AN: Thanks for reading and leaving a review everyone!
The rest of the week felt strange for the trio. Sure, they've had rest periods before, but now that All Might had passed One For All on to Izuku they were officially done with that phase of their training.
The emptiness of the transition period left them restless.
Without their normal afternoon exercise routine, the three found new ways to keep themselves busy, which ultimately led to them sitting in Izuku's apartment playing video games.
"When did you have time to get so good?" Melissa yelled as she lost another match of Alleyway Brawler. Ochako had saved up her birthday money to purchase the latest version and was currently dominating her friends in match after match with Andrei.
"While you were busy with your dad," Ochako smirked at her friend.
Backing out of the character select screen, Melissa brought up the game's stats. "Almost 200 hours played already!?"
"Yep!"
Melissa looked at her friend. "I'm not sure if I should be scared or proud."
"Scared," Izuku said from his position on the couch.
"Traitor," Ochako grumbled as she looked at her friend.
"I saw most of that," Izuku pointed out. "Mom was worried for you that first evening; she thought the television was attacking you the way you were yelling at it."
"I can't help it that they changed the game as much as they did!" Ochako protested.
Melissa rolled her eyes and playfully jabbed her friend's shoulder. "Now I just need you to put that dedication towards shooter games so I can have a teammate."
"You'll have to ask Izuku," Ochako said. "I think I'm happy sticking with fighting games."
Melissa pouted at her friend, before descending into light laughter. "I guess I'll have to keep getting better then."
"We still have to convince Izuku to join us," Ochako said as she gave the boy in question an innocent smile.
Izuku laughed nervously as he felt an icy fear run through his veins. "I, umm - I'm more than happy to watch you two face each other! Besides, I'm not a fan of those games!"
"Of course not, because Uncle Might isn't in them," Melissa said playfully.
Izuku rubbed the back of his head. "You like those games, too!"
"Only some of them," Melissa retorted.
"Besides, since the consoles are here I can play Hero Warriors when you aren't here," Izuku quickly added. "And all of my RPGs…"
"Actually," Ochako began, feeling her cheeks heating up slightly. "I meant to ask you about that. Would you mind if I watched you play an RPG sometime?"
"Really?" Izuku asked, surprised by her sudden request.
"Mhm," Ochako bobbed her head. "Since you watch us play games, I think it's only fair that we return the favor, right? Plus then I'll actually know what you're talking about when you try and tell me about them at school!"
"Oh," Izuku felt his face heat up. "I didn't realize I did that…"
"Don't worry!" Ochako said a little too loudly. "It's - I like hearing about them because you're just so passionate about it! Almost as much as you are about heroes!" She gave him a warm smile.
"That sounds like a great idea," Melissa added before her cheeks started heating up. "I-if you two don't mind me watching as well, that is!"
"Of course not!" Izuku said warmly, before turning toward Ochako. "What do you think?"
"I don't mind," Ochako said. "I just know your schedule doesn't always line up with ours, because of UA!"
"Well all of our schedules are changing next semester anyway," Melissa pointed out before her face lit up and she snapped her fingers. "Of course!"
Standing up, Melissa walked over to the small pile of game cases and fished out one of the games she knew Izuku hadn't started yet. Swapping disks in the console, she handed the controller to Izuku.
"These games have lots of downtime between cutscenes, so that would be the perfect time for us to talk! And then we can watch the story together!"
"Won't Izuku need to concentrate for fights?" Ochako asked.
Both girls turned to Izuku with a questioning look, and he shook his head. "For big fights, I'll need to concentrate. But for random battles, while exploring I can sort of play the game on autopilot?"
"There you go!" Melissa said before plopping down on the couch next to Izuku. "You've kicked my ass for the past two hours, I need a break anyway."
Ochako laughed before she sat down on the other side of Izuku. "I guess I'll give you a chance to recover."
Izuku looked to both sides of him to ensure that the girls were comfortable on their respective sides of the couch before he pressed the start button, and the three of them began to watch the game's opening cutscene.
The three lost track of time as Izuku played through the tutorial segments, the girls watched in silence as the cutscenes played and Izuku learned the basic mechanics of the game. Once he was finally through the intro sequence and free to explore on his own, he turned toward Melissa.
"So where were we?"
Melissa blinked before turning toward her friends. "I was saying our schedules are going to be completely different next year. Since we won't be training to build you up anymore, and focusing more on quirk use and how to fight."
"Right!" Ochako pumped her fist in the air, a fire in her eyes. "I'm gonna learn how to be a great grappler, just like Andrei!"
"Isn't that going a little far?" Izuku asked nervously.
