18/02/2023

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The Emperor's Dragon
Emergence 48 - AFO vs AM: Round 2 of 3

All For One countered All Might's punch but the force of it ricocheted around them, spraying up dust and damaging more buildings.

"Again, you are foolish, All Might," All For One told the supposed hero. "You've gathered a lot of heroes here because you have a lot of things to protect. So foolish!"

"Shut up!" All Might roared. "That's exactly how you play with people like they're toys, you scum!"

The hero grabbed at his arm and pulled him forward. He pulled back but All Might was holding firm. "Destruction. Theft! Exploitation. Manipulation! The people of the world, just trying to live day to day. You laugh at them, scorn their hardship."

He could see the way All Might was reaching back to punch and snarled. While he could absorb the damage, his helmet would not and it was obvious All Might would be aiming for that. It was an obvious weakness. He couldn't warp away, not with All Might gripping him so strongly but he had other choices.

"Those are things that I cannot forgive!" All Might practically screamed as he punched forward, just as All For One activated spear like bones. He felt them pierce through the hero and felt the force of the punch dissipate. It wasn't gone entirely, but it was enough for him to shift slightly to absorb the punch.

He let the force carry him back so that he was looking up at All Might. This close he could feel that All Might still had One For All.

"Do you really think me so shallow, All Might?" All For One asked. "You choose this confrontation," he reminded the hero. "Or did you truly expect us not to fight back?" He gathered himself, shifting his arm so that he could fire an air cannon at the Number One Buffoon.

He shook his head, when All Might said nothing. The Hero tried to drive his arm down further. "Did you ever think what this will do to my-"

"Enough!" All Might roared.

It was definitely enough. He fired the air cannon. Of course, it wasn't, strictly speaking, just an air cannon. He used multiple quirks to reinforce it. All Might was flung into the air, and to his sight and hearing was close to one of the helicopters.

Pity, it would have been interesting to see what the Hero would have done if he'd hit one. He'd have to aim more carefully next time. While All Might couldn't fly, a fall from that height was in no danger of damaging him. All For One got to his feet as the hero descended. He could have fired again but decided to see what the Hero would do. The other heroes had again been blasted away but he thought that emergency services would get to them. It would depend on how brave they were feeling.

And while he might have been able to run, All Might would pursue him. All For One was aware that the hero had a time limit but since he hadn't passed on his brother's quirk, there was the chance he could push through it. But… He did some quick assessments. The man had to be getting close to the limit.

That could be an interesting outcome, revealing All Might's weakness to the world, especially if he wasn't going to get away. All For One spread his arms and flexed his fingers.

"I offered you a choice last time, All Might."

"It was no then, it is no now!" the Hero snarled.

All For One shook his head. "You no longer have that choice," he told the hero. "You, personally, will not have peace, but if you give me back my brother's quirk, I will give this society peace, for a time."

All Might glared at him. All For One thought that he was thinking of repeating his previous response, instead he growled and charged, and the fight was on again.

-ted-

Chosa Utsuna had reported on many incidents in her life. Some of the big ones were All Might's Debut, the Fall of Captain Celebrity, Endeavor's capture of Hinoakki, All Might's rescue of the 108 hostages of Arumono… and lots of other events. She'd even take a turn as an anchor but much preferred to be a field reporter.

In all her reporting she'd always had the firm belief that the heroes were trying to do their best to protect everyone and she'd reported in that manner. She still had that belief now. But now, watching All Might fight, she also realised she'd had a second firm belief, one that was being tested.

That belief was that All Might would always win. Watching in fight this villain…

Chosa felt cold. There was something indisputably evil about the villain and whatever that was, it was making her feel like they had no chance. Except the villain was fighting All Might, and that should be enough for her to feel confident of his victory.

She didn't though and she could tell that the others in the chopper with her felt that same.

That was scary. All Might didn't lose. And if he did…

Well, there was no way Endeavor could take on this villain.

But, no matter what she felt, she was a reporter, and she had to report.

