Hello hello! Hope y'all are doing well :).
Well, Chapter 2 is here, finally... Had a little trouble writing those last weeks, motivation went down for some time... And yet I blitzed this chapter in three days somehow...
One antagonist introduction today! I really hope you'll enjoy him.
Before I leave you, the reviews!
Kill king: Thanks! Glad you're enjoying this so far, even if it's just two chapters and a prologue hehe. Bland together well? Well, with my experience, some universes bland better with MHA than 40k, I expect (Not really, rather 'I know') that it'll become more difficult in the future to mix the two universes. I took the biggest things out of the way already, but there's 40k things I'm still trying to adapt to MHA in a way that doesn't feel too... Rough around the edges.
As Izuku had anticipated, the last few days before the end of the school year were pure hell on earth.
Every day, every hour, every minute, every second, he felt the piercing gaze of Kacchan's crimson eyes scrutinizing his every move.
Every break between classes turned into a dangerous game of cat and mouse, where he had to make sure to stay out of the line of sight of the explosive blonde who hunted him like prey, always accompanied by his lackeys…
Whenever he was spotted, it became a desperate chase for survival across the entire campus, running until their muscles gave out… And yet, they kept running. One driven by adrenaline, the other by resentment, rage, and fury…
It was the same at the end of the day.
That's why, on the last day, after receiving their certificates to move on to high school, Izuku had to resort to his emergency solution:
His mother.
Inko Midoriya could be called a 'perfect mother.'
Though often absent due to work, this small woman did everything in her power to provide her son with a comfortable life. Working as a secretary for a major company allowed her to do so.
She had all the necessary qualities. Gentle, kind, loving, caring… Izuku was lucky. Very lucky.
He stepped outside, nervous, trembling slightly as he glanced left and right, gripping his certificate tightly against his chest… No sign of Kacchan for now.
The hallways were filled with students celebrating, bouncing around, radiating a joy they could barely contain… Friends chatted with wide smiles, wishing each other luck or already planning group outings…
The only one drowning in paranoia was him. Every corner could be an ambush, every shadow a lurking danger… That's why he stayed on high alert the entire way to the school gate… Only to find nothing. The explosive blond was nowhere to be seen…
However, all his worries vanished the moment he saw his mother waiting for him, her car parked behind her. She was all smiles, and Izuku ran into her arms, finding comfort in the maternal embrace despite being taller than her.
"My boy…" his mother murmured, tightening her embrace slightly. She also took the opportunity to run a gentle hand through his messy green hair. However, she noticed something else.
Tension… A certain stiffness in his shoulders… And most of all, a faint tremble.
Inko's heart clenched.
"You're shaking, Izuku," she noted, pulling back slightly to look at him. Izuku bit the inside of his cheek.
'Sorry, Mom…'
He apologized mentally before sighing, his head being the only thing he could move now that his mother had trapped his arms at his sides. There was no way he was going to tell her about what had been happening at school with Kacchan, about the constant state of being hunted…
"It's nothing… Just that… I can't believe the school year is over… It's a relief…"
'And that I survived until now…' his mind added darkly.
His mother didn't seem to catch the lie. After all, he had become a master at pretending everything was fine when nothing was… It wasn't right, but… Whatever…
She pulled him into another tight hug, and Izuku suddenly became very aware of the multiple pairs of eyes watching them…
"You did it my baby… I'm so proud… This is another step toward adulthood, and… It reminds me every day how much you're growing up…"
Embarrassed by the nickname spoken in public, he decided to play the rebellious teenager card, something that never worked for him due to his kindness and baby-faced features. It only made him look even more ridiculous in the eyes of some of his classmates, who watched the scene, amused.
Luckily, it was the last day…
"M-Mom! I-I'm not a baby anymore!"
Inko pulled back, looking playfully offended, and pinched his cheek lightly. Not enough to hurt, but enough to make him yelp in surprise.
"You'll always be my baby, Izuku! Look at you, already so tall… But you're still my little boy, and I'll take care of you whether you like it or not!"
Izuku tried in vain to squirm away as his mother fell silent for a few seconds, lost in thought…
"Well… If you don't want me to take care of you… That's a shame. I had katsudon planned for tonight."
