'Never fall into the trap of fighting on the enemy's terms. If the enemy can fly, clip their wings. If they have the high ground, destroy the mountain and send them crashing down. If they have artillery, stand next to them so that their only choice is to perish as well. If they have armour, impede their mobility. And if they are smarter than you, more skilled and more cunning, if they move you like a piece on a shogi board whose rules you don't know, then flip the board over and change the game.'
—Excerpt from the recovered 'Tenets of Combat' by the late Shouta Aizawa, the Eraserhead.
Izuku stands tall when he meets All For One the next day.
The room is the one in which the villain showed him the laws of power, but It is different. There is a concrete table and two benches across from one another. All For One sits on one of the benches, setting up a chess set.
There are things he has seen that have given him pause but perhaps the sight of the Strongest Man Alive in a dark suit preparing for a game of chess ranks amongst the strangest.
All For One clicks his fingers, not looking up from his methodical manner of adding pawns to the chess set. Instantly, the screens covering every inch of the room come to life. They give the impression of a sunny park in the height of summer and, if he didn't know better, he would swear he can smell fresh flowers.
"When will you let Kouta go?"
"In two days." All For One gestures to the other bench. "Seat yourself."
Izuku does so. He has no gambit he is willing to risk Kouta for. And, he doesn't doubt All For One will see through his plans instantly if he so much as attempts to implement them a moment too early.
"How do I know you'll keep your word?"
The villain brushes imaginary dust off the lapel of his immaculate suit. Izuku, dressed in plain grey shirt and sweatpants doesn't look anywhere near as dignified.
"You wouldn't listen to me if I was anything less than totally honest. You're a consummate liar based on all the reports I've read. Given that you lied your way out of questioning after the stadium attack, I don't doubt you would immediately detect a lie. So, do you believe I will let him go in two days? Do you believe a villain can be honourable?"
Izuku clicks his teeth together, frustrated. There's no winning with those questions. But one answer leads to Kouta going free, even if it hurts to consider.
"Yes."
The villain nods and gestures for Izuku to play.
This isn't a game he knows. Cards and games of chance he knows, not this static game of strategy.
"I don't know the rules," he says after moving the pawn.
"Then consider this a practice round where I will teach you the basic moves. I will show you the principle movements of each piece. After I place you in checkmate, we will start again."
Izuku takes that challenge to heart. The knight, he soon learns, is his favourite piece because it can reach any spot given time. It may not be the castle that can traverse the length of the board in one go or the bishop or even the Queen which has too much power for his liking, but something about that agility speaks to him.
After the villain makes exactly nine moves, he says, "checkmate."
Izuku looks at the board every direction he can before accepting that yes, he has lost this battle. It doesn't matter. Losing until the very end is his goal. He can't lose sight of that.
"I dislike chess analogies," All For One says as he resets the board. "Unfortunately, everyone makes use of them."
"Why? Not enough pieces for your liking?"
All For One chuckles. "No. It simply desensitises you to the value of your subordinates. A pawn is of little value. Associate a person with that, and they have just as little value. It becomes easy to throw them away for a tiny fraction of power."
"I don't believe you're that benevolent. Not for a single second."
Izuku plays first when All for one doesn't answer. Once more, he slides a pawn forward, this time two steps instead of one.
"Then let's consider it pragmatically." The villain moves his knight first. "If you consider someone a chess piece, then you fall into the belief that they can only move in certain ways. A pawn moves one step at a time and a Queen wherever it pleases. That is a lie. Humans aren't two-dimensional. Everyone, from the most pathetic hero to the greatest villains have reasons for what they do. And though we may disagree and find those reasons abhorrent, they are still reasons."
All for One takes Izuku's knight with a pawn. "Humans can think and make choices. Chess pieces cannot."
"Then why chess?"
"Why not? It's a fun enough game and, for a man as old as me, it's almost a rite of passage."
Izuku frowns, looking at the pieces on the board. Then he sighs, knocking his king over.
"There were at least two paths to victory," the villain says.
"No there weren't," Izuku snaps back. "You controlled both sides from the very beginning. The only difference was how long it took for me to lose."
"Sometimes, you must lose to win," the villain says.
"What?" Izuku asks, forcing his body to stay loose and relaxed.
All For One huffs in amusement. "Lose until you're stronger or smarter, and then, when your opponent thinks you're beaten, that is when you show your strength."
It feels like everything is crashing down. Every plan and thought suddenly smoke and mirrors, cheap parlour tricks against one who knows made the tricks.
Then, to his relief, All For One says, "It doesn't work well with games like chess. Your pieces are finite, your moves mathematically determined. I think you would much prefer a game like poker. Toshinori did the same when we fought. I thought him dead, and he retaliated in that moment."
The corner of his mouth twitches unbidden. "One more round."
They play another around. Izuku loses again this time, but he sees it through to the end. They play another and then another and another until the games last more than twelve moves.
"Was Stormwind a villain?"
"Yes," Izuku answer automatically.
"To the people of Europe, she is a hero and a revolutionary scorned by a corrupt UN."
"Yeah, and you're not particularly revolting until you let hostages be tortured. I don't care about the Warlords she defeated. I don't care if she unified Europe and liberated it. She killed for the sake of it. The ends don't justify the means. If your means are unjust, then the ends are wrong as well."
"Would you tell that to all the people who had access to water or electricity because of her?"
"Yes." He meets All For One's pitiless gaze. "She's called a Great Tyrant for a reason. Not a saint or martyr. A Tyrant with all that entails. She killed and sacrificed the masses for her ambitions whilst those she cared for were protected. It wasn't her peers who died but the faceless masses."
"Let me give you a truth, young Izuku. When it comes to those you love, do not make the mistake of sacrificing them. If your strength comes from that, then one day you'll have no one left. If you must choose between those you know and the faceless masses, then always choose to protect those you love."
The villain says it quietly, completely ignoring the game of chess. Izuku wonders if he can even see him, or if the villain sees something in the past.
"You don't know the meaning of love. You're not compassionate or benevolent. You're a monster with fake rules that you use to justify your cruelty."
