The ONE True Hero

by J Vision Lil

What if Inko believed in Izuku so he trained and dedicated himself to being a hero? What if he broke his limiter and was rejected from the hero course for being quirkless? This is a story of how Izuku Midoriya became a vigilante greater than any hero. The quirkless Deku who became the One True Hero. OPM deku, martial arts deku, Izumomo, confident deku, smart deku, vigilante deku.

37. Chapter 37

Chapter 37! Here we go, here we go, here we go! Glad I could get this chapter out as I'm sure you guys are ready for it, a fair amount of stuff happens in this chapter. I decided to skip Izuku's school festival and just focus on U.A's because I didn't think you guys would care about that, and I really just wanted to get to the next chapter. The Pro Hero arc has been on my mind for weeks and I've been internally going back and forth on what to do, so real excited to write that. Genos finally comes back in this chapter, another person learns ONE's secret and ONE's words reach and destroy people in this chapter. Enjoy!

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Chapter 37 Words Of Change

Tartarus Prison

ONE touches down at the prison's front gate, the guards were made aware of his arrival beforehand so they quickly let him in. He made small talk with some of the guards as he made his way through the gate. Several guards greeted him as he went on, several he met after the prison break. There had been a rumor going around amongst the guards since yesterday that there would be something done about their most dangerous prisoner soon, but no one knew what it was. As ONE entered the plaza he saw that the facility looked as good as new with not a single trace of the attack remaining. Last time he was here he never got the chance to look around, taking the time now he saw how truly impressive the facility was, it was reminiscent of I-Island. Though there were levels that went under the sea, the surface looked like a small city. Several sections and areas that really hammered home not only the size, but importance of the facility. This place was more than just a prison, it was a syobol of inescapable justice and it was clear to see why.

ONE walked with his escort, he was Shinji Shishikura, a gaurd he met before. "How has life been treating you, Shishikura? Is your family doing well?"

"It's been fairly all work and not much play actually. Even more so given everything that happened. My son actually failed his provisional exam. He could have passed easily but he just HAD to show off and boast about his sense of justice."

"He sounds passionate." ONE said casually.

"He is.. A bit TOO much. I told him to save that once he's licensed but it seems Shiketsu needs to better train him." He paused for a moment in thought, "By the way, I hear you made an appearance there? He mentioned seeing you."

"I just happened to be flying over. Good thing I was too because I saved someone from possibly dying during the exam."

"Well that's a relief." The man casually responded as they continued to walk.

ONE looked around as they walked, "The facility sure is looking better compared to last time I was here." ONE thought aloud.

"Of course it does. This facility is justice incarnate in my opinion. Those villains left an impression on not just the facility, but the guards. We had to repair the place for more than just appearences. Still, you have my thanks, ONE."

"We've been over this Shishikura, there's no need for thanks. I only regret that I couldn't save all the guards." He said, humbly.

The man kept his stoic expression, though his eyes spoke volumes as he let out a sigh, "They were good men, several friends of mine. Those animals got off too easy in my opinion, we should have executed every prisoner who broke out of their cells." ONE kept quiet, though his words disturbed him slightly, they were completely understandable. Shishikura was in charge of surveillance at the prison, he spent most of his days monitoring the inmates as well as their vitles, none of them so much as breathed or relieved themselves without him knowing. Though since the Kamino incident his biggest responsibility has been to keep an eye on All For One, who surprisingly has been acting like a model prisoner. Monitoring him has been fairly boring, though he has his tendencies of trying to engage with the guards. Thankfully no one has taken his bait, under the stricts of orders. "ONE?" The man suddenly spoke up.

"Yes."

"There's a rumor going around. Is our special inmate in need of an injection?" He asked with a slightly concerning look.

"Something like that." ONE answered. The man seemed content with this answer and they continued to their destination.

ONE had the quirk destroying bullets in his pocket, the plan is to probe All For One for info before using one on him. He's thought of the effect this could have on him, with two outcomes, one of which being death. That being the case and since inmates are people too, he had to go through the proper channels with the justice department. He met with the warden the other day and upon hearing his plan they made the necessary arrangements. It took a while but this was approved, in the case this leads to All For One's death, it'll fall under capital punishment by leathal injection. ONE and Shishikura arrived at a waiting area, they were expecting more people who wanted to bear witness to this, namely All Might and ONE was sure he'd bring Lemillion and maybe Gran Torino with him.

The two made small talk as they waited for the others to arrive, and after more than ten minutes All Might along with Mirio, Nighteye and Gran Torino walked into the waiting area. The two latter of the four were in the hero costumes while the former two were in civilian wear. The hero stood and approached the group, "Good to see everyone could make it." He said with a welcoming smile.

"Good to see you kid, I hear you've been pretty busy." Gran Torino said.

"Just living the hero's life, Gran Torino. How have you all been?"

"I've been fine, retirements officially sunken in." All Might replied.

"You say that like it's a bad thing, All Might. Now you have more time to indulge in your hobbies. Though I wasn't expecting you to make ice cream." Lemillion said playfully.

ONE chuckled a bit at this, "Yeah, I heard you were doing that, coming out with your own brand of ice cream. Do you need investors?!" ONE asked excitedly.

A slightly embarrassed smile spread across All Mights skeleton face, "I wouldn't mind that actually. That's how you know I'm bored, I went from fighting crime across the country and sometimes the world, to making ice cream."

How'd that come about anyway? I still remember the Five Creams Of Smash from back in the day."

Mirio's face lit up, "Oh I remember those too! I freaking loved Missouri Minty Chip!"

ONE's eyes widened behind his cowl, "Seriously, that flavor was almost an insult to ice cream. Carolina Cookies And Cream was the true king of the series."

"Nebraska Vanilla was my personal favorite." All Might said.

"Sucks that they only sold them for like three years. After ice cream shops stopped selling them you could only get them at supermarkets, and once they were gone they were gone." ONE Spoke.

"I was actually a little bummed about that." Mirio stated.

"We all were." ONE added.

"Well I'll have a new shop ready in about five months, so if you want your welcome to enjoy the nostalgia of old flavors as well as new ones." All Might said to the young men, uplifting them a bit.

"So what brought this on?"

"I was bored one night and had the thought of making ice cream from scratch, so I looked up a recipe for vanilla and it came out better than I thought. Melissa even tried it and thought it was good, since I've got loads of free time I figured why not pursue a new business venture and see where it goes."

"And what's this new brand of ice cream going to be called?" ONE asked.

The man smiled brightly, "Mighty's."

"Count me in, let's tackle the ice cream industry together."

"How much are you looking to invest?" All Might asked.

"Is 10 million yen a good place to start?"

"That'll work." All Might replied as the two shook hands, both looking forward to a new partnership.

Nighteye, who had remained quiet this entire time, was getting a little irritated with this lackuster attitude. This was in all honesty a serious, impactful moment and no one was treating it as such. It felt as if he were the only one who remembered why they were here. "Can we please get back on topic." He said, breaking the pleasant mood.

"Don't worry Nighteye, no one has forgotten why we're here." ONE said, meeting the man's eyes, unflinching.

The mood had become more serious thanks to Nighteye, not that it was a good thing, "So kid, how confident are you in those bullets of yours?" Gran Torino asked.

"Very confident. They work instantly, but I'm gonna need some information before using one."

Is it about the League?" The elder hero asked.

"Good guess. I've put them on the back burner for too long, and the incident in Kashik the other day made me realize that."

All Might's expression was solemn. "I'm interested to see how this turns out. One way or another it's the end of All For One today."

Gran Torino kept his usual expression, though thoughts of Shimura ran through his mind, "Well, let's get going."

The group followed Shishikura as they made their way through the prison, they entered a large elevator and made their way down. The mood was calm among the group, each of them mentally preparing for what was about to come. The elevator stopped, revealing a wide, darkly lit hallway, this was the lowest level of the prison, where the absolute worst criminals are held. At the moment this area only held one prisoner, with the security being tighter in this section from a technical standpoint. The technology in this area was in a different league, even when compared to the floors above it. They all exited the elevator and they made their way down the hall, they passed a few guards as they made their way through. Sir Nighteye, Gran Torino and Mirio looked around, all seemingly impressed with the area as well as the security. "This part of the prison looks completely different compared to everywhere else." Mirio commented.

"This is the deepest, darkest level of the prison. Like the Greek myth for which it was named, this is where the worst of villains are forced to endure their punishment for their crimes. This level in particular is what would truly be described as constant torment." Shishikura explained

"But it's still too lenient for him?" ONE joked.

"Unfortunatly, the law sees these animals as people too, so we're only allowed to do so much." The man responded

"How has he been since arriving here?" Gran Torino asked.

"Ironically, he's been a model prisoner. He doesn't react or complain about anything, just small gripes here and there. Most of my job these days is monitoring him, and I can say for certain that I've never met a more manipulative man in my life."

"Seems you quickly understood the kind of man you were dealing with." All Might said.

"I really did. That's why it was quickly made forbidden from engaging with him. All interactions are kept at an absolute minimum."

"That's good. Trust me when I say he can easily get in your head." All Might stated.

"He must be pretty lonely for such a model prisoner." ONE joked.

Shishikura pondered for a moment before turning to ONE who was walking behind him to his right. "I wasn't going to mention it, but I feel I'd be remiced not not to mention it."

Nighteye's narrowed, "What exactly happened?"

"He mentioned something about hearing voices the other day. At the time I figured he was talking to himself, but his vitals showed he was quite pleased by whatever he was experiencing. It was the first time his smile genuinely disturbed me."

Everyone was silent as they processed the information, Nighteye turned to Mirio who had a look of unease. All Might shot a glance at his sucessor with ONE doing the same, having sensed the young man's shift in emotions. This was related to One For All, whatever it was. They arrived at a large door at the end of the hall, guarded by two men, one of them typed a security code into a type pad and the door opened. Walking in they entered a large room with other guards inside. There was a window revealing a large white, brightly lit room that was halved by a barrier with a glass window and two chairs on the opposite side. All For One was wearing a white prison jumpsuit that fitted the room, strapped to a metal chair with life support equipment attached to it. His mouth was covered by a ventilator and he seemed calm even as his vitals were monitored and machine gun turrets hung from the ceiling.

