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Izuku reached out and the man who claimed himself to be One For All smiled softly before reaching out and holding his hand.
Izuku could…feel it.
The power that rippled through each cell, the strength that supported him.
"H-how is this possible?"
One For All smiled.
"Because of you. I was on the precipice of singularity, by taking One For All upon yourself, I reached it. However, due to your quirk, I was able to gain a physical form." He explained.
Izuku was awestruck.
"This…this is amazing, this changes everything we know about quirks! If you weren't such a big secret I'd be yelling it from the rooftops! Also, not gonna lie, I'm really hoping my voice is as deep as yours when I grow up."
One For All chuckled before smiling proudly at him.
Izuku felt…oddly pleased and at peace.
"Come on!" He giddily exclaimed. "I have to show you to the past users."
"Unfortunately," he interjected. "We cannot."
Izuku paused and looked at him.
"Why?"
"Because I am not yet synchronized with Legion." He explained before extending his hand out to show the rainy world they were in and reached out, his hand stopping against an invisible wall.
Far off across the ocean he could see Kamino, the steel glittering across the horizon.
It was then that he noticed…that it was clear outside.
"The sun…" Izuku trailed off as he stared at the scenery.
It was beautiful.
"Izuku…I have summoned you here for a purpose." One For All called him. "It is why I have been trying to contact you for so many days now."
Izuku gulped as he stared at his power.
"You are in danger."
"Of what? I know full synchronization was set back thanks to what All For One did to me and I need to be careful…but what else could I be in danger from?"
One For All looked behind Izuku's head with a stern gaze.
"Yourself."
And Izuku turned before gasping in shock.
"Oi."
Izuku gasped as he woke up, shivering and drenched in sweat.
"You alright, big brother?" A familiar voice asked him.
Looking towards the source of the voice, he found Fordo sitting in a corner of his room with a small flashlight and a comic book in hand.
"Fordo… What are you doing in my room?"
"Yuuga kept on pestering me with cheese."
Izuku snorted in amusement, he'd also received multiple cheese related gifts from Yuga.
"Are you alright?" Fordo asked again.
Izuku kept his silence for a bit before nodding.
"Yeah…I'm fine."
He gulped, knowing that he should talk to someone about this but…it felt insane to even contemplate.
"I'll always be here, Izuku. Waiting for the right moment. Today, I helped you, sure, but if you become too weak, if you falter in your resolve…then I will take your place."
He needed time to think.
But for now…
"Got any cheese?"
Fordo barked out a laugh before tossing him some cheese cubes.
Izuku hummed in gratitude, delighting in the taste.
"Say what you will about his habits, but the man does know his cheese."
It was moments like these that really kept Izuku calm. After Jango's death he'd…isolated himself from his brothers for a bit and although he would greet them and even hang out whenever they asked (if he could, after all there were thousands of Vod'e at UA now) but…he wouldn't go out of his way to hang out with them.
With one glaring exception.
Fordo.
After all, Fordo had been the second to appear, and one of the only ones left of the Old Guard.
And Izuku…took comfort in his presence.
In a way, he felt like he knew Fordo more than any other of his brothers, despite all of them having been with him ever since the first of them awakened. Then again, the ones he would have known the most nearly all died during the USJ incident. Some he had never even gotten to know in the first place.
Of course, this didn't mean he knew nothing about his other brothers, goodness no. In a way, he knew them all to some extent and vice versa.
But his bond with Fordo was special.
They remained quiet together for a moment, simply relaxing and eating cheese.
"You've been having trouble sleeping." Fordo said, a statement rather than a question.
Izuku knew better than to deny it and simply nodded his head.
"Anything we can do to help?"
"Sigh…nothing… yet ."
Fordo raised his brow at the specific answer but kept his silence to let Izuku gather his thoughts.
"But…I think that I will need it soon…I need some time to think about things before I bring it up."
Fordo nodded and went back to what he was doing, once again his mind focusing on the comic book he was reading, which looked like a first edition of the Shining Hero Lagann in his mech.
Izuku laid back on his bed and stared at the ceiling.
Tartarus
"The second semester is starting soon…isn't it?" All For One began, the levity of his voice contrary to the severity of his current position.
Toshinori's eyes narrowed in anger and disgust.
"Or has it already started? Sometimes it's so hard to remember." He added mockingly.
It was this part that honestly annoyed him the most, the way his hated foe would talk in circles, driving around a point but never getting to it.
"I thought you were devoting yourself to teaching? What could you possibly want with me?"
Toshinori stared into those scarred sockets. "I just want to make things clear…All For One."
All For One chuckled in reply.
"This place is stifling, All Might." He began. "For example, if my back starts to itch and I scratch it with the back of my chair, the guns instantly point at me. Why, even my brain waves are monitored, a single thought of activating my quirk and my life is in danger!"
All For One however, was still smiling.
"I'm imprisoned deep underground, with multiple layers of security and thoroughly removed from anything to help me. Oh! And let's not forget the fact that I'm missing an arm."
And it was true as the man was completely strapped and secured.
"As it should be, scum of the earth." One of the clones who had been accompanying All Might spat with enough venom to put down a dozen elephants had it been the actual thing.
"The world likens this place to the Greek Mythos, "Tartarus", they call it. After the ancient god of the underworld…even I would have trouble rebelling against a god." He finished with a chuckle.
"No, you can't get out." All Might agreed.
All For One chuckled in reply.
"I'll let you think that." He answered. "So, what do you want? And where's Gran Torino? Did you really bring only a few clones as your bodyguards while you cling to those old rags? Don't tell me that you're still trying to be the hero?"
The clones bristled but All Might raised his hand.
"You've got a lot to say."
"Oh, please try and understand. It's the first decent conversation I've had in a while."
All Might maintained his gaze.
"Shigaraki. Where is Shigaraki Tomura?"
"I don't know." All For One replied, his smile a direct mockery to them. "Unlike yours, though I will admit, he is close. Mine has already left the nest."
A clicking and hissing sound was heard as the same clone from before raised his blaster to aim straight between where All For One's eyes should have been.
"Stop playing around and tell us. Everyone within a ten mile radius knows that you are a pathological liar who spews horseshit out of that ugly mug you call a face like a fountain spews water. So unless you want something that isn't bullets lodged into you, then so HELP ME GOD! I WILL-!" The clone started to shout before Toshinori karate chopped him on top of the head.
"My, my. Sensitive aren't we? Well I shouldn't have expected anything else for what is nothing more than a child soldier in name. Oh how hero society has fallen! Now using minors to do their dirty work!"
"Pot, meet kettle." someone else from the squad muttered beneath his breath over the sheer hypocrisy he was hearing right now.
He merely chuckled.
These clones were so amusing.
"What are you even trying to achieve?" All Might asked him. "What was the point of it all? Preserving your body beyond any reason for all this time and for what? All those years, toying with people, manipulating them, controlling them, destroying them…what was the point of it all?"
All For One snorted.
"That's not a very productive topic now, is it? You wouldn't be satisfied with my answer even if I told you. After all, there will always be people who cannot understand each other."
All For One paused before 'looking' at All Might.
"I'm the same as you, you know. Just like how you longed to become a hero for justice, I longed to be a tyrant, a devil king. Just as you sought to save, I sought to destroy. Simple, isn't it?"
All Might continued to stare, the clones behind him shuddering.
"I had an ideal and the power to achieve it." He said. "And if I could live forever in my ideal then I used any means necessary."
"So what you're telling us is that you are nothing more than a loser chuuni?" One of the clones deadpanned, the tone of his voice indicating he was raising his eyebrow to an unnatural level at what he was hearing. "That, is just pathetic . This isn't some anime, bub."
All For One smiled at the clone and after a moment, he began to tremble in fear, if only visible by how his finger slowly hugged the trigger rather than having it hover above it.
