Disclaimer: I don't own My Hero Academia
All for One
AFO sat strapped to a chair on life support in his prison cell in Tartarus. His living conditions were...less than ideal.
If he moved even a little the guns in his cell would lock on instantly, even if all he did was scratch his back. They monitored his every movement, brain wave and vital sign. If you so much as you used your quirk, well, the rest was gibberish.
This prison was appropriately named. Tartarus, in Greek mythology, was Hell, where the wicked ended up being punished for their sins. It was mainly for criminals for whom the death penalty wasn't enough. AFO had more pressing issues on his mind, being captured wasn't one, he didn't even care about that.
'Deku, are you alright? Are you still alive?' he wondered.
He knew Tomura and his group were safe. However, Izuku was the one he was more concerned about right now. Someone had been trying to kill him during his battle with All Might. But who? Atrocity was his biggest bet since he absolutely loathed Izuku for being quirkless, and for taking away his new 'toy'. He had tried to kill him before, there was no reason he wouldn't try it again.
Also, that cheap shot that defeated him, that meant someone wanted him dead too, or at least captured and left to rot in prison. Atrocity was the only one daring enough to try something like that.
It surprised AFO that Atrocity was intelligent enough to come up with a plan like that. He was always the sort of individual who tortured and killed anything he wanted for amusement and without thought, it was rare for him to ever think things through first and in a quiet fashion no less.
'Deku doesn't possess any sensitive information, so he'll be of no use to the police. I made sure of that,' he thought. 'There are his experiments, but he won't give them up, not without a fight. Although, if I'm not around to readminister the quirk, things will not bode well for him.'
While he trusted and cared about Izuku he kept many secrets from him to protect him from many unwanted sources.
Though those sources did find their way to Izuku once, and he regretted it to this day.
He couldn't even remember why or how Razor managed to convince him that it was a good idea, but it had been one of the worst decisions of his life. Following that time, Izuku had been so traumatised he needed to rewrite his memories so he could live normally, a process which required reapplication once a month or else the memories would return.
Then there were his other memories.
AFO was not lying to All Might when he explained Izuku's past. However, much like the boy, he severely downplayed them, albeit intentionally.
He didn't know how he had gotten so attached to the boy, but he supposed it was because in many ways Izuku reminded him of Yoichi.
AFO chuckled. Thinking about his brother now of all times was kind of ironic.
"Well, I've been beaten," AFO muttered sadly. "After decades of battles I've finally been defeated, just like you wanted. I hope you're happy up there. Knowing that your plan finally succeeded."
Though he tried to avoid it AFO did think about his younger brother every now and then. Why had he avoided it? It was one of the very few things that could make him sad.
His brother was the very first holder of OFA, bestowed upon by himself. He gave it to him because at the time he didn't possess a quirk, nor was he physically strong. AFO had wanted him to be at his side when he took over society, which was in a state of chaos at the time since quirks had just emerged.
There was discrimination and crime, a lot it. Controlling society would've stopped it. His brother however thought that what he was doing was wrong and turned against him. Despite his pleas, his brother stood against him, and they fought many times, all of which there was no clear victor. Eventually, his brother somehow passed on his quirk to a successor to defeat him, which repeated for several generations. Sometime after this, his brother passed away, an event that devastated him.
Regardless of what had transpired between them, he was still his brother and AFO loved deeply and still did to this day.
Ever since they were children it had just been the two of them since their parents had hardly been around. It was mainly him who looked after his brother, heck he practically raised him, especially after his quirk manifested and there was 'that event'.
His brother was the primary reason that he fought against every user of OFA, even that infuriating All Might. That quirk was all he had left of him, all that remained of his spirit. He was always a spirited one, always trying to do the right thing.
In that sense, he was very much like Izuku, though Izuku was a much colder person (for good reason) than him.
AFO's thoughts were interrupted by the sound of his cell door opening. He heard someone enter but he couldn't see them. Five years ago, when he was defeated by All Might he lost his sight. He was able to make out his surroundings utilising his other senses and using an infrared quirk. It wasn't easy but he had managed to adapt and live with it. Well, more like survive given his condition.
The figure stopped directly in front of him. All for One didn't react. He waited until the figure spoke.
"My how the mighty have fallen," a voice gloated. "You look so pathetic in this state."
The moment he heard that voice AFO felt a chill run down his spine. This was the last person he wanted to be near right now.
"Atrocity," he growled. "So, you've come."
"Indeed," Atrocity chuckled. "We don't have a lot of time, so I'd like to get this over with as soon as possible."
Villain Hospital at the exact same time
Naomasa and Reo were outside Izuku's hospital room listening in on him and Inko. So far all they had heard was Inko crying and sobbing from being reunited with her missing son again.