"Probably," Ochako admitted, deflating slightly. "Even though I want to be a rescue hero, that doesn't mean I shouldn't know how to fight, though!"
"No, you're right," Melissa said. "Celica taught me that. You don't want to be caught defenseless in situations where you're forced to fight, because sometimes the villain just doesn't care if you're there to help others."
"What Melissa said!" Izuku added quickly. "I-it's good that you're learning how to fight, but life isn't a video game and you don't need to wrestle bears to practice!"
Ochako giggled at the thought. "I don't think I'd want to anyway. But there's a dojo about an hour away by train - a hero named Gunhead who has developed his own grapple style all about suppression and disarming foes. I was going to see what you two thought?"
Izuku paused the game as he thought about the hero. "I don't know much about Gunhead, personally. He's only been in the news a couple of times, usually as part of a joint operation."
"If he's got his own dojo that means he's probably lower ranked," Melissa pointed out. "But that's not always a bad thing! Celica has a dojo too, and she told me it's helped her with her heroics."
Ochako brightened at that. "So if you two think it's a good idea, I was going to take lessons there twice a week."
"I'll have to look up the hero," Izuku said, reaching for his phone.
"N-not right now!" Ochako said, placing her hand on Izuku's arm to stop him. "I didn't mean to interrupt your game! I just wanted to know if you knew anything from memory!"
"Oh, okay," Izuku said, feeling his face heating up from the contact. It hadn't done that in a while - he thought he was finally comfortable around his two friends? Trying to steady his breathing, he turned his attention back toward the television.
"And what about you, Izuku?" Ochako asked as she withdrew her hand.
"There's a local dojo that teaches Bajiquan," Izuku explained. "I've been thinking about what you said - about how I might not have a quirk that was like All Might's-"
"Not that again," Ochako protested.
Izuku gave her an apologetic smile. "Well, it did give me a lot to think about and well, you're right. I probably shouldn't model my fighting style after All Might."
"Wait, really?"
"Mhm," Izuku bobbed his head before turning his attention back toward the random encounter he found. "If I have a quirk that is too similar to All Might's, and fight like All Might, people might start asking questions. So I wanted to start learning something different."
"Well, I'm glad I helped then!" Ochako said quickly.
"It'll also be different from my monthly training with Celica, so we won't rouse suspicions by sharing similar fighting styles," Melissa said thoughtfully. "That's perfect!"
"That was my thought too," Izuku admitted. "And I was also thinking of joining the group that cleans the beach in the morning?"
"Wait, you want to keep cleaning the beach?" Ochako asked in disbelief.
Izuku rubbed the back of his head. "Well, the last few days I've just felt… odd, not waking up and going down to the beach. Since the group visits the beach at dawn and cleans up, it's similar enough to my old routine so I thought - why not keep doing it? And help keep the beach clean."
"That sounds a lot like what I was thinking, actually," Ochako admitted.
"Oh?" Izuku asked curiously.
"Mhm, I was thinking of volunteering time to work on community construction projects. Since my parents don't really want me on their work sites anymore," She felt her cheeks heat up in embarrassment. "I thought maybe I could help people in other ways?"
"That's really cool, I'm happy for you two!" Melissa said.
"And what about you?" Ochako turned to Melissa.
"UA's going to be keeping me busy enough as it is," Melissa admitted. "As much as I'd like to do something like that, between my support projects and any potential work studies in the fall and winter, I don't really think I'd have enough time to volunteer like that." She smiled at the two. "But that's okay! I'll still be helping people."
"I guess that makes sense," Ochako pressed an index finger to her chin. "I didn't even think about how busy we'll be once we get to UA."
"Yep," Melissa laughed nervously. "It's why I've learned to appreciate the free time I have."
"As long as we can still help people," Izuku said softly. "That's what's really important."
"Mhm," Melissa agreed.
Izuku opened his mouth to say something but then changed his mind as he saw he was approaching the boss area. Both girls turned their attention back to the television as they watched the next story segment play.
They knew they had more to talk about, but for now they were content watching their friend face the first real boss of the game.
All For One sat in silence, trying to use his Super Regeneration quirk to try and repair the past damage. While the quirk was extremely useful, the fact that it took Garaki two years to obtain it after his fight with All Might meant that it wasn't nearly as effective at healing him as he would have liked.
Still, it was better than nothing, and he was in a much better state now than he was for two years after his fateful battle. Now he just had to bide his time and wait. Tomura wasn't ready yet, and he knew better than to try forcing the transfer too early - if he did, then he wouldn't be able to reclaim One For All for himself.
In the meantime, he had other plans in motion - plans to destabilize Japan and remind All Might that he was only one man.
