Bab 56: 25
"Stop!" shouted Ochako in desperation, only to see Mr. Compress getting farther and farther away. She began to rack her mind, thinking what she could do. What Izuku would do.
'Most likely shoot himself forward like a rocket with his rubbery arms,' answered Ochako to herself before getting an idea.
"Everyone! I have a plan," said Ochako, causing the others to look at her. A few moments later, Shoto and Shoji found themselves wrapped up in Tsuyu's tongue and weightless.
"Bring them home, boys," pleaded Ochako. She had initially wanted to go with them, but leaving Tsuyu alone with Kosei, who was still unconscious, was too dangerous. So she decided to trust Shoto and Shoji to do the job. Shoto was one of the monster trio of class 1A, and Shoji would be able to detect any traps upon catching up and have the brute strength to back it up.
"Bring them back," said Ochako, to which Shoto and Shoji nodded.
With a nod, Tsuyu spun around for a second before hurling the two boys up into the air with all her might, ignoring the stabbing pain from the cut on her tongue. A second later after the boys were in the air, Ochako canceled her quirk on them.
Mr. Compress was grinning as he hopped from tree to tree, thinking it would be an easy getaway. He frowned when he heard something whistling through the air, and decided to take a look back, only to open his eyes in shock as Shoji and Shoto collided right into him. He didn't even have time to dodge.
Dabi looked over to see Himiko walking over to them, acting all cheerful despite only having managed to snag one person's worth of blood. Clicking on his communicator, he confirmed that the Nomu was heading back to their location. Spinner and Magne had been captured, while Muscular, Moonfish, and Mustard were most likely unconscious as they hadn't answered yet. Dabi shrugged as he wasn't too worried about Spinner and Magne. Kurogiri was already on his way to help them escape. The others, though, wouldn't be as lucky. In order for Kurogiri to create a portal for them to escape, he had to know where they were, and if they were unconscious, they couldn't exactly tell him their locations. Still, just to be safe, he had Kurogiri release a backup Nomu upon where Spinner and Magne were.
At that location
"What the hell is that thing!?" shouted Tiger as he ducked under a corrosive fist.
"I think it's called a Nomu!" shouted Pixie Bob as she sent several earth spikes at the Nomu, only for it to melt it.
"That damn villain not only stole the villains back but left this Nomu as a distraction," growled Tiger, unable to get close to it, "We need Eraserhead's help! He's heading to the main base!"
Eraserhead, who had been following the other Nomu, stalled when he heard the cry for help from his communicator. Looking at the Nomu and then back to base, he was split in his decision. In a split second, he made his choice.
'I'm sorry,' apologized Eraserhead as he turned around to help Tiger and the others. It wasn't an easy choice. He knew Momo and the others who were escaping the forest would end up encountering the Nomu, and with half of them injured, they might die. He could only hope that the main mission of the villains was to take the boys alive.
Dabi's senses then twitched, causing him to turn towards where Mr. Compress should've been coming from. He looked up just in time to see Mr. Compress being viciously slammed into the ground by Shoto and Shoji, creating a small crater.
"We'll be taking them back!" shouted Shoto and Shouji as they landed.
Dabi snorted in annoyance before raising his hand, "Mister, dodge it."
Mr. Compress quickly nodded as his whole body began to glow green, surprising Shoto and Shoji. They didn't have time to contemplate it as they had to dodge a fire blast from Dabi. Both of them winced, with Shoto realizing that this fire was much hotter than his own. Mr. Compress had turned himself into a marble, dodging the flames completely. As soon as the two heroes in training landed, Shoto was immediately attacked by a man wearing a complete black bodysuit with gray outlines, including a mask.
"Your face is on Shigaraki's kill list! You weren't really though!" shouted the villain named Twice as Shoto fired an ice barrage to deter him.
Shoji had to dodge a needle from Himiko, who looked rather grumpy that she had to deal with him.
Mr. Compress transformed himself back to his original self, dusting himself off for a bit.
"Owowow," muttered Mr. Compress, "I can't believe you flew so far to chase after me. Your ideas are quite outrageous."
"The targets?" asked Dabi.
"Of course, right he-," started Mr. Compress as he reached into his right pocket, only to notice it was empty, much to his confusion.
"Todoroki, we're running away!" shouted Shoji, causing Shoto to look over in confusion,"Based on his reaction, it's made things clear. I don't know what your quirk is, but the way you kept flaunting these things earlier, it's now clear."
Shoji pulled out three marble pieces that Mr. Compress had been tossing up earlier from his hands before smirking, "In your right pocket. These three are Bakugo, Midoriya, and Tokayami, aren't they, Mr. Entertainer?"
"Hohoo, that didn't take long," applauded Mr. Compress, "As expected from someone with six arms! Quite resourceful!"
Shoto immediately summoned a wall of ice to separate the villains from him and Shoji as the two began to run.
Dabi raised his hand in annoyance, only to be stopped by Mr. Compress himself.
Shoto and Shoji were running when they saw a Nomi coming out from the woods, and immediately veered left, only to stop as Kurogiri suddenly appeared before them.
"Dabi, it's been five minutes since the signal. Let us go," said Kurogiri, creating warp portals for the other villains to escape. As the Nomu, Himiko, and Twice went through the portal, Dabi took a step forward towards Shoto and Shoji.
"Wait, our objective isn't-," started Dabi, only for Mr. Compress to start chuckling.
"Oh, that?" drawled Mr. Compress, "They seemed so eager to chase me, so I thought I'd give them a present."
Drawing Shoji and Shoto's attention, Mr. Compress continued, "It's a habit, one of the basics of magic. When I flaunt something, it's because there's something I don't want you to see. A misdirection."
With a grin, Mr. Compress removed his mask and stuck out his tongue to reveal three marbles. Then, with a snap of his fingers, the marbles Shoji held transformed into shards of ice.
"My ice?" said Shoto in shock.
"That's right," grinned Mr. Compress as he put his mask back on, "During your freezing attack, I used that window of time where you couldn't see me to create some dummies and purposely showcased myself pocketing it in my right pocket. By doing so I directed you to focus all your attention there while you were chasing me."
As Shoto and Shoji rushed over, Mr. Compress and Dabi were already backing up into the portal.
