The rest of the Battle Training exercise went along normally. Even though the Quirks and performances of some of the students have been outstanding—some highlights being Todoroki's team winning by freezing the entire building and Kyouka and Kaminari's tactics being similar to that of a non-lethal counter-terrorist strategy with Kyouka acting as a scout with her Quirk and Kaminari taking everyone(and his intelligence) out with an indiscriminate burst of electricity—they were all normal when compared to the mystery that was Izuku's new ability.

No one could forget how shocked they all were when they saw the terrifying humanoid phantom that stood behind Izuku. It looked angry and strong yet did nothing to either Izuku, Uraraka or Iida. It was just…there. And it stayed by his side as he left the building alongside his weirded-out friends. Bakugou never saw it; he remained stunned by his capture until All Might came to pick him up. Not a peep came out of him the entire day.

Many theories sprung up amongst the class. Kirishima speculated that it was a manifestation of his innate manliness, Mineta said it was a ghost, Yaoyorozu theorised that it was the physical form of his Quirk while Tsuyu, being as blunt as ever, stated that they never really knew Izuku all that well and that even he does not know it existed until today. Uraraka and Iida sat in their seats motionless. Despite all the commotion, they were made to swear that none of it ever got out of their class by All Might as he told them that this ability of Izuku's was very rare.

What he did not tell them was that such an ability was last seen a few centuries ago and that it belonged to an elusive villain. Shortly after dismissing Class 1-A from Ground Beta, he told the successor to his power to see him in his office after school. There were things that he needed to know.

And thus, the young green-haired teenager found himself in his mentor's office, facing him in his sullen deflated form, and had a dusty book pushed towards him across the table.

Izuku was sweating bullets. Was he in trouble? Was there something sinister about his newfound ability? Was he going to tell him a terrible truth about One for All that he did not know? And if so, what would it be? Also, his new ability apparently a physical form so did that mean he could summon him whenever wanted to if he so wished or-

"Young Midoriya, stop. You're muttering again."

Izuku flustered and clamped his mouth shut with his hands. "I-I'm so sorry! It's just that…what is it that you wanted to tell me?"

The book that was in front of him, while dated and faded, was still legible. It had a plain red hard-cover and the title, "Mysteries of the Past: Superpowers in a World without Quirks", imprinted in dull gold.

All Might broke the silence with a cough and wiped the blood that seeped out of his mouth. "This, young Midoriya, is a book that records the numerous unexplained supernatural abilities of people throughout history. Of course, as you might have guessed from the title, this was all before the very first appearance of the Quirk in China and the widespread shift of the population from being Quirkless to having Quirks, flipping the notion of what it meant to be a normal human being."

"Eh?! There were superpowered people before then?!", blurted Izuku, his eyes wide in disbelief as he had lived his whole life thinking that everyone was powerless before the advent of Quirks.

"Indeed, young Midoriya, indeed," said All Might while he opened the book to show his protégé the table of contents that listed all of the abilities recorded in the book. The wide-eyed boy found his eyes growing even bigger as he noted some of the abilities listed.

"Near-infinite stamina? High-resistance to extreme cold? Extreme flexibility? Immunity to electricity?! All Might, these people are amazing! Surely, they must've been heroes in their time too!"

The sunken-eyed blonde simply let out a sigh. "No, they were not."

He could feel the "Eh" coming so he opted to continue before he began muttering again. "These people, as amazing their abilities maybe, weren't enough to be considered 'hero-material' as they only extended to what they could to themselves or were too rare. The one who was immune to electricity, for instance, could only do what he did because his skin had no sweat pores which meant they were no bodily fluids that could act as a conductor. This condition he had was a rare disease and he himself was rather frail and could only do it as a form of entertaining visitors."

The young protégé had his mouth in an O-shape as All Might then turned to a chapter labelled simply as, "Mysterious Phantoms". The protégé's mouth closed shut as he turned his attention to a blurry photograph of a tall, muscular teenager appearing to be facing off against a flamboyant muscular blonde man in Cairo. Izuku's focus, however, was on the two blurry entities that stood beside them.

"Sir, aren't these-!"

"Yes, my boy, these are in fact the manifestations of the type of ability that you have now," stated All Might, his blue irises appearing to glow dimly. "However, what makes this type so different from all the others is that there is very little information that exists of it."

The air in the otherwise homely office of the Symbol of Peace grew heavy. "In fact, the photographs you see in this book, are the only ones in existence and the photographer who took these photos could only afford to capture them from afar."

