Chapter 44: Chapter 42 - Flashback (5)
"Sir, we received a message from our men in the slums," A servant reported to a man with white hair in a dark room. "Oh? Those useless things never make contact first. What's the special occasion?" The man asked. "Apparently, they discovered a boy with a brainwashing quirk. Well, they think it's brainwashing. I already sent some of the men to confirm this, so we should be receiving the news in a couple of hours." the servant said. "Good job. If the kid truly has a brainwashing quirk, it'll be a magnificent addition to my collection," The white-haired man laughed in anticipation.
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Back in the slums, Apate was being watched. It was a weird feeling, but he expected something like that would happen after he made it known that he knew the group's plan. However, he didn't think these were the same guys from that group. The guys he met before seemed like a rather playful bunch, but these men were extremely calm and patient. He was sitting by the sides of the ruined road for several hours now, but they didn't make a single move. That was good for him, though. Apate wasn't exactly sure how to activate his quirk, and he knew he couldn't deal with this situation without it. So, while waiting, he tried to activate his quirk by talking to the passing people.
He knew he didn't need to speak to activate his quirk, but since he couldn't control his quirk yet he figured it will help him at the start. And after a couple of hours, he managed to gain a certain amount of control. Of course, he couldn't fully explore his quirk since there were many people around, but progress was still progress. When the sun began to set, people walked to their run-down homes and Apate returned to his alleyway.
Slowly, a man approached him. Even though the sun didn't set yet, the man's face was hidden behind a weird shadow. The man reached into his pocket and pulled out a picture, before looking at Apate again and returning the picture to his pocket. Suddenly, without a warning, the man lunged towards Apate with his fist raised. "Wha- Stop!" Apate shouted reflexively as he jumped back in surprise. And as the words left his mouth, the man froze.
Instantly, all the men who were watching him came out of hiding. They circled Apate and blocked his escape routes before he realized what had happened. Apate, however, wasn't frightened. "Um... You know I can just mind-control you, right?" Apate asked, attempting to avoid a confrontation. "Yes, however, you need to speak for your mind-control to take effect. We watched you the whole day, so you can't hide it. We can neutralize you before a single word comes out of your mouth. Now, come with us peacefully, or we'll have to take you by force." One of the men spoke with confidence.
"Oh, I see... Lead the way, then." Apate said. Apate only spoke to focus his mind, but with enough concentration, he didn't need to speak. Of course, he had no need to expose this. At least not now. First, he should figure out who wanted him. If he was lucky, he'd get a high salary, and if he wasn't, he could just escape. He could neutralize the guards easily, and while mental quirk users had resistance against mental attacks, Apate was small and fast, so he was confident in escaping those who could withstand his mental attacks.
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Apate followed the men for a long time. They exited the slums, passed the poor, middle, and high class areas, before finally arriving at a tunnel near the Warlord's castle. One of the men stepped forward and made himself clear, before looking back to the others and nodding. The group continued deep into the tunnel, before finally stopping before a door. "Enter," a deep voice came from inside.
What was behind the door was a dark room, with a single throne in the middle. A figure was sitting cross-legged on the throne, it was a rather large and bulky man with white hair. Unfortunately, because of the dark room, Apate couldn't see more.
"So that's the kid? If he's here then I'm guessing you confirmed it?" The man asked. "Yes!" One of the group members reported. "I see... Well, send the reward to those brats, then." The man commanded as he waved his hand. Seconds later, only Apate and the man were in the room.
"What's your name, kid?" The man asked. "Apate, you?" Apate replied as he eyed the man. "You could use some more manners, Apate. I'm All For One, nice to meet you... Wait a second, I remember you. You're that idiot, Arnold's, son right?" All For One questioned. Apate didn't respond as his face distorted to a disgusted expression.
"Well, enough of that. Do you have any last words?" All For One asked as he got up from his throne. "...So you won't be offering me a job, huh?" Apate asked. "Not exactly. Your quirk is wasted on you, so I'll take it if you don't mind. It was made for me in the first place, after all." All For One said. "Alright, I kinda expected this. Freeze!" Apate exclaimed, and All For One became a little slower.
"Now this is interesting. I have so many mental quirks my immunity should be stronger than this." The man spoke with curiosity in his voice, unlike the fear Apate expected.
"Wait you have what?" Apate asked with a confused expression as the realization suddenly dawned on him. "You aren't a very good listener, are you?" All For One chuckled as he walked forward with his speed recovered. "Freeze!" Apate said with more urgency, as he realized how fucked up he was. Unfortunately, his cry had little to no effect now that All For One was prepared.
"This truly is intriguing. You know what? Since you delivered such a fine quirk to me, I'll let you play a game. I'll count to one hundred, and you run. I won't use teleportation quirks or speed enhancers. If you escape me, you'll get your freedom. If I win, well, you know what'll happen," All For One said with an arrogant smile. 'Shit,' was all Apate could think of as he began to run.
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So, yeah. All For One is here instead of Japan. I'll explain his reasoning in another chapter.
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