Time is relative. It can be fixed, so certain events have to occur. Mount Vesuvius destroying Pompeii, the fall of Rome, the chaos of the Crusades, the War for Independence, and so on.
Time is also fluid. The War for Independence could go either way should something change. The Crusades would have significantly fewer consequences should the wrong king or Sultan intervene or disappear. Even Quirks and the rise of Quirk society can be fluid.
In a universe where time is fluid, anything can happen. Every event and every decision is on the table.
Yokosuka Prefecture, 20XX (12 years after Joint Training Arc)...
In the 12 years since One for All fully awakened, a new sense of peace fell upon the Earth. Brand new heroes dominated the scene and embracing what All Might struggled to teach others: heroism is more than soundbites and product endorsements. Heroism was and would always be about saving people and bringing joy and hope to those who needed it. While the ever-eternal battle against good and evil continued to rage across the planet, many heroes and aspiring ones at that all remembered the road taken to get to this point.
The rebirth of the Symbol of Peace was not one event easily celebrated, as it has coincided with a dark moment in modern Japanese history. The true fury of evil surged throughout the country before stopping in the heart of Tokyo. When the Symbol was reborn, the world started to realize just how broken everything truly was.
Today, a new threat had arisen. What was once a small-time organized criminal gang evolved into a multinational criminal empire. Drugs, weapons, people, Quirks, everything was on the table for this empire. And while the world waged war against this new evil, the Symbol of Peace was hard at work.
On the banks of Otawa Bay in Yokosuka Prefecture, an abandoned seaport was currently used by the criminal empire known as the Discord Association. The group had a simple 3-story building surrounded by several warehouses, vehicle depots full of 18-wheelers, and what appeared to be soldiers. The main building had a single flag flying at the top with the Chaos Star depicted.
Inside one of the warehouses, a moderate group of armed and powerful gang members stood on guard. The room was basically bare except for a few opened boxes and a single chair in the middle. The chair had a single hero strapped down with steel cuffs around the legs and large steel gauntlets held far apart by chains. Two gang members held the chains, wearing matching black suits and ties with the Chaos Star pinned onto their jackets.
The hero they had wore a dark green suit with dark silver trimmings running throughout the torso. He wore a simple red utility belt and matching green pants. Instead of wearing a pair of bright red boots and a white cape behind him, he wore no shin armor. He had a metal blindfold over his eyes, and his once unruly green bushel of hair was trimmed down into a bit of a fade. This was the Symbol of Peace: Deku. He was bulkier than his U.A. days, though it wasn't like All Might's old body. It was modest, firm and his suit was form-fitting.
A door on the far side of the building opened and slammed shut. A large man walked over to the bound hero. He wore a dark steel 3-piece suit and towered over Deku. He had a military-issued buzzcut and two scars running down his right cheek. His skin was ashen gray, and his eyes were a piercing blue. He wore two golden knuckledusters on his hands and the Chaos Star pin, although the pin had a crown on top of it.
The giant of a man nodded at the two guards holding his arms apart. One of the men grabbed Deku by the hair and yanked his head back. "Maybe I should cut it shorter..." he mused.
"QUIET! You speak to the King!" One of the guards said.
"And here I am without a gift," Deku muttered.
The giant of a man raised a brow as he looked at the guards. "Look, I don't even know why we're doing this. We have this whole routine, and I feel like we threw it away with this. So...how about you let me go, I go outside for a few minutes because I am starving, and we do this whole thing over again?"
"No," the giant man said with a low and thunderous voice.
Deku sighed. "Would you want me to pick something up for you then? You'll have to pay me back later," he said.
"No."
Deku chuckled. "Aw c'mon Chaos King, I thought you were a man of more than one word," he teased.
The Chaos King growled. "You'll learn your place, boy! But first, I want answers," he said.
Deku shrugged. "Ask away," he said nonchalantly.
The giant man eyed one of the guards before asking. "Why is it that the 'Greatest Hero The World Has Ever Seen' decided to sneak onto my private property, assault my guards, and nearly break into my home before being subdued? Also, we checked and saw that you didn't have a warrant," he said. He placed a hand on his shoulder. "I'd hate to think you've gone rogue."
Deku chuckled and shrugged off the giant's hand. "Funny, because I seem to recall you illegally crossing national borders, kidnapping people, and stealing Quirks all to make a few bucks. Sneaking onto a fortified villain hideout isn't that bad," he said.
The Chaos King chuckled. "'Sneaking,' you say? You were caught like the amateur that you are. I commend you on going pro while young, but your naivety is laughable," he said.
Deku smiled. "Is it?"