"Well then, I hope you've enjoyed the show. Until next ti-,"
At that moment, two things happened. One of the marbles on his tongue began to spark, causing him to be distracted momentarily at this. Once he compressed someone, it should've been impossible for the said person to even move, much less escape. But that thought was swiftly pushed away as a laser beam smashed into his face, breaking his mask. The impact forced him to cough out the three marble pieces in his mouth.
At once, Shoji and Shoto lunged forward to grab the marbles in hopes of rescuing them. Shoji managed to grab one of the marbles, and was already sending two more hands to grab the others. Shoto's fingers almost grazed by a marble before Dabi ruthlessly grabbed it first. The last marble was taken from Shoji's other hand by Mr. Compress, who managed to recover in time and stick his hand out to grab it.
"How sad…. Todoroki Shoto," mocked Dabi before turning to Mr. Compress, "Got it. Confirm the capture."
Mr. Compress muttered in complaint how that last shot ruined the show but followed Dabi's orders as he snapped his fingers. Shoji felt the marble in his hand grow, so he quickly tossed it up into the air. Fumikage appeared a second later, looking completely confused at the situation.
Dabi tossed his up to reveal Katsuki. Dabi grabbed Katsuki by the neck, getting a firm grip on the throat while heating up his hand, letting Katsuki know he wouldn't hesitate to burn him. Mr. Compress, however, kept a tight grip on the marble containing Izuku, focusing solely on the said marble as he disappeared into the portal.
Shoto and Shoji could only look up in helplessness as the portal began to close, with Katsuki slowly fading into the portal until it was shut.
A minute later, Ochako and Tsuyu had finally managed to catch up, only to see the Shoto, Shoji, and Fumikage on their hands and knees.
"Where's Deku?" asked Ochako, fear laced in her voice, "You guys rescued him, right? He's just busy with Bakugo fighting the villains…. RIGHT!?"
Ochako grabbed Shoto by his collar, forcing him up to look him in the face. Shoto could only look away in shame, unable to answer her. Ochako let go of Shoto, shock on her face as she realized that the League of Villains had succeeded in their plan.
They had spirited away Katsuki, and most importantly, Izuku.
Ochako couldn't help but let out a cry of despair, falling to her knees. As soon as Tsuyu came closer to her, Ochako threw herself into Tsuyu, who could only hold her head to her chest to comfort her, all while trying not to break down herself. She had experience comforting her younger siblings.
Fifteen minutes after the villains left, the firemen crew, ambulances, and police officers arrived. A majority of Class 1B students were in critical condition and quickly transported to the hospital via air ambulance due to the Mustard's quirk, Gas. Kyoka and Toru were also transported with them, having been exposed to the gas before they could do anything about it. The only reason there hadn't been more were thanks to Eijiro, Tetsutetsu, Itsuka, and Mina ganging up on Mustard and knocking him unconscious.
Twelve more students had injuries ranging from minor to severe, and so were placed in regular ambulances after receiving basic first aid. Twelve were uninjured.
From the Pro Heroes supervising the camp, Mandalay had broken rib bones and fractured bones all over her body while Pixie Bob had a head injury that still needed to be inspected to make sure there weren't any deeper injuries.
The main kicker though was that two of the brightest students, Izuku and Katsuki, were missing, along with Ragdoll. The only clue the police had was that she had been heavily injured, as there was a blood trail with her blood in it.
Though three villains had been captured, two of which were serial killers that had eluded capture for a long time, it wasn't worth the trade-off. A training camp that was supposed to be held in a secret location that only a select few should know, and yet had still been exposed to villains. This attack showed that not only did the villains know where to strike, but it was clearly premeditated and well-coordinated, down to the fact they even knew the schedule.
Everyone on the summer camp was transported to another location close to the hospital for checkups and safety purposes. Nezu, after making sure that his students were safe and being cared for, called in an emergency meeting.
Toshinori's eyes snapped open when he heard his phone ring with the specific ringtone that signaled for all teachers to assemble ASAP. Gently pushing a naked slumbering Inko off his chest, Toshinori got out of the bed. Taking a quick look over Inko, he smiled as he pulled up the blanket to cover her chest. He had been in relationships and one night flings before, but none were like Inko. While she was kind and gentle as a person, in bed, she was a wildcat in bed. Toshinori chuckled as he hypothesized that the years of being alone in bed for so long that the 'dams' opened, so to speak. Even upon seeing the horrific scars on his body did not deter Inko. Toshinori scooted over to the side of the bed and grabbed his phone, quickly opening it up to see what was wrong.
A second later, Toshinori wished he hadn't read what he just saw. In reflex and anger, he transformed into his All Might persona and crushed his phone.
"Mmm? Toshi?" mumbled Inko as she rubbed her eyes, hearing the sudden sound, "Why are you up in the middle of the night?"
Toshinori quickly reverted back to his true form, clearing the smoke before standing up to put his underwear on.
"There's been a situation," claimed Toshinori hastily as he was fully dressed in seconds, "I need to go."
"What's wrong? What's happening? Does it have to deal with heroic work or U.A.?" asked Inko quickly, the sleepiness in her eyes quickly vanishing.
Toshinori hesitated for a second, unsure what to say before deciding to rip off the bandage and tell her the truth. She would find out sooner or later.
"Inko….. This is hard to tell you, but it's better if you know right now. I just got a call in regards to the U.A. training camp," said Toshinori as he bent down on his knees.
"What happened? Was there an accident? Is someone hurt?" asked Inko quickly, her breathing starting to grow erratic.
"Somehow the location was leaked, and villains struck at the camp," confessed Toshinori, gritting his teeth in preparation for what he was going to say next, "Most of the children were unprepared for a gas attack, and some were injured even though they managed to avoid being gassed. Out of the 41 students that went to the camp, 39 have been accounted for and are still alive."
"And the other two?" questioned Inko, "Who are the two? Toshinori, what aren't you saying!?"
"The two in question are… Katsuki Bakugo and your son, Izuku Midoriya," said Toshinori, his hands tightening into a grip, "From what we know, they were kidnapped by the villains."
Inko froze at that statement, her eyes begging that Toshinori was just playing a cruel prank. When Toshinori looked away, she knew it wasn't a prank and began to wail.
Toshinori immediately pulled her into his chest, comforting her while stroking her hair.
