04/02/2025
Thank you to everyone who reviewed, you are the greatest!
Apparently it's been about 180 chapters since AFO and Izuku spoke :D So this has been a while coming.
The Emperor's Dragon
Chapter 95 - Reunion
All For One mentally sighed at his son's greeting. Logically, he supposed, when your son was leading a raid on Tartarus, they were long past the age where they would call you Dad… But that didn't mean he was ready for it.
Even if Izuku's next words only confirmed that he had grown up. "Don't say anything about Tomura."
Though, upon reflection that was an interesting statement. And what was just as interesting was the way Izuku was ordering the Nomu to block the stairs to the Fourth level and… to his senses formed a barrier around them. The High Ends had actually pushed All For One towards Izuku and he was curious enough to let them.
"Oh?" All For One asked.
Izuku said nothing and the Nomu completed their cordon around them. It was interesting. To All For One's senses there were four others in the area defined but the Nomu. One was Gigantomachia but the others… He didn't know them. They were obviously those who had sided with his son rather than Tomura.
"Just don't ask," Izuku repeated as he stepped forward.
All For One almost didn't see this movement when his son lunged forward and embraced him. Izuku had only gotten stronger and while he might now call him Father, he was still his son. He reached down, returning the embrace. Izuku was still shorter than him. All For One felt Izuku relax against him.
For three long breaths, Izuku just stood there before he stepped back. All For One heard Izuku take a deep breath. "Hold still," he said and as he watched, Izuku rose slightly.
His first thought was irreverent, that Izuku didn't have Air Walk but his son had Caeli Imperium to fly with. Then Izuku put his hands over his eyes. It felt odd, to feel his son's palms on his scarred flesh. All For One couldn't remember anyone touching him there except for the Doctor.
"Izu! You're doing it?" the girl asked.
"No need to wait," Izuku confirmed.
All For One had no idea what 'it' was. "I'm going to need you to trust me," Izuku whispered to him and All For One felt Dragon's Hoard reach out.
"You want my quirks?" He breathed the question.
"Just temporarily," his son replied.
For an instant All For One was indignant but he knew his son and Izuku had never asked him for quirks before. There would be a reason now. If it was Tomura… He'd have believed the brat was about to betray him, with his son… All For One gave a small nod, which Izuku felt with his hands, and he relinquished his hold on his quirks.
Dragon's Hoard was remarkably gentle and All For One felt it take the quirks he had. He didn't have many. Just those that were the most useful to fight the smiling blond idiot. Interestingly, Izuku left the copy of All For One and Regeneration to last and when he took the All For One copy, leaving him with Regeneration he sighed.
"There's still one," he breathed to his son.
"I know but you need that one," Izuku replied and hadn't removed his hands. "Now… Hold still please," he instructed without offering any other explanation.
All For One didn't know what to expect. His Little Dragon obviously thought something would. So did the others. He couldn't see them without radar vision but he could feel it and he was relieved that Gigantomachia hadn't moved to protect him so his bodyguard thought this was a good thing.
Then he felt a tingle… all over his body. It wasn't painful, it was just like he had all over light pins and needles. The feeling went on and then there was a dull ache in his head, that exploded into an instant of pain. All For One gritted his teeth but even as he did that, the pain was already fading. And then something brushed at his neck.
That wasn't right. Izuku hadn't moved and… He still felt tingly so whatever Izuku was doing, he was still doing it but… Whatever it was it continued to tickle his neck. All For One wanted to shake it away.
A few breaths later, Izuku pulled his hands back. And then his son made a sound between a sigh and a giggle. And then he huffed.
"Well, that's interesting." Izuku said.
All For One wanted to ask what was interesting but where Izuku had touched him felt different and something was still brushing against his neck. He reached up, using one hand to sweep it away. It was probably just the cable from his oxygen mask getting in the way. Except when he touched it…
All For One froze.
That was not the cable. And the mask pressed against his face was no longer secure. He could feel a slight draft against the skin Izuku had touched coming from under it. He shifted his hand, moving to grasp at it and again froze when one fingertip touched his eye…
"Wha-?"