After about a minute Inko released her son from the embrace and just stared at him, tears still streaming down her face. Izuku returned her stare, still crying at seeing her again.
"You look different," she sniffled. "Did you dye your hair? You definitely cut it."
"Yeah. I did it to make myself less recognisable," Izuku responded. "You look different as well. You've lost weight."
Inko stared down at the floor.
"I was out looking for you, my eating habits became disrupted and well, this is the result," she explained.
"I know. I sometimes saw you," he said.
Inko's face shot up immediately. She hadn't expected her son to have seen her out. That meant he was a lot closer than she thought. She still couldn't imagine why he would stay away from her.
"T-Then why didn't yo-" Inko started before Izuku cut her off.
"The same reason I left," he said.
He knew she was going to ask these questions, but he wasn't ready to answer. He didn't know or understand why but he wasn't sure about telling his mother about everything he went through. She wasn't like the other people he had told so far. He knew her, he knew exactly how she would react if she learned the truth.
"Why?" Inko asked in a low voice that sounded almost like a whisper. "Why did you leave? What were you planning to do that night? Why were you with villains?"
Izuku remained silent. He couldn't even look at her face.
"Izuku please," Inko begged softly, tears falling again down their face. "I deserve to know."
He knew she was right, and he hated it. Part of him wanted to tell her but another part of him was too scared to.
"Did you ever report what was going on or even go to someone for help? Like your mother."
Razor's words echoed in his mind. When he thought about it he never told his mother just what he was going through, even though he should have. She deserved the truth, all of it.
"It's complicated," he said softly.
Inko wasn't fazed however and said, "Tell me."
"Well, it's like this," Izuku started.
He stopped when he heard a loud noise beneath him that made the ground shake. He heard another sound just like it further away, there was rumbling also.
"What on earth?" Inko said in a bewildered tone.
The detectives came rushing back in to see that things were alright (and to make sure Izuku hadn't tried anything).
Izuku heard a buzzing sound and looked to see a bee headed towards a patient across from him. That's when he saw it, a small injection needle with blue liquid on its stinger.
Izuku instantly knew what it was, he would recognise it anywhere. He created it after all.
'Forced quirk activation isn't something it could do before, but then again S1 could have made a few changes to it,' Izuku thought horrified.
"MOM RUN," Izuku shouted at the top of his lungs.
It was the first time Izuku had ever yelled at his mother, something which shocked her.
The detectives had a different reaction. Reo attempted to take Inko away while Naomasa moved quickly towards Izuku.
The bee injected its prey with the enhancement drug and triggered a reaction. The villain started squirming a few seconds until his quirk activated. Shadows started to shoot out from several parts of his body, namely his hands, feet, eyes and mouth.
With the drugs help it was quite powerful as it easily destroyed the objects in the room by either crushing, slicing, or throwing them. It even slashed several patients, damaging them further.
Reo dived out of the room with Inko who screamed for her son.
As Naomasa tried to undo the handcuffs Izuku noticed one of those shadow beams heading straight towards them. Instinctively, he used his strength to flip the bed sideways while dragging Naomasa down with him.
Fortunately, the chain connecting the left handcuff to his bed was cut off so he could move more freely now. Naomasa wasted no time in undoing the other handcuff so that Izuku's other hand was free.
Quickly he dragged him up and they ran out of the room to Reo and Inko while the villain continued to rampage.
"Izuku are you alright?" Inko asked her son concerned.
"I'm fine really. Believe me, I've been through much worse," he replied.
As curious as she was about that statement Inko knew they had bigger problems to deal with.
"Ok start talking kid. What the hell was that thing?" Reo demanded. "And I don't mean the bee I mean the stuff it was carrying."
"Yagami this isn't the right time to be discussing this. We need to move," Naomasa informed his partner.
Before Reo could retort the villain came out of the room with shadows still emerging from his body and destroying everything in sight. The villain had no control over what he was doing.
The detectives grabbed the pair and prepared to run and take them to safety. Izuku had a different reaction. He shook off Naomasa and charged at the villain.
"Izuku!" Inko screamed.
"Are you insane boy? That guy will kill you," Reo admonished.
Izuku ignored them both. He had left to protect his mother, yet here she was in danger now. He would be damned if she was injured or killed now, especially when he had the means to protect her.
The villain sent swarms of shadows at Izuku however, he was much faster, so he dodged them with relative ease. Whoever treated his wounds did a seriously good job because he felt no pain from moving.
When he got in close enough the villain shot shadows straight at him. Izuku jumped up and delivered a spin kick to the villain's head on his right side. The kick was so powerful that it sent the villain crashing into the wall, stunning him briefly.