"I promise, I'll do everything in my power to get them back," whispered Toshinori as he finally pulled Inko back, "It's not safe for you to be alone. I want you to get to the Bakugo household and stay with them. They should also know about the situation soon."
Inko looked up at Toshinori's eyes, wondering what a seriously injured hero trainer like him could do, only to see that he was serious. She remembered that he claimed to work with All Might, the number one hero himself. So perhaps he could get him to help rescue Izuku.
Inko couldn't help nod as she began to get dressed and pack a few days worth of clothes.
Toshinori, after kissing Inko goodbye, stood out on the empty night street, looking up to the sky. With a guttural roar, he punched a lamp post in his true form, denting the metal upon impact.
"All for One! You'll pay for this!" swore Toshinori as he began to prepare to transform to his All Might form and jump to U.A.
He stopped when Midnight pulled up next to him in her Ferrari.
"Nezu sent me to pick you up. He predicted you'd be here," explained Midnight as she popped open the door for Toshinori, "He also said he wants you fully rested and prepared. That means no using your real form until it's necessary."
Toshinori was about to say that it would be faster if he ran when Midnight interrupted him, "Nezu said that also means using it to get to places faster. Yes, it's a critical time right now, but Nezu theorizes that the villains won't do anything to the two boys yet. If it helps, I'm allowed to drive past the speed limit without interference."
Toshinori grunted as he got into the vehicle, buckling his seat belt before giving Midnight a pointed look. Midnight immediately gunned it, drifting into the main road before picking up more speed.
"So….. were you having a good time with your lover?" asked Midnight, trying to break the tension, "I see those love hi-"
"Midnight," interrupted Toshinori, "I'm sorry, but get to the school faster. I'm in no mood for this."
Normally, Toshinori would've been flustered by this talk. But when Midnight took a glance at Toshinori's face, she almost froze and crashed. On his face right now was full of darkness and anger, a clear 180 from his usual style. It made him seem like a villain hellbent on destroying anyone in his path.
'I'm so glad he's a hero,' thought Midnight as she swerved around a few cars, increasing her speed as her vehicle flew past a few others.
A day later
Izuku slowly opened his eyes, looking up into a white ceiling.
'Where…. am I?' thought Izuku as he began to recall what happened. He remembered the U.A. training trip, the villains attacking, him defeating Muscular, and then finding Katsuki. The last thing he remembered was hearing something….. and then being compressed into something that he couldn't escape.
"The villains!" shouted Izuku, quickly sitting up. He looked around to see he was in an empty white room with nothing else except for the bed he was laying on. Confused, Izuku tried to remember harder. He had been in a trance while captured. Barely cognizant of his surroundings and trying to figure out what was happening. At one brief moment, he had activated One for All to escape, but that failed as he was still tired and whatever was keeping him from moving tightened its grip on him.
Izuku raised his arm to his head before he felt something stop him, along with the sound of metal clinking against each other. Looking down, he noticed that he had thick heavy-duty handcuffs around his wrists with a chain that linked down into the bed.
Izuku's first thought was to break the chain off and escape but thought better of it. Surely the villains wouldn't think that just a mere chain would hold him.
His theory was proven when he heard a door sliding open. Looking towards the source of the sound, he saw what was clearly a Nomu walking in, carrying a speaker.
"Good afternoon," spoke a voice from the speaker, "You've been asleep for quite some time. Then again, with your injuries and what you've done, it's not a surprise that you slept to heal up. Your body structure was so fascinating to study. After all, it's rare to see a Quirk that alters the human body completely."
'He thinks it's a quirk,' thought Izuku to himself, 'I can play along.'
"Of course, you might think you can just break out, but within those titanium handcuffs are quirk inhibitors, the strongest ones in the world. One inhibitor band would be enough to seal a person's quirk, but for safety precautions, we have one in each cuff," continued the voice, "No chance in using your quirk now. Now come, the master is waiting."
Izuku frowned before lifting his cuff, letting it jingle to signify that he was still chained to the bed.
"Oh, yes, of course. How careless of me," sighed the voice in sarcasm, "Nomu 5, be a dear and assist our guest."
The Nomu grunted as it came closer to Izuku, holding out a remote. With a click of a button, the chains released themselves from the bed. Before Izuku could do anything though, another click of the button connected the two chains together and drawing the chain into the handcuff , drawing his wrists together until they snapped against each other.
"Now then, follow Nomu 5, and don't try to escape. It'll be pointless anyways," said the voice.
Seeing no choice, Izuku followed the Nomu, trying to take in the area he saw and map it out. However, before his eyes could register the location, the Nomu began to emit black smoke, enshrouding the two of them. Soon, Izuku could only see the Nomu and nothing else.
'If sight doesn't work…. how about sound?' questioned Izuku as he closed his eyes for a second and stomped on the ground. His training with Rekai had taught him to use his other senses to map out an area, utilizing echolocation, though he couldn't do it as Rekai could.
With a stomp and using his ears to listen, he had a somewhat idea of his surroundings. The black smoke did nothing to block out the sound waves, but all Izuku really got was that there were pipes all along the wall. Still, he tried his best, straining his ears to listen for any sign of turns he could use if he needed to escape while following the Nomu.
Soon, the Nomu came to a stop and turned to Izuku. Izuku was about to ask what it wanted when the black smoke suddenly drew back into it. A second later, Izuku could see a chair and a long table. The Nomu gestured to Izuku to take a seat, to which Izuku did so cautiously, wondering what was going on.
"Midoriya Izuku. So glad you could come," proclaimed a smooth bass voice.
Izuku looked towards the source of the voice and shivered. Standing in front of him was a man hooked up to quite a few machines that looked like it was the sole reason for keeping him alive. Yet, despite all this, Izuku's instincts couldn't help but scream danger. Wearing an expensive suit and obvious scar tissues that covered the top half of his head stood….
"As you might know, I am All for One. And you must be the newest user of One for All," smiled All for One.
Izuku immediately jumped back, knocking over his chair.
"Please, there's no need for such vehemence. I merely wish to speak with you," said All for One, motioning for Izuku to take a seat. Izuku took a good minute before silently picking up his chair and taking a seat.
"Good, good, and just like that, you are much politer and kinder than your predecessor, All Might," complimented All for One, causing Izuku to glare at him.
