Author's Note: Okay, so I know it's not Saturday, but tomorrow and Saturday are gonna be really big and busy for me, and I'm not sure if I will have time to update either day. That being said, I wanted to give you guys something! So some big news: I have officially graduated from college as of today at 2pm (It's about 11:15 pm as I'm posting this). That means... something, I guess. Idk, it doesn't feel that different yet. Anyway, I hope you guys enjoy the chapter. It'll be a few weeks until I'm ready to post again just due to needing to find a place to live and move and all that stuff. Anyway, enjoy!
Also, if you want to get into a place with other lovers of MHA, and specifically IzuJirou stuff, come on and join this Discord server that I'm on: /eFtmT8cTbY We're only kind of crazy, and not at all a cult... except, we also kind of are. Anyway, yeah, join that! I hope you enjoy this chapter! It's cross-posted on Ao3 as well. Leave a review if you want to. I welcome the feedback!
"Alright, Snake Eyes. We're about three blocks away from where the coordinates say." Mei stated as she parked the van in a nearby alleyway.
"It's weird that we're back in Yokohama, isn't it?" Kyouka said.
"Kamino Ward…" Snake Eyes said as he opened the back of the van and stepped out. "We need to move quickly. There's no doubt that the police and some pros are working their way towards this place. We'll take to the rooftops."
"Do you want me to come as well?" Mei asked.
"Yes, we need all hands on deck. Like I said, we'll take to the rooftops." Izuku said as he began to climb up the side of the building. Kyouka, Himiko, and Hitoshi soon began to climb alongside him. Mei fired her grappling hook and pulled herself up via that wireline. Fumikage simply used Dark Shadow to claw his way up the building as well. Leaping over the buildings, they moved further towards where the coordinates dictated.
As they approached, each of their phones buzzed slightly. They staked out on top of the building next door. Each of them checked their phones to see an image of them from Shouto Todoroki. An image of them jumping across buildings with the caption, 'Some classmates and I are here as well. If you get Bakugo to us, we can take him to safety.'
Izuku nodded and turned to his group. "Overwatch, let's see what all is in there."
Mei stepped up to the edge of the roof and flipped her goggles to infrared mode. "Snake Eyes… There are so many heat signatures in here."
"What do they look like?" Himiko asked.
"There seem to be human-like heat signatures sitting in… some kind of liquid?" Mei said with uncertainty.
"That's odd. Anything else?" Izuku pressed.
"Yeah, there are three other heat signatures that aren't like those. Two of them are moving around. Both pretty slowly, though. The third one is stationary." Mei said. After a few seconds, she flipped off her infrared and spoke again. "Oh! There's a window. I'll set the night vision on." She flipped that extension on and moved alongside the rooftop to get a better vantage point. The rest of the group followed after her.
"What do you see now, Overwatch?" Kyouka asked.
"Well, there's two things. One, do you remember those… I think they're called 'nomu'? The things with the brains that have multiple quirks from the news?"
"I recall them, yes."
"Well, there are tons of them. Those must be the weird heat signatures. And they are, in fact, submerged in water."
"How many?"
"Thirteen."
"What is the second thing?"
"There are kids down there." Mei pointed down at a group of five people that were staring into a similar window that Mei was looking through.
"Well, Shouto Todoroki did relay that he was nearby. It's likely that one of them is him." Izuku said. "We'll keep their location in mind. Keep looking inside."
"Right…" Mei said and focused again.
Kyouka began shifting unsteadily. She heard something, but wasn't sure what it was until she looked to her right. With a surprising amount of stealth, Mt. Lady and other heroes had managed to sneak up to the building. Mt. Lady had already used her quirk to enlarge and had a truck around her foot.
"Get down!" Kyouka hissed. "Pros!" Everyone did as they were told, dipping down below the roofline.
She raised it high into the air – and Kyouka did have to admire the woman's flexibility – before she slammed the car into the building. Dust and debris flew past them, and the wind pressure from such destruction was strong, almost comparable to All Might's power, but not quite.
Mei took stock of the heroes that had shown up: Mt. Lady, Tiger from the Wild Wild Pussycats, Gang Orca, Best Jeanist,
Once things had settled, the pros rushed into the building, destroying the Nomu containers and the creatures inside of them as well. Tiger could be seen hauling off the body of someone that wasn't a Nomu. He was mourning the condition of the woman in his hands. They began to leave, their job completed… or so they thought.
"I hear footsteps." Kyouka said.
"It's not over yet." Mei said. There's still movement inside. They didn't get rid of everyone."
