Chapter 50: Exegol: Beginning.

Izuku wasn't happy. Yes, Monoma was an ass. Yes, he enjoyed slapping him with an otter and then beating him with an equivalent quirk to hammer the fact Izuku was superior to him. Still, he didn't wish for him to be kidnapped by some kind of weird crime lord. How did he know that? Because he heard what happened from people in the restaurant and the fact Atsuhiro wasn't as stealthy as he thought he was when Nedzu and co-called him at home.

As a result, Izuku had managed to eavesdrop on a few elements, such as the kidnapping thing, the fact it was most likely targeted, and the fact no one had a concrete lead on where the blond dumbass was.

However, Izuku had one lead. One hope to find Monoma.

He opened the door to the Den of the Drake, before sitting in front of Tomura who was shuffling his deck with a lot of thought of his own.

—--

"MACHIA?! THE CRC WILL GET MACHIA?!"

Tomura was frantically panicking when Kurogiri announced the news to the LoV. Yes, he couldn't help them physically per All For One's orders. However, he could always drop some intel by mistake to them.

Quickly, all members of the LoV observed their usually calm and collected leader going into full crisis mode, exactly like when Nejire invited him to a surprise date.

Except this time, it was way less funny.

"Indeed, young Tomura. It is because Purifier managed to bring excellent intel to Sensei about some of his family's whereabouts."

Tomura managed to calm down a little when Loony kicked him in the jaw to snap him out of his shock, while the various' spies in the LoV (which meant every member except Loony) took notes of that: All For One had a family and apparently cared for them a lot.

"...Sensei gives boons to people bringing intel on his family?" Tomura was interested because he knew that part of this strange war he suddenly had to wage on the other groups was because he displeased Sensei.

"Only on missing members. As far as I know, there are only two people on that list: His granddaughter, Eri, and his grandson." Kurogiri explained while pouring for the oldest members of the LoV and Loony a small beer.

"Could bringing one to him persuade him to stop this war?" Tomura knew he couldn't fight Machia as it was pretty much the ultimate Noumu one could hope to see. Even with Dabi and Twice combo, they would probably only dent him. Hell, if he was right about the reasons why Machia was created, it would be even less effective than trying to punch him with All Might's quirk.

"Why… Yes, of course," Kurogiri answered with a smile, "However, you have to be careful. The young Eri is currently protected by a lot of heroes. Even Sensei is carefully planning how to rescue her."

"And the grandson?" Tomura asked, curious.

"Well, if you can bring the young student hero student "Joker" peacefully, I can safely say Sensei could probably hug you and reinstate your status as an heir and make everyone stop their attack." Kurogiri knew his Master's plan. Parts of him were trying to manipulateTomura both to protect him and also because he knew All For One managed to win because he forced everyone to walk to his beat.

Bringing Izuku early could throw a wrench inside his carefully made machine.

Tomura paled when he heard what Kurogiri said. Izuku. Sensei's grandson. On the one hand, it made sense. His absurd quirk was probably the result of both the remains of One For All inside their family tree (the Shimura's) and of a mutation of All For One, the father of all collecting quirk.

Could it be that Endgame was about releasing the collective imaginative strength of Mankind through one of its oldest mediums, cards?

That was Tomura's current theory but it still didn't calm his inner turmoil.

Turmoils no one missed in the group. After all, some of them had met Izuku already and knew he was Joker…

"... He would be safe, right?"

"My dear Tomura. Nothing is more important to Sensei than Family." Kurogiri assured his charge, kindly.

Still, Tomura balanced himself on his chair. Somehow he had a bad feeling about this.

—--

Shouto wasn't having a good morning and he wasn't sure his afternoon was going to be stellar either. First off, he actually missed Bakugou's presence. He was, after all, one of the first true friends he ever got.

He was abrasive and angry and sometimes it turned it on turbo. On the other hand, if you ever needed to speak, he was there to give you his advice (which often could be summarized as "kick the son of a bitch"). If you needed help, he was also there (and it once again could be resumed as "kick the son of a bitch").

Izuku was nice too, though. They simply bonded less.

No, really, the reason why Shouto was currently extremely lost in his own thoughts was because of the latest fallout he heard between his father and his mother.

