Chapter 22: The Wrath of the Symbol of Peace
"Give me one reason that I shouldn't go rip the League of Villains to shreds until they give my son back!"
In one moment Aizawa realized that no one had ever seen All Might angry, likely because they didn't live to tell about it. Nezu looked largely unimpressed by All Might's outburst, which was rather concerning. Aizawa wasn't sure what All Might would do if Nezu's sociopathic streak came to the fore.
"It would be foolhardy to rush in, Toshinori." Gran Torino said, "The police are still investigating the League of Villains." He smiled sheepishly. "Albeit in reverse." He had been present when Inspector Tsukauchi had given orders to his officers. They knew where at least two of their safehouses were thanks to Midoriya and Ragdoll's trackers. What they didn't know was who was in on it. The testimonies from the students had helped fill in some of the missing intel, but more legwork needed to be done to come up with an assault plan.
"There is also the media and HPSC to consider, All Might." Nezu said, "It's only a matter of time before the news of the attack leaks to the press so..." He trailed off, clearly lost in thought.
"Nezu, if the next words out of your mouth are not I have a plan, then I am going to leave." All Might said calmly, "And approximately thirty seconds after that, I will single-handedly raid the League of Villains' hideout, and then me and Izuku will fight our way out together."
Nezu looked him dead in the eye. "I have a plan. But it needs... refining. Please do not go on a rampage."
For a moment, All Might looked like he might ignore Nezu, but eventually he relented. "Fine." He hissed through clenched teeth.
Aizawa leaned forward. "There's also the rest of Midoriya's classmates to consider. They're restless. None of them -outside of Midoriya's injuries to his arms- were seriously hurt. When I had the opportunity to speak with Yaoyorozu, she seemed close to panic. Which is understandable considering she knows the trouble Midoriya is in. Bakugo is also... more prickly than usual. If I had to guess he suspects something about One For All, or at least that there's something odd going on with Midoriya and All Might." After a brief moment he continued with an uncharacteristic moment of levity. "Other than Dad Might."
The corner of All Might's mouth quirked up in a smile. "What are the odds of them... going off the rails?"
Aizawa's expression was grim. "High. I consider it a near certainty that if Midoriya does not reappear within the next couple of days or we are not seen taking decisive action, then Yaoyorozu will rally her classmates and undertake an... operation, as she's prone to calling them."
Nezu took a long drink of tea. "Aizawa... I have an idea. It would be very dangerous. But would prevent your students from... shooting from the hip, as Snipe would say."
Aizawa looked at Nezu as if the rat had just announced his pending engagement to the HPSC President. "You want to send my students into what will effectively become a war zone? Not just that, what about Midoriya's injuries? He broke both his arms during a fight with Muscular, during which Midoriya saw fit to kill him."
All Might raised two fingers, "On your second point, that is something that we can only deal with once Izuku is back safely. On the first, well... All For One will heal him or have someone heal him."
Aizawa stared at All Might. "Elaborate, because I cannot see any rational reason for him to do that."
"It's his standard play once a new wielder of One For All has matured enough to be useful to him." Gran Torino explained, "He'll usually send someone connected to the wielder to bring them before him, at which point All For One will attempt to turn them to his side."
"That never happened with me because of how quickly I took to One For All." All Might explained, "I quickly eclipsed the point where All For One deemed me controllable."
Aizawa frowned. "And none of you thought it was a good idea to make sure that Midoriya has training on how to resist interrogation?" After a moment he rolled his eyes, "Of course. I'm going to put a pin in that for now. Let's go back to your insane idea to send my students into a war zone!"
"They will be there for one reason and one reason only." Nezu said, "To extract Midoriya. They will not have permission to fight the villains except in self defense or if a hero on the scene gives them permission."
"No plan survives first contact with the enemy. And knowing my students, it is not a matter of if it will go off the rails, it is a matter of when." Aizawa said, "I'm going to make it volunteer only. If too few of them volunteer, I'm vetoing this."
He knew that wouldn't happen. But he felt that he had to act like he was the responsible one.
There was a place on UA's campus that was about halfway between the school and Ground Beta that Bakugo liked to go to when he wanted to be alone. There was a pond, some benches, and ducks. Far enough removed from everything that you could just come feed the ducks and think.
Except this time, thinking was the enemy and he wasn't alone.
"It's all my fault." Bakugo said. He was hunched over and staring at the ground. "It's my fault that the League was able to take Midoriya."
Uraraka sat next to him in silence, gently rubbing his back. He needed to vent, but if it became self-destructive she would step in.
"I should've known that Mr Compress would have a trick up his sleeve." Bakugo said. There wasn't any anger in his voice, just frustration, "I wasn't strong enough. I wasn't good enough."
Uraraka smiled, "I remember a time not so long ago that you would never have admitted that."
Bakugo nodded. That much was true, but didn't need restating. "But next time... I can use what I know now. So it won't matter if I'm strong enough or not." He sat upright and looked at Uraraka, "After exams you said after two more crises we'd... uh... start dating. Can we put a pin in that?"
Uraraka cocked her head in confusion. "Why?"
"This crisis isn't over yet. Not until Midoriya is back safe and sound." Bakugo explained. "I-" He was interrupted by his phone buzzing. He whipped it out and looked at the text he had received.
Uraraka raised an eyebrow. "Should I be worried?"
Bakugo laughed, "No, it's Yaoyorozu . I asked her to see if she could convince Melissa to give us Midoriya's location so we could, and I quote: do something monumentally stupid." Before Uraraka could comment on how that trying to do anything on their own would in fact be monumentally stupid, Bakugo swore. "Oh shit."
"Busted?" Uraraka said.
"Yep." Bakugo groaned, "Aizawa walked in on her..." He scanned Yaoyorozu's message, only to have to read it again. "And told her to gather everyone for a class meeting."
Uraraka blinked. "That's hardly a punishment for attempted vigilantism."
Bakugo's breath caught. "You don't think..."
"That Aizawa would let us join whatever raid that the heroes and police are putting together?" Uraraka asked, "The chances of that are lower than finishing construction on time if you don't provide proper hydration for your workers."
"You're freaking weird sometimes, Angel Face." Bakugo said as he got up, "But I'm into it."
Uraraka thought back to her encounter with Toga. How she had said that Uraraka, Yaoyorozu, and her were the same because they were in love with someone. But Toga's version of love... it didn't sit right with Uraraka. She knew firsthand what love was supposed to be, with her parents as her prime example. "Hey, Bakugo?"
"Yeah?"
For a moment she considered asking him to tell her to knock it off if she tried to change herself to be more like him. Then she didn't. She knew who she was. She was Ochako Uraraka. And she wouldn't change that for anyone.
"Bet'cha you won't beat me back to the school." She broke out into a full run, her heart feeling lighter than it had been since the training camp attack.
"Oh, you are on!" He crowed, dashing after her on foot. Sure, he could use his Quirk to win instantly, but that wasn't the point of whatever friendly competition he and Uraraka engaged in. He looked over at her and saw a grin on her face that was mirrored on his own.
This was the point. To make each other better.
She caught him looking and winked at him.
He promptly ran into a tree.
Aizawa looked on as his students filed into the classroom, some in their uniforms, some not. He suppressed a sigh. What he was going to ask of them was far beyond the limits of what should be asked of them. But yet, the chances of them doing something dangerous if this conversation didn't happen was too high.
It was rational. And he hated it.
After they had all gathered, he began. "I'm not going to sugarcoat this. Under normal circumstances, we would not be here. You would all be at home, and would do nothing to help rescue Midoriya except leave it to the pros and the police." Aizawa stopped to allow that to sink in. Most of his students had expressions of annoyance or disgust. Yaoyorozu had a look of utter defiance. "However, it has been determined that you may play a small role. You will not be there to fight the villains. You will leave that to the rest of us. You will be there to escort Midoriya to safety. That is it."
Iida raised his hand, "Why was this deemed necessary?"
"Classified." Aizawa said. "You'll learn why at the briefing if you choose to participate." He leaned against his desk at the front of the room. "That brings me to the next point. "This will be by volunteer only. Even with your minimal role, this has the potential to be more dangerous than any scenario you have been part of so far."
Yaoyorozu stood. "I'm going. You know why."
Kirishima was next, "I'm in!"
"Like hell I'm missing this!" Bakugo yelled, "Bring it on!"
