25/09/2021

Thank you to everyone who reviewed! You are the greatest!

Just as a note, Solar Force is not a stockpiling quirk, it's an energy conversion quirk. It's also a first or second generation quirk (third at the most), which means comparative to most of the characters we see in MHA it's a weak quirk. Remember in MHA, at UA and even with the villains we are dealing with the 0.00005%'ers. These people with both strong, and useful quirks. Most of the world doesn't have that. The very first quirk was supposedly a glowing baby and sure, providing your own nightlight is a great thing but it's not that useful a quirk really (blinding surge of light possibility aside). Frankly the kid should be thankful they weren't put down immediately. Also most quirks have limitations.

What I'm saying is most quirks in the MHA universe are not strong or immediately useful and while Solar Force is useful it's not going to give Izuku unlimited energy if he stands in the sun and it's not going to give him enough energy to fight all night on a 'solar charge'.

The Emperor's Dragon
Fledgling 05

"You lied to me," Sir Nighteye stated. He didn't slam his hands on the desk, or hiss, or engage in any other histrionics, no matter how badly he wanted to. Instead he fixed the Commissioner with a bland stare.

The man returned it but the fact that he wasn't spluttering at the insult or otherwise taking offense told Mirai that the Commission knew exactly what he was talking about.

"I didn't lie," Commissioner Soukan said mildly. "I just didn't tell you."

"So what happened?" Mirai demanded. "Exactly how do you lose a headless corpse?" he added the question.

The Commissioner snorted. "We didn't. We never had it," he stated.

That caused Sir Nigtheye's blood to run cold, and he saw again in his mind's eye one of the images that had come to trouble him. The man had All For One's build, and seemingly All For One's multitude of quirks but covering his head, and a part of his chest was a black mask. The obvious conclusion was that it was him, except… he had been headless! No matter what quirks you had, there was no coming back from that. Not even regeneration quirks went that far and Toshinori would have known if he had a regeneration quirk.

Soukan sighed. "First responders checked the body. There were no signs of life. They then grabbed All Might and got him treatment. The site was marked off, as you well know. Then when we sent the corpse collectors in, there was no body."

Sir Nighteye shuddered. "So his people got him?"

"It would seem that way," the Commissioner nodded.

Mirai took several deep breaths to calm himself.

"I don't see why you are worried. All they have is a corpse."

"Maybe," he murmured.

Realisation dawned on the Commissioner's face as he no doubt recalled what Sir Nighteye's quirk was. "What have you seen?" He demanded.

"All Might, without his quirk, fighting someone who could have been him."

"Could have been?"

"The height was his, the build was his, the suit was his, as were the multiple quirks. However, there was a black metal mask covering his head and shoulders."

The Commissioner worried his lip as he thought. "A clone perhaps? Or a puppet?" he offered the alternatives. The thought of the figure being one of them had occurred to Sir Nighteye as well but...

Human cloning was illegal. It wouldn't stop All For One came the immediate retort from his mind. "He wouldn't allow himself to be cloned." That argument felt better to him.

"He is no longer calling the shots."

The statement from the Commissioner was enough for Mirai to know what they would be trying if they had All For One's body. They would be desperately trying to extract his quirk, and if that meant cloning the man, that's what they would do. They had blood, so they could still be attempting that. He made a mental note to truly check. The world did not need another All For One.

"He's not, but if there is anything of him-" Sir Nighteye didn't finish. He didn't need to. The Commissioner understood.

"Let's say the person in your vision was him. He could not be fully functional," Soukan said matter of factly. "They pulled brain matter out from All Might's hand, so at the very least, he has a traumatic brain injury."

Sir Nighteye ran through the rest of his visions. He'd done this already but another check never hurt. Except, he could not find that man again. One battle was all he'd seen. He could look into Toshinori's future again and look further but that was chancy. His visions were in real time, and even with All Might being on limited time, that was more events than he could observe in an hour. "I'd feel a lot better-" he didn't finish. He'd feel a lot better with a body and a cremation but the Commissioner wouldn't have allowed that. Even so, no matter what the Commission had planned, he'd feel better with the body under their control.

"What have you told him?" Commissioner Soukan asked, not bothering to fill in the half sentence Mirai had uttered.

"I haven't," Sir Nighteye told him. "He's already pushing himself. He does not need to know that All For One might have survived."

Soukan nodded and Mirai frowned lightly as he recalled something else. "You haven't gotten his assets?"

The Commissioner was a consummate politician but All Might's Sidekick was watching for a reaction. The slight souring of his expression was enough to tell him everything he needed to know. He was slightly curious to know what had gone wrong but not so much that he could ask. There were a number of things that might have happened, including All For One having proper paperwork to deal with his assets in case of death or misadventure. The man was arrogant enough to believe he wouldn't need those arrangements, but thorough enough in creating his alias' to actually have them.

It was almost like a posthumous stab at them. That would be like All For One.

Mirai sighed audibly. "I will not tell All Might," he told the Commissioner. "But in return, you will keep me apprised of anything that might be him."