"So that's All For One." Mirio thought aloud, this being his first time seeing the villain.

"Yep, that's him alright." ONE stated.

"You mentioned he's been a model prisoner, but he seems calmer than I expected." Nighteye said calmly.

That's his typical arua on any given day, almost as if he knows something we don't." Shishikura replied.

All Might watched his sworn enemy through the glass, "That sounds like him."

Gran Torino stood next to him, seeing him imprisoned like this gave him a sense of relief, for a long time he was afraid he'd never see this day. More thoughts of Shimura ran through his mind, a mix of joy and sorrow on his face at seeing the villain, his only wish is that she were here to see this. ONE went to the right side of the room, ready to enter, "Alright, let's do this." He said confidently as the door opened.

"What do you intend on saying?" Nighteye asked.

"I just need to probe him for intel."

"Do what you have to do, ONE, but we've been keeping him in the dark about what's happening outside."

"Noted, plus I already figured that was the case." The hero replied before exiting the room, a moment later the door to All For One's cell opened and the hero entered. "Well, well, well, I wasn't expecting so many visitors today, how are you, ONE?"

"Just fine, All For One, just fine. How have you been living in your… creepily sterile accommodations?"

The villain moved slightly in his restraints, "As well as you'd expect. I've told you before that this place is stifling, at least it's clean."

"Ironic considering the scum that fill the cells here."

"That's a true statement… But I take it this isn't a social visit, why have you come to see little ol me?"

"Is it so hard to believe I've simply come to visit my favorite reprobate in his prison cell?"

"Yes, it is extremely hard to believe, for you anyway. I figured you'd be too busy basking in what celebrity status you've garnered recently to care about visiting an inmate. All Might is most likely here just to see me rot." The hero in question narrowed his eyes at that statement as he watched them, knowing it wasn't entirely wrong.

"Well that shows how little you know about me. I'm sure have garnered some celebrity status but I don't bask in it really. If I'm being honest I tend to ignore it most of the time."

All For One smiled, "Hm, I doubt All Might can relate."

"Probably not, but let's get down to business, since this clearly isn't a social visit." A sterness entered his words. "What's the story behind the League Of Villains, specificially Shigaraki?"

A big smile spread across One For All's lips, "So, you're finally asking about that. Before I give any sort of answer, answer me this. Why the sudden interest in Tomura's group? You seem much more interested in them than before."

"I've always been interested in them, I just never really took them seriously. Mainly because I just chalked them up as a bunch of idiots rebelling against the world."

"Something must have happened. Because it's clear your interest in them was mainly spurred on by you using them to get to me. But that's no longer a reason to hound them. So tell me, what did Tomura do?"

ONE shot a glance at the one-way window to his left, he could sense everyone on the otherside looking at him, Shishikura's words about limiting information still fresh in his mind. "He's been making moves. But if you want specifics, Toga and Twice used me in their plan to kill this guy I intended to put away. But they attacked the transport and escaped before I could stop them."

"Hm, he must have done something to anger Tomura, he's never been able to control those tendencies of his. His instincts compell him to destroy whatever he wants to."

"Instincts? You mean a form of quirk psychology?"

"It's shameful how that study is still in its infancy, despite over a hundred years of quirk evolution."

"That being said, the League has been making moves. You mentioned before that Shigaraki was the grandson of All Might's master. I'm sure that fills you with a joyous sense of irony."

"It truly does. The irony is truly delicious, that woman abandoned her child to protect him from me, but those actions created a man who'd abuse his child for wanting to be a hero, like every other child." His smile shined brightly, disgusting All Might and Gran Torino as it was a clear mockery of Shimura.

"So Shigaraki was an abused child?"

"It all could have been avoided, he never did anything to deserve it actually."

"Well you're definitely not the savior type, so what happened that brought him to you?"

"There was an… Accident."

"Your tone tells me this story is about to take a tragic turn." ONE said in a confident yet uneasy tone.

"You'd be correct." All For One turned his head towards the window, certain All Might and Gran Torino were watching and listening. He saw no need to lie about anything, as their actions led to what had happened, and there was nothing they could do to prevent what was to come.

"What did you do? And don't lie."

"All I did was be a responsible adult and help a child get home."

ONE narrowed his eyes behind his cowl at the phrasing of that response. "What happened to Shigaraki's family? Is that even his real name? Back when I was investigating the identities of the League, I couldn't find info on anyone with the family name Shigaraki."

There was a pause in their conversation, "Tenko Shimura." He said, breaking the silence.

"Tenko Shimura, huh?"

"That's right." All For One said, still smiling.

"Not that I'm not grateful, but you're being very forthcoming with this information. Are you in a sharing mood or something?"

"I consider this a little give and take."

"And what do you want in exchange for this well of information?"

"I merely ask that you inform me on what Tomura has been up to. You've given me enough adequate information for me to predict his next course of action so I see no harm in telling you the honest truth."

How kind of you." ONE snarkily responded, clearly not fully trusting those words. He leand back in his chair, "So, Tomura Shigaraki is actually Tenko Shimura. What's the story there?"

"Tenko Shimura, was an average, non assuming kid like any other, who loved to play hero with his friends. As you can imagine, growing up with a father who despised any and everything hero, doesn't make for the best nurturing environment. He was thrown out of the house, left out in the elements everytime he was caught playing hero. If I had to guess, this was his father's way of breaking him of such things, as to that point he hadn't manifested a quirk."

These words made ONE think of Shigaraki's quirk, "His quirk lets him decay whatever his five fingers touch."

"Excatly… One night, his quirk manifested. That same day his father had hit him for discovering he was related to a hero. The boy was so proud~. His sister had shown him a photo of his father with Nana Shimura. He felt on top of the world, and then his father came and crushed him. Stating how Nana Shimura was a monster who abandoned her child, that all heroes hurt their families just to help strangers." All Might grit his teeth as he began to seeth with anger the more he listened to him, while Gran Torino gripped his cane so hard the handle began to crack, his eyes full of hatred as he listened to the villain's words.

"Little Tenko's quirk manifested for the first time, instantly decaying his dog. Then his sister. The sounds brought the adults outside, even upon witnessing the horror, his mother still reached out to him. Motherly love was the last thing she tried to give him before he grabbed her for comfort, decaying her in the process. His grandparents died next, and lastly his father came outside to a scene of death and destruction. Instead of trying to consoul his distraught child, his first instinct was to hit him, fearful of his power. In that moment Tenko fully gave into his destructive impulses for the first time, and grabbed his father's face, decaying him and bringing down the house… With no home to return to, he walked the streets, looking for some sort of aid, but every person passed him by, assuming a hero would help him… But none ever came. Under a bridge, filthy, dirty and alone, I found him, and extended my hand. I took him in, and Tenko Shimura became Tomura Shigaraki."

ONE was quiet as the villain spoke, not interrupting and allowing him to speak freelly. He had been analyzing every word that came off the villain's lips, and the more he inwardly dissected and understood, the more he was angered. "Tomura… That name has the kanji for to mourn, or funeral. I take it the new identity you gave him was for him to embrace the suffering he would cause. That makes sense, as disturbing as it sounds. But where'd Shigaraki come from? That wouldn't be your family name by any chance would it?"

"It is actually. I named Tomura aptly, given how destruction will essentially be his way of life."

"So you took in a kid, who was descended from someone you hated, and basically raised them to be the worst version of themselves. I know you don't care, but that's some really~ twisted shit!"

"Perhaps. But given everything that had already happened it was the most practical choice. And another thing, I didn't hate Nana Shimura. Extremly annoyed with her, yes, but hated her, no."

All Might slammed his first agant the glass, "Don't you dare try and say that now! That filthy smile on your face is all we need to know about how you felt about my master!"

"Calm down, Toshinori." Gran Torino said calmly, though he was on the verge of breaking through the glass and whaling on the restrained villain.

Both ONE and All For One turned to the window, ONE could just hear them while All For One didn't hear them at all. "I know about Shigaraki now, and I know about most of the League, but what about Dabi? I still don't have any info on him."

"I take it he's also been making moves of his own?"

Burnt corpses have been popping up all over the past few weeks, it seems he's made that his calling card.

"It makes sense I suppose. But his story isn't in my place to tell, you should ask Endeavor about that."

"What does Endeavor have to do with Dabi?"

"Everything. So much so he's the reason he exists in the first place. I won't go into details, as I'm sure you'll discover what I mean soon."

"Cryptic.. Going back to Shigaraki for a moment, you said something interesting. The way you spoke about his past implies you were watching him and his family for a while. Coincidentally, you come across this abused, seemingly quirkless kid who also happens to be the grandson of one of your enemies. That doesn't sound too coincidental to me." His words were serious while All For One's smile never faltered. "You gave Shigaraki his quirk, didn't you? You had already been watching him and his family so you planted a seed and watched it grow."

There was silence as the question was registered by all who heard it. "Now ONE, what reason would I possibly have to do that?" He asked, charismatically.

"It would appeal to your twisted sense of irony. Shimura gave up her kid to protect him from you, you see the man he's become because of that, and take advantage of a boy in that toxic enviorment. You give him a quirk that would compel him to be violent, creating this pot that would boil over and when it did you'd be right there as a savior. Not to help him get over his trauma and become a functioning member of society, but a violent man-child with simple views of the world."

All For One went quiet for a moment, "Very impressive, ONE. Perhaps I should start calling you "Detective". You're far more perceptive than I gave you credit for."

"Don't patronize me. Every word coming off your lips was specifically worded. You wanted me to know that little detail because I can't do anything about what's happened, and now All Might and Gran Torino also know about this. Everything that's wrong with Shigaraki is by your design. What I still can't figure out is, why? Shigaraki may have the potential for destructive power but he's an idiot, you made sure of that. Someone as meticulous as you wouldn't put all your eggs in that kind of basket. So that tells me there had to be more kids out there you were grooming to be your successor, so where are they?"

All For One continued to smile, though he was hit by ONE's question. He's diving extremely deep into his business. In all honesty he was forced to place all his bets on Tomura, largely because his other options were killed in a fire, ironically by one of his options. It turned out to be a blessing in disguise, as Tomura had more hatred than all of them and all he had to do was nurture that. "There were such subjects… Once."