Not giving him any chance to recover Izuku lunged at the villain. Putting all his strength into his right hand, he delivered a punch to the villain's jaw. The impact caused the villain's head to bounce off the wall.
He slumped to the ground with the shadows ceasing to come out from his body. It was clear he was down for the count.
Izuku turned to see the stunned expressions of the people behind him.
Naomasa wasn't that surprised since he knew from Iida and Bakugo that Izuku possessed proficient fighting skills.
Reo was shocked at how easily Izuku had taken down that villain.
Inko was the most surprised. Her son just attacked a person straight on and beat him with relative ease. Also, with that serious look in his eyes, it was obvious he wasn't the same boy she knew from a year ago.
The boy she knew from a year ago wasn't violent, wasn't this serious, he was shy, quiet, and gentle.
"We need to move," he declared as he approached the group. "Others may be coming."
Taking his mother's hand Izuku started moving in the opposite direction they were facing. The detectives quickly followed.
Atrocity's Device
The chaos had begun.
It was a distraction.
It was what it needed.
It was its trigger.
As soon as explosions occurred the device activated.
It stretched out its body, not that it could feel it. It was not human after all.
With the ongoing destruction of the hospital, it snuck it through a destroyed window.
It knew where its target was. Such information had been provided beforehand.
As it moved through the hospital it stopped. The target had been located. It was walking with three figures, not that they mattered.
The device had been given specific orders to kill its target and anything standing in its way.
Sighting its target, it moved to eliminate him.
Tartarus Prison
While AFO was annoyed that Atrocity had come he still had some questions he needed answered.
"Why have you come here? I'm in a powerless state I can't recover from. I seriously doubt that you would come here just kill me," he asked the man in front of him. "You want something, and I want to know what it is."
Atrocity chuckled.
"Why yes, you are correct. I was going to tell you afterwards, but I can't hold it in any longer," Atrocity exclaimed. "You see AFO...I hate you. I've always hated how you had more power than me, both quirks and influence. I hate those under your chain of command, especially that snivelling brat Tomura. Worst of all, I hate how you brought a quirkless abomination into the League, how you praised it, how you favoured it, and how you defended it, especially when it took my new toy. I hate all of it."
"Get to the point already," AFO demanded.
He wasn't hearing anything new.
Atrocity grinned. "What I'm saying is I want it all. I want everything that's yours, including your quirks. And I want to destroy whatever's yours I don't like. For example, that quirkless shit Deku. I want him to die a slow and brutal death."
As AFO processed all this there was one thing he did not understand.
Atrocity wanted his quirks?
"I'm sure you're curious so I'll explain. The transference device that Viper developed can steal a person's quirk or quirks entirely and bestow them on another through injection. It's kind of like your power but way more efficient since it can steal every quirk they possess at a much faster rate," Atrocity explained with a hint of smugness in his voice. "I'm sure you can see where I'm going with this."
Indeed, he could. This is why, knowing it was inevitable, AFO activated a quirk, one only he knew about. It was one he had gotten back when he started off centuries ago but had never used it due to the risks involved.
Despite this AFO was afraid for the first time in many years. When you mixed Atrocity with his powers, he knew exactly what it meant, and it was the worst.
"You're probably wondering how I got Viper to join me. I implanted a control chip inside her, so she does my bidding without question," he explained.
That made perfect sense. Because of Atrocity's racist views on mutant types, Viper utterly loathed him.
There was no way in hell she would ever willingly serve him.
"What are you planning to do to Tomura and his group?" AFO asked managing to hide the worry in his voice. "The same thing I'm guessing."
Atrocity laughed again.
"When I come across them, I'll kill them, but not before making them suffer first. As for taking their quirks, well it wouldn't be wrong for me to take them, Shigaraki's especially," Atrocity told his nemesis. "I mean after all; I was the one that gave it to him."
Upon hearing that AFO froze entirely. Of all the things he expected to hear from this psychopath's mouth, this was not one of them.
"Why?" he asked.
Tomura was originally quirkless.
Atrocity despised the quirkless.
So why give him a quirk at all?
"I have my reasons," he admitted. "Unfortunately, I'm on a tight schedule so I can't give you the details. However, I will say this." Even if he couldn't see his face, AFO knew Atrocity's smile had gotten bigger. "Watching him kill his family while blubberingly trying to stop was hilarious. The kid had no control whatsoever."
AFO was too shocked to speak.
He knew Atrocity was an incredibly cruel being, but forcing a child to kill his family was too much even for him.
During his life, AFO had done terrible things to achieve his goals, but there were limits to what he was willing to do.
