11/01/2025

Thank you to everyone who reviewed, you are the greatest!

The Emperor's Dragon
Chapter 88 - Caution, Contact, Conflict

Edge Shot looked over at Kamui Woods and suppressed a grimace. He was a good hero, which wasn't going to make what he had to do any easier, but it was the best… the most sensible thing to do. One had to acknowledge weakness. All heroes had to and where there was absolutely no way of overcoming that weakness, then one had to accept them and accept the management that came with acceptance.

"You don't want me to go," Shinji said.

Shinya nodded. "I don't doubt your skill," he reassured Shinji. "I just-" No! he couldn't hesitate here or show doubt. "I do not doubt your skill. I do not doubt your desire," Shinyai said firmly. "I am just very much aware that you are flammable," he went to the core of the matter.

"And the villain's quirk is fire," Kamui Woods finished for him.

"Yes," Shinya agreed. "And this villain has shown absolutely no restraint," he added for good measure.

The villain, Dabi, had been linked to a number of previous murders of lower ranked heroes and given his quirk, having Shinji there was just asking for trouble. To say nothing about the new Number One Hero. Endeavor would not target Kamui Woods but his quirk was Hellflame and that generated an impressive amount of heat.

Shinya could tell that Shinji was not convinced.

"What is the first rule of heroics?" Edge Shot demanded. The rules had been adapted from some pre-quirk saying and apparently dedicated rescue heroes and paramedics used them today. It was the first thing they taught to everyone entering their industry. Edge Shot thought it would be better if they were taught in High School.

Shinji sighed. "Don't become the victim," he quoted.

The rule was actually more comprehensive than that but since that was the essence, Shinya would let it slide. "Yeah," he agreed, trying to get as much understanding into his tone as he could.

Kamui Woods glared at him but then huffed and nodded. "I'll see if I can get in touch with Yu," he told Shinya. Mt Lady was at Tartarus. She was meant to be interviewing a villain who had knowledge of a whole host of things. Except now there was a battle at Tartarus as well and they hadn't been able to contact her.

He nodded. "And keep the civilians away," he instructed.

It was sidekick work, and Kamui Woods was not a sidekick but for his own safety, it was best that he do it.

"There will be another time," Edge Shot assured him.

"Just go," Kamui Woods told him.

Shinya understood. There would be other times, but this was the morning after the Hero Billboard, and a team up with the new Number One Hero.

There was only going to be one time like this.

-ted-

All For One didn't have a time quirk but he was old enough and controlled enough to be able to tell the flow of time. It wasn't that he could feel the days turning, as much as he just had a sense for when it was morning, or night… Even when he was several stories underground, wrapped in concrete and steel. Even when the prison deliberately messed with his sense of time.

He was also attuned to the feel of the guards and other prisoners. Not being able to see had meant he was sensitive to sound, and all the little hints that gave him about what was going on. And, while Tartarus liked to say they monitored inmates for quirk usage, and they did, what Tartarus generally didn't mention was that when a quirk had absolutely no physical manifestation, they couldn't always tell if an individual was using their quirk.

And no matter what others might think, All For One had mastered using quirks, without making it obvious a long time ago.

So, when a feeling interrupted his morning - he was spending today running through all the various denigrations he knew for All Might and that usually took him at least a few hours and sometimes days, when he also pictured all the ways he would take revenge on All Might for the insults that man had heaped upon him over time - All For One was interested. He could list denigrations for All Might another time. If something was happening within Tartarus, then it was best he know about it now.

But what was happening?

He concentrated for a few moments. The guards were nervous. That was his first clue. He couldn't hear their words but he could hear the tone of their sibilant whispers and there was a distinct note of concern there.

He couldn't see the lights flicker but the cackles, quickly silenced, from several other prisoners gave him the impression that they had. Which meant someone was playing with the power. A moment later the impression became surety when the sound of the ventilation changed. The cells weren't air conditioned. This far underground the temperature was reasonably constant but they were ventilated. That produced a soft background hissing, which he'd gotten used to ignoring but when the sound changed…

There was definitely something wrong. Or perhaps something very right.

Carefully, All For One called up one of the passive quirks he still had. Just before he sent out the signal he stopped. If what he thought was happening was indeed happening then he didn't need to wake up the Nomu, they would be awake, he just had to talk to them.

But they couldn't answer. He could order them to come to him but again if what he suspected was true, then they were already on their way.

However, if Izuku was here… He felt his mouth stretch in a smile. If Izuku was here and had a copy of Radio Waves... It was worth finding out.

All For One sent out a broad signal. It was low level, not enough to interfere with anything in Tartarus but enough to cover the island, and he thought to the mainland beyond. There was no sense that the quirk had reached anywhere but All For One waited, listening with Radio Waves. The quirk wasn't designed to receive signals but if on the right frequency then he could hear them.

A few moments later All For One felt a burst of static through the quirk. It wasn't controlled or directed, and it didn't carry any sense of emotion but it was exactly how he might expect surprise to manifest. A more directed… actually a targeted signal, solely at him followed it. He could tell it was targeted via the frequency. It was quite a tight broadcast.

