Downtown Tokyo.
Seiki.
With Rinka riding shotgun and Azula in the backseat, Seiki couldn't help but grin from behind the wheel of his Rolls-Royce Spectre 2204.
Driving was fun, especially when you didn't have to worry about the consequences. At any moment, if Seiki felt like running a red light, breaking the speed limit, or even trying to pull off one of those crazy car stunts that they do in the movies... he could try it.
He'd almost certainly fail spectacularly, but he could still try it.
That was also why Seiki was completely at ease driving underage and without a license, all thanks to Save & Load.
"I don't like it when you drive, boss," Rinka muttered, gripping the edge of her seat. "I don't know what it is, but somethin about it always puts me on edge."
"That's because you're a pussy," Azula snarked.
Seiki stifled a chuckle. 'No, Rinka's just got good instincts.'
Every once in a while– or pretty much whenever Seiki happened to spot a cop car– he'd break some sort of obvious traffic law, usually running a red light. Then he'd see just how long he could evade the police. The longest he's lasted so far was only 22 minutes, because it eventually becomes obvious that his prodigal driving is due to his Quirk... making him a villain.
Most heroes were faster than a Rolls-Royce, especially when driving through the city.
"We're here."
Parking just outside an abandoned warehouse near the outskirts of Tokyo, Seiki exited the car, Rinka and Azula following just a few steps behind him on his left and right. All three of them dressed to impress, wearing expensive suits, coats and masks, and in the case of Seiki, pristine white gloves.
As he walked away, Seiki made sure to lock the doors to his latest toy... but that still wouldn't be enough to deter most villains. Gently squeezing the slip of paper tucked into his shirt collar, Seiki whispered, "Razor, watch the car please."
A few dozen slips of paper slipped off the backs of Seiki, Rinka and Azula, each of them no bigger than a playing card. Each slip floating towards his Rolls-Royce, covering the handles, the door crevices, and more, before turning a deep navy blue. Each slip perfectly matching the color and texture of the car beneath it.
As for the rest of Konan, she was sitting flush against their clothes, covering their mouths (and snout), and blending into the night sky above. Not to mention the slips still attached to each of his maids, to D'Vorah, and to his mother.
This was the power of Konan's Quirk, Origami Body.
Turning into tiny slips of paper, Konan could be in a thousand different places at once, and every single slip could individually change their texture, color and sharpness.
All of her slips were also 'interchangeable,' meaning that every single slip could see, hear, smell, touch and taste if Konan so desired.
One of the best reconnaissance Quirks in Japan, if not the world.
It only took them a few minutes to arrive at their destination– a seemingly random alleyway with a solid steel door, and a single guard standing outside it. Seiki let out a soft sigh when he saw who was on guard duty tonight.
It was Masaki, a gangster Seiki has grown familiar with these past few months... one that Seiki was almost starting to feel bad for.
"What're you lookin at? This's private property," Masaki grumbled.
"An entrance," Seiki replied smoothly. "I know you've seen me here before."
"Tch, you still need a password."
Underground fighting rings were obviously illegal, but the ones that allowed unrestricted Quirk usage– which could easily result in death– required a criminal backing just to enter. To prevent word from getting out, a password was a simple yet effective stopgap. But they didn't announce passwords at each get-together, or something else as equally stupid– no, you needed actual connections to know it. The only reason this worked was because more than enough people wanted to let loose with their Quirks, and most of them were willing to go through a few hoops if it meant they got to duke it out.
And then any associated gangs would have access to their personal information, as well as an easy way to contact and pressure potential recruits.
A compromise that Seiki would never allow.
'Save3.'
"Hm... isn't it Deathclaw, rough him up?"
"That isn't the– MMMPH!" Masaki tried and failed to scream as Rinka grabbed him by the face, covering his mouth as she lifted him off the ground, and then slammed him back down into the concrete. In response, Masaki raised his right hand, glowing a faint yellow... which just lead to Rinka stomping on it harshly, snapping the gangster's wrist. "MMPPH! M-MMMPH...!"
"Tell me, just how much will it take for you to give me that password?"
