08/06/2024

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The Emperor's Dragon
Dragon 26 - Learning to Share

Hitoshi knew he was in a somewhat precarious position. The underground Hero Eraserhead had offered him an apprenticeship, which meant that every moment he wasn't in class, he was shadowing the underground hero. He didn't go on missions with Eraserhead, it was far too early for that, but he was being given extensive training. At first, they'd just worked on his fitness. They were still working on his fitness and Hitoshi was thankful for the training Izuku had given him.

The… Hitoshi couldn't call Izuku a villain, even if that's what the world called him but Izuku's earlier physical fitness regime had helped a lot. Aizawa had then moved to incorporate some fighting moves, and had spoken to Hitoshi about the types of situation that would best suit him.

Eraserhead had been very clear. Patrol heroes just accepted the situation for what it was and waded into whatever issue presented itself. Underground heroes created situations that suited them. Since Hitoshi's quirk didn't give him a physical boost, he had to be clever enough to maneuver enemies into situations that put him at the advantage.

It was harder than it seemed but did make perfect sense. One thing Aizawa had said would be a great benefit for him was learning to be unobtrusive and in following Eraserhead, that's what Hitoshi had to focus on. It wasn't that people had to not see him, it was more complicated than that. People could see he was present, they just had to not care. In some situations it was easy. The assembly welcoming all the different hero students from the schools of Japan had enough going on that no one had really cared about taking notice of him. He'd also found another way of being unobtrusive, and that was when people were familiar with him. At the hospital where Ochaco was, the staff were used to seeing him, so no one stopped him any more. Aizawa had told him that wasn't the sort of unobtrusiveness he could use on missions but it still counted, because sometimes, if he'd been undercover for a mission, then that was the type of familiarity that was needed. Today, with the students being tested, that was harder to be unobtrusive in the traditional sense. People were curious as to why a student was following one of the teachers but Hitoshi thought he was doing rather well there. No one had really challenged him.

Except just as Tokoyami was going to say whatever it was, he didn't want to say in front of the Shiketsu student, Principal Nezu, who always noticed him, fixed one black eye on him and spoke. "You too, please, Hitoshi."

Hitoshi knew better than to sigh under his breath. Instead he nodded and opened the door to slip out. He was a bit surprised to see the Shiketsu student still there, before he realised no one had told the teen if he should return to testing.

Hitoshi looked up at the teen. He had dark brown hair and black eyes. "Did you know Izuku long?" he asked to break the ice.

That was the other thing Aizawa had him doing - just talking to people. Since his quirk relied on him getting a verbal reaction, being able to draw people into a conversation was important. In regular situations like this, an innocent question would be enough. In other situations, it might be an insult or something unexpected. He wasn't going to do anything to the Shiketsu student, but Aizawa had drilled him to practice at every opportunity.

"I don't think I knew him at all," came the response.

Hitoshi could understand that. He'd been told interrogator Jinsha to think of the Izuku he knew as a different person. Hitoshi had determined that he would act like that but if he wasn't going to call Izuku a villain, then he wasn't really going to believe that. Izuku was his friend and that was really all there was to it.

"There were a lot of things he was hiding," Hitoshi agreed. That's how he was thinking of Izuku's current plans, even though he sort of knew the general desire, even if he knew nothing of the actuality. If the world couldn't handle being shaken up a little bit by the actions of one teenager, one well equipped teenager, then the world really did need to be shaken up. And everything Izuku was doing was just showing his prejudices were right.

People now feared Izuku solely because of his quirk. They didn't even know Izuku and he was somehow a villain because he could take other quirks. They ignored the fact that for years, he never had.

"You knew him too?" the Shiketsu student asked.

Hitoshi nodded, and then held out his hand. "Hitoshi Shinsou," he introduced himself. "First year UA Student."

Black eyes looked down at him for a moment before the student reciprocated, taking his hand. "Inasa Yoarashi, first year Shiketsu."

"First year?" Hitoshi asked, making a point of looking up at Inasa. The guy was really tall and solidly built.

"First year," Inasa confirmed and from the amused smile on his face, he knew that Hitoshi was teasing with his look. "Most of you UA students are so short!"

Hitoshi chuckled at that. He was taller than Izuku but Inasa was way taller than them both. "I used to go to school with Izuku," he told Inasa. "I thought his quirk was fire breath!" he added. He wasn't obvious about it but he was looking for a reaction. It would tell him a lot about the type of person Inasa was.

"I met up with Izuku at quirk use days," Inasa told him. "And I thought he had some sort of draconic quirk with fire breath and flight!" he explained. "Not what he does have," came the addition.

Some people might say there was vitriol in Inasa's statement. Hitoshi didn't hear it. There was disappointment, surprise and some shock. There was a lot of uncertainty.

"I suspect he had to say that for protection," Hitoshi indicated.

Inasa nodded. "He shouldn't have had to," he said.

At that, Hitoshi just gave him a look before they both leaned against the far wall.

