Hello there, UltimateDemonBeast65 here with the new chapter of MVA: Symbiote's Justice! As promised, the second chapter of the year has arrived, and thank you all for over 300 likes and favourites. Now we did discuss this in the previous chapter down below, but since some people didn't get the message, I will add it up top instead.
DISCLAIMER: If anyone has any questions or criticism, review or PM me, but also, PLEASE if you're going to make a review, don't just leave a "good job" or "nice chapter" or a one to two to three-word response. PLEASE give us insightful reviews, both so that we know what you guys would like to see and also if there are any parts you might have done differently or done better.
Anyway, here are the responses to reviews:
For'Sleep 3rd: I will take what you have said into consideration, and all I can really say in regards to your question is to wait and be patient.
XenoSlayer983: Perhaps.
Ultimatrix bearer: You'll see soon enough.
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With that out of the way, enjoy the chapter!
"Oh fuck…"
The Nomu-Symbiote then roared before tossing Toga towards a bare wall, but Carnage quickly enveloped around her body and shot out several tendrils into the ground, preventing themselves from crashing into the wall. Carnage roared herself and then charged at the Nomu-Symbiote, hardening her tendrils into spikes and forming blades on both of her arms. She dodged and weaved through each of the Nomu-Symbiote's tendril based attacks before the Blood Hunter unleashed a flurry of slashes and stabs with her blades and tendrils, puncturing the hybrid experiment's body and cleaving off pieces of their Klyntarian flesh. The Nomu-Symbiote however leaped back with enough force to dislodge Carnage's tendrils from its body and then quickly regenerated any damage inflicted on itself.
"Figures, most of these things have regenerative capabilities…" Carnage said with a hint of annoyance.
"Guessing fire and sound is out of the question?" Toga asked as they dodged a few more tendrils from the Nomu-Symbiote.
"And get all three of us killed? Not a chance!" Carnage shrieked before blocking several hard metallic projectiles with one of her blades. "What the fuck are they shooting at us? Bullets?!"
Toga focused and used Carnage's eyes to view the Nomu-Symbiote as she blocked his projectiles. She saw that the projectiles in question were slabs of its own flesh turned into metal that struck with the speed and force of a bullet.
"Shit, that must be their Quirk!" Toga growled in frustration, then the Nomu-Symbiote then shot more of its metallic flesh at the Blood Hunter.
"Combining Quirks and Symbiotes…this was their plan all along…" Carnage said, dodging a few metallic flesh shots before swinging her arm blade down on the Nomu-Symbiote, who turned its flesh into metal and blocked the blade with a now metallic flesh shield, causing sparks to spray off its surface.
The Nomu-Symbiote then reeled back both of its arms and unleashed a series of punches across her face and torso, turning its fists metallic while doing so. Each punch hit fast and hard, striking with enough force to overwhelm the Blood Hunter. Carnage gritted her teeth and then formed the large battle axe she used in Kamino before charging at the Nomu-Symbiote again.
"Back to the test tube where you belong!" Carnage shouted and then slashed the Nomu-Symbiote across the chest, leaving a large wound on its body.
But as Carnage brought the axe back around to decapitate the Nomu-Symbiote, the hybrid grabbed it by the blade, stopping it just a few centimeters away from its own neck. The Nomu-Symbiote closed up his wound while wrapping a tendril around her legs, he then lifted her up into the air and slammed her back and forth on the ground several times. Carnage tried to counter-attack with a couple tendrils from her back, but the hybrid's movements were too fluid and quick, to which the Nomu-Symbiote ended up throwing the Blood Hunter through one of the warehouse walls and into another room. The Nomu-Symbiote swiftly followed and used its tendrils again, this time completely wrapping around Carnage's body while lifting her off the ground, only leaving her head exposed.
"Damn it…" Carnage groaned as she stopped squirming from being in the Nomu-Symbiote's grasp as half of her face opened up to reveal Toga's.
They could then hear slow clapping within the room along with light footsteps, to which Carnage turned to face the source of claps and footsteps, spotting none other than Dr. Garaki, who was clapping and chuckling in amusement.
"Bravo! Bravo, Toga and Carnage!" He remarked as he was now standing right next to the Nomu-Symbiote. "Both of you put on quite a performance against this Nomu!"
"How is this possible…you've already made one…?" Toga asked weakly.
"Made one? Please, counting this beautiful specimen who bested you in combat, I have half a dozen Nomu-Symbiotes ready for deployment." Garaki replied with a grin. "It's a simple matter of bonding the symbiote and host early and adding in some growth hormones to really spice things up."
"Bastard…" Carnage muttered angrily.
"Did you really think you'd be able to escape my facility? Even if you can disable the surveillance system, we know where you are due to that tracker I installed in your flesh. Run as far as you like, you'll be found and re-contained soon enough. We can't have our golden goose running off on us, if you know what I mean." Garaki said as he took out a remote and pressed a button, making the Nomu-Symbiote carry Toga and Carnage back to their room.
"That was a waste of time…" Carnage muttered.
"A waste of time? At least I tried to get us out." Toga retorted.
"They put a tracker inside me, how exactly were we going to get out before they sent one of their Frankenstein monsters after us?" Carnage argued.
"We could have cut it out." Toga suggested.
"You don't think I've tried that? It burrows deeper into my flesh the more I try to pry it out!" Carnage roared.
"It must be the work of one of All For One's Quirks. We'll get out of here, one way or another." Toga said, before looking at the Nomu-Symbiote.
"K…K…"
Toga and Carnage heard low distorted muttering, and looked around.
"What was that?" Toga asked.
"Mother…." The low voice said again, to which Carnage through Toga's eyes looked up at the Nomu-Symbiote.
"It's talking to us…" Carnage said with a concerned tone.
"It hurts…Mother…so much pain…" The Nomu-Symbiote whimpered. "Kill me….free me, Mother…"
Toga was taken aback, not only seeing that the Nomu-Symbiote was sentient but in pain and agony from its current existence.
"What do we do, Carnage…?" Toga asked.
"I….I don't know…how can we kill it…if we couldn't even beat it…?" Carnage wondered, the pleads from her offspring unsettling her even more.
The Nomu-Symbiote arrived outside of Toga's room and opened the door with one of its tendrils. It then threw Toga and Carnage back into the room on its cold, hard floor and closed the door, locking it as it left. Toga stood and dusted herself off before letting out an annoyed groan.
"My children…they're suffering by being forcibly bonded to those disgusting Nomus. They're a brain-dead host controlled by that madman, no real genuine bond, just enslavement…" Carnage muttered solemnly. "If we do get the chance, we'll devour each of my children and free them from their torment."
"Since when did you care about your kids?" Toga asked.
"They're still part of me, my flesh and blood. No one gets to use me or my brood as slaves!" Carnage roared.
"Still, how do we do that if we can't defeat them or even escape?" Toga asked as she sat on the bed.
"Through patience and planning." Carnage replied.
"That's not usually your specialty." Toga remarked.
"No, but I am willing to adapt if it means our survival." Carnage said as she protruded out of Toga and looked out one of the windows in their room. "I wonder where you are, Daddy dearest, cause the next time we meet, I will kill you and devour your flesh and brains…"
A few hours had passed since Katsuhame and Sakaki successfully escaped with the unconscious members of the Volcano Thieves, relocating to an abandoned hangar a few miles north from the farm. They sat the Volcano Thieves down on the ground so they could sleep off the tranquilizers while Sakaki, the slender man with the long black hair and white mask, pulled out his mobile phone and placed it to the side of his head, making a call.
"This-hic! Shit, sorry…this is Sakaki, we secured the Volcano Thieves-hic!" Sakaki said, failing to hide his intoxication.
"Excellent work, you two. That should make All For One happy knowing his mercs didn't get captured or killed." Overhaul said. "Just wake them up so that they can continue their job."
"Understood, boss…hic…" Sakaki said as he hung up, then gestured his head towards the Volcano Thieves, to which Katsuhame approached them and gave all three of them a hard slap to the face.
