Izuku slowly became aware of the shadows surrounding him from within his dreams. He recognized them as the same ones from the previous night. Trying to look around, he looked down and noticed that his own body was completely obscured by similar shadows. He could barely move, left with only the ability to look around with his uncovered eyes.
Something in the darkness shifted and began to move towards him, and Izuku turned with a start. He tried to shout out but found himself unable to produce a sound due to his mouth being covered. The figure in the darkness approached until it was right in front of him, but still there was no detail revealed beyond the silhouette of a human.
"Can-… understand-…?" A heavily distorted voice filtered out from the mysterious being.
'They're trying to talk to me?' Izuku stared at the figure in shock. This didn't feel like a normal dream, and there was something about the person in front of him that tugged on One for All. Unfortunately, the voice was cutting out like radio static, meaning whatever they were saying could only be half heard.
"I see. Well, It's-… than nothing." The voice seemed to translate the confusion on Izuku's face perfectly and had decided to press on. "I'm the Third-… for All. My Quirk-… Fa Jin."
'Fa Jin?' Izuku tried to piece together the fragments of what the person was saying. It seems Fa Jin was the name of their Quirk, but he thought he heard One for All mentioned as well. Third? Third what?
"The Singularity-… One for All-… previous holders Quirks." The figure tried to say, and Izuku could hear the seriousness through the static. "It originally was only-… to pass down Quirks, the Stockpiling Quirk-… from All for One."
'All for One?!' Izuku tried to question, but the shadows around his mouth refused to move. Who or what was All for One? Judging by the name, it was related to One for All, but All Might had never mentioned such a thing. He could hear the figure sigh at his struggles, and they turned and began to walk away.
"Too early for-… but need to be prepared." They said as the shadows began to envelope them. "This Rapture is-… have ever fought before. Find it-… it'll find you…"
As the darkness swarmed his vision Izuku reached out with his Quirk, pushing as hard as he could, trying to reach the figure that was slowly being dragged away. Whoever this was knew about One for All, and the Rapture, and who knew what else! This was his chance! He felt the power surge through his body, and the shadows began to peel away. The figure stopped to look at him, and as he reached One for All further still, the silhouette around them lightened slightly revealing the shaded face of a very serious looking man. He seemed both impressed and worried at the sudden development.
"Hey, careful now! If you push your Quirk while your body is in an unconscious state like this-"
"That's-" Izuku struggled out, before physically ripping the shadows out of his mouth with his Quirk's strength. He could feel his grip on One for All slipping, but the risks weren't a concern currently. "That doesn't matter! You know about the Rapture, right?! Please, tell me what's going on. What Villain did this?! Where are they now?! Anything?!"
"I don't know where they are now, but they will come for you eventually." The man said, before laughing to himself. "Villain isn't the right word for this opponent. I always hated the term, you know? It's too simplistic of a label, used to easily differentiate those with Meta Ability's within society between black and white. But you can't sort something that has never been a part of society to begin with. Though, looking at it another way, I suppose you could say it was modern society itself."
"Just tell me who did this already!" Izuku shouted as the strain of his Quirk began to ache even in this dreamlike state. The man seemed to contemplate for a moment, before shrugging and staring back at him seriously.
"The others thought you weren't ready to know, but what the hell. The mastermind behind the Rapture is-"
"MORNING IS HERE!" All Might's voice suddenly rang out from the void, and Izuku felt his grip on his Quirk finally falter. In a single second his eyes snapped open to the reality of his bedroom, jumping to his knees as his arm swung out at the blaring sound by instinct. The power of One for All flowing throughout his sleeping body all pooled directly into his arm, and the adrenaline in his body spiked as he realized what was about to happen.
'Melissa's room!' His half-asleep body was still trying to catch up to his mind, and there was no putting a cap on his swing. Realizing that the power of a 100% Smash was heading right towards the wall separating their rooms, he twisted right with all his might so that the swing just barely was facing the room's patio door to outside.