He was never cruel for the sake of cruelty, only out of necessity.
Atrocity was different. He was a complete monster, an entity that was evil simply for the sake and fun of it.
"Enough chit chats. Let's get this show on the road, shall we? I'm a busy man after all and I've got other matters to attend to," he declared.
The transference device was a cylinder (roughly about the size of Atrocity's hand) an injection needle. The outside layer was made of reinforced glass and a small red container with a button on top at the end. On the inside, there was a tube connecting the needle with the container supported by three layers of insulated metal to hold it together.
Without further delay, he injected AFO in the chest and activated it. The red container lit up while the tube shone brightly as the quirks were sucked up.
AFO felt a massive surge of pain coursing through his body. The process was supposed to be quick, but for him, it felt like an eternity. Every quirk he had stockpiled over centuries left him one by one until there was nothing left.
Once completed, Atrocity wasted no time in injecting himself with the device. In doing so, he felt a mixing surge of pain and power coursing through his body.
When it finished Atrocity laughed manically.
"I've done it. It's mine. It's all mine," he exclaimed. There was pure joy in his voice.
AFO had never felt so helpless in his entire life. Atrocity had truly outdone him.
For the first time in his life, he hated someone more than All Might, a whole lot more.
All that was left for him now was death.
"Any last words?" Atrocity asked politely.
"See you in hell," AFO spat.
"It'll be a long time before that will ever happen, especially since I've now got that quirk that stops me from ageing," Atrocity responded.
Without saying anything else Atrocity pierced AFO's stomach with his hand and pulled it back out slowly.
AFO collapsed to the ground coughing up blood while Atrocity licked the blood off his fingers.
As he lay there All for One's entire life flashed before his eyes, several thoughts racing through his head.
'Tomura, Izuku, Kurogiri, forgive me. I lost.'
'All Might, as much as I hate you for what you did to me you better not lose to this psychotic bastard.'
'Yoichi, my little brother. I wish I could say see you soon but we both know that is not possible.'
With those last thoughts, AFO drew his final breath…and died.
At the hospital
At the sight of something at the end of the corridor,
It was a figure, tall (close to his height but slightly taller), grey, wearing no clothes, but most of all, it was not human, at least that's how it appeared. It faced them, but strangely enough, it appeared as though Izuku was the one it had its eyes on (well it didn't really have eyes, but it was looking).
It stared at him intently.
'Why does this feel like the time in Hosu?' Izuku wondered anxiously.
True to his thoughts Metalloid (he wasn't going to keep calling it figure) came charging at him, its hands shapeshifting into blades.
Acting on instinct Izuku shoved his mother out of the way and skipped to the side just in time for Metalloid to backflip forward transforming its feet into blades also to slice him in two. When it landed it moved to slash Izuku again, only this time with its hands. Izuku quickly dodged by jumping back.
It didn't stop there.
Metalloid repeatedly slashed at Izuku in various ways while the latter continued to dodge with a mixture of side steps and flips.
'He's more athletic than he was a year ago,' Inko thought as she watched her son hold his own against that thing. It was obvious that he had learned to defend himself in the past year. 'You've changed a lot, haven't you Izuku.'
Reo had his gun out ready to shoot but Naomasa stopped him since they didn't have a clear shot.
Meanwhile, Izuku continued to dodge.
Metalloid tried to spin kick him again but this time he was ready for it. As soon as it launched its attack Izuku ducked and spun his leg at the figure's standing leg to trip it up.
Once it landed on its back Izuku was on it instantly. He punched the figure's head with all his strength. When he did though he heard a clang sort of noise and felt pain in his hand.
"What?" Izuku exclaimed surprised.
He hadn't expected to suffer recoil from his attack. He looked down at the figure, his left hand still placed on its shoulder.
'The skin is hard and appears to be protecting it from regular attacks. It's cool and grey so.' Then it dawned on him. 'So that's what it is. Then, oh shit.'
Izuku just barely avoided being pierced through the chest as a spike shot straight up from the figure's upper body. It didn't stop there though as another spike came up from the figure's head.
Izuku reacted quickly enough to avoid being stabbed through the head but not enough to avoid being grazed on the left side of his forehead. Blood trickled down the left side of his face. Fortunately, it didn't go into his eye.
"Izuku," Inko yelled concerned.
"I'm fine. It just grazed me," he explained as he watched Metalloid get back up. "Tsukauchi, Yagami, if either of you have guns use them now. I need to verify something about this thing."
Under normal circumstances, the detectives wouldn't take orders like that from civilians, much less a villain, but these weren't normal circumstances.