—--

"So what, you are planning to run away from your responsibility, again?!" Rei wasn't happy at all with Enji, as the ice coming out of her was a good hint.

"All I am saying is that literally, the less they see me, the better they would be." Endeavor said calmly, using his quirk with calm and precision to heat it to the perfect temperature. Perfect.

"If you do that, all that will achieve is cementing you as the bad parent!" Rei pointed out, which made Enji raise an eyebrow.

"... Because I am not?"

"If you don't try to be a better one…"

"Rei, I have no fucking clue on how to be a good father. As far as I can tell, the last months of me being away from them made wonders for the kids." Enji correctly pointed, even if you could detect a hint of sadness in his voice.

Rei, in fact, was worried about the situation. Ever since her discussion with Burnin', she paid a lot more attention to Enji and noticed worrying signs. He was still determined but he wasn't burning with energy like before. It was more like the embers you used to cook: hot, durable, but they didn't shine as hard as they used and you would fear they would die out without anyone noticing.

"So, your solution is to leave me to be the good parent and just… go away?"

"... When weren't you the good one?" Enji pointed out with a sigh, "I was always the one to yell after them. I was always the one to slap their hand from the hot kettle, remember."

Some ice almost pulverized the door behind him, as Rei was actually angrier than before.

"Are you saying that I left you with that job?"

Enji tilted his head.

"... Wasn't that my job from the start? I was the bad one with feeling, and you were the one with empathy."

"Enji…"

"Please, Rei. Literally one of the first things you said to me when we met at the hospital was about my father. We both know you weren't speaking about Nedzu," Endeavor pointed out in a way too soft voice. Apparently, he had lost too many hopes during the last months, "You were always the good parent."

He left unsaid the fact he was always going to be the cursed one. The angry one. The villainous one.

"Even with Touya, I was the one who had to physically stop him from hurting Shouto, remember?"

"I didn't have the strength…" Rei tried to defend herself but was met with a chuckle.

"Not strong enough? Rei. Don't make me laugh. Had you decided to be in the field, you would probably be among the top 5 heroes in sheer power. I know you began to teach Shouto how to make more precise forms with ice, don't say you don't have control on it."

Rei's strength had been literally one of the reasons he fell in love with her.

"If you had wanted to stop Touya, even once, when he was younger, you could have. You simply didn't want to."

A pin could be heard dropping when Enji said that, and his tea exploded in ice.

"YOU DARE?!" Rei yelled, before she continued, "I was a fool to think you could be someone better than your father!"

"OF COURSE I DARE!" Finally, Enji yelled, in front of her "BECAUSE YOU AND I BOTH KNOW IT IS THE TRUTH! But it was easier to let the son of the devil do the bad work." Enji said getting up and going to the door.

"Enji that's not what I…" Rei realizing what she just said to him tried to get back on her word. How did it go from her trying to convince him to have another chance at her actually throwing such things at him?

"That's what everyone thinks anyway. Literally. Hell, did you know the only chart I get number 1 is for villainous-looking heroes?" Endeavor chuckled at the thought, "I don't blame you Rei. You should enjoy being a good mom. I will take all the blame because we both know that I deserve it and I was always supposed to do that. Also, thank you. For allowing me to think I could be normal a long time ago."

Rei stayed silent, wondering what to do. Enji was… Turning bad.

—--

After the Exegol Crisis.

"And you didn't notice he was actually falling into depression?!" Nedzu was yelling at Gomesu Shinso when he learned about that discussion from a devastated Rei.

"He was excellent at hiding it! How was I supposed to guess what he was telling people in private?! Yes, my quirk allows me to let their true feelings come out… But it is not perfect. Not to mention his previous GODDAMN BRAINWASHING!"

Nedzu growled uncharacteristically from him.

"... But now it is too late to guess or blame anyone." Nedzu said, as a screen behind him showed the current hero ranking. "Or even ask him."

Endeavor's name wasn't on the leaderboard.

—--

Back to the present.

Shouto heard everything because at that moment, he was going to give a report and a coffee to Burnin. It was too late to get out of the way and he simply erased his presence.

It didn't improve his mood. Especially as he was thinking he was also useless most of the time. Like, if he had accepted to go on I-Island, Katsuki would still have his arm.