Dad?

My Little Dragon, All For One sent back, unable to stop the grin that split his features.

I'm taking out the control room, and then will be coming down, Izuku sent to him.

What's in the control room that is necessary? He asked. The Control Room would be heavily guarded and while he was sure Izuku could break in, there were times when you could just avoid things.

I'm blocking signals out, but best to be sure, came Izuku's response.

I can block as well, my Little Dragon, All For One told his son.

He could almost feel, but knew it was just his imagination, Izuku reworking his plan mentally.

Then I'll start down immediately, Izuku said. Through the quirk, the words were flat but All For One didn't need anything to hear the joyous tone. He felt it as well.

He laughed, ignoring the way the guns that were always trained on him twitched at the noise. The other prisoners went silent and for a moment All For One wondered why, but then he realised he had been somewhat aloof from them. Many of them thought his injuries had rendered him deaf, as well as blind. And with the assumption of disability came the assumption of mental impairment.

The mentally impaired were not sent to Tartarus. He sent out a concentrated blast with Radio Waves, deliberately targeting the signal that went between the guns and their triggers, and to the restraints on him and heard them click open. The guns, he would have to trust to his ability but that was in no doubt.

Still laughing, All For One got up, hissing slightly as he pulled the restraints away and ripped out the feeding tube and waste tubes. There was going to be a lot of pain in someone's future for those indignities.

He felt the surprise of the prisoners who could see him.

"What the?"

After securing the oxygen pump, All For One turned to them.

How did the younger one's put this? Ah yes… "It appears my ride is here," he announced, still chuckling.

"Who wants a lift?"

-ted-

As Dabi was striding towards Endeavor he checked on Rappa. The Nomu was still in the air and was… from the ground, he couldn't really tell how Rappa was doing against the Number Two Hero. Hawks was flying around the Nomu with two long feathers in his hands. They appeared to be as sharp as swords and while he was tempted to send a burst of fire into the air… it would make him exposed.

He was confident of his ability but he was also aware that if Hawks was here, then other heroes were probably on their way. He was now on a time limit and because of that, it was time he made his move.

Dabi smirked as Shouto put up an ice wall. That cut off one of the Nomu with his little brother, Endeavor and three other sidekicks. He thought it was Deidoro but that didn't matter. What mattered was that they'd probably figure out how to kill Deidoro. The Nomu were immune to fire but his brother's ice might be an issue. And whatever quirks the sidekicks had.

He should just send a Hell Mine into the area but he wanted to watch Endeavor burn. And while they were in that wall, they couldn't see what was happening to the others.

"Kill them all!" he commanded. The Nomu already had that order but it probably didn't hurt to reinforce it.

Dabi was raising his hand to melt Shouto's ice wall when something tackled him from the side. He was surprised by it since Rikiya was meant to be covering him but his old training kicked in and Dabi brought his arms up to grapple with whoever it was.

"You are under arrest, villain," came the statement.

It was a hero. Dabi managed to get one leg up between them and used it to kick whoever it was off him. With the little distance that gave him he sprung to his feet and glared over at the hero… and then blinked.

Who the fuck was that? He had never seen them before, which kind of told him everything he needed to know.

"Cease your villainy!" The man said grandiosely.

Dabi huffed. They had to be one of the local heroes, who was probably on the rank charts but so far down it was never announced. "Hell Mine," Dabi murmured.

The man threw himself back and Dabi had to admit to being slightly impressed. He had good reflexes, but it would take more than that to save him. Dabi clicked his fingers and pointed at the hero. "Rikiya!" he yelled.

The Nomu flashed past him, which gave the hero a split second for a startled cry before he was silent. Dabi didn't even bother to watch. Instead, he was intent on locating Endeavor but…

How many different quirks did Endeavor's sidekicks have? While he'd been distracted, someone had used a quirk to fill the square with Endeavor. The bastard was everywhere! Which one was real?

Dabi shot fire at the closest one and felt a spike of disappointment when the fire passed through the Endeavor. It was an illusion.

And it was going to be a pain in the ass if he couldn't make them disappear. Whichever sidekick was doing this was going down. If he could have killed Endeavor more than once then… that would have been fun. This was just a slog and he had enough of that.

The last time he'd seen Endeavor he was near one of the buildings. Dabi moved towards the building, sending random bursts of flame at the Endeavors. He thought the man was probably still busy with the Nomu but… if he hit the real one then that would be a bonus. Even if he hit a sidekick that hardly mattered.

There was a scream. Dabi turned to it… and couldn't see anything. But… the noise had definitely come from there. So the sidekick with the illusions could do more than just make multiple Endeavors. Interestingly, Rikiya didn't appear to see anything… Except the Nomu couldn't tell him what he saw, or didn't see, not like Rappa could. But maybe Rikiya didn't have to speak to him…

"Rikiya, attack Endeavor!" Dabi ordered.

