Chapter 20: Hope and Chaos

It wasn't often that Yoichi Shigiraki called for a meeting of the past wielders of One For All, the last time being the eve of All Might's final battle with the self-styled demon lord. Ever since then, there just hadn't been much of a need for them to talk about... anything, really. Apart from the so-called Lodge of Mockers -basically Nana, Banjo, and En doing their best Statler and Waldorf impression on whatever was happening to All Might at the time- the rest of the wielders kept to themselves.

But with a new wielder came new responsibilities to them all. And Izuku Midoriya had already proven that One For All had reached the Quirk Singularity.

Unlike the rest of the world, who thought that the Quirk Singularity Theory was nothing but a fear mongering conspiracy theory, the past wielders of One For All took it as fact. To be exact, One For All had reached Stage One of the singularity with All Might, and Stage Two with Midoriya. This meant it was inadvisable to pass the Quirk again. Stage One meant the user was a danger to society if they went wild. Stage Two meant that they couldn't use the Quirk without injury. Midoriya had mitigated this, but it was still a very real risk.

Stage Three meant the wielder would effectively become a walking apocalypse, endangering both themselves and everyone around them.

And with the knowledge that both Hikage and Nana had given Midoriya their Quirks... yes. It was time for a meeting.

Since he was the core of One For All -for lack of a better explanation- Yoichi had unprecedented abilities to alter the vestige world that they all resided in. With a snap of his fingers, they were all brought to what Yoichi called the Meeting Room. More or less a half-constructed copy of the cell that Second had found him in.

Yeah, the Second and Third Wielders were weird about their names. Once they became part of One For All, they insisted on being referred to only by which wielder of One For All they were. Oddly, this compulsion had affected how the rest of them talked when they communicated with Midoriya.

Yoichi looked around at the makeshift thrones. Everyone was here -including the odd glowing version of Toshinori Yagi that even he didn't quite know how to explain- so it was time to begin.

"Why are you wasting my time with this nonsense?" Second asked.

"Because the kid can actually use our Quirks?" Banjo said, "That ring any bells?"

"Ah yes." Third said sardonically, "The child that is liable to cry if his girlfriend hugs him too long. Truly the Hero that will be capable of killing All For One."

A wave of disgruntled annoyance washed over them from the glowing representation of Toshinori, followed by a prompting that he would not tolerate anyone insinuating that Midoriya wasn't worthy of the power of One For All.

"You're doing Ninth a disservice." Hikage said. "He might be... overly emotional, but he has the same zeal for heroism that Toshinori does."

"I'll admit that." Second said, "However, what separates him from All Might is that he cannot be trusted to make a hard choice."

Banjo groaned. Everyone knew what Second meant when he went on about hard choices. "He is literally sixteen years old and in love with modern heroism, and you expect him to kill any villain that crosses his path?"

"As much as I would like to say yes, I know in this day and age that's impossible." Second fiddled with his gauntlet for a second before continuing, "But a villain like Stain... like Wolfram... those he should at least consider killing if-"

"Am I seriously the only one here who gives a damn about his mental health?"

All eyes turned to Nana Shimura.

Yoichi finally spoke. "No. You aren't. It's... worrying."

Shimura shook her head. "I'm not exactly a shrink, but I'm pretty sure that he has PTSD."

Third scoffed at her, "From what? What he's been through so far would be been a walk in the park for me and Second."

"From the Eclipse fiasco at that Support Awards gala thing, probably." Banjo said, "That bitch literally threw Yaoyorozu off a tenth story balcony. If any of us were in his place that'd do a number on us too."

"He shouldn't even be involved with anyone in the first place!" Third snapped. "That girl is a weakness, a liability! When -and it is when- All For One kills that girl, it will break the boy, and he will devolve into a sobbing wreck!"

"No." En said. "I pray that scenario never comes to pass because if it does, I believe that Midoriya will launch a one-man purge of villains that will make All Might's look like a walk in the park."

"What are you talking about?" Second asked.

Banjo frowned and scratched his head. "The kid... he's got a lot of rage in him. Don't know why exactly, since we don't have full access to his memories yet."

Shimura nodded. "Yes, he does. I believe that if a villain threatened to kill Yaoyorozu, All Might, his mother, or his friends in a particularly... grisly way... Midoriya will snap. And the ensuing battle will not be a battle at all. It will be an execution."

