"A Scoundrel's Fable" by Shadow Master
(BtVS/X-Men/My Hero Academia)[Gender Bender]
Disclaimer: I do not own any of the copyrighted materials contained herein. They are the rightful property of their respective creators and/or associated companies. I make no profit from this whatsoever and I have no intention of changing this in the future. I write because it's fun and because there are those who enjoy reading my stories. Therefore I would greatly appreciate it if no legal action was taken against me. I can promise you that whatever you managed to get from me wouldn't cover even half your legal fees.
Note: As mentioned above this is a gender bender so those of you who don't like those kind of stories turn around right here. Also there will be some degree of angst and misery involved since the characters involved have mental baggage but I will TRY to keep it realistic. Also while I know I've got more on my plate than most writer's do I write what gets my blood humming and the ideas flowing.
Note 2: In terms of timeline this'll begin during the final episode of season two even though it could technically be considered a YAHF as far as the BtVS is concerned. As for 'My Hero Academia' it will happen five years before the first episode of the anime.
Note 3: Finally let me make one thing perfectly clear. This is a hobby for me, a way to have fun, and not a job or a way to get good enough to get a job. Therefore while I will do what I can to make everything connect and sound feasible as well as interesting. However the moment it becomes enough work to stop being fun I will stop. Therefore while I will appreciate positive reviews and consider constructive criticism there is no point to bashing my work or trying to ruin my day through bad reviews. No amount of bashing will make me stop righting. No amount of hateful words will either. The only people who can stop me are the owners of the websites I post my work on, sufficient numbers of authors whom I respect and myself.
Now that all that is over with ON WITH THE STORY!
A Scoundrel's Fable
The Crawford Street Mansion
May 19th, 1998
Buffy's POV
She had to do it.
SHE HAD TO!
Two days ago she'd had a hope in the form of Miss Calendar managing to translate the original curse that'd given Angel his soul. She might not have appreciated the woman keeping the truth of the curse from them but when she'd put herself in harms way by working on the curse. Angelus had come to the school to put a stop to it but thanks to some cannonball assistance the computer teacher had made it through the encounter with only minor cuts and bruises. Since that night and once the truth of her work became known the Scoobies had made sure that she was never without protection day or night. There'd been several close calls but then two days ago everything had been ready and it'd looked like the perfect solution to their problems.
What problems you might ask?
Why the one where Angelus had stolen the statue of A-cat-la and if her evil boyfriend dared to use it of course. According to Giles if the vampire managed to wake up the demon by pulling the sword out of its chest it would suck everything into hell. She'd…she'd fought him several times since he'd turned evil but every time she'd been in a position to slay him she just FROZE UP! She'd managed to keep the damage contained for the most part but there was always one or two things or sometimes even people that she hadn't been able to save. To her benefit none of the other Scoobies ever called her on her failure, not openly anyway, but she could see it in Xander's eyes every time.
A single statement that hurt her like fire being forced through her veins like blood: this wouldn't have happened if you'd just done your job.
When Miss Calendar announced she had finally managed to translate the soul curse it'd seemed like a gift from the heavens. If they could successfully cast it then Angel would come back and she knew he'd never awaken A-cat-la of his own free will. With his help they might even manage to bring down the main vampire faction of Sunnydale since he'd know the inner workings. So naturally she'd proposed using it since it would solve all their problems at zero risk to them. Xander however had pointed out that not all of them were in a position to defend themselves if Angelus found out and came gunning for them in order to prevent his own ensoulment.
The pain and the guilt made it clear who he was talking about and his feelings echoed in her own soul.
Giles then pointed out that curses of any sort were incredibly dark magic and one dealing with the manipulation of souls was especially dark meaning whoever performed it would be in danger.
However Miss Calendar insisted that the curse be cast for the sake of her uncle who Angelus had killed since it would be a fitting form of vengeance against the leader of the Scourge of Europe.
In the end they'd decided, however reluctantly, to go ahead with performing the curse since they still didn't know where Angelus was holed up. Their odds even improved when Kendra showed up because signs hinted at a dark power rising in Sunnydale so she'd had ample reason to feel optimistic about their chances. With two Slayers and Xander there'd be one helluva steel wall between Miss Calendar and any vampires looking to get in the way.
It'd all been locked in…until Angelus decided to send an immolato-gram warning to her class three days ago. It'd been pretty simple: come to a specific mausoleum in one of Sunnydale's cemeteries after sundown or the deaths of many innocent people would be on her head. In her mind she'd had no other choice but to go but Xander was certain that it was a trap or something that was meant to lure her away so there'd be one less person protecting Miss Calendar.
She'd known that his argument was valid but she couldn't afford to take the chance that there really were hostages. Angelus and his crew had already killed many as part of some sick head game with her and she refused to let anyone else die because of her. Therefore she'd pointed out that with the power Xander had gained from Halloween and Kendra's almost identical skill level they'd be enough to hold the fort until she got back.
She'd seen what Xander could do when he really cut loose.
No vampire would be able to stand up to that.
It'd only been later at the mausoleum that Angelus had revealed in person that the whole hostage scheme was indeed just a ruse to get her away from the library. She'd fired back by nonchalantly saying that the only thing the monster had accomplished was keeping her from seeing Kendra and Xander kick some minion ass.
That had just set Angelus off laughing again as though he knew some sort of humorous secret and had caused a pit of dread to form in her stomach. Worried she'd demanded that he tell her what was so funny. He'd then told her that for all the dumb luck Xander had the 'whelp' had actually experienced some good luck Halloween night.
'Too bad it's also his Achilles heel.'
It'd been then that it'd all come together in her head and without a word she turned around breaking into a sprint with only one destination in mind: the library. Ignoring the fact that people would see her going far faster than any human she navigated her way around obstacles in order to get to the library in a straight line. She'd wanted to believe that if she moved fast enough that she could get there in time to turn Angelus' plan to ash.
Turns out she only arrived in time to find a demolished library and Kendra with her throat slashed on the floor still as death.
Then of course the cops showed up and with Snyder's accusation she'd been forced to go on the run. She couldn't afford to let herself get captured with Angelus still right on schedule to wake up A-cat-la.
It'd take her awhile to get to the hospital where she'd figured any survivors of the attack on the library would be taken and it'd been hard to avoid the security guards. Eventually though she'd managed only to find out that Miss Calendar had suffered a blow to the head that'd given her something of a concussion. Cordelia had run off as soon as the fighting had begun but had been able to keep her head together well enough to grab the translation of the curse before leaving. Oz, a new ally they'd made upon discovering his condition, suffered a broken arm but as usual was fairly tight lipped despite the pain he was no doubt in.
It was then that she'd found out that shortly before the attack someone had phoned the library asking to speak with Xander and that it was about Willow. Giles had passed Xander the phone and it'd been less than a minute later that her friend had taken off too fast for anyone to ask what was the matter. It'd only been later on when the group had regrouped in the hospital that Xander had told them that the call had been an unknown person who'd implied they worked for Angelus. It'd taken less than a second for Xander to figure out what could be going down and it was no surprise that he'd gone off without a word.