"I will join." Todoroki said.
"Me as well." Iida said. It's my turn to save you, Midoriya.
Jiro looked at Kaminari and nodded. "We're in." She said.
"I won't stand by and do nothing while there's something we can do!" Uraraka said. "We'll save him!"
"Of course." Tokoyami said. "I volunteer." There were also nods from Shoji, Tsu, and Maki.
"I'm coming!"
Everyone turned to look at the owner of the voice. "Really, Mineta?" Kirishima asked.
"Yes." He said, "Midoriya saved my life in the USJ, and now I have a chance to help save him? Sure, I'm scared. I'll admit that, but I know that Midoriya wouldn't back down. So I won't either!"
Aizawa said nothing to hide his surprise. Outside of Mineta, there had been no surprises. "If you did not volunteer, go home. Classes will resume next week or when you receive a message from myself or Nezu."
Those that had not volunteered filed out quickly, so they didn't incur Aizawa's ire. Only Mina lagged behind. "Hey, Kirishima?"
"Yeah?"
Mina darted in and gave him a kiss on the cheek. "You'd better come back safe and sound. You hear me?"
Kirishima bluescreened. Aizawa's scarce amount of patience reached its end. "Ashido."
"Yeah, yeah, I'm going."
Aizawa glanced at Kirishima. "Take those feelings and lock them in your heart. You can let them out again when it is safe to do so."
Kirishima gulped. "Yes sir."
Aizawa turned to the rest of the students who had stayed. "Change into your hero uniforms and report to the Support Lab. Melissa and Hatusme have new equipment for some of you. We will leave UA in approximately one hour for the briefing. From the moment you leave campus, you will act as heroes should at all times. Anything less will result in your immediate removal from the mission. Am I clear?" There was a brief moment where everyone hesitated. "This is not a rational deception."
"Understood, Eraserhead." Iida said.
As they retrieved their hero uniforms, Yaoyorozu noticed a sticky note on hers from Melissa. Finished your new costume! It should work. Theoretically. She opened the case right there. Inside was an outfit inspired by one of the ancient classics- The spy turned super hero named Natasha Romanov, better known as Black Widow. She pressed the material to her skin, held her breath, and created a ball bearing.
It passed right through.
She smiled. "Perfect."
When Midoriya woke up, he had expected to be in excruciating pain and restrained in a humiliating and painful manner.
Instead he was laying in a bed, the pain he had expected from his arms was only a dull ache, and he had his freedom. At least within this bedroom. Someone had even been burning some incense.
So he was immediately suspicious.
He had to take stock of his situation. That's what All Might and Aizawa-Sensei would tell him to do. He started with what he knew. He was being held captive by the League of Villains. Someone had healed his arms- or rather was in the process of healing them, given the twinge of pain when he made a fist. He looked in the censer the incense was burning in to find human hair that someone had lit on fire. Okay, clearly someone's Quirk at work.
The room was sparsely furnished, a small table with two chairs, the futon he had just hauled himself out of, and a fridge and kitchenette. A brief inspection of the fridge and cupboards indicated that he was expected to feed himself. His stomach growled when he saw the katsudon TV dinner in the fridge's freezer portion, but through a Herculean act of willpower he was able to abstain.
He moved into the bathroom connected to his room. He found basic hygiene and first aid supplies. All in all, they were treating him well for a prisoner. Midoriya had expected to wake up tied to a chair and being screamed at to give up One For All if he valued Yaoyorozu's life.
There were two options. This was either a psy-op to soften him up, or they genuinely thought he could be turned to their side.
Then he got the biggest surprise yet. The door to the room unlocked, and Yaoyorozu walked in. And she was wearing clothes that were very... not her. A red tank top and leather pants. A disguise maybe? "Momo? What are you doing here?"
She smiled as she walked up to him. "Oh, I'm just here to finally get a return on my investment." She grabbed him by the face and pulled him into a steamy kiss.
Much to his regret, Midoriya pulled away. "What's gotten into you? You're here to break me out, right? Is anyone else-"
She placed a hand on his chest and pushed him backwards towards the bed as she advanced, like a predator stalking her prey. "Oh, Izuku dear, why would I break you out when I've gone through so much trouble to get you right where I want you?" She nibbled at his ear, eliciting a gasp from the confused boy, "After all, it was me. I was the one who was leaking intelligence to All For One."
Midoriya's brain was frazzled by all of the attention being heaped on him but he still had enough sense to know that Yaoyorozu had just lied to him. But revealing that he knew that Tohru was the traitor could have potentially deadly consequences. He would have to play along until a new opportunity arose. "Why would you do that?" Midoriya asked, "You've put all our friends in danger!"
Yaoyorozu scoffed at him. "Friends?" She shoved him onto the bed and straddled him, "Oh, yes. I do suppose that I acted friendly with those hive-minded dolts who never dared to attempt to think for themselves. They'll get exactly what they deserve."
"Who are you and what have you done with Momo?" Midoriya demanded.
Yaoyorozu threw her head back and laughed before falling on Midoriya and peppering his neck with kisses. "Don't you see, Izuku? This is who I really am. I'm breaking free of all of the chains that society tries to bind me with. The expectations, the responsibilities..." She pulled at his hair, causing him to moan, "And I want you with me for it all. I don't want to have to train someone else, that's just so much work."
Midoriya clenched his teeth, this was reaching a critical juncture. If he didn't get her off of him now, he wouldn't be able to resist giving in. "Can I ask you something?"
"Of course, 'Zuku baby."
"Why aren't you wearing your necklace?"
Yaoyorozu became very still, giving him a moment to catch his breath. "What?"
"Your necklace. That I got you during our first date? You said you'd never take it off."
"Oh, it got destroyed during the training camp attack." Yaoyorozu said quickly.
Got her. "Well, that would be really impressive, since it never existed in the first place." Midoriya said, "Because if you really were Momo, you would know that our first date was interrupted by Eclipse, and that we went straight home after. You're not Momo, now get the hell off of me!" He activated One For All and shoved Not-Momo off.
From out of nowhere she pulled a knife. "Don't be like this, Izuku. I know this isn't you." She seductively licked her lips, "Stop resisting me. Just give me what I want! Give me-"
Midoriya leapt off the bed and punched her in the face, causing her to be knocked back into the wall. "Get out."
Not-Momo tilted her head as if she was listening to someone and growled before retreating. The door locked behind her with a click. Midoriya collapsed on the bed. "Okay... that must have been their first plan. Whatever shapeshifter Quirk that was, it doesn't give the user their target's memories..." He took a deep breath to center himself. He had to be ready for their next attempt to break him.
His thoughts began to drift, and for the first time he fully realized what he had done at the training camp attack. He had killed a villain. All because they threatened-
He shoved it down. He couldn't allow himself to show weakness. Not now.
"Thank you all for coming." Inspector Tsukauchi said as he addressed the assembled heroes and police. "The attack on UA's summer training camp by the League of Villains has forced our hand. Fortunately, we have had several breakthroughs in the investigation. We know who they are and where they are."
Endeavor raised his hand, "How did you come by this information so quickly? No investigation into a group like the League goes this smoothly and quickly without it being a trap."
Tsukauchi nodded in assent. "Normally, you would be correct. But UA laid a trap within the League's trap for them. Making the most of a Morton's Fork, or so I'm told. One of their Support Course students, Melissa Shield, has developed digestible GPS trackers. Largely impossible to detect by normal means and they last approximately a week. Everyone present at the training camp was required to take one of these trackers."
Tiger was the first to see the bigger picture. "Ah, I see. Because they took Ragdoll and Midoriya, they've led us right to them."
"Exactly." Tsukauchi said as a map of Kamino Ward popped up on a screen behind him. He pulled out a laser pointer and continued. "This is Kamino Ward, ladies and gentlemen. And it is where the League will have their reckoning. They're holed up in a bar in an abandoned building and the Nomus are stored in a warehouse." He highlighted the locations of each with his laser pointer. "We believe they are holding Izuku Midoriya at the bar -which we also believe to be their base of operations- and Ragdoll at the Nomu hangar."
"So, two teams then." Edgeshot said, "Now explain this, if this operation is so high-risk, why the tag-alongs? This isn't a field trip."
