CHAPTER 16: TRAINING TIME

My POV

I sat at my desk, observing my new scar. If I wore a long sleeved shirt, it would be invisible. As it was though, the minus sign of tissue ran across my arm just off from the center of where the gauntlet had been.

I stared at the thing, the mockery of my inability to change anything. What precisely had I changed, aside from the obvious? An added failed escape attempt. And… that was it.

Well, I might have given some of my classmates PTSD from watching me cleave through that Nomu. Perhaps they would know how to beat the healing factor going into the High End fight.

On top of that, I made my mom worry. My arm was shattered, but overall, I was okay. She seemed reluctant to let me out of her sight tonight, which was new. She was no helicopter mama.

I sighed again. I guess we'll see what transpires next. Cracking open my laptop, I typed a quick email. It was time that I had a chat with my new subordinate.

Gentle POV (The next day…)

When I received the email from Oracle, I was unsure quite what to think. La Brava had been monitoring UA's security feed sporadically for the last few weeks and noticed when the systems for the USJ had all gone offline. She also saw when a young man was brought back broken and bleeding from the USJ after everything was restored.

So when Oracle sent us an email requesting that we meet him in an abandoned warehouse in Mustafu, I was curious to find out what had transpired. Had he seen it with his future vision? If so, what did he do?

I entered the warehouse, La Brava in tow, to find our collaborator sitting atop a stack of crates.

"Wonderful, you've arrived."

"Indeed we have, good sir. Before we begin, I believe La Brava has something to tell you."

The pink-haired girl smiled up at me in thanks before addressing the man himself. As he climbed down, she began to speak.

"Well, since you told us that Gentle would fight a UA student in the future, I was monitoring UA's security cameras to try to determine who it might be. I saw that the systems for the Unforeseen Simulation Joint's security had gone offline, and when it was restored, one of the kids present was horribly injured. Gentle and I want an explanation. What happened?"

The masked man reached the ground just as the hacker finished her report. I thought I caught his muttering "of course you did" before he addressed us directly.

"That was where it all started. The USJ marks the debut of a group led by the man who injured All Might. The first appearance of the League of Villains, orchestrated by All For One."

My eyes widened. That… that man really exists?! I looked down at La Brava and then back at Oracle

La Brava piped up. "Excuse me, who's All For One? I saw that name a couple of times in my research but never gave it much mind."

The masked man got on his knee to look her squarely in the eye, before speaking as if a life depended on it. "All For One, is a Villain who goes by the name of his Quirk. It grants him the power to steal and give Quirks to individuals. He has potentially thousands of Quirks stored inside his body and elsewhere. With that power, he had all but conquered Japan before All Might showed up and faced him in single combat. That was when All Might became the Symbol of Peace, and it was how he got his injury that restricts his power."

The reveal of All For One caught me off guard, I admit. I, like many others, thought that he was simply an urban legend. A Villain with potentially hundreds of Quirks sounded like a wild story.

The expression on La Brava's face was one of terror. A man who could match All Might deserved to be feared.

I had to admit however, I was not a fan of the name. Trying to play off my earlier shock, I changed the subject. "That is terrifying, I confess. Still, 'League of Villains'? I suppose no one said that they were a creative lot. However, I must ask, if it is All For One's doing, why did he not appear himself? I would think the arrival of the man who shook hero society to its core would be more than enough to strike fear into the hearts of many."

Oracle pushed three crates into position and motioned to them. The pair of us nodded and took a seat facing him, and he sat on the final crate.

"Quite simple, my good fellow. He doesn't want to reveal himself yet. It's easier for him to move if the world thinks he's dead. Instead, he wants to deal some damage before showing himself and dealing the finishing blow. As it stands now, Villains attacked UA in broad daylight. That's quite the shakeup if I've ever seen one."

The staff wielder sighed and placed a hand on his head. "To answer your initial question about the boy, that… may have been a blunder on my part."

Oracle made a mistake? Quite unlike what I have seen so far. However, the type of mistake must be considered.

La Brava, however, was less lenient. She also had a conclusion of her own. "What do you mean you made a mistake? Did you tell him about the future?!"

He raised a hand for silence before continuing. "Of course not. What I meant, dear girl, is that my visions showed young Bakugo in a very different light. I thought he was condescending, and a complete annoyance to everyone around him. He acted almost completely different from that timeline, yet the course of events stayed the same. All Might fought that creature, and Aizawa was injured. In other words, Katsuki Bakugo is what I have referred to as a Variant in the timeline."

Now it was my turn to grow concerned. If there were these Variants in the timeline, then wouldn't that make his intel unreliable? Furthermore, would it not mean that he couldn't be so easily trusted? "What does that mean for your future visions, my good fellow?"