The two detectives took out their guns and opened fire at Metalloid. However, the bullets merely ricocheted off its skin. The detectives starred in disbelief.
Izuku wasn't as surprised. He had only suspected but now he was certain.
"Tch. I thought as much," he muttered.
"Care to explain?" Naomasa interjected.
"That thing is metallic," Izuku explained. "I don't know what kind, but it's definitely composed of metal. That's why regular attacks aren't working. Furthermore, it appears as though it can mould its body into whatever shape it desires."
No one questioned him. What Izuku was saying did make sense given the evidence.
Before anyone could say anything, Metalloid was up and charging at them again. Izuku got ready to dodge and defend again. However, much to his surprise Metalloid ignored him and flew towards the detectives. They both shot at it, but it was useless. Blades stretched towards them but they both shifted to the side to avoid being slashed. Unfortunately, Metalloid didn't stop.
Once it got between them spikes shot out from its body. Naomasa was stabbed through the shoulder and was pinned against the wall.
Reo was less fortunate. He had fallen on his back to avoid being stabbed only for Metalloid to shoot out a spike from its leg and pierce Reo's right leg. Both men howled in pain.
Realising that they would be killed if he didn't do something soon.
"Hey, oversized tin can, I thought I was your target. Don't ignore me," Izuku shouted.
That caught Metalloid's attention. It immediately changed from trying to kill the detectives to trying to kill him. The process of slashing and dodging repeated itself again until Izuku tried to turn to kick the figure away.
Unbeknownst to him, it was waiting for that.
The second he kicked; Metalloid opened a hole in its chest to catch Izuku's foot. Rather than stab him right there it started throwing him against the wall to wear him down, and it was working.
Inko who had finally seen enough picked up Naomasa's gun and started to shoot at the figure.
"GET AWAY FROM MY SON!" she screamed at the top of her lungs.
Metalloid let go of Izuku, who was quite weak at that current moment and moved towards Inko whom it deemed the larger threat. Upon reaching her it disarmed her by ripping the gun from her hand and then held her by the throat against the wall. Inko gasped for air as Metalloid shoved her upwards
At closer inspection Metalloid noticed she had the same face as the target. If she had the target's face that made her a target, which meant she needed to be killed also.
Holding her against the wall the figure sharpened its free arm, it would aim for her heart so death would be assured. It pulled its arm back ready to strike its prey.
Inko realising what was about to happen tried to look at her son but was unable to because of Metalloid's hold on her. She tried to speak but couldn't.
Knowing it was inevitable she closed her eyes and accepted her fate. The figure's blade shot towards her.
But it never arrived.
Izuku who had seen the position his mother was in, watched in horror as the figure's blade positioned itself in front of her heart. The moment it did, every single memory he had of his mother played through his mind, the things they had done and the time they had spent together.
Dream sequence
Izuku watched in horror as a man leapt up to stab a small girl and her friends.
He moved.
And then.
Blood.
Dream sequence end
He didn't know what happened but, in that instant, something awoke inside of him. He didn't know or care about what it was, he just knew he had to get to his mother as soon as possible. The next thing he knew he was running at top speed towards the figure who was moving very slowly from his point of view.
He launched himself and performed a jumping side kick on the figure. The kick sent the figure flying halfway across the hallway.
"STAY THE HELL AWAY FROM MY MOTHER!" Izuku roared.
The detectives were stunned at the incredible feat of speed and strength Izuku displayed.
Izuku checked on his mother who was getting her breath back but was otherwise unharmed.
Then they checked on the detectives, whose injuries were far more serious. Reo couldn't walk properly, and Naomasa was clutching his shoulder.
They needed to get away from here, and fast. There wasn't any time to treat their wounds, so Izuku gave Reo a piggyback, Naomasa said he didn't need help.
Meanwhile, Metalloid had recovered and was preparing to attack them again.
Fortunately for them, a villain under the effects of the drug came crashing around the corner close to the figure. It was a large villain with the appearance of a toad. It stared at the figures in front of it intently. Without warning, it shot out its tongue and grabbed Metalloid (as it was closest to it) and swallowed it. It was about to do the same to the group when the blade started to pierce it from several different places.
"We need to move. It's unlikely that we'll get another chance like this again," Izuku informed everyone.
No one argued. They all started running as fast as they could.
Atrocity's device, once free, started searching for its prey again, leaving behind a bloody mess of what was toad villain.
Nezu
"I'm telling you that's what happened," Nezu explained to the police.
Nezu was currently explaining to the police about his hacking of the mini pods as well as who was controlling them.
"So, Atrocity was aiming to kill Deku and AFO," one of the police officers said.