The villain frowns and Izuku feels a smidge of his oppressive power.
"My rules are anything but fake. Perhaps I am not compassionate or benevolent, but I know myself. And when you know yourself, you can create constructs of ethics to abide by."
"Stop trying to act like you care."
"What is worse: to not care but live life ethically, or to care but commit amoral actions?"
"That's a stupid question. It's too simple."
"When we first spoke, you would have jumped at the latter. It is good to see you've grown. Here is a truth—"
"I'm tired of your truths," he snaps, interrupting the great villain. All For One waits patiently for Izuku to explain, always waiting patiently to tear apart his logic. "You twist everything I say or think. And you try and justify it because you're teaching me."
"I told you once that I will always be honest with you. I am brutal, cruel, and conniving. I make choices that would make you sick to the core. But I will never lie to you. I know what I am. Most importantly, I know what you are. And you, ultimately, are a great successor."
"Bullshit. I'd rather die than be a villain."
"Yes, you would. But I never spoke of being a villain. You wish to change society in your image. You wish to make it better. For anyone else, I would call it a fool's dream. But you are powerful. Driven. Moral and just. Most importantly, you are both intelligent and charismatic."
"Flattery won't get you anywhere."
"A simple observation. What would you do if I were to tell you that for over three decades UA has been running an institution designed specifically to hide their problems and have done so by manipulating the law and grieving parents?"
"I'd call you a liar," he says shakily.
"What if I was to tell you that they specifically place UA students who have experienced psychotic breaks and are a danger to UA's public image?"
"They're there to protect them."
"And what if I were to tell you that your classmates Hagakure, Kouda and Mineta were placed there after USJ?"
He swallows. All For One waits patiently for him to speak. "I'd ask how you know."
"Because of my spy in UA. You were, at one time, shortlisted to be instituted there. The only reason you weren't is that your father is very well connected."
"The crown."
"And to me." Izuku freezes. "We are not allied any longer if that is your concern. He is a dangerous man, your father. He balanced me against the Emperor. Ensured we remain neutral."
"My father's a good man."
"Can you say that with full certainty? Forgive me, that wasn't the main point of this discussion. Your father is a simple man who loves his family, but he knows what this world truly is. Now, knowing that UA has done what it has, would you choose to ignore it?"
Izuku closes his eyes. "You know I can't."
"I do. You see something wrong in society and wish to fix it. That is why the board of governors is changing the exam structure of UA next year. All because of one petition you started."
"I hate you."
All For One shrugs. "Hate is an honest emotion. Your principal runs the institute. Based on recent information, Aizawa is aware of the institute." He doesn't let the horror show, doesn't let a single iota of disgust shine through at the villain's words. "Yes, the same man who teaches through lies and wrongly accused your mother of abuse. The same principal that has Snipe as a pet assassin. Both claim to care for you. So again, what is worse: to not care but live life ethically, or to care but commit amoral actions?"
He doesn't answer. They both know what he thinks.
He's tired from speaking to AFO, tired of the games and deceptions and manipulations. But he knows that if he even lets up for a second then everything will come crashing down. The man has centuries of experience over him and the greatest weapon a villain has ever used against him: honesty.
Toga and Spinner are his watchers for the day. The latter being here isn't a surprise. It may be a punishment or it may be some weird manipulation, but more often than not Spinner has been with him.
He offers her a weak smile which she returns earnestly, patting him on the cheeks. He leans into it in a moment of weakness. He doesn't have to fake it. All For One has taught him the ways you could twist earnestness to manipulate someone. It is a method of power just like martial strength or business acumen.
Perhaps the most powerful.
"I don't hate you," Izuku says softly, looking at Shuichi.
Spinner narrows his eyes, claws tensing towards a knife on his side. Izuku smiles softly, and though Spinner tenses in fear, it isn't the smile designed to activate his dormant fear responses. No, it's just a normal human smile.
"I just don't understand you. You're a lot stronger than I give you credit for. Maybe you're not as strong as Stain now but the next generation is always greater than the last. Their ceiling is our floor. After all, didn't you fight off three of the Pussy Cats at once? You didn't win, but sometimes, holding out as long as you can is more than enough."
Spinner looks to him warily, unconsciously touching his broken snout. But he doesn't say anything. Sometimes silence is a strength. This time it is not.
"All creatures seek immortality," Izuku says quietly. "Do you know who said that?"
Toga laughs. "Stain. You know he did. He punched you right after that."
Izuku tilts his head in acknowledgement. "Yeah, he did. He broke one of the bones around my eye. Not fun. But he was quoting Saruhiko Ando's 'The Effect of Heroics' which is all well and good but he kinda just cherry-picked what he liked from it."
"You need to shut up," Spinner warns.
Izuku snorts. "We all do the same. Do you know what Ando's last words were?" Izuku smiles benevolently, a teacher guiding a student. "So long as we choose it, we will not go quietly into the dark night.' I prefer Ando much more than Dylan Salvatore because he's infinitely more optimistic."
"You're just making shit up."
And you just lost this round, Izuku thinks.
"Chizome Akaguro might have been one of the great philosophers of this era if he hadn't found his true calling."
"Who the fuck is that?"
"You don't even know Stain's name," Izuku says sadly.
He watches Spinner clench his fists in rage, practically vibrating with his anger.
"Toga," Izuku says instead.
"Call me Himiko."
"Alright, Himiko. Has Spinner ever killed anyone before?"
The man in question glares at him. "Shut up."
"I don't think so," Himiko says cheerfully, twirling around the reptile. "Have you ever killed anyone before?"
"Yes," he says, a bit too quickly.
"Hm, you didn't kill Tiger or Pixie Bob," Himiko says, leaning closer to Spinner.
"Those were fair targets," Izuku says, shoving his revulsion away. "Any other villain would have."
"What does that have to do with anything?"
"I just wanted to confirm something," Izuku answers. "You see, you're not much of a villain. A real villain would have killed either of them. That shows a lack of killer instinct. Or inexperience."