At those words, Izuku immediately stopped struggling, and his mother let him go…
"You were joking… right?" he tried.
Inko turned away, still playfully offended, adjusting the secretary's jacket she wore before heading toward the car.
"Hmm… No, I don't think so."
Izuku quickly followed, an almost desperate expression on his face.
"Sorry! Mom!"
/
About twenty meters away, two red eyes followed the green-haired boy as he got into the car, which then drove off.
Bakugo Katsuki let out an angry growl and slumped against the wall he had been leaning on.
"Fucking nerd, so much of a coward that he calls his mom to pick him up, huh?" the explosive blonde fumed, a dark aura emanating from him, making his three lackeys shudder in fear…
One of them, a guy with a Quirk that let him extend his nose, hesitantly spoke up, rather stupidly. The other two shot him looks, silently telling him to shut up, but the idiot didn't get the message.
"…Bakugo… You… Uh… Couldn't you have… grabbed him inside…?"
The explosive blonde turned around, and the weight of his presence crushed down on him, all his irritation and fury focusing on a single point, the poor lackey's face.
A shroud of darkness seemed to descend upon the air around the blonde. A pulse of raw rage radiated from his body, almost distorting the space, making the air heavier, suffocating, to the point where only the lackey's erratic breathing could be heard.
Two glowing red embers ignited in the darkness that seemed to engulf him, burning like coals in a dark night.
The air around them vibrated with a low, ominous rumble, as if the rage itself was speaking in a frequency only those that were here could perceive. The blonde had yet to move, and yet, the promise of impact was already seared into the flesh of the unfortunate victim.
The long-nosed idiot swallowed loudly, his body screaming at him to run while his mind, paralyzed by terror, refused to obey.
And in the scarlet glow of those merciless eyes, he saw only one thing:
A promise of death.
"Use your damn brain, you idiot… Are the two neurons fighting for dominance just for decoration? Or should I splatter them across the ground, right here, right now?"
The accomplice took a step back, but Bakugo placed his already crackling hand on his shoulder.
"Come on, don't be so terrified… I won't do anything to you…"
The blond turned his head towards the place where her aunt's car was mere seconds ago… Then in the supposed direction of Izuku's house.
"Anyway… I'll have plenty of chances to settle this at UA…" he said through clenched teeth, though his lips stretched into a grimace, an eerie parody of a smile…
Oh yes… He would have plenty of chances…
/
His mother pulled the car into the entrance of an underground parking lot connected to the Kiyashi Ward Shopping Center, much to Izuku's surprise, as he had no idea what she was planning.
"Mom?" the greenette asked.
Inko didn't reply, parking the car in an isolated spot to avoid any careless drivers from scratching the paint while parking. Izuku waited for her answer as she turned the key and pulled it out, the engine shutting off with a slight sputter before she sank into her seat with a sigh.
"I decided to do something special…" his mother said, tapping the pocket of her jacket. "I got my paycheck from last month today… So… I thought we could have a little ice cream… And I could buy you that All Might poster you wanted."
Izuku froze in shock for a good thirty seconds, speechless, as his brain processed the information, replaying it on a loop just to be sure, before finally allowing him to react.
Then came the childlike excitement he just couldn't shake.
Excitement that translated into an explosive verbal diarrhea that Izuku managed to spew at nearly 340 words per minute for exactly three minutes straight.
It didn't matter if he garbled half the words, stuttered, or repeated himself forty times in a row, he had to do everything he could to thank his mother for this unexpected gift.
Inko was left trying to calm her son with vain "you're welcome" and "you deserved it" responses, which were drowned out by the flood of words.
Eventually, the two got out of the car, and Inko locked it before following a very impatient Izuku, who struggled to contain his excitement. They took the elevator alongside an elderly lady, whom Izuku still helped out to exit the elevator despite his eagerness.
The Kiyashi Ward Shopping Center was a massive place, several floors, maybe two hundred stores, a dozen different restaurants… Not to mention the small stalls scattered here and there.
The place had such a large population of employees and customers that it had its own security force, backed by a three men strong Arbites unit, since the regular police couldn't afford to assign a full team to secure the area.
