Chapter Twenty Six: All Flare- Origin
The hospital room was quiet.
Katsuki stared out the window from his seat, eyes glassy and his face gaunt. He hadn't done much sleeping since he'd woken up in this place. He and the rest of the students at the training camp had been taken here immediately for treatment following the villain attack three days ago. Katsuki's injuries were practically nonexistent, but if anything, that only frustrated him more.
He'd been so powerless.
So helpless to do anything.
Absolutely fucking useless.
How the hell was he supposed to call himself a hero if he couldn't even save his partner in crime?
Heat Viper had just walked into their training camp, taken one of the meanest punches Izuku had ever thrown, ever, gone "ouch", gotten back up, and proceeded to fucking curb-stomp every single one of them. Katsuki hadn't even gotten to fire a blast off at him- he'd been pinned down and knocked out with pathetic ease.
Useless.
Most of his classmates had bled trying to survive against the villains. He came out of it with a bruise on the back of his neck.
He was one of the strongest members of the class and he'd done absolutely nothing.
His eyes shifted from the window to where several of his classmates were standing around Momo's hospital bed- the girl had suffered a head injury and been out cold for days, but she'd woken up earlier today. Katsuki would've been lying if he said he wasn't a little relieved she'd come out of it alive.
Pixie-Bob was still in a medical coma. Tora had come out of the fight with burns, but Recovery Girl had already healed them. Ragdoll was missing.
His parents had been worried about him of course, but Katsuki hadn't wanted their concern. What right did he have to be fawned over for doing nothing and coming out of the attack completely fine? Especially after Inko showed up at the hospital with Eri.
He couldn't look at her. He couldn't look at either of them. Izuku was like his brother, his responsibility, and he'd let Hisashi just walk away with him.
He'd cried. Not just a little bit, either. Katsuki was ashamed to admit he'd hugged Inko and started fucking sobbing with her.
He hadn't told any of his classmates. He wasn't going to tell them.
"Everyone, could you give me a moment alone?"
His eyes regained a little clarity when Momo spoke quietly to their classmates. Eijirou glanced at him and jerked his head towards the door, but the Momo stopped him before he could get up. "Actually, I'd like Katsuki to stay for a minute."
Katsuki raised an eyebrow, but inclined his head at Eijirou and the others. "I'll be out in a moment." His voice was subdued and lacked all of its normal aggression.
"Okay," Eijirou lifted a hand to squeeze his shoulder and then left with the other seven or eight members of their class. The rest were off with their families or still unconscious and being treated for exposure to the gas attack.
Once the door closed, Katsuki turned to look at Momo as he stood up out of his chair. "What is it?"
Momo didn't say anything at first and just lifted a hand, reaching out to him. He approached her, his fiery personality reduced to ashes. There was a slump in his shoulders, not the lazy, confident kind he usually had, but a slump that spoke of exhaustion and sleepless nights. Utter defeat.
Once he was close enough, Momo's hand rose to rest on the side of his face. Katsuki merely blinked at the contact, his eyes dim.
"It wasn't your fault."
"Yes it was. I wasn't fast enough. I wasn't strong enough. If…if I'd been just an instant faster, I could've…"
"Katsuki."
She shook her head slowly and after a moment, he lowered his head.
"I couldn't do anything."
Her hand lifted his chin somewhat and he looked at her face again. The smile on her face was so fucking understanding that for a moment, he wanted his rage back- to yell and say that he didn't need her help or her sympathies. That he wasn't weak.
Except he was weak.
"Come here."
He sat down on the edge of her bed without another word and fell into her arms, boneless. His eyes started stinging.
"I told you," she murmured. "If ever you have a problem you can't tell the others about, you can confide in me."
Katsuki cried again.
Walking into the bar the next morning was a little more awkward for Izuku than it had been the first time. This was mostly due to the numerous bite marks covering the left side of his throat. Himiko hadn't made him bleed a terrible amount, but it sure didn't look like she'd been gentle about it- his skin looked like it had been mauled by a vampire.
He heard Magne snort with laughter upon seeing him and couldn't stop the crimson that spread over his face. If this was what "the morning after" felt like, he certainly wasn't in any rush to grow up soon.
Doing his best to ignore the various snickers and mocking grins from most of the villains, Izuku took the same seat he'd had yesterday and mumbled to Kurogiri about breakfast. Kurogiri at least didn't bother trying to make fun of him- he seemed a bit too refined for that.
After eating a surprisingly decent breakfast- Izuku hadn't expected Kurogiri to know how to cook, but he wasn't complaining- Himiko skipped in from her room and plopped into the seat next to him. "Morning, Izu!"
"Morning," he replied, reading over a newspaper that had been lying on the bar. It was a couple of days old, but he'd been unconscious then, so he could still learn something from it. Maybe.
Glancing around the room, it seemed like most of the villains were up and about with the exception of Twice. A late riser, or was he off doing something for the League? Izuku made a mental note of his absence and continued to read the paper, but before he could get through the first page, the phone rang. Kurogiri answered and after a short conversation, he hung up and looked at Izuku.