Third was completely unconvinced, but Second looked thoughtful. After a moment of silence he relented. "Very well. If this... Midoriya can prove to me that he will not shy away from killing enemies that are irredeemable, then I will grant him my Quirk. But only that, and by my standards."

Banjo grinned. "Welcome to the Lodge of Mockers."

Second stared into space with a thousand-yard gaze. "Oh. I suppose I do have to pay attention to things now, don't I?"

"Don't worry, we watch All Might beat the shit out of All For One once a day."

"Ah, wonderful."

In the whirlwind of activity that happened the morning after the battle against Wolfram, it was determined that -among other things- because David Shield had been found guilty of conspiracy, attempted theft, and aiding and abetting villains, he was going to be going to prison when all was said and done.

Luckily for him, since he had never used his own Quirk during the crisis -his Quirk was a cognitive booster better suited for scientific pursuits than combat- he would not be sent to Tartarus. Instead he would be held at a detention facility on I-Island itself.

Of course, that left the question of Melissa. As she was not a legal adult, it was quickly determined that she would move to Japan and live with All Might and the Midoriyas and transfer to UA.

She complained mightily about transferring, I-Island Academy's credits did not transfer well. Her complaining ceased abruptly when she remembered that this meant that Iida and her would be going to the same school.

Midoriya's lone free week of summer vacation passed much too quickly for his liking, due to moving into a new house. An actual house. With Melissa coming to live with them, their small two bedroom apartment just didn't have room for him, her, and Inko without one of them perpetually being on the couch. As a result, All Might moved out of his apartment and cracked open the absurd amount of money he had saved up over the years to buy a house for all of them that was convenient to both UA and Mustafu General Hospital.

Also, he moved in as well.

The final week of summer vacation began, which meant it was time to return to UA for an informational meeting on the training camp that would punctuate it. Due to his new proximity to UA Midoriya was the first to arrive, only to be faced with a sight he knew existed but was also perplexing to the extreme.

Aizawa-sensei had his and Mirko's daughter with him in a baby harness.

Aizawa met his eyes. "Not a word."

"Uh... but... Todoroki has a theory that you and Mirko... uh..."

Aizawa sighed. "Have a secret love child?"

Nothing further had to be said. The girl in the harness undoubtedly was the daughter of Aizawa and Mirko. The messy mop of black hair, perpetually tired expression, and rabbit ears were a dead giveaway.

Midoriya dutifully walked over to his seat. Bakugo was next to enter, and his eyes bulged on seeing the visitor. "The he- heck do you have a kid for, Aizawa-sensei?"

Aizawa said nothing and stared him down until Bakugo relented and moved to his seat, where he contemplated the revelation of Aizawa's alleged parenthood silently.

Maki and Shoji entered, along with Tokoyami and Tsu. All of them seemed to take the abnormality in stride, although Maki was rather preoccupied with Tsu holding his hand. Aizawa smiled. After all, he was married to the queen of how can I piss off the racists today, so he could appreciate that same energy in others.

Like clockwork, Mina was heard before she was seen. "Oh, come on, Uraraka! Next you're gonna tell me that Aizawa-sensei is a parent!"

Uraraka rolled her eyes, "I am the literal daughter of construction workers, of course I know how to pour cement!"

Both of them saw the withering glare from Aizawa. Then the child. "No way..." Mina said, her jaw hanging open.

"What's her name?" Uraraka asked.

"Kaguya." Aizawa pinched the bridge of his nose. His students were all assuming she was his. Wonderful, that would make keeping him and Mirko secret from the class that much harder.

"Wait... she's got rabbit ears..." Mina said.

Kaminari and Jiro sneaked in while Aizawa was being interrogated. However, it did not escape his notice that they placed a box of something on Todoroki's desk.

Wait. Was that a box of Icy-Hot pads?

"Oh no." Uraraka, "Todoroki is going to be..."

"What am I going to-" Todoroki stopped mid-sentence when he saw Kaguya. Then he looked at Aizawa, and then back again. He said nothing, choosing only to walk to his seat with a look of such unbearable smugness that Midoriya and Bakugo wondered if Monoma had somehow learned how to copy appearances as well as Quirks.

Yaoyorozu entered and noticed the other girls -who had been joined by Tsu- crowding around Aizawa. "What did Mineta do this time?"

"Nothing!" Mina said, "Aizawa-sensei is apparently a parent!" She chuckled at her pun.

"Her name's Kaguya." Tsu said.