So, Shouto did the only thing he could do. He accepted Izuku's request to be his Bakugou. It should occupy his afternoon quietly.

—--

"Tomura!/Izuku!"

Both stared at each other and chuckled even with their burdens. It was always fun how synchronized they were.

Tomura nodded in Izuku's direction, to tell him to go first.

"... I need to ask you for a favor." Izuku explained and used a card. It was a bubble, which enveloped them and stopped all noise from being heard. Sure, it was Friday afternoon and basically, except the shop owner, no one was there.

Izuku still didn't want to take any risks.

"... I am listening." Tomura knew he had a favor to ask Izuku too. One that could put him in danger. It was the very least he could do, to let him ask first for a favor.

"...We both know you are the heir of a bad guy. A kind of a mob boss."

Ah shit. It was true. Izuku analyzed him a few months ago and they had an unspoken agreement to not speak too much about it.

"...Yeees, some kind of mob boss. Why?" It was a fucking understatement. All For One was the mob boss of the mob bosses.

"I need information on a kidnapped friend and the heroes don't have a fucking clue." So he was taking the investigation in his hands. Izuku fought Class S villains and helped repel other villain attacks recently. He could do this.

Hell, he wasn't an idiot, and his current decks were packing so much firepower it would probably make the government scared if they knew what he had.

"... I… Might introduce you to him." Tomura said. Technically, he knew All For One wanted to meet Izuku. So, he could arrange the meeting, let both of them meet quietly and nothing bad would happen. That way, everyone won! Perfect! He loved when something actually went his way.

"... Seriously? You think he might know something?" Izuku was curious but reassured when Tomura nodded his head. His older friend was weird but reliable.

"... I just want you to swear the usual thing. Secrecy, etc…" Tomura said while considering his next steps. Kurogiri was unavailable for today. He was to bring Purifier to Machia and it was in a place where there was no signal to avoid any kind of detection. As a result, he was going to go there… On foot. Fuck.

Izuku nodded frantically.

"Anything I should know?"

"Be extremely polite when you are speaking with him. Sensei is someone who likes to be respected. He is, as far as I know, the oldest Japanese criminal alive. Dawn of quirk old." Tomura said seriously. He wanted to impress Izuku who actually whistled at the idea. Damn. A longevity quirk, probably?

"Damn. That… He might actually know something."

Tomura almost wanted to say that as far as he knew, Sensei had the teen Izuku was looking for in his basement.

"I will make the call. Also, Izuku? Don't worry. No matter what happens… I will make sure you are safe." Tomura promised, seriously.

Sensei was his adopted family.

Izuku was his actual, biological family. According to Sensei's own rules, it was his duty to make sure he would be safe, through and through.

—--

"I swear on all KAMIS THAT I KNOW, if this is another SCAM CALL, I WILL DISSECT…"

"Sensei, it's me. Tomura."

This calmed All For One enough, despite being interrupted while watching his favorite show. All For One grumbled.

"... I thought I revoked your call privilege unless it was an emergency?"

"I wish to bring Izuku Sako to your house. He wants to meet you. It would be a peaceful lmeeting."

Tomura had All For One's irritation but now, he had his interest. Maybe he wasn't useless after all.

"...Seriously? Does he know… Me?"

"He simply knows you are influential, old, and on the other side of the law."

"...Good enough. I will wait for you at Exegol. You know the house."

The call ended. Tomura felt relieved as he could feel Sensei's happiness. So far… So good.

Now, time to plan for a backup.

All For One always had a backup plan.

—--

Both teens arrived in front of the house, after a moment on the train. Izuku whistled when he saw the old individual house, close to a small manor. It was in one of the quietest wards of Japan. Literally one of the places where you would expect less of a crime boss to live… Unless of course, he was old, like this Sensei.

Tomura made sure his clothes were okay and looked at Izuku.

"Remember. You are polite. You don't speak unless spoken to first. Call him Sensei unless he says otherwise."

Izuku nodded, nervous by the idea of meeting such a secretive villain, simply thanks to playing card games. Life is strange, sometimes.

Then, the door opened, and a man without a face except a wide smile appeared in its frame. The man was actually quite huge and he beamed with joy.

"Tomura! Izuku! I was waiting for you, kids! Come inside, I have some sodas for you!"