Himiko bumps her shoulder against Spinner's side, laying a hand on his forearm. And though Spinner stays still, Izuku can see how his face flushes beneath the scales.
"You ever have a girlfriend before? Or do anything with a girl."
"Don't tease him," Izuku says. "You know, they don't really bother with villains like you. I bet in their databases you're just a vigilante with a bad rep. What'd you get your rating for, anyway?"
"That has nothing to do with you."
"Considering that you and yours kidnapped me, I think I'm allowed to ask a few questions. I'll take a guess: robbery gone wrong and you wound up injuring someone."
"Shut up."
"No, no, no, that seems too villainous for you. Tell me, were you trying to protect someone?"
"Shut up."
Izuku barks a laugh, condescending and cruel. "You're even more harmless than I thought. How long were you a vigilante before you heard Stain's words?"
"Shut the fuck up right now."
Push him and don't stop, MIkumo advises. This is the moment of your victory.
"How many people did you save? If we went by the number of people killed, you're the only person in this room who would be a hero."
That sets Himiko off. She laughs hard and loud, eventually draping herself over Izuku. "Oh, you're just too much fun."
"They say the line between hero and villain is just one bad day. I think the line for you is having someone giving you a chance."
With Himiko focused on Spinner, she doesn't see the smile he gives Shuichi. It is an earnest smile, peaceable and kind and forgiving.
It is a smile that offers peace without question, reconciliation without cost. It is a smile that accepts all the Shuichi will never be, one that is willing to care for the person he could be if he makes a different choice.
She doesn't see how that smile pierces Shuichi's defences and leaves him unbalanced, eyes wide and fingers twitching. She doesn't see how, in the span of a second, every interaction they've had is recontextualised.
Himiko doesn't see the doubts and worries and uncertainty Shuichi suddenly faces. No, she completely misses when the tables turn. For the first time, Izuku has an ally, even if Shuichi doesn't know it yet.
When she turns her attention to Izuku, that secret smile is gone. All that remains is the tired and exhausted boy.
All that remains is Izuku, not a hero or a revolutionary, just a boy barely treading water. A boy Spinner attacked and kidnapped for no reason.
Everything he does is a manipulation, a way to elicit the reactions he needs. But, none of it is a lie. And though it may be how All For One behaves, it is still a powerful weapon to have.
So, he attacks one last time and gives them a truth.
"I miss my mother," he whispers as any tired and broken boy would whisper.
-TDB-
Inko Midoriya sits in her lounge watching the news. Or, more accurately, watching a dozen news feeds at once for updates. There is one piece of information in specific she is hoping for.
/Great mother, shadowking sire, let us find him as a sign of goodwill/
That would be the massive spider perched in the corner, each twitching leg flitting between a dozen higher dimensions. Beady eyes that tell a tale of genocide watch her and she can see the glistening fangs, each longer than her arm.
She's getting sick and tired of them.
"Do me a favour and get out of my house already," she says.
/A favour is a bargain owed, great mother. We seek peace between spiderkin and shadowking. We will come to collect on this favour and offer peace one last time/
It fades between realms before she can reply. At least now she doesn't have to deal with it or any of the other spiders—normal, terrestrial spiders linked to a greater hive mind—lurking in her home.
Something on a news feed catches her attention and she flicks to it. The headline and the report within bring a smile to her face.
Inko sends her husband a simple message. Come, it reads.
It takes a few minutes before a doorway forms in the middle of their lounge. She wonders how he's never managed to accidentally cut someone in half. But only for a moment.
"Aizawa is dead," she says the moment he appears.
There are splatters of blood on his jacket and he looks tired, worn by the war. She feels no sympathy. Everyone feels that way.
"Yes."
Inko nods. "He'll hate us both."
Hisashi shrugs. "He'll be here to hate us. I'm sorry for all the pain I've caused you."
"I'm not going to forgive you. They say someone used a fuel-air explosive."
"I've had experience covering my tracks before. I'm not an amateur. There's no evidence of me being there."
"Good. So long as he doesn't find out."
"He'll figure it out eventually. He's a smart kid. Even if he doesn't piece it together, I won't be able to lie to him if he asks?"
She narrows her eyes. "You managed to lie to us both for years."
"I'm the same man you once loved."
I still do, she thinks bitterly.
"You're not the same man. No one stays the same forever. Get back to work, Hisashi."
He bows his head and leaves through another portal. She pushes down her regret at the set of his shoulders, tense and nervous and filled with the same sort of grief she feels. Yes, she is taking advantage of him mercilessly and cruelly, but this is no time for sympathy or compassion. All she wants is her son back and it doesn't matter how much blood must be spilt in the process.
If Izuku never speaks to her again, that's fine. So long as he's safe and whole and healthy, she's willing to accept his hate.
She leaves home, not trying very hard to hide her identity. All things considered, Mustafu hasn't been the target of any attacks. She also knows Hisashi has security watching over her. It's cloying knowing that someone is always shadowing her, but the love they shared has become this suffocating monster fed on blood and death.
There are more than a few stores that are still open, their safety kept by packs of vigilantes. On the way over, she sees someone in a dark hoodie spray painting a lightning bolt on the side of the building.
She ignores it and enters the store. There are strict limits placed on the number of goods that can be bought, and from the way someone gets forcefully evicted for trying to bribe his way with hard currency chits, they have no interest in taking bribes.
She pays for her groceries quietly, not putting up a fuss at the outrageous prices. Her husband is useful in some regards. She walks out, basket in hand, and heads home.
She doesn't get very far.
"How does it feel having a villain for a son?"
Inko slows to a stop, tilting her head to look at the reporter. She hadn't noticed the man, too busy minding her own business. He's got that smug look all reporters from trashy online outlets have, too smarmy to have manners or anything approaching decency. Not anything like the reporter her son met in Hokkaido.
"Be very careful of your next words," she warns, polite as a silk garrotte.
"You heard my question."
It takes all she has not to crush the man with her power.