"OW!" The Volcano Thieves shouted as they were now awake.
"Hey, why did you have to hurt so hard, you bastard?!" Volcano roared angrily.
"Where the fuck are we?" Gust Boy asked.
"I don't know…" Dusty Ash replied while she rubbed her cheek.
"We found this hangar a few hours after we saved your asses." Katsuhame said in a rough tone.
"Hic…our boss sent us to make sure that…that you three would complete your job." Sakaki explained. "And after what happened…hic…you guys need to step it up against those freaks…"
"Who are you guys supposed to be anyway? And who hired you?" Dusty Ash asked while raising an eyebrow.
"We weren't hired, the Eight Bullets of the Shie Hassaikai ain't no hired gun!" Katsuhame exclaimed in offense.
"Yakuza? I thought you guys went extinct." Gust Boy stated in a confused tone, adding to Sakaki's and Katsuhame's displeasure.
"Not all of them, some survived but fled to the shadows for safety, knowing they were outmatched by the Heroes' numbers and Quirks. Shie Hassaikai, was it? That's Overhaul's crew, the ones providing Trigger to the small-time dealers in Tokyo." Volcano said, standing up.
"The very one…hic!" Sakaki said. "To repeat myself, we're here to make sure you get the job you were hired to do finished."
"All For One…" Volcano said, realizing what the Yakuza meant.
"Bastard thinks we need help…" Gust Boy scoffed. "Hmph! Doesn't he remember that we're the best mercs in all of Japan?!"
"Clearly he doesn't…" Sakaki remarked sarcastically. "Hic! Anyway…anyway, we should leave you three to it…hic…"
"Shit…shit! Shit!" Dusty Ash exclaimed as she checked the pouches on her belts. "Where is it?!"
"Where's what?" Gust Boy asked, confused.
"Wait, are you talking about the compass?!" Volcano asked.
"Yes! I don't have it on me!" Dusty Ash answered.
"You mean this…this compass?" Sakaki asked as he held it out towards the Volcano Thieves for them to see. "We…hic…we figured you guys needed this…for whatever reason…"
The alcoholic then tossed it to Dusty Ash, who fumbled around trying to catch it with both hands before fully grasping it. She then inspected it to make sure it wasn't broken, and surely enough nothing was wrong with it as it continued to point towards its fixed location.
"It's still pointing in the direction we are heading towards." Volcano said, looking at the compass as well. "We'll need to get a move on unless we want Nagant and those aliens on our tail again."
"Understood, boss." Dusty Ash said, with her and Gust Boy giving a nod towards Volcano.
"Guess that means our work is done for now, if you think you can finish this on your own that is." Katsuhame said with a grunt.
"Of course we can, we're the Volcano Thieves!" Gust Boy exclaimed.
"If you say so…" Sakaki said before letting out another hiccup.
"Let's move, follow the compass. Haizono, think you can keep track of it?" Volcano asked.
"Yes, I can." Dusty Ash replied with a prideful smile as she pulled out her phone and began to walk out of the hangar.
"Hey no fair, why does she get to use the compass?" Gust Boy asked in a bratty tone.
"Because I said so, you moron, plus the last time I checked, you don't know how to navigate." Volcano replied with a frustrated tone.
"Come on, boys! Time is money!" Dusty Ash remarked impatiently as she tapped the back of her hand against the hangar door.
Volcano and Gust Boy soon followed after Dusty Ash, leaving the hangar and moving in the direction that the compass was pointing towards. Besides Dusty Ash shivering from the chilling wind of the night, the walk was completely silent between the Volcano Thieves as they kept walking for several minutes.
"So…what do you guys think he'll do with this beast once we find it?" Gust Boy asked, finally breaking the silence between them.
"Now that I think about it, I would say I'm curious about his intentions as well…" Dusty Ash replied with a sigh. "I know we'll get paid a lot once we get this done, heh. But…what will happen to us later down the line?"
"He won't need mercenaries if he's got some beast on his side, that's for sure…" Volcano said with a shrug. "But a job's a job, and the Volcano Thieves don't quit."
"Right." Dusty Ash and Gust Boy said with a nod, then Dusty Ash spoke up afterward as she then dialed a number on her phone. "I'll get in touch with one of our contacts to lend us a plane in order to get to Sweden. We'll just have to walk to a functioning hangar."
"And how far is that?" Gust Boy asked.
"We've about another hour of walking to do." Dusty Ash replied while continuing to wait for the other end to pick up.
"Of course, not that we haven't been walking enough." Gust Boy said sarcastically.
"The faster we go, the sooner we'll get our prize, Gust Boy." Dusty Ash remarked before hearing that their contact picked up on their end of the phone, and then Dusty Ash put them on speaker. "Hey. We're going to need the fastest plane you've got, we're on our way towards one of your hangars. Echo Base." She said while looking back at the location app.
"I'll see what I got. But listen, I'm gonna need an upfront payment from you guys this time." A deep, male voice stated sternly.
"And I told you last time that you'll get your cut when this job is over." Volcano responded back. "This client is willing to pay whatever for us to get this gig done, and we'll have plenty of time to discuss payment when we get back to Japan."
"Tell me the name of the price you came up with first." Their contact said after sighing.
"Thirty. Million. Yen." Dusty Ash responded, much to their contact's surprise.
"Woah, really?!" He exclaimed, being left speechless for several seconds before clearing his throat. "Alright, I'm going to take a look in my hangars right now! You guys had better be serious about this!"
"Don't worry~ We'll be there soon, thank you~!" Dusty Ash said before hanging up the phone.
"Well, that's a ride sorted out, just gotta be there when it gets here." Volcano said crossing his arms, but then both he and Gust Boy saw that Dusty Ash was walking ahead of them, placing a hand on her hip while using her other hand to rub the back of her legs.
"So boys, I was thinking…" Dusty Ash said in a flirtatious tone as she licked her lips. "After we're done here, I can offer something else along with money from All For One, and that something is…myself, if you two catch my drift~"
Volcano and Gust Boy both stopped moving and looked at one another before looking at Dusty Ash.
"You're serious right now?" Gust Boy asked, skeptical in regard to Dusty Ash's offer, to which she stopped walking and turned her head with a large smile on her face, placing a hand underneath her chin.
"That'll be something for you two to find out, but only if you take this once-in-a-lifetime offer~" She giggled.
"So then why now? You've always rejected our advances or toyed around with us." Volcano asked.
"This will be the most we will ever be paid for a job ever, I figured that this would be the perfect time to sweeten the pot for all of us~" Dusty Ash replied as she then turned around and bent forward while also placing her arms together under her breasts, protruding them outward and were pressed against each other. "Wouldn't you boys agree~?"
Volcano and Gust Boy gulped as their faces went red before they nodded a few times.
"Well I say we take the offer, what about you, boss?" Gust Boy asked.
"Only if she's telling the truth, she said these things once before after all." Volcano replied. "But we'll see whether or not you're being honest when we get back to Japan."
"Hm, very well then~" Dusty Ash said before turning back around and continuing to walk.
"So what do we do if Nagant and those aliens show up again? They nearly got us with those tranqs and we had to be bailed out by those Yakuza." Gust Boy asked.
"Fire and sound, that's what All For One said they are weak to. I have the firepower right in my fingertips, but as for sound…looks like we'll need to have our pilot pick something up on our way to Finland." Volcano said, as they continued to their destination.
Over the course of just a couple of weeks, the public's perception of the schools and Pro Heroes has been getting worse. Though the Hero Schools were now working together to keep their students safe from Villain attacks and criminal activities, several students have either gone missing or were found dead meters away from their respective schools or in alleyways in the city.
"They joined forces, made this big alliance to keep our children safe from Villains, and yet nearly each day another child is reported missing or dead. Now, I don't know about you, but you'd think that these schools, who trained many of the Heroes in the top rankings in Japan, could figure out how to keep watch on their students!" An angry well-dressed man on a talk show ranted on television.