Izuku stared at Tomura, wondering if it was a very elaborate prank but Tomura's face sold to Izuku; he actually didn't know what was going on either.

"It is… Sensei?"

"Yes. Yes, he is."

Both teens entered the house and All For One closed the door, grinning like the happiest grandpa in the world.

—--

"So you are Izuku Sako, right ? Formerly Midoriya? I watched your Sports Festival." All For One said, sitting on his life support seat once again. He could only get away from it for a few minutes after all.

"Yes, sir… Sensei?" Izuku couldn't say why but the voice seemed… Familiar. From a very distant past. It had a kindness, a warmth he was sure he knew but didn't know from where exactly.

"Tomura, please. The drinks." All For One commanded. He wanted to speak to Izuku, alone. Tomura almost said something but Sensei raised his hand. He was commanding a servant after all. Not a son.

Tomura must have felt that, as he closed his mouth and rose up. He had to obey quietly. He went to the kitchen, silently, leaving a fidgeting Izuku with an immortal, almost all-powerful villain.

"So… Izuku. Tomura told me you wanted to ask me something." All For One said, wondering how he was going to explain everything to Izuku, quietly.

"Ah, yes, Sensei, I want…"

"Call me, Seikyo, little one. You have that right." All For One said, wondering if Izuku would remember the name.

"Thanks, mister Seikyo. I am looking for a friend that was kidnapped on I-Island. We don't even know if he is alive." Izuku pointed out, while actually trying to look at any escape route.

"Oh, he is definitely alive. Monoma, right?" All For One said, to Izuku's horror, who understood he was actually speaking to the mastermind of the attack, "He amuses me daily. Do… Do you want him as a gift? I can make him a Noumu specialized to protect you! I wonder if I can let him keep his mind" Seikyo wondered aloud, scratching his chin.

"... Holy f…" Izuku suddenly had a better idea of what kind of monster was in front of him. Affable but evil, loving every second of it.

"Language, young man." Seikyo said with a smile, as Tomura brought the refreshments. He seemed shaken too.

"... You are the one who kidnapped Monoma… Attacked I-Island…" Izuku was quite impressed, and suddenly, he was thankful for a card he took for this scenario. "Hoshu…"

"My villain name is All For One. Nice to meet you, Izuku. Or should I say…" All For One chuckled, and put his hand on Izuku's head, who was sweating bullets, same for Tomura, "It has been far too long, my little Rey."

Izuku blue screened at that moment, as his grandpa patted him kindly.

He looked at the potato man, the evil man because of whom his best friend lost his arm.

"... Grandpa?" Izuku asked, with a trembling voice. His grandpa. The man he and his mom thought was dead long ago. His grandpa was angry at his father for leaving them. The one whose inheritance allowed Inko to not exhaust herself at work.

"Little Rey…" All For One had a warmth in his voice that was real, Tomura couldn't help to notice. One he never had with him.

All For One pulled in a hug his grandson, happy to be able to. It was so good. So warm. He had waited so long for that. He couldn't see but he could feel.

Seikyo was an evil overlord but he adored having his family close to him.

Izuku was still part frightened, part wondering what the fuck was happening, and also… part happy. Then he suddenly had a realization that angered him.

"... Grandpa? Is my nickname a reference to Rey Sky…"

"She is a fucking Palpatine. Also, I love Star Wars."

Izuku had disbelief in his eyes and wanted to punch him in the face. He was nicknamed after a Mary Sue!

"Oh, you mother…"

"Anyway. I am not kidding. I am willing to give you this Monoma. I already have what I want from him." All for One explained while he stopped the hug, "Sorry for leaving you and your mom. However, it was necessary to protect you from my activities."

Izuku sat down while drinking his coke and looking at Tomura, who fidgeted a bit about the situation.

"Did you know about that? That he is my grandfather I meant."

"I had suspicions since a week ago." Tomura answered truthfully. He stared at All For One, who smiled at him.

"Tomura is one of my possible heirs. However, unlike the others who aren't truly on my radar, I love him as much as whisky."

Tomura smiled warmly at his mentor.

"Thank you Sensei. Anything else?"

"Not for now… Oh, right. If you can bring the young Monoma to the Doctor so he can be prepared? Protocole B."