"Your father is coming to get you. He'll be taking you to Tomura's Teacher."
"What for?"
"Reconditioning," Tomura chuckled further down the bar.
Izuku flashed a glare in his direction, but his vision was cut off as Kurogiri made a warp gate between them. Out from the gate came Hisashi, who stood there and looked at Izuku steadily. "Come on."
Izuku stood up, knowing better than to refuse. As he turned towards the gate, Hisashi's eyes narrowed and his hand suddenly rose to grab Izuku's chin and push his face to the right, exposing the bite marks on the left side of his neck. The teenager smacked his hand away and scowled at him. "Don't touch me."
Hisashi ignored him and let his gaze drift over to Himiko, who was watching the event in her seat beside them. She froze as Hisashi lifted a hand towards her face, his eyes dark.
Immediately, Izuku's hand lunged up and grabbed Hisashi by the throat, plasma sparking at his fingertips.
The aggression in the bar spiked in an instant. All of the villains were up at arms except for Himiko, who dared not move with Hisashi aiming at her from just a couple of feet away. Her face was pale and the smile was gone- it was the first time she'd looked legitimately afraid.
"Everyone, calm down!" Kurogiri shouted, his gaseous body roiling.
Nobody made another move, but they didn't relax, either. Spinner had blades in both hands and Magne's metallic rod was ready at a moment's notice. Dabi and Compress both looked tense and Tomura didn't move, but his eyes narrowed.
Hisashi's head turned just enough so he could look at Izuku, his eyes dangerous. "What are you doing?"
"No," Izuku growled, tightening his grip on Hisashi's throat. "You're not killing her."
"Do you even see what she did to you?"
"I let her do it."
Hisashi's eyebrows rose in disbelief. "You let her?"
"Yeah," Izuku's cheeks reddened, but it only made him look angrier with his face twisted in a scowl. "Got a problem with that?"
"Yes, I actually do. Now take your hand off of me."
"If you kill her," he threatened, squeezing a little tighter. "I'm going to kill you."
"You'll break your hand doing that."
"It'd be worth it."
"You don't have the balls."
"I killed Muscular, didn't I?"
"You would kill your own father?"
"You are not my father!"
The venom in his words, which he practically spit out, gave Hisashi pause and he studied Izuku's face for a moment. He wasn't seeing any hesitation. Izuku hated him- he could see it in his eyes. If Hisashi gave him a reason to do it…he was pretty sure Izuku would kill him.
Kurogiri broke the tense silence. "Hisashi, Himiko is still a valuable ally to us. It would be unwise to kill her."
"Yeah," surprisingly, Spinner put in his own two cents. "And killing without purpose is against the teachings of Stain."
Hisashi looked at Izuku for a few more moments before lowering his hand from Himiko's face. Wisely, she slowly got up from her seat and shifted so she was standing behind Izuku.
Izuku didn't let go of Hisashi's throat. That wasn't unnoticed by the villains, who remained ready to jump into action.
"Izuku, you've made your point," Kurogiri assured him. "There's no need to push this any further."
The teenager's eyes narrowed as he thought about that. He could feel Hisashi's pulse beneath his thumb and the vertebrae of his neck under his index finger. If he just squeezed at 100%, Hisashi would probably die instantly.
That would be the end of the legendary criminal Heat Viper. It might actually be worth the trouble he'd get into.
"Izuku," Kurogiri's voice took on an edge.
"Whoa, whoa, kid don't go doing anything stupid," Dabi called to him. "You know you can't win this fight."
…Dabi was right. As much as Izuku hated to admit it, he was right. He wasn't prepared to fight his way out of here and killing one of the villains would instantly put him in a position where he'd have to fight for his life. He didn't know if they valued his life more than Hisashi's, but he'd put money that Viper was worth more to them at the moment. He also didn't think Himiko was completely on his side. He'd only just started trying to sway her…
It wasn't worth the risk.
But he didn't just let Hisashi go. He glared at the man and with all the force he could manage, delivered one last threat. "If you kill her I'm going to murder you. And if you try to act like my dad again, I'll Detroit Smash you in the balls."
"That's cold, man," Tomura chuckled.
Izuku let Hisashi go and met his glare, hoping he looked more intimidating than he felt. The older man cast one more glance at Himiko before shaking his head and turning back to the warp gate. "Fine. Now come with me."
The tension in the bar died down some and a few of the villains let out a collective breath as Hisashi and Izuku disappeared through the warp gate.
That had been a little too close.
As soon as the warp gate close and they emerged in a dark hallway by a door, Hisashi spun around and grabbed Izuku by the throat, lifting and pinning him against the wall. The teenager gasped as the breath was knocked out of him, but he grabbed Hisashi's wrist and glared at him.
Hisashi shook his head, glaring at him menacingly. "Neverpull something like that again."
"Then don't threaten Himiko," Izuku managed to snarl.
"Why did you let her do this to you?"
"It's none of your business. Let me go."
"You will tell me."
Izuku's body flared up and plasma arced off his limbs. "Let. Me. Go!"