Suffice to say, the citizens all across the country were either panicking, angry or downright violent, with several protests forming in parts of Tokyo, but especially in Kamino itself, the location of what many people now considered All-Might's greatest failure. Some still however did defend the schools and the Pro Heroes' actions, believing that this was the best that they could do.
"It's true that the number of missing and deceased students have been increasing over the past several days, but I still believe that the Pro-Heroes and the school staff are doing what they can and that the protests, rants and slander at their expense is not making the situation better. Only together, united as one, can we fix this nation's problems." Another man on the show said, opposing the first man's viewpoint.
"If this is all the Heroes and school staff can do while working together, then there's no hope for us or our children!" A woman said angrily. "There needs to be more action from the Hero Public Safety Commission and the government, or more lives will be lost!"
"That's right! How can we as citizens truly be at peace if tragedies like this keep happening almost daily?!" An older man said in agreement.
"But not at the cost of further antagonism. Do you not realize that this is what they want? For us to be divided? Separated from one another physically and mentally. The League of Villains want a full destabilization of society itself and we are playing right into their hands." A more stern but still passionate man explained.
In the streets of Shibuya as many civilians watched the ongoing story, the Number 15 Hero Thundermane was on her phone as she was speed-walking to her agency building, listening to the current news while scrolling through articles of recent events. She had returned from a trip from the Philippines to find that Japan and the Pro Heroes were in a state of disorder and panic.
"Shit…" Thundermane thought as she grit her teeth. "This is terrible. First, All-Might loses his fight against that Villain and now this! I have to make up for what I could've done to help…I chose the worst possible time to go back home…"
Thundermane let out an agitated sigh before stopping and looking in the direction of where Hosu was, remembering her run-in with Eddie and Venom, fighting Nomus together before chasing after him. And then remembered their meeting at the shopping mall a few weeks after.
"Eddie…I hope you and Venom are okay, wherever you are…" She thought, then was interrupted by a group of people angrily calling out to her, with a few of them throwing cans in her direction as she turned around. Some of them were half-full and the contents within splashed on her feet or landed on her torso when they were thrown above her head.
"Hey! Where the hell were you for the last few days, Thundermane?!"
"All-Might lost, but you could've been there to help him and the other Heroes!"
"Do you suddenly care about your own country instead of us here? The ones that need you the most?!"
"And to think, I looked up to you and your mother since I was a child!"
"What do you have to say for yourself, huh?!"
Thundermane wanted to speak up to defend herself, to tell them how much she knew about the situation and that she was sorry for her absence. But she also knew that any retaliation would only make things work against her. She simply took a deep breath and turned around to continue speed-walking to her agency building, with the mob insisting on following and heckling her along the way. A few minutes later, she finally reached her building and quickly went inside to the locker room to try and change into her costume. But just as she began to change, Thundermane's secretary entered the locker room. She was a young woman with fair skin, green eyes, black long hair tied in a ponytail, and wore rectangular glasses, a blue business suit with a white undershirt, a pencil skirt and a Thundermane brand pin on her blazer's collar. Her name was Nariko Satoshi.
"Thundermane! I tried to call you a few times, but it kept going to voicemail." Nariko said, adjusting her glasses sheepishly. "Is...is everything okay…?"
"Nariko…I…No, I don't think everything is okay…" Thundermane responded with a sigh as she sat on one of the chairs, rubbing a hand on her forehead. "I really can't deal with all of this right now. So much happened here while I was gone…"
"I know, I've been getting more and more paperwork as the days go by. Also, this letter came in the mail for you." Nariko said before handing an envelope with the Hero Public Safety Commission's seal on it.
Thundermane then took the envelope and opened it up, taking out the letter to read what the Commission had sent her. Her eyes widened as she quietly read the letter to herself, then grit her teeth as she kept reading.
"What does it say…?" Nariko asked.
"The Commission demoted my ranking…from 15 down to 22…" Thundermane replied as she crumpled the letter in her hand, she then scoffed while looking at the ground. "To think, I'd be able to take some time off…spend time with family as I haven't seen them in years, then come back and continue Hero work here, doing the best I can everyday like normal…but no…I come back to all of this. Backlash for bad timing and the loss of All-Might, along with several students who were killed in the past few days…just what in the world is going on?!"
"I wish I knew the answer, Jasmine…" Nariko said in a solemn tone. "I don't know why they have to demote your ranking though, your performance record was perfect when they last spoke."
"I wish I knew why too…" Thundermane sighed, looking back up to face her secretary. "But…the only way I can change their minds is if I go back out there right now and do what I can."
"Well, know that whatever you choose to do, I'll be rooting for you all the way." Nariko said, putting a hand on Thundermane's shoulder.
"Thank you, Nariko." Thundermane said after a few seconds of silence, giving her a small smile before standing up and placing a hand over Nariko's. "I'm going to head out soon, do you mind if you hand me the keys to my bike?"
"Oh! Sure thing!" Nariko replied then exited the locker room.
"Meet me in the garage!" Thundermane shouted while seeing the door closed behind her secretary shortly after.
After the former Number 15 Hero finished changing, she walked into the building's garage, with the white LED lights above turning on automatically one row at a time. Thundermane turned her head to the right-side corner of the room, which was where her modified supersport motorcycle was parked and began to walk towards it. Her motorcycle was painted like the light blue parts of her costume, with small cloud patterns on the top part of the bike with a much lighter blue, and a large golden yellow lightning bolt being shot down on both sides, and the rims of the wheels were a darker shade of yellow.
"Hey, Rolling Thunder…it's been a while." Thundermane said while rubbing the seat of her motorcycle, then heard the door swinging open along with the sound of high heels entering the room not too long after.
"Here are the keys, Jasmine!" Nariko said excitedly as she held out the keys in front of Thundermane, who then took the keys and sat on her motorcycle. "Good luck out there!"
"Thank you again, Nariko." Thundermane said as she put the keys in and turned on the ignition.
Thundermane revved the engine a couple of times before slowly driving her way out of the garage. As she exited as the garage door fully opened, she could see that the mob was behind her and that they've begun to stampede their way towards her.
"Hey, there she is!"
"Where do you think you're going?! We still need answers from you!"
"I'm sorry that I left Japan for a few days!" Thundermane exclaimed as she revved her motorcycle again, then turned her head towards the road, projecting her voice even louder. "I can't undo anything that happened during my absence, but I'll make up for it! Starting now!"
She then drove into the streets of Shibuya before the crowd could surround her while also lifting her bike for a quick wheelie, which left the mob with mixed emotions as they saw Thundermane speeding off. Some stood their ground and decided to angrily wait for Thundermane's return, while the rest of them just walked off, either begrudgingly or felt a little more optimistic about their electric heroine. As Thundermane sped through the streets on her motorcycle, she spotted a group of low-ranked Villains, hooligans robbing an electronics store and vandalizing the walls and nearby cars. Thundermane swiftly slammed down on the brakes as she stopped Rolling Thunder in front of the electronics store and in front of the gang of Villains, who all turned to look at the former Number 15 Hero.
"Shit, it's Thundermane!" A Villain with a flaming mohawk exclaimed.
"Just when we were about to break through the safe! Kill her!" Another Villain with a metallic trench coat ordered.
Two Villains shot their guns at her as she kept running towards them, including the one with the flaming mohawk, who pointed the top of his head towards her and shot a stream of fire. Thundermane dodged and weaved around the projectiles while charging up her hair and gauntlets, she then jumped and whipped her hair towards them, shooting out an arc of electricity. The three Villains tried to dodge it, but the arc hit them as it was larger than expected, and were immediately paralyzed, collapsing to the ground from her attack.
"Oh fuck!" A Villain who came from the back of the store exclaimed, shooting out a stream of acid from the palm of his hands.