He ripped away the mask and put his hand against his forehead before running it down his face. That wasn't right… That couldn't be right. He hadn't had…
But it was…
Slowly All For One opened his eyes. The very fact that he could was a shock, but he had felt his eyebrows. He had felt his eyelashes. He had felt his nose.
Izuku stood before him. His green hair was tousled. His green eyes were bright above a mischievous but happy grin. And his freckles were… It had been so long since All For One had seen them. His Little Dragon had deliberately not told him what he was doing, just for this moment.
All For One lunged forward, engulfing his son in his arms. "You…" He ignored the way the oxygen machine fell back to the ground. It was worthless.
Now he understood why Izuku had told him to say nothing about Tomura. He probably would have been scathing. He would have been… Izuku accepted his embrace but All For One could feel how careful he was when he reached out to return his hug.
"Is this permanent?"
"Yes," Izuku replied.
All For One looked down at his hand, lifting it from Izuku's back to flex his fingers. He watched the play of his skin over muscle and sinew as they moved. It was… glorious. And he couldn't help the laugh that bubbled up with the euphoria he felt and it wasn't long before he was roaring with laughter.
He was whole.
"Oh my Little Dra- No, you are no longer my Little Dragon," All For One announced. "You are my Dragon!" he rejoiced. "I told that cretin All Might that you would succeed and… I knew you would but you have gone beyond what I could ever imagine!" How had Izuku found a quirk that could heal him? That was…
It was fantastic. Even beyond being out of Tartarus being whole was… And while he only had Regeneration at the moment, All For One could feel that his body was strong. It was…
"Let's get your quirks back where they belong," Izuku announced, pulling back slightly. He sounded remarkably controlled.
With that, Gigantomachia moved close and All For One watched as Izuku took the huge man's hand before his son rested one hand on his chest. A moment later he felt…
Being whole was enough to make him feel euphoric but he'd known something was missing. His quirk and it was his quirk that Izuku had just given him and that made him feel… Even without other quirks, just having his quirk back, with his body healed… He could walk out of Tartarus and start again, and he wouldn't care.
It was enough.
Except his son did not believe that. His son, who at every opportunity exceeded his expectations.
Izuku released Gigantomachia's hand but the quirks kept flowing into him and All For One recognised them as the ones Izuku had just taken. There had to be a reason for that and with what had happened, it was obvious.
"Reverse?" All For One asked.
"It's called Rewind," Izuku understood the single word.
"How very interesting."
"Yakuni found it."
That quirkless boy was… "Then I will have to thank Mr Tanaihito," All For One said, as Izuku returned the quirks he had taken previously. He thought about the quirk Rewind. Obviously, it had returned his body to a previous point in time or no… it had nothing to do with time. Not really. It had impacted him, reversing the damage to his body. In a way it was turning back the clock but… He would ask Izuku later. But that explained why Izuku had taken his quirks. There was a possibility that he would have lost the quirks he had gained since his first real fight with the simple-minded hero.
With the first rush of euphoria fading, All For One looked around as Izuku pulled his hand back. "Thank you, my friend," he told Gigantomachia. Izuku had trusted him with All For One. That said a lot.
He got the impression the huge man was fighting his natural inclination to grow as he bowed. "My Lord," he murmured and where Gigantomachia usually sounded worshipful when he spoke, now it bordered on fanaticism. So be it.
Izuku had brought something out of his quirk pocket and All For One looked down at it. It was a flexible, thin black bag.
"You didn-" he didn't finish because obviously Izuku had. His son held it up and All For One laughed as he opened it. Inside was his suit. One of them anyway. One of the black ones. Merino silk plush if his fingers didn't deceive him. Even injured he'd been able to feel fabric but being able to see it was…
"There's one other thing," Izuku said, "but you aren't going to like it as much." He sounded slightly concerned. But it was concern that said his Dragon would deal with whatever it was if he truly hated it.