"You must be hungry," continued All for One, gesturing towards the side and waiving someone forward, "Here, some sustenance while we have our conversation."
Two silver platters with domes floated over towards them, landing in front of each other. With another wave of his hand, the dome floated away, revealing a 12 oz filet mignon with roasted garlic mashed potatoes and mushroom bordelaise. On the side, as if the serving size wasn't enough, was a bowl of katsudon curry.
"Feel free to choose either one, or both if you wish," stated All for One as he began to cut his steak, "I understand the desire for some simple Japanese food over some of the more expensive tastes, being Japanese myself. But I like to indulge every now and then."
As if showing off his powers, he snapped his finger before creating two wine glasses in his hands, one of which he telekinetically floated to Izuku.
"As you are still underage, I won't serve you wine as I would rather have you focused than intoxicated. However, I did receive some quality cider if you wish to indulge in something."
As if appearing on command, a Nomu stumbled forward, carrying a wine bottle, a cider bottle, and a jug of water. The Nomu poured the wine into All for One's wine glass before pouring cider for Izuku.
"Mmm, such quality wine," mused All for One as he swilled it under his nose, "Even during the chaotic age of quirks, wineries manage to persevere through it all. I believe this one is aged 100 years, though thanks to quirks, it is easier to get this sort of quality rather than waiting for time to pass. But the cider is no joke either."
"What do you want?" asked Izuku, cutting to the point, "Where's my classmate, Katsuki Bakugo?"
"Straight to the point then," shrugged All for One as he took a sip of his wine, "But let us eat a little first. You're a growing boy, and after all that fighting and healing, you must be hungry. If you're worried that I poisoned it or laced it with some sort of drug, I promise on my quirk and my name, All for One, that nothing has been done to it. It would be a waste of good food and drinks and not my style or preference."
Izuku hesitated for a second, looking down at the food. He was terribly hungry, and the smell of food wafted inside his nose. Seeing that All for One hadn't attempted anything besides kidnapping him, Izuku decided to eat first.
"Oh, I suppose it would be difficult to eat if you were still chained up," hummed All for One before making another gesture. The cuffs separated from each other without the chain, allowing Izuku to freely move his hands, though they were still on his wrists.
Izuku looked down to see a knife and fork, along with chopsticks on the side. Taking the knife and fork, Izuku held them up before realizing he wasn't quite sure how to use western utensils on a steak like this. The closest he had to something like this was a hamburger steak, and even then, he used chopsticks on it as if the hamburger steak was something that could be easily cut with said utensils.
"Dear me, it looks like All Might failed to train his successor on basic etiquette," drawled All for One, "Or perhaps you've never eaten a western-style cuisine before like this."
Sensing it was the latter, All for One chuckled, "It's very simple. Your right hand should hold the knife like this, and your left hand holds the fork. Just follow what I do, and you'll get the hang of it."
Izuku did so, cutting into the steak, though pressing a little too hard as the knife made contact with the plate with a sound. Still, it was manageable as Izuku managed to cut the steak into bite-size before eating it.
"So, you must be wondering why you were kidnapped," chimed in All for One, "To be honest, my successor, Shigaraki Tomura, only wanted Katsuki Bakugo, as he believed he could convert him due to his rather wild behavior. I, however, added you to the list so as to speak with you personally."
"About what?" asked Izuku.
"I assume you know of my story and origins? Or rather, one side of it from your predecessor. After all, there is more than one side to a story," answered All for One.
"... You were there when quirks began to emerge. Taking advantage of the chaotic situation with the emergence of quirks, you began to rule Japan from the shadows, stealing quirks from your enemies and transferring quirks to those who obeyed you. Your brother saw right through you, and out of 'familial pity', you forced a quirk on him. That became One for All, and was passed down from person to person, from one generation to another."
"A passable and somewhat truthful story," nodded All for One, "But now, allow me to explain my side."
All for One took a sip of his wine as if to parch his throat, before beginning his story.
True, I was born about a few years after the first emergence of quirks. By the time I was an adult, the world had been thrown into chaos. Quirks were becoming more and more prominent as time passed by. The government and citizens tried to suppress the growing numbers of Quirk users rather than regulate it, hoping to maintain the status quo, but it proved too much for them. It didn't take long before anarchy came. An example is when a quirkless mother who loved her child despite having a quirk, only to be killed by an anti-meta terrorist group. In the midst of that, my parents were killed in a gang fight, leaving me to take care of my sick little brother. In a world where the local government couldn't help you, I decided to take matters into my own hands. And could you blame me? So thus, I began small, forming my own local gang. I granted quirks to the powerless, to those who couldn't defend themselves, and took from those unworthy of such gifts, those who abused them to hurt others. I granted relief to those who had quirks that made their family shun them. I helped change the status quo for the better. I gave the government breathing space, so to speak, though it gave rise to the Hero Public Safety Commission that would come to oppose me. But in the end, the formation of Japan's current government is all due to my influence. The ones who rose in power both viewed my power in awe and jealousy, thus labeled me as a villain despite all I've done. Yet despite what I've done, good or bad, the main fact is that I did all this so I could protect my only remaining family member, even if he despised what I've done. I gave him a stockpiling quirk in hopes of revitalizing him, as he had a weak constitution to begin with, but I never imagined that he had a hidden quirk. Due to a lack of foresight on my part, he managed to pass on his quirk when he tried to oppose me. Me, who had raised and protected him, his only family. Sad to say, in my rage, I ended up killing him. It is something I regret to this very day. Since then, it has been a cycle of fighting between All for One and One for All.
After All for One finished his narrative, silence reigned over the table while All for One continued to eat as if nothing had happened.
"So, after knowing both sides of the story, what will you do? I am curious about how this will play out, as I've never been able to actually talk to a user of One for All in a setting like this," hummed All for One, "None of the previous users would even allow such a conversation like this to happen. Then again, I've never had the chance to meet one that was this young."
"What do you hope to gain from this?" asked Izuku, using this question to buy himself some time to think. After hearing that side of the story, he couldn't help but feel pity and respect for All for One. But at the same time, his gut was telling him that All for One wasn't telling him everything either.