Rinka removed her hand from his face, revealing deep scratches left by her claws. Staring up at Seiki with tears in his eyes, Masaki growled, "the moment you attacked me, you fucked yourself. It doesn't matter if we don't know your face, we know enough. Our backers won't let you live to see the end of the week–!"
"Razor, take a finger."
A single slip of paper left Seiki's coat.
The gangster paused. "W-Wait, you don't have to– ARRRGH! FUCK!" Masaki screamed as a rigid sheet of Konan dug into the alleyway, slicing off his index finger at the knuckle.
Despite the risks associated with using their Quirks in public, neither Rinka or Konan hesitated to follow Seiki's orders. After all this time, only three people knew the true nature of Seiki's Quirk– and all Rinka and Konan knew was that their boss was the most powerful precog in the world, something that he's proven to be true time and time again. That meant the best thing that they could ever do was follow Seiki's orders to the letter.
Their trust in Seiki, along with their faith in his Quirk, was absolute.
As for Azula, she just crossed her arms and tapped her foot impatiently, clearly miffed that she hadn't been ordered to set someone on fire.
"Now, what's that password?"
"I don't understand," Masaki growled, tears in his eyes as he glared up at Seiki. "If you were going to do this, you should've just broken down the door. They aren't going to let you in either way..."
Seiki just sighed, before saying, "Razor, take another–"
"WAIT! It's 'death sentence'! The p-password's 'death sentence'!"
"Ugh, that's so fucking chunni," Seiki groaned.
'Load3.'
"Death sentence," Seiki answered. Masaki narrowed his eyes slightly, but still rapped his knuckles against the door. The camera above confirming that they should be let in.
'I really need a mind-reader,' Seiki grumbled internally. Most of the guards here could be bribed with some pocket change... but Masaki, despite being a gangster, was loyal to a fault. He couldn't be bribed in any capacity, and even though it only took a bit of rough-housing to get the password out of him, that was only because Masaki didn't view it as betrayal. In Masaki's eyes, Seiki was already dead, and he was just sparing himself the unnecessary trouble.
Walking through a series of winding hallways, it wasn't long before the distant sounds of cheers could be heard. Before they arrived, they were cut off by Genta, a well-dressed man with a pot-belly and an Oni mask. Like Seiki and his followers, most of Genta's face was concealed– not that that was all that unusual here.
"Ah! Welcome back Deathclaw, Firestarter... and their mysterious benefactor, Atlas," the man greeted them, a greedy grin stretching across his face. "Are we just watching today? Or should we put one of your girls down for a match?"
'Save2.'
"Any new fighters we should know of? Anyone interesting?" Seiki asked in turn.
It was the sole reason that he was here, after all.
"Hmm, you know I can't divulge information on our fighters..."
Now, Genta was much easier to break than Masaki. All it would take was just a bit of pressure, just a single punch to the gut for Seiki to get the information that he wanted.
But it honestly wasn't worth the hassle.
Reaching into his coat, Seiki pulled out 100,000 Yen.
"Are you sure...?" Seiki trailed off, waving the stack of bills in front of Genta's face.
Genta quickly snatched it up. "Alright, you didn't hear this from me. We've got three newbies tonight– some guy that's made outta rocks, a guy that punches fast... and, uh, we also got some up and coming Yakuza thug, calls himself Overhaul."
Overhaul [img]
Seiki hummed. "Overhaul?"
Genta's lips thinned. "Don't know too much about his limits, but his Quirk lets him reshape just about anything in an instant. As in, instant death."
"Instant death?" Seiki repeated, raising an eyebrow at that. Even if this was an illegal fighting ring, where fights to the death were not only allowed, but expected, the organizers wouldn't be too happy if someone routinely slaughtered their opposition– especially if all of the death's were instant. That would make for poor entertainment.
"Yeah... just a single touch, and you're a blood puddle. But on the other hand, he can turn you from a blood puddle back into a human."