Turned out though that it was just another trick to get the next biggest roadblock other than her out of the way so that Angelus' goons could make their big move. Willow had been the same as she usually was and none of the hospital staff Xander had spoken to knew anything about a phone call.
It'd been then that she'd resigned herself to the fact as much as she wanted her happy ending there was no longer any chance of that. Friends had been hurt, a mentor had been taken and it looked like the world was right on schedule for another apocalypse. She'd gone home to get the things she'd need and had a truly emotional confrontation with her mother before sneaking back to the library for the sword Kendra had brought with her as a possible solution.
Snyder, the hateful little troll, of course had to have the parting shot by expelling her from the school due to her new status as a 'wanted criminal'.
All that had led to the fight that had started a little under an hour ago.
She'd been forced to go in by herself since all the others were either injured or because there was a chance that Angelus might send his boys at them again to mess with her during the fight.
It'd been fierce but with her one hope taken out of the loop her focus finally stabilized along with her resolve allowing her to fight at peak ability. The weaker minions she was able to dispatch one after another, usually only with one or two moves, but when she got to Angelus that's when things got hard. He was a master level vampire and had a psychological advantage on her but surprisingly she had an advantage on him.
One that she'd never have expected to have: Spike.
Apparently the bleached wonder liked the world just the way it was and didn't want everything to go to hell. Of course there was also the fact that apparently Angelus had been putting the moves on Spike's girlfriend Dru with no resistance from the crazy vamp lady whatsoever. So a deal had been struck wherein he'd help her during the big fight but in return she'd let him and Drusilla walk free and with her stipulation of never showing his face in Sunnydale again the pact had been made. As soon as Drusilla tried to join in on her fight with Angelus she'd gotten blindsided with a right hook that sent her off to vamp dreamland allowing her to retain even odds.
Time ceased to have meaning for her during the fight because little by little she had to push aside everything but the one in front of her and what he was doing. In the end though her will trumped her skill. She managed to get him in just the right position to deal the decisive blow that would end him and shut down A-cat-la's vortex.
Then a golden glow had entered his eyes, he gasped in surprise and then his entire essence changed. Gone was the demon with the face of an angel and in its place was a confused man that she'd recognized in an instant: it was HER Angel. She didn't know what'd happened or how but the more the seconds went by the more she was sure that somehow the soul was back from wherever it'd gone.
For a moment she felt unparalleled joy but that soon changed to horror as she realized what she'd have to do.
To save everyone else she'd have to sacrifice the one person she cared the most about aside from her mother.
She knew it had to be done, SHE KNEW IT, but even as she struggled to take action her heart leeched the strength from her body. Every word that Angel spoke as he tried to make sense of what was going on threw her mind for a loop derailing the decision making process so that she could not do anything.
In the end though she killed her heart and brought the sword back for an impaling strike for with that the vortex of A-cat-la would be shut down once more.
"No need for that sugah." A sad voice said from behind her, "I got this."
Turning to the voice she was surprised to see Xander there since he should have been at the hospital providing protection to Willow and the others in case Angelus had sent goons there.
"Guess Miss C's spell casting worked out." Xander said looking at Angel whose confusion was dissipating, "Not in time though. Like I said though: I'll take it from here."
"How?" she asked unable to fathom how Xander could do anything about this even with the powers he had.
"Like this." Xander replied taking off one of the gloves he'd worn ever since Halloween.
Before her mind could catch up to what her friend meant he reached out to place four fingers on Angel's head and just like before her soul mate went rigid with energy flowing from him to the point of contact. It only lasted a few seconds before Xander broke contact and Angel went completely limp falling to the floor weak as a kitten.
Then came the struggle.
The stronger the person Xander touched the more he had to fight to stay who he was and control what he'd taken. Given that both Angel and Angelus were sharing the same body she was afraid that Xander now had two minds vying for control. Watching one of the first friends she'd made in Sunnydale stagger away from Angel she could tell that the fight was a fierce one with Xander's face taking on a vamp's game face for a moment before it vanished once more. Back and forth the fight seemed to progress until finally someone gained dominance.
"Xander?" she asked hoping that the echo of Angelus hadn't somehow managed to come out on top.
"Kinda…but don't worry…I…we're…keeping the Scourge in the back seat." Xander replied the emotions in his face and his voice shifting from time to time, "Should be able to stay in control just long enough…to do what needs to be done…"
"What do you mean?" she asked still not understanding what his plan was.
"G-Man said that the key to shuttin' down Acathla was Angel's blood." He replied as he put his gloves back on, "Thing is I think it's not blood but what's in the blood. Life energy. Right now I got some of his in me so now all I need to do is make contact with the black hole over there and it'll all be over."
"You mean…NO!" she said following the train of logic and combining it with what Giles had said, "You'll get sucked in!"
"Yeah…and maybe that's for the best." He said with a look on his face that almost broke her heart, "I can't do this anymore."
"Do what?" she asked moving towards him in the hopes of somehow restraining her friend.
"Soldier on, holding onto the hope that Willow'll somehow get better." Xander said as he moved to prevent her from getting a grip on him, "It's been months since Halloween an the docs say there's been no change at all! Everywhere I go in Sunnydale I SEE things, people, and every time I'm hit with one of Willow's memories or think somethin' that's definitely hers and not mine! Everyday I'm reminded of what should've been hers but isn't cause of ME and Halloween!"
"And going to HELL is BETTER!?" she asked with great incredulity.
"Hell? Hell is living in a world without your best friend. Hell is having a power you can't control that cuts you off from the rest of the human race." Xander said showing with his face that he meant every word, "Hell is having echoes of dozens of different people in your head and having to fight every day to stay who you are. Hell is losing your identity in all ways except in the head."
"You're still Xander where it counts!" she said trying to pull him out of the pity party.
"Denial really is your best friend isn't it sugah?" Xander asked with a rueful smirk, "I ain't been the old Xander for a while now. After all the old me never had these."
She had to admit that before Halloween Xander'd never had such perfectly shaped D-cup breasts or any breasts at all for that matter.
"The name's Alexandria Claremont. A transfer student from Calhoun County, Mississippi." Xander said in his current female form, "An it's high time you accepted reality sugah. Denyin' the truth just makes it easier to get blindsided by it."
With that Alexandria strode towards the vortex her intent clear and her resolve stone strong.
She only had one more card to play and while it was something of a sensitive topic it stood the best chance of freezing Alexandria in her tracks.
"What about Willow?" she asked with much passion, "Sure she hasn't woken up yet but that doesn't mean she never will. What do you think's gonna happen when she does and finds out you walked out on her?"
"She'll be hurt, she'll grieve, but she'll get over me. She's stronger than she knows." Alexandria replied showing only a slight break in her stride, "Than anyone knows. Besides who knows…maybe I'll show up some day. This is the hellmouth after all and stranger things have happened."