Thundermane rolled to the side and shot out electric beams from her gauntlets, which made contact with the acid stream and the electricity flowed back to the Villain, paralyzing him as well once the electricity entered his body. She then looked at the trench coat Villain as more electricity was charged up in her hair and gauntlets. The trench coat Villain flicked his wrist, causing his coat to split into several metallic plates that he fired upon Thundermane with impressive speeds. Thundermane blocked the first plate that was about to hit her in the face with her gauntlet, then dodged through the other ones that were flying towards her, even deflecting one away using her braid. Her hair started to glow even brighter before whipping her hair again, shooting out a large beam of electricity at the last Villain. But then using some more plates from his coat, he created a shield that he made float in front of him, which blocked Thundermane's attack but it was still powerful enough to push the shield back.
"I'm going to take you down, you bitch!" The metal-wielding Villain yelled as he started to spin the metallic plates around his body, which created enough air pressure to form a small tornado of metallic plates and nearby shrapnel and debris. "Let's see you try and zap this one!"
The Villain thrusted his arms forward and launched the small metallic tornado at Thundermane. She grit her teeth as she then stepped to the side to try and get a direct shot at the Villain, but the tornado was cutting her off, with some of the debris and shrapnel nearly hitting her. Thundermane jumped back out of the store and transferred the electricity that was stored in her gauntlets into her hair instead, with electricity flowing more wildly throughout, then quickly spun herself in place a few times to unleash a large ring of wild electricity out of her hair. The ring flew through the air at an unbelievably fast speed and sliced the Villain's tornado in half, causing the metal plates and shrapnel to be launched into the walls and floor of the store. The trench coat Villain was then struck across the chest by the ring and was thrown against the wall hard enough to be knocked out from hitting the back of his head.
"That's them taken care of…" Thundermane sighed as she went to tie the Villains up, however, her mind still couldn't help but wander off. "So much has happened since the two of you have appeared…Eddie…Venom…just what in the hell is really going on? Do you two have something to do with the state of this country…?"
The Heights Alliance, the dormitory system on U.A. campus for its students. This was done to ensure that U.A.'s staff of Pro Heroes could better watch over their students and prevent Villains from directly targeting them. Unfortunately even with U.A. forming an alliance with Hero Schools to better protect their children, there were still murders and disappearances popping up around Japan. Security was increased on campus and more Pro Heroes were brought onboard, acting as chaperones and guards for the students. And so suffice to say, it wasn't easy for Midoriya to sneak out of his dorm building with Bakugo to get to Ground Beta, given the use of surveillance and security bots posted around school grounds.
"I don't know why Kacchan wanted to meet me this late at night, especially with all the new security and Heroes around campus…" Midoriya thought before arriving at their destination, slightly confused as he opened his mouth. "You brought us to Ground Beta…?"
"This is the place where we had our first combat training, where I fought you and lost. You've always made me sick. You know that, right Deku?" Bakugo asked in a spiteful tone.
"Yeah, you mentioned it to me nearly every day, how could I not know…?" Midoriya thought, his gaze and demeanour hardening.
"You were useless. No power at all. A joke." Bakugo scorned, then turned his head slightly to his left to face Midoriya. "So now you're gonna tell me how you managed to get into this damn school with a Quirk that came out of nowhere."
Bakugo then began to form a scowl across his face as he remembered what Midoriya had first said about not hiding his Quirk, that he got it from someone else. And also declared that he would beat Bakugo with his "borrowed Quirk" using his own power.
"I didn't understand what you meant back then because what you were saying made no sense. But still, you kept climbing higher and higher, always looking so satisfied with yourself." Bakugo said with a passive aggressive smile.
"I am not you, Kacchan…" Midoriya thought, clenching his fists subtly as his frustration built up.
"Ever since that Sludge Villain- no, it actually started when All-Might came to town. Better and better, until finally you passed the Licensing Exam, while I failed! How the hell is that even possible?!" Bakugo exclaimed in anger, causing Midoriya to grit his teeth in annoyance before finally speaking up.
"That was your fault, your mistakes, Bakugo, don't blame me for your shortcomings." Midoriya said in a blunt and assertive tone.
Bakugo immediately turned his body around to face Midoriya, caught off guard by his lack of timidness and direct tone. However, what really caught his attention was Midoriya no longer calling him their childhood nickname 'Kacchan'. Instead of berating or yelling at Midoriya, Bakugo continued to speak.
"Just listen up, you damn nerd!" Bakugo shouted. "It pissed me off that I was beaten by such a pathetic weakling. But after seeing what happened to All-Might at Kamino Ward, after everything we've witnessed from the League, I began to understand." Bakugo said, remembering his own words to Midoriya from before, then turned his head to face him, with Midoriya looking back at him with a stern gaze.
"What the hell's his problem? He's been giving me eye daggers since he last spoke." Bakugo thought, gritting his teeth.
"Here it goes…" Midoriya thought, rolling his eyes slightly.
"I've been giving it a lot of got your Quirk from All-Might, didn't you? He gave you his power." Bakugo asked, then continued. "I heard about the boss Villain. Apparently, he has the ability to steal a person's Quirk and give it to someone else. Which sounds kinda crazy, but then one of those old cat ladies had her power taken from her and can't work anymore. And then you met All-Might, and you started changing. Then he lost his power and had to retire just like her. There's more evidence, like how those Nomu monsters had multiple Quirks, even though it seemed impossible. Besides, All-Might and that boss Villain knew each other, before that fight. Quirks can move from one person to another, All-Might knew the guy that could do it, and somehow it's all connected to what you said about getting your Quirk from someone else." Bakugo said while both he and Midoriya remembered that night.
"I asked All-Might about this in a way. But he wouldn't give me a straight answer." Bakugo continued. "That's why you're going to tell me the truth. I know not every bit of evidence adds up, and I don't have the linchpin to nail my suspicions in, but given how much time he's spent with you, what other explanation is there? You don't have double jointed toes, but there's no way in hell you could have been born with that Quirk."
"Don't look so sad, he didn't take you seriously, so I don't think he'll say anything. This time I'll let things slide, just make sure this doesn't happen again." Midoriya heard All-Might's voice replay in his mind.
"You're not trying to deny anything, which means I must be right. So say it." Bakugo demanded firmly, to which Midoriya could only clench his fists even tighter and looked down at the ground.
"When he said he wanted to talk about my Quirk, I knew what was coming. This is the price I pay for not following All-Might's instructions." He thought before looking back up at Bakugo and asked a question. "Okay, what if it's true?"
"You and I both just wanted to be like All-Might when we were growing up. But I was the one who had the potential. And somehow, a little nobody like you is singled out by the person I admired most. And I didn't even realize it. That's why we're here!" Bakugo stated before raising his left arm and curling his fingers threateningly. "You and I are settling this. Right here, right now!"
Midoriya was at first taken aback by Bakugo's demand for a fight, he regained his composure and let out an irritated sigh.
"Are you being serious right now? You've already nearly got us caught by the security bots just to get here and now you want us to fight without staff supervision? Not a chance."
"What did you say?" Bakugo asked back angrily as his eyes dilated.
"I'm not fighting you, Bakugo." Midoriya replied, his tone calm but stern. "We don't have permission to be on Ground Beta, we don't even have our Hero Costumes on."
"Don't you dare blow me off, nerd!" Bakugo roared. "If we fight for real at school, we'll be stopped! I wanna know what made All-Might give his power to a loser like you! Let me see for myself!"
"See what?!" Midoriya asked, finally raising his voice at Bakugo.
"To see why he chose you, loser! Is it because you looked up to him more than I did? And if that's the case, does it mean everything I've done to be like him is wrong?!" Bakugo exclaimed in rage.
"Like him? You, like All-Might?" Midoriya asked, starting to become heated. "You really haven't learned anything, have you?"
The second question Midoriya had asked really riled Bakugo up, the audacity that his childhood friend and victim was implying that he wasn't like All-Might caused his anger to boil as he began to make small sparks and explosions around his palms.