ONE sighed, lowering his head, "I see… And how did they die?"

"Not well… Fire, caused by the boy who would become Dabi actually. That was about eleven years ago now, so much potential literally burned to the ground."

"Who exactly IS Dabi?" ONE asked, the mystery of the patch work villain gripping him.

"The irony is so delicious. Ask Endeavor. I saved that boy on a whim, I honestly didn't expect him to last a month, but hatred is a strong motivator. It's also a double edged sword. But I digress, I'm content with how things turned out."

What exactly is Shigaraki planning? The League of Villains don't really seem to have a game plan, so a lot of their attacks just come across as random. Is there a greater goal here?"

"Couldn't say. Tomura is essentially a tiger cub forced to be without its mother, and will grow into his own. I have no doubt he has a goal, he's most likely still in the process of going about and achieving it."

"And what would that goal be?" ONE asked, narrowing his eyes behind his cowl.

"Destruction. It's as simple as that. Tomura, from the day I met has been compelled to destroy, fueled by a hatred of All Might, more specifically, his smile. That's what he hates most of all. In a sense, he wants society to have a sense of realism. People smile happily because of All Might, even though someone, somewhere could be being murdered at that same moment. His hatred starts and ends with All Might. The society he built seems perfect, but it's far from that. I'm sure you know all about that?"

"I do. I wanted to be a hero despite being quirkless in this quirk filled society. I've said it before, All Might failed in many aspects as the symbol of peace, but everything isn't his fault. I don't care how Shigaraki justifies his actions, I won't let him get away with all the pain he's caused."

As I expected, a typical generic response from a hero."

"Call it what you will, but I stand on those words. While we're on the subject of me not letting people get away with not causing pain, what exactly are you planning?"

"Nothing at all." All For One answered casually.

ONE crossed his arms, "I hear you've been a model prisoner, seems you took my advice the last time I was here. Though you do have a habit of thinking outloud, what was that about anyway? I heard you were being weird the other day."

His smile shined, "Oh that… It was just… Nostalgia. I heard my little brother's voice for the first time in a long time, and it was pleasant."

"This must be the shared connection between All For One and One For All." ONE thought as he considered how to proceed. "So, are you still on your demon lord shtick?"

"As I told you before, I don't know what Tomura is planning, but I can safely bied my time until he makes his move. Even if it is in the stiefling conditions." He looked around the sterile cell, "This is no way to live, ONE, truly."

"Well I suggest you get used to it. I appreciate the info, but it's time I get down to the real reason why I came here." He stood up.

"And what reason is that?" All For One answered, slightly concerned.

"Oh, killing you." ONE stated bluntly.

"Excuse me?" He said, clearly surprised.

ONE phased through the glass barrier separating them, "Don't think about it too much. All you need to know is that you were right." He quickly pulled out the quirk destroying bullet in his pocket, "Villain groups have been pinning for power given the vacuum you left. One of which attempted to mass produce these, naturally I stopped that." He ended this statement by flicking the bullet into the left side of All For One's neck. All For One's breath caught in his throat as he felt a strange sensation, time slowed as he felt something inside him fade away. It was if all of his quirks simply disappeared, like his very essence had been destroyed.

The bullet took immediate effect. All For One's body wrinkled to a decrepit state, becoming a sagging potato head. The vital readers began to ring from the sudden dive in his health. His breathing became raggy and heart rate increased. He couldn't breathe properly, couldn't feel anyone around him and could barely hear anything. He felt incredibly weak, barely able to put any strength into resisting his restraints. ONE could sense the varying emotions within the villain, the strongest of which were horror and fear. Fear of the realization that he was now a weak, quirkless, decrepit, old man. "Hm, you're still alive, albeit barely. I'm actually relieved about that. You don't deserve death's swift release, and you're in the perfect place to keep you alive and allow you to suffer in equal measure until you meet your sad end.

"What.. What did you do to me?" He weakly asked, slowly registering the new state he was in.

"Short answer, I destroyed your quirk… Completely. Now this is some delicious irony, and you can't convince me you saw this coming." ONE had a cheeky grin and a snarky tone as he basked in All For One's anguish. "It must feel strange to be on the receiving end of that for once, but I'm sure you've done much to deserve it. I had to go through a whole process to get this approved, I was expecting you to shrivle up and die, now you're shivled up, powerless and barely breathing. Befitting of a man in his hundreds. I'm content with this, it means you're not going anywhere, and will rot in this hell hole like you rightfully deserve."

ONE turned to leave the cell, "I have to handle Shigaraki, continue to be a model prisoner and don't give the guards any lip. Also, I'll be paying the doctor a visit in due time." He turned to leave the cell.

All For One was grasping with the fact he no longer had a quirk, his entire body felt weak. His worst nightmare began to slowly dawn on him, and that was that he was a normal person. His breathing and heart rate were becaming rapid. He was close to hyperventilating, his chest started to ache, the stress on the verge of triggering a panic attack, "Wait." He called to ONE in the darkness, the hero continued to leave the room, "Wait! I have more questions, what the hell did you do to me?! Why did you do this, wait!" He bellowed pitifully as ONE put a hand to the exit door.

The hero turned to face him, he could sense the surging emotions within him, and it slightly tickled a sadistic side he didn't know he had. "You don't need to know the details, all you need to know is that as of this moment, All For One is dead. Like many others you've built your personality and defined yourself based on what your quirk can do. Now you're just a quirkless old man, far past his expiration date. Without that you now HAVE and ARE nothing. That chair is where you'll remain for the rest of your days. All For One has done enough damage, and It's time both you and it were gone from the world forever."

All For One seethed with anger, "You repugnant child! Give me back my quirk! How dare you, how dare you take my quirk from me!" His voice echoed throught the cell. "You genetic failure! You're just an insignificant creature left behind by evolution! You shouldn't even exist in this world! Do you have any idea what you've do-" He began to cough uncontrollably.

ONE smiled at him one last time, "Don't push yourself too hard, Shigaraki, you're no spring chicken anymore. At your age, your health is your greatest gift." He joked before turning away. ONE heard a few weak squeals from the villain before he left the room. He met back up with the others, Gran Torino and All Might visibly conflicted with what they just saw. "All For One is dead now."

Gran Tornino supported himself with his cane, "I see that." He glanced back at All For One through the window, "I never thought I'd see this day. He's finally, truly beaten."

"I can hardly believe it myself." All Might added.

ONE looked at Shishikura who was monitoring the villain's vitals, he pressed a button on a panel, he had activated the sedatives to knock out All For One as his heart rate was rising too quickly. Everyone watched as the drugs knocked him out and his body went limp. ONE made his way to the exit, "ONE, where are you going now?" Nighteye asked.

The hero turned to him with a smile, "Isn't it obvious? I'm off to go to the people who need my help. If you want to rub salt in his wounds feel free to do so, I'm sure he's put you through enough to deserve it. But I've gotten what I've needed, done what I came to do, and there are things I still need to do." He exited the room, leaving the remaining heroes and guards with his words.

Kid, just so you know, I've got an opperation planned soon. The police have tracked Kurogiri, if you want, you're welcome to join." Gran Torino said.

"I'll get with you tomorrow." ONE said as All Might and Gran Torino eyed an unconscious, decrepit, All For One. ONE lowered his head, "I guess they need to get closure in their own way." He thought before leaving.

All For One was stared down by All Might and Gran Torino, "Wow, I can't believe I've lived to see this day." The elder hero stated.

"I never thought I'd see you look so pathetic, All For One."

Sir Nighteye and Mirio stood with the other two heroes, both empitizing with how they must be feeling to see their greatest foil, truly beaten and in such a sorry state. Though he knew this was the end goal, he was still disappointed how they got here. All For One was dead and defeated, and it had nothing to do with One For All. The power passed down for generations that now resides within Mirio, no longer has a purpose. The reason for its creation had been fulfilled, and now it had to find a new purpose. He looked at Mirio, who had a calm expression. Though things didn't go the way he hoped, he was still confident he could help this young man become a proper successor to All Might. He closed his eyes, thoughts on ONE ran through his mind.

The illegal hero, turned independent hero, who's saved millions of people, Japan and even the world. He was a hero in every sense of the word, but he wasn't like All Might, and that wasn't entirely a bad thing. But the shift in society that has been spinning since he came on the scene, there's been a mix of smiles. All Might's reign had the people smiling happily, free of worries. But ONE's rise is forcing people to acknowledge things in society that no one wants to, and more than anything people will see that All Might failed in many respects. Even as his sidekick, Sir Nighteye never questioned All Might's actions. With every person he saved, he saw the impact it had, and never saw anything wrong with how he went about it. The smile All Might carries, the smile he learned from his master, has saved so many people. But it also alienated people.

He was a hero, and has fought constantly for the sake of peace and justice. He knew he could never be like All Might, even Mirio could never be All Might, but he could stand by the same principles. Which is what he's tried to do and instill in Mirio, even if he can't do things in the same way All Might could. But as he looked at All For One, old, weak and defeated, he knew that ONE had "Something". He couldn't describe what it was, but he had a thing about him that was the reason for all of this. Though he may resent him, that doesn't change the fact he'd rather have ONE on their side than not have him at all.

---

Saturday

Izuku and Taku were in the lab, they were doing a thorough investigation into Dr Ujiko. They reviewed the footage Genos had gotten the night of the Kamino fight, right now it was the only thing confirming Ujiko was working with All For One. If they didn't have that they'd never know there was a connection between them. Since they first learned this they'd both spent time investigating more into their relationship, but they weren't finding anything outside of the positives about the doctor, not one complaint of unethical practices.

"Damn this is annoying!" Taku groaned.

"I'm right there with you, it shouldn't be possible for anyone with a history this long to be this sqeaky clean." Izuku paused for a moment, "How's that shadow request coming along?"

"That's the weird part, for someone so associated with Jaku General he's hardly there. We have to catch him at the hospital in order to shadow him and look around." Taku paused, "I've had a theory for a while now, do you think that bastard might be in some kind of sub-lab under the hospital?"