For a moment, he thought the Commissioner might reject the deal, then the man released his own sigh. The Commission could not afford for the Number One Hero to be against them. They might control a lot, but All Might had enough popularity that he could go against them. "That is acceptable," he replied.

Sir Nighteye nodded and then rose and left. There was really nothing more to say.

-ted-

Garaki looked at the vial. It was clear and the liquid in it was clear. It was the latest batch of strengthening drugs he'd made for Sensei.

The man had recovered but he wanted more. More speed, more stamina, more strength. He didn't seem to understand that when you were injured that badly, just breathing should be considered a victory. Sensei understood that some things would take time and that he would get stronger as the years went on but he was not content with that. He wanted everything now.

Kyudai knew what Sensei wanted. He wanted to turn back the clock, or transfer to a new body, or something to bring him back to his prime. Getting old was not something the man accepted. Being feeble was definitely not something Sensei would tolerate.

That's why Garaki was working on drug combinations to make him stronger. But these were powerful drugs and in combinations that weren't tested.

It would be easier if Sensei would allow him to use that new drug, the one that activated quirks but while that offered stunning possibilities, even Garaki could see dangers there. He didn't need the blood freezing look the man had given him. He may not have eyes, but Sensei knew how to use his presence effectively.

He just hoped this cocktail was effective. He was running out of combinations.

-ted-

Kurogiri looked down at the letter in his hand. It was on the letterhead of Hawein, Mori and Nishimura signed by Watanabe and addressed to Hisashi Riji. It had been forwarded, via several very roundabout ways to him from JBQC.

It advised Hisashi that as the government considered him officially missing, he had seven years from the date of his fight with All Might before they would be legally obligated to action his will.

"Sensei?" he prompted.

All For One seemed pensive once he read the letter. He nodded slowly to acknowledge that he'd heard. "Forward them a payment from my personal account," he instructed. "And… I believe I will send Izuku to speak to them before the time limit is up, if I cannot do so myself."

The misty man nodded. That made sense. He already knew that Sensei was seeking other means of healing and All For One would not wish to appear so weakened, even to his lawyers.

There was time before they had to act.

"We'll just have to make sure Inko does not visit them," Sensei murmured.

At that, Kurogiri gave his boss a sharp look, even though he knew the man could not fully see it. Was Inko still a beneficiary? That could be difficult to solve.

"Do you-?" He didn't ask the full question. Did Sensei want his wife taken care of?

"No," he said immediately, waving one hand to dismiss the matter. "I do not wish to deal with the inevitable investigation at the moment."

Ah, that made sense. Inko's death, if it was anything but completely accidental, would likely attract attention and investigation, which would no doubt confuse those who knew her but would happen anyway.

"I will set a reminder," Kurogiri indicated. If it was getting close to the time limit, and Sensei was not healed, he would remind the man that something had to be done.

"Very well," All For One allowed and the matter was dismissed.

-ted-

While he couldn't see them in the traditional sense, All For One still liked to inspect the prototypes. It was genetically programmed into them that he was their master, but allowing them to see him reinforced that, so there were benefits to visiting even when he couldn't actually see the progress.

"This one is functional?" he asked.

"Yes," the Doctor said, though Hisashi detected a note of… what was it? Annoyance. The Doctor was annoyed at something.

"Like the last one?" All For One probed.

"Yes," Kyudai answered, apparently realising his tone had been detected.

All For One didn't turn towards him. He'd destroyed the last prototype, which had been both necessary and unnecessary. Necessary to work out his anger. Unnecessary because it did destroy valuable research. "How independent is this one?"

"It will fight," Garaki said, "but it will need direction to be told who to fight," he added.

"Acceptable," All For One said. "Can you make others more independent?" These things were foot soldiers. They did not have to be completely able to think for themselves. There was meant to be someone who controlled them.

"I believe so," the Doctor answered immediately. "But I think it would be best done via fixation."

"Fixation?"

"Yes. The higher cognitive functions of the human mind are destroyed by the action of multiple quirks. It's not that surprising. The body detects the second quirk and treats it as an infection. The body's temperature rises but the quirk does not leave, and so eventually the mind is compromised. While I can ameliorate the effects somewhat, I believe if the mind is fixated on something, a concept, an event, even an emotion, then that fixation will survive, and some cognitive function will be retained with the fixation."

All For One gave the Doctor a look.

"That's the theory," Garaki admitted.

"You may look for a suitable candidate to test it upon," Hisashi said.

He saw the Doctor nod.

"Gigantomachia," All For One called.

His bodyguard moved and from the slight flinch Kyudai gave, the Doctor had forgotten that the huge man was there. "My Lord?"

"This has been put off for too long. Take the prototype to Niigata."

At the word Niigata, Gigantomachia's expression changed. He grinned, showing his teeth and an unholy light lit in his eyes. "I believe you know who needs to be collected," All For One said.

"I do, My Lord, but-" the giant's expression altered. He seemed distinctly disappointed but resolved. "I cannot leave you unguarded."