Protocole A was to simply dispose of the body. B was to free him after turning him into a mole. He wouldn't let such an opportunity go to waste after all.

Tomura nodded and went out, quietly and without a word.

"So… Izuku. Let's talk a bit. Do you want to know something ?"

Izuku was still sweating when All For One spoke. He was speaking to someone that could launch a terrorist attack to kidnap someone. Wolfram, who was the most powerful villain he knew, with Moonfish, obeyed him.

Wolfram… He was friends with his dad.

All For One who was his father's dad.

Izuku remembered his discussion with the master of magnetism.

"I was a good friend of your father. He would have hated it if I hurt you, even for work."

Izuku noticed something. For the first time in as long as he could remember… This was the nicest thing someone said about his dad. This made him both curious and angry.

"Yes, that's why he left us when he learned I was quirkless."

This comeback made Wolfram sneer, nostalgic, "Yes, sure, let's go with that as the reason he left you and Inko…"

*

"..Grandpa? Why… Why did my father leave us?"

All For One tensed up. Oh shit, he knew he was forgetting something. All For One coughed a bit and Izuku had a big doubt about what happened.

Something that made him suddenly realize that his supposed safety thanks to being family was most likely an illusion.

"Listen, Izuku. Your father was…"

"Wolfram mentioned they were coworkers." Izuku knew when someone was trying to bullshit him and he was calculating in his mind. His own quirk didn't make sense if you simply followed his mom's line. What about his father's line?

What was All For One's quirk?

"...Goddamnit, Wolfram. Always with your nostalgia," All For one sighed, before joining his hands together, " Your father worked for me. Then he betrayed me."

Izuku felt as if he took a gut punch. His father… Didn't leave because he hated him? It was to run away from his father?

His grandpa ordered a hit on his father?

Izuku looked in horror at his grandpa who was disappointed.

"Izuku. Don't do something idiotic. Do you know why All-Might's activity declined for the last five years ?"

Izuku didn't and All For One explained quietly.

"I am why. I almost killed him. I am strong enough to have ripped one of his lungs and his stomach. He then put me in this seat by sheer luck. He would tell you the same thing if he was honest." All For One inhaled hard in his life support mask… "Izuku. I am All For One. The last SSS class Villain in the world," All For One touched his life support seat, silently, "I don't want to hurt you."

But I will if I am forced to.

Those were the words that went unsaid.

Izuku gulped and touched his sacrifice deck, in his secret pouch in his pants. 40 cards of various power cards. He was… in danger.

"Did my father love me? Or did he try to protect me by messing up my memory?" He had to know. He wanted to know. More than Monoma or anything else. He wanted an answer.

"Izuku… Don't do something stupid. I am warning you because we are family." All For One groaned, the tension building up.

"He left us because he feared you would kill us by mistake. Wasn't it?"

"Hisashi had his faults but he was a loving father." All For One knew trying to lie would aggravate the situation. He didn't want that.

Izuku kept his hand from his pants, seemingly calmer..

"... Now why All Might, who is knowingly one of the kindest heroes in the world, tried to kill you? He is one of the few heroes who has a kill count below five."

…Was Izuku aware of Nana's relationship with All-Might? All For One sighed.

"I am the biggest bad guy in the world, Izuku. For a hero like All Might, it is basically slaying the demon king. Now, listen to me. I am happy for you, that you want to be a hero. You aren't the first one in our family. In fact you remind me a lot of my little brother," All For One also learned a lot from Yoichi and knew the Vault was an option only if he cryogenized those inside, "However, I want you to be also by my side. Imagine the greatest trickery: you and me. You would be the new symbol of peace, making sure society is stable. I would be the one reigning on the underground."

"That peace would be… Smoke and mirrors." Izuku pointed out, with all the idealism of a teen.

"... It always is. Besides, I have already won Izuku. Literally. Other players don't know it but we are in my endgame," All For One didn't say it was thanks to Izuku though, "They will either submit, join me or die. I am going to be honest. Most of them are going to die anyway. However, if you join me… I accept to spare some. Your friends. Your class." All For One had all of his attention on Izuku. Having him willingly by his side would be the most perfect situation.