As All For One draped the suit over one arm and ripped at the jump suit the prison made them wear, Izuku reached into his pocket again. There was a squeal from the girl that All For One ignored as he got dressed. If she was here, with Izuku, then she was not that innocent. The other woman, the older one, averted her eyes slightly but again… She was with Izuku, so she was obviously trusted and All For One had long gotten over being body shy.
All For One hissed when he saw what Izuku brought out.
His life support helmet.
He gave his son a look.
Izuku knew what it meant. "Deception strategy," he explained quietly.
The words took him back to another time, another place and All For One looked between his son's face and the helmet and then nodded. As he reached for it, he realised that never again would he be tied to a machine. Never again would he… "Put that in your pocket," he instructed, pointing to the oxygen machine that had fallen earlier.
It might just be an inanimate object, but as the symbol of his confinement, he was going to derive a great deal of pleasure from destroying it. Izuku nodded and All For One accepted the helmet.
"It looks like yours but it's just a shell," his son explained.
He sighed. And put it on. Now it made sense why Izuku was having the Nomu form a cordon. No one would know he was whole. Not the prisoners. Not the guards…
Not All Might.
Beneath his newly fitted mask, All For One smiled.
That had possibilities.
And his Dragon knew that. He truly was his son.
"Now, we should go," All For One said.
Izuku nodded his agreement. And the Nomu moved with the silent command, letting the prisoners from the lower level emerge from the stairway.
"That's one hell of a dressing room," Bloodline snarked.
The helmet Izuku had given him was a good copy of his life support helmet, but it had several key differences. The first was that the front was see through… At least for him. All For One saw his Dragon's eyes narrow at the comment.
"I told you, I didn't come for you," he snapped back. "I have what I came for, so I'm leaving now," he added. "And unless you have your own transportation from the island, I'd suggest you remember who has the means." The arrogant little smile gracing Izuku's features was new.
"Darn punk!" That wasn't Bloodline. All For One almost laughed when he realised it was Toxic Chainsaw.
His son had more than a passing interest in that villain. All For One placed his hand on Izuku's shoulder. "I did warn you they were overprotective," he announced to Toxic Chainsaw.
"You said you'd get me out!"
He'd never said anything of the like but there was no point in correcting the man. He would get Toxic Chainsaw out, just not necessarily off the island. All For One wasn't sure what Izuku wanted to do with him.
"Then you had best come along," All For One told him, turning, which was a dismissal of everyone who was coming up from the lower levels. But then… they were not his equal.
Izuku glared at Toxic Chainsaw for a few more moments before he huffed.
He's not under my protection, All For One reassured his son via Radio Waves.
Did you promise to get him out? Izuku countered.
Of course not, All For One replied. I simply said he could come with me. You have final say in who leaves, he reassured Izuku. And if you want to bring him with us, so you have more time with him, I will support it.
Izuku was silent for a few moments, and All For One could see that he was thinking. He had ordered several of the Nomu to go ahead, and All For One watched as one of the Nomu picked up a man, slinging him over its shoulder before the Nomu turned back to the stairs. One of the other Nomu was hovering over the older woman. Her clothes were bloody, but she appeared okay. She flicked a long plait of hair over her shoulder before she began picking her way through the debris.
I think it best if Toxic Chainsaw stays here, Izuku replied at length.
All For One nodded and touched one hand to Gigantomachia as the man took up his familiar position as his bodyguard. "This is your play," he told Izuku aloud and realised it was true.
He was healed and he was walking out of Tartarus but that was because of his son.
All Might would probably focus on his escape. And there were possibilities to be played with there but…
The world would focus on Dragon.
Beneath the helmet All For One grinned. He couldn't have picked a better way for his son to announce himself to the world than this.
-ted-
Mirko had pulled rank and had gotten the Tartarus shuttle train to give her a lift to the island. Or at least to the cliff. The train's automated systems had been able to tell her that the bridge was down well before the train got close.
And she'd been able to see smoke rising from the island for kilometres before the train arrived.