Yaoyorozu's brain processing halted for approximately two seconds. Black hair. Red eyes. The name. "Oh my gosh, she's so cute!" Wait... does this mean that Aizawa-sensei or Mirko are a fan of... that?

She was broken out of her fandom-induced stupor by a uncharacteristic sound. Todoroki laughing. Everyone looked at him to find him chuckling at a box of Icy-Hot pads. When he noticed everyone staring, he shrugged. "It was amusing." He offered by way of explanation.

With the novelty of Kaguya's presence wearing off, eventually everyone arrived. Aizawa took his usual place at the front of the class, although his intimidation factor dropped by a factor of ten with his daughter in the harness. "Normally, we wouldn't be here." He stated plainly, "The summer training camp is designed to prepare you for the Provisional Hero License Exam, which you would typically not attempt until your second year." He was interrupted by Kaguya who reached for him and said something vaguely resembling dada. Aizawa wordless presented his pointer finger, which she clung to. Amid the inevitable chorus of awww from the girls, he pressed on. "But due to the fact that your class is a magnet for trouble, to the point where some of you cannot go anywhere without ending up in some sort of incident... Midoriya..."

Midoriya had the nerve to look innocent.

"Nezu has convinced the HPSC to allow you and 1-B to attempt the test this year. So you'll be doing the summer training camp to prepare. It's only rational."

Aizawa handed out packing lists -after a false start where he tried to hand Kaguya's bottle to Aoyama- and told them that the location would not be told to them or their parents until they were on the way there. When Iida questioned the logic of that choice, Aizawa answered with more candor than the rest of the class was used to. "To put it simply, security. To put it in more detail, given my status as the de facto Number One Underground Hero, I'm privy to certain details of intelligence regarding the various active villain groups. Should all of you pass the licensing exam, I intend for us to have monthly briefings on the matter. That way none of you are caught off guard when an ISP riot breaks out even though they haven't been overtly active for years."

"Those bastards are still around?"

Aizawa blinked. Out of everyone in the class, he did not expect Shoji of all people to respond with such vitriol, even if it was in reference to one of the most notorious villain organizations in recent memory.

"Language." Aizawa chastised, pointing to Kaguya.

"Sorry, Aizawa-sensei. But if it wasn't for the ISP then..."

"Wait, the who?" Sero asked.

"The Inhuman Supremacy Party." Maki said. "Effectively, they're the opposite number to the Creature Rejection Clan."

"Okay... so what makes them so bad?" Sato asked.

"I do not feel comfortable recounting their crimes in front of a toddler." Shoji said, "Needless to say, it is due to them and the CRC under Purity that anti-heteromorph and anti-mutant sentiment is so pervasive outside of the larger cities."

"Even then, there's still those same sentiments in the cities, the racists just can't get away with hate crimes." Tokoyami mused, "That's how... heinous the ISP's crimes are."

Midoriya went pale as he put his phone away. "I just... looked it up."

"Oh come on, it can't be that bad." Mineta said. Midoriya showed him what was on his phone. Mineta blanched. "I might be a perv, but at least I have standards!"

Aizawa sighed and put some earmuffs on Kaguya.

"Oh yeah?" Kirishima said, "What standards are those?"

"Consent."

One word. It was just one word, but the explanation it provided brought the mood down significantly.

Aizawa glanced at Midoriya and made a decision. It was only a matter of time before the secret of One For All leaked to the class. Teenagers were terrible at keeping secrets. When that time came, he resolved to let his students in on some other state secrets, namely the origins of the ISP. However, now was not the-

Kaguya succeeded in getting the earmuffs off and threw them to the ground. Instantly she began to cry. Everyone was dumbstruck to see her eyes flash red like Aizawa-sensei's did when he activated his Quirk. He took her out of the harness and tried to calm her. "Well, that's enough of that. You've got your marching orders." He turned his attention back to his daughter, "Ugh, I'm terrible at this." He attempted to rock her to get her to stop crying, to no success.

"Uh, Aizawa-sensei?" Midoriya asked, "Mind if I take a crack at it?"

Aizawa eyed Midoriya for a moment before relenting. "Fine." He was about to lecture him on how to hold her right, but decided otherwise when it became clear that Midoriya knew what he was doing. Somehow.

"I know, I know. Those earmuffs must have been super uncomfy." Midoriya said softly as he rocked Kaguya, "But your dad had to tell us about some super mean villains and didn't want to you to hear."