Tsukauchi winced. It was only a matter of time until someone questioned the presence of the UA students. Remarkably, none of them rose to the bait
"I can explain that." All Might said. "I believe that as soon as Iz- Midoriya sees an opening, he will bolt. This is less than ideal, as he will become a wild card. So, by having his classmates be on the scene-"
"We give him a direction to flee in, thus eliminating that variable." Gang Orca said. "But what happens if the League targets them?"
"They'll have permission to fight in self defense or to prevent imminent threat to others." Tsukauchi said. He had added that caveat himself as a hedge against disaster "Now, we will have three teams. Two assault teams and one rescue team. Assault team one will attack the bar. This team will be led by All Might. All Might, your strategy?"
"I'll break in, and then Kamui Woods will use his Quirk to restrain the League. Edgeshot will then attack, disabling Dabi and Kurogiri, who are the only real threats to this plan. Endeavor and Gran Torino will be on standby outside to deal with any stragglers, as will the UA students to corral Midoriya when he makes a run for it." He flashed a thumbs up at them, accompanied by a smile that seemed about two molars too small. "I'm counting on you and your team, Ingenium."
There was a smattering of murmuring throughout the room at the implications of Iida's hero name and All Might's confidence in him. He stood and bowed. "We will not let you down, All Might."
They quickly went through the the plan for the assault team assigned to the Nomu hangar and the plan for the rescue of civilians if it came to that.
Tsukauchi brought the briefing to a close with a dire warning. "One last thing. We have reports that there is a guiding hand behind the League of Villains. This... influence is a villain of immense power that only All Might could hope to match. With us making such a desperate move against the League, there is a chance that this villain will show up to counter the snare we have laid. His name... is All For One."
"All For One?" Uraraka muttered, "What kind of villain name is that?"
"It's like the greedy bastard is saying that all is for him." Bakugo replied, "That's what he's saying with that name." He glanced over at Yaoyorozu, expecting her to be processing this revelation.
She appeared to be taking it in stride. As if she already knew about All For One. But how could she know that?
Secretly, Aizawa cursed Midoriya and his entire ancestral line. This was the second press conference he would have to suffer through due to his actions. Rationally, he knew it wasn't actually Midoriya's fault. However if it wasn't his fault, then it was Bakugo's. Then Todoroki. Then All Might. Somehow.
Fortunately, he wasn't alone in this. To his left was Vlad King and Nezu. To his right was Mirko. In a blazer and slacks. So Aizawa was very studiously not looking to his right.
Nezu began solemnly, "Thank you all for coming. Two days ago, the League of Villains attacked our summer training camp for our first year students. Approximately twenty-five students were injured -largely by a poisonous gas cloud created by one of the villains- and one student was kidnapped. The injured students are all out of the hospital, as their exposure was minimal due to the swift actions of three of the other students. We are fully cooperating with the police to ensure that our missing student is returned to us."
A reporter in the middle of the room spoke, "Who allowed the students to fight?"
"That was me." Mirko said. "Part of my Quirk is a rabbit's survival instincts, and it went off like crazy right before the League warped in. So I did what I had to do."
The reporter scoffed at her, "Your hunch led to more than half of the students being injured and one abducted."
Mirko's eye twitched. "Now, look here you-"
Aizawa quickly stepped in. "Her decision was corroborated by myself and Vlad King, as we deemed that the best option to prevent the worst case scenario."
The reporter that had accosted Mirko pointed an accusing finger at Aizawa. "What do you consider the worst case scenario then?"
"The worst case scenario would've been if all forty-one of our first-year Hero Course students were killed. At this point we're just grateful that all of our students still have a future." Nezu said
There was a glimmer in the reporter's eye, as if he was a shark that smelled blood in the water. "And what of the abducted, Izuku Midoriya?"
Mirko switched off her mic. "Sho, I don't like this..."
The reporter continued blitzing Aizawa. "This boy has shown power on par with All Might. If the villains turn him to their side, that could have catastrophic consequences! Imagine, a villain with the power of All Might and the conviction of someone recognized by the Hero Killer!"
Aizawa also switched off his mic. "Rumi, I am about to do something very foolish."
Mirko raised an eyebrow. "Hey, you're the one who's always had a problem with the media. It's always been your choice, Sho."
Aizawa took a deep breath and switched his mic back on. He stood up and directed his fiercest glare towards the reporter. "You have no idea what you are talking about." Before the reporter could retort, he cut him off, "Four reasons. First, becoming a hero has been Izuku Midoriya's dearest wish since he was a small child. He will not throw it away just because some villains dangle a carrot in front of him. Second, he is kind. Despite all of the hardship he has suffered, hardship that would make the vast majority of us crumble, he chooses to be kind. Even when a little cruelty might be justified. Third, many of you would look at villains like Muscular, Dictator, and Imaginer and say that power corrupts. I stand in front of you to say to you that you are wrong. Power reveals. When given power, what do the villains I mentioned do? Subjugate others. Kill. Rampage. But Midoriya? What does he do? He does his best for others until he can do no more. Fourth..." Aizawa looked down at the ground before continuing. A moment of contemplation.. Yes, he was actually going to do this. "The fourth reason... is that I trust him with my life. And the lives of my wife and daughter."
Mirko stood. "And that goes double for me, as both the hero that Midoriya did his internship with... and as the wife in question." She ignored the gasps from the reporters, "Now let me tell you something. You might think that Midoriya is locked in a room with a bunch of nefarious villains looking to corrupt his pure heart." She laughed, "Nah. He ain't locked in with them. The League of Villains locked themselves in with him."
Lying in wait outside the bar, Todoroki smiled and put away his phone, he had been watching the press conference but now it was time to focus. His theory was correct and he couldn't wait to rub it in Midoriya's face.
Endeavor looked over at his son. "Did one of your theories get proven right?"
Todoroki looked at his father quizzically. "You know about that?"
Endeavor gave him a wry chuckle. "You aren't nearly as sneaky as you think you are." A silence descended. Not awkward, just... peace. Peace between them for the first time after so much hurt.
"Aizawa-sensei and Mirko are married."
Endeavor blinked. "Damn, I could've sworn it was him and Ms. Joke. I mean, I saw them together at Hosu and knew, but I hoped I was wrong."
It was Todoroki's turn to be taken aback. "You do theories too?"
"Yes." Endeavor said, "Where do you think that theory of Washi just being Manual in a suit came from?"
Todoroki smiled. "You'd better survive this battle, old man. We actually have something normal to talk about now."
Before, such disrespect from his youngest would have sent Endeavor flying into a rage. But now that he was trying to be better and could see how his son was healing, it was more amusing than anything. "Keep your eyes on me, boy. You might learn a thing or two."
"Learn what, how to set my facial hair on fire?"
Endeavor raised an eyebrow, "What facial hair?"
Todoroki opened his mouth and then closed it. "Well played."
"Hey, Creati. You good?"
Yaoyorozu didn't move, instead keeping her gaze laser locked on the bar. The bar where Midoriya was being held captive. "I'm fine, Uravity."
Uraraka glanced at Iida and Bakugo. The latter shrugged, indicating that he was still terrible at emotional matters of this magnitude. Iida sighed. "You are not fine, Yaoyorozu. You need to take a step back."
"No." She replied curtly, "I will not."
"Yaoyorozu, I realize that I am the last person who should be lecturing anyone on this, but-"
"Iida, stop." Yaoyorozu said. She pulled one of her guns from a holster at her waist. "The situations are not the same. The League took Izuku from me, and I am going to get him back. If the plan works, and we're able to take him away from here without any problem, that will be wonderful." She turned to look at him and Iida nearly recoiled at the cold fury in her eyes. "But if the plan does not survive first contact with the enemy, then I will gladly carve a path through them, blood be damned."
"You trying to act tough is why we're worried." Bakugo said, "That ain't you."
Yaoyorozu's wavered during her reply. "I know. But it's what I have to be to protect him."
Iida put a hand on her shoulder, "You do not have to shoulder that burden alone, Yaoyorozu. We're his friends too."
Yaoyorozu smiled, a faint glimmer of her normal self peeking through the mask she was wearing. "Be careful what you wish for, Iida."
Shigiraki was quickly running out of patience. Every tactic he was trying to employ to get Midoriya to join the League was rolling a natural one. Have Toga pretend to be Yaoyorozu and entangle him in some good old fashioned temptation? Nope, Toga ran right into the figurative brick wall of Midoriya being just a little too smart to be fooled by Toga's Quirk.