"I heard you milking the suffering of innocent students and good heroes simply for better ratings. I heard a man hiding behind a camera and 'free speech' and 'journalistic integrity' when all you are is a leech. You feed off pain and add some glitter to it. What, is this going to go into your Top Ten Reasons my son is a villain article? I can see from how you've paled that you haven't had a creative thought your entire life."
She gives him a fake smile. "You want to do this? When was the last time you helped someone? When was the last time you volunteered anywhere? When was the last time you did more than a boy of fifteen? Never? I thought so."
The man backpedals, flushing and shamed.
"Where do you think you're going?" she asks fiercely. "You started this. You're going to see it through. Let me tell you about my son."
-TDB-
Shuichi Iguchi, the vigilante-turned-villain, finds himself guarding Izuku Midoriya more and more now. He thinks it may be a punishment for having his nose broken by the kid because Shigaraki is just a spiteful bastard sometimes.
When he isn't doing that, he's in the simple room assigned to him away from the other members of the Vanguard. There is a private network that he can access. Given that he's got almost nothing else to do, he finds himself reading. The words of the great philosophers of the hero eras are at his disposal. He learns more of Hinata Ononoki and Dylan Salvatore, Saruhiko Ando and Andile Sithole. He reads their ideas without the bias of someone else, without Stain's personal twist or even Izuku Midoriya's scathing objections.
He regrets it almost immediately because, in truth, he's been quoting Stain who has been quoting other people. Without context, he's just been saying empty words without thought.
Ignorance is bliss, he thinks, before heading over to his guard shift for the day.
It is him, Compress and Shigaraki this time, much to his surprise. The last time Shigaraki and their captive spoke had been filled with vitriol, mutual disdain and condescension. It had, at that time, reinforced who was really in control between the two of them.
Nothing of interest happens for most of their shift except Izuku—when did I start calling him that—baring his teeth occasionally. Each time he does, Shuichi's heart rate shoots up and it takes everything he has to stay calm and not bolt.
At some point, the screen comes to life, showing a woman who looks with green hair speaking to another man. The man throws accusations at the woman about birthing a villain, much to Spinner's surprise.
"They already think you're a villain," Shigaraki, his nominal leader, says ecstatically.
Shuichi watches the mother of the boy they captured speak. Her words are anger and brimstone, fierce in a way that terrifies Shuichi. She's less a mother and more a shark smelling blood.
"They want to invalidate me," the boy says. "In the same way I invalidated Stain's ideals, they're looking to tarnish me.
"This is the society you fight for."
Izuku shakes his head. "No, it's the society I want to change for the better. I want to make a society where you aren't called a villain for being kidnapped. I want to create a society where a little girl isn't treated like a villain for a bad quirk activation."
And isn't that what Stain fought for? Isn't that why Shuichi joined the League? At the time, they had seemed like the only people willing to fight everything he hated about Japan, about the world. Now, he's not so sure.
Maybe, Stain was right about him.
He lets no one see his moment of hesitation.
Yet, somehow, the boy's green eyes seem to know. The corner of his lips quirks up as though he knows everything Shuichi thinks.
"I believe we can all be better," the boy says. "I believe that none of you are products of your upbringing or environment. No one is inherently good or evil. No one is born to be a hero. We just choose who we want to be."
"Society's given us no choice," Compress says for the first time. "This is a popularity contest to them, a game show with lives on the line."
"That's a lie," Izuku says, looking right at Spinner. "You're afraid of the consequences. You made the choice to attack a camp full of children. You started a war against Japan. And now you're afraid of the consequences, claiming you were forced to do it. Don't be a fucking coward. Admit what you've done."
"We struck back," Shigaraki says. "We showed them how weak heroes really are. We showed them that their saviours are nothing more than children playing the biggest game of cops and robbers."
"And that makes you strong?" Izuku asks. "You attacked kids and now you're hiding behind the real villain running the League."
The rage comes instantly. "Say that again," Shigaraki says slowly.
Izuku shrugs. "You heard me. What are you going to do? Hurt me? Hurt someone else? What happens if I snap and decide that seeing your bloody corpse is worth it?"
He remembers how easily the boy had broken his weapon and nose. Shuichi hadn't even been worth more than a split second of concentration. Most of all, he's seen the pictures of Muscular's corpse. Shuichi hadn't been able to eat anything that day.
The boy grins. "I killed Muscular when there was no reason to do so. Does that make me a villain? Maybe it does, but I never wanted to kill him. Still, I made that choice. The logic was simple: eliminate him before he could go on to kill me, to kill Kouta, and kill my friends. But listen here, he made the choice to go after a little boy. He made every choice up until then. He wasn't forced to do it. He wasn't forced to kill the Water Hoses. No one can force you to do anything. We can lie that we had no choice, but ultimately we just tell that to ourselves in fear of the consequences."
"Have you ever considered public speaking?" Compress asks, equal parts genuine and condescending.
Izuku sets cruel eyes on Spinner. There is darkness in those eyes, ancient and fundamental, the sort that consumes vacuum and stars. That darkness is why they have him chained through hostages.
How does no one else see it?
"Why, our dear Shuichi has never killed anyone. He made that choice consciously. I killed someone with my quirk. That makes me a villain, some say. Doesn't that make him a hero by that very definition? Doesn't that mean he's chosen to be a hero."
"Fuck off," Shuichi says, tense.
Suddenly, it feels like there are two enemies in the room with him from the accusation. Compress who tips his hat, amused, and Shigaraki who observes Spinner with something malicious.
It's a standoff, one that Spinner wants no part in. Maybe he's reading the situation wrong. Maybe Compress is just entertained by the show and wants to see Spinner lose his cool. Maybe Shigaraki wants to release his anger and Shuichi is a convenient target.
A part of him, a very large part, doubts any of that is true.
"You see the giant scar I have on my face?" Izuku asks to fill the silence. "My childhood friend did that to me. I still forgave him. Do you want to know why?"
Neither Compress nor Shigaraki turns their attention back to Izuku, focused more on Spinner. He keeps his body perfectly calm, no hint of fear or aggression in his powerful frame. No reason to incite violence.