Hisashi's eyes narrowed as he ignored the sparking bolts of plasma, but he wasn't giving in that easily. Both of them refused to surrender and it might've actually come to a fight had the door not opened then.
All for One, his head covered by a black, skull-like mask with angular pipes at the top and a collar-like life support system around his neck, glanced from father to son and back again.
"Enough."
Hisashi let Izuku go and the boy stumbled to retain his footing as he landed, reaching up to massage his throat. He glared at Hisashi, but the man ignored him in favor of All for One. Izuku followed his gaze and once he saw the tall villain, the blood drained from his face.
This was All for One. The villain who had crippled All Might.
All for One focused on Hisashi. "What's happening here?"
"It seems one of Tomura's…allies saw fit to mutilate my son's neck in my absence," Hisashi muttered.
Izuku scowled at him. "What the hell did I tell you about acting like-"
"Peace, Izuku," All for One's voice, strong and authoritative, quieted Izuku immediately. The teenager dared not provoke this villain. He had some leeway with Hisashi because the man was determined to act like his father, but All for One…All for One was different. If he displeased this villain, he could steal Izuku's Quirk or kill him with horrifying ease.
All for One chuckled. "Hisashi, you shouldn't be so hard on him. I'm sure it was merely a romp between a pair of eager teenagers. It's nothing to concern yourself over."
Izuku froze. The way he said that…was he already aware that it was Himiko who had bitten him? How did he know?
And something else…the more All for One spoke, the more Izuku felt like…like he'd heard his voice before.
The villain turned to him now. Although Izuku could not see his eyes, he felt as though All for One was staring into his soul.
"I've wanted to speak with you ever since I saw you at the Sports Festival," he murmured. "It's a pleasure to meet you at last, Izuku Midoriya. Come, we have much to discuss. Hisashi, if you would, go and prepare the training room. Hmm…three should be a good place to start."
Hisashi nodded and walked away down the hall, leaving Izuku with All for One. The villain moved to stand by the door and gestured for the teenager to go inside. With a gulp, Izuku obeyed.
The room was large dimly lit, but it was ornately furnished and in the center was a long table of black lacquered wood. The walls were painted a deep burgundy and the tile floor was dark and well-polished.
All for One walked to the far end of the table and sat down. Unwilling to get close to the villain, Izuku took a seat on the opposite end.
That seemed to amuse the villain. "Cautious, aren't you?"
Izuku didn't reply. He leaned on his elbow, propping his chin on his hand as he stared across the table at All for One. The villain merely interlocked his fingers and leaned back, giving nothing away as Izuku studied him.
The teenager didn't like what he was seeing- or rather the lack of it. All for One did not move. He uttered not a word. He stayed still, like a lifeless statue, and only the soft sound of mechanical breathing gave Izuku any indication that the man was even alive.
He wasn't like the villains at the bar, although Izuku had suspected as much. He was confident and sure in his position. He did not meet Izuku's challenging stare with his own- he merely waited and allowed the boy to take his time with his observations.
Izuku took a few minutes to think about what he could do to get…something out of this guy. Some kind of response or…anything. Any possible weakness.
He removed his chin from his hand and curled his middle finger against his thumb-
"Should you be doing that, I wonder?"
For a moment, Izuku felt like his heart stopped.
It was a kind of primal fear the like of which he'd never experienced. Not like Stain, not like Hisashi, not like…not like anything. It felt like if All for One so much as moved, Izuku would be dead.
If he snapped his fingers…
If he breathed a little more strongly…
If his head tilted to the right…
If he tapped his foot…
What in the fuck?
Izuku suddenly realized his heart was hammering and the blood was roaring in his ears. Sweat covered his face. His throat was parched and every breath was a struggle, as though he were at a high altitude. His stomach was clenching in ways that made him feel like he was about to vomit.
All for One remained silent, but the feeling of utter death disappeared. It hadn't lasted more than maybe half a second.
Izuku tried to regain control of his breathing as he stared at the villain in horror. This…this guy was so far beyond him it wasn't even funny. It made sense now why Hisashi obeyed him. Why All Might had warned him so strongly. Why Tomura believed in him with such fervor.
And he was crippled from his fight with All Might what the fuck…
All for One chuckled, jerking Izuku out of his stupor. "I have no intention of harming you, Izuku. You may relax."
Relax? What the hell did that even mean with this guy?!
"As I was saying earlier, I've been wanting to meet with you for quite some time now," All for One said. "I must admit, I was completely unaware Hisashi had a child until Tomura informed me of your existence after the USJ incident. It came as quite a surprise to me."
"Wh…what do you wa…" Izuku tried to speak, but it came out as a wheeze.
"What do I want? Well…put simply, I want to raise Tomura to become my successor. As I'm sure you're aware, he has some growing to do, but I believe he'll be an excellent candidate to take my place. As for you…I'd like for you to be one of his comrades and remain at his side."
"Why have a successor at all? I thought you were immortal," Izuku swallowed. "Didn't you steal a Quirk that stops aging?"