Uraraka looked over at Yaoyorozu and saw that she had become a real-life version of the ancient Concern meme. "You good, Yaomomo?"

"No." Yaoyorozu admitted after a moment, "My ovaries are exploding."

"Easy there, girl." Uraraka said as she checked her phone. "Oh, Mina wants us to go to the mall as a big group to buy all the stuff we don't have for the training camp in a couple days. Maki even got permission to come."

"Yes, that's fine." Yaoyorozu said, still lost in her Izuku is going to be an amazing father stupor. "Even though... if any CRC see Maki, we might have trouble."

"According to Tsu, he has blanket permission from Aizawa-sensei to fight in self-defense against CRC that try to take him-"

"Uraraka, look."

She followed her friend's pointer finger and say that Midoriya had handed Kaguya off to Bakugo. Within mere moments Uraraka joined Yaoyorozu, sitting in the desk next to her in the same position. She understood why Yaoyorozu was frozen in place. It was because they were both consumed by fantasies of their respective loved one being a good father.

"Yaoyorozu?"

"Yes, Uraraka?"

"Why is this like catnip?"

Yaoyorozu thought for a moment. "Yes."

Tomura Shigiraki walked into the bar. This was not an uncommon occurrence, given the League of Villains hideout was a bar. However, it was not this bar. He didn't particularly care what the name was, instead mentally assigning the name Seventh Heaven to it.

"Hey, buddy." The bartender said. His Quirk was readily apparent, some kind of armored scales were growing over the top of his skin, "What can I get you?"

Shigiraki froze for a second before remembering that he didn't have any of his hands on, which made him practically anonymous. The heroes had been stupid enough to have them as part of his description, so without them he went undetected, "Whiskey, on the rocks."

After he he had his drink, he sat at the bar, a couple stools down from his target. A man named Kazuo Tomita. Known to precious few as the QLF aligned villain, Mindtwister. If his long-term plans were to be successful, he needed this man -and his Quirk- on his side.

Mindtwister was dressed in a business suit and tie, which allowed him to maintain relative anonymity in a crowd. He wasn't a villain with the power to brainwash you after a few minutes of conversation! He was just another salaryman going to work. He was currently using said power on a man who was instantly recognizable thanks to his beard and mustache.

Thunderbolt.

"I didn't... I didn't mean to kill him..." The disgraced hero sobbed into his drink. "It was an accident!"

Mindtwister shook his head, "I know you can't be honest with me thanks to the HPSC, but at least be honest with yourself, Toyoda."

Shigiraki raised an eyebrow as he pondered his whiskey. It was a bold choice invoking a Pro Hero's real name in a conversation like this. Normally that would raise some red flags, but with Mindtwister's Quirk...

"I thought he was going for a gun..." Thunderbolt shook his head, his willpower barely holding.

Mindtwister took a sip of his drink. "You thought he was going for a gun." He repeated, "You can move at three hundred kilometers an hour, what danger is a gun to you?

Thunderbolt was forced to admit that Mindtwister was right. "None..."

Shigiraki finished off his drink and signaled the bartender for another. This was better melodrama than the average Metal Gear cutscene!

Mindtwister put his arm around Thunderbolt and leaned in conspiratorially, pantomiming another average guy in a bar hyping up a brother in a rut. "So, let me make sure I have the sequence of events right. Hisao Kondo -by all accounts, a good man, a Quirkless man pushed too far- steals a few thousand yen to pay for his ailing wife's medication, and you decide to pay him back by cracking open his skull with a punch, and letting the pavement finish the job."

Thunderbolt numbly agreed. "Yes... that's right."

Mindtwister continued driving in the proverbial stake. "And the cherry on top? While Hisao's wife goes on to lose their child during childbirth the next week, you don't lose your hero license, you aren't in Tartarus for using your Quirk to kill, and you're still the number five hero. That doesn't seem fair, does it?"

Shigiraki watched as the bartender began glaring at Thunderbolt. Apparently he had gotten hit with enough of Mindtwister's Quirk to start seeing things his way. Interesting.

Mindtwister decided the time had come or deliver the coup de grace. "The scales need to be balanced, Toyoda. A life for a life. You killed Hisao Kondo, so I think it's only fitting you equalize things." He took out his wallet and put some bills on the counter. "There, that should be enough to pay for your drinks and a rope to hang yourself with."