"I've had that theory too, and it does make sense. You'd have to go a long way to create the Nomu, but more than that, all of that research has to be piled somewhere. This is one of if not the best quirk doctor in the world, I can only imagine the mad science he's been up to all these years, especially since getting into bed with All For One."

"Well All For One, the villain and the quirk are no longer a threat. Ujiko and the league are the last things to deal with then this will be over."

"You're not wrong about that." Izuku collected his thoughts for a moment, "Hey Taku?"

"Yeah."

"It's just a hunch, but I think we're looking for the wrong person."

The greynette raised a brow at these words, "You mean Ujiko may be a frontman or something."

"No no, not that. Though that is a possibility I never considered… I mean that Daruma Ujiko might not be his real name."

Taku looked at the research on the screen in front of him, "I never considered that… Let's do a deep dive into Japan's history of quirk study. Maybe a name or photo will pop up of some disgraced scientist. No one changes their name without there being a secret they want to stay that way."

"It's still saturday so let's put a pin in this for now. Izuku said casually.

"Alright. You're going to U.A's school festival right?"

Yeah and I'm taking Eri with me. They're only letting in a few people outside of students and family for security reasons, they're understandably tight this time around."

"Sounds like a headache."

"It's to see Momo and her friends perform, so it's worth it."

Well since you've got time, wanna help me with Genos 2.0?"

"I get the feeling I may deeply regret this, but sure."

"Meh, a little bit of psychic scarring at the worst." He turned to the elevator and saw his grandpa step out with Melissa, "Hey Melissa, What's up."

"I didn't know you were coming over." Izuku added.

"She actually wanted my opinion on a few things, so I figured I'd provide her with my expertise." Chuntaro looked at his grandson, "Takumi, that look in your eyes, is everything finally ready?"

"I should be finished in twenty four hours."

"Well be sure to get your rest. Midoriya, please watch him."

"I've already done this once, Grandpa!"

"And this time I won't cover for you?"

"You used to be my biggest enabler, what happened?" He said jokingly.

"You grew pubes." The old man replied, unfilerted.

"Ha!" Taku exclaimed.

Izuku and Melissa merely smiled sheepishly at the Fujiwara's back and forth. "These two are definitely related." They both thought in unison.

The three teens walked to another part of the lab, they talked amongst themselves about their day and what they've been up to. Melissa has been very busy in the support department, with there being a little rivalry between her and Hatsume. They arrived at the workstation, where they found machinery over a lit up operating table with a sheet covering what could be presumed body. "Takumi, what exactly is this?" Melissa asked nervously.

Taku shot a glance at Izuku, giving him a silent message that said "Once I show this to her, she'll figure out everything else." Izuku gave him a nod, ready to explain everything to Melissa once this was out. Taku pulled the sheet off the body and revealed a naked clone of himself with short blonde hair, laying on its stomach with blue lines on his back. The lines outlined where Taku needed to insert his cybernetics. "The Demon Cyborg." He answered cooley.

Melissa was in utter shock, "Demon Cyborg?"

"It's just Taku being a threat to both the dead and the living." Izuku playfully joked.

Taku grabbed a surgical scrub hanging on a rack along with some gloves, "Suck it Midoriya. It's my meat suit and I can do whatever I want." He hit a button and the new modifications for Genos came out of a container that suddenly came out of the ground. "This is gonna be fun." Taku said, eying the cybernetics.

Melissa walked around the operating table and saw that the person looked just like Takumi, with different hair. "Is this a clone?"

"Yes, yes it is." Taku replied casually. "Don't worry I just need the body, the bones and organs mean very little."

"Your casual tone about these things is concerning." Melissa griped.

"It's just one of those things, Melissa." Izuku said as he threw on his own pair of scrubs and gloves.

"Wait, is this about that cyborg avatar you mentioned before? You know, the one who helped ONE." Melissa then caught what she said, just now, remembering a conversation she had with Taku a few weeks ago. She turned to Izuku as the thoughts of ONE being quirkless hit her.

"That's right Melissa, I need my sidekick back in fighting shape and better than before." Izuku answered. By the way, how long did it take for this to grow anyway?"

"About a month. The cloning process basically took care of itself, the unpgrades were the only real hard part. I'm also thinking of installing a swap mechanism, similar to your smartwatch, with a button I can alternate between my body and Genos."

"Sounds convenient. Izuku said.

"You would know, right." Taku replied slyly.

"Whoa whoa whoa, wait! Midoriya, your sidekick? Are you-?"

Izuku gave her a charming smile, "ONE, yes I am." He answered before she could finish.

Melissa was shocked, but after a moment she realized she shouldn't be. She saw his raw abilities back on I-Island, coupled with the fact he was quirkless made her very interested in him. She then thought of her interactions with ONE, he was so kind, and when she learned he was quirkless like her, she felt closer to him in a way, much like how she felt when she first met Izuku. Izuku could see her confusion and mental strife so he decided to get into costume. Her eyes and mouth widened once the green glow dissipated, revealing ONE in his beta suit. "Hello Melissa." He said in his hero voice that took her completely by surprise, it was completely different from the voice of the greenette she was accustomed to.

The blonde approached the green clad hero, "Midoriya?"

"At your service?" He replied in his hero voice.

Melissa was amazed, and felt a little slow that she never realized Izuku was ONE, "So this is what you meant. That day on I-Island when you said we're alike… You're quirkless but you still strove to be a hero, a goal that seemed impossible."

"I couldn't let it go just because everyone else told me to." He turned to Taku setting up the opperation, "And this one has been a huge help. He and his grandfather made both of my suits, now he wants to enter the field and fight beside me. He's already done it three times, which is why I'm not worried."

Her blue eyes met his emerald green through his lenses, "You're more amazing than I thought, Midoriya."

"Thanks, I try."

"Hey, are you going to the school festival?"

"Yeah, class 1A is doing a concert, and I want to show my support."

"Don't be forget to check out the support department, we're doing a whole exhibition of our inventions."

"I'll be sure to check that out." ONE got out of costume.

The sound of a buzz saw rang out, turning to the sound, Izuku and Melissa were slightly disturbed at seeing Taku remote controlling a saw and lowering it down to his unconscious clone. "I want to have these cybornetics installed by tomorrow, so if you two don't mind putting your bonding on hold and helping me, it would be greatly appreciated."

Both Izuku and Melissa heard his words but they were both preoccupied with the saw thaw that was currently cutting into the back of the clone, blood spewed as the saw traced the outline and the operation began. Melissa decided to put on some scrubs and gloves and help, this was still a learning experience, as disturbing as it was.

After helping Taku with Genos 2.0 Izuku and Melissa left the Fujiwara mansion, the two talked amongst themselves as they made their way back to the city. Melissa needed to get back to U.A while Izuku headed home to pick up Eri, they agreed to meet up later at the festival.

---

Izuku was walking with Eri, the two held hands as they made their way to U.A. Izuku was wearing a light blue short sleeve hoodie with black shorts and black and blue basketball shoes. Eri was wearing a yellow short sleeve shirt under a light blue pinafore with black leggings and yellow boots. Today was the day of their school festival and Izuku was excited to see the kind of show they would put on. "Izu-Nii?" Eri called to him.

He turned to the little girl, "Yeah Eri, what's up?"

"Do you know what kind of music Momo and the others are gonna play?"

"That I don't know. One of her classmates wrote the song and I helped her a few days ago. All I can say for a fact is that it's gonna be a whole team effort. I'm positive they'll put on a great show. He answered, turning to look ahead of him, thinking of when he visited U.A earlier this week.

---

Flashback a few days ago

Izuku had gotten a guest pass and had gone to visit Momo. It was nice and good of them to catch up with what the other was doing and what they had going on. They were lying on one of the couchs in the common room, Momo was on her back, resting her head on a pillow while Izuku was on top of her, wrapping his arms around her, his face happily snuggled into her chest. The sports channel was on the TV, and several students were in the common room having their own conversations and relaxing. Ashido walked into the room with Hagakure, they were about to go visit class B with Asui and decided to wait for her. The two sat on the couches across from them, a mix of pleasure and jealousy on both of their faces, "Aww~, look at IzuMomo. You two are as adorable as always." Ashido said with a cute smile.

Izuku opened his left eye to look at her, curiosity in his gaze, "IzuMomo?"

"It's what Ashido has decided to call our relationship. It's a ship, similar to anime couples?" Momo stated.

"How do YOU know that stuff?" Izuku asked, knowing she wasn't super big on anime."

"Since Todoroki told me about it." She answered honestly.

""Didn't know he was into manga and anime, I gotta talk about that with him sometime. Where is Good Ol Freezer Burn anyway?" Izuku asked.

"He said something about going to visit his mom." Hagakure answered.

Izuku snuggled back into Momo's chest, "I'm glad things seem to be going well for him." He thought as he made himself comfortable.

Minetta walked into the room, he was about to grab some fruit from the kitchen when he spotted Yaoyorozu laying on the couch. Taking this as a moment to spot her in a sexy pose, maybe even be able to get clevage peek, he headed over. His eyes widened with a mix of pure shock, anger and jealousy when she saw the position Yaoyorozu was in with Midoriya, He gasped with frustration, "The embrace of a man and woman whose relationship has made it through every base!" He watched with envy how Momo smiled as she lovingly held Izuku's head to her chest. The greenette fully accepted her embrace, this being one of his favorite, most calming places.

"Jealousy is ugly, Minetta." Hagakure stated bluntly.

"I mean I get it, I want a boyfriend." Ashido said casually as she looked towards the ceiling.

"I went through something rough a few days ago, ladies. I needed to be with my girl. And besides" He adjusted himself, "Being laid up with each other like this is some of the most relaxing and comforting moments two people can share together."

"That's very true." Momo agreed, "It's not always about going out, sometimes you just want to relax and hold each other."

"And since I have to go through a process just to visit her now, these moments are bliss." Izuku added, happily resting his head on her chest. He loved these moments, he loved taking in everything about Momo when they embraced like this, her touch, her smell and her love. Plus her boobs were so soft they were the definition of Angel Pillows. "Hey, by the way, isn't your school festival coming up? We're having it at my school and I'm curious about yours."

"Yeah we've got it coming up soon, Midori." Ashido answered cheerfully.

"You guys decide on what you're going to do?"

"We're going to put on a concert." Momo replied.