"Because he chose to do better. I'm willing to forgive a lot of things. I'm certainly willing to give anyone a second chance. It would be hypocritical of me not to."
-TDB-
Toshinori Yagi hates war.
He can say, with complete honesty, that there is never any reason for war. There is no justification for the piles of corpses left behind by Kurogiri's rampage across the country, blood on the sand and grief in the air.
He listens blandly to a report, more focused on the fact that Aizawa is dead. Aizawa, a fellow teacher and someone he respects is gone, killed in an attack by Kurogiri. An explosive device matching the same signature the villain used to kill Naomasa.
The rage in his heart burns and threatens to consume him. He's tempted to go on a quest for revenge and see every single villain pay for this. And yet, he knows that if he does so, he'll look in the mirror and see All For One. When he stands on a mountain of rubble and death, what difference will there be between the two?
Instead, he chooses to be productive with his time. He helps where he can though every time he does, there's someone there to remind him of the conditions of Imperial support. He stays away from any location that could possibly turn violent.
Today, two weeks into the war, he decides it is time to deal with something from his past.
The agency is one he has never visited before. He's kept track of it but he's never felt the right to enter. He still doesn't feel like he has the right and maybe he never will.
Inside, he finds a hero waiting for him.
"Hello, Nighteye."
His former sidekick, his former friend and student, is tense. He can understand given that they haven't spoken to each other in years, that silence broken only once when he took Izuku as a successor. That argument had soured whatever goodwill there was between them.
"All Might. What do you want?"
They don't use their names with each other. This is professional, not personal, and that is what makes Toshinori realise he messed up.
"I came to speak to you."
"There's nothing to say. You told me exactly where we stood."
He loathes how Nighteye adjusts his glasses because it's always done as a defensive measure.
"I regret many things in life," Toshinori admits. "I am not a good teacher and I was meant to teach you how to be a hero. I failed greatly at that. You're a hero as competent as you are despite me."
Nighteye takes an unconscious step back, surprise evident in every motion.
"Why are you telling me this now?"
"Because I do not believe the way I treated you was far. I showed no maturity and treated you cruelly when all you wished was to help in the only way you knew how to. I'm sorry."
"Why now? Why, after all these years, do you decide you need to tell me?"
"You told me once that you saw my death. I hope you are wrong but, in my heart, I believe you are right. He has my successor. He has the boy I entrusted the future with. I will take him back by force and violence. I will kill All For One."
Nighteye grits his teeth. "You're going to die surrounded by fire and you're willingly walking to it."
"Yes."
"You should have chosen Mirio. None of this would have happened."
Toshinori grins. "Perhaps. But I consider Izuku my son. And I will not let him suffer because of me."
Already, Izuku has suffered too long at the hands All for One. Weeks captured and subjected to the cruel designs of a villain. He wouldn't wish that on his worst enemy.
"What did you expect from this? This doesn't change all that happened between us."
"Of course, not. I failed you. I broke your trust. I am not here to ask forgiveness, not even to make amends. But no matter the outcome of this battle, I want to know I did all I could to mend this bridge. If I die, I do not want anything left unsaid. And if I live, then I wish you to know I am here. And I am more than willing to make amends."
"Toshinori," Nighteye says, then falls silent. He struggles to form the words. He inclines his head instead. That is answer enough.
"Thank you, for everything. Goodbye old friend."
Nighteye doesn't chase after him. Maybe there is nothing between them and that bridge is truly burnt to a crisp. Whatever the case, he doesn't want anything left unsaid between them.
There is one last person he must speak to today. One last person he must do right by. The home in Mustafu is one he hasn't visited though it is a short way from the beach he trained his successor so often.
He senses the guards doing their best to stay unobtrusive and decides they aren't threats. They neither impede his journey nor do they aim their weapons. Undoubtedly, they've already sent communications to their commanders but he can't fault anyone for diligence.
He knocks on the door sharply.
Inko Midoriya is someone he has never spoken to and that changes his perception of her. He's heard of her from Izuku and knows she loves his successor as the sun loves the earth. He's seen her ferocity during the interview she had and can't help but admire that strength she holds.
"All Might," she says calmly though he can see the muscles around her eyes twitch. "Please, come in."
"Thank you."
He follows behind her. The house is larger than he would have expected for a single mother and it makes him wonder just what Izuku hasn't told him. There are things they keep from each other, but usually, they are unimportant or things that they will speak of on a later date. Perhaps, more likely, Izuku is shamed of the truth and not ready to face it. Whatever it is, Toshinori has faith in the boy.
The seat is large enough to fit his large frame and for that, he's grateful. He'd rather not tower over her if possible.
"I failed your son."
"You did," Inko says coldly.
"I came here to apologise for putting a target on his back."
"I told him the day he accepted your power that he would inherit your enemies."
Toshinori blinks, surprised. "Oh."
"You thought he wouldn't tell me," she says, incredulous and insulted. "Me? Izuku's never kept anything from me and you have the audacity to think he wouldn't tell me. You gave him a quirk, put a target on his back, and now he's gone. Because of you."
"Yes," he agrees. "I will not give you reassurances because I believe you have heard enough of them. Instead, I will tell you the name of the man who took him. He is the villain All For One, the oldest villain of Japan. He has fought the Emperor and his Guard and won. They call him the Strongest Man Alive."
"I know," she says, unimpressed. "I know his sins and I know his crimes and I do not care, All Might. I don't care if he's god himself because I want my son back."
All Might takes a breath. To say this is to make an oath, a promise that can never be broken.
"I will kill him. For you. For Izuku. Even if it costs me my life, I swear he will die."
Her face is hard as a statue and colder than granite. There isn't a single muscle twitch as he speaks, not a single reaction of her body. All Might can't read her in the slightest.
"See to it you do. If you cannot, I will have my husband do so."
That is better than he could have hoped for.
"I know I have no right to ask this of you—"
"You certainly don't."