The villain eyed the hero with narrow eyes and a sneer. "Speaking of my fortress...how did you find it? It wasn't supposed to be easy to find," he wondered.
Deku shrugged. "Google? Honestly, the fact that the website still works is incredible," he said.
The villain growled. "Answer the question!"
"I thought I did," Deku said.
The Chaos King roared at him and grabbed him by the neck. "You have 5 seconds before I crush your goddamn neck!"
The pro hero only chuckled. Inside one of the steel gauntlets where his arms were, one of his white gloves had a secret button installed on the side of his index finger. He pressed the button and clenched his fists. "Y-Ya know, this would scare me if you were serious..." he said.
The villain growled in his throat. "I am serious. I have no problems killing the Symbol of Peace right here," he threatened.
"True, but I don't want to die in Otawa Bay. Honestly, I was hoping to die someplace quiet...like in a small town somewhere in the country," Deku said.
The Chaos King relaxed his grip on his neck. "W-What?"
"Though, to be fair, the bay is nice. Just...not where I want to die," Deku said.
The villain dropped the hero. "H-How...?"
"Because my getting caught by you was planned. Honestly, I snuck onto that mansion of yours about 3 times on 3 different nights. And you hadn't noticed that I put up no fight when I got caught yesterday? That didn't strike you as odd?"
"I-I..."
"Buuuuut...here's the thing. Usually, I'm wearing my Full Shield when we meet, but I wore my Air Force gloves and Gamma arm braces. Now...why would I change it up?"
The Chaos King's jaw had dropped. "Honestly, your cockiness will bring you down. No matter how tall you get, you're always one mistake away from someone yelling 'timber,'" Deku said.
As he said that, an explosion rocked the warehouse. The Chaos King scanned the room, though he didn't see where it came from. "Let's see...a room this big must mean you have space to spare outside. Thanks to Super Sense, I can smell many of your gang members in here, even when I was being dragged while I was unconscious. Large facility maybe, judging from the heavy machinery I kept hearing out there. This must be your distribution outpost. Gun, drugs, and stolen Quirks all ready to be shipped halfway across the world," Deku stated.
Another explosion erupted outside. This one sounded closer by how much clearer it was to everyone in the room. "Mmm, sounds like a wall came down. I don't need an enhanced hearing power to know your heart rate just jumped, Your Majesty," Deku said.
The Chaos King clenched his fists. "How?"
Deku shrugged. "It was a team effort," he simply said.
At those words, the building's east wall exploded, and an angry "DIE!" soon followed. Emerging from the black smoke and fire was the blond demolitions expert known as Dynamight. His hero outfit consisted of the same top he usually wore for winter with upgraded Grenade Bracers. He had a mini-missile turret on his right shoulder. He wore more fitting pants without the knee bracers while keeping the boots he wore during his time in U.A. He wore no mask nor the orange and black flares.
His entrance shocked the villains in the room, with many of them sent into the air by the sheer force of his entrance. Deku wore a gentle smile as Dynamight landed. "Three moves to Check, asshole!"
The Chaos King raised a brow. "You play chess too?"
Dynamight's smiled wide. "War is chess, in case you haven't figured it out," he said.
The Chaos King approached the Explosion Hero, but his advance stopped as another explosion rocked the room, this time at the Western Wall. He turned on a heel to see the innovative Creati standing there with a metal bat in her hands. Her initial outfit hadn't changed much since her time in U.A.; however, she did wear a sort of helmet with a transparent visor, showing off much of her face. Her hair wasn't as long as before, however, removing much of her signature ponytail. Her piercing glare met the Chaos King's as he growled.
The gang members tried swooping in to subdue her, only to be dealt with quickly. Creating the same confetti cannons she made during the Cultural Festival, she blasted the streamers into some gang members' faces, causing a few to fall over. She ducked as a swing of the butt of a rifle came at her from behind. She spun on her heel and slammed the offender in the stomach with her bad. She rose and swung the bat again in an upwards right angle, sending him to the floor. She stepped back as other guards came rushing in.
The villain watched the raid take place, and before he thought it was enough, the glass ceiling above him shattered, and two bodies fell from the sky. Two gang members with physical Quirks slammed into the ground as Uravity landed with one foot on each of their backs. Her suit stayed somewhat similar from the winter of her first year, though now she had a bo staff on her back and a pair of nunchucks strapped to her waist. She quickly got off the guards and unleashed her fighting style against the advancing guards.
As the fighting took place, the Chaos King soon realized that he stopped paying attention to Deku. He turned on his heel and watched as he kicked the restraints off from his ankles. He rose and pulled the two guards right off their feet, sending them flying in opposite directions. He then slammed the metal gauntlets together, freeing his hands. He removed the blindfold and smiled at him.
