Chapter 2 - Symbol of Fear
Spoilers For:
- One Piece: Minor spoilers for Post-Enies Lobby
- My Hero Academia: Minor spoilers for the Entrance Exam Arc
- Kill La Kill: Character spoilers (~Ep. 6 of Kill La Kill) Minor spoilers for Ryuko Matoi's backstory.
Approximately six years before Monkey D. Luffy set out on his voyage, a meeting occurred between two figures of indescribable power.
"She's taking her time." a young teen, with blue hair and hands all around him, remarked.
"Now, now Tomura… be patient." a man with white hair and pale skin responded, his tone making it clear that he was the boy's superior.
"My apologies for keeping you boys waiting." a female voice coldly stated.
The previously dark room instantaneously became illuminated by a rainbow glow, as a woman with white hair emerged. She possessed maroon eyes, a tight fitting, yet revealing outfit, and a presence that could only be noted as terrifying… so much so that the boy named Tomura could barely stay awake in her presence.
"It is of no consequence, Ragyo Kiryuin." the white haired man stated, maintaining a perfect poker face despite the immense pressure he felt emanating from the woman.
"You know my name… well, don't be a stranger, tell me yours." the Kiryuin ordered, her cool, confident voice filling the room.
"If you wish to call me something, you may call me All for One."
"Aw, that's no fun."
Ragyo Kiryuin peered around the room, finding that a chair was prepared and waiting for her. She walked over to it, but didn't sit on it, preferring to stay standing.
"You called me to this meeting…" the Kiryuin noted, "So why don't you tell me just what you want?"
All for One looked over at Tomura Shigaraki, who was staring at Ragyo Kiryuin with bloodlust. Her tone, it was commanding, and powerful… being one that not even his master could match, and that angered Tomura Shigaraki. Nobody was able to speak to his master that way, not without a swift death awaiting them.
"Calm down Tomura." All for One stated, noting Tomura's bloodlust, as the boy hesitantly followed his master's order.
All for One then continued, "I called you here today to offer you a proposition."
"Oh? I couldn't have guessed." Ragyo stated, sarcastically.
"I've heard about your work with life fibers, and about their abilities to strengthen one's own power." All for One began, as Ragyo's face didn't change in the slightest, "And while I don't know what your plan is, I would like to offer a partnership between us…"
"In this partnership… what will you give me, All for One?" Ragyo questioned.
"Power. While you possess Life Fibers, I possess many quirks which I believe that you could use well."
Ragyo Kiryuin's face still hadn't changed, but there was a brief pause which, in an instant, changed the entire dynamic of the conversation from one of passiveness, to one of slight aggression.
"And… what is your ambition?"
While not significant, there was a brief pause from All for One. In a microsecond, the man considered ways that he could change the tone of this conversation into one of which gave him favor… yet unfortunately, he saw no outcomes of that nature. Attempting to keep control nonetheless, he simply veered to the outcome which would allow him to escape the confrontation with his life.
"Simple. While that fool All Might wants to become a symbol of peace, I wish to become a symbol of fear."
In All for One's view, the face of the Kiryuin conglomerate considered the offer momentarily, but after said moment, her smile grew larger than ever before.
"You say that you wish to become a symbol of fear?" Ragyo Kiryuin repeated, "How human of you."
While Tomura Shigaraki's rage only grew, All for One continued to stay calm, as if he had expected this outcome from the moment that Ragyo Kiryuin had walked into the room. She continued.
"I see no reason why I should follow behind such a trivial goal from a fool such as yourself, who acts on no more than the whims that a child would."
Tomura Shigaraki had listened long enough by this point, as his rage overflowed. Shigaraki rushed towards Ragyo Kiryuin and attempted to attack her with his Decay quirk, but before he could even reach her, he was shoved back by a wave of some sort of energy, and was knocked out. Despite this, All for One remained neutral.
"Point in case." Ragyo Kiryuin commented.
"I understand your argument." All for One stated, putting a hand over his face, "But do not underestimate the power I could provide…"
"I do not require the powers of a mere human such as yourself." Ragyo Kiryuin asserted, "The power of the life fibers are all that I need."
All for One ceased to argue past this point, as he realized that there was no point to such a task. Remaining on the offensive, Ragyo Kiryuin now sought to fulfill her own means.
"Though of course, if you were to join me, and submit your will to the life fibers… maybe I'll reconsider." Ragyo Kiryuin stated with purpose, in a tone that All for One was not unfamiliar to using himself.
"You talk as though the life fibers are alive."
"Who says they aren't?"