A moment later, that entire side of the room exploded off the building in a gust of wind. The glass shattered and wall crumbled from the raw force of the strike. The sudden wind pressure bounced around the room, sending everything flying and shaking the entire building. As he watched the Detroit Smash fly off into the distance blowing branches off the trees just outside the window, he tried to regain control of his body. He gripped his outstretched arm, wrapped in Melissa's gauntlet, and slowly forced One for All down until he could no longer feel it coursing through his body.
"Thank goodness…" Izuku sighed in relief, staring at the wall between him and Melissa. A moment slower, and he could have seriously injured her and Eri, or possibly taken down the whole building. His relief was short-lived however, as his door slammed open abruptly and Melissa stumbled in wearing All Might themed Pajamas.
"Izuku, are you okay?! What the hell just- Holy Shit!" Melissa cursed out the last part in rather explicit English as she stared out of the giant hole that was the outer wall of Izuku's room, the rising sun slowly coming into view beyond it. She slowly turned with an open mouth to Izuku for an explanation, and he couldn't help but curl in on himself slightly.
"Um… my alarm clock surprised me?"
"So, let me get this all straight," Nezu began as he stared at the two teenagers on the couch in front of him from behind his office desk. Midoriya was staring at the floor like a pet being scolded, while Melissa kept glancing between him and the asleep Eri on her lap with equal worry. The little girl had been panicked beyond belief at first, convinced that the Bad Guys were out to get her. She had eventually calmed down but had worked herself up so much that she almost immediately collapsed back to sleep moments later. "Midoriya had a dream where he was seemingly able to talk to someone who knew about the Rapture. He then used his Quirk to try and better communicate with this mystery person, only to by startled and unconsciously attack his alarm clock at full power, blowing a hole in his room. Am I getting all that right?" Midoriya let out a small nod, still looking downcast. Nezu looked deeply at him, before eventually bursting out in applause. "Amazing! Simply wonderful!"
"Shh!" Melissa shushed the rodents' sudden cheers and looked at him like he was crazy. "Wonderful?! If Izuku was facing any other direction, we could have ended up dead!"
"Oh, that is most certainly a concern that we will work to address in the future. But I think it's best we focus on the positives of this surprisingly eventful morning." Nezu waved a piece of paper with a large amount of Izuku's handwriting across it. "Young Midoriya, are you certain this is exactly what was told to you by this person?"
"Y-Yeah. But… wasn't I just dreaming? Now that I think back, was any of that even real?" Izuku shuffled nervously in his seat.
"I have my own suspicions, but I can think of one method of determining what has happened here. Ms. Shield, I assume that your gauntlet measures and records a wide variety of biological functions. Could you possibly upload the results of the last day or two to my device here?" Nezu asked.
"Oh! That's actually a really good idea sir!" Melissa exclaimed, pulling out her phone and fiddling with something on it. As she stared intently at the screen, Izuku looked down at the red gauntlet on his hand. "I've only been checking the load being put on it, but the other data points should be revealing."
"Melissa? What exactly is this thing recording?" Izuku asked nervously.
"Well, it records a whole lot of stuff. It was a device to monitor the health of Hero's out on the field, so it gathers real time information about the user's health. I got most of the base programming from fitness device suites, so it even has sleep monitoring!" Melissa began to explain proudly as she tapped away on her phone. "The data isn't perfect since it's only one device attached to the hand and forearm. I planned to develop peripheral devices across the rest of the body, so I could better monitor the user. I've even started drafting a helmet modification that could read brainwaves and Quirk Factor activation. And… done! There's all the data since Izuku first got it."
"Thank you! It will be useful later to have the data sync directly here from now on. But enough about the future, lets analyze the past!" Nezu pulled up a bunch of graphs on his computer, which began to project on the screen behind him for the teenagers to view. After sorting through the data, he eventually enlarged a couple certain points.
"Here we go, the sleeping monitor! It would have been amazing to get data like this when the Rapture had happened to you, but that's not possible, now is it?" He highlighted a couple points where the graph spiked. "Ah, it appears that something has been greatly disturbing your sleep cycle for the past few days. As soon as you enter REM Sleep, your entire body has been working overdrive. And if we check the data for monitoring the strain from your quirk…." Another graph was overlayed on the previous one, showing spikes over similar time. "Then it becomes quite clear that something related to your Quirk is affecting your sleep! These are some rather high activity levels."
