50 The Cost of Conviction

'The presence of the Vancouver Island Villain Association has been the primary reason Canada and the United States have stayed unified. It can be argued that their formation marked the passing from liminal time following Hero's death and solidified the nature of the Modern Hero Era. This organisation, since its inception, has possessed the quirk strength equivalent to one-third of the continent. Their might has been a deterrent to the very strong secessionist movement in the American south-east and the interior. Without the VIVA, Quebec would have been able to secede without issue, but the presence of VIVA allies in the region has ensured they stay part of the country. Ironic, is it not, that a villain organisation ensures peace and stability in North America.'

—Excerpt from 'The Effect of Heroics' by Saruhiko Ando.

Shouto Todoroki is bored.

That adequately describes his feelings right now. It has been one interrogation after another, officials and police trying to get a modicum of information out of him. Thankfully, he's Endeavour's son and there's a war going on which means no one particularly cares that he killed Moonfish.

Killing the villain hadn't provided much entertainment. Seeing Fumikage again had been far more entertaining, especially since his power has grown greatly. A part of him had wanted to fight the dragon for the sake of it.

He, alongside his other classmates, are gathered around Bakugou's bed. Most of their class is in the same section of the hospital, held there for their safety and to keep track of them should another attack occur.

"Don't be stupid," Jirou says, glaring at Bakugou. "You can barely move."

Bakugou snarls, sitting up. Even his anger isn't enough to cover up the rather obvious pain he feels from whatever section of his ribs is damaged. Shouto could heal him but he doesn't like Bakugou. It might be petty, but he'd do it if someone called him out on it.

"I'll be fine."

"Come on, man, this is ridiculous," Kirishima says. "How the hell are you even going to find them?"

"Momo left a tracker on me. It's somewhere in the forest."

"Okay, sure, but that doesn't help you. They won't give it to you."

"No, but someone in this room is the son of the number two hero."

Shouto shrugs as all eyes fall on him. "And?"

"You're going to find the location and then we're gonna rescue them."

They argue more, though Shouto doesn't participate. This is just mindless nonsense that has little to do with him. He's already made his choice a long time ago.

He does, however, notice Iida watching him. "What?"

Iida squares his shoulders. "I know that look. You plan on doing something stupid and I'm not going to let you do it."

"I'm not here to ask for your permission," Shouto says. "I'm going. This is just a courtesy for those of you that want to come."

The room explodes in hushed conversation, people debating anything and everything. He can already see who isn't coming—Kaminari who is absolutely devastated by Sero's death and Aoyama who remembers nearly dying, Sato who has no stake in the people kidnapped and Shoji who is smarter than the rest. The others, though, are a tossup. It could go a dozen different ways and he doesn't care enough to track the possibilities.

"Do you think they're gonna show mercy because we're kids?" Kirishima asks. "Look. This is crazy. This is no joke."

"I didn't take you for a coward," Ashido says. "How long have we known each other? Five years. All that talk about manliness was just that, wasn't it?"

Kirishima flushes but he stands his ground. "I nearly died. It was game over and there was nothing I could do. Aoyama nearly died in my hands and you think this is about manliness. That only matters if you're alive."

"He'd do the same for us," Bakugou says quietly. "He'd fucking walk right in the middle of a warzone for any of us."

"You think that argument applies to Midoriya of all people? You think he's worried about dying?"

"Eijirou," Shouto warns because that isn't his secret to spill. And if he thinks he has the right, Shouto can burn away just enough nerves to make his collapse look natural.

Kirishima glares at him but beneath that bravado, Shouto can see his fear. Seeing a thousand different iterations of himself, a thousand different possibilities that all amount to nothing had likely sapped away a lot of his blind confidence.

"Stop fighting," Iida says. "If you even think about going, I'll tell the police. I'll tell Aizawa and make sure we all get thrown in a cell if that means no one does this."

They glare at each other even as the room blows up again, a thousand accusations being flung around. Shouto, however, is indifferent. The police? They're mortals. Nothing more than kindling to his fire. He likes Iida, so he'll make sure not to hurt him. Maybe a bruise or two, but nothing permanent.

"I'll fight through the police," Shouto warns. "Do I look like I care? Do I look like I'm afraid?"

"You look like you're going to do something that'll get you killed. At best. At worst, you're gonna drag people down with you."

Shouto shrugs. "This is a brave new world. The rules are different." He gestures to everyone in the room. "You all know the stakes. You all know what happens if you're too slow or get distracted. I'm going to find him because I made him a promise a long time ago, and I refuse to break it."

"You think love will keep you safe?"

Shouto glares at him, furious. Love had changed the nature of the eternally unchanging godflame. Love had given Izuku the strength to stand against a being a few steps below god whilst mortal. If Shouto had even a shred less love for the people around him, if Izuku had decided he loved life just a tad bit less, then there would be no earth. This wouldn't even be a discussion.