Catching on to just what Ragyo Kiryuin was implying; just what her ambition was, All for One realized that a partnership with her was impossible.
"Your ambition… is not befitting for one such as myself." All for One asserted, with the very same confidence that Ragyo Kiryuin had earlier, "My humanity, my logic, or lack thereof, is the very reason I seek the goals I do. There is nothing wrong with seeking an illogical purpose, for that is the very nature of those who will achieve greatness."
Ragyo Kiryuin looked at All for One with such an intensity that she might've been planning on burning a hole within him right then and there, but on the other side of the room, All for One simply returned the same glare.
"This alliance was never going to work out." Ragyo Kiryuin stated nonchalantly, "But at the very least, I can respect a man like you."
"As can I you." All for One replied without a hint of honesty, "Just don't be surprised when your ambition ends up overshadowed by my own."
"Hm, a novel concept, but I'm afraid your ambition is far too trivial to overshadow my own." While saying this, Ragyo Kiryuin got up from behind her seat, and made her way towards the door, leaving silently. Once she did, Tomura Shigaraki was able to be resuscitated. He breathed heavily, having not felt such powerlessness in a long time.
"Master… I want her dead."
All for One looked at Tomura Shigaraki with a smirk. Tomura's bloodlust pleased him, which is why it was such a shame to him that fulfilling Tomura's desire was implausible.
"Now, now Tomura… Mistress Ragyo is powerful… perhaps even more powerful than I." All for One stated calmly, "But worry not Tomura… because I am sure that one day, you will become a symbol even more powerful than her, for you are to be the Symbol of Fear."
About a year after All for One's confrontation with Ragyo Kiryuin, a student of an unimportant elementary school was suspended from it indefinitely for getting into too many fights. This wasn't the first time that this event had occurred, as she found little value in staying at school; Her only true goal was to find just who killed her father, who had died only a few years ago.
Despite not having any parents to speak of, the girl named Ryuko Matoi had a place she could call home… and that was the burnt and ruined residence her father previously owned.
From her back, she took out a case that looked as though it belonged to a guitar, but instead, she pulled out a blade, which looked different from any other… for it was half of the scissor blade which had been used to murder her father.
"Dad… I'll find your killer someday." Ryuko muttered with solemn confidence, a pledge she made on her Scissor Blade.
The house she was currently in was located in the middle of nowhere. It would have taken her hours to find any civilization if she were to try (such as her ex-elementary school), and the same was true for the reverse. Nonetheless, a dark figure who had sought out Matoi was able to find her with exceptional ease.
The figure was careful not to make so much as a singular stray footstep… but, after several hundred potentially audible steps, one was just loud enough for Ryuko to notice. As fast as she could, she pulled out her Scissor Blade from behind her, ready to brawl.
"Hey! Show yourself!" Ryuko shouted with an unwarranted sense of confidence that she heard a singular footstep.
After Ryuko said this, an uncomfortable silence filled the air.
"Was I imagining it?" Ryuko thought, questioning herself.
Suddenly, the sound of footsteps resumed. The faint sound was present just outside of the door to the residence, as Ryuko, unaware of what was outside, prepared herself for the worst… and the worst, it would be.
The door faintly creaked open, as a man who appeared young, possessing white hair despite this, revealed himself.
"Who… who the hell are you?" Ryuko questioned.
"Just a passerby… who happened to hear about your situation." the white-haired man claimed, without a hint of emotion seeping through into his face. Ryuko tightened her body on impulse; she was on her guard.
"Why are you here?" Ryuko again questioned the white haired man, even though the situation was one that no honest answers would be given in… but then again, she couldn't have known that.
"Well, when I heard about your situation, it nearly brought me to tears. A girl, lashing out at the world for taking the life of her dear father… frankly, I couldn't believe such a cruel story was reality." the white-haired man said, with a tone to his voice that Ryuko felt was off, "So, I'd like to give you an opportunity… come with me, and I can bring you salvation."
Ryuko considered the man's words, and with child-like optimism, took them at face value. Ryuko was young, and to a degree, desperate, after all. Despite her optimism, Ryuko decided to question the man's words further.
"Why should I trust you?" Ryuko asked, with small, yet noticeable fluctuation to her voice that wasn't present before.
"Because… you have no one else."
The man delivered his last line in the perfect way, so that it didn't come off as hurtful… but instead, came off as though he were simply stating the obvious, and offering the girl a path forward.
"Then…" Ryuko stopped briefly, but decided to follow through, "Do you think you could help me find out just who killed my dad?"
The man smirked… for with this, he knew he had won.