"I am immortal, not invincible. I can be killed, although it would take someone of considerable strength to do so. All Might, for instance. As All Might's pupil, I'm sure you understand the importance of passing on experience to the next generation, do you not? In our own ways, All Might and I were both crippled from our duel six years ago. We are not as powerful as we once were and our strength has waned. So just as he decided to bring you up as the next Symbol of Peace, I decided to make Tomura into the next Symbol of Evil."
"Is that why you want me? Because I have One for All?"
All for One chuckled. "Nothing quite so boring. Well, admittedly, One for All has become a rather formidable Quirk over the decades, but I was always interested in you before Hisashi discovered you were its ninth holder."
"After all, why would I not be interested in my grandson?"
Izuku's blood turned to ice.
"Wh…what did you just…"
"Such shock," All for One sounded even more amused than before. "I must find more ways to make you react like this. You heard me, Izuku. Hisashi is my "child" and that makes you my "grandchild" in that sense."
Horror and immediate denial erupted through him. "You're lying!"
"Am I?" All for One actually laughed this time. "I suppose perhaps I am! But only to a point. Hisashi is my "child" as I said, although I will admit his birth was far from natural."
"Where to begin…" The villain wondered aloud, drumming his fingers against the dark wood. "Hmm…yes. Probably best to start with the birth of All Flare. You should make yourself comfortable, Izuku. This is a rather long story."
"Quite simply, I recognized from the time I was a young man that with my Quirk, I could create an almost limitless number of combinations by taking Quirks from others and implanting them in a single body. However, as you might have already realized, doing so had a tendency to make them like living dolls- like the Noumus. The average human brain simply isn't prepared to deal with multiple Quirks. My Quirk allows me to be one of the exceptions."
"Rarely was I able to place more than one Quirk in an individual and have them emerge from the process unscathed. The odds of success were incredibly small and each one cost me a pawn. Well, there were countless pawns at my disposal, but it was still a waste. Moreover, the combination of Quirks produced the result I was searching for at an even less successful rate. I sought to find a different method. And I found it in genetics."
"While the world was in turmoil over the appearance of Quirks, I built up an empire with my power and drove the advancement of science and technology in certain areas. One of my goals was to find a way to house multiple Quirks in a single body, or to combine multiple Quirks into one without damaging the host's brain. It took no small amount of time to reach any success. Even locating the section of genetic code that developed Quirks took over a decade."
"Shortly after we succeeded in achieving that and developed a hypothesis on how to implant the genetic code for a Quirk into human embryonic cells, I discovered a rather fascinating Quirk."
"It was just a weak fire Quirk. The original owner could make a unique, green flame at her fingertips and any other flame she touched would change to that green fire. It wasn't anything spectacular- she often burned herself doing so and she had no control over the flames she changed, but I saw the potential of it. I took it from her."
"With that Quirk as a baseline, I decided to use it in one of our first genetic trials, but as I said, on its own it was nothing special. I stole a number of other fire Quirks from people as time went on and stored them in artificial humans while running tests, identifying from their genetic coding which Quirks were compatible with the "Green Flare" and which ones were not. As you are aware, I had no shortage of time, so I spent years searching for the right combination of abilities."
"Sun Forge, Hyperblaze, Immolate, Hellbreath…those were just a few of the Quirks which I combined with Green Flare after I concluded through our research that they were compatible. We fused them one by one into artificial humans- there was simply no other way to combine them. At the end of nearly thirty years of genetic testing and research, we came out of it with the most powerful fire Quirk the world had seen."
"But there was one more problem we faced. Despite combining those Quirks successfully, they still placed an enormous strain on the average human brain. Implanting the genetic code for that Quirk into embryonic cells as it was destroyed them immediately. There needed to be something else. So…I used my own DNA to create a copy of All for One- my Quirk."
"My Quirk is, at its base form, compatible with countless others. It must be or else I would become just like the Noumus. However, combining it with the fire Quirk we'd created in its early stages of development mutated it in such a way that it would only be able to steal fire Quirks, and for a limited time at that. Perhaps it was because the copied All for One was in an early development stage and adapted to merge with the overwhelming fire Quirk."
"With he addition of that mutated All for One, we came out of the experiment with All Flare."
"However, even with all the research we'd done, creating the Quirk was no guarantee it would successfully grow inside of an embryo. Our genetic technology at the time was still developing and was barely capable of implanting the genetic code for All Flare into those cells. We had to take more time to develop our technology despite All Flare waiting at the ready. Decades passed and we ran millions of tests to make All Flare and…other certain Quirks I'd been experimenting with develop in embryonic cells."
"And just over forty years ago," All for One concluded. "All Flare successfully developed in one of the embryos- an embryo which eventually grew into Hisashi."
"There is nothing quite as satisfying as seeing the research you spent countless years on finally reach fruition. Hisashi was the only one out of those millions of embryonic cells that took to All Flare. With some enhancements of my own devising, he became a powerful child- although he was not able to utilize All Flare's ability to steal fire Quirks. Why it didn't develop in him, I don't know, but it might have been too much strain on his cells in those early stages and the "All for One" aspect was simply put in a dormant state."