Izuku raised his head from her chest to face her, "A concert, that sounds like a fun time. Who's idea was that?"

"Todoroki's Ironically." Hagakure replied. "He thought it would be a good idea to entertain the school since everyone's been on edge since moving into the dorms. Plus they kinda blame us, and in a way it IS our fault, so it's not a bad idea."

"Jiro's room is basically a recording studio. She always looks happy when teaching us how to play. So we asked her to help us do this. She almost didn't until Kaminari stepped up." Ashido said.

Izuku smiled slyly, "Oh~, so Jiro's got a soft spot for Kaminari?"

Ashido closed her eyes while casually swatting her hand, "I can't confirm or deny that."

"I've seen Jiro's room, we made some awesome music that one time."

"Ooh, I almost forgot, you can sing can't you Midori~!" Ashido squealed happily."

"My master taught me more than just how to fight. Matter of fact." He met eyes with Momo, "Are you playing anything? If you guys are putting on a concert, I can't see you not playing."

"I'll be playing piano, Izuku. As well as helping with the special effects." She answered with a smile.

"If that's the case now I'm really looking forward to this show. Where's Jiro right now?"

"I think she's in her room." Hagakure answered, "She said she'd take care of writing the song we'd perform."

Izuku had a charming smile, "Well that sounds interesting." He got off of Momo and stood up, he extended a hand to his girlfriend, "Let's see what's up with Miss Earphone Jack."

Momo took his hand, "You want to be a part of the musical process, don't you?"

"You know me so well." The two left the room, heading towards the elevator.

"She's so lucky." Hagakure said, slightly jealous.

"I know right, you can't just find a guy like him." Ashido added, she turned to Minetta who was still seething with jealousy, "Minetta, he's not gonna catch fire if you stare at him hard enough, so relax."

The ball haired boy turned to leave, "Whatever. The festival can't get here soon enough." He said, noting of the harem he'd get during the performance and the seeing the beauty pageant. This would surely quell his rage.

Izuku and Momo headed upstairs to Jiro's room, upon reaching the room Momo knocked on the door, upon receiving the approval to come in the two entered. They found the long earlobed girl sitting at her desk with a notepad in front of her. She had a guitar on her bed, but the look in her eyes was telling, she was having a hard time writing the song and the music."

"Hey Jiro, I heard you were making good music for the school festival." Izuku said chipperly as he entered the room.

The girl sighed slightly, "I'm definitely trying to." She picked up the notepad, "I'm having a bit of trouble putting it all into words."

"What kind of song are you trying to write?" Momo asked.

"I wanted a mix of pop and rock themes, that's the easy part, the hard part is the lyrics." Jiro answered.

"May I see that?" Izuku asked with an outstretched hand.

Jiro blushed, slightly hesitant to give him the note pad, but given the music they made before, she figured she could trust his perspective.

She handed the notepad to him and he took it. Izuku gave the lyrics a quick read. He noted how this song seemed a bit personal and figured it was about her desire to be a hero, and her determination and conflicts she may have had to pursue that goal. "This is a pretty good song, Jiro. But it seems a bit personal."

"It is.. A bit." She said, still blushing and tapping her jacks together.

Izuku looked at the lyrics along with Momo, "Hero Too, I am a hero too~.My heart is set~, And I won't back down." Izuku sang beautifully, causing the earphone jack girl to squeal with embarrassment.

"Don't repeat that, Midoriya!"

"Why? It's a powerful line." He said truthfully.

These words made Jiro ease up a bit, "Still though."

"What's the story behind these lyrics, Jiro?" Momo asked.

The girl paused for a moment, finding her words, "I come from a family of musicians. My mom and dad are really passionate about it, and as far as I can remember music has always been a big part of my life. But… I didn't want to be a musician, I chose to be a hero. It bothered me for a long time, because I didn't want to let them down. I thought they'd be mad because of all the time they spent giving me music. Even though they support me I still feel a little bad about it sometimes."

Izuku and Momo took in the girls' words, "C'mon Jiro, whoever said you couldn't be a hero with music? We've made music together, and I'm sure you know it's very powerful."

Jiro smiled from the familiarity of those words, "My parents said something just like that. They said in the way they lift up people, musicians and heroes are the same thing."

"All the more reason to keep music in your heart and put on a phenomenal show." Izuku encouraged her.

Jiro brightened up a bit, "Alright, but can you help me put this all together. I know I took most of the responsibility here, but I didn't expect it to be this much."

"Sure." Izuku replied. "What else are you doing besides writing the music and lyrics?"

"I have to help Kaminari practice on top of everything else I've got going on."

"I know Momo's playing piano, you're obviously playing guitar, Kaminari's playing. Who else is in the band?"

"Tokoyami's our third guitarist and Bakugo's on the drums." Jiro answered.

"Bakugo huh?" Izuku thought aloud when he vaguely remembered how he used to complain about music lessons back in middle school. "Can't see him being too cooperative with all that."

"He gave an attitude as usual but Sero bated him into agreeing. He can actually play pretty well, which was surprising."

"As much as I don't like the guy, even I have to admit he's one of those natural geniuses who can do anything they set their mind to. The problem is that he lets his pride get in the way."

"That's a true statement." Momo agreed.

"The problem with that is he cares more about training than practicing for the festival." Jiro said.

"What's that about? Izuku asked.

"Ive noticed he's been really obsessive about getting stronger the past couple of weeks, something about ONE, I don't know you should ask Kirishima for the details."

"Well that's a thing… Alright, I think I can help you out, Jiro. I am actually looking forward to your show. A song like "Hero Too" is pretty inspiring." The girl smiled happily at his words, eager for his opinion and aid.

End Flashback

---

Izuku's phone began to ring, it was Momo calling to ask how far he was from the school. He told her they'd be there in about fifteen minutes, she told him how they were missing a few things for the set up and asked if he could grab them on his way, he agreed and after texting him a list of what they need he and Eri headed to the nearest hardware store to pick it up. It took them less than five minutes to get what they needed before leaving the store. Izuku held the bag in his left and while he held Eri's with his right, they had roughly a half hour before the concert was to start, so they had to speed up a bit. They made it just past the hardware store when they saw two heavily dressed people leaving what seemed to be an old house next to the store. There was a shift when Eri almost bumped into the man with Izuku pulling her back before she could. "Dear me." The man suddenly exclaimed.

"Sorry about that, we're kinda in a rush." Izuku spoke up apologetically.

"I'm sorry, sir." Eri said innocently.

"Please do be careful, you almost ruined the after taste of the Gold Tips Imperial. And that woud be a travesty I would not be able to ignore." The man spoke properly through his white face mask.

"Wait, this presence. This voice. What does he think he's doing?" Izuku thought, keeping a neutral expression as he looked at the two people. He noted how the two were dressed, both were clearly trying to look inconspicuous. The way they hid their mouths and eyes as well as the clothes they were wearing didn't help them be unnoticable. The woman next to him had long red hair styled in pigtails and was significanly shorter than the man. He saw the man's white hair under his black bowl hat and it was clear who he was looking at. He also remembered a video he watched just the other day, it was Gentle Criminal, and apparently he was planning something big by his description. He also referenced the tea, "Gold Tips Imperial" in the video. Momo had actually shared that tea with everyone when he visited the dorms the other day, and it was fairly good stuff.

He could sense the man suddenly became nervous and his body language showed stress. He quickly composed himself, "Let us go La-, I mean, Honey." He said before they began to walk off.

The woman seemed surprised by the name, "What? Alright, yeah that's me, Honey." She said, not sounding too confident.

"Well they're definitely up to something, and it's clear this is their first time being undercover." Izuku thought, looking to the backs of the adults, "Gentle and La Brava. I could probably ignore them for the time being, but I sense I may regret that decision. Lets give them a little scare." He turned to his right and saw the old looking house, "Gold Tips Imperial, huh? I guess that house must be a cafe." He said, choosing his words carefully.

He sensed a shift of positive emotions in Gentle as the disguised villain quickly turned around, he chuckled lightly, "Oh young man, you must be familiar with Gold Tips Imperial if you made this realization. Clearly you are a man of refined taste, always a pleasure to meet a fellow connoisseur."

Izuku smiled back, happy the villain's been unknowingly ensnared, "I wouldn't go that far. My girlfriend however is a connoisseur, and she's shown me much about the wonderful world of tea. As for the Gold Tips Imperial, I had it for the first time a few days ago, it really is a delicious tea."

"Indeed sir. Such flavor, such scent, it's color, it truly destigushes itself as the highest quality of tea to date." Gentle happily stated.

"The quality is definitely top tier. I heard it can be difficult to find, hence why it's so sought after."

"You're correct again. Only the finnest of leaves can even be considered for such a tea, anything less would be a disservice."

"I suppose there's truth to that. You seem familiar, sir, do I know you?"

The villain visibly tensed up at these words, "No I don't think so. Just consider me a lover of the refined tea." He quickly turned around, "Well we must be going, big plans and all." He started to walk away.

Izuku's eyes wided at those words, pretending to be shocked, "So that's what it is. That tea was part of your ceremony."

The man stopped walking, "Excuse me?"

"I saw your video."

"Not good!" Gentle and La Brava thought in unison.

"You're Gentle Criminal, arent you?" He said with narrow eyes

"La Brava, begin filming." He ordered as he took off his shades and face mask. His blue eyes locked onto the shorter young man

Izuku nudged Eri to the side, getting her out of the way and putting the bags down next to her. "What are you planning? The most notable destination on this road is U.A."

Gentle gripped the collar of his coat, "Well, aren't you a perceptive one. La Brava, there's been a change of plans."

"Typical for a saturday there aren't many people around, I could try to fight him here, or I can take a chance to get into costume, it all depends on what he does." Izuku thought as he readied himself.

Gentle quickly removed his trench coat, there was slight distortion in the air that Izuku was just able to see. Allow me to show you the many talents of your favorite scoundrel. Given how our situation has changed I shall keep my words brief. For this caper" He dropped down and struck a pose, "I will infiltrate U.A Highschool."

"So cool, Gentle!" La Brava cheered.