"Elementary, my dear Gentle. The course of events stayed the same, with exception of Bakugo's role. Unless he makes a drastic change with an unforeseen side effect, then our intel will be viable. We simply need to prepare for the worst."

That was… oddly comforting, yet gave me more unease. I cannot fully explain it, but I had a feeling that Oracle had plans within plans, and not all of them altruistic.

But before I could ponder this further, he clapped and pointed at me. "So, what have you been up to?"

I gave a small smile. Clearly, this new development had not so easily deterred him. "Well, as you know I have been sifting through information for potential candidates. After finding Lady Nagant, I continued. A small group is easier for infiltration and stealth, but if we were to ever come up against a major threat, we would be outnumbered in Mustafu."

Oracle placed a thumb and forefinger on his chin in thought. "I see. Hmm… the League Of Villains, once finished with their recruitment, will have nine members that stick around, as well as three that don't, if we count All For One. I see your point. Very well, who did you come up with?"

I pulled a file from within my coat to hand to him. It contained data on a few candidates that I had found. He took the file and began to flip through it, examining each candidate with a thoughtful eye. I heard him muttering as he looked, his eye fluctuating like water.

"Okay… okay… maybe… definitely not… okay… yikes… hmm…"

I had found many candidates, including the likes of Knuckleduster, Kendo Rappa, Tengai, Dabi, and many others.

He held the file back out to me, and I took it back. "I have my own intel on a few of these people. This 'Meta Liberation Army' appears rather zealous, so they may not align with us forever, since they have their own agenda."

La Brava did raise an eyebrow at that. "The Meta Liberation Army? I thought they were defunct."

"My dear girl, they are anything but. In fact, they have been waiting to make a return to the spotlight and have been recruiting members. Perhaps with enough persuasion, we can contact the newer recruits."

My POV

It goes without saying that I wouldn't be considering anyone from that camp unless he or she contacted me.

"Like hell you shouldn't. Let's have at these bastards, show them what you've got!"

I rolled my eyes and stayed silent. Grumpy Katsuki, who I'm just going to call Grump from now on, had outbursts like this from time to time. They lacked any real bite, which made me think that wherever the rest of his soul was, it had taken most of the aggression with it.

Most of it.

"I'll consider it. In the meantime, a roster is beginning to form. We'll have to wait until the time is right for most of these. I believe I may have a recruit in mind as well, but she can wait until later. Let's focus our efforts on Stain and Knuckleduster."

The latter was a new name to me. Did he appear in the Vigilantes manga? Maybe. The only thing I'm aware of from that was Shirakumo. "Stain would need to be found first, and around this time, he is operating in Hosu. You have information on Knuckleduster, so you should focus on him. As for Stain, I have a plan, but it will have to be executed later."

Gentle nodded and then seemed to remember something. "Ah yes, I have been meaning to discuss this with you. If we are going to be an organization, with more members as time goes on, then we must have a name, yes?"

"Admittedly, I hadn't thought about it. What to call our group… hmm…" Of all the things to think of, a name for my ragtag vigilante group wasn't one of them.

I could hear Grump growling in my mind. "This is pointless. Why are you only thinking of this now?!"

I didn't respond. Unlike him, people could hear me when I talk.

La Brava had mostly remained silent, letting Gentle talk for the both of them. So to hear her contribute more to the conversation was a nice change. "Well, since Oracle is from the Greek, maybe we should go with something Greek. Is there something else in that myth we can draw from?"

I snapped my fingers, which didn't make sense when I was wearing gloves. "Delphi, the location of the Oracle. Equipped with knowledge of the future, we help whoever needs it."

The pair looked at each other and nodded. It seemed like there wouldn't be an argument. It was a sound name. "Very well."

Gentle nodded and checked his watch. "Ah, this marks the time when Knuckleduster is most active. Come La Brava, destiny awaits!"

The smaller girl smiled and leapt to her feet. "I'm ready, Gentle!"

I smiled beneath the mask. She was so loyal, and her power only aided that. It was just a shame that her devotion to Gentle may cloud her mind. "All right then. I shall focus on Stain and finding recruits of my own."

The formal fellow nodded. "Farewell Oracle. Until we meet again."

I nodded and walked out of the warehouse. Thankfully, I knew where to start looking.

Toga POV (Later that day…)

I sat on top of a dumpster, deep in thought. My mind felt like it was going a million miles an hour. Giran and I had talked, and it turns out he supplied both villains and vigilantes. So, even if I wasn't really a Villain, I would still be on the wrong side of the law to most people.

Maybe Bakugo was right, maybe I could be a vigilante. It seems like a lonely life though. Maybe Giran knew someone I could team up with? I doubt Bakugo would know-

"Hey Toga. You seem remarkably morose, what's wrong?"