"I groomed him as though he were my own child in order to make him into one of my most powerful pawns- in his prime, he was almost as powerful as All Might. One of my most successful creations, intelligent, powerful, and capable of far more devastation than any Noumu. I'd always intended to clone him at some point when he grew old, but never did I imagine he would one day father you."
All for One looked at Izuku in a way that seemed like pride or something- but not as though he were proud of Izuku…More like how a breeder was proud of a particularly excellent offspring they'd managed to get from their animals.
"Quite honestly, I didn't think Hisashi's body was even fertile after all the experiments and how his Quirk was implanted into him. You have no idea what a happy accident you turned out to be for me, Izuku…One of my most successful experiments, producing an even greater result…It's the sort of thing that many researchers only dream of. The latent gene for All for One, which was dormant in Hisashi, was likely triggered due to its combination with your mother's Quirk- the ability to attract small objects. Whether it was by fate or chance…you are, in a way, one of my "children". You are mine."
Those last three words made the hairs on the back of his neck stand on end and Izuku momentarily forgot his shock and disbelief after hearing All for One's story.
You are mine.
It clicked. All for One's voice was the one he'd heard in the Sports Festival- when Hitoshi had tried to brainwash him. Was that voice an echo of his power?
"Of course, even you aren't perfect," All for One jerked him out of his thoughts with another chuckle. "Far from it. It would seem that some of the Quirks we originally built into All Flare like Hellbreath didn't take to you, and others like Sun Forge put such a strain on you that your body is currently unable to withstand it. Sun Forge, I might add, seems to trigger when you make use of your ability to "borrow" another fire Quirk from someone."
"But that is besides the point. What fascinates me is that out of the numerous Chimera I spent such time creating, you are the only one so far who was born naturally. Well, to my knowledge. I do wonder what the rest of my Chimera have gotten up to these past few years…Children do, after all, have a tendency to grow up and lead their own lives. But in the end, they never forget to return to where they came from- just like Hisashi."
Izuku's eyes grew large. "Th-there's more?"
"But of course," All for One chuckled. "Why spend decades trying to develop one special weapon when you can attempt to make several at once with differing abilities? Well, I've had the rest of my Chimera go into hiding ever since All Might defeated your father, so only Hisashi has had a significant impact on society. Of the six Chimera I created, he probably ranks in the third spot at the moment since he's weakened over the years. Should we count you as the seventh Chimera, you rank at number seven, of course."
He gulped heavily. There were five more of these…genetic monsters like Hisashi out there- two of which might be even stronger than he was. These people who had all of these Quirks stuffed into them, to turn them into living weapons…
"Well, we shall be finding out where you stand amongst my experiments soon enough," All for One stood up and walked around the table to Izuku, who felt too weak in the man's presence to move as he got closer. "Hisashi should have prepared the testing room for you by now. Come along, Izuku."
Toshinori arrived at the hospital for the umpteenth time over the last three or so days. When he'd heard the camp had been attacked, he'd been horrified, but his horror became a terrible black hole when he heard Izuku had been taken.
He hadn't been that enraged in a long, long time. The only thing that kept him from completely losing his cool was that Inko, Eri, and the students needed him- and that Izuku was no doubt alive somewhere. The time for his fury would be when he found the villains responsible for this.
It was a miracle Hisashi hadn't killed someone, but Pixie-Bob was still critical and they had no idea where Ragdoll was. He feared the worst for her.
He made his way to Momo's room- he'd been told that she'd awoken and as a teacher to these students, he'd made a personal effort to come and see each and every one to ensure they were recovering. Momo had apparently just woken up.
Toshinori opened the door, but paused before he could say anything. Momo was awake, but Katsuki was here too- crying in her arms.
The teenage boy stiffened immediately and pulled away from Momo, twisting his head to wipe his eyes so Toshinori couldn't see his face. "What do you want, All Might?"
Toshinori felt his heart clench. He'd never known Katsuki to sound so defeated, even after he'd failed the exams- back then, he'd been furious and driven to win the next time he fought All Might.
There was none of that fire now. Hisashi had stolen it along with Izuku.
"I came to see young Momo," he responded quietly, turning to smile at the young lady. "I'm grateful to see you recovering from your injuries."
"Thank you, All Might," she said gratefully. Momo glanced at Katsuki and bit her lip for a moment, apparently thinking about something. "Actually…would you mind closing the door? I have something I need to share with you."
All Might nodded and did as she asked, leaning against the door to keep others from opening it so they had some privacy.
Momo reached for Katsuki and managed to take his wrist. Toshinori could tell just from the way Katsuki didn't try to pull away how badly shaken he was.
She took a breath and then spoke. "I might have a way to track the villains to their hideout."
Katsuki stiffened. All Might's eyes gleamed.
"When we were in the forest, Yosetsu from Class B and I were attacked by a villain," Momo began. "We were taken by surprise and it hit my head, but Yosetsu managed to carry me and run when it chased us. I'm not sure what it was, but I think it was some kind of…modified human, like the Noumu from USJ. Anyways, at some point, it stopped chasing us and just shut down. I think at that moment, it might have been called back by its masters, so…Yosetsu and I teamed up."