While she could not refute that it did little to prevent her from running forward to force her friend to remain even though she didn't have a better plan for shutting down A-cat-la's vortex.
Sadly it proved to be too little too late because before she even managed to get halfway Alexandria reached out to the vortex and made contact with it. Less than a second later tendrils of energy sprung from vortex wrapping themselves around her male-turned-female friend and then with a flash of light pulled the white striped girl into it. It took next to no time after that for the vortex to shrink before winking out of existence altogether leaving just her and a still unconscious Angel in the room.
For a time she did nothing but look at the spot where one of her dearest friends had vanished from her life for what in all likelihood would be the rest of her life. Alexandria might've had a point in that nothing seemed to be off limits when it came to the strange phenomena in Sunnydale she couldn't remember the last time one of those surprises turned out to be a good thing. More often then not they took the form of some new demon for her to hunt or some sort of magical snafu that only once in awhile could be handled through smashing.
Still…with Xander gone in more ways than one Willow would need her along with the rest of the Scooby gang.
That was the truth and she refused to let it blindside her now or ever again.
The Realm Between Realms
Janus' POV
"Well this just won't do. Not AT all." He said from his seat in front of the scrying pool, "Not only has she brought me more food in the last two years than in the last two CENTURIES but she also managed to save the souled vampire Angel from being sent to Acathla's hell dimension. If it wasn't for her we would've had to rework our plans AND expend considerable effort to retrieve Angel."
"What do you propose Janus?" Zeus asked from his chair, "You know that the Almighty has very strict rules in place governing what we are permitted to do with regards to mortals. Also the window of opportunity for us to intervene is shrinking by the second."
"I propose we redirect her destination point to someplace more favourable." He said feeling confident that his plan would be accepted, "She is after all currently outside of the realm where the rules are meant to matter. Then there is also the fact that if she arrives in Acathla's hell dimension while it is likely she will be killed there is also another possibility."
"They may try to corrupt her and turn her into a tool for their own evil ends." Athena said showing why she was considered the goddess of wisdom as well as war, "Her power is after all the ability to drain the life energy from any living thing taking on its abilities as well as a copy of its mind in the process. Manipulated correctly reshaping her to their wishes would not be impossible and so long as they made sure not to breach the rules governing demons in the mortal realm…the consequences could be devastating to the balance."
"I don't suppose you have a destination in mind?" Zeus asked sounding like he would support the proposal.
"Indeed I do." He replied recalling a hobby he'd taken up since the previous Halloween, "I propose we send her to THIS reality. She would fit in well there and it is sight more…optimistic than her native reality. It would not be a paradise but I believe it would make for a suitable fresh start."
To show the others what he meant he used his magic to show them the glimpses of the reality he'd acquired during the course of his hobby. Indeed it was a place where Alexandria would fit in quite well and given the former teenage guy's nature it was also a place with a cause that was worthy. He could not say with complete certainty that the future that would await Alexandria would be completely sunshine and rainbows he had faith that she would find a way to thrive nonetheless.
"It would indeed be a fitting place to call home for one so well read in the adventures of such heroes." Athena said with an approving smile, "I approve."
"As do I. Very well Janus. Your proposal is accepted." Zeus said making it clear it was a done deal, "Now my fellow Powers! Gather your power and let us send this mortal to her just reward!"
As one the members of the august body known to some mortals as 'The Powers That Be' reached out with the power they possessed. Some of it they'd had all their lives as deities but the lion's share of it they'd gained after being sworn into the service of the Almighty. Whatever the source it was all too easy for them to reach into the middle point between Alexandria's home reality and the hell dimension that Acathla had come from to pluck up the young woman's form.
Once in their grasp it wasn't hard to bring into being a pathway to the reality he'd proposed before sending Alexandria gently down it to the new life that awaited her.
Still, before he pulled back the last of his power, he added a little something to the young woman to leave a certain possibility open just in case.
After all there wasn't a pantheon known to mortals that hadn't been taught the folly of underestimating humans.
Women in particular were not to be trifled with.
Earth 072014
Tokyo, Japan
May 4th, 2036
Alexandria's POV
"Ungh…ooof!" she groaned as she slammed into something at a speed high enough to make it through even her invulnerability.
Her mind was hazy, confused, as it tried to get its equilibrium back after being subjected to the alien atmosphere of the vortex's interior. It had been unlike anything she could compare it to and considering that she had a hearty helping of at least five minds bouncing around her skull that was saying something. Her mind had tried for a few seconds to make sense of it all, to define it, but it hadn't taken much longer than that to get so overwhelmed that it just put up an 'out to lunch' sign.
Now though she was back in an environment that was more familiar to her brain and so step by step everything began to regain focus until she could once more behold the world around her once more.
Well on the good side this ain't hell. She thought looking around even as she rose to stand, But ah'm not sure it's an improvement.
All around her were demolished buildings, broken fire hydrants and if she looked for them she could see plumes of smoke indicating fires at their points of origin. Honestly it looked like either an earthquake had hit the city or a mad bomber but seeing as how she could see buildings further away that looked to be undamaged the catastrophe was localized. That to her ruled out natural disaster since those things tended to be more random in what they did or did not damage.
It was then that a possibility occurred to her and while she initially rejected it she eventually conceded that given that she'd just travelled through a dimensional vortex anything was possible. However what had her a bit confused was that the vortex should have dropped her into a hell dimension where she'd either be spending every waking hour fighting off demons or enduring suffering untold. While the demolished area of a city wasn't the kind of place she'd choose to hang out in she was skeptical of its ability to induce suffering and she didn't see any demons around.
BBBOOOOMMM!
Without any warning whatsoever a half demolished building to her right exploded outwards and it was only due a combination of her own instincts as well as those grafted onto her that allowed her to dive clear of the damage area. While it was true that thanks to Halloween she was physically invulnerable the same could not be said of the clothes she wore. Despite the best efforts of both Giles and Miss C they'd never been able to upgrade the clothes she got at the mall so that they could take a pounding but there were upper limits.
Shrapnel flying at high speeds comprised of concrete and steel? A little past what they could handle and given her skin-to-skin contact powers she couldn't risk it.
When the last of that which had been propelled into the air settled she beheld a sight that was straight out of the comic books. On the one side was a man dressed in a simple but high priced suit whose face at first glance might've been every woman's ideal when it came to handsome but when you got to the eyes you could see the dark ambitions that dwelt within. Then when a malicious grin took form a moment later she could tell without a doubt that she was looking at a truly evil man guilty of a great many evil things. The evil man's clothes were damaged quite a bit and there were quite a number of cuts on the upper half of his head.
Obviously she'd been dropped in the middle of one helluva fight and the guy in the suit was the villain of the scene.
Then that would mean that the other guy is the hero. She thought looking to the other one who wasn't in much better shape than his arch nemesis.