And speaking of this security detail, as they searched for an ice cream stand, the two greenettes passed by two security officers on patrol.
They were easily recognizable by their uniforms.
Black outfits trimmed with white, bulletproof and blade-resistant plates on the front, and lightweight helmets equipped with reflective visors over their eyes, along with a communication device visible through the box and antenna on the right side.
The two officers walked slowly, one talking on the radio, the other tapping the baton hanging from his belt.
Izuku glanced at them for a moment, and one of them, noticing him, gave him a smile. The boy returned it before his mother pulled him along when she found a stand that wasn't swarmed with people and still had some free tables and chairs.
While Inko went for the classic chocolate-vanilla, Izuku chose vanilla-mint.
Mother and son sat at a table to enjoy their sundaes, finally relaxed, Izuku having calmed his excitement a notch.
"So… No vacations?" his mother asked, looking up to him.
Izuku shook his head.
"A week to prepare for the entrance exam, and then I'm off."
Inko nodded as she took a bite.
"Do you know how it's going to go?"
Izuku nodded. He knew there would be two tests, but the physical part of the hero course entrance exam remained a mystery.
"A written test and a physical test," the greenette began, setting his spoon next to his cup. "Normally, it's four hours of writing on the subjects of the chosen course… Plus optional subjects for some."
"English included? I remember we requested for you to be in an advanced English class."
Izuku thought for a few seconds.
"Uh… I think so… Normally. But they could change it."
"Do you think you're ready?"
The greenette nodded with a wide smile.
"More ready than ever!"
Inko smiled, seeing her son so enthusiastic… Ah, children… They grew up so fast…
"And the physical test?"
"I don't know… They're extremely secretive about it. There are rumors that it involves combat, but the school has always denied it, saying that revealing it would ruin the purpose of the test, especially for future hero students."
Inko felt a pang of worry at the mention of 'combat.' But she figured that if her son had chosen to be a hero, he knew what awaited him…
Still…
The mother just hoped that her little boy wouldn't have to face horrors like the heroes in the United States…
They finished their ice cream quickly, two scoops didn't last long, especially in spring when the temperature was rising, while Izuku continued to share his theories about the exam.
Once they were done, Inko went to pay, leaving Izuku to gather his things before joining her… Now, they had to find a store that sold hero merchandise… Which, honestly, wasn't hard. They found one almost immediately, and Izuku had to hold himself back for the sake of appearances.
The two greenettes headed straight for the hero section, barely glancing at the IMPERIUM aisle, where a life-sized cardboard replica of an Ultramarine stood. Ordinary people looked tiny next to the armored giant.
The hero section was packed with fans, and Izuku barely managed to grab the brand-new poster he wanted. Right after him, a fight nearly broke out over the last three in stock before the next restock… People had no patience.
Then, it was time to pay, which Inko handled, though she was very surprised by the price… But oh well! It was for her son, so she didn't say anything.
After wandering around the massive shopping center for a bit, the two greenettes headed back to the elevator leading to the parking lot.
It was only once they were inside, alone, that Izuku finally jumped (barely needing to bend down) to hug his mother.
"THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU!" the boy squealed, hugging his mother so tightly that Inko thought he was going to crush her spine.
Kids grew up so fast…
/
UA High School, Exam Grounds Control Room.
"So… You're telling me that you personally authorized the Magos to do… this?" Power Loader questioned, pointing at the Alpha exam field displayed on the control room screens. "Why was I not informed!?" the head of the Support Course demanded, spreading his arms wide.
"Remark: The Principal never specified the limits to which I could extend my project."
"But he would certainly never have authorized THIS!" the red-haired man snapped. "If I had known you had planned this, I would never have allowed it!"
The Magos emitted a clicking sound followed by a hiss as he turned his head toward the man.
"Objection: My databases do not indicate that you hold a higher-up position in this establishment."
Power Loader sneered.
"And as far as I know, neither do you… Assistant."
"Error," the machine-man replied coldly. "I was authorized to make these modifications. I have merely followed my protocols, my estimations, and my logical deductions."
Power Loader was about to commit murder when Nezu sharply raised a paw. The principal set his cup down on the control panel.