"It's like a bad dream!" She announced, aware that this could be the biggest event she had ever reported on. "In a flash the Kamino Ward has been brought to a half destroyed state!"

That was probably an understatement. This section of Kamino was nothing but destroyed but she hoped the other areas weren't hit as badly.

"Presently All Might is battling with the villain thought to be the ring-leader of the group!"

He'd better be the ring-leader. Villain hierarchy tended to be pretty linear and based on strength. If this guy wasn't the ring-leader… That didn't bear thinking about.

"Unbelievable! A single villain! Destroying the street and now he is fighting on more than equal terms with the Symbol of Peace!"

Her producer would probably give her shit for that statement, but it was true, and she was here to report the truth. Chosa didn't like this truth but…

All Might had to win.

That had to be the new truth.

-ted-

There was something not right with All For One. There were many things wrong with the villain, Yagi admitted to himself but today, there was something particularly not right.

He'd almost lost it when Gran had been sent through the portal but he had restrained himself. Gran would not thank him if his distraction was the reason All For One escaped. Besides, there was every chance Gran would apprehend the villains who'd gone through the portal. They didn't seem ready to fight.

All For One could fight but the villain was somehow different. It wasn't his head gear, and it wasn't that he had completely different quirks than last time it was something else. Only someone intimately familiar with All For One would know it but it almost seemed as if the villain was reluctant to fight.

That didn't make him any less deadly but the feeling was concerning. He threw another punch, only to have it blocked by All For One and then Yagi realised what it was. The villain was fighting defensively.

As they tested each other's strength, internally Toshinori frowned. Why would he be doing that? That was not something the villain did. The man lived to crush his opponents, maybe not as quickly as he could, but decisively and viciously. And with an audience, there was no reason All Might could think of… except…

Could All For One be trying to run out his time? How did the villain- No. As much as he thought he'd kept it secret, All For One would know about it, somehow. The villain always knew too much. It galled him to admit but it was probable that All For One knew more about One For All than he did. The villain would certainly know more about the various previous holders.

"I will not lose to you," Yagi growled.

All For One cocked his head slightly and while All Might couldn't see his features, under the mask, he could imagine the cocky grin. "You are so predictable, you know?" the villain said.

Given the hatred expressed previously it was an unusual statement.

"It is no longer about us," the villain continued.

He wasn't interested in anything the villain said. The man lied and misconstrued things so skillfully that All Might wondered if sometimes, All For One actually believed his lies. He yelled. This was just another way for the villain to use time, while not actually doing anything.

"It's never been about us!" Yagi agreed. "It has always been about how you hurt people!" He had no idea how All For One could not see that, except to say that the man had absolutely no empathy.

All For One shook his head and shot off a small pressure blast. It wasn't a full strength one. If it was, Yagi knew he'd have been thrown back. This was just to get a little bit of distance. The villain he'd been hunting all his life, struck a pose. "So typical," he announced. "You never think about the people you hurt," he said and All Might got the impression that the villain was actually glaring at him.

"I have never-" He snarled but All For One shook one finger at him.

"My Little Dragon was very distraught after our last meeting," All For One told him.

For a moment, Toshinori didn't know who he was talking about until he remembered that the villain had a son. Izuku Midoriya. The phrase and the reference to Tsu brought up a different memory. The Management Student, Mitei Chui… He did feel sorry for the pain he'd caused Izuku, and Mitei and all the others but… No, it was All For One's fault.

"And what of the pain you caused his mother?" All Might asked. It was petty to even attempt to compare one pain with another but… this is what All For One brought out in him.

"I had forgotten how much of a stubborn little child you are," All For One said. "But I thought you'd go this way. It took me a while to realise how I could repay you for causing Izuku such pain but then I realised I had the means all along."

"It's not about comparing pain!"

"I agree," All For One said. Yagi kept the surprise from his face. "It's about causing you pain."

He snarled but All For One held up his finger again as a warning against attack. "You cannot have expected to have me just let my Little Dragon's pain go unanswered," he said, "so allow me to return the pain you gave to my son. Tomura Shigaraki is Nana Shimura's grandchild."