The hero had blonde hair done up in a weird hairdo, was about as tall as the Hulk and had muscles comparable to Colossus in his armoured form. His costume looked to be comprised of a gold, red, white and blue colour combo but in appearance it reminded her a lot of Captain America except for a few artistic differences. Much like his foe the blonde looked like he'd been put through quite the ringer and while still possessing the will to fight seemed to be favouring one side more than the other. It didn't take a genius to figure out that the villain would do everything he could to hit the wounded side and depending on how much damage had already been done one more blow could prove irreparable.
"You look a little tired All Might!" the villain said sounding confident in his inevitable victory, "Allow me to put you to sleep. PERMANENTLY!"
"NEVER! I will NEVER fall to you All For One!" All Might declared full of resolve and defiance.
SO…basically instead of landing in a hell dimension I've landed in a place where superheroes and super villains exist and two of them are beating the crap out of each other. She thought thankful that neither had noticed her yet, Seeing as how they've turned a couple of blocks into rubble I think it's time I find someplace else to be.
She knew next to nothing about this world, its rules or where she ranked compared to the two fighters so getting involved in the fight was not the right move to make. Better to get clear of the battlefield and get to a place where she could find out the bare minimum needed to come up with a plan of action. Confirming that the basic laws were the same, confirm that the concepts of both good as well as evil were the same and find out if there was a way for her to support herself. After all what were the odds that she'd landed in a world where there was already a perfectly crafted identity just waiting for her to claim it?
On second thought it's probably for the best that no one answer that question.
You can't leave him to fight on his own!
Ah hell! She thought recognizing the internal voice in an instant and not liking it very much.
It was a fact that when it came to her Rogue abilities duration of contact and the personality strength of the person the energy was coming from were the deciding factors in whether it became a voice in her head or not. An extreme case would be how it was for Rogue when she held onto Miss Marvel for too long and wound up taking the Avenger's powers permanently. A light case usually just meant temporary usage of the donator's powers along with the skill necessary for basic use. In most cases it took the mid-point for a voice to be added and the closer it got to the extreme case the louder the voice.
Sadly this meant that thanks to the events of Halloween and her slowness to realize the full extent of the changes she'd undergone a copy of Willow was given a voice in her mind that night. It was another of the hells she'd been forced to deal with since that night but one that she hadn't divulged to Buffy before she'd made contact with Acathla's vortex. For the most part the voice of Willow remained silent but whenever the copy felt strongly enough about something it never failed to speak up and didn't shut up until she gave in.
He's obviously hurt! You can help him!
It's not my fight! She thought back even as she used her power of flight to rise up so she could get over the rubble in her chosen path, Besides for all we know All Might's just faking being injured to lure All For One into a position to be taken down. Diving in could ruin the hero's plans making things worse.
You're just making up excuses! You can't be afraid to take action just because you show up halfway through a fight. You know who's good and who's bad. Do what you know is right!
I only think I know who's good and who's bad! What if I'm wrong?! She thought back pointing out a very real possibility.
Then you'll know for sure and can make your next move from there. Everyone makes mistakes and everyone learns from them sooner or later. You never let the details get in the way of doing what your heart tells you is right before. Don't start now!
The copy of Willow didn't realize that while it was true she'd pretty much done whatever her heart told her to when she'd been a guy that'd all changed Halloween night. When she'd gained Rogue's powers along with a teenage version of her body she couldn't afford to act recklessly or else there'd be consequences to more than just her. When she'd been a guy there'd been a limit to the damage she could do being just an ordinary human being trying to fight the good fight. With Rogue's powers she now had strength enough to lift fifty tons at the most, was durable enough take powerful energy blasts without injury and unaided flight. When added to Rogue's base power of power absorption she was pretty much the equivalent of a van packed with C4 explosives.
It was because of this that she'd stayed away from school and kept to herself except when she could safely help Buffy fight the good fight.
In the world Rogue lived in there already existed a place for mutants and people with superhuman abilities to exist without worry. In a world where the supernatural and demonic were the dominant forms of awe inspiring phenomena she'd been an anomaly with no one who could help her master her new condition. No mentors to teach her. No role models to mimic. Just her and no one else. She might've been reckless in her desire to do the right thing when she was a guy but even she wasn't stupid enough to ignore the potential fallout of doing the hero thing for real in Sunnydale.
Someone with the ability to lift cars over their heads with ease and demolish large buildings with their bare hands would cause ripples throughout both the natural and supernatural world. She'd wind up having to dodge not just the government alphabet agencies but also everyone from the supernatural side of things that took notice of her. Some would see her as a threat to be eliminated while others would see her as a potential asset to be captured so that she could either be bribed or forced to do as they wished. Those people wouldn't hesitate to use her friends as leverage against her and she'd already been quaking from the weight of what'd happened to Willow thanks to her. She…she wouldn't have been able to take it if another member of the Scooby gang came to harm because her.
She'd done what she could to help Buffy when witnesses wouldn't be an issue or when there'd been no other choice to keep the world spinning but otherwise she'd stayed out of sight.
What does any of that have to do with right now? This is a new world and if these guys are anything to go by superhuman powers are both the norm and are publically known. Who you were doesn't matter so much as who you want to be here. So tell me 'Alexandria'…who do you want to be?
"Perhaps this handicap is in order All Might!" All For One declared with malevolence in his voice, "Perhaps you need someone to save in order to give our fight the proper effort! How about you my dear? Would you care to volunteer to be a damsel in distress for the benefit of the number one hero?"
Just as her mind caught on to the fact the villain meant her impossibly stretched fingers appeared in her field of vision before wrapping tightly around her. So surprised she was by this that before she knew it she was being held up in front of All Might as a human shield and then another hand but this one transformed into crude yet sharp metal fingers. Obviously there'd be a threat of her coming to harm, maybe a playful game where random openings would show up and then just to stick it to the hero the asshole would probably kill her in some gruesome way taunting all the while.
Fuck that!
"Didn't your mama ever teach you it ain't polite to manhandle a lady?" she asked rhetorically before bringing her superhuman strength to the forefront.
It wasn't as easy to free herself since All For One proved to be quite strong, almost Hulk level strength, but the villain had underestimated her and Rogue's strength was up to the challenge. Turning around to face the man who'd sought to use her as a hostage she brought back her right fist before unleashing a punch just a little above what she'd used once against a Fyarl in terms of strength. However to her surprise the man barely flinched even though when she'd used it against the Fyarl back home it'd proven to be enough to send it into a wall before it rose to its feet in a daze.
Deciding to get one more shot in before retreating from the counterattack that'd be coming she brought back her left fist and upped the level of power she'd put behind it to something comparable to what it'd take to knock the Hulk on his ass. THIS time she got a result she could be satisfied with since it succeeded in staggering the villain into stumbling back a couple of steps before recovering. It bothered her that he was so durable that he could take a blow meant for 'the strongest one there is' but it did provide a better measure of just how powerful he was. It explained the destruction around her and also informed her on why All Might was so thrashed.