Purity had made the mistake of trying next, giving him the usual CRC spiel of complex mutants bad. She had not been prepared for the merciless tongue lashing Midoriya gave her in return, which concluded with a line that Shigiraki was at least ninety percent certain that Bakugo brat had said first.
The most heinous racist bitch to ever crawl out of hell, indeed.
Eclipse had done better. Given Midoriya's status as Quirkless for most of his life, that was to be expected. However, she had run into the same problem that Shigiraki had at the mall. He hadn't been able to put his finger on it then, but he had it now.
Izuku Midoriya had inherited the ideals of superhuman society at their purest form. So any sort of methodology that uprooted the lives of the common man was anathema to him.
That meant that any attempt to turn Izuku Midoriya to evil as things stood now was doomed to failure. That was fine. Shigiraki had a back up plan. A Plan B, as it were.
Break him.
And for that, he was going to need Sensei's help. He had Midoriya brought to the bar, thanks to the borderline broken combination of Kurogiri and Mr. Compress. They sat Midoriya down in a chair without restraints. Discounting the verbal beatings that he had been dishing out, he had been rather well behaved.
"Save your breath. I'm never going to join you, so you might as well release me." Midoriya said.
Defiant to the last. Shigiraki had to respect that, underestimating his enemies had led to his failure at the USJ. "There's someone who wants to talk to you."
Midoriya shot a glare at Toga. By now he had learned that she was the one who had tried to impersonate Yaoyorozu. "The only way I'll talk to her is if she's tied up."
Toga winked at him, "Love you too, Izuku!"
There was a beat of silence. "I could've phrased that better."
"Yeah..." Twice said, "Nah, it was fine!"
"Pretty hard to dispute." Mr. Compress said.
"Eh, no one's perfect." Dabi quipped.
Shigiraki rolled his eyes. That was enough from the peanut gallery. He pressed a button on his phone, and a hologram projector whirred to life. In moments the picture materialized and a hologram of a man in a business suit sitting in an armchair appeared. Most of his face from the mouth up was a gnarled mass of scar tissue. Judging by the breathing tube, he was likely hooked up to oxygen. He smiled, but Midoriya felt that it wasn't out of any emotion a sane person would call happiness. In the back of his mind, he could feel the past wielders of One For All become agitated.
This... this could only be one person. All For One.
"Ah, Izuku Midoriya." All For One said, "At last we meet."
All at once, Midoriya was gripped by fear. Was it a Quirk? No, most Quirks that meddled with emotion required at least a line of sight, if not physical contact. All For One was undoubtedly content to let him assume the worst though. Might as well play along, maybe he could wrangle some more intel from him? "If you think you can trick me into thinking you're manipulating my emotions with some Quirk, you're dead wrong."
All For One laughed, "Oh, so you're afraid then?"
Well, that backfired. "Think what you want to think." Midoriya said. I need time to plan, and he's already got me volunteering information. I need to be careful.
"What I think is that you'll do anything to protect your loved ones. After all, that's why Muscular is dead, isn't it? Because he threatened your precious Yaoyorozu?"
"Get her name out of your filthy mouth!" Midoriya snapped. How did he know about that? Me and Kota were the only... No... there must be a leak in the police. Somewhere. And he extrapolated the how and why from what information he has about me. Tricky.
"Temper, temper. Take care not to bite the hand showing you mercy." All For One said as if speaking to a precocious child. "What if I told you that she was laying in wait to betray you, hmm? What if I told you that she was working for me?"
Midoriya froze and allowed a look of horror to spread across his face. "No! No, you're lying!" This was a delicate situation. He couldn't reveal that Tohru had switched sides. If he did, the results could be lethal- not only for Yaoyorozu, but for her family as well. "She'd never work for you!"
All For One chuckled, "Young Midoriya, please don't insult my intelligence. You know there must be a traitor, someone close to you. Someone you've told your secrets. How else would the USJ, Richards Awards, and training camp attacks have happened?"
"If you're about to suggest my mother betrayed me, go to hell." Midoriya said.
"Your ability to attempt to threaten me even while surrounded by my League of Villains speaks volumes of your strength of character." All For One leaned forward, "Who else could it be, hmm? Why are so certain that your darling Momo hasn't betrayed you?"
"I told you to get her name out of your mouth!"
"Oh, I see what's going on here." All For One said, leaning back in his chair, "You already know who it is, but you're trying so hard not to reveal it. Is it because Tohru betrayed me?"
A strangled gasp escaped Midoriya. "How did you know that?"
All For One grinned. "Because you just told me." He mentally sent the signal that would activate the Failure Clause embedded in Tohru and Hiroshi Yaoyorozu. Actions had consequences, and he had been serious about his threat to make Momo Yaoyorozu an orphan if Tohru stepped out of line.
A pit opened up in Midoriya's stomach. He played me. Damn it. He hung his head.
All For one clasped his hands together. "Fear not, young hero. All is not lost! There is something you can still do to secure his safety."
"What?" Midoriya spat, "Take his place?"
"Precisely, young man! You're exactly as intelligent as I was lead to believe!" All For One's tone immediately changed from jovial to menacing, "But if you refuse or betray me, I will destroy you. One by one, I will utterly unmake everyone you love. How many will it take for you to give up and take your own life to make the pain end? The pain that will come from knowing that you failed them all when they needed you most?"
"You're bluffing!" Midoriya yelled in desperation.
"Hisashi Midoriya would disagree." All For One said.
"You- you were the villain who-" Midoriya cut himself off, "No. I don't believe you. Even if you were, it was never part of your plan. Because back then, I was still Quirkless, so you never could've predicted what I would become. Don't insult my intelligence, All For One." He steeled himself then powered through, "And I will never betray All Might, my friends, and everything I stand for!"
Any response from All For One was cut off by the doorbell. "Kamino Pizza!" A voice from the other side of the bar's door called out.
After a moment of tension, the wall to Midoriya's right exploded, heralded by a battle cry he knew all too well.
"SMASH!" All Might burst through the wall, sending debris everywhere. A brick smashed the hologram projector, cutting off All For One. "Kamui, Edgeshot! NOW!"
Kamui Woods appeared from the left of the breach. "LACQUERED CHAIN PRISON!" His arms turned into tree branches that shot out and restrained the villains.
"Wood? Please, you'll have to do better than-" Dabi was stopped mid-sentence by a vicious blow to the back of the head from Gran Torino.
In the next instant, Edgeshot slipped through the crack in the door and let the police in. He stretched forth his hand and used his Quirk to pierce Kurogiri's body. "Ninpo: Thousand Sheet Pierce!"
Eclipse grinned, "Forgetting someone?" She used her surfaces to slice through the branches restraining her. "This is gonna be fun! So many super cops to put down."
Midoriya leapt into action. All Might and the others clearly hadn't planned on Eclipse being here, otherwise Edgeshot would've taken her out too. He ducked around her surfaces using the Dempsey Roll and nailed her in the ribs. "TSUNAMI SMASH!" He felt her ribs crack under the impact.
"Izuku, get out of here!" All Might shouted, "NOW!"
Midoriya knew better than to argue with All Might when he was angry enough to raise his voice, so he made for the breach in the wall. He leapt through and scanned the street below. There was a bunch of police and other pros, where was the quickest...
"MISTER MIRACLE!"
With a start, he twisted in midair to see Yaoyorozu, Bakugo, Todoroki, Iida, Uraraka and still more of his classmates. With a flick of his fingers, he changed his trajectory to land in front of them. "You all came for me? Wait, they actually let you-" He was halted by an inescapable urge to begin vomiting up black sludge.
"The hell is this?" Bakugo asked.
Iida pointed to several other instances of the phenomenon. "Look, in the police formation! Fountains of..." He had an epiphany borne of his study sessions with Midoriya, "GET MIDORIYA OUT OF THAT SLUDGE! IT'S A WARP QUIRK!"
Bakugo and Kirishima lunged for him, but were an instant too late. They burst through what remained of the sludge, with no Midoriya to be seen.
Nomus materialized out of the other fountains. Endeavor immediately blasted two of them with gouts of flame. "Shoto! You and your friends go after him! You have my permission to do whatever you must! GO!" If All Might trusts them to punch in the League's weight class, then so will I.
