Location: Subterranean Laboratory
Time: 09:00 AM
BZZZT.
VWOOM.
The underground lab glowed bright blue.
Six identical clones stood in a wide circle.
They moved their hands through the air. Massive 3D holograms floated in the center of the room.
Numbers, math equations, and theory branches spun slowly.
All For One sat in his chair.
He stared at the floating hologram.
The clones calculated gravity and physical laws. The knowledge flowed straight to his brain through the mental tether.
Step. Step.
Dr. Garaki walked into the room holding his digital tablet.
"Master," Garaki said quietly. "I have the news reports."
"Go ahead, Doctor," All For One replied, keeping his eyes on the blue light.
"Gigantomachia was captured," Garaki reported. "He wandered into the city. Lion Shishido and Mt. Lady restrained him."
Tap. Tap.
All For One tapped his finger on his chair armrest. "How did he get caught?"
"A civilian accidentally crushed his voice recorder," Garaki explained. "Machia panicked and went looking for you."
"I see," All For One muttered.
"They are moving him to the new pirson right now," Garaki said. "Should I prep a team to intercept the transport?"
"Leave him," All For One answered.
Garaki blinked. "Leave him?"
All For One told him. "He can sit in a cell. When we need him, we will break the walls down and walk him out. We have bigger problems. What about the investigation I asked you?"
Garaki looked down at his tablet.
"I pulled the exact records from ten years ago," Garaki said. "The Great Musutafu Fire. The industrial spill started at exactly 2:30 AM."
All For One leaned forward. "And the appearance of Hero X?"
"The Hero Public Security Commission wiped the official logs," Garaki frowned. "They buried the survivor accounts. I found some fragments. A civilian was saving people in the low-priority zone right before Hero X showed up. They called him the Soot Guy."
"Soot Guy," All For One repeated.
"Yes," Garaki nodded. "We can dig into the HPSC black files and find out who this Soot Guy is. He might know Hero X's real identity. Do you want me to send Gil to steal the files?"
"..."
"..."
All For One looked at the blue hologram.
Sigh.
"Drop the investigation," All For One sighed.
"Are you sure?" Garaki asked. "We can find his name. We can find his family."
"Finding his real identity gives us nothing," All For One stated. "If we find his family and threaten them, we can't do a single thing to X... Don't forget Doctor.... that guy stopped a worldwide apocalypse in a single stomp."
"..." Garaki stayed quiet.
"He is too strong," All For One continued. "I cannot fight him in the present."
Step. Step. Step.
All For One stood up. He walked toward the floating blue hologram.
"When did the flash happen?" All For One demanded. "The exact minute Hero X manifested."
Garaki swiped on his tablet.
"3:50 AM," Garaki answered. "Exactly."
All For One smiled.
"3:50 AM," All For One whispered. "X?"
He turned around to face the doctor.
"Drop Gigantomachia and the HPSC files," All For One commanded. "Gather the space and time Quirks we stole. Bring the heavy machinery into the main bay. Let's start Project Epoch."
*-*-*
Location: Tokyo – Abandoned Warehouse
Time: Two Weeks Later | 11:00 AM
CRASH.
A heavy wooden crate shattered against the concrete wall.
"Why are you guys so annoying?!"
SWISH.
A villain wearing custom-welded steel armor swung a massive sledgehammer right at Ken.
Ken sprinted forward at full speed. He kept his normal body weight. He ducked under the heavy swing.
BAAAM.
CRACK.
He waited for the exact microsecond before his fist hit the villain's ribs. Then, he activated his quirk.
VWOOM.
BAM.
His fist turned into solid tungsten. The sudden, massive weight drove his hand straight into the thick steel armor.
The metal dented heavily.
"DAMN!" The villain stumbled backward, gasping for air.
Ken kept his balance perfectly. His boots stayed planted firmly on the concrete floor.
Across the room, Goro charged the second armored guy.
"Haha.."
Goro dropped his hips low to the ground. He stepped directly inside the villain's guard. He jerked his thick rhino horn upward.
WHAM.
The villain flew five feet into the air and crashed hard onto his back.
"These plates are way too thick!" Ken yelled over his radio collar. "Blunt force is barely denting the chest pieces!"
"Hold them right there!" Shishido yelled back.
Shishido crouched on a metal catwalk above the fight. He looked down at the armored targets.
He knew wide claw slashes would just bounce off the thick steel plates. He needed piercing pressure.
He loaded the feline tendons in his legs with maximum tension.
FWOOSH.
He launched himself into the air. He soared right over the villains.
Then he pointed his hands straight down.
Extended all ten of his claws. He rapidly thrust his arms forward like pistons, pushing his physical acceleration past the limit.
"Beast King... Ten-Hit Fang!"
BANG. BANG. BANG. BANG.