If the evil man's strength was comparable to his durability then defeating him would be a right pain in the ass but the moment she chose to throw the first punch she was committed.
Floating back to a support position next to All Might she prepared herself to evade or counter what would come her way next.
"Hope you don't mind some backup sugah." She said realizing that the blonde man might not approve of her getting involved, "But a lady has to stand up for herself."
"I can appreciate that young lady but I must suggest that you retreat." All Might said with an almost corny heroism mixed with genuine concern, "All For One is not an enemy an amateur can hope to survive an encounter with. For your own safety if nothing else please flee."
"We're all amateurs until we get experience hun." She countered only sparing him glances while staying focused on All For One, "'Sides ah don't think the big lug is just gonna let me fly off after ah clocked him one. Best get used to me being yer wingman big guy."
"While not the handicap I'd had in mind All Might I must say it amuses me that chance has delivered to you a new 'sidekick'. One a great deal more pleasing to the eye than the cold Nighteye." All For One said with his malicious playfulness darkening a bit, "She is indeed right that I would not simply let her go. For she has shown herself to be a curious existence and I for one want to learn MORE."
Almost too fast for her to see the villain charged towards her momentarily becoming nothing more than a blurry object approaching her at high speed. Not having any experience to call her own when it came to matching such speed she brought her arms up but not to take the hit head on since she remembered what she'd seen in a documentary on boxing. Just taking the hit and absorbing the force behind it would only harm her and if All For One could punch at a consistent level at the same speed he was moving then it was inevitable that she'd swiftly be unable to fight back. Instead she would utilize her power of flight and the reflexes she had to try to divert the power of the punch off to the side at the moment of impact. It wouldn't nullify the damage she'd receive outright but it would reduce it allowing her to stay in the fight longer.
This being her first real attempt at this her execution was haphazard and it almost qualified as a complete failure but when the punch wasn't as bad as she'd been expecting she labeled it a success.
Didn't mean that she didn't go flying back thanks to the punch and neither did it mean that she felt no pain. Gritting her teeth from the pain she flew backwards through the air until she hit a vertical slab of concrete leaving a dent in it as well as cascading spider-web cracks. Forcing her mind to recover she pushed herself out of the dent compartmentalizing the pain still in her throbbing arms so that she could still use them. She didn't think anything was broken or even cracked but that only meant that her hastily employed block had made it so by the skin of its teeth.
If All For One managed to land a blow before she could raise a defence she would DEFINITELY get injured increasing her vulnerability and reducing her ability to help anyone.
Looking up she could see that All Might had made his move, likely soon after she'd gone flying, and watching the two go at it she could see that she was watching a fight of titans. It was like the fogged memories of the Juggernaut fighting the Hulk or Ben Grimm where the force waves produced by the impacts alone were enough to damage the battlefield. She definitely couldn't let herself get hit full force from one of All For One's blows!
That meant her only option was to either wait for All Might to temporarily immobilize the villain to get her own hits in or wait for All For One's focus to be entirely on hitting All Might before intervening. She could either whittle away at the villain with hit and run attacks or disrupt his attack allowing the hero to either get out of the way or counterattack. In either case a lot would depend on her ability to accurately read the situation as well as the intent of All For One but if she could pull it off then victory was almost a certainty.
So as was usually the case when it came to doing something stupid, reckless and potentially promising she went for it.
After all what's the worst that could happen? She could die?
Honestly she didn't have all that much to lose at the moment.
Might as well go out with a bang.
All Might's POV
I have to end this quickly! He thought as he delivered a Carolina Smash to his nemesis in order to gain some momentum, The young lady has more than proven her bravery however she is not ready to face a foe as powerful as All For One.
Indeed he was getting something of an education himself where that was concerned and to say he was frightened would be correct. Up until now he had never had a moment to truly experience All For One's abilities to their fullest and therefore had been caught unprepared to face someone capable of pushing him to his limits. Up until now all the Villains that he'd fought had not even been able to make him sweat never mind injure him like his nemesis had done so far. He could feel the pain spasm in his left side where All For One had managed to land a devastating blow but while it did hurt the one thing in his favour was that his ribs had only been cracked not broken.
How long it would remain so he did not know.
One more hit? Two? He didn't know. All he could say with a certainty was that if All For One managed to land another devastating blow he would be lucky to even be able to stand never mind fight. He would of course never give up and do whatever he could even while injured but he wasn't a complete idiot like some of his fellow professional heroes believed he was. He knew that the more injured he became the less capable he'd become of defeating his foe and past a certain point his nemesis would be able to defeat him with ease.
He needed to decisively end this fight while he still could!
"Away from me you annoying child!" All For One declared as the young woman with the odd Quirk tried to attack while the Villain blocked his own offensive, "You may have aroused my curiosity in the beginning but you are becoming an ANNOYANCE!"
Seeing something coming from below he hopped backwards and managed to evade the kick that his foe had attempted to him with but realized that the truth behind the move. The stealer of Quirks had successfully managed to gain some space between the two of him so he could turn his power on the incoming young woman descending from above. NO! Quickly positioning his feet for when they once more were in contact with the damaged street he was determined to push off as soon as he gained enough traction so he could save the girl from what certainly would be a terrible assault.
Only for it to not be needed in the end but not for the reason he'd been expecting.
With agility and precision that went beyond what a Quirkless human was capable of the young woman maneuvered around the punch that should've crushed her to get in close. Then with a surprisingly strong grip she latched on with her left hand to All For One's extended arm before executing a passable throw. However it did not end there as the young lady drew back her right fist before firing off a powerful punch that followed his arch enemy as the evil man continued on his path to the ground. Clearly she intended to maximize the impact on All For One by ensuring that her fist impacted with his head at the same time it made contact with the ground. Indeed if she successfully managed to do so and put all the strength she had into the right punch then maybe, just maybe, it'd disorient his foe long enough for him to contribute a blow of his own turning the battle around.
However just as it seemed as though the young lady's tactic would produce results he was reminded that the darkness was just as capable of turning things around as professional heroes could.
With unheard of situational awareness and agility All For One managed to plant both feet before gripping the same arm that'd been used to throw him while catching the descending fist with the other arm. Then, before the young woman could adapt to the new circumstances, All For One slammed her into the ground hard enough to create an impression. It was so devastating an impact that the girl BOUNCED off of the ground even as she cried out in pain with a speck of blood being ejected from her open mouth.
"Such a promising young lady, eh All Might?" All For One asked never once releasing his grip on the girl, "To last even as briefly as she has against the likes of me even with your pitiful interference is no small achievement. Given time and the proper instruction she could be a great Hero indeed…or perhaps a Villain like me. How unfortunate that such potential will go UNFULFILLED!"