"Why, an alliance of course," smiled All for One, causing Izuku to spit out his food, "One for All originated from my family, it should be only fair that I welcome it back to the fold. You seem like a reasonably smart man. Anything that you desire, I can grant you. You'll see in your path, the government will limit you as much as possible. You'll see red tape and bureaucracy all over the place until you're sick of it. But with me, the sky's the limit. If you so desired….. I can bring your sperm donor onto his knees, ruin him, and humiliate him. And all you have to do…. is work with my successor. Together, the two of you will bring about a new age, a new order. And with that, you can influence society as you like. For instance, perhaps you can help those in need, those who are suppressed. Per say, the quirkless population? Those who were the oppressors in the past are now the repressed, which I might say is karma, but the present shouldn't have to suffer for the past's sins. You could change that, bring them up to equal standing, unlike today's society where they tend to be looked down upon.
Izuku shook as All for One poured out words like honey. He began to theorize that All for One must have dove into his family history and found out about all that.
"You need not answer now. I realize this is quite a big decision. Seeing as you are done with your food, the Nomu will take you back to your room to leave you to your thoughts. But I do hope you'll give an answer soo," said All for One as he waved the Nomu to bring Izuku back to the room.
Seeing as the conversation was over, Izuku stood up and left, though not before taking a look at the katsudon curry bowl.
"Go ahead and take it with you. I've taken your time with my story," chuckled All for One, to which Izuku did.
Izuku laid down on the bed, pondering on what All for One had just told him. He was no longer chained up to the bed, but he still had the limiter cuffs on. He didn't dare experiment whether his devil fruit or quirk was still working in case they were keeping a close eye on him.
"Hope mom's alright," mumbled Izuku as he closed his eyes to take a nap.
Izuku opened his eyes once more to see himself in pitch darkness. Wondering where he was now, Izuku looked around.
"You can't trust him," whispered a voice.
Izuku turned around to see the first user of One for All standing there.
"Quite surprising that I'm standing here and talking to you, but let's ignore that for now. You can't believe what my brother says," insisted the first user, "He's a master of the silver tongue, always manipulating others into his own belief, his own cult. He may show that he cares, but in the end, it's always been about him."
"Never planned to, my gut was telling me that he was manipulating his words towards me," nodded Izuku.
"Good, good," sighed the first user in relief, "But be careful. It's been almost two centuries, and who knows how many quirks he's taken, even if he did lose his fight against the eighth wielder. I wouldn't be surprised if he has a quirk that can hypnotize people via words or air."
"Speaking of which, can One for All be stolen by All for One?" asked Izuku.
"... By his usual ways, no. One for All can only be willingly transferred to another host. However, he has had years to think about this. So far, he killed me and six others who had One for All. His loss against the eighth wielder may have made him change his mind and ways about fighting against this quirk. He may convince you to pass it on to someone of his own choice, or hypnotize you to do so," theorized the first user, "Hypnosis may be on the fine line there, if he makes you believe that you want to pass the quirk to someone, it might actually transfer. If it's something that your heart rejects though, we may be able to interfere with the hypnosis. But there are just too many quirks out there, and add the fact that he can combine them, "
"Then I'll make sure my will is stronger," declared Izuku.
Izuku then found himself fading away from the mindscape, most likely returning to the real world.
"Will, huh," sighed the first user, "I pray that's all we need."
"Sometimes, it is," voiced the devil as it appeared next to the first user, "In my world, it made the key difference. I have a feeling it'll make a difference here too."
Back in U.A., a staff meeting was being held to discuss what to do. They ignored the crowd of reporters, all clambering to get in and get an exclusive interview. Nezu theorized the reason for Katsuki's kidnapping was due to his wild nature, and if brought over to the side of villainy, would doom U.A. for creating a villain in the hero course.
"But why also kidnap Midoriya?" asked Snipe, "Pardon my language, but the son of a gun is pretty much the last person I'd expect to be a villain."
"He's an innocent cinnamon roll," nodded Midnight in agreement.
Nezu, Toshinori, and Recovery Girl knew exactly why Izuku had been kidnapped. All for One must've taken an interest in Izuku, and was playing a different ball game now. One Toshinori swore he wouldn't let it go his way.
Toshinori felt his phone ring before excusing himself from the meeting. He had picked up a backup phone he had always kept in school in case of emergencies, such as crushing his phone before. In the line of hero work, it was almost necessary to have a backup phone.
"What's up, Tsukauchi?" asked Toshinori.
"We've got a possible hit to where the League of Villains are hiding," said Tsukauchi, shocking Toshinori for a second before explaining how one of his subordinates had been conducting an investigation, where they learned about an incident regarding a patched face man occupying a building that supposedly had no tenants. The description of the man matched with one of the kidnappers, and so the police were getting ready to raid the place, and Tsukauchi felt it wise to inform him.
"We could use your strength for this rescue and mopping up operation," finished Tsukauchi.
"... I've got some amazing friends don't I? Thank you," grinned Toshinori as he slowly transformed into his All Might persona, "If… no, when I find those guys, I'll tell them this. I am here…. for some payback!"
At the Bakugo household, all was silent. Masaru had taken the day off to spend time with his wife and Inko, praying that Katsuki and Izuku were alright. When Inko suddenly called with the news, begging for some company in this dark time, they instantly welcomed her inside.
"Do you two want something to eat?" asked Masaru, "We can't just mope here."
Mitsuki and Inko were unresponsive, forcing Masaru to sigh before dragging himself to make something light to eat. Truth be told, he didn't want to do anything except mope, but he had to do something, otherwise, he would've gone crazy.
Without even thinking, Masaru was popping in some frozen jalapeno potato poppers in the oven and heating up some pork cutlets before realizing just what he was cooking. With a sigh, he slowly took the food back into the freezer before grabbing something light for them all to snack on.
Upon setting the dish on the table, Inko's phone began to ring. Quickly picking up in hope it was Izuku, she slumped as she saw it was only Toshinori. Still, she answered.
"We have a hit where the boys could be," said Toshinori, causing Inko to quickly sit straight again in hope, quickly pressing the loudspeaker option on her phone, "The police found where the hideout could be, and we'll be raiding it soon. Not only that, but apparently one of the students placed a tracker on one of the attackers. We're on our way to get more information. With luck, we'll have the boys home in no time."