Yaoyorozu was already barking orders into her comm, "This is Creati, I need Midoriya's location!"
"He's... at the Nomu hangar!" A clearly beleaguered technician said on the other end of the line, "Best Jeanist and the others aren't responding. Something must have happened, wait for more pros, you can't-"
Yaoyorozu cut the connection. "Ingenium, he's at the Nomu hangar!"
"1-A, move out!" Iida called out.
There was a beep over the comm. "This is Inspector Tsukauchi. Remember, your parameters for engaging the enemy remain unchanged despite Endeavor's orders. However given the circumstances, I will allow for... creative redefinition of your rules of engagement. Transport is en route, ETA is ten seconds."
Two SUVs screeched to a halt in front of them and the doors opened, the drivers beckoning to them. Tsukauchi continued to give them intel. "The League warped out in the same manner that the Nomus warped in, so it's safe to assume that they were warped to the same location as Midoriya was. Kurogiri and Dabi are out of commission, but do not assume they'll stay that way. Assume All For One has taken the field. All Might and rest of Assault Team Alpha will join you as soon as they deal with the Nomu."
"Copy that, Inspector." Iida said, "We'll bring Midoriya home."
All For One was impressed. It had been a long time since someone that wasn't a wielder of One For All had actually managed to detain him. "Ah, Best Jeanist. Here I thought that you were only a blip on my radar."
"You must be All For One." Best Jeanist sounded strained, undoubtedly from the effort of keeping him bound with his own suit via his Quirk.
"What did you do to Ragdoll, villain?" Tiger demanded, "Answer me!"
All For One laughed, "It's quite simple really. When I see a Quirk I want, I take it." Ignoring Tiger's profane retort, he turned his attention back to Best Jeanist. "Now, normally a Quirk like yours would be much to tempting to resist. But I must think of the future, and your power simply isn't suited to young Tomura's proclivities. Too much practice and experience needed. Of course, this means I have to eliminate you."
Best Jeanist abandoned his attempts to keep All For One contained and instead hurled Tiger, Ragdoll, Gang Orca and Mount Lady out of the line of fire. "Jeanist, what are you doing?" Gang Orca asked.
All For One raised his hand. "Strength Booster, Kinetic Booster, Springlike Limbs, Air Cannon..."
"My job." The veteran hero replied.
"... Heavy Payload."
The world around them exploded, and they were sent flying, buffeted by a blast of air and debris. The cityscape around them had ceased to exist, creating an almost perfect arena. Best Jeanist struggled to his feet, barely able to support his own weight. "If you think... I'm going to give up..."
"Of course you're not." All For One said, "You're a hero up against a demon lord. But you're not the hero, so you'll fail. Personally, I abhor fridging as a trope, but I can't deny the effectiveness."
"What are you-"
"Air Cannon." A hole was blasted through Best Jeanist's gut; blood gushing out of the wound. "You were impressive for a sideshow, I'll give you that." Geysers of black sludge erupted in the air, unceremoniously dropping Midoriya and the League of Villains on the ground nearby. "Your plan had flaws, Tomura. The heroes outsmarted you."
Shigiraki fell to his knees, "I'm sorry, Sensei."
All For One chuckled, "Fear not, Tomura. You may try again." He walked over to him and placed his hand on Shigiraki's head. "Try as many times as you need to."
Shigiraki twitched. Why can't I move?
"Oh yes, I forgot how unpleasant this can be. Just accept it, and it will go easier." All For One said. He passed All For One and a cognitive booster Quirk to Shigiraki. That way he wouldn't be impacted by the mental strain of having multiple Quirks. "It will take some time before you can use it, Tomura. But it's all for you."
Midoriya scrambled to his feet and took in the ruined city. Best Jeanist and the others were down, as were Kurogiri and Dabi. The rest of the League -in addition to Eclipse and Purity- were up and ready to fight. Eight on one... I don't have a chance. Especially with All For One's full attention on me.
"Capture him." Shigiraki said.
Midoriya activated One For All and attacked the nearest target. Eclipse was forced back, but largely unharmed due to her surfaces. Midoriya pivoted and sent a blast of air pressure at Mr. Compress. If he got his hands on him, then it was over.
This was bad. He was at his limit, mentally speaking. He was operating purely off of instinct. He needed time to think, time to plan. But the League wasn't going to give it him. Was this really it? All of the pain, all of the progress he has made... only to be brought to heel here?
Then he heard the whir of drone motors.
The drones opened fire and shot electric blasts at the villains, forcing them back. "The hell is this?" Spinner said.
"Damn, it's the heiress." Eclipse said.
Without warning, the space between Midoriya and the League became a sheet of ice. Midoriya's face split into a grin. This could only mean...
"WE WON'T LET YOU TAKE HIM, YOU LAME-ASS VILLAINS!" Bakugo rocketed onto the scene and fired off blasts that kept them from charging.
"Oh, this is bad." Spinner said.
"You don't know the half of it!" Kaminari yelled. He brandished his new gauntlets and fired lightning from his palms after a brief charge. He missed, but that was fine.
"Got you right were I want you!" Jiro said. She plugged her jacks into new speakers attached to her wrists. "HEARTBEAT DISTORTION!"
Kirishima, Iida, Uraraka, Mineta, Maki, Shoji, Tokoyami, and Yaoyorozu formed a circle around Midoriya. "It doesn't matter how far I must go, Ingenium will always run across the land to take a lost child by the hand!" Iida cried out.
"Freaking manly, dude." Kirishima said.
"Is this really the time for catchphrases? Mineta asked.
Tsu extended her tongue and slapped Purity in the face. Again.
All For One clapped, "Oh my. What an entrance. But do you really think that you will make a diff-"
"Shut the hell up, Faceless Wonder!" Bakugo yelled, "We're taking Midoriya back, and there's nothing you can do to stop us!"
"Unless you have All Might in your pocket, the chances of that are non-existent."
"Creati, if you would." Iida said, barely suppressing a grin behind his helmet.
Midoriya saw the item that Yaoyorozu had created. He had several questions.
Yaoyorozu hefted an old Type 97 Anti-Tank rifle, deployed its bipod, and sighted in on All For One. "Vibe check." She squeezed the trigger, sending a shot towards the archvillain.
He tried to dodge but the bullet still grazed him, spinning him around. Well now. He should've expected such spirit from the beloved of a wielder of One For All.
"ALL FOR ONE!"
All Might appeared and attacked All For zone, who held him back with his Strength Booster Quirks. "Have you come to kill me, All Might?"
Eclipse used her Quirk to open up a portal that a mixed squad of CRC and QLF fighters spilled out of. Purity activated her Quirk, and increased the physical strength of all on the villain's side, save for Spinner and All For One.
"Come on!" Bakugo screamed, "WE'LL TAKE YOU ALL ON!"
(Music Start: Super Smash Bros. Ultimate OST - Lifelight)
"Red Riot, let's go!" Iida said. He grabbed Kirishima and spun him around at full speed before throwing him at the mixed squad of thugs. "RECIPRO-"
"RIOT HAMMER!" Kirishima finished as he crashed through their frontline. He was joined by Shoji, Tokoyami, and Uraraka.
"Dark Shadow! Let them know defeat!" Dark Shadow materialized from him and swiped across their ranks, discombobulating them even more.
Shoji spotted one of the QLF fighters multiplying. "One of them has a Quirk that lets them multiply himself!" Then all of the copies pulled out assault rifles. "Gun!"
Uraraka acted purely on instinct. Just like at I-Island, her friends were in danger. So she forced her Quirk to surpass her preconceived limits. She slapped her hands on the ground, and increased the force of gravity on the copies of the QLF fighter that had all attempted to gun them down by a factor of ten. "You won't... hurt my friends! URAVITY CRATER!" She threw up in her mouth, but forced it back down.
Several of the QLF fighters pulled out retractable batons and charged her. "She's got Fireteam! Beat her down!"
Kirishima and Iida went in swinging. "I think not!" Iida said. He grabbed the nearest QLF member then revved his engines, using the momentum to hurl him into the others. "RECIPRO TORQUE!"
"Cause no blood's gonna be shed behind this wall!" Kirishima declared. He allowed one of them to smack him across the face with their baton before smashing his fist into their midsection. "RED COUNTER!"
"Come on, boy, don't you ever get hurt?" Magne complained. She swung her pillar at Maki, who didn't even budge on impact.