"I don't know about AFO, but he was definitely trying to kill Midoriya. He was furious about Midoriya rescuing Ms Ashido from his clutches. I can't say I'm surprised considering he never liked having his 'toys' taken from him," Nezu exclaimed disgustedly. "I should know, I was one myself once."
The police were surprised at this information. They were about to ask when their phones buzzed with messages. Upon reading them their eyes widened.
"Looks like we're gonna have to cut this short. The villain hospital is under attack, and we're needed as backup."
This time it was Nezu's turn to be surprised.
Great security (for obvious reasons) was placed around the villain hospital. It wasn't easy for anyone to just break into it, even with a full-on frontal assault.
"That's alright we can talk again later. There are some things I need to take care of," he told them.
"Would this be about turning UA into a boarding school?"
"Yes. After everything that's happened, I believe it would be a better way to protect and nurture our students."
While that wasn't a lie Nezu had another idea in mind, though he would need to get special permission for it to work.
"We'll leave you to it then," one of the officers said as they turned and exited.
Nezu hoped All Might wouldn't hear about the hospital because he needed to recover.
The rest of the faculty were currently preparing for converting UA into a boarding school.
However, that other idea of his would need a bit of convincing for it to work, but he would deal with that when the time came.
At the hospital
Everyone was currently hiding in a storeroom from Metalloid. Izuku and Inko had just finished bandaging the detectives.
Reo was sitting with his back against the wall while Naomasa was sitting on a box next to his mother.
Izuku stood in the centre deep in thought. He was thinking about what their next move should be.
Finally, Reo couldn't take it anymore.
"Okay I've waited long enough now talk," Reo demanded. "What did those bees inject the patients with? What the hell was that thing? What's more why is it trying to kill us, or more specifically you? I saw the way it was looking at us. You were the one it was after."
"Yagami calm down. This isn't the time to be arguing," Naomasa interrupted. "In case you forgot he did just save our lives. So, stop being so hard on him."
Reo scowled. He was frustrated, Naomasa could understand that. There was a lot going on right now that he didn't understand.
Inko had her own opinion about the matter.
"Izuku, how," she started. "How did you know what would happen to that man?"
Izuku stared at her, unsure of how to respond. He couldn't just tell them about the drug. Then again after today, the police would probably find out what it was from examining the patients. Still though.
"Because it's something you created, isn't it Izuku?" Naomasa questioned.
It was a reasonable explanation; he had performed experiments for the League. Izuku retained an emotionless expression.
"What do you mean he created it? What are you talking about?" Inko asked confused.
"Your son worked in the League's science division," Reo informed her. "He also did quirk analysis."
Inko was having trouble believing all of this. Her son wasn't a bad person, she knew that. He would never want to hurt innocent people.
"It's true, all of it," Izuku said catching everyone's attention. "I did do those things. I did make what was injected into those patients. And I did it all of my own free will."
Inko stared at him in complete shock. Izuku had anticipated this kind of reaction from her. It was time for him to state things as they were.
"Mom I know you don't want to hear this, but I am a villain. I joined the League and did things for them all of my own free will. I was not forced to do any of it. No matter how much you want to deny it, it's the truth. I promise I'll give you the full explanation when and if we survive this," he stated.
All Inko could do was stare at him. There were no words to describe what was going through her mind right now.
The detectives did agree with what he said though, he was a villain. They did admire that he was being honest about it and not making any excuses.
"You still haven't answered our questions," Reo interjected.
Izuku sighed deeply. It had been a really stressful couple of days for him.
Seeing Bakugo again.
Nearly dying several times in a row.
He had been captured and was most likely going to spend the rest of his life in prison after this.
More people (including his mother) had nearly died in front of him.
And now that someone was trying to kill him again.
To put it simply, he had reached his limit. If these men wanted some damn answers so badly then he would fucking give them some.
"The patients were injected with an enhancement drug I developed. As the name implies it enhances quirk efficiency and other physical attributes, though there are some nasty side effects. It shouldn't force quirks to activate, it never happened before. My guess is someone made some modifications to it. As for what that thing is or why it's trying to kill me, I don't know. Probably the same person who tried to kill me yesterday. And no, I don't know who it is. So there, are you satisfied now?" Izuku snapped.
Naomasa didn't reply.
Reo made no comment.
Inko however could see how stressed her son was. And who could blame him?
'Forced quirk activation, that sounds like trigger. Still, this does partially explain why AFO favoured Izuku,' Naomasa thought. 'A drug like that is quite dangerous in the wrong hands.'
"Now that I've answered your questions stop asking me," Izuku ordered them. "Focus on the current situation at hand. We need to decide on our next course of action since I seriously doubt that thing is going to stop hunting us."