Mitsuki couldn't help but start crying tears of joy at hearing progress on the missing boys. While Masaru went to comfort Mitsuki, Inko quickly put the phone off speaker and held it up to her ear.
"Thank you. Thank you so much," cried Inko as she tried to stifle her tears.
"It's my duty," replied Toshinori as he sat down, closing his eyes.
In this next fight, it was most likely he would have to fight All for One once more. Despite the life-threatening injury he had given to All for One, Toshinori suspected he had stolen more quirks to help with the injury. Who knows what other quirks he had taken over the years, too? This time, he might be the one to perish. If he was to do so, he wanted to leave no regrets. That meant also letting Inko know who he truly was.
"Inko… I….," started Toshinori, only to falter.
"Yes?" asked Inko.
"I…. I'll do my best to make sure the boys get home safe," sighed Toshinori, backing out on his confession. After doing so, he made up his mind. He would rescue the boys, defeat All for One, and come back home alive!
"When this is over…. Let's have a sit-down with Izuku. I want to tell you both everything," said Toshinori, making his resolution.
"You want to let Izuku know that…. we're dating?" gasped Inko.
"That, and more," nodded Toshinori, "But I must go. I have to help prepare for the raid."
"Alright. Come back home safely, you hear?" ordered Inko, to which Toshinori grunted in reply before hanging up.
"Please…. Keep my boys safe," prayed Inko.
Momo Yaoyorozu sat on her bed, looking down at her hands. All Might had already swung by and picked up the receiver for the transmitter that she had created. So all she could do now was pray and hope Izuku and Katsuki would be rescued.
'But why do I feel like that's not enough!?' shouted Momo inside her mind, 'I…. I can't stand doing nothing while Izuku is in danger! All Might promised that he, along with other top pro heroes, would be involved. So why does it not assuage me?'
As her mind raced through, she heard the door open to reveal the rest of class 1A with exception to Kyoka and Toru. Itsuka, Yui, Yosetsu, and Tetsutetsu followed shortly. Reiko and Nirengeki chose to watch over the rest of class 1B, and Monoma didn't want to visit a 1A student. Seeing as Momo was the only one who had seriously been injured now awake, they decided to visit her.
"Hope you're doing better," said Ochako as she grabbed a chair to sit near Momo, automatically grabbing an apple slice and offering it to Momo to eat.
"Is everyone here?" asked Momo, accepting the apple slice, but just nibbling on it for now.
"No…. Jiro and Hakagure are still unconscious from the villain's gas, as well as the majority of 1B. Only the ones here as well as Yanagai, Shoda, and Monoma managed to escape harm. Monoma and Shinso were already safely in the building due to remedial class, so they were fine. We, excluding you, make up to 13 for 1A while Itsuka and the others make up for 7 from 1B that weren't seriously injured."
Ochako had to bite her bottom lip to prevent herself from crying as she was reminded once more that Izuku wasn't here.
"Bakugo and Midoriya are gone," Shoto bluntly reminded them all, causing Mina to wince at Shoto's straightforward attitude. Especially when she knew four of the girls here were in a secret relationship with Izuku. Who knows how heartbreaking it was for them right now?
"That's why we should go rescue them," declared Eijiro, shocking everyone in the room, "Truth be told, Todoroki and I were here yesterday. We heard you tell All Might that you had Awase weld a tracker into one of the villains, and made a receiver to track it down."
"So that's why you had me use my quirk on it!" exclaimed Yosetsu, "No way they can get that tracker off easily unless they carve the fucking flesh off."
"A little grizzly there, but true," nodded Tetsutetsu, having experienced the wielding quirk before.
"Does that mean you're planning to have Yaoyorozu make another receiver?" asked Tenya, slowly clenching his fist.
While Eijiro looked away with guilt, Shoto replied back bluntly, "And if it does?"
Tenya's mind couldn't help flashback to when Manuel and Kamui Woods lectured him about causing trouble when he went off on his own, and the warning not to do it again.
"It's like All Might said!" exploded Tenya in anger, causing those around him to jump back in fright, "This is something we should leave to the pros! This isn't a place for us to act, idiots!"
"We know that!" shouted Eijiro back, "But I couldn't do anything! After hearing my friend was being targeted, I wanted to help, but in the end, I couldn't do anything still! I don't want to just stand by and let my friends fall victim anymore. If I don't do anything, then I can't call myself a hero or a man!"
"Shh, calm down man," pleaded Denki, "We're at a hospital. It's fine to be determined about this but, there's a better place than now."
"Hell, it isn't! That's a manly determination that I'd get behind!" shouted Tetsutetsu.
"Iida is right, though," commented Tsuyu.
"I know he's right. I know you're all right. But still, they're within reach! We can save them both!" declared Eijiro, "C'mon, you can't tell me not to do it when we can help!"
Mina then spoke up from behind Eijiro, "So then your plan is to get Yaomomo to make another receiver, track down the villains, and save Midoriya and Bakugo?"
"That's about right," nodded Eijiro.
"The villains marked a few of us as assassination targets, but Midoriya and Bakugo were their prime targets to kidnap. They may let them live for a bit, but we can't guarantee that they won't kill them later. Especially Midoriya as he's the primary threat, and would never follow along with what they have planned. That's why we're going," explained Shoto.
"Don't go overboard with your messing around!" shouted Iida in anger, "You-"
"Wait. Calm down," interrupted Shoji, putting his injured arm forward to stop Iida while Yui put her hand on his shoulder to calm him down, "I understand Kirishima's frustrations of not being able to do anything, and Todoroki's frustration of having them stolen in front of his very eyes. I'm frustrated, too, but this isn't a situation where we can just act upon our emotions."
"Let's just leave it to All Might," commented Yuga, inserting his thoughts in, "We don't have permission to use our quirks from the training camp anymore."
"Aoyama's right," nodded Fumikage before sighing, "Though I can't really say much about this since I was one of the ones that needed to be rescued and got lucky."
"Yea, All Might and the others can surely deal with this," nodded Yosetsu.
"But-" started both Tetsutetsu and Eijiro until Tsuyu cleared her throat.
"Everyone, we're all shocked from Bakugo and Izuku's kidnapping, but we need to think about this calmly. No matter how noble or just the intentions are if you're saying you'll fight again while breaking the rules…. those actions are no different from those of villains," said Tsuyu.