With those words his foe flung the young woman into the air but this was not to cast her aside but rather to set her up for a blow every bit as destructive as the one that'd injured him seriously earlier. The girl was strong but there was no way that she'd be able to take a hit of that level without incurring severe injury of the sort that took months to fully recover. If he allowed that to happen, if he allowed it to happen, he would without a doubt have failed as a hero! Shoving aside the pain it caused him he propelled himself forward at what was his top speed intent on tackling All For One out of the way so that the young lady would be spared the devastating blow. He knew that there was the option of going to rescue the girl before she arrived at the outer range of All For One's fists but doing so would also put both of his foe's targets in one spot.
The foul Villain had made it clear that the speed he possessed was equal to that which was provided by One For All and there were few ways to dodge while in mid-air. Sure one of his many smashes could displace air in such a way so as to allow him to change direction but he didn't have a great deal of experience at it. In such a high stakes battle he couldn't afford to employ a tactic that couldn't guarantee results.
Tackling his enemy out of position would be far more effective.
Just as he was about to reach his target though All For One turned his gaze towards him with a malicious smile growing to almost grotesque size on his face. It was at this moment he knew something was up and it was only confirmed when the rest of the body followed and the fist that'd been aimed at the young woman instead flew on a path most dangerous.
A path that would allow the punch to successfully strike his left side again!
He tried to get enough traction on the ground to alter his path.
He tried to get his arms into a position where he could block the attack.
However the distance was too little for him to accomplish either and so he could only mentally prepare for the pain that he would soon feel.
It was then though that a blur streaked in faster than even he could see hitting the ground in between him and All Might. He could not detect what it was but he felt it when he impacted on it and definitely felt the force behind his arch-enemy's blow as it impacted on the other side of the unknown obstruction. It was only afterwards when he'd recovered from both his charge and the unexpected impact that his eyes were able to feed him enough information to identify the obstruction.
It was the young lady!
But how!?
She'd been airborne when he'd last seen her and after the thunderous impact on the ground she should not have been able to think never mind act!
"Don't…ngh…don't yah know it's rude to give a lady the brush off gruesome?" the young lady asked even as the arm furthest to the front of the cross arm block fell limp to her side, "Someone ought to teach you some manners!"
Brave words but he could tell that the blow landed by All For One had done some serious damage. Her entire right arm looked to be broken in multiple places and even if the left arm moved in such a way that pain would be a strong accompaniment to movement for a good long while. Whether due to the power of it or the massive displacement of air the young woman's clothes were now partially shredded especially in proximity to the arms. He did not see any blood but that didn't mean that there weren't any internal injuries with blood going where it shouldn't on the inside.
That the young woman had managed to endure the impacts but there was no way that she would be able to do it a second time without irreparable harm being done to her body.
"Please young lady! I appreciate your aid but to continue any further will place your life in unacceptable risk!" he pleaded hoping to break through whatever false optimism was allowing the girl to think she could remain, "I can handle it from here! Please get to safety!"
"Don't worry yourself big guy." The young lady said not sounding worried, "I got this asshole's number now an' all I need is just one good arm and one good shot. He's going down!"
"Oh? Is that so little bug?" One For All asked a spark of anger dancing in his eyes, "How amusing! Then let's see what you think you can do with your 'one good shot'!"
Then in a move that struck him as cruel All For One the villain took five steps back before throwing his arms to the side leaving nothing to guard his body or his head. Obviously he was daring the girl to strike him under the belief that no matter how hard she wound up hitting him it wouldn't do any good whatsoever. For a moment he contemplated taking advantage of the situation himself since if he moved fast enough he could deal a devastating blow of his own to his foe putting them back on even ground with each other. A twitch of a glance in his direction however told him that All For One was aware of this as well and no doubt the moment he made a move to act the Villain would counter it.
With his options momentarily limited he had no choice but to let the young lady take her one move.
With any luck it would do enough that he would be able to take action and show her why it would be the height of youthful foolishness to stay involved in this battle.
He need only make sure that he got to his foe before his enemy retaliated against the girl.
"Better not hear you complainin' later on ugly." The young lady said before using her teeth to pull off the partially intact glove that had been on her left hand, "There ain't nothin' I hate more than a sore loser."
"Oh I'll have nothing to complain about young lady and neither will you." All For One said his evil smile never leaving his face, "After all the dead don't complain at all."
"We'll see about that!" the young lady said before using her power of flight to propel herself towards All For One.
Indeed it did look as though the young lady was preparing to pour all the strength she had into her one good arm with its fingers already curled into a fist. When the teenage girl was in the optimum position to execute a powerful left straight punch though she suddenly altered her course catching everyone by surprise. No longer was she charging straight forward but instead was circling around to the Villain's right and before anyone knew it she was latched onto the evil man's back with her legs wrapped around the waist.
"You never asked what my power was bastard!" the young lady declared even as she moved to grasp her target's head with her only good arm, "It ain't flight, it ain't strength and it ain't near invulnerability! MY POWER IS I CAN TAKE YOUR POWER!"
With that her hand touched All For One's face and the change to it occurred in the blink of an eye as what appeared to be veins began to reach out from the point of contact. He could only imagine what his foe was feeling at the moment but he immediately began to struggle to get the girl off however the grip of the girl's legs proved to be quite strong indeed. In the end it took throwing himself backwards to the ground sandwiching the girl in the process to loosen the grip enough to break free. It was the movements he saw afterwards though that surprised him though for they were neither as strong nor as steady as they had been minutes earlier.
It was almost as if…as if All For One was suddenly MUCH weaker than before.
"What…what ARE YOU!?" All For One asked with fear creeping through the cracks in his confidence.
"Where's all your confidence now All For One?" the young lady asked even as a dark smile along with a dark gaze began to fade into existence, "You were all big and bad when you held all the power but now that the tables have turned you're the one feeling the heat. More than that though I know you were holding back a surprise for All Might. Shall we show him what it is?"
The widening of the eyes belonging to All For One confirmed the young lady's claim and it shook him to discover that his foe had possessed an ace up his sleeve that he had never suspected existed. More telling than that though was the sight of his arch nemesis taking more than a few steps further away from the teenage girl implying that the surprise was nice to give but terrible to receive. However before his enemy could move further or even speak the young lady was on the offensive but with a level of speed she had not shown at all before now.
It was when she brought back her left though that the secret All For One had been hiding up until then. Instead of normal punch preparations her arm shrunk in length but bulge in width around the elbow much like one would expect a spring to coil up before having its energy released. His nemesis brought up both arms to erect a defence but it all proved to be for naught for when the punch was unleashed it shot forth with tremendous speed as well as power. Like a rookie sidekick All For One was flung backwards through the air from the force of the punch going through four vertical slabs of reinforced concrete in the process. Ever since quirks became widely accepted construction companies had adapted and made sure that any building they erected would be tough enough to take MOST of what might come their way.
Most of what might come their way but not everything.
This is FAR beyond anything the young lady has done before! He thought even as he moved to where All For One had gone to ground, Did the quirk she stole using her own amplify her own superhuman strength?