Izuku raised a brow, one part of him wanting to know but another part of him felt…scared. He did not know why but for now, he chalked it up to nerves. "Why is that, All Might?"

"Most of the recorded fights between users of this ability have almost always resulted in one of them dead or dying."

Izuku paled at this revelation. He gulped even when his throat was dry. "W-w-were there any c-c-c-c-collateral?" He hated the term. It dehumanised the deceased and reduced them to a statistic.

"Unfortunately, yes." He then pointed to the snippets of multiple newspaper articles that were part of the documentation of the photograph. Izuku blanched as he read the headlines of each one.

[DEAD JAPANESE TEENAGER FOUND IN BUILDING WATER TANK WITH HOLE IN STOMACH]

[CAIRO IN SHOCK AS MAD DRIVER RUNS OVER HUNDREDS ON BUSY SIDEWALK]

[CLOCKTOWER IN RUINS: WHAT HAPPENED?]

[CITY COUNCIL BAFFLED WITH SUDDEN WRECKED ROADROLLER ON ROAD, ROAD CLOSED FOR 3 DAYS]

Noticing the terror in his student's eyes, All Might lightly put his hand on the young lad's shoulder and gave a reassuring smile. "Worry not, young Midoriya, these were only caused by the blonde in the photograph. He was a villain."

Izuku let out the breath that he held unknowingly as he felt relief wash over him. However, he froze up once more when he heard All Might utter, "Which brings me to your ability, my boy…"

The teen's eyes caught a glimpse of a few of the ability users. He noted that some of the photographs featured sightings of the 'phantoms' in crowds or populated areas, leading him to believe that only users of the 'phantoms' could use them. But why then could everyone else see his? Did it have something to do with the genetic makeup of people with Quirks? Are Quirks an integrated form of these 'phantoms' and why did he have one?

"My boy, look here. You're muttering again," coughed All Might, causing the teen to apologise and scratch his head sheepishly.

His eyes shifted to where All Might was pointing. Then, all of a sudden, he felt a rush of emotions. Shock, fear, elation, rage. His mind was beginning to become overwhelmed. What was going on? What he did know was that it happened the moment he saw the picture his mentor was pointing at.

The picture was taken in an undisclosed open grassy plain in Sardinia on the year 2001. In the photograph, by an odd rock formation behind a group of kids playing with a ball, was a slender silver-haired man with his face contorted with shock and pain as an arm appeared to have punched him so hard from behind it impaled him up to the arm's elbow. The arm belonged to the 'phantom' that Izuku now called his and beside it was a man whose expression of anger matched that of the crimson phantom's. He had long pink hair with black spots and had a slender yet bulky build. His choice of fashion was…weird.

"This picture, young Midoriya, was the only photograph taken of the boss of the largest crime organisation in Italy at the time…"

Izuku should feel intrigue. Heck, he should feel a keen sense of interest in knowing this information. Yet, for some strange reason, he felt mad. Angry. He never knew the man but somehow felt like he knew him all his life. He tried to shake his head to get rid of these feelings, but they still persisted.

"…it was called Passione. This was the only instance of an ability user that had the most documentation on it as they were provided by the person who succeeded him, who had completely transformed the crime organisation into that of a benevolent, morally-guided mafia."

Stop.

"As for the person who controlled this 'phantom' that you have, young Midoriya…"

Stop! No one should ever know!

"His name was…"

Izuku gritted his teeth as he tried to suppress this overwhelming urge to murder the man who gave him a chance at becoming a hero. He could feel his muscles twitch and spasm under the pressure. Tears were beginning to well in the corners of his eyes.

'Please, All Might. Stop.'

"Diavolo."

Izuku then fell to his knees as he clutched his head in pain. All Might shot up and ran to help him.

"Young Midoriya! Are you alright?! Talk to me?!"

The hero-turned-teacher was at a complete loss. His protégé had suddenly dropped to the floor after giving him the truth about the previous user of his 'phantom'. Any discussion of the disturbing possibility of the 'phantom's exact nature of its power had to wait.

Then, after a full minute of pained grunting and rolling on the floor, Izuku slowly got up to his feet. All Might quickly helped him up to his sofa and checked his vitals. Heartbeat, normal. Breathing, laboured but steadily returning to regular pace. The blonde gulped. "My boy, how are you feeling?"

The green-haired teen said nothing, but a weak smile and the opening of eyes was all that All Might needed to know that he was fine. However, he failed to notice the slight increase in the boy's musculature as his arms appeared to be more tone than usual.