"All Might, ensure the clones do not act or you will be forced to leave."
"You have quite the mouthy entourage, All Might…why not let just the adults talk."
"Enough." All Might said and both parties were silent. "No more outbursts, boys. This isn't the time nor place."
The clones straightened and nodded.
"...If all that is true. Then why do you need a successor?"
"Ha! You're one to talk! Ahahahaha, that's funny!" All For One guffawed.
"Just look at me! You've taken everything away from me. In fact, the only thing keeping me breathing is this tube, and this entire machine complex is what keeps me alive. When you came into the picture, I thought you were nothing more than another brat. I admit, I was wrong. You changed my seemingly infinite ideal into something very finite."
If he could, he would have shrugged.
"And when one senses that the end is near, he passes his work to another."
The clones tensed, feeling something was wrong.
"It's true for anything in this world. From the buildings you walk past, to the food you casually eat, even the mountains of the world. They pass on the job to others. I'm just trying to do what everyone else is doing."
"All Might, you and your entourage have three minutes left."
"Wait, don't say that…I want to talk…more…" All For One smirked.
"I know the world's probably pretty shaken up by your retirement, though I must admit, softening the blow with Mand'alor was quite the masterful move, but how are things looking?
"He must be isolated from outside news. Please refrain from saying anything carelessly."
Toshinori narrowed his gaze.
'I don't think that will stop him.'
"You heard him."
"Well, that's too bad. But if I had to guess, right now, the media's unease with you being gone combined with the uncertainty of Endeavor being the new leader is causing them to complain about the unity of hero society as a whole. Meanwhile, sensing the innate instability, those of the shadows are starting to act. They think that they can finally change society and are finally organizing themselves."
All Might did not respond to him.
"Tomura and his cohorts are probably still laying low, the droid army has disappeared without a trace, and other criminal elements have started to make a bid for the top so there will be infighting in the underground as well."
All For One hummed.
"If the scenario I wrote functions properly, then that's probably how it will turn out. Supposing that does happen, it will all be because of the lies you upheld and your subsequent retirement. At least, that's how it should be if one ignores one crucial factor."
He smirked.
"Mand'alor…quite the interesting successor you managed to find. Why, he even managed to impede my personal goals, not the easiest thing to do, wouldn't you say?"
One of the clones shifted, his grip tightening on his rifle.
"And quite the burden you've placed on him. He's the lynchpin isn't he? The people have seen his works and trust him." He hummed and then shrugged "For now."
"Of course, trust can be broken oh so easily, and let's not forget that the boy is after all, a boy. Truly, such a weight to be placed on his shoulders. I wonder if he'll be able to handle it all by his lonesome."
All Might narrowed his eyes.
'He's not alone…but you wouldn't expect that, would you?'
"Though, should he fail…it would be tragic, wouldn't it? After all, you wouldn't be there to save him anymore, save any of them anymore. All you can do now is look at the villains that you created beneath your shadow and be stricken by your powerlessness until the end of your days."
All Might stiffened.
"On the day he needs you most, you will fail him."
They stared at each other.
"But please, tell me how you feel."
All Might stood up, his gaze piercing through the glass in fury.
"All Might. Please stand back."
"People are often angry when their feelings are guessed correctly." All For One laughed. "Too bad you can't punch me in here."
All Might took a breath.
"Don't think that you alone know everything." He retorted, remembering how his enemy had taunted him during their fight. "I understand very well what you were thinking, turning Shigaraki, my master's blood relation, kill me or both me and Mand'alor, it's what you plotted, right?"
"Perhaps, perhaps not."
All Might grimaced as he recalled Gran Torino's words to him.
"You don't see him as a villain. Not anymore, not after what you know."
"I will not die." All Might declared. "I will not let Shigaraki kill me. I can't be killed! I won't let the future you imagine come to pass!"
"You said you came to make things clear. Is that what you've come to say?"
"All Might. It's time."
As one the clones centered face, All Might standing before turning away from his enemy. With a turn of his head he glared.
"I will smash your future to pieces. As many times as it takes." He declared as he walked away, two clones standing by the door, two following after.
"You're the one who will look on as you pass the rest of your days here."
As he passed however.
"Oh, and All Might…[Congratulations.]"
The group froze in horror before they quickly left the room.
As the doors closed on him, All For One smiled.
"The rest of my days, huh?"
The group was silent as they marched through the prison, heading to the transport.
All Might was furious and afraid.
'He knows. He knows about Inko and my child.'
How he knew, Toshinori had no idea but he needed to take measures.
"Contact Cut. Have him pack his and Inko's stuff. I want her to permanently move into UA."
"Yes, sir."
Toshinori remained silent from there on out before receiving a notification from his phone.
Unlocking it, he was proud to see his students, in this particular photo, Izuku's friends surrounding the boy with all their cards.
All but one! But we're gonna make sure that Ali'nar doesn't fall behind!
Toshinori smiled, his students had grown so much, perhaps a bit too much thanks to recent events but he knew that they were working hard and reaping those rewards.
'You're wrong All For One. Mand'alor will never be alone…not with his friends by his side.'
"We've got regular classes tomorrow, huh?"
"Yep, not much time for rest."
"I'm just glad that everything went well overall."
Izuku hummed to himself as he relaxed with his friends.
"Hey. Come outside to the front later."
Bakugo passed by him.
"Let's have a talk about your quirk."
Izuku blinked in surprise before huffing out a laugh at the sheer audacity coming from him.
"Ha!" Izuku exhaled.
"No."
Bakugo paused.
" No? " He repeated, his tone dropping dangerously.
"What right do you think you have, Bakugo? To demand anything about me, especially in regards to my quirk." Izuku gave him a smirk but it was betrayed by the increasing rage in his eyes.
Everyone around them paused their conversations, the room going silent.
"Izuku…" Ochako called out but he gently raised his hand and shook his head.
"But I suppose…if you're really that serious. Whatever you think you need to ask me can be said right here."
Katsuki could feel his blood pressure rising.
He wanted answers and he wanted them now.
"Alright then, I'll play your game, Deku." He said, taking a small pleasure at seeing his eye twitch.
"What is One For All?"
There were muted gasps from some of those there though Izuku merely narrowed his eyes.
Katsuki glared at him.
"So, it does exist. And judging by the gasps from these extras, you've told others about it."
"Izuku-!"
"And?" Izuku asked. "Does that bother you? The fact that I told them but not you? The fact that I trust in them the deepest secrets of my mind? Of my soul?"
"Cut the philosophical shit." Katsuki bit back. "What's going on between you and All Might? How is it that he chose you? And what for? What is One For All!? "
Izuku merely raised his brow.
"Well!? Answer me!"
"Why?"
"What? What do you mean why? I deserve to know-!"
"Deserve to know?" Izuku scoffed. "How can you be so delusional, so arrogant as to believe that you deserve anything from me."
Bakugo stayed silent.
"I've already told you before, leave me alone. I don't owe you anything."
Izuku turned his back and walked away.
"You don't mean anything to me anymore."
"Don't you dare turn your back to me, Deku!"
"I SHOULD HAVE TURNED MY BACK ON YOU LONG AGO! " Izuku roared at him.
Everyone was struck silent by it, even Bakugo.
"You've done nothing but hurt me, insult me, ridicule me, disrespect me and my brothers. You don't even have the basic human decency to call people anything but extras. You don't even have the respect to use our classmate's names when they've done so much more than you."
"Hah!? You think they're better than me? If I'd have to guess, I'd say you're looking down on me, Deku." Katsuki growled.
"HAHAHAAA!" Izuku mockingly laughed. "You know, a year ago I'd have said differently, if only to avoid confrontation but after all this time, I've finally realized something."
"And what's that?"
Izuku smiled viciously.
"You're nothing."
Katsuki froze.
