Guild Master here again, again.
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Class 1-A felt the days passing, bringing their day of reckoning closer and closer as they made themselves ready for the operation to finally catch Bloodsoaked once and for all. They all were given instructions to slow down on their physical training in preparation for the impending battle ahead of them.
Many of the students were going over the information given to the class a few days ago by All Might and Detective Tsukauchi. An elaborate plan of attack had been constructed which required almost every top hero in the country to pull off successfully.
In order to protect the young heroes involved with the plan, they were all transported to a temporary housing situation with other important heroes involved with the operation. Dorms made out of armored alloy plating and other experimental materials provided by top of the line manufacturers housed everyone going against Bloodsoaked. These heroes needed to train together to become attuned to each other in the heat of battle. There were no second chances if they failed to capture this criminal with their strategy.
Midoriya was alone in his dorm with the printouts given to him as he rested his aching limbs for the battle ahead. He recalled all the details of the briefing given to him and his classmates the morning they were all presented with the plan.
Several Days Earlier
"H-how? What's the plan, All Might?"
Izuku approached his mentor with genuine surprise in his voice that there had been a plan formulated to capture Bloodsoaked. Everyone else held their amazement back when they heard that the plan to take down the country's most notorious killer was now about to come to realization.
All Might shared the carefully devised operation that would place the students at key points within a several kilometer radius out front of Tartarus prison. Reason being was something that All Might and the other heroes realized when they were going over the data regarding how Bloodsoaked operated himself in the killings he partook in. A terribly gruesome truth about the killer was that he never left his targets alive. He would always kill his targets, no matter how long it took.
The pattern of his need to finish off whoever he wanted dead never broke. Those who escaped his clutches were often left in a horrible state of disfigurement to send a message to their affiliates before he would come back a short time later to finish the job. None of his targets were alive to this day.
Until one had been discovered to still be alive who once faced the murderer and lived to tell the tale.
That individual was none other than the still imprisoned All for One.
Nobody could figure out why Bloodsoaked hadn't gone back to operating in a more secretive capacity. Stopping to take a step back from the evidence, the heroes finally managed to catch a glimpse at the possible reason why it may be this serial killer remained above the surface.
Perhaps he needed to finish what he started over nine years ago.
It made sense as Bloodsoaked had left the villain alive due to his need to find Shigaraki. Now Tomura was in his custody. Who could say what was holding Bloodsoaked back from just ending All for One's life?
For the most part, it was a rather macabre plan by hero standards.
Their plan would utilize All for One as bait to lure out Bloodsoaked out into the open under the guise of transporting the villain to a more secluded location via a secure convoy. They deduced the main reason why All for One hadn't been killed yet had something to do with being imprisoned in a high tech fortress of a prison. A killer like this never made it a purpose to make his killings known to the public for the most part. Whatever the reason, this convoy transport would be the one time All for One would be at his most vulnerable for someone looking to pull a hit job.
By planting heroes all over the city with advanced sensor technology providing support in locating the killer; the heroes could triangulate his position and move in when Bloodsoaked made his move to strike. His penchant to remain out of sight remained to be their one chance to figure out where he is when he makes his shot. Plus, he would be surrounded from all sides with the wide net they were casting to catch him.
Everything depended on where he would strike from as well as how strategic the heroes could be with their positions and reactions. Nothing about this gave anybody any wiggle room to make mistakes, no matter how small or insignificant.
Midoriya did his due diligence to memorize the file details in preparation for the operation. He held onto his conviction to finally bring this man to justice for all the horrific crimes committed by Bloodsoaked.
As he reached the fourth hour of studying his dossier, a knock at the door alerted Izuku of someone in front of his room. Checking the peephole allowed him to see two people he cherished dearly standing just outside. Unlocking his door, he took in the sight of Mina and Ochaco standing in their casual wear out in the hallway.
"Hey, you two."
"Hey yourself, Ikki."
A chuckle at Mina's greeting rumbled deep in Midoriya's chest.
"What's up? Is everything okay?"