"I…I'm fine, All Might," came the weak response from Izuku. The Symbol of Peace, thinking that it meant that he was ready for more discussion, decided to continue.

"Alright, my boy, if you insist. I will take you to Recovery Girl, however, if you have another one of these fits and we can talk some other time."

"No, really, I'm good now. Keep going."

"Right. Where was I…oh, right, the owner of your 'phantom'. He was a villain, young Midoriya, and a cruel one at that. While he never directly caused the deaths of hundreds like the one from the previous photo, he has indirectly ruined the lives of millions and could have single-handedly brought Italy to ruin should his reign lasted longer."

"W-what?!" Tch.

"But worry not, my boy! An ability, a villain does not make! I'm sure that with your kind heart and strong will to help others in need, you will be able to become a truly great hero! Imagine if I was a villain instead? It would be terrifying to think of the casualties, no?"

"W-wow, you're right, All Might." This power of mine is that of an emperor!

Izuku was now feeling his blood chill as he heard the voice loud and clear. It was bad enough that his body felt a bit different already and now he was hearing voices. He was tired from the intense migraine he had and was now contemplating that he was becoming crazy as a side effect of his new ability. His mentor, however, was unaware of his struggle and went on.

"I'm glad you think so too, young Midoriya!", All Might boomed, now in his large hero form. "Which then brings me to the mysterious power your 'phantom' holds, my boy."

"Stand."

Izuku was surprised that he said that. It was like his mouth moved on its own. Seeing the raised brow on All Might, he quickly thought of an excuse. "I-I mean, I think it would be easier to call them S-Stands, All Might sir…"

"Hmm…", the hero contemplated, leaving Izuku to quake in silence. But somehow, again, he felt things that did not fit the situation. In this case, he felt a bit cocky like he just dodged a bullet because it was what fate destined it to be.

"That sounds good, my boy! So, your, uh, Stand, young Midoriya, do you know what exactly it does?"

The normally quick-thinking analytical mind of the green-haired protégé ground to a halt. What does it do? He tried thinking of it as stopping time but why would he not be able to interact with anything in the stopped time? The only explanation that he could think of in his inability to do anything but move himself around was that time never stopped in the first place. That meant that the process of time itself was still going on and it explained why he did not fall through the floor when his hands phased through the bomb as his actions were still bound by the area he was in, but the aftermath of an action had not taken place yet.

His mind clicked. There can only be one way to explain this. He almost felt like slapping his forehead at how simple in was.

"You done muttering, my boy?"

Izuku nodded. He took a deep breath, his response clear as day in his mind.

"The ability to skip time." The power to erase time.

'Huh?' Huh?

He was now sure that there was a voice in his head and it was independent of his own thoughts but were also affecting each other's thought processes. Both he and the voice were confused at the other's answer. Strange things were afoot and Izuku feared that it was only going to get worse for here on out. He was also confused at the odd face All Might was making. "Uh, All Might, sir? Is something wrong?"

All Might had a hand on his head, his large fingers scratching his scalp audibly while having an embarrassed grin. "Well, my boy…while I'm sure that it sounds simple—and it does make sense—how does it, well work?"

Izuku, being the obsessed analytic that he was, felt the urge to go in full detail on how skipping or, as the voice insisted with vigour, erasing time operated and how it was easier to imagine a film reel that has a segment removed and the ends stitched together. But, instinctively knowing his idol would be having an aneurysm with that explanation, he decided that simple was best.

"It just works." It just works.

'Hey, whaddya know? We can come to terms with something after all.'

For a while, the office was quiet. All Might's blue eyes were looking into the green of young Midoriya's eyes, almost as if pleading for a better answer, begging him to have faith in his intelligence. Izuku, on the other hand, stared blissfully with a smile, thinking that his mentor was finally beginning to understand.

Breaking the silence, All Might sighed, saddened by his student's ignorance of his silent plea. "Alright, I'll take that explanation."

He then checked the clock on the wall of his office and coughed up a spray of blood. It was 6:30pm!

"Oh no! In my enthusiasm in informing you, I have lost track of the time!", he blurted.

Izuku, eyes wide in realisation, quickly got up and panicked, muttering something about needing to hurry and apologise to his mother. He slipped his bag on his back and thanked All Might before reaching for the door. Upon opening it, however, he noted that he felt a bit taller.