Though as she said this, she could feel her heart tearing up inside at this statement. Her brain may have rationalized this, but she wanted nothing more than to help Izuku escape. She was placing her faith that All Might and the others would rescue the boys, and that if they tried anything, they might interfere, or worse, become extra hostages for the villains to use.
"I'm going," stated Ochako, forcing them all to look over to her, "If it was any one of us that had been kidnapped, and there was a chance to rescue us, Deku wouldn't hesitate. It's only fair that we return the favor."
At this, Tenya couldn't help remembering Izuku's words this time, back during the fight against Stain.
"I can't run away, not knowing if I could've saved them. Like All Might said, meddling when you don't need to is the essence of being a hero!"
'But this is a totally different situation!' thought Tenya, shaking his head to rid himself of such thoughts before pushing forward, "That doesn't make it right! If you act out now, then you-"
A loud clapping noise stopped any arguments from continuing, all from the source of Itsuka's enlarged hands.
"Let's not get too carried away now," said Itsuka, "Otherwise, we might get kicked out."
As if on cue, a doctor entered through the door and told them they were getting a bit too loud, and that they needed to leave as he needed to finish making sure Momo was alright. As most of them began to leave, Tenya's ears picked up Eijiro's last minute words to Momo, saying that they planned to do it tonight.
Later at night
Eijiro and Shoto stood at the entrance of the hospital, waiting for Momo. To be honest, the plan could only go through if Momo agreed to it.
They soon had their answer when Momo walked out of the hospital entrance, her face resolute. Much to their surprise, Itsuka and Ochako were with her. Well, more to Shoto's surprise. Eijiro knew about the secret relationship between the girls and Izuku, and knew it would play an influence, but kept it quiet.
"Your decision?" asked Shoto to the group in general.
"We're in," replied Momo, already creating a receiver to track the transmitter.
Before they could leave, though, Tenya stepped forward into the light, his face set.
"You…. are set on this course?" asked Tenya once more.
"We are," nodded Shoto, along with the others.
Tenya gritted his teeth, taking a deep breath before continuing, "And how, exactly are you planning on this?"
"We're not going to face them head on, if that's what you're thinking," answered Shoto, causing Tenya to blink, "We're going to extricate them."
"In other words, a covert ops mission," explained Eijiro, "That way, we can still fight without breaking the rules."
"I see," sighed Tenya before setting his eyes forward, "Then I'm coming with you!"
The group blinked in surprise while Tenya continued forward with his explanation, "Simply, while I don't agree with your actions… I want to save Midoriya too! He's one of my precious and best friends! But I'll be working as the watchman. As soon as I see a hint of physical combat that could break out, I'm going to make sure you all retreat, no matter what! Midoriya might save us if one of us had been kidnapped, but I'm sure he wouldn't want any of you to be hurt either!"
The others knew Tenya wouldn't budge on this and agreed to let him come. Though Momo and Itsuka knew that despite what was said, combat was inevitable. Yet they were willing to take that risk to save Izuku. As they began to walk, Eijiro peeked over, wondering if Tsuyu would also come as she was part of Izuku's little secret group, before being distracted when Mina suddenly appeared before them, along with Tetsutetsu
"So you're going to go after all, Eiji?" asked Mina, pushing herself off the wall she had been waiting on.
"Yea. Don't worry, we won't be fighting at all. It'll all be secretive, like those old pre-quirk spy movies that we've watched, Mission Impossible!" grinned Eijiro.
"Idiot, don't you remember, they all end up fighting still," said Mina, her voice cracking a little.
"Oh yea…. well it'll be like that but without the fighting!" said Eijiro.
"I guess I can't stop you….. but promise me you'll be safe, alright! Don't get yourself in trouble!" ordered Mina.
Before Eijiro could even reply, Mina swiftly leaned forward, standing on her toes, before giving him a peck on the cheek.
"Promise me you'll rescue those two and be safe!" blushed Mina before rushing away, leaving a stunned Eijiro.
Meanwhile, Tetsutetsu confronted Itsuka.
"So you're really going, huh?" asked Tetsutetsu.
"Yea, and I won't back down on this," nodded Itsuka.
"I figured as much," sighed Tetsutetsu, "I'd want to come too, but even I know two hotheads in a group isn't good for a covert ops operation."
Nodding in thanks, Itsuka asked, "Do the others know about it?"
"Awase, Kodai, and Yanagi had a feeling you'd join in, and wanted to come just to support your choice. However, they had to stay back when Monoma found out," replied Testutetsu.
"And how is he handling that?" sighed Ituska in frustration.
"Well…," started Tetsutetsu, thinking about how to word it.
At another location
"VRMMMMM! GRRMMMM!" shouted a muffled Nieto, who was currently wielded into a wall, gagged with a towel.
"Oh give it a rest," sighed Yosetsu, looking up from his Gameboy, "You're not coming down from there anytime soon."
Yosetsu, Reiko, and Yui were currently at Yui's house, as it was the closest to the hospital and the biggest one, thanks to Yui's parents being a successful military officer and actress. Not to mention they felt a little safer with an active military man standing guard in the house.
When Nieto found out about Itsuka's plan, his first response was to declare 1A was corrupting their class president. His second action was to report it, which led to this current predicament.
Back to Itsuka and others
"Let's just say he's having a little trouble coping with that idea, and needs some time to think about it," ended Tetsutetsu.
Itsuka remained silent for a bit before giving Tetsutetsu a deadpan glare, "Awase wielded Monoma to a wall?"
"Awase wielded Monoma to a wall," confirmed Tetsutetsu sheepishly, "Anyways, good luck rescuing your boyfriend."
Itsuka froze at that statement, causing Tetsutetsu to chuckle.
"C'mon, I'm not that oblivious, unlike Monoma. That…. and Kirishima may have accidentally said something while we were hanging out. Though I'm still not too sure about the other girls that stick close to your boyfriend, but I get a feeling that if Monoma realized the truth, he'd explode."
With that statement, Tetsutetsu walked away, leaving a blushing Itsuka.
"The coordinates indicate the tracker is at Kamino Ward, Yokohama City in the Kanagawa Prefecture," said Momo as she looked down on her receiver as the group arrived at the train station, "We'll need to purchase a hi-speed bullet train ticket to get there fast."