'Total matter control,' Seiki thought, a little amazed that such a useful Quirk had managed to escape the HPSC's oversight. Not only that, but it seemed that this Overhaul had no organic/non-organic restriction... making it one of the best healing Quirks that Seiki has ever heard of, and the only one that can also double as a method of attack.
Hidden beneath his mask, a feral grin stretched across Seiki's face.
'Save2.'
"Overhaul. I want to fight him," Seiki answered.
"Are you sure, Atlas?" Genta asked, clearly uncertain. Clearly worried about losing his latest source of pocket money. Which was a fair assumption, give that Genta has never seen him fight, and this 'Overhaul' happened to be incredibly dangerous. "It's not that I don't think you can win, but..."
"You won't be able to sway me on this."
"Alright," Genta sighed in defeat, but it wasn't long before a sly grin slid back onto his face. "Got any info to reveal? Get the betting pools stirring?"
"Hmm... I'll just say this. I'm a precog. Self-targeting."
Genta stiffened up at the reveal of his Quirk, and while that did raise a few red flags, Seiki couldn't really be bothered. After all, nothing could ever threaten Save & Load.
*
All For One.
In an undisclosed location, a burst of purple mist appeared before one of the most feared villains in existence.
"Master, I bring urgent news," Kurogiri spoke.
"Hng," All For One groaned, lifting his head slightly. Strapped to a medical chair with over a dozen different wires sticking out of his neck and face, the Demonlord of Japan was more dead than alive. He was missing more than half of his face. He could not smell, he could not see, and he could barely breathe. In fact, he had actually died at All Might's hand, only to be brought back as a mindless husk... and it had taken six entire months for him to regain a semblance of consciousness. Even now, All For One's mind was still fractured. So many of his memories lost, most likely forever.
His fight with All Might was just over a year ago, and he was still recovering. Not that he would ever fully recover from this.
All For One [img]
The only reason he still lives was all thanks to the Super Regeneration Quirk that Garaki had acquired… but Super Regeneration could only heal wounds as they happened. It could not heal wounds after the fact. Normally that wouldn't matter, since you'd always have the Quirk... but he was All For One. So instead of healing him like it should, Super Regeneration active at all times, draining his stamina as it 'held him together.'
If only Garaki had found the Quirk one year earlier...
"What is it," All For One rasped.
"A precognition Quirk. Self-targeting."
All For One tensed.
"Elaborate."
"Of course, master. His alias is Atlas. Besides his age and appearance, we currently have no more information regarding him. He's set to fight Overhaul in a few minutes."
All For One nearly let out a growl. 'No older than fifteen? How did we miss him? With how far spread my reach is, every precognition Quirk within Japan should be mine, especially one that manifested before my fall. The chances of him slipping through the cracks for so long is unthinkable. Unless... unless this Atlas knew that revealing the true nature of his Quirk would mean death. Even now, does he see me coming for him? Does he see our encounter, and more importantly, does he see himself win?'
That only made All For One want the Quirk more.
"Bring me Watcher."
Kurogiri hesitated. "Are you sure, master? You are still recovering..."
"Yes. I must see him fight with my own eyes."
"Very well." Kurogiri answered, vanishing with another burst of purple mist.
Moments later, the purple servant reappeared, along with a tiny, light-gray, unthinking corpse hunched over by All For One's side. Reaching out with a shaky hand, All For One put his palm on the corpse's scalp, activating Puppet. Granting him total control over the corpse, as well as letting him see through its unthinking eyes. 'I really need a better sight Quirk,' he thought in annoyance. Sensory Quirks had never been at the top of list, but that had clearly been an oversight on his part.
'After all, The Boogeyman should never be BLIND of all things.'
And while using his Quirks in any capacity strained him, to All For One, this was well worth it.
One of the many monitors surrounding him flickered to life, displaying the arena before Watcher's eyes. Overhaul, one of many backup choices for his possession, standing off to the left. And Atlas, the precog that had managed to escape his grasp, standing to the right.
"Show me, Atlas," All For One rasped. "Show me the strength of your Quirk."
*
Back to the Arena.
Overhaul.