He couldn't help the gasp that escaped. All For One noticed it. "Ah…" he sighed. The villain sounded almost happy. "All this time, I've been thinking about how much that fact would hurt you. I created the opportunity for you and Tomura to meet and you beat him into submission, didn't you? Without knowing a thing, all the while thinking you were justified. That it wouldn't hurt anyone to injure a so-called villain."

"You're lying," Yagi managed to say.

At that All For One actually chuckled. "It's the truth," he said. "You understand, don't you? This is the kind of thing I would do," he mocked. "And for my Little Dragon, I would do a lot more."

All For One actually snarled as he said that. If All Might didn't know any better, he'd say that the villain actually cared for his son. He was prepared to admit on one level the man probably did. But it was not parental, the villain would only be interested in how his son could further his cause. He was like that.

"Your son will be another who is freed when you are gone," he growled back. It was a petty line. It wasn't a heroic line but his mind was still on Tomura Shigaraki. He kind of felt sick at the thought.

"How poorly you know me," All For One murmured, shaking his head slightly, as his arm distorted. He didn't even bother to hide that he was preparing a strike.

All Might taped his foot preparing to dodge. He might feel sick and Nana's words might be swirling through his mind but there was no reason to give All For One a free shot at him.

"Are you sure you should do that?" the villain asked.

As the man asked the question, Yagi felt the civilian and his mind immediately blanked. It was almost a relief not to hear Nana.

"You scum!" He growled as he readied a punch, it was all he could do against the force of All For One's attack. He hadn't hit his time limit yet, but he could feel the attack testing the force of his punch but as he'd told All For One, there was no way he was going to lose to him.

But that didn't mean he wasn't going to struggle.

When All For One's blast ended, he could feel steam coming off his body but thankfully his form had held. He could feel the strain. Around him, the ground was gone but behind him, the building was intact and he could hear the civilian still. He hoped there had not been civilians in the other areas but… The raid should have cleared them out.

"Not enough," All For One murmured. "How long do you have?"

All Might didn't give an answer. Instead he jumped forward to attack. Gran had told him not to listen to the villain. It was time he started listening to the man, even if he wasn't here and… For all that All For One was talking about his time limit, he could still feel that there was something not right with him. It was time to find out what.

-ted-

All For One sighed softly as All Might charged. He hadn't really thought he could force All Might to his weak form, not while he had One For All. While All Might had his brother's quirk he could probably push through any time limit. But… Only for so long.

He ran his mind through what he knew of the time limit. He'd become aware of it when Izuku was about twelve. He hadn't realised what it was then but observations of All Might indicated that something was not quite right. It had taken another year or so of observation to confirm that there was something. He'd noticed that All Might was being less active as a hero. Oh, he was still out and about but if he attended a rescue then he was quick. And if the rescue was of a large natural disaster, that took hours and hours and days and days to deal with, the Number One Dingbat actually took breaks.

It was that anomaly which had given him the push to realise what the issue was. All For One had seen quirks with time limits before. He'd had someone collate All Might's public appearances then. The information had plotted an interesting chart. A decreasing chart.

By the time Izuku was fourteen, there was no doubt. All Might had a time limit and at that point it was approximately five hours a day. He had thought about having the hero taken out while in his 'weak' form but… Until All Might passed on One For All, he couldn't do that.

It had only reduced since then. For USJ Tomura had the cannon fodder cause disturbances. All Might had been dealing with them for about three hours. The last two hours of disturbances had been dealt with by regular heroes, and some hadn't been.

So… The Number One Imbecile had about three hours time now.

All For One gathered his thoughts. He recognised what his mind was doing. Thinking of different terms for All Might was distracting him from what he thought would be the outcome. It was keeping his anger at bay. He wasn't going to be angry at the outcome of this battle. With All Might still having One For All, he could probably last longer. What he was angry about was the fact this would push Izuku to a premature decision.

He had not given up his son for this!