"Ah, young Midoriya!", All Might called out just as he stepped out. "Are you planning to give your Stand a name?"

Then, the Pro-Hero froze in place as he saw Izuku's irises become fragmented, his posture slightly slouched and black spots appearing in his mop of green as the teen turned to answer in an uncharacteristically foreign deep voice.

"King Crimson."

All Might then suddenly found himself outside his office despite sitting down just after hearing the boy's answer.


"Izuku! Is everything alright?", Inko called out as she knocked the door to her son's bedroom. She was surprised to see him come home panting heavily and covered in sweat as though he was running away from someone. While he showered and had dinner normally, even having a quick laugh together when they were talking about the costume she made for him, he fell silent when she asked about his class.

His eyes grew wide in horror and he suddenly rushed towards room and locked the door. Inko, worried that something wrong happened at school, decided to come there to check up on him. She still felt guilty for failing to believe in her son's dream to become a hero and she was determined to support him as much as she could. She was not letting him despair again.

"I-I'm okay, mom!", she heard his muffled answer. "I…uh, had a bad headache and needed to lie down really bad."

"Oh…do you need aspirin, Izuku? We have some in the kitchen if you need it."

"N-no need, mom! I just…really need to sleep it off."

Suspecting he was hiding something from her but afraid that it was something that he wanted to deal on his own, she decided to let him be and return to the dining table to clear it up.

Unbeknownst to her, her son was having an intense internal struggle that he was desperate to win.

'Who are you?! Stop messing my emotions around! And what have you done with my body?!', his mind screamed. After his meeting with All Might, he ran straight home in fear. In fear of himself. He saw and felt his body structure change in a blink of an eye and it terrified him to no end. It was like someone was wearing his body as a suit and he was at the controller's mercy.

Hmph. You are not as easily manipulated as Doppio, it seems. You know what, I respect that. It shows that you do have an iron will and have the raw determination to prove it.

'What are you talking about?'

I'm saying that you, while having the timidity of a cornered mouse, are strong enough to overcome any obstacle thrown at you. As for your body, I have merely fused a piece of myself with yours.

'Why?!', Izuku demanded. The voice that he feared was in fact a centuries-old mafia boss had been physically changing his body, much to his horror. To make things worse, it was almost like he had been inside his mind the whole time. The very thought of it felt comforting and the comfort was scary. It was like admitting that this voice had been a separate entity that was a part of him all throughout his life.

Impressive! You are smart too! Not only were you able to deduce my King Crimson's power but you have correctly guessed that I have indeed been here for a very long time. The comfort you feel is your subconscious acknowledging my presence, shrimp. As for the fusion, it was partly because I wanted to see if I could take over your body and-

"What?!"

Hey! Keep it down! No one must know of my existence! Anyone who finds out must perish for even knowing who I am!

Izuku clamped his mouth shut and uttered a soft apology.

As I was saying, I wanted to see if I could take over your body and also, I noticed that this power you call a Quirk needs a strong body. And I figured that I could contribute as the benevolent boss of Passione to your aid. Think of it as…I can't believe I'm saying this…gratitude.

'Gratitude? For what?'

The voice, that Izuku could finally call as Diavolo after regaining his mental clarity, seemed to be wincing as he seemed to be reminded of an incredibly traumatising event that shook his very soul. A never-ending cycle of suffering. Which was weird considering that Izuku cannot actually see him.

After a while, Izuku concluded that Diavolo had either disappeared or retreated into the recesses of his mind as he could no longer feel his 'presence'. Remembering what he said about 'fusing', he tried summoning King Crimson. To his surprise, the Stand came out with ease with just a thought. He hypothesised that it was because of the fusion…wait…oh no!

He jumped off his bed, took off his shirt and stood in front of a mirror. Izuku could only watch in awe and disbelief as he saw that he had grown taller by a few inches. It was not enough to match Diavolo's but it was enough to make his clothes feel smaller. His body also became leaner and, most of all, his eyes looked weird. His irises appeared to be fragmented into dots and cracks. His hair, too, got longer and had black spots peppering it all over.

There was certainly a lot for Izuku Midoriya to take in. But he did know this.

If his life was turned upside-down by One for All, this will ensure that life will never be the same again.


A/N: Yo! Jeez man, you guys definitely made it clear that you all wanted more. Either that, or this is the first time I wrote for an ongoing popular series. Anyways, thank you so much for the support! Hopefully, it meets your expectations and if it doesn't, don't be shy to leave an honest comment my way.