"SHUT THE FUCK UP, DEKU!" Bakugo roared as he used his Quirk to propel himself forward and swung his right arm at Midoriya, with small explosions erupting from his hand before unleashing one larger explosion towards him.
Midoriya was able to dodge the explosion by activating Full Cowling, green electricity surging through his body as he grit his teeth in frustration. Midoriya then started to move with impressive speed, using the smoke created by Bakugo's attack to cover him before appearing behind the hot-heated bully and striking him in the back with a windmill kick, knocking him into one of the nearby walls of Ground Beta's buildings. Bakugo quickly got back up and threw another explosive wave of fire and smoke at Midoriya, but he dodged this one again before rushing behind Bakugo, knocking him off his feet then slamming him into the ground with another kick, causing a small crater upon impact.
"What the hell is this? He usually overthinks every move he takes, but this damn nerd isn't leaving himself open and attacking my blind spots!" Bakugo thought before angrily propelling himself upwards with his Quirk.
Nearby in one of the alleyways of Ground Beta, a surveillance bot with a camera for a head spotted Midoriya and Bakugo fighting, and began to alert the staff.
"Children from Class 1-A identified breaking curfew. Contacting their homeroom teacher now." The bot said to itself then directed a communication line towards Aizawa. "Hey, Eraserhead. Your students are loitering at Ground Beta. You're responsible for rounding them up."
"Stop this, Bakugo! Or we'll get into more trouble than we already are! Stop being such a thick-headed idiot and listen to me!" Midoriya exclaimed with a touch of anger.
"I said shut up, Deku! You were always behind me, our whole lives! You stuck to me, I couldn't get rid of you! No matter how much I tried, you kept coming back!" Bakugo yelled before pouncing at Midoriya and trying to hit him with another explosion, only for the One For All user to dodge once more.
"Then why didn't you tell me the truth? If you really didn't see us as friends, why did you tolerate me?!" Midoriya yelled, before rushing at Bakugo and hitting him with a drop kick that sent him crashing into the road.
Bakugo laid there for a few seconds before quickly standing back up. He wanted to fight Midoriya, to prove his suspicions of All-Might giving him his Quirk and to see why he chose someone who in his mind was weak, timid and above all born Quirkless. But he was surprised and confused by Midoriya's change in attitude and lack of hesitation, and in truth was more shocked by the fact that his former childhood friend had stopped calling him by the same nickname he had for so long.
"Did none of those ass-kickings I gave you when we were growing up convey to you how much I didn't want to be friends anymore?!" Bakugo suddenly yelled, before lunging at Midoriya again and swung both arms down in front of him, creating an even bigger explosion which created a decent sized crater on the road.
Bakugo stood there, watching the smoke clear and grinned as he believed he finally landed a blow. However, he immediately stopped smiling and looked in disbelief as he saw that Midoriya was nowhere to be found, just a large crater.
"Damn you, Deku! Where the fuck did you go?! SHOW YOURSELF, YOU COWARD!"
"So you chose to bully me, to attack and harass me for years rather than just admit we weren't friends anymore?" Midoriya asked in a solemn but furious tone, causing Bakugo to look behind himself, only to find nothing there.
Before Bakugo could answer his question, Midoriya landed a right hook to Bakugo's cheek which forced him to spit out saliva and food particles as he was sent flying into a walkway rail that bent and contorted upon impact.
"Damn it! I wasn't expecting him to throw a punch after all the damage he did to his arms at camp!" Bakugo thought before he let his anger boil and burst once again as he addressed Midoriya. "WHY?! Why can't you stay still and let me murder you? Why am I losing to a pathetic weakling like you?!"
"You still call me that? Even now as I'm outpacing you? You really are arrogant!" Midoriya yelled.
Bakugo gritted his teeth once more as he let loose his emotions once more on his former friend.
"FUCK YOU! Why did I end up having to chase after someone who was always so far behind me?! Why did a damn small-fry like you get strong and become the Number One Hero's sidekick?! His favorite! You got so much better and I destroyed All-Might! I admired him so much!" Bakugo shouted and then looked up at Midoriya, who still stared back at home with daggers for eyes. "But it was because of me that he ended up losing his power! If I had been stronger, if I hadn't been kidnapped by Villains, then none of this would've happened!"
"Shut up." Midoriya said bluntly, having no sympathy for Bakugo's tangent, causing the explosive youth to regain his anger.
"What the fuck did you-"
'I SAID SHUT UP!" Midoriya screamed, as his body flickered with green and black electricity, his eyes becoming sharper and filled with rage, silencing and startling Bakugo.
"What the hell is this? I've never seen him this angry before…" Bakugo thought in stunned silence.
"Even at your lowest point, you are STILL trying to make me feel like a weakling, like a loser, a helpless child who can't do anything! Because that's what Deku means to you, doesn't it? I beat you in our first fight at U.A., I showed you how much I changed and yet you refuse to do the same!" Midoriya yelled angrily, his death glare never focusing off Bakugo. "Where were you when I was at my lowest point, where I discovered I would never be like you or anyone at our school? Where were you when our classmates picked on me for being Quirkless? Oh that's right, you were the ringleader enabling it the whole time!"
"Yeah, so wha-"
"I'M NOT FINISHED! Ever since we were little kids, I admired you, I thought the world of you, Bakugo! We both admired All-Might, we both wanted to be Heroes, and so I thought that I had met someone who would be my lifelong friend, who would support my dreams and goals! But I was wrong, because the moment you all found out I was Quirkless, you made me a pariah, you made everyone at school hate me! None of the teachers ever lifted a finger to stop, because they were too busy feeding into your ego, stroking the dick of the great Katsuki Bakugo and never once ever teaching you humility or any real lessons on how to actually be a decent human being!" Midoriya yelled as the green and black electricity kept surging around his body. "You know, Bakugo, you are a prodigy, you are talented and gifted just like everyone says you are, your Quirk is amazing and would have no doubt landed you almost any internship or job at an Agency when we graduate. But guess what, Bakugo?"
Midoriya gritted his teeth and the electrical aura around his body got more intense as his anger rose.
"I DON'T CARE!" Midoriya roared with a distorted tone before going back to his normal voice. "I don't care if you're a prodigy, I don't care if you were born with the greatest Quirk ever, I don't care that you're smart or educated, and do you want to know why, Bakugo? Do you want to know why I don't care? Because you're a fucking asshole!"
Bakugo's eyes widened, taken aback by all of the pent-up and unleashed rage that Midoriya had carried all these years. He also remembered the times he bullied Midoriya, and remembered the words his former friend had just said to him prior. But Bakugo didn't back down, and instead he decided to challenge anger with anger.
"Say what you want, you damn nerd! It doesn't change that fact that you're still a los-"
"YOU'RE STILL NOT LISTENING!" Midoriya screamed in a distorted tone as he planted a powerful kick into Bakugo's stomach with enough force and strength to smash him through one of the buildings' walls, then walked towards his rival as he tried to maintain his anger. "You're arrogant, selfish, thick-headed, short tempered and rude! You only care about being a Hero because of the power and fame, not because you actually want to help people! All-Might was powerful and popular, but the reason why he was Number 1, why he was the Symbol of Peace has something you could never get from a Quirk….a heart…a moral compass which led to him saving everyone with a smile on his face! All-Might didn't choose me because I was strong, Bakugo, he chose me because he saw himself, his past self, someone who just wanted to do the right thing but didn't have the power to make it a reality!"
"How is he hitting harder than before? Is it because of his anger? Did it boost his strength further, damn it?" Bakugo thought, feeling as though one of his ribs had been broken from Midoriya's kick before speaking up again. "And so you got your wish, he chose to give you his Quirk and make you his successor, while I ended his career!"