"But, should the worst happen, let him know that I always knew his greatest fear and I do not regret anything. Tell him to never look back and keep walking towards his future. Tell him to try his best and make a world he wants to see."
Her features soften. "For his sake. Now, please leave my home."
He stands and walks outside, not looking back. She will tell Izuku one day. Maybe not immediately after Izuku returns, but perhaps when he needs to hear it most.
His walk is interrupted very quickly. A man leans against a wall, casual and relaxed despite the air of fear and terror surrounding Japan.
The man looks like Izuku. He also wears the perfect white of the Imperial Family. Which explains quite a bit about the home.
"I came simply to warn you that you will get one chance to defeat All For One. I give it to you out of respect for the admiration my son holds for you."
All Might simply grins. He does not fear death and never has.
"Your son will come back safe."
Before he walks away, he looks over his shoulder at Izuku's father.
"I don't know your name. He's never once mentioned you and he does not keep secrets from me. Maybe he's ashamed of you. Perhaps he doesn't care enough about you to speak of you. But tell me, can you name his greatest fear?"
Hisashi's face is blank. "He fears he won't live up to your legacy. It is always his fear."
Toshinori shakes his head, disappointed. "His greatest fear is that to change society for the better he'll have to stop being a hero. But if he chooses to become a hero, he will betray all that he stands for. I know him and I know the fears he holds. Fears he doesn't even know he has."
He turns away from the man who sired Izuku but is not his father. Toshinori Yagi turns towards the rising wind, cold and frigid, and walks towards the setting sun.
"Despite what you might believe," Toshinori says, "you do not know what is best for him."
After all, Izuku is Toshinori's son in all but blood.
-TDB-
Today is the day Kouta walks free. It is finally time, exactly two days after the villain promised. Two weeks into their captivity, Izuku Midoriya will get to see Kouta safe.
All For One grants him permission to see the boy one last time. Spinner is given the honour of being his guard, not Magne who usually accompanies him. Spinner is uncertain on whether to push him forward or just watch a few paces behind.
Good, keeping him unbalanced is Izuku's goal. And, after seeing his mother's interview, everything he believed in has been called to question. He loves his mother more because even now she keeps him safe. Her love, deep and endless and compassionate, is the final piece to the puzzle of Shuichi Iguchi's loyalty.
And though he may not know it yet, Shuichi is Izuku's creature through and through. He associates fear with Izuku's endless tooth-filled grin and kindness with Izuku's smile. Whatever view of nobility he once had is replaced by the image of Izuku fighting with his rage to find forgiveness for those who wronged him.
A lie told often enough is no different than the truth.
Don't be arrogant. You haven't won yet. You must still defeat the villain.
Izuku knows that very well. But, for now, he can ignore it in favour of seeing Kouta go free.
He smiles at the boy and doesn't protest when he tackles Izuku. Whatever the cost, Kouta will be safe.
"Hey, look at me," Izuku says, gripping the boy's shoulders. "Don't cry."
"Why aren't you coming?"
"Because there are people I have to save," he says, his gaze landing on Shuichi for a second. "You come first."
Kouta hits Izuku in the chest. "I hate this."
"You'll be safe. Just promise you'll stay safe and I'll come find you when this is all over."
Something dark and all too mature fills Kouta's gaze. Those are the eyes of someone who has seen death and the cruelty of the world first-hand.
"Promise me you'll come back," Kouta demands. "No matter what else, promise me you'll come back."
He isn't asking about Mandalay or the rest. Do you understand, brother? He understands the shape of your plan and he knows there isn't room for everyone.
It breaks Izuku's heart. He extends his pinkie finger just as they did a few weeks back.
"I promise," he says when their fingers are intertwined. "My father can keep you safe. His name is Hisashi Atakani. He'll do right by you."
"I don't care about him."
He hugs Kouta tightly. "No matter what, you wait for me. Alright? Wait for me and I'll come find you."
When the warp gate manifests, Izuku feels his heart lighten just the tiniest bit. The collar around Kouta's neck opens and clatters to the ground.
"Wait for me," Izuku whispers one last time.
Then he pushes Kouta forward before he can break. Kouta's eyes are wide and pleading, but there is childish understanding in them.
When the warp gate closes, Izuku closes his eyes. He takes a deep breath to calm his nerves but that fails and the tears come hard and quick. They aren't tears of sadness but of joy.
"He's safe," he whispers, picking up the collar. "He's safe."
You have one more to save, Mikumo says.
Momo. That kills his joy before it can be fully realised. He still needs to get her out before he can kill All For One.
Use him.
He glares at Shuichi. "Momo's next," he promises. "She walks free next."
Then he clenches his fist around the collar. He hears it beep dangerously, screeching in warning moments before it goes off.
Months ago, it may have scared him. Today, he simply lets the darkness consume the explosion.
He meets Shuichi's eyes. "Do you understand? She walks free next."
And though Shuichi says nothing, he doesn't bar Izuku's way as he leaves. Though he says nothing, he still falls in place three paces behind Izuku, a disciple following his master.
Izuku's plan isn't complete yet, but it is close. All he needs now is to save the Pussycats.
No matter his strength, he can show none of that to All For ONe.
The map on the floor is much the same, though he notices the pieces for the VIVA and the Great Ten are now off the coast of Japan, both being opposed by the navy and the Royal Household. There are numbers next to each prefecture. Causality reports, attrition rates and percentages for things he knows nothing about.
He can recognise the casualty projections for the coming conflict between Japan's navy and that of China. The battle will be bloody and ruinous, and from the long arrows, it will likely spill into Okinawa. Outnumbered two to one on every front, the navy will bleed.
"Without the Royal Guard, this war would be over already," All For One says. "Without them, my allies in the VIVA would have made it here and annihilated the Hero industry. Obviously, I'd have to battle All Might, Endeavour and Hawks, but that would be nothing special."
Izuku grits his teeth. "Don't be so arrogant."