He got up and left, which meant it was time for Shigiraki to do the same. He paid for his drinks and followed Mindtwister out of the bar. After a few minutes of following him, Mindtwister glanced back and cracked a smile. He turned to Shigiraki. "Alright, that's enough pretense, don't you think?"

They were at a street corner like any other in Japan, and the night was clear but cool. "Sure." Shigiraki said, "You're Kazuo Tomita, the head of the intelligence arm of the QLF."

Mindtwister bowed his head. "Guilty as charged, I'm afraid. And you're Tomura Shigiraki. Leader of the League of Villains. What can I do for you this fine evening?"

Oh good, right to business. Now it was time to see if the dossier that Sensei had given him on Mindtwister was accurate. "I need you to bring as many people in both the QLF and CRC around to the idea of me completely taking over both factions as you can."

Mindtwister's expression remained the same, but there was a spark of avarice in his eyes. Shigiraki breathed an inward sigh of relief, this meant his intel was accurate. It also meant he was very grateful that he knew what Mindtwister's Quirk was, which meant he could simply choose to not let it affect him. "You're asking me to betray Eclipse? That's a dangerous game, Shigiraki."

Shigiraki smiled. "I'm used to dangerous games. I'm trying to kill All Might, after all."

Mindtwister's smile turned diabolical. "Well, if you're committed, then I'll do it. I have no loyalty to Eclipse or the QLF, and the chance to use my Quirk on so many people... especially those who think I'm their ally?" He shivered, but Shigiraki had a feeling that it had nothing to do with the weather.

Shigiraki handed Mindtwister a burner phone. "My number's in the contacts. Call me when it's done."

Mindtwister tossed him a lazy salute before disappearing into the night. Shigiraki took a deep breath and began the walk back to his hideout. Generals needed soliders, and now... given time, he would find himself with an army.

When Iida had asked her to arrive early to the class's outing at Mustafu Central Mall, Yaoyorozu had expected a normal meeting. They had been slacking on their class presidency meetings lately, ever since Hosu.

She did not expect him to confront her about her actions at I-Island.

"During the battle in the server room, you shot one of the villains after they surrendered." Iida said. It was clear that he was on the warpath and was possibly trying to overcompensate for his actions at Hosu by correcting any similar actions of his classmates. "This is a clear violation of the rules of engagement we must follow as heroes."

Yaoyorozu glanced around. No one was paying them much mind, so she met his accusation head on. "Don't be naive, Iida."

Iida shook his head in disbelief. "I beg your pardon?"

"That second villain had some sort of jamming tech or a technopath Quirk. We couldn't take the risk of him being conscious and able to attack the servers. I made the most rational decision."

"Rational- Aizawa-sensei would never condone that!"

Yaoyorozu folded her arms. "Iida, you know I'm taking extra lessons from him. When he debriefed me after the I-Island incident, he said that I acted correctly."

Iida shook his head, clearly vexed by something. "But I... that doesn't..."

Yaoyorozu laid a hand on her friend's shoulder. "Iida, I understand what you're trying to do. You're trying to keep the rest of the class from making the same mistakes you made at Hosu. But these are two completely different scenarios."

"I understand." Iida relented, "It was just similar enough to make me worry, I suppose. If you don't mind me asking, why are you taking extra lessons from Aizawa-sensei?"

Before Yaoyorozu could respond, she heard Midoriya call out to her. She and Iida turned to see a part of their class, including -among others- Midoriya, Bakugo, Uraraka, and Melissa.

"Ah. I believe that answers my question." Iida said to himself as he saw Yaoyorozu's face light up upon seeing Midoriya. His face did something similar upon seeing Melissa.

Before long almost the entire class had shown up, except for Todoroki. He wanted to take the opportunity to visit his mother before the training camp.

Everyone quickly broke into groups to buy what they needed. Said groups happened to be composed of who everyone wanted to spend more time with by sheer coincidence. Midoriya on the other hand, decided to go off on his own.

"Are you sure?" Yaoyorozu asked, "It's not like we don't have time."

"Yeah, I'm sure." Midoriya said, "The store that I've got to go for my wrist and ankle weights is at the other end of the mall. I don't want to drag Kaminari and Jiro along to listen to me debate which ones to buy for at least twenty minutes." He smiled and rubbed the back of his neck, "Besides, what's the worst that could happen?"

Had Iida not been distracted by Melissa needling him about the chaotic melodrama of Gundam Wing, he would've given Midoriya a stern lecture about tempting Murphy's Law.