"You're pathetic . You do nothing but insult people and expect the world to bow at your feet when you're nothing more than a bully who can't stand his pride being trampled. No wonder you didn't get your damn license. In fact, I'll say it right now! I'm GLAD you didn't get your license!"
Everyone gasped in horror, never expecting such a thing to come out of Izuku's mouth.
"You are the farthest thing from a hero to ever exist! You are nothing more than a hateful, arrogant, foolish, joke of a shabuir who I wouldn't ever trust in the field to look past his own ass and actually save a life!"
Izuku gestured to their crowd.
"Do you wanna know why they know what they know? Cause I actually trust them. People I've known for less than a year, yet are more trustworthy than you ever were throughout our entire lives!"
"OH YEAH! OF COURSE! YOUR DAMN LACKEYS WHO FOLLOW EVERY WORD OUT OF YOUR DAMN USELESS MOUTH!" Bakugou retorted, his mouth curled into a snarl with a vein bulging at his temple, the blonde pressing his forehead against his green counterpart, with enough force to cause some air to be felt by the bystanders.
"AH, YES! LACKEYS! I'M SURE YOU KNOW ALL ABOUT THAT WHEN OUR MIDDLE SCHOOL FOLLOWED EVERY WORD OUT OF YOUR MOUTH! BUT I CAN ASSURE YOU, KATSUKI BAKUGO, THAT THEY ARE MY FRIENDS, PEOPLE WHO SUPPORT ME, NOT TRY TO DRAG ME DOWN!" Izuku yelled, nay roared back, pushing the blonde boy away from him with a single hand.
The two were at each other's throats, screaming obscenities at each other.
"Guys…I'm worried, I think we should call for help." Denki commented, worried that they were going to come to blows.
"As…heated as things are, I do not think that they will result to violence." Tenya reassured him.
"You're going to tell me everything I want to know, Deku! I'm not letting you leave until I say so!" Katsuki growled into Izuku's face.
Izuku couldn't help it.
He laughed.
"Oh yeah? And how are you going to do that?" Izuku said as he got closer. "With my head in your teeth?"
SLAM!
Everyone gasped as Izuku headbutted Katsuki in the jaw, knocking him back. With a roar of fury, Katsuki did an exploding front flip and kicked down,
Izuku blocked with his forearms but was left open for a kick to the head.
At this point everyone was backing away and calling out for them to stop.
Katsuki had burst forward, knocking Izuku to the wall and pinning him before punching him in the abdomen.
Izuku kneed him in the gut before tackling him to the ground with a heavy strike and then picking him up by his collar.
"You want to fight so badly!? THEN LET'S GO!"
And green lightning exploded from his body as he sped through and burst through the dorm's wall, dragging his opponent across the night sky.
"Someone call Aizawa-sensei! He's going to do something he'll regret!" Kyouka called out as several of the students and clones there contacted Aizawa almost in perfect sync with their wrist comms.
In the blink of an eye they were already nearing one of the training grounds, Izuku fury giving him such a boost that he was flying now.
Katsuki grunted as he held onto Deku's wrist, his rage rising with each second.
"You're so lucky, Kacchan! Your quirk's so cool! I hope I get mine soon, too!"
"No matter what quirk you'll get you'll never beat me, Deku!"
With a roar he unleashed a series of explosions against him, the pressure and heat of them causing the ground near their target to crack and sizzle, the barrage not seizing for several seconds.
With a roar of his own, Izuku spun and threw Katsuki across the street, the two harshly landing on the road and rolling with the impacts.
They were soon back on their feet.
"There's no one to hide behind. No crowd, no clones, none of those idiots either." Katsuki growled as sparks crackled across his arms. "It's just you and me, Deku!"
And in an ironic twist of the beginning of the year, Izuku replied.
"No, it's just me, Bakugo! And if it has come to this, then…"
Powering up One For All to 10 percent, green lightning crackling around him as he clenched his fist with the power coursing through the veins.
"One Shall Stand." He hissed out, fixing a glare on his former best friend who glared back with just as much intensity as he let a few explosions pop in his palm.
"One Shall Fall." Bakugou snarled back in reply. "YOU, DEKU!"
With a roar they charged at each other fists cocked back and met each other with brutal hits to the face.
The impact of the two forces were enough to not just crack, but straight up shatter the ground beneath their feet where they clashed, the two boys refusing to give in, all of the force behind their punches causing them to slide backwards, ever so slightly, even with their feet planted firmly in the ground.
Katsuki reached forward to blast him but Izuku batted away his hand with his forearm, the explosion going wide as Izuku tried to hit him.
Katsuki dodged and the two traded blows with each other, blocking or dodging the hits with Izuku doing a roundhouse that grazed Katsuki's head as the latter tried to blast him with a right cross.
Katsuki raised his hand and Izuku flicked his finger, the two forces exploding against each other and knocking them back.
The two charged at each other again, Izuku dodging his fist before driving his own into Katsuki's face.
"You call that a punch?! I've felt punches from worms that hurt more!" Katsuki sneered, his face pushing against the fist planted in his face.
More memories began to pass by their minds and they simply wailed into each other.
"You've always made me sick! Trailing behind me like some lost puppy ever since we were kids!" Katsuki roared as he backed off before slugging him.
"That's what you say, yet which one of us is still shackled by the past! I haven't called you that stupid nickname in years, yet you're the one who still insists on calling me by that name!" Izuku roared out.
"Because you don't deserve it!" Katsuki spat out, years of vitriol in his voice. "Your name will always be Deku!"
With a roar Izuku tackled Katsuki and slammed him into the ground using the momentum to strike his face with brutal blows.
The two began to roll across the ground, striking each other viciously, the ground cracking with punches and explosions.
They split apart from each other thanks to a brutal clash, each getting on their hands and knees.
At that moment however, they were surrounded by clones, students, and teachers.
"That's enough!" Aizawa commanded, his quirk in full effect as Kirishima went to help Katsuki and a few clones helped Izuku to his feet.
"YOU ALWAYS LOOKED DOWN ON ME! EVER SINCE WE WERE KIDS! YOU AND THAT DAMN CLONE! EVERY DAY, NO MATTER WHAT I DID, YOU LOOKED DOWN ON ME! THAT'S WHY YOU INFURIATE ME! THAT'S WHY I'LL NEVER REST UNTIL YOU'RE AT MY FEET!" Katsuki roared as he hobbled back up to his feet, shrugging off Kirishima .
For everything Deku stood for, for everything he was, everything he could be, everything that threatened who and what Katsuki wanted to be.
"I HATE YOU!"
And something seemed to break inside Izuku as he heard those words.
He stayed silent for a moment, simply staring at him in disbelief.
"You dumbass. You stupid, arrogant bastard! You think I looked down on you!? You were my goal! You, who always got back up in the face of defeat, who never gave up! I strived to be like you, despite what Jango said! You blind idiot, I didn't look down on you, I LOOKED UP TO YOU!"
Every bad memory between them sprung up, soiling that which had been good, the part that he had hidden from his past.
How Katsuki had changed for the better and then for the worse.
With a final, teary gasp he screamed at him.
"You were my brother , Katsuki!...I loved you!"
There was silence after that, all those present were shocked at the admission. Though the next few words would be even more shocking and even tragic as Izuku slumped over panting raggedly.
"And I was a fool." Izuku muttered.
"I was a fool to love you. I was a fool to ever think of you as my brother, let alone my friend. I was a fool to ever trust you, to ever believe in you."
To ever think that the friend he'd lost could ever, would ever, come back.
Because it was Katsuki's pride and his choices that had led them to this place.
So many times before they started U.A., Izuku had tried to reach out, to fix things and so many times he'd tried to be the 'better man' in school only for his efforts to constantly be spat on.