"Not by the likes of you, villain!" Maki said. He remembered something that Kaminari told him to say if he was fighting Magne. He wasn't sure what it meant exactly, but it would allegedly be an effective taunt. "You're too cringe to defeat me!"
Magne froze mid-attack. "I'm sorry, what-" Maki cut her off by decking her in the face.
"Hmm. That was effective."
"Grape Juice, move your ass!" Jiro called out. He bounced away from Mr. Compress using one of his balls just in time for her to blast the master thief with her sound waves. Kaminari followed it up with a blast of lightning from his gauntlets.
Mr. Compress reached out and activated his Quirk, compressing the lightning into a marble. "I applaud you for the triple threat approach- truly, you put on a good show, but you'll need to do better than that to beat a master thief like myself." He threw the marble at Jiro and Mineta.
"Not on my watch!" Kaminari said. He moved in front of them and caught the lightning with one hand after the marble decompressed. It traveled along the circuitry built into his jacket to his other hand, which he poured into his gauntlet. "Take this, Lightning Redirect!"
At the same time, Jiro shoved her speakers into the ground and activated her Quirk. "Heartbeat Distortion: Break-up Ballad!"
The ground underneath Mr. Compress shattered and collapsed inward. The lightning attack missed, but that was fine. It was only the misdirection. With Mineta's balls littered throughout the immediate vicinity, it would trap Mr. Compress with all of the debris stuck together.
In theory.
Mere seconds later, they could hear the gentleman thief laughing, "Oh, well done, children! Quite a wonderful performance!"
"Don't mock us!" Jiro snapped.
"I would not do that, my dear. I do not bestow undeserved praise, especially on would-be heroes. You see, you are lacking a certain something." He threw three marbles at them, causing the debris and Mineta's balls to rematerialize and fly towards them. "PRESENTATION!"
Jiro snarled and blasted through the debris with a blast of sound. They didn't have to beat this joker, just keep him suppressed.
Todoroki was in the same boat, with Twice holding to the same strategy he had used at the training camp. Keep making clones of Dabi to overwhelm the heroes. On top of that, with his friends and All Might so close, Todoroki couldn't use his area of effect attacks.
"Die you fake!"
Todoroki didn't even look before sending a fireball at Spinner. The heteromorph was a poor imitation of Stain, which meant that he already knew the villain's entire playbook.
"Oh, is picking on the little guy what you heroes do? Like father like son, I supp-"
Todoroki didn't let the clone distract him with mind games, and instead blasted it point blank with a Flashfreeze Fist. It seemed that Dabi had more resistance to cold than he did to flame. Curious.
Tsu was astonished by how easy Purity was to rile up. "No wonder Maki wanted to get away from you. You're a helicopter parent."
Purity lunged at her with a nasty looking knife. "Shut up, you freak! You corrupted him!"
Tsu rolled her eyes and dodged her attack. Without backup, Purity was a walk in the park if she was careful. And blunt. "How did I do that? Existing? Did you ever stop to think that maybe let's do hate crimes together isn't a wholesome family bonding activity?" She ducked under an angry swipe and kicked Purity in the face. She dropped her knife and fell to the ground. Hmm, what would she hate most? It's not a good idea, but... the shock could make her drop her focus on her Quirk? Maybe?
Tsu picked up Purity's knife and threw it in front of her. Purity looked up at her in confusion. "Pick it up. Ribbit." Purity made a grab for her weapon, only for Tsu to deliver an axe kick to her head. "You can thank Mirko for that one." Tsu said to her unconscious body.
Midoriya, Bakugo, and Yaoyorozu stood back-to-back. "Anyone want to switch dance partners?" Bakugo asked.
"Why, you getting tired?" Yaoyorozu asked.
"Nah, just worried I'll catch some sort of incel disease from Hands McFace."
Shigiraki blinked. "The hell did you call me?"
Bakugo grinned and let sparks pop off of his hands before he attacked again. "Did I fucking stutter?"
"Get out of my way you piece of shit!" Shigiraki seethed, "Midoriya is my nemesis! I have to fight him!" He charged at Bakugo, only to eat a faceful of explosion.
"Well, considering you can't kick my ass and Midoriya beat me back when he was still breaking his bones all the damn time, I'm doing you a favor by giving you a fight that you can delude yourself into thinking you have a chance at winning." Bakugo said.
"What?"
"Stun Grenade."
Shigiraki stumbled back, shielding his eyes from the too-bright explosion. "I will end you!"
"I'll make sure to take you with me!" Bakugo quipped.
Eclipse had a bemused look on her face as she observed the exchange. "Is that explosion kid always like that?" She shrugged. "Whatever. Now, because I'm so gracious, I'll give you lovebirds time to plan. Toga, hold off for a bit."
Toga giggled like a schoolgirl and licked the blade of one of her knives. "Oh, I'm happy to wait. It just builds the anticipation."
"You're going to shoot her, aren't you?" Midoriya asked.
Yaoyorozu calmly drew her pistol and shot Toga. The dendrotoxin payload immediately knocked her out.
"Go help Bakugo." Midoriya said tersely.
"What? No way, Izuku! I'm not leaving you!" Yaoyorozu protested."
Midoriya shook his head, "No, if I'm going to fight Eclipse, I need you to be out of the line of fire. Please." He looked back at her and their eyes met. She nodded, then ran off. He turned back to Eclipse.
Then he got a surprise.
"Ninth, I'll be brief. I am the Second. You already used my power against the one they call Muscular. Here is everything you need to know about it."
In an instant, understanding of how he had moved so quickly during his fight with Muscular flooded his mind. That explained a lot. "You're already dead." He said to Eclipse.
"What?" Eclipse asked.
In the blink of an eye -before Eclipse could even think about raising a defense- Midoriya closed the distance and unleashed a dizzying barrage of punches and kicks that ended with a flying knee. "REDLINE SMASH!"
Eclipse recovered quickly and attacked, sending her surfaces at Midoriya. "Pulling your punches against me? That's a mistake you'll never make again!"
Thanks to timely warnings from Danger Sense, he was able to escape being sliced to ribbons. He worked his way back in and hammered Eclipse's side again, in the exact same spot he had back at the bar. She clutched her side and growled in pain. Seriously? Midoriya of all people was an actual challenge for her? Had she really be underestimating him this entire time?
(Music end)
To anyone watching, Midoriya was just exceptionally lucky in how he dodged Eclipse's attacks. However, to anyone with eyes to see it was clear that he was using multiple Quirks. Thanks to the all of the sensory Quirks he had stockpiled over the years, All For One could see it all. How he would sometimes float after a jump. How he somehow knew exactly where Eclipse would attack an instant before she did, and most damning of all, how he was somehow periodically exempt from the laws of physics.
After fending off another attack from All Might, All For One came to a conclusion. Float was Nana Shimura's Quirk, and Midoriya was using it. It could thus be inferred that Izuku Midoriya would eventually gain access to the Quirks of all the other past Wielders. That made him more powerful than All Might.
That made him too powerful to hope to control or capture. The only way for his plan to succeed was to remove him from the game board.
All For One blew away All Might with an Air Cannon that sent him tumbling through approximately ten skyscrapers. That would buy him about a minute. Long enough to make sure that All Might returned to find his student bleeding out and beyond saving. He raised his hand and said two words.
"Rivet Stab."
Imagine you are Minoru Mineta in this moment.
You're fighting the League of Villains while All Might is fighting some super-secret supervillain that no one bothered to tell you about until now.
It's fine, actually. You're actually holding your own. Even if it is complete bullcrap that the villain you're fighting can nope your balls out of existence.
You hear a loud crash. The villain that you were told is called All For One just smashed All Might through a dozen or so skyscrapers. Then he turns toward Midoriya and raises his hand.
You know what that means. It means Midoriya is about to die.
Your body moves before you have a chance to think. You throw a ball and jump off it. You can make it in time, you think. He needed time to charge up those big air cannon attacks he was using against All Might, so there was still a chance you could make it and pay Midoriya back for saving you!
Two more balls, two more hops. You're almost there!
Then you see the metal spikes launch from All For One's fingers.
Your entire plan had been to tackle Midoriya out of the way. But now that will leave you in the path of All For One's attack.
If you make the final jump, you can save Midoriya, but you'll probably die. If you do nothing, Midoriya definitely dies.