A voice came from the darkness as the footsteps continued. Not everyone could hear it, but Kyouka could. "Sorry, Tiger. She always had a good quirk. It was the perfect opportunity, so I took it." The voice said. She repeated what he said to her teammates.
"Took it?" Hitoshi asked.
"That's what he said…" Kyouka responded. The man's voice sounded… familiar, but she couldn't figure out where she had heard it from. Regardless, it was ominous.
He continued. "After my body was turned into this, I also depleted a lot of what I had stocked up…" The man finally stepped into the light and was immediately restrained by Best Jeanist. Not even a second later, this mystery man's arms inflated, and a huge explosion followed soon after.
After the smoke cleared, most of this warehouse had been destroyed, and the man was now floating about 30 feet off the ground. Just about eye level with Izuku and the other members of Societas Requiem.
"As expected of the number four hero, Best Jeanist… I thought I'd blown everyone away." The man said as he clapped. "To be able to manipulate everyone's blotches and move them away in an instant… That quick decision making and skill level… You must have nerves of steel."
Best Jeanist leaned forward and attacked the man with his fiber, but that was stopped in an instant as a hole was punched through his abdomen. Blood flashed through the air, and Best Jeanist's form went limp soon after.
"Snake Eyes…" Mei said, her eyes wide behind her mask.
"Yeah… I saw it…" Izuku responded. Everyone in the group remained still for the time being. Whoever that man was, he was not someone to be trifled with.
"I see…" Spoke the man again. "This amount of strength comes from a huge amount of practice and practical experience. I don't need yours…" He continued. "It's a quirk that doesn't go well with Tomura's disposition."
A few seconds later, gray sludge formed in the air, and Bakugo's form sloughed onto the ground. Soon the gray sludge fell away from Bakugo's standing form and more instances of the sludge appeared. More and more people fell onto the ground from the sludge.
Mei gasped. Everyone looked at her for a follow-up. "Those people down there that just showed up… They're the League of Villains. The group that wanted us to join them a while back. There are a few people missing, though."
"Shit…" Hitoshi said under his breath. "That man is their leader?"
"I don't know…" Himiko said, fear evident in her voice.
"Sorry, Bakugo." The man said before looking back towards the League of Villains. "You failed again, huh, Tomura?" He walked past Bakugo and approached one of the people on the ground. "But do not be discouraged. Just try again. I have brought your associates back as well. Even this child because you judged that he was an important piece." The man reached out his hand towards Tomura. "Do it over as many times as you need. That is why I am here. It's all for you." The man lifted Tomura to his feet and patted him on his back.
Mei looked over at Himiko. "You look like you might know who this is, Changeling."
"I've heard stories… If what I heard is correct… Have you heard of the boogeyman?" Himiko asked. "He's been called All For One…"
"The man that steals quirks?" Hitoshi asked. "I grew up thinking it was just stories…"
"Well, there he is. He's already admitted to taking that woman's quirk." Izuku said.
As Izuku finished saying that, All For One looked directly at Izuku.
"Uh, boss? He's looking our way!" Mei said.
"I was wondering when you were going to show up…" All For One said, raising his hand towards Izuku.
Izuku felt an odd feeling well up in his throat before a rancid smell flooded his olfactory senses. Before long, the odd feeling pushed past his throat, and the same gray sludge that they had seen from around Bakugo and the League of Villains members earlier erupt from Izuku's mouth and quickly envelop him.
Izuku clawed at the sludge to no avail. His hands couldn't get a grip. The eruption of the sludge from his mouth pushed his mask off to the side. It still hung off his head, but not securely. Izuku blinked, and when his eyes opened, he was standing in front of the man known as All For One.
A pulse of dark energy expanded out of All For One, and Izuku flinched. It passed through him harmlessly and then stopped moving after a few feet. The only ones in the field were him, Izuku, Bakugo, and Tomura.
"What are they doing here?" Tomura asked.
"It seems that they are here for this one." All For One motioned to Bakugo. "Leave, Tomura." He whispered the next part to Tomura. "Take care of the others. There are five others in this one's group. I will deal with this one. We have a lot to discuss."
"But…" Tomura started. He cut himself off, sighed, and turned around. "Yes, sensei." He trudged out of the field while grumbling the entire way. All For One then spoke to Izuku.
"Fascinating quirk, this one is. I believe you're familiar with it? It blocks out sounds and sight from those that I deem unworthy."
"Blackout?" Izuku asked, taken aback.
"The very same, although the quirk is called Fog of War. It's very good for keeping things private. Such as this conversation. Now, you're here for this one, is that correct?" All For One asked as he gestured to Bakugo, who was looking around erratically.