Garaki saw All For One's expression and was controlled enough not to laugh but it was a near thing.

"I will be safe enough here," Hisashi countered.

Gigantomachia said nothing. All For One was meant to be safe at work too but that had not happened. The giant man knew it wasn't his fault the Heroes had found Hisashi but he probably felt it was his fault that he was not on hand to protect him.

All For One sighed, recognising that Gigantomachia would not say anything but was going to continue to object. He sighed. "I will have the Doctor configure several prototypes for protection and have a comm to you with Kurogiri waiting," he offered.

The huge man thought about that for a moment before he nodded, his smile once again turning predatory. "I will bring them to you," he announced.

"No, I wish the prototype to take them. You are accompanying it as an observer. I wish to know how functional it is with simple instructions. If it cannot perform, then you will take over and bring both the targets and the prototype back."

Gigantomachia listened carefully and then nodded. He flexed huge fingers. "It will be done, my Lord."

All For One smiled. Kyudai didn't like it but at least it wasn't directed towards him. "Prepare-" Hisashi paused for a moment. "-two tanks. I want to know what it takes to Awaken a quirk," he instructed.

Garaki nodded. "Will there not be three?" He asked. There were three involved.

"One held back," Hisashi explained, "so will form the base of a prototype instead."

The Doctor nodded as he understood. That was All For One's mercy. Prototypes lost their mind. It was perhaps a harsh mercy but it was a mercy.

"If this test is successful, I believe they will then move from prototype to production. Do you have a name for them?" All For One asked.

Kyudai chuckled. To anyone unfamiliar with the prototypes, the main feature was their exposed brain. Except, for all that it was exposed, they did not truly think. "Nonashi," he said the word.

"Brainless?" Hisashi translated with a chuckle. The statement wasn't quite true since the prototypes obviously had brains but he knew what the Doctor was implying. Maybe they should be more literal? "How about a contraction? No mind. Nomu," he gave the term.

"Nomu," Kyudai repeated the word, trying the word in his mouth. "Yes, that fits," he decided.

"Start a production batch. Mixed abilities and quirks but all with physical enhancement. Give them all regeneration and one or two other quirks," he instructed.

"How many?"

"Let's start with ten for the first batch."

Hisashi couldn't see it but he imagined that Kyudai's face was surprised. "That will take a long time," the Doctor objected. They used certain protocols to make sure they weren't found. One of them was about power consumption at the warehouse. For the last hundred years or so, the power companies routinely monitored for properties which consumed too much power. It was a holdover from previous times when that information could be used to find criminals and illegal hydroponic operations.

Producing the Nomu consumed a lot of power. That's why they were set up in a warehouse in a factory area. The power consumption was higher than normal but they still had to be careful.

"Take it slowly."

"No one can alter the records?" Garaki asked. The question was directed towards Hisashi's contacts.

"Still climbing the ladder," All For One replied. "Another year or two, I imagine."

The Doctor nodded. He had no idea who Hisashi was referring to, but he knew that it would be someone All For One had helped. Whoever they were would have been directed to go into employment with a power company. Compared to a politician or a police-person, it seemed such a waste but it was just as important in the long run. Not every job was large, but the smallest could determine their success or failure.

"Have you had a chance to find assistants?" Hisashi asked.

"There are two who appear to have the required disposition," Garaki reported. The policy of segregation that Izuku's school indulged in continued into Middle School and the teachers, and other students made it very clear that they considered the quirkless students to be consuming resources better spent on those with a quirk. They also made it clear that it would be very difficult for those quirkless students to find a position in a High School. The High School that serviced Izuku's Elementary and Middle School openly admitted that they did not allow quirkless students and given that only Elementary and Middle School were compulsory, there was not a lot of recourse for the quirkless students except to try enrolling somewhere else, or trying to find a job.

Humans were so foolish.

But right at the moment, it was to their advantage. Some of the quirkless students just accepted it. Others were angry. Either way, they did not care for society or those with quirks and when offered a job that came with a chance for some revenge, there were several he felt had the right attitude to actually see it through. Despite what some of them had been through, Garaki felt they were still too soft.

"And the registry search?"

"There's something in Seymchan," he replied.

"Russia?" All For One murmured.

"Their quirk registry is not as comprehensive as China's but it is functional," Kyudai explained.

Hisashi nodded. "When you return, Gigantomachia, you will collect that one as well," he instructed.

The huge man again looked like he would object but he nodded.

"Now then," All For One said. "To work."

-ted-

I HATE foresight quirks! I was happily writing the scene with Sir Nighteye looking into All Might's future and then I realised, he'd see Izuku and AFO. Or at least had the possibility to see them since they will be interacting with All Might in the future. So sue me for not realising earlier! Hence, yes Sir Nighteye now knows that AFO survived but they don't know what condition he is in. As the Commissioner says, taking brain matter from under All Might's nails is one hell of an injury to come back from, even for a 200 year old immortal supervillain.

Eventually, there is a chapter with Sir Nigteye's vision in full. It's just not soon.

-ted-

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