Izuku's eyes narrowed at how many times he'd saved Katsuki to the latter's unknowing. Whether it was keeping silent on certain matters back when they were in school, distractions from his poor attitude. Secretly asking for clemency during the battle trial. The fact that he'd been saved at the USJ, the events of the Sports Festival, I-Island, the camp, all of it.
A dark thought even passed through his mind.
If Katsuki had been the one to be kidnapped at the camp, would he have gone after him?
Izuku's breathing centered as he came to a certain realization and he raised his head.
"I'm done saving you."
His eyes were yellow.
A serious discussion was being held while Izuku and Katsuki were under house arrest.
Truthfully, Aizawa was at an impasse and was in serious discussion with everyone present.
"I'm honestly surprised it took this long."
Everyone stopped and turned to look at Cody.
"Cody?"
"Those two have been at each other's throats for years, ever since Bakugo became Aruetti…it's been quiet cause they're here at U.A. but it was bound to happen." Cody explained. "You guys saw bits and pieces during the battle trial and the sports festival but neither of them were at 100% and couldn't go all out. And neither of them were satisfied by the outcome."
All of them paused.
"What would you recommend then, Cody?" Nezu asked.
Cody grimaced.
"Let them fight. One last fight to the finish. But with rules and supervision, one fight to end it all." Cody muttered.
"Cody…"
Ponds nodded his agreement, shocking his friend.
"I'm sorry, Shota…but in their case, there will never be a peaceful resolution. This world, no matter how vast, will never be big enough for them to coexist." Ponds murmured.
Shota sighed, remaining quiet for some time. He lifted his head and met Nezu's gaze. Although one could rarely, if at all, tell what was going on in the Principal's mind, for once he could see the agreement.
"So…any ideas on how to prevent them from killing each other during this fight?"
"Shota, you can't be serious?" Nemuri asked him in disbelief. "That will practically be a dog fight! You saw how savage they were back in the sports festival and they won't be going to surrender. Bakugo's one of the most stubborn fighters I've ever met and Midoriya literally stayed standing while unconscious!"
"I have to agree with her, how can you two even consider this!" Chiyo argued as well. "They're both lunatics who have injured themselves to the point of hospitalization! Bakugo has wrecked his arms with his explosions that they're more cracked than a tectonic plate and you three know about Midoriya's quirk condition!"
Nezu, Shota, and Toshinori didn't meet her gaze.
"What quirk condition?" Hizashi asked.
"A condition that is a very private matter, shared to us four as his primary teachers, principal and medical representative. It deals with his…parentage. However, young Midoriya has been…opening up as of late and may share it with you if he so desires." Nezu explained.
The other teachers in the room nodded, though they all knew of Toshinori's secret marriage and upcoming child, they also knew that Midoriya's father was absent in his life.
There were many children in their school, current and former, who had parental troubles relating to their quirks.
'Conditions' was another word that alluded to delicate situations and they knew better than to dig.
Nezu did not feel shame for lying to his fellow heroes. Quite simply, One For All was not his secret to share.
"Well…anything we can do about property damage? I'd rather not have to rebuild an entire training field." Cementoss added.
"Well, in that case. To prevent damage, we do have something to help." Powerloader said as he then pulled up Melissa's profile.
"Since coming to the school and becoming my assistant/student, she's been working on a huge project that was in development at I-Island."
A hologram appeared of a new building that had been commissioned and built.
"This…is the Danger Room, using advanced holographic technology, environmental manipulation and a tactical computer matrix, we can…create a world per se, where they can go all out…it's still in the experimental phase, so it'd be two birds with one stone."
"I can't believe we're actually doing this…" 13 groaned. "Yagi…don't you have anything to say?"
Toshinori was conflicted.
"I'll try and talk to him." He said but trailed off at the end.
"But?"
"I have not seen him this furious since the message he received after I-Island. And his eyes…they haven't gone back to green."
"Ah yes, Chiyo?" Nezu asked.
Chiyo sighed.
"After extensive testing since Camino, we determined that part of what All For One did to him was an attack on his genetic code as well in an attempt to mangle his body, particularly targeting the quirk factors in his DNA." She explained. "From what's so far been determined, the damage remaining has been limited to markers relating to physical appearance."
"So the yellow eyes?"
"According to Ms. Inko, Midoriya Hisashi's eyes were gold."
"Diluted then?"
"Or perhaps tied to his emotional state." Cody bitterly muttered. "From what we remember during the Great Sleep-"
'Do they have to have dramatic titles for everything?'
"The demagolka's eyes would simmer like molten gold or burn yellow…the worst is when there was red."
Toshinori gulped.
"Izuku…just about hates his father. I dare say having a physical reminder of him after spending so long looking like his mother will not be taken well." Toshinori muttered.
"Alright then…we'll get the details sorted out but…all in favor?"
Hesitantly, each hand raised in unison.
"It is unanimous…may we not regret this decision."
"I will not apologize for my actions against him…only that I put others in danger." Izuku stated as Toshinori entered his room.
"I…did not expect you to." Toshinori appeased. "But I didn't come here for that."
Izuku sharply looked at him and Toshinori gulped at seeing the bright yellow now a simmering golden hue.
"I know…it freaked me out too when I first got a good look at myself." Izuku huffed as he sat on his bed.
It irked him to be confined to his room like some petulant child but this was the consequences of his own actions.
'They wish to chain you.'
Izuku shook his head of the negative thoughts…now wasn't the time.
"Are you alright?"
Izuku remained silent for a moment before sighing in defeat.
"No. I'm not. I'm supposed to be better than this." Izuku grunted, disappointed with himself. "Better than him-"
Toshinori raised his brow.
"I could have let the insults slide, let him bluster and scream for all he wanted, instead I fell for his taunts and then we got into a slugfest."
'He belongs beneath you.'
'Dammit, butt out of this!'
'Hehehehe…'
Izuku gulped.
"There's more, isn't there?"
Izuku nodded.
"There is…stuff that I need to talk to you and Recovery Girl about…but not right now. There's too much going on."
Toshinori nodded, deciding to trust in his son.
"Izuku…I was sent here to tell you this. Under Cody's recommendation, we've decided to let you two…fight things out."
Izuku tilted his head and faced Toshinori in slight bewilderment.
"One and only one battle, winner takes all. After which, no other confrontation between you two will be authorized."
Izuku nodded in understanding.
A final battle between them, to settle things once and for all. Every last battle between them had been interrupted or unsatisfying.
"However…I'm worried, and…I'd like for you to not go through with it."
Izuku sighed deeply and Toshinori was glad to see that the gold was dimming even more as he seemed to calm down.
But his heart slightly dropped as he saw Izuku shake his head.
"No…I'm sorry, buir, but no." He bitterly muttered. "But it won't stop, he'll never stop."
Izuku stood up.
"I will always be deku to him until I show him that he's wrong about me, until I crush that worthless pride of his, he will never see me as Mand'alor."
Toshinori watched as Izuku clenched his fist, the bones cracking ominously.
"...What happened between you two?"
Izuku tensed before slumping in defeat.
"When…sigh…it's a bit of a story…when we were kids, he unlocked his quirk early and was always praised for it while I stood in the sidelines. He mocked me for my perceived quirklessness, bullied me…hurt me, led others to hurt me."
"But you still reached out to him, didn't you?" Toshinori said.
"I did. I was the main target, and…kids will be kids…but there were others who were targeted, simply for trying to rise 'above their place'. I alone stood against him, at least, until Jango came out."
Izuku took a deep breath. The wound was still fresh, it had only been months since the USJ and while he'd been able to mourn, sometimes the pain reared its ugly head.
Toshinori let him gather himself.
"Together, we stood against him. Knocking down his pride. Sometimes he'd win, other times we did. But there was an unspoken agreement, never to go all out, after all…we weren't sanctioned."
He was tapping his knee now, a sign of restlessness.
"But ever since we've gotten here, everything has changed yet everything has stayed the same."