From Izuku's experience with this quirk, he must not be able to see or hear. The isolation must be driving him insane. "Let me see again, you shithead!"
"Yes, I am." Izuku said hesitantly.
"Now… Why would that be? You two have history?" All For One asked. Izuku didn't reply. "Come now, Izuku. You don't have to keep things from me."
"That's not my name. I'm Snake Eyes." Izuku defended. His heart rate picked up. 'How does he know my name? I've never met this man before…'
"Now Izuku. Don't lie to me. I know it's your name." All For One said as he stepped up to Izuku. "But if you don't tell me how you know this boy and why you're trying to save him, I have other ways of finding out." Before Izuku could do anything, the hulking figure of All For One placed his hand right on Izuku's forehead.
In a flash, Izuku was no longer standing up in Kamino Ward. Instead, he was sitting in a dark room.
"Where am I?" Izuku asked aloud.
"We're in your memories." All For One said from behind him. The wall in front of Izuku began to flicker to life as a video started playing. True to his word, different flashes of Izuku's memories began playing. Flashes of all of the times that Bakugo had bullied him. All the names. All the punches. All the kicks… All the explosions. He remembered each hit. Each name. Each burn. It hurt. This other kid had hurt him, and yet here he was trying to save the kid.
And once again in an instant, he was back in Kamino Ward. "Now that does break my heart. To see you hurt and bullied in such a way." All For One stepped away from Izuku and towards Bakugo. "But it shows me all that I need to know about this one. You see, Tomura identified a villain's spirit in this boy, and yet when offered a spot in the ranks of the League, he refused. He doesn't want to be a villain. And he doesn't deserve to be a hero." At this point, All For One was directly in front of Bakugo. Bakugo's eyes widened. He must have been allowed to see once again. "But he does have a good quirk. If we can't use him, we can at least use that." With that, All For One placed his hand on Bakugo's forehead. Red sparks began cascading out of the connection point. Teal smoke coalesced around Bakugo's body and began to slowly drift towards All For One.
"Kacchan!" Izuku yelled as he dashed towards the boy. He didn't know why, but he had to. His body started moving before he could think.
Through the fingers that covered his face, Bakugo looked in the direction that Izuku's voice came from. His eyes widened in anger. "De…ku…" He growled before his eyes rolled back in his head and his body slumped within the villain's grasp. The sparks faded, and the mist was seemingly absorbed into All For One's body.
"Now that that's out of the way," All For One said as he tossed Bakugo's limp body to the side. "I have a proposition for you."
"What did you do to him?" Izuku asked as he rushed to Bakugo.
"As I said, he is undeserving of this quirk. And since he does not wish to help Tomura in his journey, his quirk will instead. Now, back to what I said. I have a proposition for you." When Izuku remained silent yet again, All For One sighed and continued. "My proposition is that you take control of the League of Villains. You have shown great leadership capabilities and the ability to plan in a pinch. Some abilities that Tomura is… rather lacking in, if I'm being honest."
Izuku responded a few seconds later. "Why…? Why me? What makes you think that I'd be better than that guy, one, and two, what makes you think I'd want to do that?" Izuku asked, rather flabbergasted.
"An excellent question. And for that, I — well, I don't really apologize for this — but I have to do this again." All For One sped towards Izuku and placed his hand on Izuku's forehead.
Once again, Izuku was in the dark memory room.
"It's a weird quirk, isn't it, Memory Master. I can see the memories of those I use it on. Now, let's get to it, shall we?" All For One segued. One by one, memories played in front of Izuku's face. A man's smiling face flashed. Bushy green hair, freckles, and hard but happy eyes. He was built rather well with a square chin. The man reached out his hands and picked Izuku up. Small hands came into frame.
Izuku finally put two and two together. "My… dad?"
"It seems you're finally understanding." All For One said.
Izuku jumped out of the chair he was sitting in. "What are you getting at? Let me out of here!"
"I'm sorry to disappoint you, but once we're in here, you can't leave until I'm through."
"Let me go!"
"But Izuku, there's still so much left to see. Both for me and for you." All For One said as he turned to the screen. Various other memories of this man interacting with Izuku flashed by. And then they stopped. A memory played of his mother crying in the kitchen.
Izuku barely remembered that. It was just before his quirk was diagnosed. The happiness that his mother felt must have been enough to distract her from her husband leaving. From…
"So she did mourn when I left." All For One said. "That's good to know, at least."
"What the hell are you talking about?" Izuku asked. His eyes were darting around him. He had to think of a way out of this.
"Now now, Izuku. That's no way to talk to your father." Izuku could hear the smirk on the man's face.