As if on cue, Bakugo stood there about a meter and a half away. How did he do that? I hopped off the dumpster and shrugged. "I dunno. I guess I'm just having trouble figuring out what I want. I want to live freely, but you have a point when you say boundaries are necessary. (Sigh) I just don't know what to do."

I slumped down against the dumpster, wishing I could just sort this all out. Katsuki sat down next to me and placed his arm around my shoulder, giving me an awkward one-sided hug. What he said next was a surprise though.

'I get what you mean. It's irritating to want to have a kind of life, but to adjust to that life sometimes seems like more trouble than it's worth"

I looked at my fellow blonde wide-eyed. He had trouble… what? He sighed, and the look on his face told me he was being genuine. "But you've wanted to be a Hero for as long as I've known you. If I remember that story right, everyone encouraged you to be one too."

Katsuki nodded with a sigh. "Yes. But prior to middle school, I had doubts. My Quirks could only really be used to hurt people or destroy stuff. I felt like I lived in a world made of tissue paper, so I always held back. Even when I trained with Deku, I was always careful to keep a firm grasp on my power. Even once I fully solidified my career choice, I always had lingering doubts."

I stared. Who was this guy, and what had he done with Katsuki? "What the heck happened to you then?"

"I was captured by a Villain. Then, All Might saved me with a punch stronger than anything I had ever seen. The moral of the story is, learn about what you can do best. Then, examine how your Quirk can be used to help people. For me, that's fighting Villains. You just need to figure it out for yourself."

I stared for a moment as he flashed a grin. He was back to his old self now? Hmph. Well… either way, he had a good idea. "Okay. Thanks for the advice."

He grinned a but wider. "Hey, what are friends for?...on second thought, don't answer that."

"Isn't that a rhetorical question anyway?"

"Touché."

As we chatted more and laughed a good hour or so away, I felt a new resolve. Katsuki was okay, but I wanted other friends. I would stay away from the police, but you know what they say… why hide who you are?

Deku POV (Later that day…)

I was jogging at a steady pace down the street. We were given the day off because of the incident yesterday to recover, but Kacchan told me to meet him at the training clearing not long after dinner.

Eventually, concern became the prevailing emotion as I skidded to a halt at the edge of the clearing. Kacchan was standing at the far side, his back turned, a sword's long black hilt visible in a sheath on his hip. The sheath was black, and oddly shaped near the opening, almost as if there was a trigger there.

"Hey Kacchan, what's up? Is that a new sword?" I approached him, a smile on my face. His head turned at my voice, mirroring my smile as he turned to face me.

"Hey Deku! And no, not exactly. I had this puppy commissioned a month ago, a not-fully-functioning replica of a design I had commissioned. It always sat on my sword rack, you just never saw me use it. After I get a firm understanding of this, I intend on getting a working version built later on for my Hero Costume. But anyways, let's get down to business."

He folded his arms and looked me in the eye. "I called you here today to help you with your power. It's clear that your body isn't exactly built for it. Where others have had time to accustom to their Quirks, you need to adjust faster than anyone."

I awkwardly scratched my head. How was I gonna talk my way out of this one? "Well, ah, yeah. I can't control it yet. It is only a recent awakening."

"Well, let's change that. Tell me, when you activate your power, how precisely do you use it? My best guess is you turn it on and off."

I nodded. It was true, otherwise I'd launch myself into the air and shatter my leg with every step I took. "Yeah, I have to activate it. I usually activate it by focusing the energy in a part of my body to use it."

Kacchan nodded, his finger and thumb stroking his chin. I knew him well enough to know that he had at least ten different ideas of how to train based on that. "Focusing on a body part, huh? With all that power focused in a single part, it's no wonder you break. Well, it would be awfully silly if All Might went around with a single buffed up arm while the rest of him looked like a regular guy, don't you think?"

Wait… did he know?! No, no, there's no way he could know the truth about All Might… but he was right. A partial muscle form would look kind of absurd.

I chuckled at the visual it gave me. All Might usually goes all the way with his whole body instead of-

*SMASH*

There was a sound in my mind like a glass pane breaking far off. How could I have not tried this sooner? The dispersal of energy would make it easier to control!

"Kacchan, you just gave me an idea!" I held my arms out as if powering up and tried to focus. Glowing veins of energy crept across my skin as I tried to summon One For All throughout my body.

Kacchan watched like a kid on Christmas morning as green electricity began to arc over my skin. The veins disappeared as the lightning began to assume dominance, with my skin softly glowing white. I felt warm, and reassured by the amount of energy flowing through my body. I think I'll call it One For All: Full Cowling.