"Place your bets! On the left, we have Overhaul, the up and coming yakuza! Just a single touch and your mincemeat!" the announcer roared, and Kai couldn't help but narrow his eyes as he stared down his opponent. Purple/black hair, and heterochromatic eyes– one red, one blue... the boy was young, even younger than him. But even so, his stance, his posture, his build… Kai could tell. The boy was clearly a fighter. Not that a bit of combat experience would be enough to best him. "And on the right, we have Atlas! He has yet to fight for us, but if you're familiar with Deathclaw and Firestarter, know this! He's their boss! And we all know how our resident wolfgirl thinks about authority...!"
"ARE YOU PUTTING WORDS INTO MY MOUTH?" a low, guttural growl spread through the arena from the stands, and more than a few people shivered.
That was when Kai decided to take off a single glove. That's all he'd need for this, and more often then not, that was all he'd ever need.
"Uh, f-forget I said anything!" the announcer immediately added. "Atlas Versus Overhaul! BEGIN!"
"Huh, so Genta didn't reveal my Quirk," Atlas muttered, and Kai barely caught it.
"Your Quirk?" Kai repeated, slowly circling his opponent. It wouldn't hurt to know what he was up against.
"Eh, lets keep it a secret. Just know that I'm a glass cannon, much like you are," Atlas revealed, before letting out a smug grin. "But I'm probably better."
Kai narrowed his eyes. Even if he was here for potential recruits… Kai would need to know more about this cocky brat before Kai recruited him to his cause. Unfortunately, based on the way that he was dressed, Atlas didn't seem to have a financial situation that Kai could easily exploit. That was how he got most of his recruits– pulling them out of poverty. But even so, he could always fall back on his status as a healer.
Either way, Kai would have to humble him first.
"Let's get this started, shall we?" the brat chuckled, and Kai agreed.
Atlas bolted forwards, his speed slightly surprising Kai. But that wasn't going to be enough. Reaching out with his ungloved hand, Kai swiped at Atlas' outstretched arm… and right at the last second, the boy pulled back, nearly tripping over himself as he stopped abruptly. Kai's fingers missing the boy by just a hair.
"Wow," Atlas muttered, his awe apparent. "It's completely instant. Knives, gunshots… there's always a flash of pain, pain that I've gotten used to, but your Quirk doesn't even hurt," he rambled, still staring at Kai's outstretched hand. "It's unfortunate how our Quirks interact though, even if it makes sense. You can't bring me back to life, since I can never die… and that also means that if I had cancer, specifically in the brain, you wouldn't be able to do anything about it either."
Kai just stared ahead, furrowing his brow. "What are you even saying?"
"It doesn't matter, not really…" Atlas sighed. "If only you weren't so… difficult. I could navigate around your ego, but your goals, they're stupid. And you're too stubborn to budge on them. If only you valued something simple, like strength, or something else that I could easily sway you on… but I'm not going to fund your Quirkist rhetoric just so I can get access to your healing."
Kai's eyes widened as it clicked. "You're a precog."
"And you're a shit fighter," Atlas groaned, throwing his hands into the air. "Instant death, and absolute control of your surroundings, but you can't even throw a proper punch. And the most creative thing you've done with your Quirk so far is throw some spikes around, but even that was pretty damn uninspired. Your Quirk is wasted on you."
Then Atlas slowly got to his feet, cracking his neck as he stared Kai down. Kai himself on high alert, since as far as he was aware, Atlas was not lying. 'He called himself a glass cannon,' Kai instantly recalled, and the more and more his mind raced, the more and more he did not like the conclusion he was coming to. Before him was a boy who could path his own future, in a way that would ensure that he always came on top– or even worse, to position himself in a way that he would never be able to lose.
Atlas was infinitely more dangerous than the boy he appeared to be.
"I still want to fight you, though. Without killing you this time." Kai shuddered slightly at his casual tone. "Killing you is pretty easy… but I wonder if I could tire you out? That'd be pretty funny, wouldn't it? Having you trying to swat me down for half an hour, only to not so much as scratch me?" Atlas chuckled. "But you know too much, so this timeline is dead."