"His Quirk is called "Welding" and it allows him to bind objects together at the molecular level. I created a location transmitter when the villain started to leave and Yosetsu welded it onto its body."
Momo held her arm out and concentrated for a moment. After a few seconds, a small, phone-like device emerged from her palm. "This is the tracker. If you use it, it should be able to find the signal from the transmitter."
All Might walked over and took the device carefully when Momo offered it to him. "When we were setting up the exams, Aizawa placed you with Izuku because he felt you lacked the ability to make split-second decisions…Look how much you've grown in such a short time, Momo."
"This was all I could do," she murmured, glancing at Katsuki. The teenage boy had twisted his head and was staring at the transmitter, but turned to Momo after a moment with wide eyes. "But with this…we might be able to find the villains…and Izuku."
She saw a spark.
All for One led Izuku to a large room in a basement-like structure, but a basement larger than any he'd ever seen. It was almost as big as the TDL at U.A.
Hisashi was already there, leaning against the wall by the door with his arms crossed. He didn't say anything as All for One lifted his hand and gestured towards a trio of Noumu standing in the middle of the room.
"This is your first lesson with me," All for One told Izuku. "It's the bare minimum by my standards, but given your current level of strength and experience, I think they'll present a challenge to you. Kill them."
Izuku twisted his head to object, but All for One snapped his fingers and stepped away.
Immediately, the three Noumu were rushing at him. All of them were only about as fast as an average man, but they spread out and tried to corner him. One of the Noumu lifted its arm, which grew sharp, bird-like talons to slash at him.
Izuku lit up with Overdrive and dove away, but another one of the Noumu suddenly sped up- it had a speed-enhancing Quirk like Tenya- and delivered a powerful kick into his gut. Izuku grabbed it by the leg and spun, then slammed it into the ground face-first.
He suddenly screamed as something thick and sharp crashed into his back, sending him tumbling over the floor. As he tried to push himself up, Izuku saw that the third Noumu had oversized, boar-like tusks protruding from its jaws. He didn't get a chance to rest- the first Noumu was slashing at him again and the second was back on its feet and racing at him.
"They won't stop," All for One called to him calmly. "Even if I order them to. These Noumu are designed to attack until their target is dead. You won't get any help from us."
"I thought you said I was important to you!" Izuku yelled back, dodging another swing from a Noumu.
"You're unique, not invaluable," All for One corrected. "If you can't handle this much, you're of no use to Tomura. Moreover, even if you should die, I have what I need from you. If you want to survive, then I suggest you learn how to kill."
Izuku snarled as the third Noumu managed to drive its tusks into his right shoulder. With the other two Noumu closing in on him, he felt a rush of fear and grabbed at its skull. The temperature surged and with a convulsion through its body, the Noumu collapsed.
Heroes are taught throughout their training to restrain their powers to some degree to avoid killing others, One for All thought to himself. Deadly force is only used when they have no other choice. Part of the reason they're put through such extensive training is so that they don't panic and go overboard with their powers. Izuku…you've only been training for three months to be a hero and your control over your Quirks is still shaky at best. Just by being made to kill over and over again, it'll be that much harder for you to stop yourself from using that deadly force in a moment of crisis.
All it will take is one slip up on your part, one accidental death, and the public will be on you like hounds. Your reputation as Hisashi's son already puts you on shaky ground with the majority of people. If you kill a person, and another, and another, then even if it's by accident, there are going to be those who believe you are becoming your father. One way or another, you'll be slowly ostracized until you are left alone. Killers are always seen in a different light- even those who kill in the name of "justice" are rarely treated the same after they commit such an act. It can even make those who love them see them in a different light.
Izuku managed to get an arm wrapped around the first Noumu's neck and clung onto it from the back. While the beast lifted its hands to claw at him, he pointed one of his fingers at the side of its head, point-blank, and flicked at 100%. The Noumu's neck snapped and it slumped over as the last remaining Noumu drove another vicious kick into Izuku's stomach.
All for One hummed thoughtfully. You'll have to forgive me for resorting to such brutish lengths with you Izuku. I suspect our time together will be short, so I must beat into you the basics of being a villain while I can. Try and forget them if you can, but I know from experience my lessons tend to stick.
If nothing else, this will increase your desperation to escape. What lengths will you go to in order to manipulate Himiko now, I wonder?
Izuku tripped the last Noumu by kicking out one of its legs and then slammed its head into the ground. He tried to pin it down, but it was still bigger and stronger than he was, even with Overdrive. He spun his head towards All for One. "Make it stop!"
"Stop!" All for One cried, laughing when the Noumu continued to struggle. "I told you Izuku, it won't stop until it's killed you. If you want this lesson to end, then kill it before it takes your life."
He couldn't keep it down for any longer- it was already pushing itself onto its hands and knees. Screaming in fear and frustration, Izuku grabbed its skull and made the temperature surge until the Noumu collapsed, twitching, into a heap on the floor.