He focused again. If the Number One Cretin had about three hours time then… He'd have had to have spent an hour in pre-briefing. Even if he managed to get some of it done in his other form, it was at least an hour on pre-briefing. The heroes involved would have been told something of him. And then there was probably some time just appearing in public to reassure the sheeple. That would have been done once it became clear there was an operation occurring. So, all up…

The Number One Fool had to be getting close to the limit.

They were once again testing each other's strength. Obviously All Might believed he could simply over power him. And because All Might didn't face off against those who could fight him, he wasn't that skilled in real hand to hand combat.

He didn't usually use his feet but he was skilled at fighting. Without letting go of All Might's hands, All For One stepped back. The motion caught the Number One Twit off balance, allowing All For One to swing around and land a solid kick on him. Since it was reinforced with some of the quirks he had been using to clear out the pests, the hit was effective.

All Might was driven back, spinning slightly. That was probably because of the Locomotive corkscrew.

He followed up the kick with a full blast and was pleased to observe All Might crossing his arms to defend. The force drove him back and while All For One wouldn't have cared if a civilian was behind him, he already knew there wasn't. He had much better spatial awareness than the Number One Jerk.

And that was probably what he needed. A nebulous plan formed. It wasn't going to help his son. There was no way he could do that, but it would force Tomura to grow, and not so incidentally the copy of him within the boy. And if that happened fast enough then… Maybe he could ensure Izuku still had a choice.

He wasn't going to defeat All Might.

But the man would pay.

-ted-

Unarigoe Keisasu, colloquially known as Unari to his friends, was dutifully sorting through the few possessions they'd managed to recover. It was the type of job that someone with a quirk like his got. His quirk was to grow his eyelashes at will. That was it. Sure he could make them as long as he wanted, but who needed eyelashes longer than about 8mm or so. He had once grown them so that they trailed over his face. That was stupid though since they kept getting into everything.

It would have been better if his quirk was to grow his eyebrows… then he could have had them long, kind of like forward sideburns. Or facial hair, a beard every second day could have been fun. Or- There was no point thinking about it and at least he had a quirk, and was reasonably fit, so he had this job. He wasn't front line Police, but he was with them. He was an assistant in the forensics group. That meant he didn't do the lab work but occasionally he helped out there but more often he was following the front line forces, collecting evidence.

Unari knew that this raid had been led by All Might himself! That made him feel proud to be working here. It was on some villain group who had been running wild lately. He was collecting their personal belongings. The front line guys had clapped one of the villains into shackles and frog marched him out earlier.

That villain was in for a bad few days since he appeared to be the only one caught. The rest had gotten away thanks to some sort of weird warping quirk. They'd left a collection of clothes and phones, though Unari could tell not all their phones had been left. Those that were left though… They were useful.

Or they would be if they would shut up!

It was only one of the phones. The problem was it was ringing constantly. And he couldn't touch it. He had to leave it where it was, connected to power. The number was always the same.

Brat.

He'd recorded the name, and the time of the calls and was still going through the other material but… Unari thought this would be a great time to try to trace that call, and that could lead them to more villains. He'd been told no. They would trace the call but only at a time and place when the phone was secure.

With the number of heroes around him, he had no idea when they would be more secure!

"Unari, what are you doing?"

The question came from Benrina Jikan. She was one of the others involved in the raid but she actually seemed to care for those that followed and showed an interest in their work.

"I'm sorting," he told her, thankful that it hadn't been Nomuda who'd interrupted.

"Forget that, and come and look at this," she said, gesturing vaguely towards the wall of the bar.

They had the TV going still and on it-

He froze. All Might was fighting a villain. And the villain was fighting back. The man was actually driving back the Number One Hero. He was actually pushing All Might down.

Unari felt sick and he stared.

He wasn't the only one. All the raid crew were staring at the TV and… He knew, without being told, that the overall outcome of their raid relied on this fight. With All Might there… it should have been finished.

Unari wasn't so sure.