Izuku cringed slightly at these antics, "So not cool. My girlfriend and her classmates have put a lot of work into the festival, all the students have. If you show up all that will be shut down, I won't let you do it!" Izuku declared before lunging towards the villain. To his surprise he was caught in what seemed like a wall of rubber, he sank into it, keeping him from reaching Gentle.

"If you're a fan of my videos you must already be familiar with my quirk, "Elasticity" I can add that property to anything I touch, and I DO mean anything. Even the air itself. It's been a pleasure chatting with you dear boy, but I'm afraid I must be on my way." He ended these words by raising his right hand and slapping Izuku, "Gentle Rebound!" He called out as Izuku was rocketed backwards, violently tumbling across the ground.

"Izu-Nii!" Eri cried in concern.

Gentle looked down at the young girl, "I'm terribly sorry for that, young lady. A child such as yourself shouldn't be exposed to such violence."

Eri kept her mental fortitude as this man hurt Izuku but he didn't seem bad or scary, "Are you trying to make Momo and her friends sad?" She asked, her big red eyes piercing his soul.

"Of course not little lady, I'm merely trying to help them be better heroes." This was a lie, though he convinced himself that his actions would probably lead to that outcome. "Your friend is probably fine, so be a good girl and just stand right there. He posed while looking at her, "And never forget the day you met, Gentle Criminal." He and La Brava immdeatly booked it down the street once he was done posing, "Sorry to cut and run but I DO have places to be." They then leaped into the air with a series of air trampolines, taking them higher and higher.

Izuku shook off the hit and ran back to where Eri was, he saw the villains leaping away. "They'll be at U.A in no time, I've got to get this stuff to Momo and stop them." He looked down at Eri who met his eyes. He crouched down to her level, "Eri, I need you to do something very important, alright." He said gently. Eri looked at him with understanding, both eager and worried about what he would say.

A green blur passed the front entrance, Eri suddenly arrived at the U.A Barrier, she had her pass and along with several others made their way onto the school grounds. She made her way to the gym as fast as her little legs would carry her, she went the way Izuku told her and followed people also making their way to the gym. Outside she saw a man with black hair and a scar around his neck, Izuku told her to give the stuff and a message to Eraserhead and she was sure this was him. She made it to the hero who was leaning against the entrance watching everyone go in, Eri was bit winded as she faced the hero who looked at her slightly perplexed. "Excuse me, are you Eraserhead?"

"Yes, is there something you need?" He replied.

She raised up the bag in her hands, "This is the stuff..Momo needs for the concert." She answered through heavy breaths.

Eraserhead gave a small smile as he took the bag from her, "Thank you, I'm sure she'll apreciate you bringing this to her."

"There's one more thing too."

"What is it?" Eri gestured for him to come down to her level, he complied and came down, allowing her to put her hands around his ear to whisper something. The pro's eyes visibly widened from hearing what she had to say. He looked the child in the eyes, "Are you sure about this?"

"Yes sir. He said by the time I tell you they should be in the woods east of the school." Eri replied confidently, even pointing in the direction Izuku told her they'd be in. "He said to tell you, to tell Hound Dog to go that way."

Eraserhead stood up, looking where Eri was pointing, iritation and annoyance written all over his face. He let out an annoyed sigh, "It's just one thing after another, when are we going to get our normacy back?" He inwadlry thought with his usual expression, He looked down at the little girl, "What's your name, kid?"

"Eri."

"Thank you for telling me this, Eri." He gave her a smile as he gestured her inside, "Come on, let's get you inside before it gets too crowded. Then we can handle that other stuff.

Woods near U.A

Gentle and La Brava were in an open clearing, the red haired woman had taken out her computer and began working on breaking into the U.A system and disabling the barrier.

"It won't be much longer now my dear viewers, soon all of U.A will be enthralled in the magnificence of my caper." He said dramatically as La Brava worked.

"I've almost got it Gentle, all I have to do is connect to U.A's internal network thanks to this wireless connection program I created." She hit a key and to her shock she was denied access. She was surprised for a moment but quickly realized it was a matter of distance, not security.

Gentle notice her surprised state, "Something wrong my dear?"

She met his eyes, "Uh-no. It's just that I can't connect from this far away, we'll have to get a bit closer, then you can make your grande entrance and show them all how cool you are, Gentle." She answered with a happy smile.

Gentle threw his head back with an elegant smile, "Splendid, La Brava."

"That sounds super awesome." A confident male voice said out of nowhere that startled both of them. In the next moment before they knew what hit them they were roughly pinned to the ground, both yipping from the sudden action. "I ran into a kid who revealed your entire plan, I think U.A may be onto you as well, I sense Hound Dog and Ectoplasm getting closer, they'll be here in about three minutes." The strong voice said confidently.

Both Gentle and La Brava turned to the voice, both of them went cold at seeing it was ONE who was holding them down. "ONE! It's you!" Gentle shrieked with terror, his plan was offically over now.

"Hello~" The hero replied playfully. His aura then became more serious, "I told you before didn't I? If I catch you doing something you shouldn't be, I will take you both to jail." He applied my pressure on them to keep them down. They both groaned.

"Of course you'd be the one to show up here, you are a hero after all." Gentle said through the pain.

"This is a step above your usual nonsense, what's the point of all this?"

"It's for my dream."

"Your dream?" ONE thought aloud, confused. "U.A's been through enough this past year don't you think? If something else were to happen, forget just the school festival being canceled, the whole school is likely to be shut down. Is that the domino effect you intend on causing?"

"If it will cement my name in history then of course!" He exclaimed, shocking the hero.

"I can tell this is about more than just fame. I sense strong emotions from both of you, but I'm sorry, I can't just let you do this." He looked down at La Brava who was looking at Gentle, he sensed a strong surge of sadness and love from her, he then noticed how Gentle's body was enveloped in a pink aura, along with his strength increasing. "Is this her quirk?" He thought as Gentle was able to lift himself up a bit.

"Forgive me, ONE." He quickly grabbed La Brava and jumped away. He was much faster than before, not too fast for ONE to see but his increase was still surprising.

"Is he running away?" As ONE stood up to chase them he raised his left arm to block a punch from Gentle who was back on him in an instant. The ground beneath him cracked from the hit, Gentle grit his teeth as he struggled against the shorter man. "I was expecting you to run."

"I don't think I can defeat you, ONE. But I refuse to be a coward and abandon my dream!"

"What exctatly IS your dream? You're clearly aware of the ramifications if you do this, so why go this far?" ONE punched him in the chest, sending him back into the air. He made elastic foot holds to jump around the area to confuse ONE.

"To carve my name into history for future generations! So that even one person can look at the life I've lived and aspire to it. Today marks my first day into true imfamy, and this dream is no longer mine alone. My dream would be triffling if words alone could make me abandon it." He started launching himself at ONE, with the hero swiftly dodging him from all angles, all while listening intently to what he was saying. "I saw your video! You should understand my penchent to dream!"

He rocketed at ONE, throwing a punch to the back of his head which the hero dodged, "I do understand.. We're alike in a way, and that's why I have to stop you."

Gentle came back at him, "I care not what you think, we will prevail! ONE caught both of his fists, keeping him in place.

Gentle inwardly panicked at being unable to free himself from ONE, the aura coming off the hero was serious as he was forced to look into the lenses of his cowl. There's nothing wrong with striving to be something great, and remembered in the finite time we have on earth. But you're going about it the wrong way because you want immediate results, and it doesn't work that way." He did a backflip kick, sending Gentle into the air.

The villain was in serious pain from that hit, but he was still not ready to give up. "Such strength, such determination, how does he do it?" Looking below him he saw ONE disappear, "He's gone!" He thought as a chill ran up his spine. He quickly turned around to see ONE above him, ready to attack.

"Everything I've done for my dream is to create a bright future for everyone. It took me years of pain and suffering just for the chance to take a single step towards it. There's nothing wrong with leaving a legacy that outlives you, and inspires others. But to seek immediate results that will cause irreparable damage to society as a whole, is not only wrong, it's too easy!" He ended this statement by kicking Gentle in the face, sending him rocketing back to the ground in defeat, La Brava's quirk had faded and ONE could sense her nearby as well as Hound Dog and Ectoplasm. He could tell she was heading back toward them, most likely after having seen them, so for the time being this was over.

The pain of ONE's word hit Gentle harder than all the hits to his body, he was beaten. His clothes and hair were a mess, his plan had completely failed and the heroes would be here soon. ONE pinned down Gentle as he waited for the heroes to arrive, he could sense the emotions in the beaten villain, the strongest of which was shame. "You're someone I can understand, but this is over, Gentle Criminal." He said empathetically.

"All I wanted… Was to make a bright future for myself. But it seems this is where it ends."

"The internet celebrity villain thing maybe, but you can still have that bright future. Sometimes you have to start over in order to finally get something right. But just because you have to start over doesn't mean you can't have what you want. Just know it's not gonna happen in a day or two, because nothing ever genuinely worth having just comes to you. Genuine happiness and fufillment is something that's forged over time."

Gentle was quiet as he fought back his emotions, memories of the failures that led him here, all for the sake of his dream. There was a rustle in the bushes and La Brava came out carrying her computer, "Gentle, the heroes are coming." Her eyes wided causing her to drop her computer at seeing a beaten Gentle pinned down by ONE. Tears began to well up in her eyes as the consequences of this situation began to hit her, and the last thing she wanted was to lose her Gentle. With tears in her eyes she ran over to ONE and started hitting him, "Get off of him, NOW!" She exclaimed desperately as she continued to hit him. "Don't take him from me, please, I'll have nothing left!" Tears were fully streaming down her face, ONE just looked at her as he took her assault, with no intention of retailiating. Her feelings were surging at the moment, he could see and feel her desperation to save Gentle.

Gentle looked at her, his own feeling about the situation building within him, "I told you to run, knowing full well that you wouldn't. This is my fault, I'm the one who brought you here. You should have stayed away from me… I won't bring you down with me." He thought as he decided his next course of action. "If the heroes catch me like this, it will be obvious that you are my accomplice."

"I'll die before I let anyone take you from me!"