"I see…I think I understand but…why…and forgive me for asking this, but why call him Aruetti? From what I understand, your relationship devolved when you were young, yes but…"
Izuku nodded in understanding even as he grit his teeth in fury.
"It is a fair question…the answer being that he betrayed me." Izuku growled and Toshinori blinked as he swore he saw black sparks across Izuku's arms.
"Betrayed you? How?"
Izuku's teeth ground together as he tried to temper himself.
"It was after I discovered I had a quirk…I'd rather not get into the full story but suffice to say, he tricked me into thinking that I had "earned" my place," Izuku spat. "But it was nothing more than a lie that led to humiliation."
"You really think that I actually cared about you? You're still nothing but a pebble on the side of the road, Deku."
"I gave him everything…and he spat on it." Izuku growled before looking at Toshinori.
He gulped, seeing the yellow burning fiercely again.
"I will never trust him again."
Izuku bowed deeply before his classmates.
"I apologize for what I did. I let my anger get the better of me, put you all in danger and acted unbecoming of a leader."
The class was quick to forgive him though they were worried about the upcoming fight that Izuku had revealed to them. Though most dispersed after, those that were in the know stayed with him.
"Are you sure you want to do this, Izuku?" Ochako asked, gently holding his hand and thumbing over his scars.
He smiled sadly at her.
"Truth be told…I want to leave this behind me. I want to just focus on my studies and prepare for the day that we encounter the Droid Army or the League…but as long as he calls me Deku, I will always be haunted by my past."
Tenya placed his hand on Izuku's shoulder.
"...Is there anything we can do to help you, Izuku? We are your friends and you have shared with us your greatest secret though…we do not know much of your past."
'Show them their potential.'
A flash of something passed through his mind.
Black armor and terrifying figures, generals to their lord.
He shoved the presence away to focus and he laughed again in the recesses of his mind.
"I don't like to speak about it honestly…I have a lot of bad memories associated with Bakugo after growing up with him and even worse…my father."
At this, everyone kept their silence.
Izuku sighed before explaining, bare bones, what had happened between him and Bakugo. How aruetti was not a mere insult given to an unknowing child but to someone that had thoroughly hurt and betrayed him.
He did not speak to them about his father, only that he was also a traitor and a monster, one that Izuku would gladly spend the rest of his days without interacting with again.
There was something however, he could tell them.
"One For All is alive."
"Well, yeah, I mean, you've got those vestiges, right?" Kyoka asked.
"Not the vestiges…the quirk itself is alive and he appeared to me in a dream."
"Wow…not gonna lie, Izuku," Denki said. "That sounds super cool but it also really sounds like one of those old school anime."
Izuku chuckled and the tension eased in the room.
"What's he like?"
Izuku smiled.
"Kind."
Danger Room
#Just remember! This is both a fight and a test of this facility! So don't be surprised if things change!#
Izuku and Katsuki were on opposite sides of the room dressed in their full gear.
Something was off to those that were watching. And more than a few were worried about the Darksaber being used, though Izuku had refrained from taking it.
"I won't need it. "
Some odd twitch in his body, the way he was standing, the way he was glaring at Bakugo through the helmet.
"I'm going to enjoy this, Deku."
Izuku cracked his neck.
"At the end of this fight, I will make you call me Mand'alor."
'Just stay in control. Don't let your anger control you. Keep it at ten percent. Don't let the anger control you. Stay…in…control.'
"Destroy him."
"BEGIN!"
"LET'S FINISH THIS ONCE AND FOR ALL, DEKU!" He roared as he charged at him.
Izuku didn't respond, merely kneeing him in the gut before grabbing him and slamming him into the ground.
Throughout this entire debacle he'd been filled with an incandescent rage, an obscene pulsing in his blood, fury clouding his mind as he desired nothing more than to cause him pain and suffering.
"Izuku, don't-!" Nana tried to call out.
He slammed his foot onto Bakugo's chest, an unintentional spike to 15% driving the wind out of him before grabbing him by the throat.
He wailed into Bakugo's face as every act that he'd committed against him passed through his mind.
Katsuki roared and clapped his hands together in front of him, blinding Izuku and knocking him off.
Disoriented, Izuku was victim to a brutal left and right cross before Katsuki tackled him and slammed him against a wall, using his explosions to power his punches before grabbing him and tossing him away.
"TELL ME!"
"NEVER!" Izuku roared, his voice slightly warping.
With a flick of his finger and a spike of his quirk, a compressed shot of air stunned Katsuki and Izuku immediately took the advantage.
He punched him in the face, Katsuki trying to raise a gauntlet but he slapped it down before brutally kicking him and then lifting him up with a crushing bear hug and slamming him down into the ground.
Uncharacteristically he began to laugh in glee as he slammed his fist into Katsuki's face.
"You're as weak as I always knew you were!" Izuku spat as he went to deliver another blow only for an explosion to knock his arm away as Katsuki then grabbed him by the chestplate and unleashed an explosion point blank, knocking off the helmet.
"And yet which one of us has let so many people die!"
Izuku went for a strike but he managed to dodge and return with a brutal uppercut that knocked him down.
Some part of him was confused, Deku had shown more…battle sense during the Sports Festival, now he was acting more like an animal.
But that confusion was superseded by the pleasure of being able to stomp on his back and slam his head into the ground.
"This ends now!"
The sudden elbow strike knocking him off had come as a surprise.
"IT ENDS WHEN I SAY IT ENDS!"
Katsuki coughed and wheezed before getting to his feet.
The two continued to fight, adrenaline and exhaustion battling between them but they both refused to fall.
He countered a strike from Deku and delivered a brutal explosion to his abdomen. The armor even cracked and splintered but with a savage roar Deku then grabbed the arm and pinned it so that his hand was facing away before striking him repeatedly in the face and kneeing him in the gut.
With a final uppercut, Katsuki was knocked away and landed harshly on the ground.
Izuku stumbled to his feet, palming the abdominal armor that had pierced his skin from the explosion before yanking it out with a roar.
They continued fighting, though something had been growing within Izuku, his power normally flared up, emerald lightning wildly erupting around him.
Now it looked like it was being…contained.
'What is he doing?' Toshinori thought to himself.
Izuku then blurred and kicked Katsuki, the latter just barely able to raise his arms to block.
The ground then shifted, changing the world around them to a bright city and the two found themselves on a skyscraper with slanted edges, rolling down the glass.
#Whoops! Sorry!#
The two grunted as they fell into the sky and a part of Izuku was actually impressed by the technology in this to simulate them falling. An explosion recaptured his attention and he grunted as Bakugo crashed into him in the sky. The two fought in the sky as they fell before Katsuki raised his glove.
"AP SHOT!"
His armor cracked and splintered, the chest piece splitting apart as the concentrated blast shattered it to pieces and spiked him down towards the ground.
Izuku's eyes widened as he saw the Heart of Iron, Jango's Heart of Iron fly off and splinter.
"Destroy him."
And Izuku roared.
With a sudden grunt he slammed his arm into the building, sliding down to a stop before leaping back as Bakugo flew down, keeping himself airborne with his explosions.
"What is One For All!? TELL ME!" Bakugo screamed as he unleashed another explosion at him.
"It is NOTHING that concerns YOU!" Izuku snarled as he flicked, the explosion dispersing into smoke and ashes before he burst through and grabbed Bakugo's face. "You were never even supposed to hear about it!"
He then slammed him into the building, but their surroundings shifted again, the environment warping around them as they appeared on the side of a skyscraper instead once more
The world was glitching around them. A defect? Error in the system? Neither of them knew nor cared.
The two began to fall, but Bakugo managed to recover and launched himself upwards to gain height so that he could Howitzer Impact his foe.
Hearing an enraged roar, he looked down to see Deku crawling up the building like an animal, powerful leaps closing the distance, he wasn't even bothering to use his flying power.