To save people with a smile...
A smile blossoms on your face. You make the jump and you hit Midoriya in the side, knocking him away.
No matter the cost.
Your entire world freezes as the spikes violently enter your body. You can't breathe. You hear someone scream your name.
It doesn't matter. You went beyond your limits, all to save those in need of a hero.
To make a miracle.
"MINETA!" Kaminari shouted. He looked at Jiro in a panic.
"Go, Sparkplug!" Jiro said before blasting Mr. Compress with another round of Heartbeat Distortion, "I'll keep this jerk on lock."
All For One threw Mineta to the ground and turned towards Kurogiri. Could that bastard remotely activate the Quirks of others? If he activated Kurogiri's Quirk they were all dead. He skidded to a stop and shouted into his comm. "Iida, we have to go! Mineta's down and the Faceless Wonder is looking real interested in Kurogiri!"
Iida immediately keyed his comm. "Everyone, we're leaving! At this point, we're just in All Might's way! I'll grab Mineta. Mister Miracle, Ground Zero, Icy-Hot... make a hole."
Yaoyorozu recreated her drones and a jetpack. "I'll provide covering fire. Ultimate Creation: Kamikaze Drone Swarm!"
Her attack came in the nick of time. Eclipse was about to attack Kaminari and Midoriya when one of Yaoyorozu's drones smacked her in the head. Iida scooped up Mineta and ran for it, with Midoriya and Kaminari hot on his heels.
Twice tried to stop them by creating a clone of All For One. Midoriya seized the opportunity for some much needed catharsis. "BULLET TRAIN SMASH!" The clone disintegrated on impact, the One For All powered dropkick proving to be too much for its limited endurance.
"Ground Zero!" Yaoyorozu cried out, "Let's make sure our foes know the extent of our ire!" Yaoyorozu landed and created her miniaturized Howitzer while Bakugo prepared for his ultimate attack. "Double..." She fired, and Bakugo shot forward.
"HOWITZER IMPACT!" He roared.
The dual explosion laid waste to any attempt at pursuit, and they quickly escaped.
"I'm going to get Mineta to the nearest hospital!" Iida said, "If I don't go now, he's not going to make it!" He veered off to the left as the rest of their group piled in the SUVs.
"GET US THE HELL OUT OF HERE!" Bakugo yelled at the driver.
The police officers driving the SUVs didn't stop to ask questions. Instead they drove like hell to see them all to safety.
Midoriya looked at Yaoyorozu. There was dirt covering her face, and a cut on her left cheek that looked like it was going to scar. "Momo, you..."
She didn't give him time to finish, instead pulling him into a fierce kiss that set his worries at ease, if only for a moment. After she released him, he could only smile as he pressed his forehead to hers. "You came for me. Thank you."
"I'll always save you when you need saving, Izuku." Yaoyorozu looked him in his eyes, "Even if it sets the world against me."
"DAMN IT!" Shigiraki said. "He's nothing but another part of the sickness! I see that now!"
All For One smiled behind his mask. Good, that put an end to Tomura's delusion of recruiting Izuku Midoriya. "It's time for you to go, Tomura. You cannot hope to stand against All Might." He activated Rivet Stab and shallowly drove them into Kurogiri. "Forcible Quirk Activation!" A portal opened up to the League's fallback safehouse.
"No, I won't leave you!" Shigiraki said, "You saved me, I can't abandon you now!"
"Your followers need you with them, Tomura." All For One said. "Go, and keep fighting for your dream of a world where no one like you will have to fear being who they want to be."
Shigiraki made for the portal only to look back one last time. "Sensei..." He was right, there was nothing to be gained here any longer. He turned and left the battlefield.
The portal closed, and the time had come for battle.
"ALL FOR ONE!" All Might shouted, "TODAY IS YOUR RECKONING!"
All For One grabbed his hands before he could deliver a double hammer blow. "Oh, All Might, how many times have we done this dance? And every time you fail in some way! I wonder... will your darling Inko want anything to do with you after she learns that you caused the death of her son?"
All Might pushed back, stepping forward and pushing the tyrant back. "Get her name out of your filthy mouth!"
All For One laughed, "Ah, like father like son. He said the same thing to me when I mentioned Yaoyorozu. Now, since I'm so gracious, I'll let you choose what happens to your loved ones after I kill you. Either I kill Yaoyorozu and watch gleefully as the Midoriyas go mad from grief, or I kill Inko and break the spirit of your successor forever! Which will it be?"
If there was one thing that All For One did not have, it was the ability to know when he was about to push too far. All of All Might's grief and rage that had built up over his long career boiled over and was compressed into a single white-hot point. This was the side of himself that he kept hidden from the cameras. This was the side of him that drove him to mountains of rubble to excise the criminals that had been causing society to crumble from the inside.
This was not the Symbol that the world knew. Not the ever-smiling sentinel of Peace and Justice. This was the Symbol the villains and underworld knew.
This was the Symbol of Wrath.
He reared back and headbutted All For One. The villain stumbled back, not expecting such brutality from All Might. He continued his assault be grabbing All For One's head and yanking it down into a knee strike. The upper half of his life support mask shattered. He didn't give his adversary time to think. That was the key when fighting All For One, he needed a few seconds to call up his stored Quirks, so the best way to keep him in check was to just hit him really hard. A lot.
"What's the matter, Toshinori? Did I strike a ner-" All Might cut off All For One's mind games before he could start with a right cross followed by a left hook and uppercut. The white-hot point of fury in All Might's chest blossomed into an inferno, so he simply never stopped attacking, just constantly subjecting All For One to a merciless onslaught of blows.
"ENOUGH!" All For One said, "AIR CANNON!"
All Might's smile grew wider. Time for an Izuku Midoriya original. He raised his hand and flicked a finger. "DELAWARE SMASH!" The blast of wind knocked All For One's arm away and the Air Cannon went off harmlessly towards nothing but open air.
"Rivet Stab!" The metal spikes caught All Might in the middle of a wind-up for a renewed assault and held him suspended in mid-air. "Any last words, All Might?"
He glared at his adversary. "I swear on everything that I am and hold dear that I will defeat you, once and for all." There was a dangerous flash in his eyes that made All For One think for a second about what could've transpired if All Might had turned his power to evil ends. "Whether that's a cell in Tartarus or a grave..."
All For One decided to not monologue for once in his life. He dunked him into the ground and immediately started calling up Quirks. "Air Cannon, Strength Booster times five, Kinetic Booster times five, Springlike Limbs..."
All Might got to his feet and came to an awful realization. Behind him was the direction that his students had fled in and led to the unevacuated portions of the city. There would be no dodging this. There was only one response.
Take it head on, no matter the consequences.
"... Heavy Payload."
Shit.
All Might gathered every ounce of his power and punched. He needed to at least blunt this attack otherwise the devastation would be catastrophic. The blast of air smashed into him, and he vomited blood. He had succeeded in reducing the damage to save his students and civilians. But it had taken him past his limit.
For the first time in the fight, he became acutely aware of the news helicopters circling the battle.
Because of the mass of people congregating around Kamino Ward's bullet train station, the SUVs carrying Midoriya and the rest of his friends were stopped dead in their tracks. Yaoyorozu made casual clothes for all of them -worrying about her perceived impact on the economy was second to the expediency of blending into the crowd- and they disembarked.
Then they saw the image on the Jumbotron above the station's entrance. It was All Might, but in a state that only Midoriya and Yaoyorozu recognized. His shrunken, de-powered state.
"What the hell?" Bakugo said, "Did All For One do something to him?"
The crowd watching was similarly disturbed. Their former cheers turned to muttering as an oppressive mire settled over them, the mire of uncertainty and fear.
"Is he... going to lose?" Jiro asked.
"No way!" Kaminari said, "It doesn't matter how beat up he is, he's still All Might!"
But his optimism didn't matter, as the concerns of the crowd around them did not echo it. It was only a matter of time until despair took hold.
And then, a ray of light pierced through the fear. A ray of light that consisted of the two biggest All Might fanboys in all of Japan screaming at the top of their lungs.
"BEAT HIM!" Bakugo yelled.
"WIN THIS!" Midoriya shouted.
"COME ON, ALL MIGHT!" They both screamed.
Uraraka and Yaoyorozu looked at each other and nodded.