"I know," Inasa replied, slightly defensive. "There's a lot of people who'd have feared him if he said the truth but-" the tall teen shook his head. "There's a lot of people who would still have been his friend!"

Hitoshi was silent for a moment before he nodded. "I think he encountered those who feared him," he murmured.

The Shiketsu student sighed but didn't object to his assessment. It was the most likely reason. Hitoshi wondered what he was thinking about.

Eventually Hitoshi saw some movement in the corner of his eye and watched as Inasa shook his head. "This isn't going to end well," he murmured.

Hitoshi closed his eyes briefly. He kind of knew what ending Izuku wanted. The term 'change the world' was a bit vague on specifics but he knew his friend wanted to make things better. And he knew what outcome the heroes and the HPSC wanted. Their ending was for things to go back to the way they had been. They were both endings but it depended on which side you were to determine if they were good or bad.

"It will end," Hitoshi agreed and then they stood in silence.

-ted-

Toshinori wondered what Tokoyami could say that he didn't want the others to hear. There was a pool of worry in his non-existent stomach.

"Why do you not believe you can see them through cameras?" Nezu asked Dark Shadow directly once the door was securely closed.

The black quirk turned to look directly at him. "Because I can't see All Might's," he replied.

"What?" Yagi felt his eyes widen.

"You can't see All Might's?" Aizawa murmured the question.

Dark Shadow nodded emphatically.

"What do you mean?" Nezu asked, though there was a lilt in his voice that suggested he was already forming a hypothesis.

The quirk looked at Tokoyami and the beaked teenager sighed. "Dark Shadow says that he can see people around All Might as well," he said, giving a brief nod towards the Number One Hero.

"How many?" Toshinori heard himself ask.

"Eight," Dark Shadow replied after a moment where he examined Yagi.

"Eight?"

From the way Nezu and Aizawa looked at him, they were expecting an explanation.

"What do they look like?" Yagi asked.

Dark Shadow peered at him and cocked his head slightly. "The easiest to see is a lady," the quirk said. "She has black hair and black eyes and wears a white cloak."

He couldn't help it. Toshinori stiffened.

"You know her?" Nezu asked excitedly.

Yagi couldn't bring himself to answer. He was too lost in memories. Nana had been… She wasn't his mother. He knew that, but she'd meant just as much to him as his mother. He missed her. Maybe not as much as Gran-

There was another one he couldn't think about.

Toshinori bit his lip. "I do," he admitted. "At least I think I do," he added. It could be just a coincidence. He looked to Dark Shadow. "Can you talk to them?" he asked, ruthlessly pushing aside his feelings. It was time for the Number One Hero to be present.

The quirk looked at him quickly before shaking his head. "They can talk but I can't hear them," he said.

"Can they hear us?" All Might asked.

"I don-" Dark Shadow paused. "Yes," the quirk said. "They are nodding."

That was almost as much of a revelation as their existence.

Yagi swallowed.

"Who is the woman?" Aizawa demanded.

"Her name is Nana Shimura," All Might said. "She was my teacher."

Nezu typed something into his keyboard and a few moments later the Principal turned the screen around. "Her?" He asked.

Yagi looked over with everyone else. There was a picture of Nana on the screen, and it looked to be her hero license shot. There was a set of information next to it. He nodded.

"She's nodding too," Dark Shadow indicated.

Toshinori wasn't sure what to think about that. Nana was with him… She must be so disappointed that he hadn't finished off All For One. She must be… He'd failed her.

"What of the others there?" Nezu asked. The question broke into All Might's spiraling thoughts. Dark Shadow had said there were others… And if Nana was there, then they were most likely the previous holders of One For All. Gran would-

He knew who they were but the thought that they were with him… Is this what Gran had meant when he told him that Nana had never left him? Or would he be as surprised at this revelation as he was?

All Might wished he could ask but that was another thing All For One had interfered with.

"There's a man with black hair and a really big jacket. It looks heavy," Dark Shadow said, peering at him.

"En," Yagi identified the man before he could be asked. He knew who the old holders of One For All were but he hadn't been able to find a lot of information about some of them. The third holder for example… He'd lived at a time when All For One was very powerful and yet… It didn't appear as if he'd died fighting the villain the way the others had.

"There's a bald guy wearing a bandolier," Dark Shadow continued.

"Pro Hero Lariat."

Aizawa huffed before anything further could be said. "You obviously know who these people are," he grumbled. "So could someone tell me why they are with you?" he demanded, gesturing towards All Might. "And how this connects to Izuku?"

All Might sighed. He didn't really want to make the connection but he already knew what it meant. Dark Shadow and Tokoyami were both interested in the answer.

He sat for a few moments as he thought. He could just say that the information wasn't something they needed but keeping secrets had at least partially caused this problem and… Maybe it was time things came were brought into the light. Especially if Nana really was with him. "This information is highly confidential," All Might said.