Yaoyorozu gave him a flat look. "I swear to God, Izuku. If you get attacked by a villain, I'm going to have you start carrying a GPS tracker."

He darted in and kissed her on the cheek. "I love you too, Momo." Before she could react, he slipped into the crowd and went on his way.

He made it about halfway to the sporting goods store when he was accosted by someone in a black hoodie. "Hey, don't I know you from somewhere?" The man threw his arm around Midoriya's shoulder as if they were friends.

Why does this guy's voice sound so familiar? "Uh, well I go to UA so..."

"Oh, the Sports Festival! You're the one that busts up his arms while he fights, right? Wait..." The stranger's grip on Midoriya got tighter, and he laughed, "You're Mister Miracle, right? The hero that defeated the Hero Killer?"

Midoriya turned and looked at the man in the face for the first time and saw none other than Tomura Shigiraki.

Heedless of the fear spreading across Midoriya's face, Shigiraki continued. "I think you and I need to have a little chat." His hand moved to grip Midoriya's neck, with one finger lifted to keep his Quirk from activating. "If you try to run, or try to fight back, your throat will be ash. After that, I'll start killing as many people as I can here." He laughed, and to Midoriya it was the most insidious sound he had heard. "You want to keep them safe, right hero?"

Midoriya swallowed. His best option to keep himself, his friends, and everyone at the mall safe was to play along and do what Shigiraki wanted him to do. "Alright. Lead the way."

Shigiraki lead them to a nearby bench that was off in a more secluded area of the mall, off of the main thoroughfare. After they had sat down, Midoriya decided to take a chance. "Please let go of my neck, I'm doing what you want."

Shigiraki glared at him for a moment before relenting. He released Midoriya, eliciting a gasp from the boy. "Fine, guess it'd be pretty hard to have a chat when I'm constantly doing an intimidate check."

Midoriya stayed silent. What did this villain want to talk about that he'd risk going out in broad daylight?

"You know, you've been a real pain in my ass, Midoriya." Shigiraki said, "First, you save All Might at the USJ, and then Hosu..." he scratched at his neck before stopping himself. "Hosu was supposed to be a victory for me, look at the chaos! Look at these monsters that obliterated our heroes! But then you stopped the Hero Killer and it was all anyone could talk about!"

Is that it? He's mad about being upstaged?

"What I can't understand is why." Shigiraki said, "You see, Sensei has been very forthcoming with information about you. I know all about you, your past... and how you got your Quirk."

There was no one else in earshot, so Midoriya decided not to be evasive. "You mean All For One don't you? He's the only person that would ally with you that knows about that."

Shigiraki grunted in response, "Yeah, yeah. Congrats, you get a S-Rank. What I don't get about you is why you're going along with the status quo. I know you see the cracks in the wall of society, especially where the Quirkless are concerned. So why go along with it?"

Midoriya frowned. "I know our society has problems. Discrimination against heteromorphs, against those with villainous Quirks, the Quirkless... but that doesn't give me the right to trample over people just trying to live their lives. So, yeah. Maybe from your perspective I'm just another thin coat of paint over the problems. But I'm going to become a hero like All Might so that-"

"That's the problem!" Shigiraki said, "All Might! He has all this power, but he does nothing with it! He pays lip service, saying all these wonderful things, that he cares about all of the people on the fringes- But it's just a fucking lie!"

Midoriya immediately jumped to his mentor's defense. "That's not true!"

"You've stopped thinking for yourself, Midoriya!" Shigiraki snapped, "With all of his power and influence, All Might could easily say corrupt heroes should give up their licenses. But he doesn't! He doesn't say a damn thing about any of us who actually need a hero! There's no reason why he couldn't just force people into line, to force them to stop discriminating, but he doesn't. Because he's a sham."

Midoriya was speechless, because he knew firsthand what kind of power All Might had, and knew that Shigiraki was right. Sort of. It would be so easy for All Might to start weighing in on politics. On speaking of these issues directly. Or to compel people to change. But down that path led nothing but desolation, despotism, and tyranny. That was not what One For All was supposed to be used for. "I don't believe that. All Might always means what he says, every single word. I'll agree with you that society needs to change, but how you want to do it is wrong. Killing All Might, attacks like Hosu.." Midoriya shook his head. "No. That isn't the way. I choose to see the best in people while you only see the worst. I'll show them the way forward through my example and ideals, by giving them hope." He looked Shigiraki in the eyes, "Not by plunging their lives into chaos!"