"STAND UP!" Yaoyorozu said.
"AND KICK HIS ASS!" Uraraka eloquently added.
Their belief and conviction spread like wildfire, and the crowd erupted with one singular emotion. An emotion that was toxic to fear, despair, and all of the machinations of All For One.
Hope.
"Look at you now, All Might!" All For One taunted, "The world sees you for what you truly are, a hollowed-out shell of a man with no power of his own!"
All Might frowned and looked within. All For One was almost right. He had almost used up all of what remained in him of One For All. He could either get the equivalent of one hundred percent on one arm or twenty percent through his whole body.
All For One raised his arm. "Farewell, Symbol of Peace! Air Cann-"
"PROMINENCE BURN!"
A pillar of flame descended on All For One, although it was summarily dismissed by the Air Cannon shot. "All Might!" Endeavor shouted, "Don't you dare stop fighting now! I don't give a damn what's going on with your body! Stand up AND SHOW THEM WHY YOU'RE BETTER THAN ME!"
All Might blinked. Did Endeavor actually admit that he was better than him?
"If you've come to cheer on All Might, do it from the sidelines!" All For One charged another Air Cannon, which Endeavor blocked with another Prominence Burn. He couldn't keep that up forever. Something had to give.
Out of the corner of his eye, All Might could see Edgeshot, Kamui Woods, and Tiger evacuating the wounded heroes and civilians. Gran Torino landed next to him. "Toshinori, can you still fight?"
"Yes."
"Then get the lead out. It's do or die time."
"Yes, Sensei." All Might assessed his options. One limb at full power wouldn't last long. Best to save that for the finale. But would twenty percent allow him to make it there? And why did it sound so familiar...
Oh.
Izuku.
"It's time I brought this farce to an end." All For One began to float and his right arm began to morph and distort. "Hypertrophy, Strength Booster times five, Kinetic Booster times five, Spearlike Bones, Air Walk, Rivets." He hovered before All Might ominously, brandishing a hulking right arm crackling with power. "This is my Ultimate Quirk Combination, All Might. But before I crush you, there's an important fact about my apprentice that you need to know. Tomura Shigiraki is Nana Shimura's grandchild."
"That's a lie." All Might said, "A lie meant to unbalance me. I won't fall for it." He activated twenty percent of One For All throughout his body and took his stance. "Come on, you piece of shit."
All For One charged, aiming a punch at All Might. If it landed, it would undoubtedly splatter him across the city.
So, All Might decided to be somewhere else. He dropped into the Dempsey Roll, slipping past the massive arm and into attack range. "TSUNAMI SMASH!" He followed up the thunderous gut punch with a flip kick, "FLASHPOINT SMASH!" Then he capped off his assault by leaping towards the reeling All For One with both feet extended. "BULLET TRAIN SMASH!"
All For One landed and carved furrows in the ground by stopping his momentum with his Quirk enhanced arm. "Ah, I see. You only have enough power left to emulate Izuku Midoriya. How shameful for the teacher to rely on the student's power!" He attempted to activate his Ultimate Quirk Combination in his other arm, but was cut off by a roundhouse kick to the face from All Might.
"You fool!" All Might spat, "That's why you've never been able to take back One For All! You've never understood it! It isn't just a power stockpile combined with the ability to pass it on! It's so much more than that!" All Might unleashed dual Delaware Smashes, knocking All For One's arms back. This was the moment. The final embers of One For All were about to fail. It was all or nothing. All Might activated his full power in his right arm and charged. "ONE FOR ALL IS THE POWER TO BRING HOPE TO ALL, AND MAKE MIRACLES INTO REALITY!"
All For One froze. "Why do I hear boss music?"
All Might gathered every last iota of his strength and brought it to bear in a devastating haymaker punch. Goodbye, All For One! "UNITED STATES OF SMASH!" All For One hit the ground, the sheer force of the attack creating a tornado that tossed the circling helicopters around like children's toys.
All Might felt the last embers of One For All slip away from him. Farewell, One For All.
As the dust cleared, he raised his fist in victory once more and forced himself to regain his muscle form, if only for a few moments.
The Symbol of Peace would never be daunted by evil. The Symbol of Wrath would never relent.
Even though All Might had won the day, there was still a battle being fought. A battle between Tenya Iida and the inexorable drumbeat of time. The new heads-up display that Melissa had installed in his helmet helpfully warned him that his engines were overheating and his radiators couldn't keep up.
It didn't matter. There was just a quarter mile to go. A quarter mile to go until he got to the hospital and the doctors could save Mineta's life. "We're almost there, Mineta!"
Mineta weakly raised a hand to his ear and activated his comm. "Was... was I cool?"
Iida had to blink away the tears that pricked at his eyes. He knew that had once been Mineta's reason for becoming a hero. Maybe... if he could just keep him talking... "Yes, Mineta. You were cool." After a moment that seemed to last for an eternity he added, "The ladies are going to swoon."
Mineta tried to laugh, but only succeeded in coughing up more blood. "You don't have to sugarcoat it. I'm not gonna make it."
"None of that!" Iida snapped, "You are going to make it, Mineta! We need you!" He nearly swore as he took a sharp turn into the hospital's emergency entrance. He almost missed it.
"Iida..." Mineta said faintly, "If I could do it over... I wouldn't be a perv. I'd try... to be like Midoriya from the beginning."
The doors were in sight. "You don't have to do that, Mineta!" Iida admonished, "You just have to be yourself!"
"But I'm already like him." Mineta said, "Back at the battle... I... my body moved... before I had a chance... to think."
Iida burst through the doors of the emergency room of Kamino General Hospital and shouted with all his might. "HELP! MY FRIEND NEEDS HELP!"
The staff reacted immediately and took Mineta from him. They took his vitals. One of the nurses spoke. "Get the crash cart! NOW!"
Iida knew enough to know that was very bad.
They attempted CPR and brought a defibrillator to bear.
It wasn't enough.
The doctor shook his head. "I'm calling it. Time of death..."
Iida felt a pit open in his stomach. "No! You're wrong! There's still time!" Out of desperation he dredged up some random factoid from some corner of his memory, "It's seven minutes until brain death after someone's pulse stops!"
The doctor turned towards him and frowned, "I'm sorry, son. He's lost too much blood and these injuries... it's a miracle he lasted this long."
With nothing left to him to do, no recourse available to him, no possible action that he could take to save his friend's life, Tenya Iida fell to his knees and screamed.
A/N: How we feeling, y'all?
If you take nothing else from this chapter and the previous one, let it be this. Beware the anger of a gentle man. When Izuku and All Might are moved to anger, woe be unto those that stand against them.
Morton's Fork states that when presented with two bad choices, you will usually pick the better one. This is why 1-A is allowed to participate in the raid. It is an objectively bad choice. But it is a better choice than leaving the possibility of them going off on their own.
Some introspection from Bakugo, and further proof of how far he's come. As of the time of me writing, I'm not sure if he'll ever get a rematch with Mr. Compress. I don't particularly think it's necessary, but we'll see what happens.
The reveal of Yaoyorozu's proper hero costume. Yes, I understand it's held together by pseudo-science, technobabble, and dreams. The same could be said of MHA as a whole.
The briefing happens. Others start to realize that Yaoyorozu knows more than she's letting on.
Toga does Toga things, but fails to account for Midoriya. You can bet your last dollar that once Yaoyorozu learns what Toga tried to do to Midoriya, it will be on sight.
Some peaceful moments before all hell breaks loose. Shoto learns he takes after his father in a most peculiar way. And Yaoyorozu finally voices aloud exactly how far she is willing to go to keep Midoriya safe. Remember her words here and keep them in mind.
Yes, I know All For One sounds like some B movie villain from the seventies. The man thinks he's a demon lord. He's gonna be like that.
Midoriya is at his wits' end here, so AFO is able to trip him up. The consequences of this will be serious.
Yes, 1-A gets to tangle with the League. Why? Because in canon, the main characters barely interact with the main villains. Which makes no sense to me.
Heh. Purity gets rocked by Tsu. Again.
If anyone thinks about celebrating Mineta's death, think twice. I will not tolerate it.
All For One gets his face smashed in. Again. Nothing new here. That's what he gets for trying to push the demon lord crap.
Iida's failure to save Mineta is going to haunt him. But I think that goes without saying.
Until next time.