Instead of responding vocally, these two women who loved their man with all their souls took him by his arms and dragged him out of his room towards an unknown destination.
Outside
Coming up to a cliff overlooking the forest next to their temporary housing, Ochaco and Mina shared the peaceful sight with Midoriya. Only the wind kept them company as they all felt themselves decompress from the stress of the upcoming battle ahead of them. The first one to break the silence was the one who controlled gravity.
"... Izuku, how are you holding up?"
A moment of silence let her know that Izuku was struggling to find the right words to describe what was going on upstairs within him. After a few more moments, he let them know how he felt about everything going on inside of his own head.
"... I don't know. After everything we went through; after all the challenges we overcame… I dunno, I just…"
Taking his tense fist into her comforting hands, Mina's touch helped to untense Izuku's grip enough for her to slip her hand into his so that they could lock their fingers against one another. Her sweet scent also helped ease Midoriya from his inner turmoil as Mina leaned her head on his right shoulder.
They had an idea why Izuku felt so conflicted with this particular villain, but only Midoriya knew how much he struggled with making sense of this villain. He knew nothing about this villain, yet they kept running into each other while the young hero still remained clueless as to the identity of Bloodsoaked or why he and him were intertwined with everything that has happened to the world. He just wanted answers instead of all this mysterious past crap Izuku's been spoon fed nonstop.
Worst of all, Midoriya's doubts have been manifesting over what he originally wanted to become as a hero. What used to be hopeful optimism started to show the cracks of realization that perhaps the world wasn't supposed to return to how it was before the recent collapse.
Those words that Bloodsoaked left with Izuku stuck out so prominently when he thought back to how people acted with the rise of criminal activity in the country. So many people reacted so poorly under pressure; so much so that it led to a massive wave of vigilante justice and produced one of the largest volumes of arrests to ever occur in the country's history. Most of them weren't even costumed individuals. Quite a few were normal people who picked up a weapon to exercise their version of civilian arrests.
All he could remember from the masked killer was how he told Izuku about how they fought for the same thing. Maybe there was some truth to how Bloodsoaked described the way he protected his side of things by keeping criminals from lashing out too far above their station. It certainly seems as though normal people are just as capable at reacting violently as criminals do in the face of danger.
Most of all, those same people hurt his father. Remembering the sickening sorrow he felt as he watched Haru lie in that bed with all his injuries twisted something deep inside of him. As much as he now knew how his lifelong father figure now felt from Izuku being injured, Midoriya felt the subtle growth of hatred start to take root from within. While he did want to bring back peace and hope to the public, he also felt bitter as to how entitled people acted in the face of their own fears. Nobody had the right to hurt those he loved just because they were scared or stressed.
It was this internal conflict that Mina and Ochaco wished to address with Midoriya. They didn't want to see the man that they love bear his burdens alone. He was loved and they wanted him to know that.
"Izuku, did you know what it was I felt when I did it with Toga and Tsuyu right after the fight with the Liberation Front?"
Not knowing what the answer was, Izuku gave Ochaco the chance to continue her train of thought by remaining silent while turning his head towards Uraraka.
"I'm not gonna lie, I felt confused and nervous more than anything else. Here I was having hardcore sex with who was once someone who tried to kill me and my friends. As much as I felt scared about my feelings at that moment, I went with it… Do you know why?"
Despite being a bit aroused by the reminder of his girlfriend's several days long randevu, Izuku nodded no with a completely straight face.
"Because it was what I felt was right at that moment. We always make decisions with careful planning and consideration for the results, but you are just on a whole new level."
A good natured jab at his expense got Midoriya to chuckle a little when Ochaco tapped the tip of his nose with her index finger.
"... So know that you don't have to go through this alone. As brilliant as you are, there are times when we need to talk things through. You're not alone, Izuku…"
Her hands gripped his left one. She brought his opened palm towards her face and rubbed her cheek against his rougher skin, closing her eyes as the texture of his thickened skin provided Ochaco the comfort she sought with Izuku's touch.
"You're not the only one who needs to make everything perfect for all of us. We want you to be happy too. You can reach out to us when you need us. If anything is bothering you, we'll listen and help however we can."