"Of course. I think I know just where to start." the man then extended his hand, "They call me All for One… what do they call you, girl?"
Ryuko, loosening the grip on her scissor blade in her right hand, reached out for All for One's hand with her left.
"Ryu… ko…" Ryuko's voice trailed off, unable to finish the rest of the statement, as her hand wavered, just like she herself did. All for One, calculating his next move, then quickly realized that he had no time left…
"...He's come." All for One noted.
A moment later, soaring through the skies, he did.
"Worry not, brave little girl!" an unknown voice confidently asserted, "For I… am here!"
Landing right in front of All for One was the exact opposite of the villain. Shocked by the sudden appearance of the man, Ryuko quickly questioned the situation.
"Who are you?" she quickly asked.
"Japan's Number One hero, miss, All Might!" the hero confidently said, "This guy here is bad news… get away from the scene, and find a safe place to hide!"
"But... this is my home!" Ryuko noted.
"Don't worry, your home won't be harmed in this scuffle… not one bit!"
With the confidence that All Might exuded, Ryuko was moved. The feeling that All Might gave off, it was different from All for One. There was no ulterior motive to his words, no forceful promise she had to keep up in order to survive… The only thing All Might asked of her was to stay safe. At that moment, Ryuko realized that she was in the presence of a real badass.
"Y-you really won't?" Ryuko questioned.
"Wouldn't dream of it!" All Might confidently replied, tilting his head back to look at Ryuko.
Ryuko recalled the hero society that was pushed so much in Japan, and how All Might was hailed as the greatest hero by her classmates. She grew to dislike people like All Might, who seemed to always have it all… and be able to smile in every situation. Upon seeing All Might's smile however, she felt a wave of comfort come over her… and that's when she realized it.
"That smile…" Ryuko thought, "It's so… warm."
Responding to All Might's earlier request, Ryuko backed up, and left the Matoi Residence behind. She decided that she should head back to Japan, and try to contact any heroes that she could, inspired by All Might to do so.
"Oh? The all powerful All Might, getting in the way of an elderly gentleman… trying to aid a little girl." All for One said, mocking All Might, "That's not very nice."
"Don't play coy, All for One." All Might responded, "We both know the only reason you're here is to try and get your hands on the life fiber research from the late Isshin Matoi."
"Oh, so you found me out now?" All for One said, "Yes… while quirks are the most highly valued abilities in modern society, I take interest in the commodities which are undervalued by you heroes… utilizing life fibers are just a means to an end."
"Well, villain. You'll never get your hands on them, not while I'm around anyways." All Might responded, and All for One found humor in his assertion.
"Oh?" All for One said, "We'll see about that, hero."
Utilizing several quirks, All for One prepared himself, and rushed himself towards All Might. The latter prepared to counter, but All for One had a counter for that counter, as he used a warp quirk in order to teleport.
"Behind me?!" All Might thought, unprepared.
The villain's leg extended forwards, All for One landed a solid kick to the back of All Might's neck, successfully landing the first attack of this fight.
All for One's attack didn't go unpunished however, as while All for One was suspended in midair, All Might grabbed All for One's extended leg with his left hand.
"He wasn't knocked back by that?!" All for One questioned.
"TEXAS… SMASH!" All Might shouted, clocking his right fist back and releasing it.
With a powerful blow, All Might landed a firm hit on All for One's face. Due to its impact, All for One flew a fair bit backwards, before stopping himself in place with a levitation quirk. An instant after All for One did this, All Might sped towards All for One, stopping several meters in front of him. All for One dusted himself off, and then commented on the situation.
"Though I landed the first blow, it appears as though you found a way to take the advantage." All for One said, as his previously neutral face turned into a smirk, "Let's hope that you're more of a challenge than your predecessor, Nana Shimura."
This statement enraged All Might, as per the plan of All for One.
"Don't you dare say her name!" All Might shouted, as he blasted himself towards All for One with his full power.
All for One quickly used one of his quirks, Air Cannon, to shoot a blast of pressurized air at All Might. But to the former's surprise, All Might was going so fast that such an attack didn't affect him, causing All Might to be able to go straight through the blast.
"It's gonna take a lot more than a bit of hot air to stop me!" All Might shouted, "Now… DETROIT… SMASH!"
Unleashing his attack, he hoped to damage All for One, but All for One blocked his attack via a combination of various defense-oriented quirks on his left arm, stopping All Might in his tracks. All for One then utilized various attack-oriented quirks on his right arm to attack All Might with a swift punch right back, causing All Might to fly back due to the severity of the blow. All for One capitalized on this by utilizing several air cannons in order to damage All Might while he was flying backwards.