Midoriya nearly yelped when Shigiraki shoved his hand up against his face, just a hair's breadth away from touching him. "Give me one reason why I shouldn't just kill you right now."

Midoriya decided to make a gamble based on Shigiraki's constant references. "Because I'm your final boss, and you're mine. This is just the tense cutscene where we have our first confrontation after our initial battle."

Shigiraki put his hand down. "Well, when you put it like that..." He began laughing maniacally, calming down only because he didn't want anyone else to hear him. Then he got up and began to leave. "Alright then, Mister Miracle. You're my nemesis now. Next time we meet, I'm coming right for you." He pulled his hood up and looked back at Midoriya, "Tell the heroes I was here or don't. It won't matter."

After Shigiraki turned the corner, Midoriya immediately pulled out his phone and went to the Secret Cabal group chat -Nezu had changed the name back again- and typed two words.

Emergency meeting.

Yaoyorozu looked at her phone. She saw Midoriya's initial text and explanation of the situation.

"I literally cannot take him anywhere."

Jiro turned to her as they walked out of the shoe store with their new hiking shoes carried by Kaminari. "What did Midoriya do this-"

An announcement blared over the loudspeaker that a villain was in the shopping mall, and to evacuate in an orderly fashion or to shelter in place of that wasn't possible.

"It's only been fifteen minutes!" Jiro said.

Yaoyorozu sighed. "I know."

Nezu slammed the giant red button next to his seat in the conference room and shouted its label. "Emergency meeting!"

It didn't actually do anything, but it provided a bit of levity in dark times. Across the table, Inspector Tsukauchi looked like he was aging years by the minute. Aizawa wasn't much better. The teacher took a deep breath before he spoke. "Midoriya. When I singled you out as one of the members of the class that attracts trouble, that was supposed to be a joke. Not a challenge."

"Mirko thinks it's hilarious, doesn't she?" All Might asked weakly.

Aizawa facedesked in response.

"I'm sorry." Midoriya said, "If I had been able to escape from Shigiraki I would have, but he-"

"Had you by the neck." Tsukauchi said bluntly. "We've already gone over your statement. That's what I want to talk about."

"What do you mean?" Inko asked.

Tsukauchi stood up. "While Shigiraki didn't give any sort of concrete details like locations or numbers of League of Villains, he did reveal much pertaining to his motives and state of mind."

"Summarize please." Nezu said.

Tsukauchi sighed. Nezu's sociopathic side meant that he often missed things based on emotions or human nature. "In my professional opinion, I believe that it would be accurate to describe Tomura Shigiraki as a dark mirror of Midoriya."

"That sounds like something out of a Shonen battle anime." Aizawa said.

"But not inaccurate." All Might said, "When you break it down, Izuku and Shigiraki have the same ideals -wanting to save people they believe are in need of saving- it's just that their methods are vastly different."

After a brief moment of silence, Inko checked her phone. "Izuku, Yaoyorozu needs to know if you want your GPS tracker in a necklace or a bracelet."

Midoriya did a double take. "Wait, she was serious?"

"Very."

"It's not a terrible idea." Aizawa said, "If she wasn't suggesting it, I would be after today."

All Might nodded, "I agree, the problem is that anything like that would get obliterated at higher levels of One For All. Now, if I remember correctly, Melissa has been working on a digestible GPS tracker. It stays in your system for about a week. You'd have to take It ahead of time but..."

Midoriya relented. "Yeah, okay. That's better than the alternative."

Tsukauchi decided to ask despite his misgivings. "What do you think the alternatives would be?"

Midoriya looked at the inspector with a thousand-yard stare. "Momo's friends with Jiro. I guarantee that she suggested a collar."

Tsukauchi got up and left without saying another word.

Aizawa loudly cleared his throat. "On that note, I would like to propose that we switch locations for the Training Camp."

All Might raised an eyebrow, "What's wrong with Gang Orca's base of operations?"

"Call me paranoid." Aizawa said, "Besides, if my students are to go Plus Ultra, they need to be truly challenged. I want the Wild Wild Pussycats."

Midoriya felt a shiver run down his spine.

"Very well." Nezu said, "I will make the arrangements. Anything else?"

Aizawa hunched over the table. "There is one concern. The update to the itinerary be sent to the e-mail of all the partners automatically. If any are spying for All For One, then they will have a day's head start."