It was a trap.
3 days ago...
"You fucking moron! If he doesn't think it's a trap, he's even stupider than you are!" Bakugo bellowed.
"And yet it's better than posing as a delivery girl and picking up the supplies," Yaoyorozu remarked.
"IT'S DOABLE!"
Izuku Midoriya, Symbol of Peace, pinched his nose at the argument before him. He and Yaoyorozu devised a little plan to sneak onto the Chaos King's compound to conflict with Bakugo's 'Blast Now and Ask Questions Never' plan. While the two argued over the plan's basics, he and Uraraka were sitting with Kyoka Jiro and Toru Hagakure. The two were visiting while in town on separate occasions: Midoriya asked Hagakure to come by for some help, and Jiro wanted to catch up with some friends.
Of course, most of the time, Hagakure was in her hero uniform, which meant a few awkward collisions from time to time.
"Jeez, he hasn't aged well," Jiro remarked.
"That's what happens when a case this big comes up," Uraraka stated. "He hasn't been home in a while, so, understandably, he's a bit cranky."
"I'LL BLAST YOU BACK TO THE STONE AGE, YOU DAMN 3D PRINTER!"
"Okay, that's rude!"
As the argument continued, Hagakure turned to the green hero. "How's everything at home? You guys set a date yet?" she asked.
Midoriya shook his head. "Still trying to find a catering agency, and as much as I love Sato's cakes, they're too heavy on sugar," he stated. "I got a real suit, though."
Uraraka nodded. "As much as I loved the old brown with red shoes, they had to go. It's a big day, and you need to go beyond there."
Hagakure giggled while Jiro continued to watch the argument. "What about you, guys?" Midoriya asked.
"Well, we got a few more sessions in the studio to finish before we can drop a new album, but other than that, things are good," Jiro said.
"And I'm getting a haircut next week!" Hagakure noted.
Midoriya stopped worrying about Bakugo blowing up their agency for a moment. "Wha-how?"
"X-Ray vision barber. I met him while on a job, and...well, that was awkward. But later, he offered to cut my hair if the need arose and...well, it's risen," she stated. "In a world filled with different Quirks, I'm sort of surprised I never encountered an X-Ray anybody!"
Uraraka shook her head while keeping in her laughter. "We-Were you in your hero uniform?"
Hagakure was silent for a moment before answering. "Uh...yeah. He was very professional about it."
"And Ojiro was alright about it?" Uraraka asked.
"Well...this guy isn't exactly playing on the same team as most guys. Basically, it was more shock than embarrassment," she admitted.
"I gotta say it was pretty funny when she told me about it over the phone. I couldn't stop imagining that encounter all day and nearly ruined an entire recording session," Jiro said. She shook her head and kept from laughing as she thought about it some more.
Midoriya smiled before his attention returned to the scene unfolding. Yaoyorozu had a metal bat in her hands, and Bakugo was about ready to level the building. The inheritor leaped from his seat and grabbed both of them. "KNOCK IT OFF!" He boomed.
Uraraka shivered at his command. "Both of you quit it! We're pros, not second-years at U.A.! Now, Bakugo apologize for calling her a 3D printe-"
"An overly-busted 3D printer!" The creation heroine corrected.
Bakugo flinched at the words. Midoriya looked at him with a raised brow and a shrug. "The hell?"
The explosive hero shrugged. "Guys, seriously? We're a strike team, which usually means we work together to fight big-time villains. Can we at least pretend to get along until we take down the Chaos King?" Midoriya asked.
"This is a stupid plan, and she knows it! There's no way he won't think it's a trap!" Bakugo bellowed out.
"So you're quick to abandon the idea without hearing about any failsafe then?! Honestly, how do you have a wife?" Momo retorted.
"It beats being single, Miss Strikeout!"
"Excuse me!"
Midoriya powered up One for All and stomped the ground, sending a shockwave that disrupted the two bickering heroes. "ENOUGH! We need a plan to keep the Chaos King from escaping to America, and blowing up the agency isn't a productive way of doing things!" He boomed.
Yaoyorozu smirked before Midoriya turned to her. "And provoking him isn't a great way of having fun. I should know!" He said.
The Everything Heroine blushed as she looked away. Midoriya sighed as he powered down his Quirk. "Okay, I think we need a break. I'm going to explain to the officer standing outside that it was me that caused that earthquake. In the meantime, you guys head to the lounge to cool off or go on patrol. You guys need a break from each other," he said. He turned to the staircase on the far wall and ascended to the ground floor.
All of the heroes stood around until Hagakure shot straight up. "I'm gonna go too. I need to swing by the store to pick up a few things," she said.