-ted-

All For One recognised there was a certain rhythm to battle and he realised, that as he continued to fight with the Number One Halfwit, that the two of them were well matched. All Might had a timelimit and wasn't as powerful as he was seven years ago. He had no time limit but unfortunately the second point was also true. But there were ways he could compensate, and while it was risky, he would have to use one.

If he couldn't drive All Might to show his pathetic true form with his current attacks, he'd have to get more personal. The realisation was followed by action. As All Might punched, instead of countering with a blast from what was now one of his favourite quirk combinations, All For One, blocked the move physically. It startled All Might and allowed him to give the Number One Dimwit a swift jab to his left side.

The result was somewhat satisfying.

The camera probably didn't see it, but he did. All Might flinched. He managed to hold his position but was quick to break off the punch, this time but the reaction displayed weakness.

He had been letting the hero attack him but this time All For One went on the offensive. "Do you ever think about the victims you are creating?" He asked the hero.

"You create victims!" Came the fast denial.

The words rallied, All For One. They brought into focus memories which were always close to the surface of his mind. Izuku crying. The way he couldn't see his son's freckles. The way he couldn't see the subtleties of his expression. There was so much he'd missed.

When the hero came at him again, All For One dodged only enough to have the initial blow miss him but he grabbed the Number One simpleton's arm and pulled him forward. It was a risk to let the Hero close but he had no choice. He gave another jab to All Might's left side.

This time the hero cried out with the jab. This time, All For One did not pull back. Instead he hit All Might, again aiming for his left side. He managed to get a small air cannon into his punch which made the hit harder. Not that his physical strength was substandard but All Might's hero costume was designed to take physical abuse.

The air cannon ripped the costume slightly and All For One dug his fingers in, ripping part of it away as All Might doubled over.

To his sight, All Might was quick to raise one hand to cover his mouth as the hero backpedaled. That wouldn't do. All For One pressed his advantage. He stepped forward, and reached out, to grab the Number One Clod's throat. It was low as the hero was doubled over in pain and so he was caught.

The sound of his breath catching in his throat was truly melodic. All For One squeezed, using the strength quirks he had. Hearing All Might gasp for air was wonderful but the hero struggled. All For One gripped harder. He dug his thumbs in, feeling the ridges on All Might's trachea. The Hero hit his arms. The blows were powerful but he ignored them.

"Do you know what you have taken from me?" All For One growled through gritted teeth. "What you took from My Little Dragon?" he snarled.

He got the impression that All Might tried to say something but he was beyond caring. He could feel All Might's hand's on his wrists. The man was gripping hard, and trying to dislodge his hands but he was not going to be moved on this.

He watched as All Might lifted his hands and drove them downwards. The blow would have shattered someone else's bones but All For One was not that weak.

The blow from behind was not expected. It was sharp and he could feel it piercing through him. Blood came to his mouth and the shock caused him to release All Might. The Number One Dolt scrambled back.

All For One reached one hand to his chest and felt… Fabric?

Best Jeanist!

He extended his vision and saw the hero. He'd been too focused on All Might and had forgotten the others. He flicked his fingers, using a sharpened air cannon to cut the fabric that had impaled him. He swallowed the blood in his mouth before pulling the fabric through the wound. Regeneration took care of the wound as he threw the bloody fabric aside.

From the sounds of things, All Might was busy coughing and dragging in air. All For One ignored him for the moment. The hero wouldn't let him come close now but the interloper had to be dealt with. The fabric hero was propped up by debris. All For One flexed his fingers, gathering several quirks before he fired them towards the hero.

"No!" All Might cried but was too slow to stop him.

The blast caught the interfering hero full on and while it would have been satisfying to confirm that the pest was taken care of, All Might had recovered enough to attack again.

He caught the punch again allowing a test of strength. They were still somewhat equal but All Might felt hot…

He had no idea what that meant, and right at the moment, he didn't care. All For One pulled back from the test, summoning his quirks as they engaged again.

He'd rip away All Might's heroic face and show the world the truth.