"What about Tomura?" Izuku asked. He was like a big dumb brother to him after all.

This actually made All For One groan.

"Tomura was a plan to fuck with All Might. Him fighting All Might, who would potentially maim his mentor's grandson. I found that poetic. Especially after I made him disintegrate his fam… I am oversharing again, am I?" Izuku nodded as his grandpa groaned.

…Izuku stayed silent and pulled his emergency "The situation is fucked up, Nedzu is on cocaine and All Might revealed to be a villain" card.

"Grandpa. Tomura is also my cousin. You killed my father. You won't kill anyone else in my family."

Izuku dropped in front of a horrified All For One the strongest card he had on him.

—--

Shouto was outside of the building, with a sandwich. Thanks to Endeavor, he actually knew how to tail someone without being seen. He was actually pretty good at it.

His role, according to Izuku's plan, was to call an adult if the situation became dangerous.

Shouto's cue that the situation went so far south it went back to the North pole, was when something inconceivable happened.

The peaceful serenity of the traditional bad guy's house was shattered as the ground shook violently, causing the walls to rattle and the roof to creak. Suddenly, the entire structure lifted off its foundation, as if being uprooted by an unseen force.

As the dust settled, a massive figure could be seen emerging from the ruins of the house. Its scaly skin was dark and rough, and its long tail thrashed about, causing further destruction on the road, not far from Shouto who only barely dodged.

As it stepped forward, its sheer size was breathtaking, towering over the surrounding trees and buildings. Its massive jaws opened wide, revealing rows of sharp teeth and a menacing roar that echoed for miles around.

"SKREEEEEEEEEEEEEEOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOONK!"

The people nearby ran in terror, not daring to face the creature that had just emerged from the once peaceful house.

It was none other than the legendary monster, Godzilla, the Primeval Champion, who had been resting in the depths of the earth, only to awaken and wreak havoc on the unsuspecting world once more.

Or he was summoned by a very angry teen to deliver justice on his evil grandpa.

"... I am calling Dad."

Shouto said as he composed the number as fast as he could.

—--

All For One expected many things from Izuku. His fighting was sadly one of them. Godzilla wasn't.

Izuku's angry face also told him everything he needed to know about how serious Izuku was about the whole thing.

"GODZILLA! STOMP HIM!"

The Monster had the weird impulse to obey this weak human… But only once. However, he was all too happy to oblige.

All For One then sighed.

"Oh Izuku… Your quirk is wonderful and it was a good idea. However, you are thinking too small."

All For One when Tomura told him he was bringing Izuku, activated his plan for if he got hands on Izuku's quirk.

As a result, his chair/throne/life support had cards in a secret compartment.

All For One activated five of them. Five cards.

One Legendary Monster.

Godzilla stopped his powerful stomp, as every cell of his was suddenly telling him danger was coming.

A sudden gust of wind swept through the area, causing trees to sway and debris to scatter. Then, in a blinding flash of light, a massive figure appeared, standing tall and proud in front of the legendary monster, as a portal opened a rift in reality itself.

It was Exodia, the Forbidden One, its towering form was clad in gold and blue armor, and its eyes glowed with an otherworldly light.

"Exodia, OBLITERATE!" All For One said ecstatically. Yes, one of his childhood dreams was happening in front of him, while Izuku looked in pure fear and stupor as his Grandfather just outclassed him with his own quirk.

As Godzilla looked on in amazement, Exodia raised its mighty arms, summoning forth a dazzling display of magical energy. The air crackled with electricity, and the ground shook with the force of Exodia's power.

And then, with a final burst of energy, Exodia unleashed a devastating attack, striking Godzilla with a bolt of pure energy that sent the monster tumbling to the ground.

As Godzilla struggled to regain its footing, Exodia stood tall and proud, its immense power and wisdom on display. It was clear that, in the face of this ancient and powerful creature, even Godzilla was no match.

The second blast quickly destroyed a quarter of the ward and Godzilla with it.

All For One looked at Izuku, apparently a bit sad.

"You should have accepted my offer, Izuku."

Then he used some more cards, potions appearing in his hands. All For One drunk them in one go, before opening his new rejuvenated eyes to see his grandson.

"Now, it is time for thr Vault."

—--

The Exegol Crisis: the beginning.