Now she was standing on the cliff, looking over at the island. Tartarus rose out of the sea in sheer, steel covered cliffs. There was a wall at the top, which was damaged in places and every watchtower on the island was burning. The tracks used to lower the bridge were clear but the gatehouse… was gone.
What the hell had the villains done? It was almost like they'd cleared the entire place.
Mirko bounced on her feet. It took some serious firepower to do that. It might just be weaponry, but she didn't think so. From her vantage she couldn't see any evidence of fighting, which was slightly concerning.
One of Ninja-boy's new partners was meant to be visiting Tartarus today and Mirko thought that she should be able to see Mt Lady from here. Well, there was only one thing for it.
With a whoop, Mirko ran to the edge of the cliff and jumped. Before she'd fallen more than three metres, she had her hover board in place and was whizzing her way towards Tartarus. She loved the board, but it was not great for travelling long distances. Mirko angled herself to rise so that she could survey the island.
Halfway there, she frowned. She had been expecting raging battles but… there was very little movement on the island. Light shining through the smoke made it appear as if there was movement but…
Mirko came to a halt and hovered as she examined the island. There was a lot of rubble, and she couldn't hear any gun fire. That was bad. That meant the guards were gone. There were clumps of black things all over the island and she had no idea what they were and…
Shit! There. The cloth was grey with dust but the purple accents were unmistakable. Mirko titled her hover board and shot towards the heroine but part of the way there she knew it was too late. There were gaping wounds through Mt Lady's abdomen, and she lay so still… Even so, she should check.
Mirko landed near Mt Lady's head and reached out to touch her. It was far too late. She was cold.
That meant she had to avenge her. No one took out a hero and got away with it. Except… there didn't appear to be anyone to fight.
She looked around and strained her hearing. She could hear the fires burning and there was the occasional sound of debris moving but…
Wait… What was that?
Something groaned and there was a screech of metal on metal. And then several black things emerged from the rubble. Most people would say black was black and white was white but when you actually compared colours, there was a lot of difference. The black things were the same colour, as the clumps of black things and… Mirko shuddered when she realised what she was seeing. Their brains were exposed.
She'd seen things like them before. At the Hospital. They'd been in tanks then! But the eggheads had said they were dead… These ones were moving. They were definitely alive.
Following them came prisoners. Lots of prisoners… From the colours of the jumpsuits… there were prisoners from all levels of Tartarus. They streamed out into the rubble. She wanted to fight them, and while Mirko lived for battle, she knew she had to get the ring leaders.
"Fuck," she swore, as she watched Dictator and Kunieda appear. They were definitely Fifth level villains… Bloodline followed them and then… some more black things emerged, followed by… Was that black thing, the Nomu, carrying someone? It was.
And two women followed it. Both their clothes were bloody and one had a long black braid running down her back while the other woman had two blonde buns. They were not prisoners and were easily identifiable because they were not wearing prison jumpsuits.
But neither of them moved as if they were the leader. Mirko forced herself to wait and was thankful she did when after a few more black things came out, three men exited the prison. One was a bodyguard and the other two were…
"Fuck!" She recognised one of them. Mirko recognised both of them actually.
One was All For One, the man All Might had fought at Kamino. The other was Izuku Midoriya, the former UA Management student who'd stolen several quirks before he disappeared.
Except something wasn't quite right. All For One was meant to be incarcerated here and he wasn't wearing a prison jumpsuit… Had Izuku really brought him a suit when breaking him out? That was…
Mirko shoved the thought aside. It had no bearing on now. All that mattered was that those were the two she had to take down… and maybe the bodyguard. But if she could bring down those two then the rest of the prisoners would be stranded, and they could be captured. The HPSC would work out how.
For now, Mirko had a mission. Avenge Ninja-boy's team and make sure the villains didn't get away. She sprung into action.
-ted-
There's an Omake that goes with this chapter. It's here s/14054902/12/The-Emperor-s-Dragon-Extras-and-Omakes
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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