I own nothing. May contain Out of Character moments.
Midoriya, Mineta, and All Might sat in the break room. And just like back then, the atmosphere was heavy as the shorter boy fidgeted around on his stool. The Symbol of Peace's sunken eyes went between the two boys, clearly thinking about how to approach the topic. Mineta swallowed the lump in his throat… What was it about One for All that made things so intense?
The silence was starting to strangle him, so he decided to say something. And what better way to open things up than to apologize for poking things that shouldn't be poked.
"Hey, uh, All Might? I never got a chance to say sorry for attacking your scar during the exam. I didn't worsen your health or anything did I?" Mineta said stiffly. Oh yeah, that was real smooth Minoru… Especially when Midoriya's brows tore themselves from his face as he snapped to his partner. Mineta flinched to that stunned gaze as he began shrinking his presence. His partner was not going to like this story…
"You attacked his scar? The one that's weakening him!?" Midoriya asked, doing his best to keep his voice down. The green haired boy was honestly not trying to be antagonistic or anything. But it was hard for Mineta to think that Midoriya was anything but upset right now. I mean, the look of heartbreak on his partner's face was almost too much to bear.
"It was a spur of the moment thing… Please don't be mad…" Mineta answered as he sat on the verge of crying.
"No, no! I'm not mad! I'm just… Uh… Confused…? Startled…?" Midoriya said frantically, putting his hands in front of him. All Might gave a wet cough, causing the two boys to face him again. He then began patting his scar as a reassuring smile spread across his thin lips.
"Don't worry Young Mineta, I'm doing just fine. It gets sore, but that's nothing I haven't experienced before. And besides, taking those hits were my fault to begin with, I should've been more careful. But let's not worry about the past and let's talk the present… Even though we're going to be talking about One for All's history." He said before returning to his heavy expression.
"One for All's history? Why now?" Midoriya asked, leaning forward towards his mentor.
"Well, I've decided you've grown enough for me to share it. Think of it like a game where you unlock more of the story as you play. And of course, I want you, Young Mineta, to listen so you'll be able to aid your partner in his trials. So, are you boys ready for this great responsibility?" All Might replied, waiting for their response. Mineta and Midoriya looked to each other first, sweat on their brow. Their eyes locked and the two could see the other's steady resolve burning in their eyes.
With a nod, the two faced the Symbol of Peace again.
"We're ready."
"Okay… As you both know, One for All is a special Quirk. With its power to collect strength and pass it down from person to person, it's a unique Quirk. But what if I told you its creation came from another Quirk? A Quirk that's been around since the beginning of our superhuman era? Its name is 'All for One' and it can rob and grant Quirks to the whims of its user." All Might began solemnly. Midoriya gripped his pants as he quietly repeated the name All for One.
With the way it sounded, All for One and One for All must be connected by more than just one conceiving the other. Just from their names alone, Mineta knew they were each other's antithesis. They were nemeses with a rich but dark history. He wanted to take a guess at the supposed origins, break some of the tension. But the shorter boy doesn't think he could.
"All for One… A fitting name for a greedy power…" Midoriya said carefully. All Might simply nodded before casting his eyes downward, shadows swallowing his brilliant blue eyes. Mineta swallowed as the Number One Hero continued.
"When Quirks first manifested, society wasn't ready to adapt at all. Suddenly, 'Humanity' lost all meaning as fear and chaos took over. Laws crumbled, all scientific and cultural progress came to a grinding halt, and conflict became the norm. It was another Dark Age in our brief history as a species…"
Mineta swallowed as he imagined that anarchy. There were people with Quirk who hurt people without them. Conversely, there were Quirkless mobs lynching those with Quirks. The loss of life, the death of reason, and the decline of good will… It was nothing short of a dystopia.
One could only imagine the kind of lives they would be living had Quirks not been a thing. And sometimes, when Midoriya and Mineta talk about that… They wondered, in that alternate universe, would they still be partners?
"… Did this All for One take advantage of this crisis?" Mineta asked, distracting himself from such dark imaginings.
"Oh yes. By taking and giving Quirks to people who want or don't want them, he built his influence. And like a dark cloud, his control grew so much that it casted a shadow over Japan. He moved his pawns, caused more havoc, and became our country's, maybe even the world's, first Super Villain. His reign of terror was so horrific; we had to hide all information of it from public eyes." All Might continued.
Midoriya swallowed a lump as he took the stand next. And judging from the look on his face, Mineta could tell his partner wanted to get to the meat of it all.
"Then was One for All a pawn for All for One?"
"It's a little more complicated than that. Are you both familiar with the Polar War Twins Gauss and Revulsion?" All Might said, shaking his head. It was a strange thing to hear. To think the names from that strange magazine could help them here. Two brothers, once bound by blood, are now torn by clashing ideals. Mineta and Midoriya silently nodded as the Symbol of Peace readjusted himself in his seat.