"Calm yourself, Power Loader," the chimera instructed in a very calm tone, not even turning his head. "Any changes the Magos has made to the field…" The principal finally turned, his gaze almost dark as he looked at the cyborg, silently warning him that this would be the first and last time he played with words like that. "Are perfectly legal, within safety regulations, and comply with the new selection thresholds imposed by the IMPERIUM."
He left a few seconds of silence for his human subordinate to process the information.
"In short, aside from his slight personal initiative, the Magos has fully adhered to all the rules and imposed limits."
The slight tilt of the machine-man's hooded head seemed almost provocative to the chimera, who silently vowed never again to overlook a single detail in his directives. This was the last time he underestimated a member of the Mechanicus like this…
He had been played brilliantly…
Power Loader fumed and crossed his arms tightly over his chest.
"It doesn't seem to me that equipping some of these new bots with concussion missiles is particularly 'safe.'"
Nezu gazed at him almost detachedly, the chair he sat in creaking slightly.
"The data the Magos presented to me upon entering has only slightly increased the chances of injury or danger for our participants. Please believe me, our participants are in little danger."
"But the danger still exists," the redhead objected.
"Affirmative. However, the ethical parameter is not relevant. A strictly probabilistic analysis indicates that the risk rate is within the acceptable margin of error for this type of exercise."
Power Loader gritted his teeth, his gaze darkening intensely beneath his esoteric helmet. The machine's gaze was almost… mocking, despite the apparent lack of emotion in its cold, green lenses.
"Very well then… Let's assume everything is 'within acceptable margins of error'... What happens if one of the participants is injured, or even seriously hurt, because of your 'modifications'? Who do you think will be held responsible, huh?"
The machine-man ignored the second part of the question.
"Remark: The probability of fatal injuries is 3.47%."
"Three point forty-seven!" the Support Course head exclaimed indignantly. "ARE YOU FUCKING INSANE!?"
Nezu said nothing, remaining composed, but with a subtle movement of his paw, noticed by the other two individuals in the room, he signaled Power Loader to lower his voice. The man forced himself to comply, albeit with difficulty.
"So this is your definition of safety? Potentially losing children for an exam to your liking?"
The machine wasted no time letting him breathe.
"Observation: Human losses are regrettable but statistically negligible in the long term. Optimization of available elements necessarily implies a high failure rate. A rigorous selection process ensures the elite."
Power Loader clenched his fists, succumbing to anger once more.
"You're insane…"
"The probability of that is zero; an algorithm is not as fallible as an organic being's spirit," the cyborg replied coldly, leaning on his staff and stretching upward with a hiss of pistons. He deliberately encroached on the man's personal space, forcing him to step back.
Nezu caught the meaningful glance his human subordinate shot him quickly and intervened in a neutral voice.
"Unfortunately, nothing the Magos has done violates ethical parameters or could be deemed dangerous by the Ministry of Education."
The chimera reached for his cup, delicately took a sip, and placed it down in the ensuing deathly silence.
The hissing pistons of Zeta-Upsilon-8 as he stepped back were the only sounds in the room.
"I completely understand your concerns, Power Loader, and I share them, sincerely." The white-furred creature's voice remained surprisingly steady despite the gravity of the situation. He even closed his eyes, leaning forward ever so slightly. "These improvements are not the result of whims, you are just as aware of that. We are forced to accept the new requirements of the IMPERIUM. After all, they are the ones who see the real situation firsthand."
He sighed.
"It will not be machines they face later, but potentially things far worse…"
The chimera then opened his eyes, eyes heavy with meaning despite the lack of emotion in his voice.
"We can no longer afford to protect them as we once did."
Power Loader opened his mouth to respond but found no words. His gaze turned to the screens, and he closed his mouth, grinding his teeth.
What he saw in these new machines were heavily armed predators. He did not trust them.
"You…" the helmeted hero growled, turning to point an accusing finger at the Magos. "I'll be watching this very closely… If even one of these things steps out of protocol or threatens to seriously harm a student, I swear you'll end up in the nearest scrapyard before you even realize what's happening. I promise you that."
Zeta-Upsilon-8 tapped his staff with his fingers at an unnervingly slow and deliberate pace.