ONE raised a hand to block her hits, "Whoa whoa whoa, just relax, It's going to be okay, alright." He eased his grip on Gentle slightly and the villain quickly used this moment to knock the hero off of him. ONE was bounced into the air away from the two villains, "What is he?" ONE thought as he flew away from them, he looked down at the villains, seeing that Gentle was warmly hugging La Brava, he shot a glance in his direction, meeting his eyes and sending an unspoken message. "Thank you, ONE. But don't come back. This is my mess and I'll clean it up." He held a crying La Brava in his arms as the heroes drew coser, "Such a steadfast and passionate young man, you should be proud. You're someone others should aspire to." He thought as he contented himself with the situation as Hound Dog and Ectoplasm's clones arrived, "U.A… I'm turning myself in."

ONE landed gracefully about fifty meters from Gentle, he could sense the heroes were there and decided to leave it to them. That look in Gentle's eyes as he flew away was all he needed to know about how everything would go down. He fiddled with his smartwatch and got out of costume, he looked in the direction of the villains and heroes, "Good luck, Gentle Criminal, and be well." He thought alound before he lightly sprinted towards the gym for the concert, he still had more than ten minutes to spare and he didn't want to be late. As he ran he couldn't help but think of the similarities between him and Gentle. In his research on the villain he found that he was a hero course flunky, and was expelled after being involved in an incident that interfered with hero work which led to a pro and civilian to get hurt. It made him wonder what he might have become if all the rejection and discrimination for being quirkless had pushed him over the edge.

Becoming ONE was the best decision he's ever made, but in that same breath, if he were broken by society, he was scared of the opposite path he could have gone down. He shook it off for the moment and ran to the gym for the concert.

---

U.A Gym

Izuku was able to make his way into the gym, it was pretty packed with a stage set up at the end of it,he spread his senses to try and find Eri amidst this crowd. After a few seconds he found her, on top of another familiar presence with her. He politely shifted through the crowd towards where Eri was and he found her in the center. She had an eager smile on her face, ready for the show to start with a perfect view, lifted up by Mirio Togata, "Eri?" Izuku called out to her.

The girl registered the voice and scanned the crowd until her eyes landed on Izuku, "Izu-Nii, you made it." She said with an excited smile.

He returned a smile of his own, "Of course I did."

Mirio used his free hand to point to himself, "Hi, I'm Mirio Togata, and I was helping little Eri here get a better view of the concert. You must be the brother she mentioned."

"Yep, nice to meet you, I'm Izuku Midoriya. I appreciate you helping out Eri."

"Well I'm gonna be a pro hero soon. Even if Eraserhead didn't ask me it's only natural I help a kid like her." Mirio said with a smile.

"Trust me, I know it's hard to ignore her." Izuku replied playfully.

The lights went down, "It's starting." Eri stated, causing the two teens to look towards the stage.

Izuku looked up, spotting several class A students ready to do their special effects, he could tell most of the class was behind the curtain "We're gonna murder all of U.A with killer music!" He heard Bakugo exclaim for a moment. He set off an explosion, the music started, the stage lit up, the band was playing and the dance team was moving in perfect symmetry.

"Thanks for coming to our show!" Jiro exclaimed into the mic. She then began singing like an angel, all while the whole class did their job to enrgize the crowd with their performance. The show was perfect, Izuku even sang along to the parts he helped write, to see everyone do their part made this truly special. "Hero Too~, I am a Hero Too~, my heart is seeeet, and I won't back down. Hero Too, strength doesn't make a hero. True herooooes stand up for what they believe, so wait and see."

The concert ended with everyone having a blast, when everything was all said and done Izuku along with Eri hung out to hang with class A. Everyone was glad that the spectators had a good time, several students even agreed to spread the word about what class A wanted to achieve by doing this. Their haters even admitted to liking the show and spreading the word as well, Izuku could practically hear Bakugo thoughts saying that they won. Izuku and Eri congratulated Momo, Izuku picked her up and spun her like a princess, all while teling her how good the performance was. He extended his praise to the entire class, this was a success in every way. Once the fans had left the gym they were left with cleaning up and Izuku noticed Minetta was in a rush to get this all done. "You okay, Minetta?" Izuku asked.

The ball headed boy carried some ice, "You fools don't get it." Izuku noticed his shift, "I will not miss the beauty pageant!"

"There's a beauty pageant?"

"Apparently. Mr Aizawa didn't tell any of us about it, but I hear it's pretty popular every year." Momo explained.

Izuku gripped his chin, "Now I'm curious."

"Hey Midoriya, do you have a minute?" Izuku turned to the voice and saw that it was Eraserhead, he pointed a thumb behind him, meaning he wanted to talk in private.

"Sure." He looked back to Eri and Momo, "We'll go explore the festival after I speak with Eraserhead."He walked off following the hero.

Eri turned to Momo, "Momo, is Izu-Nii in trouble?" She asked innocently.

"No he's fine, Eri. My teacher just wants to talk to him that's all. C'mon, lets finish cleaning so we can see the festival." Momo took her hand into hers and they helped speed the cleaning process along.

Izuku and Eraserhead found a secluded spot to speak in private and Izuku could sense that they were alone. "So I take it everything went off without a hitch?"

"Yeah, everything was taken care of and the villains were taken into custody. Gentle Criminal admitted to everything and was fully cooperative."

"Good to know U.A avoided disaster." Izuku said caually.

"That's actually why I wanted to speak with you in private. This could have been really bad." Eraser said with narrowed eyes.

"I know that, which is why I was so adamant at stopping Gentle. U.A could have been shut down if villains managed to breach the school again."

"Excatly, all the more reason you should have told us personally so we could handle it, instead of leaving the message for your sister to pass along and give us a vague direction of where the villain was."

"I had to move fast, and I knew Eri would pass the message along. Everything worked out alright, so I suggest we just take the win here. I know where you're going with this Eraserhead, sorry if I didn't handle this like you wanted. But I handled this in the best way I thought how, and I don't regret it. Gentle may have been a villain, but I could understand and empathize with him. I had to stop him because of his actions and the ramifications of what could happen, not because he was a bad guy."

He closed his eyes, "It's good that you handled this situation, but just keep in mind the entire school is under the scope right now. The tiniest slip in security or loss of support could mean the end of U.A. Even if it's just to save face, you have to keep us in the loop and leave these things to us."

I was just lending a helping hand, Eraserhead. But fine, this won't happen again."

The pro narrowed his eyes, "Don't say it like that, we appreciate the help. It's the principle of the matter, that's all. Once we get back to normality, we can ease up a bit."

"The current world is changing, Eraserhead. Even after we're through the worst of it, I don't think anything can ever be the same when this is all over."

"How bad do you think it will get?"

"I don't know. All we can do is be ready for anything." There was a pause in their conversation, "Can I leave now? I do want to enjoy the festival."

"Go on." Eraser answered dryly. Izuku turned and left, leaving the hero with his thoughts. All things considered it was for the best ONE took care of the villains, they could have easily tripped the alarm and if that happened they would have found themselves in another mess. He merely sighed and shook off his thoughts, "Just one thing after another." He thought in annoyance as went to monitor the festival.

Izuku and Eri enjoyed the festival with Momo and the rest of class. After they were done cleaning the gym they immediately went to watch the beauty contest, Kendo put on a test of strength with her martial arts, a third year and reigning champ built a robot and had it dance. But the one that stood out the most was Nejire Hado, who used her quirk to put on a beautiful air dance. She looked akin to a fairy and the crowd definitely loved it. Eri thought her performance was pretty and she and Izuku made sure to vote for her before seeing the rest of the festival. Izuku and some of the boys competed in an obstacle course race with Izuku winning but making it close, much to Bakugo's annoyance. Class 2A made a haunted house, many students were scared by it, Eri adorable clung to Izuku as they made their way through it. Class 1B put on a play, but he was only able to catch the last act of it.

They saw the support department's exhibition. Everyone was impressed with the wide aray of inventions the students were able to come up with. Meilssa had invented bracelets that when worn cover the body in a metal exo-suit with various features. It included enhanced strength, speed, reflexes along with granting mid level telekenisis, it admittedly would make the perfect suit for a quickless person. He saw Hatsume's battle suit and surprisingly it not only looked cool but didn't blow up when she tested it.

The day came and went with the sun beginning to set. Nejire won the beauty pageant, he had seen the entire festival, Er had fun and Izuku enjoyed spending time with Momo and Class A, with plenty of photos to remember this day. "Thank you both for coming?" Momo said sincerely. She, Izuku and Eri were outside the gate and the boy and young girl were preparing to leave.

"Not a problem, Love. We had a really fun time. Right, Eri?" He asked, looking down at the little girl.

"Yeah! It was so fun, Momo. You're concert was crazy, can I hear that song again?" She asked adorably.

Momo smiled happily at the little girl, glad she enjoyed the festival, "I'll talk to Jiro and see what I can do, I'm pretty sure we recorded one of our rehearsals."

"Jiro's room is basically one big recording studio, I'd like to hear that song again too. Hero Too, I am a hero too~." Izuku sang beautifully.

"Just like that!" Eri cheered.

Momo giggled lightly at her boyfriend's antics, "I'll talk to the band and send you the song."

"You'd probably make a killing if you put that online. C'mon Eri, let's head home."

"Okay." He took his hand into hers and they walked in the direction of home. They gave one final wave to Momo before leaving the grounds, pleased at the day they've had.

---

Next day

ONE and Genos stood across from each other in a vast mountain valley, the two were preparing to spar in order to test out Genos' new upgrades. The two got into their fighting stance, ready to go, "I appreciate you helping me test my new cybernetics, ONE."

"Not a problem. I've got some free time and I can't have you out in the field without knowing your new limits. I gotta admit, it was weird seeing you dissect yourself to make a cyborg."

Genos' eyes and body began to light up with heat coming off of him, "Was it a crime against nature, probably. But in a moment you'll see it was all worth it!" He flexed his body as incierators projected from his shoulders, he rocketed at ONE faster than a bullet, leaping at the hero with a flying kick. ONE side steps to dodge, Genos used a blast to stop himself, using the incinerators in his hands he spun to kick ONE who ducked down to dodge the attack. In that same moment Genos rocketed himself above the hero, raising his right leg and jetting back down to the hero, breaking the ground with an axe kick, cracking and upheaving the ground around him. ONE had back flipped away to dodge the attack. Genos spotted him through the cloud of dust and fired an incineration blast at him, ONE cocks back his right fist and fires a mighty shockwave thare overpowers Genos' blast.