"Oh my god, get over yourself! It's not your fault All-Might lost his power, he had been gradually losing it ever since that life-threatening injury he got from the League of Villains' leader, and it was dissipating faster when he passed on his Quirk to me! But not only has he lost his power, All-Might lost the fight with All For One and now society is in chaos, trying to make sense of what happened, trying to see who will step up and take his place! And then everything with Eddie and Venom being murderous Vigilantes who eat people, but then at the same time they're so nice, so genuine in their attempts to save lives, even with lethal results! And now All For One and the League of Villains are free to do whatever batshit crazy plan they're scheming, and now it's my responsibility to carry on the war All-Might and the others started and I am scared, I am angry and just all over the place!" Midoriya yelled again before grasping his head in anger. "Why am I even telling you any of this? We haven't been friends in a long time, and yet you have the audacity to confide in me on how you feel?! You can't keep leading me on, Bakugo! You can't keep making me vulnerable like this when you've done nothing but torment me for years! I thought you would have changed, that U.A. and everyone else in Class A would have had an effect on you, especially Kirishima! But I understand now, my eyes are open for the first time. You threaten to murder people constantly, you took none of the rescue simulation during the License Exam seriously, and the worst thing of all…you tried to get me to kill myself…"
"That was a joke!" Bakugo finally yelled.
"IT WASN'T A JOKE TO ME, BAKUGO! Do you have any idea how much those words hurt me? How much it hurt hearing it from you, from the person I once trusted more than anyone else in the world? What am I saying, of course you don't! Because you've never been weak, you've never known what it was like to be alone, to be an outcast, to have people not expect anything of you, to have your mother apologize for the sin of giving birth to a QUIRKLESS BABY!" Midoriya screamed with a distorted tone again, as the black electricity around his body started to change, as black tendrils with a green glowing hue erupted from his back.
Bakugo was now starting to become more and more concerned and scared, both for his safety and Midoriya's mental state. However, what caught his attention was the tendrils coming out of his body.
"Those aren't just electric sparks that he produces with his Quirk, those are solid and reacting to his emotional state. Is this part of his Quirk or did he somehow manifest another one…?" Bakugo thought as he slowly tried to stand back up.
"You don't care about anyone but yourself, Bakugo! Everyone else is just a side character or a means to an end for you, all so you can become Endeavour 2.0, a power-hungry and jealous try-hard who never thought to think that for one second, just one fucking second, that oh I don't know-NOT EVERYTHING IS ABOUT YOU, YOU ARROGANT BASTARD!" Midoriya roared as the tendrils on his back went crazy, lashing out erratically and uncontrollably at the ground, walls and rubble.
"MIDORIYA, STOP!"
Midoriya's newly formed tendrils stopped moving as the enraged student turned to look behind him, seeing All-Might alongside two Pro Heroes and a few security bots.
"All-Might…?" Midoriya muttered in a confused tone.
"You need to calm, young man, your Quirk is going berserk and will become more unstable the more you feed into your anger." All-Might said in a pleading tone. "I know Bakugo was most definitely the worst person to you growing up, and that you only realize now just how bad it was. But that power inside you could explode like a nuke if you let your anger and resentment consume you. So please, Midoriya, don't make me call Eraserhead over here..."
Midoriya's eyes widened, realizing just how much negativity was clouding his mind. He looked and saw the tendrils that were coming out of his back, causing him to flinch and panic.
"W-W-What are these things? Why are they coming out of my back?!"
"I don't know, Midoriya, but remember, I need you to calm down, take a breather, slow down and unwind…" All-Might said, putting on a brave face for his student.
Midoriya slowly nodded as he closed his eyes and took in a few deep breaths. He inhaled and exhaled as he put his hand to his chest so he could feel his heart rate slowing. Eventually the tendrils went back into his body and the sinister aura he projected slowly disappeared as Midoriya's mind became more clear and serene. However, as soon as this happened, he found himself in a dark and foreboding place with intense wind and snow blowing about.
"Where….am I….?" Midoriya thought as he looked around the strange realm he was in and noticed the dark shroud on his body. "What is this? Why can't I see my body?! And why can't I speak?!"
"Shit, kid!" A male voice exclaimed, causing Midoriya to turn to the source of the voice. "You got it wrong, damn it!"
The source of the voice was a bald muscular man with fair skin, blue narrow eyes and stubble around his face and wore black leather pants and a jacket with yellow shoulder pads, an ammunition belt wrapped around his bare torso and black goggles with amber coloured lenses.
"It's manifesting, though much earlier than we anticipated, but no matter! You're not alone in this, kid!" The bald man exclaimed before pointing at Midoriya. "So you gotta start thinking more! From now on, you can't use your power casually, it's something bigger."
"Wait, is he one of the past users of One For All?" Midoriya thought as he kept listening to the bald man.
"You're gonna have to work harder! Do your best! If you train like a madman most things should work out fine!" He shouted. "I'll be honest though, kid, I wasn't expecting to meet you until you'd gotten stronger and had more control over One For All, but I think that whatever All For One has awakened means that maybe you're gonna need more firepower!"
"What All For One has awakened? What is he talking about?" Midoriya thought, unable to ask verbally due to the dark shroud covering his mouth.
"Woah, where the hell is your mouth, kid?! That's freaky! Whatever, don't sweat it!" The bald man exclaimed before he turned to see as another person had appeared before them.
They were another man, but more frail and skinny, who had long white hair and green eyes and wore a white shirt and dark pants.
"Is that another previous user of One For All? Though something about him is different…" Midoriya thought as the two men started to interact with one another.
"Woah, you're here too, First? This really is some serious shit then…" The bald man said, surprised by the white haired man, who he referred to as "First", was there.
"First? Wait, first? Does he mean that this man is All For One's brother? The first user of One For All?!" Midoriya thought, shocked to not only see a previous user but also the original user of his Quirk.
"Izuku Midoriya, It's nice to finally meet you, even if you're unable to currently speak in this realm." The first user of One For All said. "The truth is that I only expected you to be able to hear me once you had gained access to more of One For All's power, as currently with only 20% of it available you cannot speak here."
"So it's true then? That your brother has unearthed something that forced my Quirk to manifest early?" The bald man asked.
"I believe so, Daigoro Banjo, but perhaps you can bring Izuku Midoriya up to speed on what he can expect in the future." The first user said to the bald man now known as Daigoro Banjo.
"I can see them so clearly, they're not vestiges or shadows or some kind of ghost." Midoriya thought, looking at both Banjo and the first user. "This isn't a dream either…these two, these predecessors…are somehow living inside of One For All…"
"Hmm, feels like our time's running out, that was fast." Banjo said, checking his body and seeing the red and black shrouds flickering on his body. "But as I mentioned before, the power you just shot out of ya was originally my Quirk! See, our individual Quirk factors mixed in with the core of One For All, they've been inside of you this whole time. Now imagine this core rests in the middle of raging flames or a whirlpool of waves or somethin'! Those flames or waves are the cultivated powers we users added to the original. But now, after so many years, the core is starting to expand and move. What you saw between fluctuations, the reason for that is because One For All itself…is growing inside you, but growing even faster than we predicted."
"Why? What's going to happen? And why is it happening now? Because of what All For One supposedly awakened?" Midoriya thought as he kept listening to Banjo.
"It was not expected of you to manifest this Quirk at your current level of discipline, but I believe both a build-up of negative emotions and the impending threat that is on its way forced One For All to rapidly grow. If I had to make an estimate, I'd say you can now access 30% of One For All's power with the right training and focus." The first user explained.
"The Quirk you just manifested, my Quirk from back when I was alive, is called Blackwhip." Banjo said, holding his hand out and making the same black tendrils that Midoriya had manifested protrude out of his hand. "It's useful for capturing and subduing Villains, it's a pretty great power, not to drag that is. But be careful, this Quirk has evolved as Blackwhip now has the might of One For All swirling within it, which means it's much stronger now than when it was mine."
Banjo felt a rush of pain flooded through his body and let out a pained growl, startling Midoriya while the first user simply looked in silence.
"Man, I'm gonna disappear…I feel myself drifting away, because all that is left of me is my spirit…" Banjo said before composing himself and looking at Midoriya. "Listen well, if you use One For All in anger, the power will react to that feeling. What's important is keeping tabs on your heart."