He swore that he could see black claws forming on Deku's hands and feet and he couldn't shake off the terror of seeing Izuku's eyes burning yellow.
Those were Hisashi's eyes.
"YOU GODDAMNED HYPOCRITE! YOU ALWAYS TOLD ME TO STAY OUT OF YOUR BUSINESS AND YET YOU STICK YOUR NOSE IN MINE!" The greenet roared as he leaped up with the black claws before swiping at him. "YOU ALWAYS THOUGHT YOU WERE PRIVILEGED TO EVERYTHING!"
Bakugo launched two explosions, but Izuku burst through them, clawing through the concrete and slamming into Bakugo with his hand, the two floated in the air for a moment before he launched his tow cable and slammed Bakugo against the wall.
"And yet here we are! All these years!" Izuku snarled as he slammed Bakugo against the concrete again. "And we find our positions reversed. I can see why you liked attacking us so often, Bakugo!"
Bakugo panted as he remained fixed on Deku's expression.
"To see someone weaker than you with fear in their eyes…it's intoxicating!" Deku said with a savage grin.
Bakugo screamed in fury.
The building exploded around beneath them and they were falling again. This time the world around them glitched into the side of a hill, the two now rolling down it while trading blows.
"This is for Jango!" Izuku yelled as he punched him across the face. The blow separating them yet they still rolled down the hill until they crashed onto a road that was now glitching beneath them.
Inside the control room, the audience was uncomfortable to say the least.
"I've never seen him so…brutal. This isn't him."
Ochako didn't know who said it but she only partially agreed with them. She had seen this before, or rather, had seen the smallest hints of it.
When he first faced Bakugo.
When he pushed the tank by himself.
When Izuku had fought General Grievous.
All a series of small moments that combined painted a picture of unrelenting resolve to do what was necessary.
The same savagery that was reflected in the Vod'e when the reports had come in of them killing villains. Of them fighting to the bitter end to save just a single one of her classmates.
No…this has always been a part of him, they'd just hadn't had the opportunity to see it.
Still though.
"Please…be safe."
"Melissa, how's it going?"
"Well, I'm looking through the diagnostics, got a few issues so far as evident by the glitching scenery but so far everything's holding up." Melissa reported.
She was worried though.
Before this project began, she'd wanted a baseline of Izuku's stats. Which is why, under Recovery Girl's supervision, she had taken Izuku and done testing of him at various power levels until 100%.
It had benefits in the long term for monitoring his power levels.
And she was worried because the sensors were acting…erratically.
He had started off around 8% but it was jumping back and forth across the board…as if his quirk was reacting to something.
"Recovery Girl?"
"I see it." Chiyo said grimly.
Izuku's power level had spiked to 10, 15, even 25%. But it seemed that there were…tangentially readings that weren't being logged properly.
"He's extremely agitated…it seems that his quirk is reacting to the threat he perceives but Izuku well knows that a direct hit from his quirk at even a quarter of his power level can be devastating."
"So he's controlling his output at the same time that he's fighting…" Melissa grimaced. "No wonder he's been on the backfoot-"
Melissa gasped as an alarm came in, Izuku's power readings reacting radically different now.
"Something's wrong, I've never seen this before!"
Izuku was getting more and more agitated. He was fighting a war on two fronts, within himself and with Bakugo.
He could feel him whispering in the back of his mind, egging him on to be more brutal, to strike with the intention to cripple if not kill.
Many a day he'd spent analyzing Bakugo Katsuki's quirk and the best ways to neutralize it, some far more brutal than others.
And Bakugo wasn't helping with his taunts and jeers.
"I don't know what the hell All Might chose you for, but I know for certain he was wrong!" Katsuki savagely whispered, gasping with each breath. "After all, what kind of legacy is it? To choose the person who killed you!"
Izuku froze, his eyes now pinpricks in rising fury.
"What did you say?"
"You heard me, Deku!" Katsuki was breathing heavily now in pure rage and not a little grief. "It wasn't enough that you stood in my way! You had to erase my goal, too! If you hadn't been captured at that stupid camp, then All Might wouldn't have wasted himself trying to save you! Don't you get it!? YOU KILLED ALL MIGHT!"
Izuku screamed as something snapped.
Tartarus
All For One hummed as he felt a presence.
One that he'd not felt since…
"It's so nice to hear from you…little brother."
He smiled wickedly.
'I will destroy him!'
Black energy warped and crackled around his arm, red sparks igniting as it erupted from his body.
Izuku screamed, the sound warped and malignant as the black energy raced out and wrapped around Bakugo before yanking him and slamming him through a building.
"What the hell!? What's going on!"
Chiyo was looking through the statistics being shown.
"Increased quirk factors present, it has to be one of the quirks!"
"One of the ones that All For One shoved into him!?"
"Correct!"
Though for those who knew the truth…
'First Danger Sense , then Float, and now this black energy?' Toshinori thought to himself.
'What is happening to One For All?'
Blood was trailing down Izuku's mouth as he coughed horribly but his rage was too much.
With another roar he whipped the black tendril through another building before using the momentum to bring Katsuki up and then slam him down.
Izuku leaped and landed on top of Katsuki, the latter heavily injured now.
"Say it!"
Katsuki coughed.
"Never!"
Izuku grabbed him by the collar before punching him in the face.
"SAY IT!"
"N-NEVER!"
Izuku punched him again.
"I AM MAND'ALOR, YOU WILL ADDRESS ME AS SUCH!"
"YOU'LL ALWAYS BE DEKU!"
'I will silence him! Once and for all!'
He gripped Katsuki's throat, his fingers digging in tightly.
Explosions weakly crackled against his armor, the sweat having dried out by this point.
He'd outlasted Katsuki.
He was starting to get frantic as he desperately tried to get Deku off as he realized that he might actually kill him!
"D-d-de…ku…"
With a final, agonizing roar, he cocked back his fist to deliver a final blow.
And the black energy warped and crackled, wrapping around his forearm before becoming a drill-like blade.
Both of them stared at the blade, one in horror and the other in intrigue.
Katsuki noticed how his eyes were yellow tinged with hateful red.
He'd seen those eyes only once before.
It was the one thing that he never brought up throughout all these years.
The one person who had hurt the both of them.
Izuku breathed heavily as he saw the blade in his hand. He could tell what was happening. This energy was supposed to be wild and unpredictable but thanks to his rage…
Thanks to his rage he could control it.
He placed the tip of the blade at Katsuki's cheek, ready to spear him.
And Katsuki saw no mercy in those eyes, only a pain that he'd been given long ago by a man that even he agreed was a monster.
His pride broke as he relieved those horrible memories.
"Come here, boy. "
"P-please!" He begged, the memories and reality mixing in his mind as he saw the monster he couldn't defeat instead of the boy he bullied. "S-stop!"
A sudden strike knocked him away from Katsuki and he rolled back up to his feet with a snarl.
"Who dares!?"
Itsuka and Ochako approached him, followed by the rest of those in the know. Soon after the teachers came up behind him.
"Let him go, Dark." Itsuka ordered.
"Give us back, Izuku." Ochako demanded as well.
Earlier
"That's not Izuku!" Itsuka gasped much to the confusion of those who didn't know about her interaction with the dark version of him.
'Dammit, I should have told the teachers earlier!'
Toshinori also scolded himself, having only shared the information with Nezu and Chiyo thanks to their shared secret.
"It's Dark!"
There was slight confusion from the others, but those who'd seen Dark had immediately scrambled to enter the training room.
"Wait, guys!"
"We need to go after them, Izuku is not himself!" Toshinori warned and Melissa was quick to shut down the Danger Room.
"I much rather prefer the name, Mavan. " Izuku's body sinisterly chuckled.
"Liberty? Ironic." Ochako spat.