-ted-

Toshinori gritted his teeth as he pushed against All For One. The man was insidious! He had to be defeated. He knew that All For One was not just a regular villain but being choked had reminded him again that he could not underestimate his foe.

Tsunagu had paid the price for his-

He couldn't think on that. Not now.

He had to defeat All For One. And the faster the better.

It was interesting the way the last seven years had changed him. Before his first fight with the villain, he never really thought about using One For All. He used his quirk but his control of it was almost instinctive. Now… He could use it just fine but he could feel more about One For All. He could feel the quirk in his body and he could feel the strain on his body. He could feel that he was slipping. Not One For All. The quirk felt like it was limitless but his body was failing.

He could feel steam coming off him, which was a sure sign that his time was up for today.

Yagi gritted his teeth and held on to One For All. He could not afford to lose his quirk now. And he couldn't afford to lose. He breathed in, ignoring the raw and raspy feeling there. He knew what All For One was trying to do. He wanted him to lose his grip on One For All and show the world his true form. The villain wanted to show the world his injuries. The fabric of his jumpsuit was ripped over his wound but he knew that the video wouldn't be too bad yet.

If All For One could rip away more fabric, then it would be obvious.

Toshinori readied another punch. All For One had mentioned his son and usually, Yagi knew he wouldn't be moved by that but… He couldn't deny he'd hurt the child. The boy would probably love his father. He wouldn't know better. He couldn't know the truth of his father and that…

No! He couldn't think about that either! And he couldn't think about others… When the villain had said Dragon he'd remembered the phrase. He'd remembered the management student from the UA Sport's Festival. Mitei Chui… He was… Like Izuku he was a victim. There would be more victim's created from today and…

That was why he had to make sure he defeated All For One now.

There could be no more victims tomorrow. It wouldn't help those who were in pain now but… That was the only thing he could do.

Except… It might be more difficult than he thought.

Tsunagu might have paid the price for his lapse but Best Jeanist had given him important information. All For One had a regeneration quirk, much like the Nomu that had been sent to attack the USJ. And that meant that the villain could copy quirks.

That tidbit of information was something that made him feel sick but was worthless now. What he had to focus on was defeating All For One. The villain may have a regeneration quirk, but there was obvious weakness to it. He knew the damage he'd done previously and the helmet that All For One was wearing had to be evidence that the man was not fully healed. The way he was fighting supported that as well.

The villain relied on quirks to fight but he was also physical. This time he appeared more reliant on his quirks. They were powerful, and different from last time and…

He'd overpowered the Nomu by going beyond his limit. And going beyond its ability. He'd just have to do that again. Mentally he gripped One For All, in preparation. He hoped the quirk recognised its enemy and helped. That might seem a silly thought but he could use all the help he could get.

-ted-

Chosa Utsuna's heart had been in her throat when the villain had been strangling All Might. She'd felt physically sick. She knew she wasn't the only one. While their pilot had been strictly professional, her camerawoman had been shaking badly witnessing that. The footage was stable, thanks to the built in stablisers but… She didn't blame Diuga. The thought that a villain could actually grab the All Might, and then actually hold on to him enough to strangle him was preposterous.

Except it had happened.

And they had watched All Might struggle against the villain. They had all seen how the Number One Hero, a man who could single handedly hold up whole buildings, struggle to break the villain's grip.

It was only the interference of Best Jeanist that had allowed All Might to break the villain's grip and Jeanist had paid for his interference. The aftermath of that, the relief they felt when All Might could breathe again was quickly crushed. The villain had been almost causal in the way he'd turned and …

They had no idea if Jeanist was still alive. Given the force of the … Chosa wasn't even sure what the villain had done and didn't even want to take a guess at his quirk. But given the force he'd used, it was hard to see anyone, pro-hero or not, surviving that. She hoped he was alive but right now, she had to focus on All Might.

The Symbol of Peace was once again actively fighting the villain. The two of them seemed to be exchanging blows faster than she could follow. The slow motion vid was going to be insane! The thing she saw the most though was that the villain wasn't backing down.