"My, my! So much blood All For One." The young lady did as she floated over to her chosen opponent her face still a mask of malevolence, "Hardly a look that the top villain should have. The one that all fear should stand as immovable as the tallest mountain and more overpowering than the greatest of storms! Maybe I should do villains everywhere a favour and put an end to you here and now before you embarrass them further."
"That will not be necessary young lady." He said stepping forward with a bit of dread building in his stomach, "With how injured he is right now I will have no problem putting him in restraints and turning him over to the police. He will be tried for his many crimes and imprisoned most likely for the rest of his life. Let his remaining years as a prisoner of justice serve as an example to other Villains that even the strongest among them can be put behind bars."
"Prison? As if such a flimsy place could hold All For One." The young lady scoffed turning to look at him, "To be strong enough to hold him it would need to be strong enough to hold you. If such a place existed I wonder where they got the idea to build it. Who was it designed to hold? Who did they fear enough to construct it?"
He knew what the lady was implying but he considered it ridiculous.
He was the Symbol of Peace! He was a force of justice!
The people had no reason to fear him and certainly no reason to build a prison cell strong enough to contain his quirk One For All.
"Of course since they'd never doubt their 'hero' such a prison cell probably doesn't exist." The young lady said in such a way that mocked her own words, "SO there isn't a place capable of holding All For One. It makes no sense to put him in a cell that he can break out of sooner or later. Besides that he probably has flunkies on the outside who could bust him out. No. Better to end his threat while I still can."
"Then if you intend to kill him you will have to get past me first." He said as he moved to defend his nefarious foe, "Only a Villain would use lethal force against an opponent that can't fight back."
"Well now…wouldn't that be kinda fun?" the young lady asked turning to face him more directly, "Even as injured as you are you'd probably last longer than All For One did. Let's ge…let's get…nnGGHH!"
Out of nowhere the young woman clutched her head with her one usable hand as though her mind was being assailed but some unseen force. No…no that wasn't quite accurate. It was more like she was fighting against herself? But why…
"Nnnnoo! Ge-t OUT!" the young lady cried out though not to anyone present from what he could see, "I didn't touch you for that long! You've done your job! GET OUT!"
She didn't touch…
He gasped as he realized with crude understanding what must have happened!
No one can just get a quirk and be able to wield it with as much skill as the young lady had exhibited with her spring like left punch. From the moment they first appeared quirks required that the user work to gain both control as well as understanding. Even then it wasn't until they applied their ability in a combat scenario that they learned how to use it in that way. Thus even if she possessed a quirk that allowed her to steal a quirk from someone else she wouldn't be able to use it with any skill UNLESS she also took into her the portion of her target's mind that knew how to use it. If that portion had an awareness, a personality, similar to the original owner of the quirk then it could easily explain the malevolent shift in the girl's personality as well as what was happening before him.
"Don't resist little girl! With the power you possess we could become a veritable goddess to this world!" the girl exclaimed though oddly matching the speech pattern of All For One, "Nothing would be beyond your grasp!"
As if to make physically clear that this idea was rejected the young woman then twisted her upper body violently to the right.
"NO! Fuck that!" the teenage girl growled in defiance, "This is MY body, MY mind and YOU are no longer WELCOME!"
With a suddenness that startled him the girl raised her gaze to look at him and what lay within her eyes could not be mistaken as anything other than evil.
"I am not going ANYWHERE girl!" the young lady spoke again with a voice of ambition and malice, "I LIKE it here!"
"Then…uurrgghh…I hope…ungh…you like…THE BASEMENT…'cause that's…nngh…where…yer…GOIN'!" the teenage girl grunted even as the visage of All For One began to crumble away from her face to reveal a more noble one.
For the next minute he watched as what he could only call two minds warred with one another for control of the body until with one final movement of exertion the girl dropped to her knees breathing heavily. For a moment he was hopeful that this meant that the mind of the young lady who had valiantly tried to aid him in defeating All For One had triumphed but a part of him he attributed to Aizawa-kun warned him against approaching. His arch enemy was cunning and deceptive so if the part of him that the girl had taken into herself was the one that'd triumphed this could all be a ploy to catch him by surprise.
No! A true hero must never allow doubt to overcome their desire to help others! He thought shaking the warnings of Aizawa-kun from his mind, She placed herself in harms way to help me and suffered great horrors to her mind! She is in need and I AM HERE!
With that in mind he approached the girl carefully so as not to startle her but just as he began to kneel down and reach out to place a comforting hand on her shoulder she jerked away from him as though he was Endeavor in a particularly volatile mood.
"D-don't! Skin-to-skin contact…activates…my power…" the girl warned between breaths as she looked at him with wary eyes.
To his eyes she did not appear to be trying to deceive him and it did explain why she'd removed her gloves earlier before attacking All For One. It was a most troubling condition for activating her quirk and it would make treating her wounds difficult given the conventional techniques all doctors used for doing so. Still in an age where new quirks were coming into being every day the advances in medicine were likewise proceeding apace. Nevertheless given the uniqueness of this case there was only one person he trusted to get it right the first time around.
Before then though…
Turning to where All For One had been laying after being on the receiving end of the girl's punch his brow furrowed, his eyes narrowed and a grimace formed on his face.
His nemesis was gone.
Somehow during the time he had stepped between the foul Villain and the girl the evil man had managed to get away somehow. He could not recall hearing any footsteps and neither had his enemy shown himself to possess the ability of flight but given the presence of the spring quirk the girl had stolen it was possible that some hidden escape quirk had been within reach. The young lady's proposal that All For One had allies rang partially true since he'd encountered and apprehended several villains who were connected to the evil man. Had one of them whisked their leader away when the opportunity presented itself?
Possibly.
Still with the injuries he has now I doubt he will be a problem for several months if not an entire year. He thought even as he grimaced in pain himself, Time enough for me to recover as well. Clearly some things need to change.
Looking around he found something that could be wrapped around the young lady so that he did not fall prey to her quirk and therefore allow him to get her proper medical treatment.
After all once a Villain was defeated a hero's second duty was to tend to the needs of those injured by the struggle.
U.A High School
Recovery Girl's Nurse's Office
Chiyo Shuzenji aka Recovery Girl's POV
"How is she Recovery Girl?" Toshinori asked after she emerged from the curtained off bed upon which the young woman rested.
"It was not easy with my quirk not being an option but fortunately I earned my license to practice medicine the same way as every other doctor in the last fifty years." She replied recalling the years in med-school, "The hardest part was setting the bones in her right arm. Her body's durability and strength are high enough that moving them into position was hard enough never mind getting the cast on it. As it is I had to use some of the materials set aside for students with super strength to make sure the cast would do its job. As long as she doesn't do anything to break it and keeps it in a sling she should be fine."
"Thank goodness." Toshinori said looking relieved that there had been no permanent maladies discovered.