"No! You're not my father!" Izuku yelled.
"You and I both know that it is true. Don't be so in denial, Izuku. You come from power. It is for this reason that I wish to offer you Tomura's position. Using All Might's former master's grandson was a huge plan, but having my own flesh and blood be my successor is too perfect!" Izuku grimaced when All For One – his father – mentioned All Might. An action that the man noticed immediately. "Not a fan of All Might? That's surprising to me… What could have happened…?" He asked himself. He turned back to look at the screen, and the scenes flew by as if they were on fast forward.
And then they stopped. Izuku's breath caught in his throat as this particular scene played out. He remembered it. It was one of the most formative moments in his life.
"I'm sorry you had to save me." Izuku's voice rang out from inside the memory. He was looking at All Might. Both of them were on top of a building. Just after being rescued. "I… I guess I just needed to ask… I tried to fight back, but my quirk couldn't do anything against the villain. Could I be a hero even with a quirk that couldn't do anything against things like that? Could I still be a Hero like you?"
The next words stung Izuku that day. They still stung to Izuku. They clung to him with ferocity and determination.
"Young man, pros are constantly risking their lives. I cannot simply say that you can be a hero without the necessary power. I'm sorry…"
And then his memory All Might jumped away, leaving him there on the rooftop.
"Ahhh…" All For One – Izuku supposed he should call him Hisashi now. Father felt… off – said. "So, there is a disdain for All Might in your heart. The man who was your everything, your inspiration. He failed you. What a truly ironic occurrence." All For – no, Hisashi – stepped towards Izuku. "Of course, I have failed you too, but that can all change. I can be there for you." He gestured towards Bakugo's still unconscious body. "I've even removed the threat of someone who tormented you when you were younger. I want to help you. This was a show of good faith on my part. I can be your father again."
Izuku internally grimaced. This man, the man claiming to be his father, spoke with too much sugar in his voice. It all seemed… fake.
"I can't." Izuku said.
"Was taking this deviant's quirk not enough?" Hisashi asked with his arms wide. "You're asking for more?" He let out a throaty chuckle. "Now that is my son! Very well, I can give you a gift as well!" Hisashi released both of them from Memory Master. With his hand still touching Izuku's forehead, red sparks began to fly through the air. Izuku barely saw them at the edges of his vision. The sensation was uncomfortable, but he wouldn't say that it hurt… It lasted only a few seconds, and once it ended, Izuku felt a massive weight fill his head.
"Gah!" Izuku clutched at his skull.
"Ah yes, that is a side effect of that one. Don't worry, though. You're my son. You'll be able to handle multiple quirks in your body. Give it a moment, and the pain should subside." True to his word, the pain did fade after a few seconds.
"What did you do to me?" Izuku asked.
"I gave you a gift. A show of good faith from me.
"What did you do to me?!" Izuku repeated.
"As I said, a gift. A quirk that works with your biggest weakness. Analysis is what it's called."
"What do you mean? Analysis covers my weakness? How do you know my weakness?"
"It's rather simple, really. I recently acquired a quirk that lets me see where certain people are… as well as their weaknesses. How do you think I found you?"
"I don't know what's going on." Izuku said, clutching his head.
"Why don't you try your new quirk? It helps with thinking." Izuku could once again hear the smirk in Hisashi's voice.
"Why?" Izuku asked.
"Why?" Hisashi repeated.
"Why did you do this? Why am I here now? Why did you give me this?" Izuku asked. His hands held his face.
"I want you to join me. You want to change society, right? I can help you with that. We can change society together. You, me, Tomura and his group. We can change society. We can uproot the corrupt heroes where they sit idly by. We can build the world that you want to. Whatever you want, you can do it. We can do it." Hisashi said. He extended his hand.
Izuku hesitated. He… he did need strength, that was for sure. Yes, his team had been rather successful lately, but who knew what they would have to face? He began to reach his hand out, but before contact could be made, a glob of pink goo connected with Hisashi's chest.
The field around the two of them faded as Hisashi looked around. Standing atop the building that Izuku used to be on was Mei with her rifle aimed at the menacing man in front of Izuku. Izuku took time to take stock of his surroundings. The rest of the members of the League of Villains were all either unconscious or glued to the ground.
Kyouka and Fumikage looked dead tired. Izuku saw two Hitoshis, which he assumed one was Himiko.
Mei's voice called over their comms link. "We're gonna save you, dumbass! Grab the asshole and let's get out of here!"
Izuku looked back to his dad, full of newfound vigor. "Sorry, dad." His emphasis held some venom. "I have my group, and I can't give them up."