Jiro waved the Invisible Hero off as she ascended the stairs. As she left, Uraraka stared daggers at Bakugo and Yaoyorozu as she stood up. "I know it's been a hard three years, but we're close. We have the perfect chance to capture this guy and be done with his Discord Army bullshit," she said. "1 more week, and then we can disband the strike team."
The two nodded. "I'll go check on Deku before we close up for the night. I'll see you guys tomorrow." And then the gravity heroine ascended the stairs.
Today...
Deku leaped out of the way as the Chaos King smashed the chair he was sitting in. The inheritor quickly shifted his momentum to launch himself at the villain with incredible speed.
The villain had no time to react as the Symbol of Peace snapped a round-house kick at him, landing in the crook of his neck. The villain staggered backward before launching an uppercut at the hero, barely missing the hero's chin. As he dodged, Midoriya fired a Delaware Smash underneath the villain, sending him flying out one of the windows. Now clear of the villain, he punched two criminals as they tried charging at him. "Creati, go to the transport system! Dynamight cover her!"
"Don't tell me what to do, Deku!" Dynamight bellowed as he launched himself into the air and between Creati and the villains trying to follow her.
Creati ascended the stairs leading into the office and kicked the door down. She swung her bat, dealing with the villains inside. "Uravity, secure the building! Once you're done here, take the main office building!"
"Got it!"
With the mission underway, Deku burst through the broken window he sent the Chaos King through and landed in the courtyard.
He dropped in the middle of carnage as the area was littered with unconscious villains with either burn marks or serious bruises on exposed skin. He smiled as he rushed toward the villain in charge.
The giant had already picked himself up and held a futuristic rifle. It was silver with a large barrel and several electrical conduits protruding from it. As soon as Deku was in sight, he fired what appeared to be an electric charge at the young hero. The hero dropped to the ground and immediately rose to fire a column of air at the king. The rifle flew through the air, forcing the Chaos King to close in for close combat.
As the King swung, Deku effortlessly dodged as he backed up. "Even as the Symbol of Peace, you dodge. What does that say about you?"
"Well, to be fair, I was chained up for several hours, so I'm still a little tired," he responded.
The Chaos King growled. "Trying to play smart, huh? You won't be in a joking mood when I rip your Quirk from your body!"
Deku smiled. "Feeling better now!" And then he swung his fist.
Thanks to One for All, the Chaos King didn't register his movement until the point of impact. The punch was a snap from his body and with enough power to send him flying through a pile of crates filled with contraband guns. The Symbol of Peace grimaced as he chased after his opponent.
He leaped over the crates of guns only to be smashed by a larger crate. Deku was sent flying as the Chaos King recovered with another futuristic gun in his hand. The Symbol of Peace performed a flip in the air and landed on his feet. Smiling at the attack, he charged at the villain.
The Chaos King fired the weapon at him. Arcs of electricity were shot through the air and barely missed the hero as he side-stepped the energy. As it passed him, Deku felt the effects of his Quirk falter. "I hate these things," he muttered.
The effect was temporary and wore off when the hero closed into the villain. He punched the gun, smashing it to pieces, and grabbed the villain's tie. Deku landed a solid punch on the villain while not putting his cap into it. The Chaos King faltered, opening him to a front kick to the stomach. Midoriya continued to move forward while throwing punches and kicks at the villain.
One punch barely missed the villain, giving him a second to recover. He rose high and slammed both of his fists on the ground between them, sending a wave of energy at the hero and sending him back. The attack loosened some of the ground, giving the Chaos King access to some earthly ammunition. He picked up and threw a boulder at the hero, only to be smashed into pieces by a Smash.
The Chaos King continued to fire boulders at the hero. As Deku continued to dodge, he began to feel irritated by the growing sneer on his face. Gotta end this...
The Symbol of Peace leaped to the side and out of the villain's line of sight for a minute. He immediately slid his shoes off as well as his gloves. Clipped just below his kneecaps and on each wrist were silver bands with a large 'S' on the fronts. "One for All...FULL SHIELD!"
The devices all glowed brightly. The bands under his kneecaps created a technological waterfall down his legs while also creating the same effect for his knees. On his arms, the forms of shiny metal gauntlets appeared. His legs turned into the same armor-like metal form as the arms. His boots were replaced with the same material with black soles underneath.
The Chaos King looked stunned at the transformation. Deku stood proud with a light breeze carrying the cape on his back. "Let's finish this, Chaos King!" He boomed.
The sound of thunder woke the villain from his trance. A storm was brewing; a perfect background for their final battle had made itself known. The Chaos King adjusted his knuckledusters and wiped some of the blood that had formed on the corner of his mouth. "Yes...let's finish this."
They both charged at each other.