"They really are. It's a good thing you were wearing the gauntlet last night Izuku, or you really would have broken your arm with that swing." Melissa said, turning to him. "The gauntlet can probably only take two more uses at that power before breaking. Please don't go overboard like that again, especially in your sleep. If you end up going past the gauntlets limit without full control of your body… it probably won't be pretty."
"D-Don't worry! Lesson learned!" Izuku quickly said, gulping nervously as he turned back to the data displayed. "So, there's obviously something up with my Quirk, but that doesn't mean I wasn't just imagining things still. How can we even take anything that is said by this man as truthful?"
"Well, it's impossible to confirm anything currently, but there are some clues in what he said." Nezu said, waving Izuku's transcript of the dream. Looking over the notes, he found the line he was looking for. "I think two of the more notable things is towards the end here. He refers to his Quirk as a Meta Ability. Pop Quiz! Do either of you know where that term came from?"
"Isn't it the original name for Quirks?" Melissa answered first, having learned this fact already due to being a year ahead. "It was changed right before Destro's revolutions, so those that use the term are usually associated with them nowadays."
"That's correct. In fact, the term Quirk was coined by Destro's mother herself, and is partly responsible for the revolutions in the first place." Nezu explained in further details, before shaking his head. "But that's a history lesson for another day. The context in which it is used though suggests a rather old-fashioned individual. The second term that piques my interest is All for One." At the name, Izuku suddenly shot straight to attention. "Do you happen to know the meaning behind this name, Midoriya?"
"No…" Midoriya breathed out hoarsely. "No. I have no idea what it even means, but for some reason when I hear it, I feel some sort of unease. From the way it was mentioned, it must be related to One for All, but I don't know how."
"I don't blame you for not knowing the name, as it's one that the government has gone to great lengths to silencing. You see, All for One is probably one of the oldest and most dangerous villains to ever exist." Nezu revealed, causing the two to look at him in confusion. "The truth is, that it is also the name of his Quirk, as his true name has been lost to time. While those in charge went to great lengths to remove any remainder of his legacy, someone as important as him always exists in rumours and hearsay, especially across the underworld. Even then, I probably wouldn't believe he existed if not for a few hints I gleamed from All Might."
"All Might? What does he have to do with this?" Izuku asked, before quickly putting what Nezu was implying together. "His injury…"
"That's right. I believe All for One was the one who gave All Might his injury." Nezu said. "Considering their Quirks, it's not surprising now to think they were connected in some way. The only one someone of All Might's strength would consider a nemesis would have to be someone like him, a monster who ruled Japan by the shadows for centuries."
"You said All for One was also the name of his Quirk, but what does it do? It must be pretty crazy if he was so powerful for so long." Melissa guessed, obviously nervous from the sudden turn in the discussion.
"You would be right. While I don't have confirmation that this is true, the rumors about its abilities were so persistent that I must assume them accurate in some capacity." Nezu prefaced, before taking a more serious look than before. "All for One was believed to be able to take and give people Quirks at will."
At those words, something clicked into place for Izuku. Suddenly, the discussion in his dream began to make more sense, and he let he could fill in the gaps of the man's speech. He thought back to the fragmented sentences from last night. "I think," Izuku began, slowly piecing his scrambling thoughts into a coherent sentence. "That One for All is directly connected to All for One somehow."
"Oh? And what exactly led you to such a conclusion?" Nezu prodded, clearly trying to test Izuku's deductive reasoning.
"I'm the Third-… for All. My Quirk-… Fa Jin."
"I believe that the man I met in my dreams from before was a previous holder of One for All. Specifically, the Third one. He had a Quirk called Fa Jin, which I tried to look up on the way here. It's apparently named after a term in Chinese martial arts for storing up and then releasing force all at once. I can only assume that it is the strange ability I unlocked yesterday during P.E., meaning I've likely somehow unlocked the ability to use the Quirk's of previous holders of One for All." Izuku explained at incredible speed, barely taking a breath to halt in his explanation. Nezu seemed to nod along with easy understanding, but Melissa needed a second to process everything she had just heard.