Banjo then put his hand through the shroud of dark energy around Midoriya's body, as if to gesture to his heart.
"It's fine to get mad. Rage can be the source of incredible strength." He said as his own energy was fading away from him. "But you need control, and not just over your mind, but over your emotions as well. After being passed down from eight people, One For All has become an awesome force. Prepare yourself, you'll have six more Quirks manifest as you improve. Control your heart and master those who live in this power. We're with you kid. You're the one who will complete One For All!"
Banjo then disappeared as the dark shroud around his body consumed him, leaving only Midoriya and the first user of One For All in this realm.
"I know you must have a lot of questions, though are currently unable to speak, even at 30% of One For All's power. But before you return to the physical world, there are a few things I need to tell you. First off, my name is Yoichi Shigaraki, the younger brother of the man you know as All For One, but I assume your predecessor has told you my story before." The first user said, now identifying as Yoichi.
"Yoichi Shigaraki…he has the same last name as Tomura Shigaraki…are they related somehow…?" Midoriya thought.
"I won't repeat what you already know, instead I have come here earlier than I wished to manifest to warn you. My brother has stumbled upon something, something ancient and pure evil." Yoichi explained as he touched Midoriya's head, giving him a vision of All For One standing in front of a tall figure, shrouded in darkness.
"What….is that thing…?" Midoriya thought as intense fear washed over his body and mind, before Yoichi removed the vision, making the fear go away momentarily.
"The being you see with my brother is a force of darkness and destruction that if set free will devour the Earth and spell the end of mankind. All For One is many things, but not even he wishes for the death of all life and foolishly thinks he can use this monster to his advantage. One For All might not be enough to defeat this threat, but perhaps your new friend and his alien companion could hold the key to saving existence." Yoichi explained.
"Eddie and Venom?" Midoriya thought, surprised by Yoichi's words.
"As we speak, your new friends are attempting to try and prevent that monster's escape from his prison, but I fear that they won't be enough. In order for humanity to survive, it needs to unite and work together. Only as one can you stop this threat." Yoichi said as his body started to flicker with dark shrouds. "I'm sorry, but that's all I can tell you. I had to use what little strength I had left to appear to you much earlier than you were ready for, but now I must go. Good luck, Izuku Midoriya, and remember mine and Banjo's words."
Yoichi then disappeared from Midoriya's sight, to which the ninth holder of One For All found himself snapping back to reality, looking left and right as he noticed All-Might, Bakugo and the other Heroes and security bots. Midoriya realized he was now back in the physical world and looked at his mentor and predecessor.
"I….I'm sorry….I'm so sorry…" Midoriya said as tears ran down his tears as he began to cry.
All-Might then turned to face the other Heroes who were with him and gave them a nod, to which the Heroes left with the security bots to continue patrolling the area. All-Might then got closer to Midoriya in order to comfort his student and successor.
"Hey, it's okay…" All-Might said softly.
"No, it's not okay….you lost against All For One, you lost the remnants of One For All that was still inside you, and now the country is up in arms finding someone to blame for all this mess…and now as the ninth holder of One For All, I have to pick up where you left off…" Midoriya vented, still sobbing as he wiped his tears away.
Meanwhile, Bakugo was still sitting down on the ground, both trying to piece together where those tendrils had come from and why Midoriya had changed so much and was so consumed by anger. He heard his words play back and forth in his head, and Bakugo wondered if he had gone too far in how he treated Midoriya. After a few seconds of pondering, Bakugo then walked over to All-Might and Midoriya.
"Hey, look at me. None of this is your fault." All-Might said calmly before looking at Bakugo. "And none of it was your fault either, Bakugo. My power had been dwindling for years, all because of my indecisiveness when I first fought All For One years ago. The injury that nearly killed me was my undoing, and it was why I realized that I couldn't keep fighting forever, that I needed to pass One For All down to someone. You were right, Bakugo, my Quirk can be passed on to others, even someone without a Quirk. In fact, I was born Quirkless myself and received One For All from my master."
Bakugo took in the information All-Might gave to him, clenching one of his hands in frustration as the Kamino incident flashed in his mind, his guilt eating at him. All-Might then turned his attention towards the hot-headed youth to address him.
"I chose Midoriya because he was powerless, but still more heroic than anyone else." He said while walking up towards Bakugo. "I knew you were strong, that much was obvious. You were someone who could already fight. So I decided that he should have a chance to stand in the ring."
"But now you know I'm weak too…I've always wanted to be like you, which meant being as strong as possible. But look what I did to you…because I'm not good enough…" Bakugo said, now on the verge of tears once more.
"Look, I already told you that it's not your fault. Midoriya said as much, even if he wasn't in the right state of mind…I was always going to lose my power. You couldn't do anything to change that. You are strong, Bakugo, you are smart, quick on your feet and you've done well to make it this far. But Midoriya is right in that your goals and ambitions are primarily self-serving, that you're not exactly here because you want to be a morally just person. I know, there was a time when people believed that Heroes had to be purely selfless and put everyone else's needs before their own, but that was before heroism was turned into a profession with a paycheck, and thus it gave people with the Quirks an opportunity to use them legally and as part of their job." All-Might said before placing a hand on Bakugo's shoulder before looking at Midoriya. "I don't think it's as simple as saying that Bakugo doesn't care about others, but rather that he refuses to fully acknowledge that he has changed out of denial of his own strength or because of something we're not seeing at home. I saw how your mother called you weak for being captured by the League of Villains, and though it might not have seemed like it, you were hurt by what she said. Mothers are meant to be nurturing and understanding, but it seems like your mother had a lot of expectations for you, expectations that were forcing you to close yourself off to other people."
Midoriya's eyes widened slightly, surprised that Bakugo's mother said that to her own son after what he went through at Kamino.
"You are strong, but I focused too much on your physical strength and overlooked what was important, especially in regard to your mental health and wellbeing." All-Might said before slowly pulling Bakugo into a hug. "It was never your burden to bear, and I apologize, as sometimes I forget you're all still children, especially with what you've all been through."
Bakugo was silent, but in deep thought nonetheless. He however broke out of All-Might's embrace, swiftly turning and stepping left while pushing his arm away from his head. Deep down however, he appreciated All-Might's embrace, almost wondering when the last time it was when he had genuinely been hugged by someone. All-Might simply stood there and continued to speak.
"After being a Hero for so many years, you learn a few things. Striving to be the best, like you Young Bakugo. And caring deeply about people, about rescuing those in trouble, like you Young Midoriya. Both of those feelings are necessary in a Hero. Otherwise, they'll never truly be able to represent justice. That's why you admired his strength so much, Young Midoriya. And I know that's why you feared his heart and spirit, Young Bakugo. Now that you have laid your feelings on the table, maybe you can understand each other. If you have mutual respect, and focus on making one another stronger, I have no doubt you'll become the ultimate Heroes. Winning and saving people at the same time."
Once All-Might finished speaking, both Midoriya and Bakugo looked at each other, pondering some of the things that the former Number 1 Hero spoke of.
"Damn it…" Bakugo said as he sat down on the ground. "That's not what I wanted to hear."
"Maybe not, but it was something you needed to hear." All-Might said with a sigh, as Bakugo then turned his attention to Midoriya.
"You…you had the strongest guy in the world lay the groundwork for you…don't take it for granted…" Bakugo muttered before continuing to speak. "And….about what you said before, about our childhood…it was wrong of me to tell you to take a swan-dive off of the school roof…"
Midoriya was taken aback, as though this wasn't a direct apology or him fully claiming responsibility for his actions, it was at least a start, especially for not admitting to something so cruel and twisted.
"Okay, so tell me, who knows? About you two? And what the hell was that dark energy coming out of Deku's back?" Bakugo asked, addressing both the former and current holders of One For All.