"There isn't really anything we can do. My quirk, 'lie detector', isn't any use in this situation, Tsukauchi is quirkless, and your mother's quirk isn't exactly suited for fighting. Also, as strong as you are there's no way you can beat that thing without a quirk," Reo pointed out. "The only thing we can do is wait for a hero to come and save us."
Izuku gritted his teeth. Was this man serious? Of course, he was. He lived in a world where heroes always came in and saved the day. God this was the type of world Tomura described, the type of society people lived in.
"People walked by me like was nothing. I was a broken child covered in blood wandering the streets by myself who needed help but despite that they just went about doing their own business like nothing was wrong. Wanna know what they said to me? They said, "I'm sure a hero will come by and help so don't worry." But you know what, no hero did."
Reo's comment made Izuku remember just what made Tomura become a villain. It made him remember just how truly dependant society was on these heroes. Even in situations like these, they depended on them.
Honestly, it was pathetic. Even if what he said was possibly the opposite was just as assured.
"And if one doesn't come?" he asked in almost a snarl.
His remark earned him silence.
"Don't think like that. We have to," Reo started before Izuku interrupted him.
"Hah," Izuku snorted. "Have to what? Hope that help will come? I'm sorry to disappoint you detective but things don't work like that. Maybe in a comic book that would happen, but this is real life. Things don't always go the way we want, not everyone gets saved. Believe me, I know."
Everyone (especially Inko) was stunned at Izuku's speech. He was clearly serious about what he was saying.
"I'm not saying a hero won't come but until one does, we can't sit around waiting for death. So, for the time being, we need to rescue ourselves. Quirks aren't everything, there are other ways to win a battle. You two are both detectives for a reason. Use those brains of yours to try and figure out a way to beat that thing," Izuku commanded. "During the last encounter, did anyone notice anything about that thing? Aside from it being made of metal?"
They all thought really hard about that.
"I don't know if this helps but it only seemed to be able to use metal from its body. It can't make it from nothing, which is why the distance from the spikes is limited, and why it can't shoot more than one at a time," Reo said.
"It doesn't appear to be human but even still, it would need a core to hold it all together," Naomasa added.
Izuku pondered over all this. They did make good points, Naomasa especially.
A being like that would need a core to sustain itself. It was such a pity they didn't have a way to find the core.
Since it was made of metal it probably held the same properties. Someone with magnetism could probably take it apart quite easily, or someone with a fire quirk could put it under intense heat and melt it.
'Wait for a second a fire quirk,' Izuku realised as it dawned on him.
He had forgotten until now. But wouldn't he have been searched by the police? Then again, he had put him in a hidden pocket of his. Izuku searched his pockets quickly until he came across a marble.
"Good, he's still there," Izuku said earning him confused looks from everyone. "Let's see now, I think Compress said you do it like this."
During the time he had known him Compress had shown Izuku how his quirk functioned. His quirk 'Compress', as the name implied, allowed him to "compress" any object into a small marble without damaging it. Most of the time only Compress could undo it himself however, there was another method.
Someone else could undo his quirks effects if they, a) know the person, b) have a good enough relationship between the two of them, and c) if they willed it very strongly.
Izuku's analysis as well as the praise of his quirk made Compress like him enough to tell him, that and they sometimes had conversations with each other which were fairly decent.
Focusing on the marble in his hand he thought about how much he needed his strength. Using the current events as leverage he willed the marble open.
There was some white smoke, but before him lay a man he knew all too well.
The figure groaned while clutching his head before standing up.
"Deku what the hell," he groaned.
"Sorry Dabi. Right now, I'm kinda in the middle of a life-or-death situation and I could really use your help," Izuku explained.
Dabi raised an eyebrow. He quickly examined his surroundings. He then sighed deeply.
"Explain," he said.
"It's like this," Izuku started.
Izuku quickly explained what had happened since Dabi was knocked out by Gran Torino. When he was finished Dabi nodded his head in understanding.
"I get it. Sure, I'll help you," Dabi answered.
"Wait what? Why?" Reo asked suspiciously. "Why help us at all? Why not try and escape?"
Dabi sighed. He anticipated this kind of response.
"I highly doubt that I'll get very far considering the situation. There are probably several heroes on their way here now. Also, since I like Deku the most out of all the League I'm willing to help," Dabi told them.
Reo didn't appear to be convinced. Naomasa and Inko were different.
"Yagami we should accept his assistance. The way things are now we need all the help if we're going to survive this," Naomasa reasoned. "So, for just once don't argue."
"If Izuku trusts him then so do I," Inko stated.