"Wait a minute!" Melissa cut in before Izuku could continue his explanation. "Uncle Might told you that One for All's ability was just to pass down stockpiled power. Why would it pass along other Quirks? And if it did, why didn't he ever use anything other than that simple power boost?"
"The Singularity-… One for All-… previous holders Quirks."
"I don't think he could." Izuku said, turning back to Nezu. "That man in my dreams, the 'Third Holder', mentioned the Singularity. Isn't that the theory about Quirks eventually getting so strong that they eventually become too much to control?"
"Yes, that's about right." Nezu nodded happily. "It's mostly considered a fringe conspiracy these days, only spouted by people like Humarise. The definition of what exactly qualifies as 'passing the Singularity' is ambiguous at best, but if there was a Quirk that could, it would either be one that allows the gathering of other powers near limitlessly like All for One, or one that has stored so much power over the years like One for All."
"That's… honestly pretty terrifying." Melissa admitted, glancing at Izuku worriedly. "It would certainly explain why One for All is so dangerous for Izuku to use though, if the power being stored has gone beyond human limits. But we still haven't explained how you're able to use other Quirks, even if it has gone through some insane Awakening."
"It originally was only-… to pass down Quirks, the Stockpiling Quirk-… from All for One."
"I think that All for One is the explanation." Izuku said, putting a hand to his chin. Melissa was right, in that All Might's original explanation didn't make sense currently. But who says it had to be accurate? The Quirk had been passed down over nine generations, it wouldn't be unreasonable for some details to be lost over time. The ability to pass down stored power was already a pretty crazy ability when All Might had first revealed it, but now it was passing down Quirks? It all seemed like too much for a single Quirk to do. And with that in mind, the Third's statement made much more sense. "I think that the reason that One for All doesn't make sense as a single Quirk is because it isn't."
"It's not a single Quirk? Then what is it?" Melissa continued to question.
"The ability to stockpile power and the ability to pass that power on to another. We assumed they were linked, but if we separate the two functions then I think it becomes clear what's really happening. What if the ability to store up power over time was a single Quirk, lets call it 'Stockpile'. Then the remaining Quirk would have been the ability to pass that power down. It would be weird for a Quirk to be able to pass down something as ambiguous as 'strength', but what if it instead passed down what that power was connected to?" Izuku asked hypothetically. "I think that whoever first had One for All originally had the ability to pass down Quirks, and later received the 'Stockpile' Quirk. At least, that's what I believe the Third was trying to tell me. It would explain why I've somehow began to get the other Holder's Quirks, as they must have been passed down along with this Stockpile, and finally awakened after reaching some unknown limit."
"I-, But that's-, How would-?" Melissa's train of thought seemed to crash multiple times, before she let out a great sigh. "Sure, whatever. Thing's were already crazy with One for All, what's a little bit of supervillain-themed origin story to go along with it? And I suppose you have an explanation for the ghosts of previous holders haunting your dreams?"
Izuku raised a finger and opened his mouth to reply but stayed frozen in that position for many moments. When it became clear that he had no explanation, Nezu let out a small cough. "That is certainly a good point. Perhaps it is like the effect of peoples tastes or personalities changing when they receive transplanted organs? It is believed that Quirks may have heavily influence on the user's personality, so it wouldn't be a stretch to say that the reverse may also be true. Of course, such theories are impossible to test, due to the inability to transfer Quirks freely."
There was a silence among the three of them as all of this new information sunk in. Nezu seemed to still be deep in thought about the quandary of the ghosts, while Izuku could be heard lightly mumbling something incomprehensible at its current volume. Melissa decided to snap them both out of their trances and spoke up finally. "So, what now?"
"An excellent question, Ms. Shield." Nezu turned back from his computer to her and Izuku. "Firstly, we can start preparing for One for All's further awakenings. It seems that the more Midoriya trains his Quirk, the more he will be able to use the previous user's abilities, and hopefully improve his connection to these 'ghosts' themselves. Since they apparently know something about the Rapture, this may be our best bet on returning everyone back home."
"Wait, does that mean-"
"Yes! It's time to step up your P.E. classes to the next level!" Nezu said dramatically.