"Request accepted."
Power Loader nearly spat in disgust, but a stern look from Nezu stopped him.
"It was not a request."
And with that, he left the control room, slamming the door behind him with force, leaving only the cyborg and the rodent in the room. The echo of the impact slowly faded, and the two completely opposite beings remained silent, staring at each other.
Even the pistons and mechanisms fell quiet for a time.
Then Nezu spoke, his voice severe, his gaze cold.
"You have taken quite a few liberties, Magos… I don't particularly like having my words twisted as you just did."
"Objection: You never specified the limits of my possibilities. Conclusion: My liberties are not to be questioned." the Magos reminded him.
Nezu let out a cold, almost menacing laugh.
"You are intelligent enough to know where to stop, Magos Zeta-Upsilon-8. We both know you were fully aware of what you were doing the entire time…"
The cyborg did not respond. He merely emitted a faint clicking noise, almost annoyed, and Nezu especially noticed the tapping of his fingers against his staff as he started…
A nervous habit? A lingering remnant of his weak human nature?
A cryptic signal from a program unwilling to lower itself before an organic being?
A simulation of impatience?
Who knew with the members of the Mechanicus…
"Do not play this game with me, Magos. You do not want to fall out of my favor…" the principal continued, crossing his paws over his belly. "Listen to me very carefully… You got your way this time, and I let you… But if you ever overstep your bounds again, I will be forced to act…"
The principal let his sentence hang in the air, and the Magos inclined his head ever so slightly, the glow of his optics adjusting.
"And your programs will be nothing more than history…" Nezu finally concluded.
Nothing happened for a moment, an almost electric tension filling the air between the two beings.
Then, the Magos' vox grille emitted a choppy sound. Nezu recognized it immediately. A laugh. The cyborg locked eyes with him, pale green against ebony, before responding, with a slowness analyzed and calculated to crawl under his fur and provoke a reaction.
Nezu did nothing.
"Threat recorded," the Magos stated before pivoting toward the door with a series of clicks and hissing machinery.
"Transitioning to primary tasks. End of discussion."
A mechanical arm emerged from the shadows of his robe and opened the handle. The cyborg did not spare a single glance back as he left the room, leaving the door slightly ajar, the hallway light filtering into the now-empty space, though the atmosphere remained dense and electric…
Nezu remained silent for a long while… then cast a glance toward the new drones that had replaced those imposed by the HPSC…
...
He dreaded what might happen in those three-point-forty-seven percent…
/
Kamino Ward, Old Warehouse.
The scalpel sliced through the dead flesh with ease, and within the open wound, two spreading clamps plunged in, widening the injury while keeping the flesh intact…
After all, the being known as 'Doctor' wanted his most glorious project to remain unharmed… There would be plenty of time to be scarred later on the battlefield…
Several slender mechanical fingers slid into the wound, and with a faint grinding sound, a compartment in the ring finger opened, a saw emerging and buzzing as it prepared to cut through a rib that the sickly green optics had analyzed as an obstacle and had sent the information to the Doctor's processor.
The whirring teeth bit into the bone, a few sparks flying before a precise incision was carved…
A second mechanical limb slithered with a screech of machinery and pistons, like a serpent, grabbed the incised rib, and tugged ever so slightly…
The rib cracked but came free naturally, without issue.
Perfect.
As the second arm withdrew from the long-dead body's entrails, a third limb approached, ending in a long needle connected to a small reservoir filled with a red-violet liquid, and slipped into the opening to inject near the stopped heart…
Before stabbing it.
That would prevent the flesh from rotting and decaying while he worked on the brain… But for that… it needed to spread throughout the body. A fourth mechanical limb, also fitted with a needle, slithered in to pierce the heart as the third limb retracted.
The pack on his back whined and buzzed, then almost spat out a liquid into the organ which gave one powerful jolt when the needle stabbed.
Then a second…
And on the third, the soon-to-be Nomu's corpse arched its back with such force that the Doctor had to use all his strength to prevent it from snapping its own spine, before it collapsed heavily… The spinal cord had to remain intact.
Almost detachedly, his processor, implanted in his cerebral cortex, noted that using the Substance Kappa-43 in too high a dose on a body of insufficient constitution could potentially cause uncontrollable spasms.