"Thinking all Might stands a chance just because he managed a draw is the height of arrogance. I'm the Strongest Man Alive for a reason." All For One nudges the Emperor's piece. "I don't hate the royals. I respect them. They have a duty and they follow it. They keep my homeland safe. Even after this war, I won't go after them. Oh, certainly, I'll make the Emperor kneel and force a treaty that benefits me. But I'll let his Empire continue in its current form. I won't force it to fail."
"How kind," Izuku says dryly.
"Today I will speak about failure theory and how it applies to the Great Game."
"Why should I listen to you? Kouta's gone."
"I'll give you the definition of failure theory and then you can decide to stay or not. A simple enough bargain, yes?"
"Fine."
"Failure theory, as it applies to the Great Game, is the study of how, when, and why an empire can fall. An empire, in this case, being defined as a coalition of two or more pieces."
The villain taps his piece and then Kurogiri's. Every region with a piece affiliated with All For One pulse purple once, and there are so many across the globe.
"We form an empire called the League of Villains. Failure theory applies to us just as it applies to China or the Taiwanese remnant or Japan's government. When you understand failure theory, you understand the weak points of any empire. By understanding failure theory, you will learn how to destroy your enemies with the least amount of currency expenditure."
You must know. He's teaching you how to destroy him.
"You're manipulating me," Izuku says in response to them both.
"Yes. In my two centuries of life, I've come to learn that the truth is the most effective way to manipulate anyone. I'm teaching you how to destroy me. But, at the same time, I'm teaching you how to destroy my own enemies."
Izuku wants to say no. Everything he's used to manipulate Spinner has come from a villain. But, as he looks at the map of the world and the empire All For One built over centuries, he knows he must understand. If he is to win every fight, then he must know the rules All For One plays by.
And once he knows the rules, only once he knows the man beneath the villain, only then can Izuku truly win.
"Fine. Teach me how to destroy you." He bares his teeth. "Show me where you're weakest so I can destroy you."
All For One chuckles.
"First you needed to understand the rules each piece plays by. I taught you those earlier. Now you must understand another concept: currency expenditure."
All For One taps Nezu's piece. Musutafu's blue fill recedes, white light overtaking half of it. Izuku isn't certain why Nezu has lost power there.
"His currency is in influence. He must pay those below him with the promise of positions of power. Students in general studies and business join UA because it is a guarantee towards greatness and wealth. In return, those students expand Nezu's sphere of influence. This applies as well to heroics. Nezu spends his forms of currency to empower those below him, those who keep him in power, and they return more currency for him to spend in a cycle. Follow the money, as they say."
"Stop making it out as if everyone is corrupt."
"It's the nature of the world. Wherever there is a power structure, the Great Game and the laws of power apply. Consider yourself as a piece. You play the Great Game. In fact, you're one of the most dangerous pieces I've ever encountered."
"I'm not."
The villain huffs in annoyance. "Yet, being kidnapped started a massive war. Would anyone really go to war over someone insignificant?"
"Fine, tell me how I factor into this."
"Let's ignore your personal ideals and consider that your greatest supporter is your father. The currency you pay your father is in kinship, in his continued genetic legacy. But your father has negotiated power from the Emperor and from me in the past. He accumulated wealth, power, and influence for his family. A rather selfless goal taken out of context but incredibly selfish when you consider the result. Because your father loved you, tens of thousands, maybe more, will die. As I said, you're incredibly important piece by virtue of your father alone."
"I never asked for this."
"But you did ask to be a hero. You're a polarising figure and a rallying cry for the disenfranchised. Entire organisations support you because you embody their beliefs. You will one day have a support base in the nascent Lightning Bolts. This will be the means of currency for that organisation in the future. You will have to provide martial strength and centralisation for those below you. In time, should you become powerful, you'll be their representative in the Great Game. You'll need to accumulate influence to keep those below you satisfied, and as they accumulate influence for those below them, that power will flow back to you.
"You'll use that power to get better subsidies for people in Hokkaido. You'll use your power to reduce the military presence on the streets of Shikoku. You want to help people so you have no choice but to do so. You'll go to Hokkaido and make things better because that's who you are. Your influence will place pressure on the government to change. And in the process, your power base will expand. That's your currency: goodwill and influence."
Izuku frowns. "Why goodwill instead of… I don't know, actual money."
"If you have the goodwill of the people, then they will support you. If they support you, they will place pressure on their community leaders to make changes in accordance with your words. Wealth will inevitably flow through you and to your subordinates. With this, you can get a sense of failure theory. In your case, your empire easily collapses should you die. Should you prove ineffectual, or go back on your promises, you will lose your support base. If you lose your support base, you won't be able to bargain a better economic situation for your supporters. It's a vicious feedback loop that will kill your revolution."
"Then what's your failure theory?"
"Oh, the League has quite the number. The simplest and hardest is my death. If you kill me, the League will have to evolve, thus changing the cultural identity of my empire."
All For One picks up his piece and sets it aside. A moment later, purple recedes from the map as his influence dies until only Japan has a hint of the League's influence.
But, at the same time, more colours fill the lands All For One once controlled. At their centre is a purple star, a reminder, perhaps, of their former ruler.
It reminds Izuku just how much power All For One truly holds. One villain that stands head and shoulders above everyone else, a towering bastion of cruel strength in this era.
"But you see, a major form of my currency is my ideal for a different society. Ideals don't die with one person. If you kill me, Kurogiri or Tomura will continue my ideals—technically that is the question of succession, but we won't go into that. Yes, wealth flows down from me but most of the League is unified by common purpose as well. Killing me would simply alter my empire, but it would, at its core, remain. The most dangerous failure theory would be legitimisation."
"Who would legitimise you?"
"The government."
"But you're a villain?"
"Exactly. If the government offers clemency for all villains in my organisation, then it collapses. People have homes and families to take care of. If they can suddenly be employed, then it disproves my ideals. In fact, if they did that, they would have the opportunity to snatch up much of my personnel and rebrand them for the hero roster."
"That's… absurd. They wouldn't ever do that."
"Consider your words," the villain says slowly. "You're saying the concept of reconciliation is absurd. You're saying the concept of forgiveness is unviable in this society."