"That shouldn't be a problem." All Might said, "All For One doesn't make a move unless he has planned out at least five different contingencies. The location switch alone will probably delay an attack at the very least."

"Delay it how long?" Inko asked.

All Might scratched at yeh side of his nose. "It's hard to say, but in this scenario... I think it'll buy us a week."

"Which is exactly how long the training camp is in session for!" Midoriya said.

"Perfect!" Nezu said, "With that, this meeting of the secret cabal is adjourned!"

"Nezu..." All Night grumbled.

"You'll never take me alive!"

Midoriya looked at his phone. He couldn't believe his eyes. "All Might, check the news. Thunderbolt's dead. Apparently, he killed himself."

All Might and Aizawa looked at the Hero Network. They looked at each other in disbelief. There was no way that Thunderbolt would ever consider that, corrupted hero or not.

So, what really happened?

All For One sighed, "I am beginning to lose my patience, Tohru."

"It's the truth!" Tohru Yaoyorozu said, panic seeping into his voice, "They haven't given anyone the location of the training camp yet!"

All For One leaned forward in his chair, "If you do not provide me with the information I've requested, then I'll activate your failure clause, and your daughter will be an orphan. Is that what you want?"

Tohru's blood ran cold. "No, I'll-"

His notification for a new message dinged. He checked it. It contained the entire itinerary for the training camp.

"You just got the location, didn't you, Tohru?"

He hung his head. "Yes. Nagano Prefecture. The Beast's Forest."

"Ah, the Wild Wild Pussycats' base of operations. I see. Thank you, Tohru. Unfortunately, due to the particulars of this operation, I will not be able to guarantee your daughter's safety. But if she's as capable as you think, that shouldn't be a problem, yes?"

Tohru was speechless, a look of sheer horror etched across his face. The whole reason he'd been leaking information was to protect Momo, but now...

"That's right, Tohru. You're no longer a panicked father doing his best to protect his daughter. You're a villain now." A wicked grin spread across his face, "And you're mine."

All For One hung up.

Tohru Yaoyorozu wept out of fear for what destruction his actions would cause and the knowledge that his daughter would be right in the middle of it.

A/N: And so, the past wielders of One For All are revealed. Fun fact, the second and third wielders don't have canon names that I could find, so I went with them calling themselves by which wielder they are. It works.

Izuku is not doing so hot in the mental health department. He might not... exactly have PTSD, but he's definitely having panic attacks. (Remember I-Island?) Also, underneath the smiles, wholesomeness, and slight slant towards chaos, Izuku is a bundle of rage. His saving grace is that he doesn't like to embrace it. Expect this to be explored soon.

Muscular: Why do I hear boss music?

And finally, Aizawa and Mirko's daughter is revealed! And she's adorable! Also, Yaoyorozu and Uraraka go a little baby crazy. It's fine.

Yes, the Inhuman Supremacy Party is the Worst. I don't think I need to explain more on that point. More will be revealed about them later.

And as is tradition, Thunderbolt dies. In a way that particularly sucks. So, here's how Mindtwister's Quirk works. It's called Charisma. As long as he's talking to someone who doesn't know what his Quirk is, he can bring them around to his way of thinking in a few minutes of conversation. If you know what his Quirk is, you choose whether or not his Quirk affects you.

And Shigiraki's true plans for the CRC and QLF are revealed. Co-opt as much of their organizations as possible under the League of Villains.

Iida means well, but he's got the tunnel vision again. While what Yaoyorozu did is technically illegal, no court in the land would convict her after learning the context of the situation.

Izuku and Tomura. Hope versus Chaos. I always felt like canon should've leaned more into how Shigiraki could be considered a dark mirror of Midoriya. If you're picking up Amuro and Char vibes from them, that's by design. Their ideals are more or less the same, but their methods... well...

Who do you think would do a colony drop? Midoriya or Shigiraki?

Tsukauchi is Done With This Nonsense. So is Aizawa. Nezu thinks it's hilarious. All is right with the world.

Tohru is realizing that when you make a deal with the devil, it doesn't matter how many conditions or protections you add to the contract, the devil still owns your soul. In the coming chapters, when he sees what he believes to be the consquences of his actions (Kamino Ward) he will act rashly. And it will not end well.

Maybe even trip that Failure Clause that All For One mentioned...

But that's for another time. Next chapter is the training camp, and the attack on the training camp.