Kai frowned. "The hell does that mean—?"
LOAD3.
*
All For One watched.
He watched as Atlas just barely dodged Kai's fingers. He watched as the boy expertly dodges Kai Chisaki's swipes of death, landing punch after punch on Overhaul's midsection. Something that Kai caught on to pretty quickly, but even knowing that Atlas would continue to target his gut, Overhaul could not defend himself. Kick after kick, punch after punch. Then he watched as Overhaul hunched over slightly, before making himself explode and putting himself back together, most likely to rid himself of the bruises. That was when All For One realized– this wasn't a fight.
No, Atlas was bullying him.
It wasn't long before the fight started to derail, Overhaul tearing up the ground as he through spikes of stone at Atlas. But Atlas just continued to dodge, not a scratch on his person. Hell, Kai had yet to even scuff the brat's suit!
'He's more than just a precog,' All For One quickly concluded. 'Knowing the future is one thing. That was why I was weary of Nighteye, since not only is ambushing a precog foolish, but ambushing one with close ties to All Might is borderline suicidal. But Atlas… his actions are perfect. Not just planned, but perfect. Like his Quirk guides his body.'
And wasn't that a dangerous thought.
'But that doesn't matter,' All For One thought with a grin, receiving an info packet from his close friend. "Let's see... Seiki Yamazaki. Quirk, Trickshot," All For One read, and he couldn't help but chuckle. "If my hypothesis is correct, then he'd certainly never miss a trick shot, wouldn't he? Clever," he muttered, before continuing. "Oh, lives with his mother… in Chiba? Nice house, and Narumi has recently come into quite the fortune, but I guess having a precog for a son has its benefits."
All For One grinned wickedly.
Now that he knew that Seiki Yamazaki existed, he's already won half the battle. Now All For One just had to find a way to corner him, to force the boy to hand over his Quirk. And the more and more he read up on Seiki, the more and more ideas All For One had for pressuring the boy into doing just that.
To All For One, Seiki's Quirk was already his.
But there was just one caveat.
To All For One, he was the absolute height of power. He had the ability to give and take Quirks, and use them himself. In a world of Quirks, he was absolute. Besides All Might, a monster that he had inadvertently created, there was no one out there that could challenge him. Maybe Star & Stripe, but certainly not when he had been at his peak.
But while compared to the average person, All For One had immeasurable power, Seiki Yamazaki had infinite time.
Something that All For One could not, would not believe. Because how could he of all people ever believe that their thoughts, that their actions, that their time, was all under the control of one man? That no matter what they did, all of their experiences could be undone without their input, at any given moment?
No... All For One could never imagine such a power, since it was a power he did not have.
A power he most likely never would.
"Seiki Yamazaki," All For One rasped, staring at the arena before him. "Sooner or later, your Quirk shall be mine—!"
LOAD2.
"This Overhaul… let's see how he does against Azula," Seiki suggested. "And throw Rinka up against the guy who punches hard."
"Oh, I can't wait!" Genta cheered. "Seeing two brawlers duke it out is always a treat! Rappa's good, but Rinka should win! Azula though…" suddenly the air got much hotter, and Genta gulped as he felt a pair of angry amber eyes bore into his skull. "She should win too," he quickly added.
"Yeah, yeah. Now shoo before I sic them on you."
"Alright, I'm going, I'm going!" Genta assured with a laugh, running away as quickly as he could.
'They've never seen me fight, so they all think I'm just some rich brat that uses money to order powerful women around,' Seiki thought. 'Good.'
That was the image he was going for after all.
Money, strength, loyalty. With Save & Load, those were all easily within his grasp. His Quirk has let him slowly but surely build himself a powerbase, one that people knew about, but it was also one that people hardly cared about, the government included. He hadn't broken a single law, after all. But respect… Seiki did not need respect. Oh, he loved to gloat about his Quirk, to see how people reacted to just how unstoppable he was, but only in false time. Seiki would never risk the true nature of his Quirk getting out for something as trivial as respect.
A decision that would ultimately ensure his victory.
*
*
*