That would be an experiment for later confirmation.
But for now… Now that the Substance Delta-9 had properly dispersed through the body, he could begin manipulating the brain to…
The door to the large operating room opened, and the space filled with twice as many clicking sounds as a cyborg entered.
Its entire body was concealed beneath a black robe, edged in white, but within the shadow of its hood, a sickly green glow could be seen. The only visible mechanical augmentations were the massive backpack, on which a large claw snapped intermittently, accompanied by two smaller servo-arms that more often tinkered with the pack than anything else…
"Master…" crackled a rusted vox grille hidden deep within the hood. "We have received a communication request."
The Doctor lifted his head, twisting it 190 to look at the cyborg from the periphery of his optics before responding through the three vox grilles that replaced his lower jaw once his scans confirmed the machine's identity.
"Magos Y-C B5S/Z3M, what communication do you deem important enough to interrupt my work?"
"The communication comes from the Vengeful Spirit, my lord," the assistant replied simply in a neutral tone.
The Doctor's protocols immediately reassigned priorities elsewhere.
"Leave this room," he ordered.
The cyborg inclined his head.
"Objective completed. Returning to primary directives."
And with that, he shut the door, bringing an end to the concert of grinding, rusted gears.
The Doctor turned away from that direction, retracting the multiple arms that had been working on the body behind him. As he approached the massive screen, his body began to change…
When he stepped into the pale light cast by the monitors, the Doctor was revealed to be a man of a certain age, short and portly, with a thick mustache. He wore a simple white lab coat and glasses that resembled gears.
With expert fingers, he tapped the keys of the keyboard, opening the communication log, and selected the transmission that was on hold before settling into the chair.
There was a brief crackle from the vox speakers, followed by a voice, cold and imperious, laden with an authority so overwhelming that it seemed to condense darkness itself.
"Doctor."
A single word. Insignificant in the mouths of others, but for Kyudai Garaki, this word was a mere acknowledgment… Yet when it came from his master's lips, it was a blessing upon his existence.
He fixed his gaze on one of the screens. The figure on the other side was indistinct, shrouded in shadows, bathed in an ominous red glow, like a devil's halo. But no image was necessary to know who stood on the other side.
Abaddon Shigaraki… The Despoiler… The Butcher of the Imperium… The Bringer of Ruin… The Black King… The Scourge of America… The Symbol of Evil…
All For One.
"My Lord…," murmured the old man, offering a slight bow. "How may I be of service?"
The leader of the MLA legions remained silent for a time, then emitted a sound that felt almost like a gust of malevolence before speaking.
"Did I interrupt your experiments?"
Normally, this would be a double-edged question, but not for the Doctor. He would do anything for his Master. He had done so for a long time and had no intention of stopping…
He did not lift his head as he answered, his eyes firmly fixed on the control console.
"Lord of Darkness, I am never interrupted by your presence… I am merely redirected toward greater purposes…"
All For One said nothing for a moment, and the processor in the Doctor's brain began running multiple calculations regarding the reason for his master's call…
He had already been asked to play God… To create toys for his master's plans, 'demons' with no allegiance to the four greatest entities of Evil…
To craft perversions of the natural order…
Thus, only one probable option remained… He did not voice it, that would be impolite…
"Straighten yourself, Doctor… I suspect you already know why I have called you…"
The old man lifted his head and slowly nodded.
"Yes, Master… Your young asset has… proven rather resistant to the idea of conforming to your intricate plans… He is fiercely independent and acts solely on his own will…"
The Black King let out an amused sound.
"That was to be expected… The poor boy was betrayed by the system in place… It is only natural that he wishes for its destruction… However, he will soon discover that all destruction must have a purpose, an ideology… You will see, Doctor…"
The massive figure leaned forward, and the low hum of his powered armor could be heard through the vox.
"Soon, he will have no choice but to embrace the only path that reaches out to him… Ours…"
The Doctor drank in his master's words, his systems analyzing and categorizing them. Yet there was always one… factor his processor could not quantify, one that had already caused them trouble in the past…
The old man remained silent for a moment, ensuring that his calculations, now stretching into decimal points and monstrous exponents, were correct.