He had been reminded of the desires that the women he loved possessed for him as well. Midoriya felt a bit foolish for forgetting the people who wanted him to be happy as much as he too wanted them happy. Sometimes one just needs a reminder once in a while that it is okay to lean onto others to make the tougher things in life less of a challenge.
"... Thank you. Both of you."
Maybe things won't resolve themselves to an ideal conclusion, though that wasn't a reason to face the consequences alone when good people were willing to face them with you. Izuku leaned in to give both girls a kiss and enjoy the peaceful view for just a while longer.
Tartarus Prison
Returning to the high security prison, All Might had better success getting past the front desk with the help of his detective friend along with the authority of a police squad. Before the mission could even begin, the subject meant to be bait for Bloodsoaked needed to be inspected for anything that could put the mission at risk.
Several elevators and hallways later, All Might was led by a security escort armed to the teeth till they reached a door that looked better suited to act as a vault over being a prison cell. The scanners confirmed the identities of the approved individuals cleared to see the prisoner. Both officers stood off to the sides of the door as the door unlocked and slid open for All Might to enter the spacious cell on his own.
Splitting the room in half, a clear window made out of dense polymers separated All Might's side of the room from where All for One remained in his medically induced coma. All for One had been restrained to a gurney turned to let the retired hero face the villain while standing.
Looking at this disgusting narcissistic embodiment of human cruelty made All Might sick. There remained a small amount of satisfaction in All Might to see his former arch enemy look so emaciated and weak from being put into a deep sleep. Some of his own pain reached the villain to inflict a minute form of vengeance upon them.
"All Might, we are about to pull him off the chemical stabilizers. Please stand back from the window in case the subject reacts unexpectedly."
All Might took two steps back from the window as instructed before the prison disabled the flow of compounds being pumped in and out of All for One to keep him under. Nothing could have prepared the retired hero for what happened next.
Time passed by the seconds with All Might keeping his eyes glued to his former arch nemesis. Their breathing started to become more active as the effects of the chemicals being pumped into All for One lost their potency without a constant source being fed into his body. It scared the shit out of All Might when the villain suddenly started to scream and tense his entire body abruptly.
He had to take a few more steps back after the startle All Might got from the recently awakened All for One. Even more shocking than that, blood vessels all over the villain's body began to bulge before they started to burst open and spray blood all around the now profusely bleeding prisoner.
"AAAAAAAA! GET OUT! GET OOOOOUUUUUUT!"
At that moment, All Might didn't know what the hell just happened to his former enemy. He found himself horrified at the sight of All for One, a villain who practically turned this country over onto its head for over a hundred years, look as though he was being tortured from the inside out by some sort of sadistic inhuman entity.
"GET OUT OF MY HEEEAAAAD! HE'S IN MY HEAD! GET HIM OOOOOOUUUUT!"
What All for One said caught All Might's attention. This didn't feel right to the former hero. Something caused these symptoms that were clearly bringing the one suffering an unimaginable amount of agony.
"Wait,wh-"
"We have to sedate the subject! He's going into shock!"
"No! Wait!"
All Might needed answers. As necessary as it was that All for One needed to be alive for the operation to work; another need for more information over who the villain was talking about remained unanswered. He even resorted to pounding on the window to try and get All for One's attention.
"Who are you talking about?! Who's in your head?! Hey, answer me!"
The medical staff were already in the opposite section of the cell as All for One faded out of consciousness. Only the repeated begging for whoever or whatever inhabited the villain's head to leave dribbled out of his mouth until he fell back into a coma. Medics were working to stabilize All for One by staunching the most serious of the bleeding.
A deeply disturbing image of blood pouring out of two large wounds where the criminal's eyes used to be mentally scarred All Might. It was an image that looked like it belonged in the mind of a twisted serial killer; and nowhere else.
Now things were even more confusing than ever before. All Might didn't know who or what did this to All for One, though he didn't want to know in this life or the next about how they managed to pull this act of demonic torture upon the world's former greatest evil.