He rolled away from the artificial human's body, gasping for breath and bleeding from several stab wounds in his shoulder and back. None of them were deep or life-threatening, but they hurt like all hell and he was pretty sure his ribs were cracked in one or two spots.
"Well done," All for One praised, clapping his hands. "Rather inefficient, but it's merely the first lesson, after all. One can't expect perfection immediately."
Izuku struggled to stand up, his shirt in tatters and his balance uneven. "What do you mean…first lesson?"
"You'll repeat this exercise tomorrow with three more Noumu, all of which will be somewhat stronger than these," All for One told him, striking horror into the boy's face. "Prepare yourself."
All for One turned to Hisashi. "Contact Kurogiri and have him sent back to the bar. Have his wounds treated and then return to me."
Hisashi merely nodded and walked over to Izuku while All for One left the room.
And so the snow white canvas has been tainted with a drop of red…
"That was sloppy," Hisashi told Izuku as he soaked up some of the blood from the teenager's shoulder wound. Izuku tried to ignore him in his chair at the bar. The other villains were watching with interest- all of them had been surprised when Hisashi came back with Izuku, who was bloodied and sporting several injuries.
"How do you expect to survive tomorrow's lesson if you fight like this?" Hisashi snapped at the boy. "The Noumu won't cut you any slack because you don't feel like killing them."
"Can you just shut up?" Izuku muttered lowly. "What did mom even see in a guy like you?"
Hisashi stiffened and his eyes smoldered. "You don't know anything about me."
"I don't want to know," he retorted. "Just…just fix me and get out. Go away."
Tomura chuckled from his seat on the opposite side of the bar. "Teacher put you through lesson one, eh?"
Izuku shot him a glare and then threw up a perfect middle finger at the villain. Tomura outright laughed.
Hisashi finished treating Izuku and grunted. "I'll be teaching you personally tomorrow. I can't stand seeing you fight with All Flare like that- it's disgraceful."
"Go away!" Izuku all but demanded.
Hisashi gripped his shoulder and squeezed the wound until Izuku cried out and tried to grab at his wrist, but the older man had already pulled away from him. Fresh blood started to blossom under the bandages.
"The next time you take that tone with me, I'll be fighting you before you take on the Noumus. I won't be gentle about it."
Kurogiri opened a warp gate and Hisashi left, leaving Izuku to nurse the pain of his injuries alone. Twice approached and seemed like he kind of wanted to offer help, but Izuku shot him a withering glare that made him back off.
Kurogiri sighed and glanced at Izuku. "Would you like pain medication?"
"…please," he managed, his face scrunched up from the throbbing in his shoulder.
"Teacher ain't gonna be gentle about his lessons," Tomura told Izuku casually, leaning against his hand on the bar. "This ain't some half-assed academy like U.A where you only learn how to fight."
Izuku ignored him and took the pain medication from Kurogiri, putting it down with a glass of water before leaving for his room in silence.
Magne whistled. "Who the hell is your Teacher, Tomura? He was all fire and no fear yesterday."
Tomura snickered. "Teacher's just getting started."
Himiko's nose scrunched up in a slight frown at that and her gaze trailed towards the door where Izuku had disappeared.
Izuku sat in his room for a few hours alone, only taking a short time to eat when Kurogiri brought him food. He didn't want to see the other villains, didn't want to hear about what other dreaded "lessons" All for One had in store for him. He just…he wanted to be alone.
He was too tired from the brief, violent fighting to spend time thinking about escape. Unless someone saved him between now and tomorrow, he had another fight to look forward to- another life and death struggle.
Hisashi was also apparently going to teach him. He wondered if he could kill the guy by smashing his face in at 100%.
He'd probably die trying.
As it got late, he heard the door open and Himiko peeked inside to find him. He looked at her tiredly as she slipped into the room and closed the door behind her. She turned to face him and walked up to the other teenager.
"Thank you," she said quietly. "For…for saving me this morning."
Izuku shook his head and looked away. "I wasn't going to just let him kill you."
"Even so…Nobody has ever really defended me before," Himiko told him. "So you know. I appreciate it, I guess."
"…you're welcome."
She sat down beside him, the playfulness he'd associated with her from yesterday now a little quieter. Himiko turned her head and her eyes fixed on the red bandages on her shoulder. She bit her lip.
Her fixation on blood perplexed him and Izuku was just tired enough to not immediately disregard the thoughts of someone who most considered a psychopath. "What is it with you and blood?"
Himiko's eyes flit up to meet his and she thought about it for a few moments before turning her head to stare at the wall. "It's…what do you call it…It helps me relax. There's a word for it, um…"
Izuku frowned. "What, like…like a coping mechanism?"
"I…maybe?"
How the hell did blood become a coping mechanism for…well, anybody?
She tilted her head to one side. "How do I put this…Looking at it, tasting it, and smelling it just makes it easier for me to focus and think, I guess."
"How does that even happen?" He asked, bewildered.