"Recovery Girl and Principal Nezu do, and as far as students go, only you know. However, though I don't have solid evidence, I suspect that Eddie Brock and Venom might know or be suspicious about it given that I told them about my injury and how they were there that night fighting against All For One." All-Might answered, then started to think about when Midoriya went berserk and manifested the tendrils. "And regarding those tendrils of dark energy, I haven't seen One For All behave in that way before, only ever physically enhancing a person's capabilities. But this is different."
"All-Might, before, when I regained control of my power, I think I went inside of One For All, or at least a representation of it. And inside, I saw two people who I think were some of the previous users." Midoriya explained, catching both All-Might and Bakugo's attention.
"Previous users? You mean like what happened at the Sports Festival when you fought Shinso?" All-Might asked.
"Kind of, but instead of seeing them in the real world, they were inside my mind or something. I could see them clearly and they could interact with me, but for some reason I couldn't speak or move." Midoriya explained. "One of them told me that the tendrils I manifested came from him, that it was his Quirk and that all of the previous users of One For All's Quirks had been fused into its core."
"So One For All has multiple Quirks, just like All For One…" All-Might said in surprise and fascination. "Tell me about these two users."
"The first one that appeared to me was a man with a shaved head, Daigoro Banjo I think his name was. He told me that the dark energy was his Quirk, he called it Blackwhip, which I can see why it would be called that." Midoriya said. "My anger at Bakugo was what triggered it, and they explained how my emotions were tied to my Quirk."
"Which would explain the power increase but instability of One For All from a moment ago. And what about the other user?" All-Might asked.
"He was a frail man with white hair and green eyes, and he claimed to be All For One's brother." Midoriya replied, causing both All-Might and Bakugo to have looks of concern and surprise.
"You mean the original user of One For All appeared to you?!" All-Might exclaimed.
"Hold on a damn minute, slow down!" Bakugo yelled. "All For One, that's the boss Villain that All-Might fought in Kamino, right? And you're saying he had a brother who was the first one to have One For All?"
"One For All was created when All For One gave his brother a Quirk that could be used to stockpile power, under the impression that his brother was Quirkless due to how sick and frail his body was. But unbeknownst to All For One, his brother had a Quirk, one that could be passed on to others. These two Quirks mutated into a single more powerful Quirk, the one you know as One For All." All-Might explained.
"And so from the sounds of it, this Quirk has been passed down several times already, given how powerful you were before losing what was left of your power." Bakugo assessed.
"Correct, I was the eighth holder of One For All, my master was the seventh and six other Heroes across the generations have wielded this Quirk against All For One and other powerful Villains. All For One's brother started a legacy that spans over a hundred years, but many of the users have lost their lives because of One For All, with me being so far the only exception. I've lost all of my power, but I am alive, which I cannot say about the other users who all died in battle."
"There's more, All-Might. The first user of One For All, he and the other user said that One For All shouldn't have manifested Blackwhip at my current level of power, but that it did as a response to what's been happening and what's going to happen. And I think it might have something to do with Eddie and Venom." Midoriya said.
"Those brain-eating bastards? What do they have to do with this?" Bakugo asked, before noticing All-Might's expression growing more worrisome.
"I was afraid you were going to say that." All-Might said with a sigh and he looked at the two young Heroes-in training. "There was a meeting with the Hero Public Safety Commission, where the top Heroes and Sidekicks were. I was still in the hospital when it happened but Detective Tsukauchi brought me up to speed when I was discharged. Both Mr. Brock and Venom were there as well, alongside another alien."
"Another alien? Another symbiote like Venom?" Midoriya asked.
"Like we needed another damn alien here…" Bakugo said with a groan.
All-Might then started to explain the details that Tsukauchi shared with him, about Sleeper, the Knights of the Cosmos and of course Knull and his threat to existence. Many of the details shocked and surprised Midoriya and Bakugo, as well as concerned them given that it seemed as though the planet and mankind itself were under threat.
"You mean Venom and his kind were created by Knull?" Midoriya asked in surprise. "And yet they chose to turn against their creator when they bonded with other life forms and grew a conscience."
"And we're just supposed to buy their story? They're aliens, they could be part of this bigger boss god's invasion force for all we know." Bakugo said skeptically.
"The Commission would like you to believe so, but given the time Mr. Brock and Venom spent at U.A., did you think that either one was truly capable of such a thing?" All-Might asked.
"They eat brains, so why wouldn't I think they're a possible threat?" Bakugo retorted.
"Their methods are brutal and ruthless, but those two want to save people, I know it." Midoriya said with a nod. "Then, what the first user showed me was true. All For One is in league with Knull."
"And if this Knull is as bad as this Sleeper says he is, then those two together could destroy everything." All-Might said.
"You said that Eddie and Venom went with the other symbiote, right?" Midoriya asked.
"To stop a band of mercenaries All For One hired to find something needed for Knull's return. That's all I know, no one has heard back from them." All-Might replied before scratching his head. "I missed the days when the only things a Pro Hero had to worry about were Villains and publicity, now it seems like we'll have to fight a war if Knull is freed."
"The first user of One For All said that Eddie and Venom were important, that they hold the key to defeating Knull, or at least one of the keys, he wasn't exactly specific." Midoriya said.
"And if that's not enough, everyone in Japan is at each other's throats about what happened at Kamino." Bakugo said, gritting his teeth. "From what you said, this Knull asshole saved All For One before you could land the finishing blow on him. He took your final victory from you, All-Might, and I'll make him and anyone else associated with Knull pay!"
"Let's not get ahead of ourselves, we're not at war yet, let's just let the Pros and Commission do their job for now." All-Might said, before looking at his phone. "Damn, look at the time. We better get you two back to your dorm before Eraserhead comes looking for us."
Midoriya and Bakugo silently nodded as they followed All-Might back to their dormitory. As they walked, Midoriya looked at his hand, remembering both Banjo and Yoichi's words and advice. He then looked up at the sky, thinking about Eddie and Venom once more.
"I hope you two are doing okay…whatever happens, do your best to save our world…"
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I will now go over my decisions made in the chapter!
So as you can see the chapter lacks the presence of Eddie and Venom and their side of the story. We decided to take a break from their perspective to give some of the other characters time to shine, including Thundermane who hasn't appeared in the story since Chapter 6, but we can assure you that she will be making more appearances for those who like Thundermane's addition to the story.
So a detail I have revealed about the Nomu-Symbiotes is that the symbiote part, which are Carnage's offsprings, are not only sentient but they are in constant pain and agony from being forcibly bonded to a Nomu, and because low ranked Nomu are brain-dead and controlled remotely, the symbiote can't hijack its host's nervous system and are forced to comply with Garaki and All For One's orders.
Then there's the final scene between Midoriya and Bakugo. Now, Midoriya is not meant to be 100% in the right, but he isn't entirely unjustified in calling Bakugo out like that given their history. The stress and trauma Midoriya has been through has finally gotten to him and so his patience for Bakugo's antics has run out. And while some might find it odd or a bit of a cop-out Midoriya winning the fight in this story, I believe that the main reason for Bakugo winning in canon was because 1. Midoriya's overthinking causes him to be indecisive in battle and makes it easier for a fast opponent to catch him off guard and 2. Midoriya didn't want to hurt Bakugo, so he held back even though Bakugo told him not to.
But Midoriya here has had his mental fortitude tested and pushed far more than in canon, given how chaotic things are with All-Might losing and retiring. Therefore, Midoriya is no longer hesitating when Bakugo challenges him.
Now of course there's our decision to have Blackwhip awaken in Midoriya early. As I have implied above, One For All sensed the threat of Knull through its vestiges' connection to All For One and therefore triggered a rapid growth that allowed Midoriya to access 30% of his power and unlock Blackwhip early. Another reason why I did this is because in the fight ahead, Midoriya is going to need more power, power that the previous users' Quirks can give.
If that is all, then I will see you guys in the next chapter! MVA; Symbiote's Justice, Lethal Protectors away!