Izuku takes a step back.
"That's not what I'm saying."
"It very much is. My ideals can, ultimately, be cut down to one simple concept: the current society is unjust and must be broken for people to be free. But if they launch a truth committee with the intent of peace and reconciliation, then it utterly and completely invalidates my points. In the best-case scenario, my successors and I, alongside my division commanders, will be tried. Punishments will be given to those in command positions whilst the followers below will be given amnesty and reintegrated into society.
"The reason this will fail is that restoring Shikoku and Hokkaido is too costly for the government. Not only that, doing so would antagonise the military junta in Shikoku. And that may have a cascading effect on the navy and the imperial family. There are too many incentives to keep Shikoku and Hokkaido as they are and those two regions are where I draw over half my organisation."
"People can choose to be better."
"Certainly, but most of them will never be pieces on the Great Game. You are one and you need to understand the laws that govern power if you wish to succeed. You want to make Hokkaido better, then the government will be your enemy. You want to change Shikoku, then you'll have to make an enemy of the military. Do you want to end villainy? Then you'll make an enemy of me."
"The moment I took One For All, you became my enemy." Izuku bares his teeth. "And I'll fight you to the bitter end."
The villain laughs, delighted. "Yes. You'll use my lessons and my methods. In the end, I'll gain my goals through you."
"I'll never be you."
"But you're already planning how you will destroy my empire through the lessons I've taught. You're trying to figure out the military's failure theory should they oppose you. You're cataloguing the players of the Great Game and trying to determine which ones can be allies and which ones you can consume to empower your fledgeling empire. We're not so different, my boy. The nature of revolution stays constant even the methods we use are different. Go now."
Izuku shakes his head but it isn't defiance. All that All for One accused him of, he had done. Who is to be an ally and who is to be an enemy? How can he leverage his father's influence should it come to that? How do gods and the abyss slot into the game?
When he leaves, his head is bowed deep in thought.
You're changing, brother. His words are a virus and they've taken root in your mind. His logics have infected you to the very core. Your thoughts change at his command.
"What do you expect me to do?"
Everything changes. But no matter how truthful his words, do not forget the truth at the centre of your being.
"What is the truth?"
"Who the hell are you talking to?" Dabi asks tersely.
"The voices in my head. Now shut up."
All Might wishes to see society remain static. You wish to see change society. As does All For One. So too does Stain. But their methods are their failings. The truth, brother mine, is that you want to save everyone.
"I already know that."
But the simplest way to save everyone, to ensure that no one is forgotten or hidden under the shadow of the easily visible, is to change society for the better. Do not forget this. It is your guiding light. You must save everyone, even those you hate. Save them from those who are powerful. Save them from those who are cruel and indifferent. Most of all, save them from themselves.
He looks at Dabi and wonders if he could ever forgive him for his crimes. He wonders if he could save Dabi if it came to it.
"I don't think I'll ever forgive you," he says to the silence of the room, drawing Spinner and Compress's attention. "But I don't want to rip out your heart anymore."
Dabi scoffs. "Keep quiet."
"I hope there's a future after villainy for you. I hope you make something good and decent out of whatever remains of your life." He smiles. "I hope this is all worth it. I hope this is everything you dreamt of."
"You're quite the talker, aren't you?" Compress says.
"I think that if a person dies as they lived, then maybe they lived the best life they could." He smiles at Spinner. "What purpose is there to life if we don't live freely, walking towards the rising sun?"
"We can fight for change," Dabi says. "We can fight for a society without heroes. A world that doesn't hate us for no reason."
"If that's the life you want to die by, then live like that. But I think we can all change before we die. Just hold your head high and try something new."
-TDB-
This is how it feels to be Japanese today. Your homeland is at war, besieged from within and without. There is blood in the water and ash in the air.
This is how it feels to be Tanabe Kaori of Hokkaido. You haven't gone to work in two weeks, terrified of losing everything. But you must leave today. The gnawing hunger has grown too great to ignore. There are safe zones still being enforced, mostly by the League and the legion of vigilantes and underground heroes with lightning bolts. Maybe you'll die on the way. Maybe not. But you have a son who is starving.
This is how it feels to be Kohei of the Horikoshi cult. You are first amongst equals of your cult, one of the few cults that managed to avoid detection by the Imperial Family. With this war, you see an opportunity. War means the dead and missing are forgotten. A thousand missing is nothing compared to the death toll to come. Yes, you will have your enlightenment.
This is how it feels to be Koichi Haimawari, the vigilante Crawler. The military has been mobilised and you don't know what to do. You've made overtures of peace to the League, gone on your knees and begged for the safe zones to remain just that, safe. Thankfully, they've remained safe, but everywhere might become a warzone. You finger the lightning bolt on your sleeve, wondering if placing your trust in a boy younger than you was foolish. The villains move too quickly, appearing and razing police stations and hero agencies in minutes before leaving. By the best guess of the Lightning Bolt network, there are at most a hundred villains and Nomu. And yet, it's like ten thousand of them are fighting all at once. All you can do is direct your allies and try to keep them safe.
This is how it feels to be Acting Rear Admiral Yosuke Kadomatsu of the Japanese 2nd Fleet. Every hope and dream you've held of peace is gone with the arrival of the Chinese fleet. This would not terrify you. You have the aerial advantage and artillery platforms to support your fleet. But at their head, you see four personal vessels of their Great Ten and now feel dread. They are the premier quirk users in China, peerless and equal to any of your top heroes—top heroes who are engaged in a losing war on the mainland. Your only saving grace are the two members of the Royal Guard at the bow of your ship. You cannot fail. If you fail, they will go on to invade Japan.
This is how it feels to be Eijirou Kirishima. You've gone with your family to your grandfather's farm in the mountains. It may be cowardice, but it means they're safe and away from the main battlegrounds. You keep watch each night, observing the horizon for enemies. Tonight, you see people scurrying at the base of the mountain and wonder if today is the day the war comes to your home. You prepare yourself. Be what may, you refuse to let your family die. Even if it means staining your hands red.