His silent meditation was interrupted as a light began to flash on the console in front of him. He smiled as he was about to receive a long-awaited update on one of his plans. Reaching out, he pressed the button to receive the call.
"Good evening, Sir, I hope you are doing well," the voice of Kyudai Garaki came from a speaker on the terminal.
"That will depend on what you have for me," All For One replied.
"Then I believe you will have a very fine evening," Garaki said. "The first specimen is complete, and ahead of schedule."
"Oh? Has it been tested yet?"
"Not yet, Sir. I suspect you have a few ideas on how you would like to do that?"
All For One gave a wide smile. "I do. Do you believe it is strong enough to take on a hero?"
Garaki was silent on the other side of the phone as he weighed his answer. "Depending on the hero. If you mean to send it against All Mi-"
"I understand your high-end research has not come to fruition yet," All For One assured the man. "But I do not mean to send them after All Might, not yet. However, there are plenty of other heroes in Mustafu - heroes who would do well to learn fear."
"I see," Garaki said. "In that case, I believe this prototype will be more than sufficient for whatever demonstration you have in mind."
"Excellent!" All For One smiled. "In that case, prepare the specimen for deployment. I will have Kurogiri send it into the heart of Mustafu… hmm… tomorrow afternoon sounds good. Let the heroes know that even in broad daylight, they are not safe."
"Very well, Sir, I will begin preparations. Have a good night, Sir."
"Yes, a very good night indeed." All For One pushed the button to close the call with Garaki. Spinning his chair around, he stood up and walked out of his room and up to the glass wall.
He had paid good money for an office building in central Tokyo. On paper, the office simply was used to store backup servers for an international corporation - one of the few shell companies that escaped All Might's wrath when he sought to dismantle his empire.
However, its purpose was much simpler. It was one of All For One's few havens, where he could lay low and regain his strength. He was particularly fond of this safe house - its location and glass walls gave him an amazing view of the city. It served as both a reminder of what he had lost - and what he sought to regain.
Folding his arms behind his back, he pulled up a quirk to simulate vision and watched the people moving on the streets below him. Without any lights on in the office, the people went about their business, unaware that they were being watched.
"Enjoy your rest while you can, All Might. Soon you will see that this… partial retirement… will not be as easy as you hope it will be."
Death Arms leaned against a building, a burning cigarette hanging from his mouth as he savored the last bit of nicotine. It had been a relatively quiet day in Mustafu - he always hated these days. They made him feel restless. Not only did fewer crimes mean fewer chances to exercise his skills, but it also meant smaller paychecks.
"What's a guy gotta do for a little excitement around here?" The hero grumbled as he plucked the cigarette from his mouth and crushed the tip against the wall. Satisfied, he flicked it with an ease borne of years of practice, sending it into the nearby ashtray. "Guess I'll get back to my patrol."
As he walked, he heard the sounds of panic as civilians cried out, fleeing the scene of something. Grinning, Death Arms slammed his fists together. "Finally, something good's happenin'."
Pushing past the civilians, he saw something straight out of a horror movie. A pale green-skinned man, or at least he looked like a man, but that's where the similarities ended. He was dressed in tight blue jeans and that was all. His chest was exposed, displaying dozens of scars that interlaced around his torso and shoulders. His left arm appeared to be severed at the elbow, his lower arm replaced with an oversized crab claw.
And his face was the worst of all. He had no hair, and it appeared that the back half of his skull was removed, exposing his brain to the elements. Sunken, sickly yellow eyes appeared unfocused as the creature swung its head back and forth, searching for… something.
Death Arms didn't know what the creature was searching for, but he was thankful that he appeared to be docile - for now. With a confident grin, he began to push through the crowds. "Don't worry everyone, your hero is here!"
As he approached, the creature seemed to suddenly notice him. With an inhuman speed, the head whipped around, and the eyes suddenly came into focus as they sized up Death Arms.
"He…ro," Came a dry and scratchy voice.
"That's right." Death Arms smiled and slammed his fists together. "It's too late because I'm here! And I'm gonna take you down."
"Kill…Hero."
Death Arms felt a pit in his stomach. This had escalated far quicker than he had anticipated. "Everyone get back!" He shouted, waving his arms behind him. "Don't worry, I'll handle this!"
The creature raised its claw menacingly and began approaching the hero.
Kamui Woods was enjoying a peaceful patrol when his phone suddenly started emitting a loud rapid beeping - the emergency signal from the hero network. Pulling out his phone, he looked at the alert.
Death Arms under attack against some unknown assailant, in need of immediate assistance. Civilians have been evacuated but it is unclear how much longer Death Arms can hold out.