None of them had their weapons or armor, but Izuku was heavily injured and most likely heavily strained.
But if it came to blows…
"I find it rather fitting to be honest." Mavan said with a dark yet calm grin. "Because I will be the one to liberate him."
Itsuka narrowed her eyes.
"Either way. It's over, you've won. Nobody can deny that."
Mavan tilted his head.
"Nobody except him." He languidly gestured to the beaten Bakugo Katsuki who was glaring at him with fear and hatred.
Mavan smirked.
He noticed that the students and teachers were surrounding him now, though they were hesitant to take serious action.
"He doesn't matter. He is not the enemy."
He was powerless for the moment, thanks to Eraserhead.
But power was more than just strength.
Mavan raised his fist.
"Bear witness! This is the last time I show mercy! Know that if Izuku continues to be weak, then the way will come where I shall destroy all those who stand against me!"
"Then we'll make sure that Izuku is strong enough that you never get that chance." Itsuka firmly declared. "And we will never become what you want us to be."
Mavan chuckled darkly.
"We shall see."
"Where is he, Mavan?" Ochako demanded to know.
"Speaking with our…shared companion." He answered. "Don't worry, even I'm not foolish enough to face off against all of you."
At this moment was the unspoken wording.
Mavan chuckled.
"Please, Aizawa- sensei …don't strain yourself too much." Mavan said as he slowly reached for his utility belt and grabbed a pair of cuffs before putting them on.
"You can break those in a second." Aizawa grunted.
"Consider it, a symbolic act."
Left with no choice, he blinked, giving his eyes the break.
Mavan took a deep breath, sighing in pleasure as he felt the power coursing through his veins again.
Power that was intoxicating to him.
Nevertheless, he kept to himself.
"How are you here?"
Mavan looked at Tenya.
"It's simple. I am a personification of rage, of grief, of hatred. Every negative emotion felt, every horrible thought, every cruel action not taken. All pooled up into me."
Mavan then chuckled and a few noticed a certain twinge in his tone.
"It's funny…I, we…haven't felt such fury in such a long time. But quite literally Izuku got so angry that I came out."
He chuckled darkly again.
"I admit, perhaps I could have made a better first impression."
"Uh…am I the only one that's confused here?" Sato asked.
"It's simple. All For One's attack shattered Izuku in mind, body, and quirk. Fortunately, thanks to your efforts, he was able to be saved. But nothing is ever truly healed, for every wound leaves a scar. I am that scar."
There was an uncomfortable silence now and even Itsuka was forced to review her previous conceptions about Dar-Mavan.
When she'd first met him, she'd thought he was just evil. Like he said, he was everything negative about Izuku given form. But now…
Why did he just sound broken?
"Mavan…" Ochako reached out, approaching him. "You…don't have to do this…"
Mavan impassively looked at her hand before turning away.
"You are far too kind for your own good."
" It may be unsightly, but I will bear this sin on my own shoulders. I will restore this world to order ." Itsuka quoted. "You said that once. You said that you want to create a world where no child shall suffer, where none shall remain the victim."
He grunted.
"You helped me that day. You said we both desire the same thing, the safety and wellbeing of the citizenry and our friends."
"Your point?"
"Ochako's right…just because you're made up of all that negative stuff, doesn't mean you and Izuku can't work together, you're the same person, aren't you?"
Apparently, that was the wrong thing to say as Mavan's face twisted into an ugly snarl making the two flinch back and the others tense.
"We're done here." Mavan grunted. "You can have him back."
Everyone looked at each other in confusion, wondering just what had set Mavan off but before they could discuss, Izuku groaned and collapsed to his knees.
"Izuku!" Ochako and Itsuka cried out as they went to support him.
"I'm sorry…I'm so sorry…"
"It's gonna be okay…nobody's been hurt."
Izuku stumbled a bit as they walked him over, Momo had created a chair for him and Katsuki and Recovery Girl had finished treating him.
Katsuki had been uncharacteristically silent and non confrontational.
Izuku groaned as they helped remove the armor pieces and he bit back a sob as Denki approached him with Jango's Heart of Iron.
It's pieces at least.
Recovery Girl's treatment took the edge off of his injuries, though he'd be going into bacta soon enough.
"Izuku?"
He weakly looked up at Toshinori.
"Hey, buir…I'm sorry you guys had to see that."
Toshinori gently put his hand on his shoulder.
"How long has this been happening?"
Izuku gulped.
"I've been having dreams…but I found out about him last night, after I came back from the bank attack…he…also took over then."
Toshinori sighed.
"We're gonna have to talk more about this later, but we're gonna get through this, alright?"
Izuku nodded before lying back into the portable bacta pod that had been brought into the Danger Room.
Katsuki had also allowed himself to be put into one much to everyone's surprise.
"This was a mistake…" Shota whispered in regret.
"I could have told you that." Nemuri snarked. "We put two unstable boys, one who is obviously traumatized, the other who has some kind of hidden trauma as well, and both have a grudge against each other into what amounts into a fighting pit and said, "here, have at it" with only the barebones supervision."
"Yes, it was quite the spectacle. Certainly much is to be learned from this." Nezu said.
Nemuri's eye twitched. Now was not the time for Nezu to delve into his 'social experiments'.
"I will punt you across this room."
"My apologies."
Never let it be said that Nezu did not understand a woman's wrath.
Beware therians.
A shudder went up his spine as he recalled some rather…horrifying fanmail he received every now and then.
It was the most humiliating day of his life when he'd discovered he'd been catfished by one of them.
He just wanted a chess buddy!
Was that too much to ask?
"We will learn from this…and perhaps now we can help both of them." Nezu commented. "I'll have Hound Dog schedule another session with the both of them, non negotiable. Perhaps with the aggression drained out of them, they will be more…amicable to speaking."
Although Izuku still went to sessions, Hound Dog had reported that they'd hit a plateau.
And Bakugo had not had a session since the first mandatory one after the USJ.
"Ugh, this is such a mess…"
When Izuku had awoken from the bacta tank he'd gotten a meal and quickly headed back to his room.
Everyone was glad to see him up and about but they could tell that the fight had left him different.
Though there was one tense moment where he and Katsuki crossed paths at the common room though much to everyone's surprise they merely looked at each other before moving on their way.
It was completely uncharacteristic…as if something had broken inside the both of them.
Laying on his bed he was surprised by who was there to greet them.
"Eri? What are you doing here?" He asked.
"Miss Inko said that sometimes after bad things happen, people get nightmares…even heroes."
Izuku blinked and nodded slowly.
"Okay…and?"
"You chase away my nightmares. So I want to chase away yours."
Izuku couldn't help the smile that came across his face.
'That's too cute.'
"Okay," he chuckled as he patted her head. "Thank you."
They quickly made themselves comfortable under the covers and fell asleep. True to her word, Eri chased the nightmares away and Izuku was able to have a peaceful sleep.
Meanwhile in Katsuki's room
"I don't deserve this…" Katsuki mumbled as he rested his head on Inko's lap.
"Nonsense, Katsuki…" She replied as she gently traced through his hair. "I know that…you've changed a lot since you were four, but physical affection, love, care…all these things are your right."
"I'm sorry I couldn't beat him…"
Inko pursed her lips.
She knew that he wasn't talking about Izuku.
"I couldn't save you…I couldn't win…"
Inko gently shushed him and beckoned him to sleep.
"It's okay, Katsuki…he can't hurt any of us now."
It had been a long time since she'd had him in her lap like this…and truth be told, a part of her was still angry at him for what he did. But the love of a mother outweighed that and she knew in her heart that he needed this.
"Not ever again."
Elsewhere
Shigaraki hummed to himself.
Right now his subordinates were taking care of their personal business. Grievous was coordinating the refinement of the droid army.
But there was something prickling in the back of his mind.
'Mand'alor…'
His rival.
And dare he say…his goal.