All Might had seen these, however, and he quickly utilized his insane strength to jump in midair and dodge even the first air cannon, and with his continuous midair jumps, he allowed himself to practically fly and dodge the rest. Using said ability, All Might flew back towards All for One.
The villain quickly flew upwards by jumping and then using his levitation quirk, matching All Might's height. After doing so, he then used a telekinesis quirk to take a large chunk of mountain and threw it towards All Might… who realized that the chunk wasn't meant to damage him. Beginning to flip in the air, All Might built up strength, getting above the large rock and releasing his strength with a…
"CALIFORNIA… SMASH!"
…the impact of which broke the piece of a nearby mountain into a thousand tiny pieces, all of which flew away from the Matoi Residence.
"Your weakness as a hero couldn't have been more obvious." All for One commented, "You can't put aside sentiment because it's not just your duty to save people, but keep them secure and complacent as well."
"A person like you… could never understand!" All Might shouted back at All for One, who kept his smirk that he had maintained throughout the fight… It was fun to see All Might suffer.
All for One suddenly let out a barrage of air cannons, all of which were aimed at the Matoi Residence, but, All Might repeated what he said earlier.
"I already told you, a bit of hot air…" All Might began, as he charged up another smash attack, rotating his arms to create a miniature tornado to stop the air pressure waves released by All for One's Air Cannon quirk, "ISN'T GOING TO STOP ME! NEBRASKA… SMASH!"
Unleashing the tornado, the blow did more than just stop all the air pressure waves that All for One had blew towards him, but also, the attack headed towards All for One at a rapid speed… but All for One expected this, as he created a warp gate to redirect All Might's blow to straight to the front of the Matoi Residence.
All Might noticed the portal which All for One had created. In order to keep his promise, All Might quickly jumped in front of it, stopping his own blow from destroying the residence. The consequence of this was that All Might took massive damage to his right side in the process.
Both members of the fight were injured. This fight, even though it had just started, was clearly taking a toll on both of them due to their incredible power, and comparably lower defenses.
"What will you do All Might? In order to damage me, you must first damage the residence you're trying to protect-"
Without warning, All Might interrupted All for One, yelling out, "NEW HAMPSHIRE… SMASH!"
By using an ultra powerful punch on the ground behind him, All Might sent himself speeding towards All for One, hitting the villain with his back, as both All Might and All for One were sent flying far away from the Matoi residence, and out to sea. There, an artificial island which was yet to finish construction was waiting for them to continue their battle.
Taking advantage of the scenario, All for One attempted to use his 'Rivet Stab' quirk to damage All Might's back while he was still pressed up against him due to his last attack, but before All for One's red and black tendrils could reach All Might, the hero propelled himself forwards and turned around in midair, preparing his own next move.
"DETROIT… SMASH!"
All Might's quick attack at All for One knocked the villain downwards, and onto the artificial island below. Flying downwards, All for One remained emotionless, to the degree that it seemed like he was almost trying to over exaggerate such an emotion.
Once All for One reached the island, a large impact occurred, causing a shockwave which damaged construction around the island, and caused a dust cloud which obscured even All for One's own vision… Everything was going perfectly according to plan.
At a speed so fast that it seemed as though he was always there, All Might arrived at the ground level, prepared to attack All for One, even while he was down.
"FLORIDA…" All Might began, charging up his punch in an exaggerated manner above himself, ready to strike All for One, who was right below him, "SMASH!"
In that instant, All for One's previously emotionless face, bruised and bloodied as it was, broke into a smile. All Might's Florida Smash, which was previously aimed at All for One, was now directly in the right side of his body.
"You saved your best punch for last… All Might." All for One confidently guessed, injured and speaking somewhat slowly, "You got angry, you got sloppy, but at the very least, you didn't get any weaker."
All Might recoiled back slightly, wheezing due to the strength of his own punches. All for One, on the other hand, was able to get up just fine due to his catalog of quirks, even though by all means, he was even more damaged than All Might was.
Taking advantage of All Might's weakened state, All for One utilized his Rivet Stab quirk once more, as he stabbed the very same area that All Might had punched himself... but that wasn't all, as every attack All for One had launched within this fight was targeted at the same area of All Might's body... all so that he could barely move anymore.
While All Might screamed out in pain, All for One only smirked, and began to laugh.
"How does it feel to be this powerless?!"
There was no snappy comeback for All Might to give as he coughed up blood, for he knew that the only good that could come out of talking with All for One would be yet another mistake… one which he knew he had to avoid.