Hidden in another realm is a knife gifted to him by Fumikage, a person he has little in common with. A person he's said maybe two hundred words all told, and never alone and unprompted. That knife had been a gift made from a mutual love for one person. It had been another promise, another oath just as important as any other he has made.

"Love is the single most powerful force in the universe," he says and means it, and so the laws of the universe rewrite themselves.

They may not notice, they may not even understand, but he's just seeded a way for people to become greater than they could ever hope to be.

"We're going," Ojiro says speaking for the first time.

He looks tired and beaten down, hair unkempt. He lacks any of his usual composure, eyes bloodshot and angry enough to set fire to the world. Shouto approves.

Shinsou, sitting quietly beside Ojiro, nods. "What he said."

"Why are you guys—"

"We knew him first," Shinsou says harshly. "We knew him long before you ever saw him during the entrance exam. I am not going to let him suffer like this and do nothing."

"You might die," Iida warns, exhausted.

"He'd do the same for us," Ojiro says. "His biggest dream is to make a hero agency with all of us. If we leave him alone, we may as well spit on that dream."

Kirishima tenses. "You think that dream will ever exist? You think he'll be the same person? Because I promise you, he won't be."

"What the hell has gotten into you?" Ashido snaps, standing.

"You have no idea what he's done. None of you sees it. You don't even realise he's lying to you." Kirishima shakes his head. "I'm done. You go follow through on this crazy plan."

"You're a coward."

"I'd rather be a coward than dead. And not for him. Never him."

Shouto watches Kirishima stalk out. The others just watch this in shock. Kirishima and Izuku had always been close, inseparable even. Yes, there were others, but he doubts any of them ever imagined a day where Kirishima would ditch Izuku.

"Well, I guess there's nothing left to say," Ojiro says, standing. Shinsou mimics the action.

"Where are you guys going?"

"To train," Shinsou says. "Our master's seen a war before. We've got however long—"

"Two weeks," Shouto interjects, knowing that everything will happen then.

"Two weeks to get ready. I'm going to train day in and day out till I'm ready. You should all do the same."

Shouto inclines his head. "Alright. Two weeks. If any of you change your minds, let me know."

"This is madness," Iida says one last time, but even he can tell the argument has been lost.

"This is the new normal."

He keeps his face blank though he wants to smile. The future will be blood and violence, one challenge after another. They're going to start a new era and Shouto plans on playing kingmaker.

He'll make Izuku a king whether he wants the crown or not.

-TDB-

Izuku Midoriya spends his next days in captivity in silence. He doesn't say a single word to the members of the Vanguard no matter how much they poke and prod at him, Shigaraki especially. He has no interest in giving them any more power over him.

After the fourth day, he stops eating. They don't care at first, not until three days pass and he hasn't eaten anything.

It doesn't bother him much. Food is something he eats mostly for the taste, given that he can eat an entire cow and still have room to spare. It may have something to do with the mutations beneath the skin. All he knows is that it is another way to hold power over them.

They all try to get him to eat, not because they care, but because Tomura has a distinct fear of what will happen if he dies. Dabi threatens him with fire and Izuku shows his burnt face, unafraid. Compress attempts deception whilst Magne uses brute force. Shigaraki threatens him with Mandalay but Izuku simple shrugs, calling his bluff.

When Spinner tries, Izuku bares his teeth and they seem to elongate endlessly as he draws every iota of loathing for the reptile. The darkness deepens and Izuku reminds Shuichi of who truly has power here. They may have lives held over him, but he could consume every iota of joy and hope and light from their souls without blinking.

Push him further.

A sound fills the room, low and soft and unyielding. It makes Shuichi freeze as a primal instinct against something ancient and unknowable activates. It is the all-consuming anathema of true dark against anything born of godflame like humans.

And then Izuku lets it fade, smirking at Shuichi. There is fear in his eyes as he backs out the room.

The last person they try is Toga. She slips into the room, smiling and smelling of blood.

"Come on, you need to eat," Toga says, sitting across from him. He doesn't but they don't know that.

He watches her indifferently, unblinking.

"For me?"

Use her, Mikumo says.

Izuku reaches for the plate.

Toga's smile is bright and clear as he takes a bite of the bland meal. It could be the most amazing meal in the world and he would still only taste ash. But she, like the rest, can be moved like chess pieces. They don't know they are pieces on the board in the great game Izuku plays against All For One.

It is the most dangerous lie Izuku has ever constructed because there are lives on the line if he fails. If he makes the wrong move, it will instantly be checkmate. He is outnumbered and on the losing end, but that is his strength. The more All For One thinks he has won, the stronger Izuku will be.

He keeps that at the forefront of his mind when he next meets the villain.

They take him to a different room for the meeting this time.

This one has larger doors and they open pneumatically, one loud thud after another as it unlocks before swinging open. A tonne of reinforced steel takes a long while to swing open and he hears the whine of powerful actuators driving the system.