The cyborg was able to blast away in time before the attack could reach him, the crater ONE's punch made was telling. "That one would have really hurt it if hit, good to know he's taking me seriously." Genos thought as he got his footing, he realized he'd lost sight of ONE, "Damn, where'd he go?"

"Losing sight of your opponent could be your undoing, Genos." The voice of ONE came out of nowhere that gave him chills. Suddenly ONE dropped down before the cyborg, he quickly swept his feet, in that same motion as the cyborg was off the ground the hero quickly stood back up, dealing a side kick to his stomach, sending him bouncing and rolling across the battlefield at a great distance. Genos got his bearings, rocketing back towards the hero with an outstretched arm that was missing a forearm. ONE looked down to see Genos' arm gripping his leg before he was violently pulled, the arm was retracting back to the cyborg and dragging him along with it. The arm recconented with its owner, Genos used incinerators to spin and rise up before slamming ONE to the ground, smashing it and the hero.

Before Genos could plan his next move the ground burst open, ONE was backflipping through the air, tucked into a ball. He landed fifty meters from the cyborg, who's body glowed with energy and heat. He rushed at ONE many times faster than sound, leaving a crater where he previously stood. ONE lands, his eyes shift to the left as he sees Genos blitz behind him, fist cocked back. "Machine Gun Blows!" He called out as he fired a blurring barrage of punches from the hero's blindside. ONE swiftly dodges the attacks without turning around, seemingly having eyes in the back of his head. ONE deflects a punch from Genos, quickly spins and goes for a left chop only for his hand to cut through an afterimage. He raises his right hand to catch a punch from Genos who's hand had a surge of electricity, their hands clasped and there was a massive explosion of fire that engulfed the battlefield and the mountains they were in. As the flames dispersed, the two fighters were surrounded by nothing but scorched earth. The attack would surely leave a scar on the land.

Genos was firing punches at ONE who deflected and dodged them with minimal efort using his Wing Chun. ONE lands several hard hits on Genos, pushing him back, getting space and allowing the hero to go into a high spin kick, creating a massive tornado with the head of a dragon, "Dragon Gale!" He called out as the roaring wind consumed Genos.

"Damn it! I didn't think he'd pull this out!" Genos thought as crossed his arms to best defend from the attack. The dragon tore through the area before dissipating, Genos was still standing in a crater.

ONE jumped in the air, he rose so fast Genos didn't spot him till he reached his apex, he cocked back both arms, "Waves Of Blaze: Storm!" He called out before raining down hundreds of burning shockwaves at Genos.

"So that's how you want to play it!" Genos quickly outstretched both arms and fired rapid incinerator blasts to cancel out ONE's, though it was clear the Genos blasts were stronger, there were far more of ONEs. Genos had to run as he fired to avoid the storm of brutal fire that left craters in the ground and made the whole area rumble.

ONE watched Genos run and try to counter his attacks, He disappeared in a flash of speed, mixing himself in with the burning shockwaves. Genos was so accupid with dealing with the attack he didn't spot ONE until he was in his face, completely shocking him. In that same moment ONE grabbed his right wrist and back arm before tossing him into the rain of fire. Genos grimicaed as he was pummeled by hundreds of shockwaves before he was able to fly out of the danger zone with his incinerators. "I have to get some distance and rethink my strategy." He thought aloud as he looked ahead, he stopped abruptly at seeing ONE in his flight path, arms crossed.

"Gravity doesn't apply to me, y'know."

"Y'know it's one thing to observe your speed through your cowl, it's another when fighting you. I see that now."

"You should work on your overall combat ability, especially your battle I.Q, Genos. Your hand to hand skills are decent, plus your raw firepower and cybornetics gives you an edge over almost anyone you fight. But your sense for combat leaves much to be desired. It's one thing to not be able to see my moves, it's another to not be able to predict and anticipate them. Fighting requires some of the most critical thinking there is, you should be able to predict your opponent's moves two or three moves ahead of when they do it. If you can do that, you can counter or react without any wasted movement."

""Should I be writing all this down?" Genos joked.

"I'd prefer if you committed it to memory."

"Noted."

ONE met Genos' eyes, "This has been great. Your firepower is more impressive than before. You could have taken out a whole city with that attack from earlier."

Genos smiled at him, "If I was gonna keep up with you, I had to put my best into this version of Genos. After sparring so far I'm certain I'm at least twice as powerful as before."

"Wanna take this up a notch and see what your max is?" ONE asked, excited for the possibilities.

"I'm game, let's hope this doesn't destroy me." They both disappeared in a flash of speed, the sky rang out with shockwaves. ONE appeared to teleport as he picked up the speed, sky walking across through the air, Genos became streak of light blasting and clashing with the hero. Blow after blow the two went at it, ONE was pushing Genos to give his all into a fight and exert himself. Genos was becoming frustrated as he could land a hit on ONE. He knew his power better than anyone, but was now realizing the gap between them even at his best was basically a chasm. ONE got around Genos' guard and kicked him out of the sky, he hit the ground hard with ONE rocketing after him. Genos fired a point blank blast at ONE before he could reach him, he quickly realized he blasted an afterimage when ONE kicked the right side of his head, sending him crashing into a mountain.

Genos dug himself out of the rock and quickly backflips just in time to avoid ONE's punch that obliterated the mountain top where he previously stood. Genos tucked into a ball and blasted back toward the hero, bringing down an axe kick to his head. ONE raised his right forearm to block, the attack cracked the ground beneath him. ONE extends his arm, flicking Genos upward, the cyborg uses that momentum to backflip kick ONE who raises his chin to avoid the kick and back flipping off the mountain. Genos came at him, attacking from all angles with ONE swiftly dodging him in mid air before he landed back on the ground. Genos blitzed behind the hero, his arms came together to form a powerful incineration cannon, "That's a new one." ONE said casually.

"This is a part of my new "ARMS" upgrade. Tell me what you think of it?!" Genos fired a massive blast of fire that completely engulfed ONE.

The blast exploded in a massive burst of fire and heat that shook the whole area. It faded revealing ONE, uninjured with an outstretched arm, his hand formed into a chop. "Iai Sword: Homura Split Slash." He said seriously as he eyed Genos. "I definitely like that upgrade."

"Good to know."

"We've done a bit of a number on this place, wanna call it a day?" ONE asked.

"Let's go for a bit longer, I've still got a lot of fight left in me. Let's keep this up until I can't go anymore." Genos replied as he got back into his stance.

"Good to see you're eager." ONE complimented, also getting into his stance. The two clashed again with ONE showing off his superior hand to hand skills, he gets Genos with an elbow to the gut, sending him back and rushing forward to land a triple kick. Genos is sent back but tanks the hit and fires several blasts at ONE who speed blitzes to dodge each shot, getting closer and closer to the cyborg. Genos charges a stronger blast just as ONE gets close enough to him, "Gale Palm!" ONE calles out as he swirls a flat palm, he fires a powerful blast of air just as Genos fires his charged blast. The two attacks clash with the resulting explosion to rise up. The smoke cleared and the two eyed each other, ready to keep going.

There was a pause in the fight when ONE's phone started ringing, "Hold up a minute, Genos." He pulled out his phone and saw it was a number he didn't recognize, so he decided to answer and see who it was. "Hello?"

"Hello, is the Independent Hero: ONE, I'm speaking to?" a female voice said on the other end.

He noted how calm and casually the women's tone was, this didn't seem like a call for help, increasing his curiosity. "This is he, how can I help you?"

"Allow me to be forward and straight to the point, I'm calling on behalf of the public safety commission. I would like to inform you that the newest hero billboard chart will be treated more of an event this time, given All Might retirement. I would also like you to know that you have earned a spot in the top 10."

ONE was surprised but kept his composure at hearing this information, "I had almost forgotten it was about time for the chart for the second half of the year. However, how did you fit me into the rankings with me being independent and all?"

"Well it would be impossible for us to get an exact number of all your resolved cases, so we decided to only consider your cases during THIS chart period. And even then we only accounted for your major cases."

"That makes sense I suppose. So what exactly is my ranking?"

"Everything I just said, coupled with the fact you have the highest approval rating this term, along with the impact you've had on society has led to your spot in the top 10, and your current ranking. Congratulations ONE, you are officially."

Genos watched ONE on the phone, he mentally slapped himself for not installing enhanced sound sensors for super or at least enhanced hearing. ONE's body language was telling, and he was curious as to who he was talking to. Whatever was being said, it was surprising to him, he seemed a little nervous as he continued to listen to the caller. He heard ONE mention something about rankings and where an event was being held, maybe he was on the phone with the public safety commission. "Thank you, have a nice day." ONE said as he ended the call.

There was a pause between the two as Genos eyed him, "So, what was that about?"

"That was the public safety commission, they're releasing the new hero billboard chart soon, and are holding an announcment event for it at Fett Arena in Kamino."

"Oh it is about that time of year isn't it. But a whole event, that's a new one. I take it you made the top ten, where'd you land?" He asked, already having an idea of the answer.

ONE paused as he registered his question, a wind passed through the mountains and over their battlefield as if leaving no room for doubt in his impending response. "Genos, when the next chart comes out… I'll be the number one hero."

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And that wraps up chapter 37 good people! BOOM! Big reveal at the end! Honestly I was going back and forth to whether or not I'd make ONE the number one hero. I initially was gonna make him six, four or maybe three. But I thought realistically that even if they only count his major cases resolved, plus his approval ratings and the impact he's had, he would naturally be the number one hero. We know he's capable, but now in lies the question is Izuku READY to be the number one hero. All For One is dead and defeated, ONE has new info on the League, he'll uncover Ujiko in time, and Genos is back stronger than ever. Leave a review on the chapter and come back next time because everyone is going to have a reaction to the shift in hero society. They'll officially move on from All Might and ONE's era will begin. Next time, ONE helps Gran Torino track down Kurogiri and faces Gigantomachia. Mirko leaves the dojo, ONE gets a new suit, the League and Tachibana make plans, and the newest Hero Billboard chart is announced. See you next time!