The sheer velocity of his fingertips compressed the air instantly.
He fired ten pinpoint bullets of wind pressure straight down.
The invisible air-bullets slammed directly into the steel armor.
BAAAM.
CRACK. CRACK. CRACK.
They pierced the metal plates and shattered them completely.
"AGHHH!" The villains screamed and collapsed to the floor.
THUD.
Shishido landed gracefully on the concrete.
He stood up and looked closely at his own claws.
"The spread went a little too wide on the last three shots," Shishido muttered to himself. "I need to lock my elbows tighter next time to keep the grouping small."
[You broke the armor, Shishido. That was the goal,] Kaito said through the earpiece.
Shishido grinned. He tapped his radio collar.
"Thanks, Kaito," Shishido said. "The pinpoint compression definitely works better than wide slashes against heavy plating."
[Goro, how is your neck feeling after lifting that dead weight?] Kaito asked over the comms.
Goro reached back and rubbed his thick neck.
"It feels great!" Goro laughed loudly. "I did the trapezius stretches exactly like you showed me. The forklift toss doesn't hurt at all anymore."
Ken walked over. He rubbed his nose and smiled.
"And I finally got the training muscle memory down," Ken said. "Running with normal weight and hitting with tungsten is definitely the way to go."
[Police cruisers are pulling up outside the warehouse right now,] Satoshi announced over the network.
[Bag them up and head back to the agency,] Kaito told the team. [It is time for lunch. Goro owes Ken a beef bowl.]
"Hey! I never agreed to pay for his lunch!" Goro complained loudly, throwing his hands up.
Pat. Pat.
"Haha..." Ken laughed and patted Goro on the back.
Shishido smiled, watching his team joke around.
They were working together flawlessly.
The communication was clear and the timing was perfect.
"Copy that, Kaito," Shishido said into the comms. "We are heading back."
*-*-*
Location: Shield Research Laboratory | Testing Bunker
Time: Saturday | 01:00 PM
BEEP.
CLUNK.
The heavy steel vault door locked firmly into place.
Izuku Midoriya stood in the dead center of the massive testing bunker.
David Shield and his daughter Melissa stood behind the thick safety glass in the observation room.
Kuro lounged on the main control console next to them, lazily licking his black paws.
Melissa stared through the glass. She looked at Izuku's arms and legs.
His muscles were incredibly dense and compact. Small, faded scars covered his knuckles, elbows, and calves.
"Dad," Melissa whispered, totally confused. "Why does a middle school inventor look like a professional kickboxer?"
David chuckled warmly. He knew exactly who Izuku was. All Might told him about the Quirkless vigilante Greenhood.
"He has a very strict daily routine, Melissa," David smiled knowingly.
Inside the bunker, Izuku reached around to the back of his neck.
Tap. Tap.
Izuku tapped a small, flat metallic patch stuck directly to his skin, right under his shirt collar.
Izuku said. "This is a bio-adhesive node. It sticks right to my skin and reads my neural impulses directly. It sends the exact signal to the swarm."
David leaned closer to the glass.
Izuku was a middle school student building high-level support gear reserved for top-tier university labs.
The boy's intellect was completely staggering.
Izuku pressed a button on a small plastic remote in his hand.
CLICK.
A large metal box on the floor sprang open.
BZZZT.
Three thousand small, hexagonal microbots spilled out of the box.
They linked together instantly, rising up from the floor to form a shifting, metallic column right behind Izuku like a living shadow.
"These are just ceramic prototypes," Izuku told them. "Titanium is way too expensive for me right now. But the magnetic links work the same."
Huff.
Izuku took a deep breath.
He dropped into a low, professional combat stance.
Three thick concrete training dummies rose from the bunker floor.
Swish.
Izuku sprinted forward.
He moved incredibly fast.
Three years of running across rooftops and fighting gave him massive explosive leg strength.
"Whats going on?" Melissa gasped, stepping back from the glass.
She had no idea he could move like that.
Izuku leaped ten feet into the air. He didn't even look back at the swarm. He just visualized the shape he needed in his head.
VWOOP.
The microbots shot across the floor instantly. They swept upward like a fast metallic wave, snapping together directly under his falling foot to form a tall, solid pillar connected to the ground.
STOMP.
Izuku slammed his foot onto the top of the pillar and launched himself sideways.
He aimed at the first concrete dummy. He pulled his right arm back.
Click. Click. Click.
The swarm rushed around his forearm and clicked together tightly.
The tiny hexagons formed a massive, oversized metal gauntlet around his hand.
WHAM.
Izuku punched the dummy. The heavy ceramic fist shattered the solid concrete into dusty pieces.
He didn't stop.
He landed on his feet and looked right at the second dummy. He changed the mental command in a fraction of a second.
The ceramic gauntlet broke apart and instantly reassembled into a long, jagged blade extending from his wrist.