The Nomu didn't wait to confirm the instruction and Dabi watched as the huge Nomu raced past him, to where the shout had come from. That confirmed it. He couldn't see through the illusions but the Nomu could… except before Rikiya got there, an explosion pushed them all back. That was definitely one of the quirks Deidoro had but the explosion got rid of the Endeavor's and while Dabi wasn't injured, Shouto tumbled to a stop near him.

Dabi watched as his little brother shook his head and got up. "Not the Todoroki I was after, but you'll do," he said and was slightly flattered when Shouto froze.

His brother turned to face him and Dabi gave him his most superior smirk.

It appeared Shouto didn't know what to say and while Dabi knew he was on a timeline, he could spend a little here. Besides, he could see the old man was facing off against Rikiya and the other sidekicks were still on the ground.

"Why are you interested in me?" Shouto eventually collected himself enough to ask.

"I'm not," Dabi countered.

"You are!" Shouto insisted. "You talked to me at Kamino and you paid the price to Dragon to get my quirk back. Why did you do that?"

That was probably the question Shouto was more interested in, and his little brother had obviously decided he had been the one with Dragon when he got his quirk back. He was but his hood had been up but that probably wasn't enough camouflage. There were a number of ways he could answer that.

"Just part of the plan," Dabi told Shouto.

"The plan?" his brother obviously didn't understand.

"A step closer to my goal," Dabi mocked. "What I don't get is why you are still following him around!" He snapped.

"You want me to be a villain," Shouto said, as if it was a revelation.

"Makes the most sense," Dabi retorted without denying it. If Shouto turned villain then… No, he was killing Endeavor today but if Shouto had turned villain at Kamino then that would have been a delicious irony. It was too late now. "I don't understand why you are doing this! Since you got your quirk back, no one has believed you. They all think you are a traitor." Dabi observed, shaking his head. "You've seen the dark side of heroics, through that, and through Endeavor and yet you are still there… why?"

Shouto looked at him and it appeared his brother was actually thinking about the question. Then he shook his head. "Because, I want to be a hero," he said finally.

Dabi stared. He remembered saying that when he was younger, before reality had intruded. He shook his head, feeling somewhat betrayed. He should have known better. Shouto was the golden child. "I thought he'd abandon you," he murmured.

Shouto winced.

"He did," Dabi surmised and then he sighed. "He did," he repeated. "But you've already forgiven him." He could see the truth in the statement in the way Shouto moved. Dabi shook his head. "You're so much like Mum," he muttered.

That got his little brother's attention. Shouto stared.

Dabi smirked and sent a wave of fire at Shouto. His brother reacted predictably, dodging and pushing out ice but Dabi was prepared for that and was already moving away from the steam, into a position where he could attack again. It was somewhat pleasant to feel his boot connect with Shouto's chin and it took his brother by surprise.

Shouto had been raised to use his quirk. He could physically fight. Dabi knew Enji wouldn't have neglected that training, but he went for his quirk first. "I should have expected this," he murmured as he watched Shouto get up. "Too many years as the chosen son…" He shot another wave of fire towards his brother. Shouto wasn't his real target but… it was frustrating how everyone just forgave Endeavor.

Again, Shouto countered with ice and he put more power into it. Dabi was surprised when the ice went around him. It was an escalation he wasn't expecting but it wasn't that serious. He didn't even use his fire to break out. "If you want to defeat me, little brother, you are going to have to use your fire," he told Shouto, as he clapped his hands together, before drawing them open to make an arc of blue flame. "But I think you will find I have you beat there too!" Dabi cackled. "Jet Burn!"

He was quicker than Shouto and the burst of fire slammed into his younger brother, knocking him away. Dabi stalked after him.

Shouto came to rest on a piece of grass that was miraculously not burned. His eyes were closed. It could be a ruse but Dabi didn't think so as he moved to stand beside his brother. Unconscious, Shouto looked peaceful, and Dabi took a deep breath.

"You aren't my real target," he told his brother. "But since the loss of his prize will hurt our father… I'll make it qui- Uff!"

Something barreled into his midsection.

It was fast and by the time Dabi got his hands free to hit it, whatever it was had already darted away leaving a trail of light to mark its passage. Blue eyes narrowed. He'd never seen anything like that but he'd heard about it.

In the days after Kamino, when they were stuck together, the others had gone on and on about what had happened at the bar. That included a detailed description of every hero who had been there and what they had done.

Including Edge Shot. He'd been unconscious and while learning about the events had been interesting, on the fifth repetition it had become boring.

Just as the interruptions were becoming boring now!

Well, no more Mr Nice Dabi!

Time to get serious.

-ted-

I know a lot of people have wondered why, after everything that has happened, Shouto is still on the hero side, but the answer is quite simple, he wants to be a hero. And most of the stuff that has happened to him, happened in canon as well (minus the quirk loss). But yeah, he wants to be a hero. It's that simple and Shouto is pretty stubborn when he makes up his mind.

Discord is on this code: TcBnRN7aDn FFN will remove links but you should be able to figure that out. There's a heap of other authors there, so come along and chat to us all! Not just about MHA.

-ted-

Loved it? Hated it? Found a spelling mistake? Let me know please!