"Ohmygoshohmygoshohmygosh you look so cool!" Kacchan stared at me with a big dumb grin on his face. He felt like I did, happy that I managed to pull off using One For All. He held up a finger, straightening into a combat stance that I recognized as iaido style.

"If we still use All Might as a metric for your power's upper potential, you could probably only handle about 5% at your current level. So, let's test that new move."

I flinched the tiniest little bit. If he was using All Might as a measurement for my power, he must know about the source… but then again, Asui came to a similar conclusion. I nodded, the emerald streaks flashing over my body. I then realized something. It was difficult to move and maintain this level of power at the same time. However, I didn't have much time to react as Kacchan charged.

"Photon Breathing: First Form…"

Oh crap! I dodged to the side barely maintaining Full Cowling as my best friend charged. I was on the defensive as he struck out and slashed at everything in a nearby radius.

"...Burning Thunder Strike!" Kacchan got in a slash that nicked my shoulder as I moved to the side again. Wait… the sword didn't draw blood, though the blade was a deep red. It stung though. Just before it returned to the sheath as fast as it left, I saw that the sword was made of a type of rubber. What was it called, poly-something? Those thoughts left my head as Kacchan spoke.

"We're going to keep this up until you can successfully land a solid hit on me."

"Okay." I knew I shouldn't have gotten him that Demon Slayer DVD for his birthday. I knew it would help his swordplay to examine other styles in order to flush out his own, but to straight up copy Thunder Breathing? This was flat out unfair given that as we were now, he outclassed me in speed.

"Burning Thunder Strike: Sixfold!" Kacchan was using his explosions now to zip in and out, slashing at me. THe rubber blade swung at the arm, the knee, the ribs… wait a minute, this technique, this is beat for beat how Zenitsu pulled it off, albeit a bit slower. So that means I can predict his stops!

Zip, zip, zip, slash, zip, slash, slash, zip slash, slash slash.

Zip, zip, zip, slash, zip- got him!

"SMASH!"

I dodged his slash and landed an elbow drop on his back at 5%. The blonde swordsman tumbled to the ground, rubbing his back and groaning as he slowly got up. "Ow… ugh, well, I guess congratulations are in order. You now have a handle on your power. Try to keep it at 5% for now though."

I offered a hand with a smile and nodded. "Got it. Thank you for helping me. Now I'm just that much closer to getting a handle on my power!"

Kacchan leapt in the air, holding the practice sword over his head. "Way to go! We should practice even more with this so it will become viable. Unless I miss my guess, you couldn't move that well, could you?"

Gee Dr. Ho, what tipped you off? "Yeah. You were the same with a swordless use of your energy, weren't you?"

Kacchan looked mortified. "Er, uh, yeah. Guess we both have a lot to learn."

That we do, my friend. That we do. "On another note, you might want to change up your fighting style with 'Photon Breathing'. Anyone could tell that that was just Zenitsu with a red sword and different haircut."

"I'm still learning. Iaido is a difficult sword style to use compared to Jar' Kai."

I nodded. He did make a good point.

? POV

I watched the cameras in the forest with a hint of interest. Subject Lamda was friends with the one we suspect to be All Might's successor. For the subject to actively help the child's growth, he must still retain all the memories of what he saw. There are no cameras in the house, as even tiny ones would be found by the family, so I could not know precisely everything.

There remained a question on my end however. One that, frankly, had gone unanswered.

"Master?"

All For One glanced over at me. That sensory Quirk of his was nothing to scoff at. "Yes?"

"Why do you let these two live? Given that they are a threat to your plans, I assumed you would want to kill them from the word 'go'."

A smile grew over Master's face. A genuine smile. "It's quite simple, Doctor. All Might has chosen a successor. Not only will the boy be even stronger than All Might, but once All Might is defeated, the people will put their hope in him. In that last line that will rescue them from the abyss."

The man's grin grew even more now, like a child waiting for Christmas morning. If there was one thing you could count on the great All For One for, it was taking pride in his plans. "However, in the event that their symbol of peace is lost, the people's faith in heroes will deteriorate. I intend to make the Ninth Successor the final straw."

"I see. A wise plan."

But for every plan, there was a backup plan. And this man was the master.

Cut! The name is Delphi. Shoutout to Mallory S. Nocturne for the idea!

Now this is where things begin to kick into gear. The plans are in motion, the recruitment drive has begun, and as of last chapter, Bakugo is being suspected. With these thoughts in our heads and more, we enter the Sports Festival arc. I really look forward to showing you what this version has in store, especially now that Full Cowling has been added to the mix. Who knows, he might even develop the previous wielder's Quirks differently. Anything is possible at this point. With all that said, please PM and review, I always enjoy hearing from you. See you next chapter!

PS: In case any of you were curious, the sword Bakugo was using was Wilt and Blush, Adam's weapon from RWBY.