His physical strength matched All Might's and then his quirk… what was his quirk? She would have said it was strength but… he was throwing around some sort of … it seemed to be an air pressure cannon as well… Or was he somehow using that air pressure to make himself seem stronger?

But then the villain had turned his fingers into spears earlier. No air pressure quirk could do that…

Chosa had no idea and was thankful that working it out wasn't her job.

"Did you see that?" Diuga whispered. As the camerawoman, she wasn't meant to speak but sometimes it was required. And usually viewers were mature enough to know there was a person behind the camera and accept that.

"What?" Chosa asked but then she saw it as well.

Her heart lightened. It appeared as if All Might was driving the villain back. "Finally!" she whispered, knowing that her viewers would hear the relief in her voice. Hopefully they felt it as well.

The two men were still punching at each other but the villain took a step back.

All Might saw it as well and pressed his advantage.

From her vantage point in the chopper she could see that All Might seemed to be getting the upper hand. The feeling of relief was tempered by the fact that the Number One Hero was obviously wounded and the villain appeared to know that. They'd seen it earlier when the villain had jabbed at All Might and blood had poured from his mouth and now…

"Is that steam?" she asked. Steam or something was coming off All Might but he was still driving the villain back. Just as she thought that, the villain did something. Chosa wasn't sure what but he'd driven his hand towards All Might's left side and had ripped something away.

It was just his jumpsuit, Chosa realised, relieved before she saw what was underneath. "Oh my god!" There were no other words for it and she knew her camerawoman saw it as well.

The world was seeing it.

All Might's body was covered in scars. There was one central scar over where his stomach would be and… it was huge. They'd seen All Might spit blood earlier but… She'd assumed that was simply damage from this battle. There was no doubt the villain was strong. But seeing the scarring… That was a previous battle. A serious battle. And…

Chosa swallowed hard. This villain knew about All Might's injuries. He had to since he kept targeting the Hero's left side which meant he was probably responsible for them.

"Win All Might!" She screamed into the mic.

The world couldn't afford anything else.

-ted-

"You are not going to win," All Might declared as he staggered back from the blow.

Beneath his mask All For One smiled before he tutted. The response surprised the Number One Jerk. He made a fist, holding up the fabric he'd ripped from All Might before he threw it away.

"This is no longer about victory," he told the Hero.

If anything the Number One Moron's confusion was heightened.

"Tomura is safe," he said, relishing anguish he could feel from All Might, "and my Little Dragon-" at that he formed a fist. "You will never understand, but I had thought to give him a choice and I fear now-" All For One shook his head. He already knew that… Unless he was very lucky his Little Dragon would make a choice based on today's events.

"My hypocrisy?" All Might questioned. "If you hadn't kidnapped your son, then the boy would be-"

The hero didn't finish but All For One knew what he wanted to say. Izuku would be in some bland high school, doing some bland task… at least in the Number One Ignoramus' head. The truth would be far more bitter.

"My son would be a pawn of the HPSC," he replied. "And I will never allow that," All For One added before he sent another super powered air cannon at the hero. It hit All Might full on but the Hero managed not to be thrown back. All For One heard him spit blood. He could hear a hissing from the hero and readied another blast.

All Might charged, straight into it and while it slowed the hero down, it did not stop him. Internally, All For One sighed. He was beginning to tire but he would hold on long enough to expose All Might. He owed that to Izuku and Tomura.

They met with another flurry of fists and up close All For One could feel heat coming off the Number One Dunce and that drove him to try harder. The man was running out of time.

He shot his fingers towards the hero, making them into little spears. He felt them impact and pierce All Might's skin and tried to de-activate One For All. All For One could feel the quirk in his enemy. He could feel that it was straining but it refused to deactivate.

His connection to All Might was cut when the hero smashed down on his fingers. Regeneration took care of the damage even as he smiled through the pain. He might be tiring but All Might was holding his form by the skin of his teeth. All For One gathered himself and launched an assault.

