was like, 'where did the good old days go, where people used to look up to me?'

Nezu had work to do, so he asked me to bring the duo to ground Gamma.

"Since Nezu sent us here, I take you passed the quirk to her. So how does your quirk activate?" All Might buffed up and said while posing, "Clench your buttcheeks and yell from the heart- SMASH."

Izuku just gave a defeated sigh, muttering, 'why was I expecting something useful?' He then turned to Melissa and said, "Let's ignore him. Have you tried using the quirk?" "Not yet."

"Well, let's try the same way I use my quirk. Picture your body as a complete circuit and activate your quirk. Then regulate it till you don't feel any strain on your body."

She did as Izuku said. Sparks started coming out of her body. As she regulated the quirk, decreasing it bit by bit, a vein-like pattern formed all over her body. After a few minutes, she finally stabilized.

"How do you feel? Are you able to move?" He knew the answer as he had already experienced the whole thing.

"Exhilarating. I know if I can move." "Let's find out then!"