After all, as much as he hated heroes, even he had to admit that it took someone special to inspire so many students to break the rules to save you. It took someone special to lead an army of fledgling heroes.
He despised heroes.
They were liars and deceivers.
All Might being the biggest one of them all.
But perhaps, just perhaps.
He could admit that Mand'alor was the real deal. Even if it made him sick to his stomach to do so.
And that is why he needed to become like him. Capable of leading an army, of inspiring loyalty beyond measure.
So that he could destroy Mand'alor when the time finally came. And if he could do that as a dark image of him, well then it would only be that much sweeter in the end.
He'd been getting reports, the criminal underworld was becoming more and more active with each day with the fall of All Might. Some villains and thieves even committed their crimes in broad daylight, even if they were trivial ones such as stealing a car, some money or even just a small bank robbery.
In other words, right now was a good time to be alive with the oppressed finally being able to do even a bit to get it a bit better for themselves.
There were also reports of the Yakuza stirring up again, he'd thought those geezers to be extinct but it just goes to show how much he knew.
From what he understood, one of those Yakuza groups, the Shie Hassakai, was extremely agitated, apparently Mand'alor had taken an important asset from them.
Hmm, something to look into.
Perhaps a small alliance could be struck with them, in exchange for some of the drugs he'd heard they had been cultivating from some of the information that Compress had managed to scrounge together. Having a master thief had once again proven to come in handy for more than one reason.
Although he had to do something about Toga sooner rather than later. Seriously, how in the hell could someone whine that much about missing one thing and then one second sound like being on the verge of breaking for wanting it?! She was making Twice look sane in comparison!
What in the world happened to her in that blasted room with Mand'alor!?
Deika city, normally an ordinary, if boring looking city, was currently experiencing a bit of… turbulence to put it mildly, if the downright evil looking aura currently emanating from the town's central tower was anything to go by.
Inside said tower, Re-Destro was in a foul mood to say the least, as he glared down at his currently cowering underling who was on all fours while sweating literal buckets of cold terror sweat, judging by the small pool that had formed beneath him.
"I told you, to be amicable and to give us an ample opportunity to get a powerful warrior to add to our ranks for our fight for liberation which would not only bolster our strength with numbers but also armaments… And instead you decided to antagonize his living Meta Ability over an insult to one of our trivial products!? What part of 'forming relations' and 'convincing' did you not understand, you useless buffoon!?" the long nosed leader of the Meta Liberation Army snarled, several liver spots forming on his face and trembling fists that were slowly starting to drip blood onto the floor from him digging his nails into his palms.
"But…sir! I-"
"Now, UA has put our contract and our products into question! Because of the faulty prototypes you purposefully gave them! And do you know what I've seen on social media? Students in the current hero courses are sporting armor provided by Midoriya's own Meta Ability!"
"Sir-!"
SLAM!
A large backhand splattered the incompetent against the wall and the man slumped into a heap.
He did not get back up.
Re-Destro adjusted his suit and cracked his neck before addressing his team.
"Any other news?"
"The hearing for Camino is set to be next month. I've got my people working on establishing a good rapport with Mand'alor, once we can, we'll offer to help with legal representation. Fortunately, he's built up a lot of good will thanks to his actions and the actions of the clones." Trumpet explained.
"Good. Curious?"
"I haven't had much luck on the end with Captain Fox over at the Diet, my…cousin has been a bit of an obstacle. Not to mention he constantly seem to glare at me every time I show up… Can't tell with that stupid helmet of his. However, I do believe that we might have an in by using one of the other clones."
"Oh?"
"See, although public relations with the clones is good at UA, other cities and people in general still consider them as just part of a meta ability. So, if we treat them well here, then it might entice them more to join us seeing as we treat them like actual people rather than the majority of Japan does. So far, the only place besides UA that treats them well is Camino because of how much they helped during the little incident back then."
"Interesting…yes, I see what you mean. Do you have a target in mind?"
Curious smiled wickedly.
"I do."
She projected a picture.
A clone, same face as all the others. But his armor had red and blue decals.
"Meet the Public Relations Officer of the Vod'e, as well as Air Commander of the Seekers."
Emerald eyes innocently looked at them all.
"Starscream."
Unknown Location
"How goes Project: Nemesis?"
"We're still in the early stages, months away from any real demonstration."
The Director of the HPSC nodded before looking into the window.
"And has he been reacting well to the tests?"
"Yes. Of that we can be sure."
The Director looked into the room.
"All for a better future, under our direction."
America
Inside a parlor with a fire gently roaring, a man looked at the tv. It was the same scene that he'd seen multiple times already.
A young man cutting off All For One's arm.
"He's grown to be quite the impressive figure." The man said with narrowed golden eyes.
"I could take him." Another, much younger man snorted in disdain. His sister meanwhile, punched him in the arm.
"Hmm…" The man did not deign to comment.
"The New York Hero Convention is coming up later this year…perhaps it would be prudent to send an invitation." He stated.
He grinned.
"After all…I think it's time that little Zu-chan meets his half-siblings."
The Pentagon
Several older men sat at an elongated table, dressed in suits, the board consisting both of politicians and some military leaders who had been assembled to discuss a growing matter and what they should do about it.
"So…we've discussed so far promoting internships here in the US, I can imagine that he would want to follow in the footsteps of his mentor and do an international tour."
"Yes, but not just internships. Conscription level military training at our different branches too." One of the younger looking members of the board said, to which one of the more grizzled looking men stood up.
"Are you sure that's the best route to say, Mr. Anderson? The greenhorns already are ahead of us in terms of technology. Just imagine what they would be able to do with actual military training and the experience they have beneath their belts."
"Oh pish posh, General. This might entice them more into sharing some of their technology with us. And be honest with me here. Don't you think your boys would love to get a few new brothers or cousins in arms? It'll be like the old days during the Quirk Wars!"
Pulling out an envelope, he gently slid it onto the table to reveal pictures of a certain unit of clones that had garnered a lot of recognition during Camino and throughout some cities where a certain family lived.
"Plus, I think our Devil Dogs would love to have a meeting with the Wolves of Japan." he said with a small smirk.
Various chuckles covered the room.
"They literally have a Commander Wolffe, what's not to love?"
"But how do we get Midoriya to at least come take a look at this side of things?"
"I think I can help with that!" A large, very muscular, and very bright woman said as she burst open the doors to the meeting room.
"Star…have you been waiting outside waiting for the right moment to step in? Again?"
"Shush, don't ruin my bit."
She walked over and put her hands on the table grinning at each of the representatives.
"Anyway, I think it'd be nice to meet my little Kouhai." Star and Stripe said with her signature smile as she picked up one of the pictures on the table and looked at it fondly.
Izuku didn't know it yet, but he was on the cusp of destiny.
Elsewhere
"Production is going down. Our sample base is depleting. And although our other drugs have been good for us, the sample base and market for those ones are not as…viable as Eri."
Overhaul destroyed his desk before quickly reforming it.
"We've managed to scope out the area. They tend to visit Kiyashi Ward Shopping Mall since it's close to UA and has the affiliate store. But security is tighter thanks to the incident earlier this year."
"And Mand'alor has the numbers to counter us." Overhaul murmured.
He thought to himself for a moment.
"Our greatest obstacle, All Might, no longer has the power to immediately stop us. Now we need to deal with the sheer numbers they have at their disposal…a counter which already exists."
"You don't mean…?"
Overhaul narrowed his eyes.
"Get me in contact with the League of Villains. If we are to get Eri back, then we need the assistance of the Droid Army."
"Yes, Overhaul!"
The Bullets left him alone and he seethed.
Months of work now set back thanks to a mere oversight. Not even slaughtering the incompetents who had dared to fail him had appeased him.
'Soon, Eri. You will be back with me.'
His knuckles popped.
'And you will never escape again.'
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