"Luckily, I already brought us all tickets," chimed in Melissa, holding up the tickets, "We should get going."
"Yea, let's go," nodded Shoto as the group walked forward towards the station until….
"Wait, when did you get here!?" shouted Itsuka in surprise.
"And how did you know where we were going?" asked Ochako.
Melissa smirked as she created an ear on her hand, "I came to the hospital to see if Momo was alright. When I saw your classmates all enter in, I felt like it was wrong for me to intrude. But I was too curious, so I sprouted some ears near the door and overheard everything. As soon as I knew that Uncle had a receiver, I may have…. taken a peek at where it was transmitting. I'm not going to be left out on this, and you need adult supervision at the least."
"We're…. not going to be able to convince you to not come, are we?" sighed Tenya.
"No, but if it helps, since I can sprout body parts on walls, I'm the perfect reconnaissance member for this. I can create eyes and ears to see and listen without being noticed. I've been working on my Quirk," declared Melissa.
With time running shorter, the group decided to push forward, purchasing some bentos for the train ride ahead.
"So, how come you weren't trying hard to stop this plan, Iida?" asked Ochako, "I was sure you'd be totally trying to force us to back down."
"That was the original plan, but I had some time to reflect on it," replied Tenya, "I still am against it, but I can see it from your point of view why you would want to save Midoriya. He's also my friend, and I want to save him just as much as you do, but I still think the pros should handle it. However, you're right when you said he'd help any of us out if we had been the ones kidnapped without hesitation. How can I be his friend if I don't take that same step?"
While the other applauded Tenya's open-mindedness, he couldn't help thinking back right after leaving Momo's hospital room.
Flashback
"How could they be so stubborn?" hissed Tenya to himself, "Doesn't Todoroki realize the consequences of his choice? He lectured me about my recklessness before, and now he's doing it? He had a special pardon only thanks to the circumstances, why would he risk it again? Just because his father is the number 2 hero, he thinks he can pull some strings? I'll set him strai-"
Tenya's self rant was interrupted when Yui suddenly pulled him down onto a padded chair next to her. Before Tenya could do anything, Yui pushed Tenya's head down onto her lap.
"Kodai-san! What are you doing? This is highly inappropriate!" blushed Tenya.
"Shhh, just listen, alright? And I thought I told you to call me by my first name, Yui," said Yui calmly without even blushing, "You're just as frustrated about this situation, aren't you?"
"... I am," replied Tenya. For some reason, Yui's stoic face and attitude always managed to calm him down, with his expressive hand gestures.
"When Todoroki and Kirishima mentioned the rescue attempt, were you tempted to join before your logical side kicked in?" asked Yui.
"... I was," admitted Tenya, "But we can't be irrational about this. This means breaking a lot of rules. If they act, they're no better than vigilanties."
"Are all vigilantes bad?" asked Yui calmly.
Tenya's first reaction was to say yes, but he suddenly remembered a few of his brother's stories about how he knew a vigilante named The Crawler that he considered an ally and never attempted to arrest him.
"I know it's hard to break the rules, considering your upbringing, but sometimes, in order to do what's right, you have to take that step forward," said Yui, "My father taught me that rules are good and all, but sometimes it's necessary to break them."
Remembering that Yui's father was from the military, Tenya kept silent, wondering where Yui was going with this.
"My father told me a story about his great-great-grandfather, before the quirk era. How he disobeyed orders and the chain of command just to rescue comrades in battle. He was punished and was about to be dishonorably discharged at first until his comrades spoke up in his defense. It was later found that the commander in charge of his unit screwed up. But my father told me that he never regretted saving his comrades, and that if he had followed orders and let them die, he would have regretted it for the rest of his life. So in short, if you don't follow your heart, will you regret it?"
Tenya closed his eyes for a minute before coming to a decision.
Flashback ends
'Yui makes some good points,' thought Tenya to himself as he ate a rice ball, 'If I chose to just sit in the sideline and wait, I'd never live it down. My brother would've gone in without hesitation if he was in my shoes, so I shouldn't either!'
Omake
Toshinori slowly opened his eyes, blinking away the sunlight that was shining through the window.
'Wow. That just happened,' thought Toshinori as he looked down to the slumbering naked Inko.
He hadn't even planned for this to happen after their date. When Inko suggested that he could say goodbye to her tomorrow morning, his mind blanked at what it meant until Inko pulled him in. Everything after that was pretty much a whirl, but it was something he was going to keep clear in his memory. At first, he had been afraid a bit and tried to commit to the act while keeping his shirt on until Inko forcefully ripped it off. Upon seeing the scar, Toshinori tried to hide it, but Inko wouldn't be dissuaded. So he confessed that it was an injury from his younger days while not spilling the fact he was All Might. Luckily, the scar had been slowly healing thanks to David's regeneration tank that he had been sleeping in with the help of Melissa as well as his new organs. To his surprise, Inko fully accepted him still and without hesitation, tackled him back onto the bed.
"I think I came harder than any other time," muttered Toshinori as he managed to get out of bed, slightly stumbling a bit, "And a bit more, too."
Still, he recovered fast before quickly putting on his boxers and shirt. Whistling a tune, Toshinori decided to treat Inko breakfast in bed. Cracking open some eggs, he began to whisk them in a bowl after seasoning them. Before he could finish though, he heard someone knocking on the door.
Wondering who would be coming so early, Toshinori went to the door so as to let Inko get some more sleep, taking a peek through the peephole to see Mitsuki.
"Mrs. Bakugo, what brings you here?" asked Toshinori in surprise as he opened the door.
"Came to see the aftermath of Inko's date!" grinned Mitsuki brightly, "And considering you're here…."
"Inko is tired from last night, and is still asleep. You should let her get her rest," chided Toshinori.
"Ohoho, that means you kept her up all night long, didn't you?" grinned Mitsuki, "Must've been hours… and hours… of fun."
Toshinori blushed at that implication, throwing him off guard enough for Mitsuki to barge through the door and walk directly to where Inko usually slept.
"I must insist that you don't disturb her!" said Toshinori as he closed the door to chase after Mituski, but alas, it was too late.
"Woo hoo, she's naked! She got laid hard!" laughed Mitsuki.
Status Power Mingguan
-- Peringkat
Power 
-- Power
stone