Dabi glanced at the woman and saw that she greatly resembled Deku. It dawned on him who this woman was. He couldn't help but grin at the Deku.
"Oh, is this her?" he asked the younger male with a hint of amusement.
"Um yes, Dabi. This is my mother, Inko Midoriya," Izuku replied turning his face away.
Inko looked at them surprised.
"Deku talked about you quite a bit back at the League," Dabi informed her. "It's nice to finally meet you. Though I wish it were under better circumstances."
Inko didn't get a chance to reply.
At that exact moment, a metal spike pierced through the door. Metalloid had found them, and it was slicing its way into the room.
"This isn't really the best time to be getting acquainted," Inko said.
"We can do that after we're done not dying," Dabi replied.
Izuku saw a fire extinguisher and ran to grab it. Melting Metalloid may not have been enough therefore, he needed a backup plan. He didn't get to it, unfortunately.
Metalloid came smashing through the door straight at him, blades ready to cut him in two. Acting on instinct Izuku back-flipped out of the way so Dabi could attack.
Blue flames erupted from Dabi's hands and shot towards Metalloid consuming it instantly.
That did nothing to halt it.
Metalloid shot out a spike at Dabi who easily avoided by skipping to the side where he attacked again, this time increasing the temperature and power of his flames. It appeared to be working as Metalloid looked slightly liquidly but not much.
Metalloid spun its leg at Dabi's head only for him to lean back and avoid it, well mostly, his chin was cut. The fact that the metal was hot from his flames only made it more painful.
Dabi grunted in annoyance and glared at the figure while he continued to dodge and strike. He wasn't making much progress.
"This thing's really starting to piss me off," Dabi exclaimed.
He wasn't the only one. Reo was trying to move so he wouldn't be in the way, which wasn't easy given his legs condition.
Naomasa had Inko behind him as if trying to protect her.
Izuku couldn't help but growl at how frustrating the whole situation was.
'Dammit! If I could only get that fire extinguisher then my plan would work,' Izuku thought. 'If only those two would knock it over here then-'
Suddenly an idea came to him. There was a way to get that extinguisher. And she was in this room.
"Mom," he called out catching his mother's attention. He moved quickly to her and pointed at the object of interest. "The fire extinguisher. Can you use your quirk to bring it over here?"
Inko stared at her son. "Izuku that's mainly for small objects."
"Try it with both hands. Focus all your power on them and it'll increase its strength."
Inko didn't look so sure.
"Please, trust me," Izuku implored her.
Inko saw the look in his eyes. He was serious, he trusted her, he had faith in her. Then it was only right that she does the same.
Moving out from behind Naomasa she extended her hands and focused her quirk on the fire extinguisher.
Seeing what she was about to do Izuku called out to Dabi.
"Dabi hit that thing with everything you've got. Go max temperature with your flames," Izuku shouted. "When I say 'now', stop and I'll do the rest."
Dabi held out his hand close to Metalloid and consumed it with his quirk. His blue flames burned stronger than before. The figure could hardly move as its body started to melt.
Inko focused all her quirks power on the fire extinguisher. As she did the object started to move towards her until it came directly into her hands. She immediately gave it to her son who charged the metallic monstrosity.
"NOW," he yelled.
Dabi ceased using his quirk. The figure was almost a grey puddle. Within the liquid Izuku could see a red eye, at least that's how it appeared. It must have been its core.
He didn't care about that though. He aimed the fire extinguisher and fire it at the liquid. Almost instantly it was frozen solid.
"When an incredibly heated substance is met with a cold one it'll cool and solidify, or in this case freeze, quickly," Izuku explained. "This was my plan all along. But it's not over yet."
Izuku broke down on some of the ice so he could rip out the core. He took it over to Naomasa who still had his gun.
"You want to do the honours," he offered while holding out the core to him.
"With pleasure," the detective replied as he took the core off Izuku's hand.
He placed it on the ground and shot it multiple times until the red light went out signalling its demise.
It was over. They had won. They were alive.
Dabi, Naomasa and Reo all sighed in relief. They were all tired from the ordeal, Dabi especially since being in that marble for so long hadn't been a great experience for him.
Inko was so happy that she hugged her son tightly, something he returned. He was thankful that she was alright. If she had died, well he didn't even want to think about it.
From the sound of things outside the drug's effects must have kicked in and everyone exposed to it was lying motionless.
And with that, the battle at the villain hospital came to an end.
Hi there. I know it's been a month since I updated but I don't have as much free time as before. I really hope you all enjoyed this chapter. I didn't intend for it to be this long, but things don't always go the way we plan. The next chapter will feature the aftermath of the battle as well as a few more things. Please review.