Indeed considering the state that All Might had shown up in at her door the wounds spoke volumes of just how powerful All For One was. The blonde oaf before her was considered the number one hero in Japan and only the second or third ranked heroes had what was necessary to hold their own against Toshinori.
For a little while that is before the Symbol of Peace overwhelmed him with the sheer power at his disposal.
While not in All Might's league if Toshinori's story was true then the girl easily possessed superhuman strength and durability that could land her in the top fifteen with some training. However there were a few things that stood in the way of that and she had yet to find solutions for them all. She'd been informed by Principal Nezu that the damage of the fight between All Might and All For One had devastated several city blocks. Every Pro Hero with a quirk that could prove useful to search and rescue within half a day's journey to the damage zone had been summoned in to work with conventional services to look for any survivors not evacuated when the battle had begun. Much to her dismay she had already been informed that several bodies had been recovered but she had not told All Might this. While the man was not ignorant of the fact that he could not save everyone the idiot took it as a personal crime every time he failed to save those in need. If she'd told him of the current death toll he'd likely get worked up cursing himself for not doing a better job and ending the fight sooner.
She knew she couldn't keep it from him forever but her oath prohibited informing a patient anything that might cause further aggravation to their wounds.
And All might WAS wounded.
In fact it troubled her greatly that there existed a Villain with the power to hurt Toshinori to this degree. For as long as All Might had been a hero there had never really been a Villain capable of seriously injuring him. Oh there'd been the odd cut or bruise but nothing serious enough to cause those watching to worry that their hero might not be able to win. This time though…this time the man had come to her looking as though someone had managed to push him just shy of his quirk's limitations and if the lower left side of his torso was any indication it wouldn't have taken much to reach them. Based on her examination whatever had hit Toshinori there had struck with enough force to bruise and crack but it was what she'd discovered beneath all that which bothered her the most.
There'd been something else, something more, to the attack because based on what she'd seen all it would've taken would be one more blow in that same spot to end All Might's career.
From what she'd heard the fight between All Might and All For One had been primarily physical with both punches as well as kicks doing most of the damage. While such a fight between two superhuman beings could explain the bruising and the cracked ribs it did not explain the trauma her equipment had shown around the Pro Hero's respiratory organs and stomach. The damage had not been beyond her ability to heal but it hadn't taken much logical thinking to predict what would've happened if All For One had managed to land a mighty enough blow to the same area one more time. Even if it didn't kill All Might inside of an hour it would almost certainly partially cripple the man's ability to breath and process food. Despite what some people might think having a quirk did not automatically mean you no longer needed to breath or eat or drink. True there were some quirks that allowed the user to get the energy their body needed another way and oxygenate their blood another way but the majority still needed both their lungs as well as their digestive system intact.
With a reduced ability to breath and eating/drinking removed from the equation it was likely that All Might would've been required to receive nutrients intravenously from a bag. Breathing more than what a normal person would do while walking would put considerable strain on Toshinori leaving precious little energy for his quirk to use as fuel. Off the top of her head she could think of a few experimental surgeries and treatments that could be used to improve the situation but she seriously doubted anything would've healed it completely. As a result if one more blow had landed All Might would've had to either restrict his hero activity substantially or retire altogether for health reasons.
Not that the big oaf would've abided by any orders she would have sent his way.
Bottom line? The young lady recovering in one of her beds had likely saved All Might's career by taking All For One's final blow herself.
The physical damage was significant but whatever the x-element was that'd caused the internal damage to All Might was not showing up in the girl's internals. Did this mean that whatever it turned out to be it was tailored for Toshinori specifically? Or did the girl possess some sort of quirk that protected her from it?
Either one was a real possibility.
"Were you able to find anything to explain her multiple quirks?" Toshinori asked changing the topic of discussion.
"Unfortunately no." she replied thinking back to the examination she'd performed in the beginning, "I have numerous machines designed to allow me to examine those who possess quirks granting them increased durability but none of them revealed anything out of the ordinary. From her bones to brainwaves I couldn't find anything that could explain why she has multiple quirks. This is going to cause quite a stir once word spreads."
"What do you mean?" Toshinori asked sounding half confused.
"One quirk per person. That's been the rule since the first one appeared." She replied remembering her studies on the matter, "Two can be mixed but that does not mean that the child will have two quirks. It means that they will have a singular quirk that is the result of mixing two quirks together. Studies have been done to explore the possibility but no one has been able to successfully manage it. If word gets out that the girl is able to host multiple quirks inside of her body then she will become the rarest of commodities and many will want her."
"That is a terrible thought." Toshinori said likely only partially realizing the true scope of things, "All For One will almost certainly spread word among the Villains once he has recovered. He will use those that come after her as cannon fodder to test her limits and learn how her quirk can grant her multiple quirks through touch."
"Indeed. Based on what we've been able to piece together All For One's quirk is not an instantaneous one and takes time to finish. Hours at the very least." She said recalling what she'd read of those who'd been abducted only to be later found quirkless, "If he were able to steal quirks with only a brief period of skin contact…no one would be safe from him."
Intentionally she kept another likelihood to herself.
Once word got out to the government of Japan and even the Pro Hero community at large there will be many who will feel threatened by her very existence. A young girl who could steal your quirk, the very thing that many people defined themselves by, would represent a shadow every bit as terrifying as All For One himself. Many would insist that she be kept isolated, perhaps even imprisoned, for the public good so as not to incite chaos. Others, one symbol of peace in particular, would reject this saying that the young woman shouldn't be treated so harshly because of something she had no control over. Even years later they were no closer to determining precisely HOW human genetics gave rise to quirks or how to identify in advance what quirk a baby would develop in the first few years.
I'll have to talk to Principal Nezu about this. She thought as a desire to protect the young lady was born in her heart, There are many quirks that are dangerous to others but we do not lock up those who have them based purely on what they MIGHT DO in the future. For saving Toshinori this girl at the very least deserves a chance to prove that she is not a threat!
First though she needed to prevent a certain idiot from overexerting himself before his injuries had a time to heal.
"Fortunately you were quick enough in getting her here so that all anyone saw was a blur." She pointed out in order to make the situation seem less dire, "Even if All For One did spread the word to other Villains there would still be the matter of tracking the young lady down. So long as her location is kept a secret she is safe."
"Thank goodness!" All Might sighed with relief visibly rippling through his body.
"Now I'm gong to go notify Principal Nezu of what's going on." She said walking towards the door to her office, "With any luck I can convince him to keep her presence here a secret until we can come up with some sort of plan. You just rest up. You're going to be restricted to bed rest for at least a week even with my help."
"But what if-" All Might said no doubt about to cite potential situations where he might be needed in a Pro Hero capacity.
"BED REST. ONE WEEK." She said letting loose some of the will that terrified other patients into obedience, "UNDERSTAND?"
"YES!" Toshinori exclaimed in fright shrinking back down into the bed sheets like a child.
Sigh.
It truly amazed her how someone so childish and dim could be considered the Symbol of Peace by all of Japan.