SWISH.
Izuku spun on his heel and sliced the second dummy clean in half.
He stopped his momentum perfectly. The microbots detached from his arm, flowing down his leg like liquid metal, and went back to shifting quietly in a pile on the floor behind him.
"Incredible," David whispered in pure awe.
Melissa slammed her hands against the safety glass. She held a digital notepad and scribbled frantically.
"Izuku!" Melissa yelled excitedly through the intercom. "What is the exact electromagnetic linking speed? How are you preventing signal interference from the ceramic shells?"
Izuku laughed slightly, catching his breath. He walked over to the glass.
"The linking speed is about zero point four seconds," Izuku answered, treating her questions completely seriously. "I coated the inner magnetic locks with a thin copper wash. It keeps the signal perfectly clean without adding too much weight."
Melissa nodded quickly, writing the copper wash detail down on her pad.
MEOW.
Kuro hopped down from the control console. He walked over to the safety glass.
He sat down and stared at the shifting microbots inside the room.
"You built an absolute masterpiece, Izuku," David praised him honestly. "You have a brilliant mind and the combat instincts of a veteran pro. When you finally get into U.A. Academy, you are going to completely shake up the entire school."
Izuku looked down at his own hands. A bright, confident smile spread across his face.
*-*-*
Location: Shishido's Agency | Rooftop
Time: 2.5 Weeks Later | 05:00 PM (Last Day of 3 Month Contract)
The rooftop of the agency was completely packed.
SIZZLE.
SIZZLE.
A massive metal grill sat near the edge of the roof.
Thick white smoke drifted up into the sky.
Goro stood in front of the grill wearing a white apron. He used long metal tongs to flip thick cuts of beef and pork ribs over the hot coals.
"The meat is almost done!" Goro yelled over the loud chatter. "Grab your plates!"
Satoshi and the logistics team rushed over, holding paper plates.
They grabbed the hot food and went back to their folding chairs, laughing and talking loudly.
Ken walked around the roof carrying a large plastic cooler. He pulled out cold bottles of beer and handed them to the sidekicks.
It was the final day of the three-month contract.
Kaito stood near the concrete railing. He held a cold bottle of beer in his hand.
He looked completely relaxed, watching the team enjoy the party.
Step. Step.
Lion Shishido walked over. He held two skewers of grilled meat in one hand and a beer in the other.
He leaned his massive back against the railing right next to Kaito.
"I cannot believe Goro is actually complaining about the heat of the grill," Shishido laughed loudly. "He flipped a two-ton getaway van last week without breaking a sweat, but a few hot coals are too much for him."
Kaito chuckled, taking a sip of his beer.
"He just needs to wear heat-resistant gloves then," Kaito said casually.
Crunch.
Nom. Nom. Nom.
Shishido took a huge bite of the grilled meat. He chewed it quickly and swallowed. He looked out over the massive city spread out below them.
"Zero," Shishido stated quietly.
Kaito looked at him.
"Zero property damage bills," Shishido clarified.
He pointed his beer bottle at the city streets.
"For two entire months. We completely stopped breaking buildings."
Kaito told him directly. "The results are entirely yours, Shishido."
Shishido smiled. He turned around and faced the entire rooftop.
"Hey! Listen up!" Shishido roared loudly.
The entire agency stopped talking. They all looked at their boss.
Goro paused his grilling. Ken stopped handing out drinks.
Shishido raised his beer bottle high into the air.
"The contract is officially over today!" Shishido announced, his voice booming across the roof. "We spent the last three months eating concrete and completely rebuilding how we fight!"
"OOHHH.."
The sidekicks cheered loudly, raising their own drinks.
"I am putting the entire country on notice!" Shishido yelled, a massive grin spreading across his face. "With this new foundation, we are climbing the ranks! I am absolutely going to crush Gang Orca in the next Hero Billboard Charts! We are taking his spot!"
"YEAH!" Ken yelled, pumping his fist.
"We are taking him down!" Goro cheered, waving his metal tongs in the air.
CLAP. CLAP. CLAP.
The entire rooftop erupted into wild cheers and applause.
The logistics team clapped their hands and whistled.
Shishido turned back to Kaito. He lowered his bottle and looked the manager right in the eyes.
"Thank you, Kaito," Shishido said. His voice was completely genuine. "You changed my entire agency."
Kaito smiled. He tapped his glass bottle against Shishido's bottle.
CLINK.
"You're welcome, Shishido," Kaito replied. "Now go eat your food before Goro burns it."
"Haha..." Shishido laughed a deep, booming laugh. He walked back toward the grill to join his sidekicks.
Gulp.
Kaito took another drink of his beer. He leaned against the railing and enjoyed the loud, happy party.
The three-month contract was a total success.
...
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(9 Advanced Chapters)