All for One then took out the tendrils from All Might's side, and then jabbed him with them again… and again… and again… and again, until he guaranteed that All Might would no longer be able to move. Once All for One did so, and he took out his tendrils from All Might one final time, and the hero instantly fell to the ground, the wound in his side extremely deep and bloody. All for One didn't press his luck and go further, however, because he never had any intentions of winning this fight… not while All Might was in a stable condition, anyhow.
"It's been fun, All Might," stated All for One, beginning to levitate upwards, "But I have other projects to work on now. Don't strain yourself, that injury will only get worse the more you do!"
All for One then began to leave, but All Might, even though he was injured to the degree that he may never fight again if he fought here, he still got up once more.
"No…" All Might thought to himself, "If I give up here… after all this time chasing All for One, taking down his allies…"
All Might stopped momentarily, realizing just what he was thinking.
"No, that's not it…" All Might continued to think, "It's not about the effort it took to get here… it's about the people he's tortured and killed… the people he WILL make suffer if I let him go. I'm… the Symbol of Peace… AND I WON'T LET SUCH A TITLE BE ONLY FOR SHOW!"
All Might then charged up all of the power within One for All that he could, as every previous holder funneled a power into him, a power that was to finish the fight which all of them had started. Standing up strong, All Might charged up his power into his legs, and launched towards All for One.
"WHERE DO YOU THINK YOU'RE GOING, VILLAIN?!"
All for One, surprised by All Might's decision to keep going, or rather, by how fast he had got going, or rather, the fact that he was even able to get going at all, was unable to process what was occurring. After all, All Might was hurling towards him at unprecedented speeds… and All for One had to carefully plan around dealing with said speed up to this point, but now, there was no such mercy.
"ONE MORE… DETROIT…"
All Might clocked his arm back, as All for One then attempted his last ditch effort… one that he had planned for later, once All Might had his injury settled in. He placed his hands forwards in an attempt to forcibly steal One for All from All Might, but all this was to be in vain.
"SMASH!"
All Might extended his arm forwards, rocketing his smash towards All for One at speeds that went past all the known capabilities of strength within hero society… the society of quirks in general, straight into All for One's head.
However, even though the smash connected, and the battle ended in All Might's victory… The result was not what was anticipated. In an instant, blood gushed out from the back of All for One's head, as All Might's face of determination changed into one of horror. In his effort to finally end All for One, he did just that, as the top half of All for One's face was deformed… he was dead.
While this was technically the best outcome, when All for One's body dropped lifelessly onto the ground, All Might dropped to his knees… horrified by the act that he had committed.
The battle that day was kept a secret from the public, but nonetheless, the knowledge of the fight was still possessed by both All Might and All for One, who were free to pass it on as they pleased.
Ryuko Matoi, who had escaped to contact the authorities, led them to her house, though it would take them a while to find All Might, standing alongside All for One's dead body, which was later taken to the morgue*.
After more police questioning, Ryuko was finally able to return to her father's former home.
"He kept his promise…" the young Ryuko observed, awestruck by the fact that a hero such as All Might actually existed… one that could turn dreams and promises into reality.
"Heroes." the stunned Ryuko observed, "They're really cool."
Ryuko then walked into her house, and walked around the house a little bit. After doing so, she found a corner, and sat down in it.
"If I become cool enough to become a hero…" Ryuko thought, "Then maybe, I can find out just who killed my dad!"
End of Chapter Notes
Mild spoilers for My Hero Academia here
* = After All Might's fight with All for One in the canon story of My Hero Academia, All for One does technically die… that's why the top half of his face is missing. Retrieving him from the morgue, he is saved by Kyudai, his scientist.
Aaaaand that's all for Chapter 2!
I'll be honest, coming back after I've been writing this series for a while, and I can't help but be left wanting more from All Might vs All for One. But, I suppose that also shows just how far I've come with the writing for this series... there are so many battles which have yet to be shown, each more intense than the last!
Another thing I noted that was a moment of missed potential was Ryuko's interaction with All for One. I never had any plans to turn Ryuko evil or anything like that... (if I did, she'd have to be extremely different from her canon counterpart... at which point I might as well write an original story and not a fan-fic lol)... I did feel there was potential for a reveal like that there.
If any of you feel particularly inspired by this, please, create a fan-fiction of this fan-fiction where Ryuko does become evil! It'd be a great pleasure to read!
Also, if you couldn't tell, each chapter so far has been an origin story for each of the characters... so get ready for the final origin story, with the next chapter,
"IZUKU MIDORIYA: ORIGIN"! (i know, I'm a master of subtlety)