"Yippee…" Melissa cheered emptily, eyes already glazing over at the amount of exercise she'll be forced to do alongside Izuku. There was a shift on her lap, and Eri slowly sat up from her nap. She let out a cute little yawn as she stretched, looking around the office.
"Is it breakfast time yet?" Eri asked tiredly, staring up at Melissa.
"I think it is, actually." Melissa said, glancing at the clock. She took Eri's hand and stood up. "I think what we all need is to take a break for a bit. We can discuss more about multiple Quirks and secret supervillains and whatnot later. Anymore crazy revelations and I think my brain might burst."
"While I would have liked to discuss some more theories with you two, I understand that overstimulation can cause problems with learning retention." Nezu nodded in understanding as Izuku also got up and they both headed towards the door. "I'll do some more research and come up with a revised training schedule after lunch. You two enjoy the morning!"
Melissa walked out the door without a word, Eri waving goodbye sleepily next to her. Izuku made for the door as well but stopped right at the threshold. He turned back to Nezu, a concerned look on his face. "Principal Nezu?"
"Yes Midoriya? Is there something from your dreams that still concerns you?" Nezu asked as he glanced from his computer screen.
"All for One has been around almost as long as Quirks, right? I keep thinking about the Third's warning about the villain behind all of this. About them being outside of, or was modern society? If All for One has been responsible for manipulating Japan from the shadows, could the Third have meant that…"
"That All for One was behind the Rapture?" Nezu said, finishing the thought for the boy. Izuku looked quite worried at the thought, but Nezu just shook his head. "Do not worry. Such a thing is incredibly unlikely. He's dead, after all!"
"What?!" Izuku obviously didn't expect such an answer, as he stared at Nezu in bewilderment.
"Ah, yes… I suppose you wouldn't know about that. He only revealed to me that the Villain who gave him the injury was no longer alive, back when I asked about it." Nezu revealed, turning back to his computer. "And besides, on the off chance he was somehow alive, he wouldn't have had the convenient method of subverting the Rapture like One for All did. Rest easy, young Midoriya. The threat of All for One is long gone."
In the dark depths of Doctor Ujiko's lab, three thugs stared up at the figure looming over them from their kneeled position on the cold floor with trepidation. Surrounding them were giant tubes filled with all kinds of monstrosities. The free ones that had dragged them down to this hellhole now sat silently next to a woman in a nurse's outfit, who wasn't even looking at them as she plugged away on a computer. They had only come to this hospital for some painkillers! How did they end up in some Supervillains lair?
"So…" The man in front of them asked slowly, voice filtered through a mechanical mask that covered the lower half of his face. "What are you three doing on my property?"
The mohawked man bowed lowly, speaking out in a shrill voice. "W-We just were looking for some medicine for our boss, honest! We're nothing but upstanding individuals, right guys?"
"T-That's right!" The one in the hoodie quickly followed suit, and they lowered their head. "Please forgive out intrusions! We promise not to speak of this, so please let us go!"
The last one of the three simply stared at their captor, refusing to follow his partners' lead.
"Oh? Do you have nothing to say to me? Not going to grovel like your subordinates? You look pretty beat up there? Are you sure you don't want to beg for help?"
"Doesn't seem right to grovel and beg to someone who I don't even know." The muscular thug finally said, standing up on his feet, ignoring the pain from his heavily bruised chest. "You got some pretty scary monsters there, but what makes you so terrifying that I should be on my hands and knees? We're all Quirkless here, and no offense, but you look like need some medicine more than me."
"… I suppose you have a point." The man eventually admitted, taking a step towards him. "You may call me Nine. If you truly think me so weak, then attempt to strike me down. That is how power is best displayed, no?"
"Now you're talking my language!" The thug raised a fist, lunging at Nine with his full force. Nine raised his own open palm, and before the two connected, a circular shield of compressed air formed. The fist slammed into the shield, and the thug threw his hand back in pain. "What the hell?!"
The shield collapsed, releasing the compressed air in the thug's direction and sending him flying across the lab and through one of the tubes. He found himself collapsed on top of one of the giant monsters that lay within the tube, but as he was getting up, the tips of Nine's fingers glowed purple, and five beams shot out towards him. He tried to get up, but his previous injuries were too much, and he got a shot through each limb.