The hero rallied as well. No doubt he realised he had to gain victory soon but as All For One had said, it was no longer about victory but showing the world the truth of their so-called Pillar. He ignored the heat the Hero was generating, and the punches that slipped through his defenses. He would fall today, but it would also mark the beginning of All Might's fall.

-ted-

All Might had felt the effects of many quirks in his career as a hero. There was something rather disturbing about feeling a quirk wielded by All For One. It felt cold, and he could almost feel the hatred the man had for him through the quirk.

His shoulder was pierced by the villain's fingers, and he could feel the man searching for something but didn't know what. It made him feel slimy and he was happy when he broke the connection. All For One did not appear to be strained from the damage but the bastard never appeared strained. Even so… Yagi could tell that the man was slowing down. The power in his blasts was less.

But he was having trouble as well. He could feel One For All receding. His time was more than up. Except he couldn't allow that now. After All For One was defeated, then he could admit his time was up and he told his quirk that. Hopefully it would know.

He could feel steam coming off his body but he ignored that as he kept punching. All For One was going down. Even if it cost him everything, the man had to be defeated today. He could feel punches were getting through but All For One was ignoring that. The man was intent on inflicting his own damage. It was as if he knew how close he was to being out of time. He already knew that All For One knew about his time limit but he couldn't know the exact amount… could he?

-ted-

Chosa watched as the two men exchanged blows. There was a savagery to their combat that told her this wasn't a normal hero versus villain fight. There was something personal here for both All Might and the Villain. No one took that much damage if they could avoid it but people would take that damage if they thought it was worth it.

She had no idea what their history was but knew it was there.

The force of the blows was incredible. Behind the two men, debris was flying, yet neither were backing off. She could tell that All Might was panting. The villain didn't appear distressed but with the mask covering his face, it was impossible to tell. Steam was coming off All Might. It had been coming off him for a while and she couldn't remember any other time when the Number One Hero had been seen like that. She had no idea what it meant. There wasn't anything coming off the villain.

The decisive blow came without warning. It took a moment to realise it was the decisive blow.

The villain hit just a trifle too hard, and All Might took advantage of that. The Hero managed to land a blow on the villain that had him stumbling back. All Might followed up quickly, landing a blow to the villain's armored head. The man's head snapped to the side, and he took several more steps back. The Number One Hero followed, landing another blow.

Chosa knew lesser men would have been dead from the force of the blow. The villain instead lashed out wildly, sweeping one arm from right to left. It caught All Might on his enormous scar and he stumbled, but it was not enough to deter him. Instead, he made a quick feint, jabbing at the villain's stomach. The man doubled over slightly, which gave All Might the time to raise his arms above his head, to form a double fist, which he then drove down on to the back of the villain's head.

The villain was driven to the ground and Chosa felt her heart in her mouth as she watched. All Might was still standing but his hands were still clenched together. He was almost covered in steam. The villain was down and… this time it seemed as if he was going to remain down.

She waited, holding her breath and Chosa knew everyone else watching was holding their breath.

Then All Might collapsed. Well, not exactly collapsed but blood spewed from his mouth and his form wavered before he vanished in another puff of steam. When it cleared, All Might was gone. Instead there was a thin man, on his hands and knees over the villain, spitting blood.

Who was that?

Except… there was only one person it could be. All Might.

His form was emaciated and he was obviously sick. All Might's costume hung off him and actually flapped in the wind. His blond hair was slick with sweat and between spitting blood, they could see him heaving each breath in. His attention was fixed on the villain but thankfully the man didn't move.

All Might rocked back on to his heels and they could see how much it cost him before he lifted his head and looked up at them. He opened his mouth.

"Are we going to get this?" Chosa demanded of her cameralady Diuga.

"Yes," she hissed back, changing the settings on the camera.

All Might broke into a smile. With his emaciated face smeared with blood, it was more of a rictus but right at the moment that wasn't important. They waited for him to speak.

"He's gone!"

-ted-

Dun, dun, duuuuuuunnnnnnn!

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-ted-

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