Himiko's eyes grew a little hazy- a little more…like the psychotic girl he'd first met. "I'm not talking about that. I don't like thinking about it and it makes my mind get fuzzy and weird."
She leaned against his shoulder carefully and took a breath. He could see the change in her yellow orbs as the scent of his blood made the focus return to her eyes.
Izuku was bewildered by the admission. Himiko murdered and bled people because it helped her cope with…something. What might have happened for her to develop such a freakish mental stimulus, he had no idea, but it was clear that she didn't suffer from some kind of inborn mental condition. It had been inflicted on her and the only way she was able to achieve some kind of normality- some kind of clarity- was by introducing blood to her five senses.
If she repressed her need, he'd bet that it made her agitated and psychotic, which brought out the killer she was known to be. Murder- actually, just the stimulation of blood- would bring her back to a sane level of mental stability, or as stable as she could be with this kind of condition.
When she was stable like she was now, she was more relaxed- less inclined to surprise him and a little quieter. More coherent and thoughtful.
"Himiko," Izuku asked hesitantly, to which she responded with a hum. "Do you…I mean, would you rather…if you had the choice, would you rather kill someone or let me…I guess satiate you? If it's the bleeding that you want, I can…"
She turned her gaze up to look at him and he could see the difference immediately. She was legitimately thinking about it- she wasn't being playful and crazy.
"I mean…this is easier. I don't get in trouble for it, either," she said. "But it doesn't really matter, right? I mean, at the end of the day, I've already killed a bunch of people. It's not like I can just swap over to you and everyone'll be cool with that. I…I want to keep my freedom."
"But if you could pick one-"
"You," she murmured, leaning her cheek on his shoulder until her face was smushed up. "I think you…actually give a damn about what's going on with me, don't you? I don't know if that's because you wanna be a hero or whatever, but you listen to me and you protected me from Viper. I've never really known someone like you. Everyone either wants to kill me or says I'm crazy and I belong in a jail cell."
Izuku licked his lips as he thought about where he could go from here. Himiko wasn't just someone he could use to escape- she was someone who needed his help. Someone he could save. He'd managed to get closer to her than anyone else and she'd told him something important about herself- that her fixation on blood was because of some kind of mental necessity to keep her grounded to reality. Something like that was surely treatable and moreover…if he gave her this option, she'd stop killing people.
The more he thought about it, the more he was convinced he could save her, somehow.
"Can you let me do that for you, then?"
"What are you talking about?"
"I can be that person you need," he told her fervently, getting her attention. "If you need blood, you can come to me for it. I can help you."
Her eyes narrowed. "You better not be talking about dragging me to some mental hospital."
"No!" He replied, then hesitated. "Well…okay, that's probably what needs to happen, but-"
"Thought so," she stood up and made to leave.
Panicking, he grabbed her arm and pulled her back. Doing so made her trip and she half-turned, landing on his lap and sitting there nose-to-nose with him. Izuku reddened and he saw the faint flush of color across Himiko's cheeks, but she still looked at him coldly.
"Let me go."
"Can you just listen for a second?" He pleaded. Himiko didn't move, so Izuku took that as permission to go on. "I-I'm not saying you belong in a mental hospital, but I'm saying that might be where we can figure out how to-"
"-fix me? Is there something wrong with me, Izuku? Do I look sick to you?"
"Not right now, you don't," he told her, catching the girl off-guard. "That's what I'm saying! Right now- you're a completely different person, Himiko! You…you're acting like a normal high school girl from my class. If we can figure out how to help you stay like this, you won't have to hurt people anymore and you might even be able to have the freedom you want!"
"What are you getting at?"
"I want to save you!"
The room grew quiet. Izuku stared at her with all the strength he could muster and put all his feelings into those words. "I want to save you."
Himiko was silent for several moments. It was hard to see her eyes in the dark, but he thought he saw a glimmer- something like hope or maybe belief. "Wanting is one thing. Can you do that?"
"I will. I'll find a way."
She snorted. "That's a corny thing to say."
"Yeah, it's a little corny."
"No, it's a lot corny," she corrected.
Himiko bit her lip and let out a sigh. "How are you going to save me from here?"
Izuku lifted one of his hands and pressed lightly against his shoulder wound, wincing as a little more blood seeped from it. Her eyes gleamed and became even clearer. "I can start with just this."
"Look at your noble ass, bleeding to save me like a great hero."
The corner of his lip twitched up in a small smiled. Himiko lowered her head and pressed her lips against the red cloth, tasting the iron. Her fingers teased the bandages, eager to remove them. "I can't promise you anything. As long as we're with Tomura and the others, I might have to kill to keep my place here."
"I know," he swallowed. That was always going to be one of the risks.
"But…if I can get away with it," she murmured, lifting her eyes up to meet his. "I'll try not to. But only if…if we can keep doing this. If I can't keep my head clear, I don't know how long I'll be able to go before I snap again."
He nodded. "I'll keep you together."
She pulled the bandages away and latched onto his wound. Izuku ran his fingers through her hair as she trembled and reached up with one hand to lightly drag her nails down the back of his neck.