"If I may, O Black King… Would his obsession with destroying society not be harmful or contradictory to your predictions, as has happened before?"
All For One let out a laugh that echoed through the empty space like a funeral bell…
"Fear and confusion played a significant role in the… divergence… of Subject 82… I admit that I underestimated his obsession with his father. Those seeds were buried too deep to be removed, it should have been noticed from the start, not merely mentioned in passing… His loss, as well as the loss of Subjects 02 through 113, was regrettable, but not unexpected. It was bound to happen one way or another… 82 was merely the detonator…"
Kyudai Garaki tilted his head slightly to the side in an almost mechanical manner, his fingers tapping rhythmically against the metal of the control console as he calculated.
"Master, what assures us that Subject 01 will not follow the same path? My current calculations show an 87% failure rate for his assimilation into our enterprise… An obsession often manifests through recurring thoughts or images. Physically, it results in changes in blood flow, which can cause tingling, muscle tension, and—"
"Doctor, I am well aware of that," the Master of the Black Legion interrupted, folding his hands. "But there is an important difference between an obsession with a person and an objective…"
The old man recalculated and remained silent for a few seconds.
"Equation unresolved, Master. I do not understand where you are going with this."
All For One let the silence stretch, heavy, oppressive, making the Doctor question his own conclusions. Had he missed a variable? But then, the Symbol of Evil finally spoke, his dark certainty dripping from every word.
"Doctor, an obsession with a person is a poison that eats away at the mind from within. It is an invisible chain that binds one individual to another, dictating their actions not through reason, but through an uncontrollable impulse. One consumed by such an obsession becomes incapable of seeing beyond their prey. They exist only to destroy or possess that person, and in this blind pursuit, they lose sight of the world around them. They do not follow a goal, they do not build anything, they merely exist to feed their hatred or desire. It is a flame that burns intensely, but one that eventually dies out when its fuel is spent."
The Doctor analyzed these words, immediately linking them to Subject 82. It fit together like pieces of a puzzle.
"But an objective…" All For One continued, "A true objective is a guiding star in the darkness. It is not a mere impulse, but a direction. An ideal pursued not out of uncontrolled emotion, but out of conviction. One who surrenders to an objective transforms into a tool of accomplishment, a directed force of destruction, an unstoppable storm. They do not collapse under the weight of their rage, for they know that their cause surpasses their own existence. An obsession with a person can be broken, diverted, or appeased. But an objective is a tempest that only grows stronger. As long as there is blood to spill and chains to shatter, as long as this degenerate society endures, there will be no rest for Subject 01."
"I understand, Master…," murmured the Doctor as he recalculated and analyzed the data.
The smile of All For One was almost perceptible in his voice.
"Precisely, Doctor. And that is why he will join us, sooner or later. Such rage, such a need for destruction, requires structure, guidance. He believes himself independent, but he is merely a raw blade, a shard of pure fury. He does not yet understand that to bring down an empire, one needs an army, a vision, and a hand to direct the storm."
A silence settled. The Doctor considered these words, and slowly, his Master's logic took shape within his calculations. He adjusted the probabilities. The failure of Subject 01's assimilation gradually decreased in his estimations.
"I take note, Lord of Darkness."
A faint laugh echoed through the vox, cold, heavy with certainty.
"Good. Continue your mission and your work, Doctor. Soon, he will come to us, and we will be ready to shape him. We just need a little patience..."
With that, the vox crackled, and the communication was cut off.
The old man remained there for a time, silent, as his processor compressed everything that had been said before sending it to his cerebral cortex for storage.
Then, he emerged from this sort of half-trance, and his mind returned to the corpse on the table, just as his body did.
And soon, above the body, green optics and clicking servo-arms hovered once more.
Alright! Clarifications:
-I think Horikoshi gave to the kids their high school letters some time before because he needed time to introduce Izuku to One For All, but here, since he doesn't receive the quirk, I decided to group everything up in a shorter interval.
-Some might wondering how did Zeta-Upsilon-8 managed to bring big changes to the exam grounds in such short time... I think we really understimate the Mechanicus logistics when they really need it...