"I suppose that would be a good enough demonstration of my superiority?" Nine asked as the thug lay on the floor, unable to move his arms and legs. As he continued to struggle, Nine walked over, grabbing him by the forehead and pulling him up so they were eye to eye. "What is your name?"
"I-It's Dragon. From the Purple Oni's." The thug struggled out, a trail of blood coming down from a cut on his forehead.
"Tell me, Dragon," Nine asked, looking deep in his eyes. "What is it that you want? What do wish for?"
"I want power!" Dragon growled out, staring back with a fire in his eyes. "Whether its muscles, or money, or a Quirk! I just want to have some sort of power that makes me better than some invisible nobody!"
"Well then, let me grant your wish." Nine suddenly said as he reached down to the comatose Nomu that had been released in their 'fight'. Some sort of energy began to flow out of it and through Nine's body, all the way over to the hand on Dragon's forehead. His eyes began to roll back as Nine continued the process.
"Boss!" Both of the other members of Purple Oni jumped up to defend their leader but stopped as they noticed the bruises on his chest begin to fade, and the bullet holes in his limbs slowly closed. The light from Nine's Quirk faded, and Dragon eventually regained his senses, standing to his feet.
"What the hell did you just do to me?" Dragon asked, looking at Nine skeptically.
"I gave you powers. To heal from any injury and withstand damage that could fell a tank. Now you will never be pushed down again." Nine explained, before turning to his two compatriots. "Now, what is your names, and what do you two wish for?"
"I-I'm Komodo." The skinny man with the mohawk said eagerly. "I want to be able to show everyone that I can be strong even with a weak body like mine!"
"My name's Chameleon. I," They hesitated, eyes flickering hesitantly behind the mask and hoodie they wore. "I just want to be able to change into my true self, without having to worry about society beating me down…"
"Is that all?" Nine said with a huff of laughter. "I can give you that and more. You need but follow me."
The two Purple Oni's looked between each other, before getting down on one knee. But now instead of a gesture of prostration, it was in servitude to their new King. As Nine gathered the appropriate powers for his new minions from the Doctor's collection, Kagome glanced up from her computer. She couldn't help but let out a sigh in disappointment.
'So easily manipulated.' She thought, before realizing that she was talked over to following Nine under similar circumstances. But unlike them, she was able to use this lab to it's fullest. This included finally cracking the password on some of the Doctor's research notes. It was mostly maddening gibberish, but when she finally reached the notes for Nine (for purely educational purposes, of course), she noticed that her teachers wording implied something amazing.
[Subject Number Nine Compatibility:
It appears that the subject we have chosen to test artificial implementation of All for One has only a partial compatibility for it. All tests had shown that there wasn't any problem beforehand, so there must be some limiting factor on the number of Quirks one can store, even with All for One within someone's possession. Is it perhaps based on the user's brain, as that is where the Quirk's factors are focused? I presented my findings to the Master, but he suggested it was more a matter of 'compatible will'. Whatever the issue is, I hope I can discern it soon, so that I can ensure the transfer of the Original Quirk to his apprentice is without issue. Such a power does not deserve to stay locked away, and the sooner it has a user the better!]
It seemed almost too good to be true. From the way Doctor Ujiko phrased it, the original version of All for One was just sitting under lock and key, very likely somewhere in this very lab! She just needed to find it… and quietly.
She snuck a glance over her shoulder to Nine, distracted by his loyal follower's platitudes. Nine may talk big about those with amazing Quirks standing atop those without, but she knew all he cared about was standing at the top of this new kingdom he'd build. If Nine were to learn about her discovery of a better version of All for One existing, there was no doubt he would do something drastic.
There was no room for two monarchs, after all.
Turning back to her monitor, she continued scrolling through elaborate report after report, looking for any more clues through the mad scientists rambling. She finally reached a document about All Might of all people and noticed something that surprised her in the section listing his Quirk. The one that was considered one of the great mysteries of the modern world. It had a very similar name to another Quirk she knew. She couldn't help the grin that spread across her face as she scrolled down to look at the file in further detail.
'One for All, huh? I wonder if it's anything as interesting as All for One is?'
Next Chapter: Forming a Hypothesis