"This isn't good," Kamui said with a frown. He pushed the button to bring up the GPS - despite being kilometers away he was the closest hero to the scene. That wasn't good.
Not wasting any time, he extended a branch to a nearby fire escape and flung himself to the roof, before he took off in the direction indicated by the GPS.
The minutes felt like an eternity as the city sailed beneath him. He was fast, but when villains were involved, every second counted. Buildings rushed by in a blur of grays and tans, and yet he willed his body to move faster.
He felt a small thread of relief as he began to hear the sirens, indicating he was approaching the police cordon. Throwing out one final branch he launched himself off the edge of the building, ready to join the fight.
Kamui felt his stomach fall faster than his body when he saw the scene. Death Arms was on the ground, his right arm and leg twisted in odd angles as the creature was savagely pummeling him, raining hammer blows with a meaty fist and chitinous claw.
"Get away from him!" Kamui yelled, throwing a wave of branches at the creature while he extended branches downward to give himself leverage.
The creature looked up in confusion as its fist was caught in Kamui's branches, suspended over his head. He tried to pull his hand free, but Kamui refused to back down, grabbing his wrist with his free hand and further reinforcing the branches. "I won't let you harm him anymore!"
"New… hero… kill…" The creature's voice sounded like sandpaper to the hero, and he felt his veins run cold at the words.
"No! I won't let you!" Kamui insisted, finding new resolve as he tried to hold the creature.
Slowly turning his attention toward the new hero, the creature raised its claw, slowly opening it as it placed the branches beneath its pincers. Eyes going wide he quickly retracted his branches, not wanting to lose parts of his limbs.
"Kill…" The creature spoke again, slowly advancing toward the hero.
Kamui stood in a defensive posture, ready to attack again when the creature suddenly stopped. Its eyes lost focus as it appeared to look skyward for a brief moment. Without warning, it turned around and leaped over the police barricade, taking off down the road.
Hesitating for a moment, Kamui looked at the broken form of Death Arms lying on the ground, weighing helping his fellow hero with capturing the creature. Fortunately, the nearby police officers appeared to have the same concerns.
"The paramedics are already on the way," an officer explained as he stepped forward. "We'll make sure nothing happens to him in the meantime!"
"You do your job!" Another officer called as they rushed forward with a first aid kit. "Make sure that monster doesn't harm anyone else!"
"Thank you," Kamui closed his eyes in acknowledgment before he extended his branches out, wrapping his hand around a light post and launching himself in the air to follow the creature.
Whatever the monster was, it was fast. Even with only a few moments of hesitation, Kamui was already hundreds of meters behind it. Kamui took solace in the fact that the monster seemed more concerned with fleeing instead of attacking civilians. But not knowing anything about the creature, he knew that could change at any moment. As he hit the ground, he took a running leap only to grab another light post and once again launch himself into the air.
By throwing himself forward he was steadily closing the gap between himself and the creature, until the creature suddenly turned down a back alley. Kamui felt his stomach fall as he hit the ground, racing forward in the desperate hope to catch a glimpse of where the creature went.
Sliding around the corner of the alley, the hero was greeted with nothing but a wisp of purple fog. Frantically looking back and forth, he saw no sign of the creature. Looking up, he saw a fire escape and used it to launch himself to the roof, where he began searching all around the streets.
But there was no sign of the creature.
"Where did he go…" Kamui asked aloud. There was no response, but he wasn't expecting one.
Steeling his resolve, the hero began searching the area for any sign of the creature.
Almost twenty minutes later, Kamui Woods returned to the scene of the attack. Slowing down on his approach, he took in the scene. The police had managed to hold the civilians back, and an ambulance had pulled up.
As he observed the scene he saw Death Arms was strapped on a stretcher, braces covering three of his four limbs and a gas mask over his face. The three paramedics were currently busy loading the stretcher onto the back of the ambulance.
Not wanting to disturb the paramedics, Kamui instead walked to the officer that appeared to be in charge of the scene. "How is he?"
"He's in critical condition, but they say he'll live. Whether he'll be able to work again…" The officer let the words trail off, before turning toward the hero. "And how about you? Any luck on your end?"
"No," Kamui grimaced. "It was as if that monster disappeared into thin air. I lost sight of it for just a moment!" He clenched his hand into a fist.
"Hey, don't blame yourself. I'm sure you'll get another chance to capture this monster."
"I agree." Kamui looked skyward as he thought about All Might's announcement. "I have a feeling… like this was only the first sign of things to come."
AN: Uh oh, looks like there's trouble on the homefront! Risa's gonna have to cut her latest training short to deal with this new threat! Good thing Risa's been training hard this past year! ~SupportGrrl47