Aizawa gave him a sharp look. Yagi wasn't sure what it meant but he knew at least some of it was a question. "You may stay, Tokoyami," he said clearly. It was better to explain and have the boy know rather than let him go and have him poke around into things in an effort to get an explanation. That was a recipe for disaster.

Toshinori took a deep breath and sighed. There was no easy way to explain this. "I was not born with my quirk," he began.

While he had the attention of the others, that narrowed their focus to him entirely. "My quirk is called One For All, and it is passed from holder to holder."

Nezu already knew about One For All but not all the details. Aizawa was an intelligent man, and so was Tokoyami so they put the implications together very quickly. "So the people with you are the former holders?" Aizawa asked, using his terminology.

He nodded.

"And that links to Izuku?" the underground hero pressed.

"Not directly," All Might said. "Izuku's quirk, we believe, allows him to take and use the quirks of others," he explained. "I have a quirk passed down from others, he has other people's quirks."

It took a moment for them to process that information. "So what do the dead bodies mean?" Aizawa sighed, his question. He sounded tired.

Yagi could think of a reason but he had no idea if it was true. He lowered his eyes as he thought. If he had the previous holders of One For All with him, then it would make sense that All For One and Izuku had the previous holders of the quirks they used with them. That explained why Izuku had people with him that only Dark Shadow could see but it didn't explain the bodies… Unless...

He sighed.

"You've thought of something?" Nezu asked.

"I believe the first quirks Izuku got were most likely given to him by his father," Toshinori said slowly. "Those quirks could be very old," he added.

"What do you mean?" Aizawa jumped on the implication.

Yagi gave him a wry smile. "All For One is over one hundred years old," he explained.

"What?" the underground hero demanded but left it at that.

"He is over one hundred years old," Yagi said again. "There is documentary proof of his existence for at least that long. Fragments, I admit, but they do exist."

Aizawa looked even more exhausted.

"He is a first generation quirk user, who's quirk allows him to take quirks from others and use them for himself. He used his quirk to gain followers and power." All Might shook his head. "Initially, I believe he most likely started out with good intentions," he explained. "He took quirks from those who didn't want them, and gave them to those who did."

"How is that good?" Dark Shadow asked while Tokoyami cocked his head slightly.

"When quirks first appeared, they caused a great deal of social unrest," Aizawa said. "There were plenty of people who didn't want their quirk."

Toshinori nodded. "Exactly. And if All For One had just done that, then there would have been no issue. But for every quirk he took, or gave to someone, he wanted payment. Again, a small payment for the service wouldn't have been looked upon unfavourably. Especially at that time," All Might said.

Aizawa had a thoughtful look on his face and he nodded. "He took it too far?" the underground hero suggested.

"He took it too far," All Might agreed. "I don't know exactly what happened but at some point All For One moved from helping people, or what he thought was helping people to believing that they owed him. He became nothing more than a criminal." He shook his head. It was more complicated than his description but there was too much to go into here.

Nezu nodded. The rat seemed to understand that there was more to history than he could say.

"Well, as much as this is interesting, I fail to see how it has an impact on our current situation," Aizawa pointed out.

"I'd be curious to see if young Tokoyami and Dark Shadow could see if there are people around All For One, but not enough to get him into Tartarus," All Might said. "But there is a practical use for Dark Shadow's ability," he added.

Aizawa didn't look convinced but he sighed as Nezu nodded. It was difficult to tell with Tokoyami but All Might thought he also looked slightly confused.

"If Dark Shadow can see Izuku, and can identify the people with him, then we may be able to garner an idea of what quirks Izuku has," Toshinori said.

"Won't we know from the corpses or those who come forward to say he stole their quirk?" Aizawa offered the alternative grimly.

"For some yes, but for others," Nezu shook his head.

Tokoyami's beak opened but he remained silent. "You have a question?" Toshinori asked him.

The heroic's student nodded. "Why not others?" he asked, fixing his eyes on Nezu.

The Principal sighed. "We believe that one of the scientists working for the villain has a process for copying quirks," he explained. "Several of the experiments have the same quirk."

All Might nodded. He suspected as much and it was the type of thing All For One would be interested in. The man was not above stealing quirks he desired but that left evidence. If he could copy a quirk…

That was actually worse. Especially if there was a way of ensuring that the owner of the quirk didn't know it had been copied.

"That's-" Aizawa appeared to understand the issue.

"Indeed," Nezu agreed.

"Would you be willing to look at Izuku?" All Might asked Tokoyami and Dark Shadow. "From a distance," he added the qualifier.

Tokoyami nodded along with Dark Shadow and All Might gave his own nod of agreement. Yagi took a deep breath. Today had given him a lot to think about, and had shown him another person who Izuku had turned away from.

They were all victims of All For One but perhaps the biggest victim was his son. He hoped they could save him but suspected…

No. He had to have hope.

-ted-

Look at All Might! Learning to share details of One For All! :D He's doing so well.

And Hitoshi! Training his little heart out at every opportunity. And sharing stories of Izuku, along with the thoughts... roughly of how he could have expected society to treat him.

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-

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