"It's a similar situation in this case. All for One had a younger brother who hated his misdeeds and defied him. However, because he was both Quirkless and had a weak body, he couldn't do much. But one day, All for One decided to give him a Quirk that stockpiles power. No one knows whether it was out of sympathy for the younger brother's helplessness… Or to keep him under All for One's heel. However, regardless of the motive, something incredible occurred." All Might continued.
The Hero raised both of his hands and laced the fingers together tightly. The gesture wasn't lost on the boys and they immediately began to fill in the blanks themselves.
"If someone with a Quirk was given a Quirk… They have a chance to blend together… Is that what you're saying All Might?" Midoriya asked. The Number One Hero simply nodded before looking to Mineta. The shorter boy took a deep breath and continued, his sweat rolling down his temples.
"The younger brother had an unnoticeable Quirk and it mutated with the stockpile one."
"Exactly. He had the power to pass his Quirk onto others. Useless on its own, but with the stockpile Quirk…" All Might said before resting his hands on his lap.
"One for All." Midoriya and Mineta said together.
"Yes… Quite ironic, isn't it? But justice is always born from the depths of evil. Was there any other questions you boys have?" All Might asked, sinking into the back of his sofa. The man must've been exhausted going through such a harrowing tale. But there were still so many blanks the Symbol of Peace left. Like…
"Were those Nomus made by All for One? They had more than one Quirk too…" Mineta asked. His nerves felt like they already knew the answer. But he needed to be sure; otherwise it'd bother him for the rest of forever. All Might sighed as he stared at the ceiling.
"Yes. If someone received more Quirks and their body failed to adapt… They become speechless puppets. The Nomus from the USJ attack and the Hosu attack mean he's still making them." He said grimly.
"But how could All for One still be around? He'd have to be a few hundred years old." Midoriya asked.
"He could steal Quirks remember? If there's a power to stop his aging or increase his life expectancy, then there's a good chance he possesses it. He's an undying icon of evil with great strength, influence, and resources. But the younger brother didn't give up. Despite being thoroughly defeated, he entrusted One for All to another like him. He hoped that, one day, someone would become strong enough to stop him once and for all. I was the successor to do that. But…" All Might answered before continuing with the story.
"He survived and built a new nest, the League of Villains. And one day… Midoriya will have to stop them like you did." Mineta said, sweat running cold. He then slowly looked at his partner, noticing the cold sweat on him too. Midoriya looked very uneasy and his hands were trembling. But his vibrant green eyes were still shining bright.
"It's a lot to ask of–" All Might began before Midoriya stood up, stool clattering on the floor.
"I'll fight! It's scary… But as long as I have you, Mineta-kun, and everyone by my side, I'll rise to the occasion! We'll overcome this nightmare together!" He interrupted, his courage flowing through every word. Combined with his ever reliable back, one could feel the radiance of his resolve. And it was this sight that banished the strangling tension within Mineta. How could he cower when his partner was answering the call?
So, the shorter boy stood up as well, brandishing his baton in a show of bravado.
"With the next best duo on the case, you don't have to worry All Might. We'll be ready for them."
All Might opened his mouth, an unknown phrase at the tip of his tongue. He began flashing through a few emotions as the seconds passed. One emotion that Mineta happened to notice was regret, a rather painful variant of it. And that brought back a degree of anxiety to the shorter boy. What was All Might not telling them?
"… Thank you. I'll be looking forward to your progress." All Might said after a sigh. His gratitude was genuine, Mineta could feel that. But there was still something weighing him down. Should he bring this up? Or simply let it go?
"Then Mineta-kun and I will get going if that's all; we've got a lot to prepare for after all." Midoriya said as he picked up his backpack. The shorter boy stiffly nodded to that and picked up his bag as well, putting away his baton. The two then bowed to the Symbol of Peace before leaving the room. And as they walked, Mineta's mind hung on that last moment with All Might. He couldn't shake that regret filled expression and its implications from his thoughts.
He needed to say something about this. And while it didn't feel right, revealing the Number One Hero's dishonesty… Midoriya needed to know about it. Mineta wanted to ready him for whatever grim secret All Might was hiding. Whether it was a cruel truth or an uncertain future, neither of them would be blindsided by it.
"Hey Midoriya… Did you–?"
"I did, All Might couldn't say something important. It's worrying… But I trust that he had a really good reason for that. So for now, let's focus on becoming strong enough to handle the problems ahead. I'm in your care Mineta-kun." Midoriya said as he looked towards the shorter boy. As Mineta stared back, he could tell All Might was still on his mind. However, he was also focused on the main mission and ready to accomplish just that.
And who was Mineta to argue against that determination? So with a smile, Mineta held out his fist and Midoriya bumped it with his own.
"And I'm in yours, partner."
And that has been chapter 61!
Considering what's going on in the Manga right now... I think we could all use a break and go back to simpler times. It will, however, be interesting when The Saint and The Sinner gets to that point and I reveal something I've been planning for a while... But that is for the future. Anyhow, I really don't have anything else to talk about this week so...
Our next update will have our duo out with the rest of the class before discussing something... Rather unusual for my story...
So with all that said...
Until Next Time. T1.