The room is well lit so Izuku can make out All For One immediately. The villain's back is to Izuku as he stares at a screen showing strings of numbers and letters that make no sense to Izuku no matter how hard he tries.

"It is a cypher," All For One says. "It tells me the state of the world as my informants see it. Canada is in an uproar now that their Hero Conglomerate is defeated. It even looks like the cold war between the western American states and the central ones might just turn hot because of that loss. You see, my boy, heroes—or any organisation with quirks—are a guarantee of military force."

Izuku says nothing in response, trying a dozen different cyphers and still failing to crack the streaming numbers and letters.

"Quirks have been the main deterrent against invasion for Japan since the Dark Age. The many Emperors and their Guards. Hawkmoon and her legend. Just like tanks and missiles and even nuclear weapons in the case of the absolute strongest quirks. I stand above them all with my strength." The villain glances over his shoulder. "I hear you've taken up silence. Will you attempt to antagonise me as well?"

"Will you threaten anyone if I do?"

"Perhaps."

"Give Kouta something to do. He's eight and he's stuck in a cell with nothing but his thoughts."

"Easy enough. Let me show you the laws of power that govern the world. The laws that dictate when nations move against each other and when a single person becomes more powerful than an army. Let me teach you the rules that govern geopolitics. Let me teach you the rules of the Great Game."

"I'd prefer not to listen to you."

"I'll make you a deal," the villain says, not turning around. "Play this game with me and if I find you worthy, I'll let Kouta walk free."

"That's a shit deal. That gives you all the power."

"I already have all the power. But this is a chance for you. Play this game and maybe he'll be able to walk free. Refuse, and I'll punish him. There are many horrors you can inflict without harming a child. His remaining family, for instance. I'll make him watch as I kill Mandalay."

Izuku grits his teeth, fists clenched tight enough to draw blood.

"I hate you."

"I am a villain, boy. Never forget that. So, shall we play?"

This is what he believes. These are truths he holds close to his being. Learn them and turn them against him, brother. Let him teach you how to destroy him.

"For Kouta."

All For One turns and the floor beneath them changes. It lights up, making Izuku realise it is a screen. A map of the world, larger than any Izuku has seen in real life, appears. Japan has been enlarged, big enough now that it takes Izuku ten paces to walk from one end to the next. It is large enough that he can clearly make out Mustafu and other small cities in detail.

"The world itself is the map upon which the Great Game is played," All For One explains, standing beside Izuku.

It takes everything he has not to shiver or give away his nervousness. A part of him knows that his determination is another reaction All For One catalogues, another piece of the puzzle for his manipulations. It doesn't matter what he does, everything helps All For One in one form or another.

That's fine. It's all part of the plan.

"Everyone single person alive plays it, but only a few are important enough to have a piece instead of simply being a region to be influenced."

The villain walks past Izuku. A wall rises from the floor where the Indian Ocean would be. All For One taps a button and the wall parts, revealing a set of figurines. He removes a few of them, holding them between his fingers.

"Everyone plays the game by different rules. You need to understand everyone's rules to truly be in control. This is Nezu," the villain says, placing a carving of the principal over Mustafu.

His hometown changes colours to a solid blue. He watches as wards in Honshu and Shikoku gain a blue border.

"What does this tell you?"

"I don't know, that he controls Mustafu?" The villain nods. "Which means he doesn't control those other regions but he influences them?"

"Good. Nezuu's rules are simple: never hold power yourself but teach enough people so that they wield it for you. All Might. Endeavour. His cadre of general studies graduates. He holds little power of his own but uses his influence to force Japan into his image. What image, do you suppose, is that?"

There is only one answer and All For One has already given it to him.

"The hero rankings. They have three of the top ten spots.

"In the last thirty years, forty of the top one hundred heroes at any given time have been UA alumni. Nezu turned UA from an acceptable hero institute to one of the three greatest institutes in the world. Odd, isn't it, that of the other two, one was built in honour of a Great Tyrant and the other to the great Hero who murdered her enemies. What skeletons do you think UA holds?"

Izuku shakes his head. "That isn't the game we're playing. Get on with it."

For some reason, that makes the villain smile cruelly. "Oh, that will be a fun discussion."

He walks a few steps till he stands over Shikoku.

All For One places a tank on Shikoku and the entire region turns red. Nezu's blue border remains, but it isn't anything compared to the vibrant red fill of the military's power.

"The military is unquestionably the main power there. This is the seat from which they want to create their junta."

He places a few more tanks here and there, some prefectures gaining a red border but none with the undeniable control of Shikoku. Finally, he places a boat near the coast of Okinawa. That coast light up red.

"The admiralty is based out there, both naval and aerial. They support the idea of a military junta. This is their force disposition." He places ships and bases on islands around Japan, with some out in the middle of the ocean. "What do you see?"

Izuku follows the lines of power, walking around Japan and the great villain.

"A circle," he says finally, and then a red ring surrounds Japan.

"Yes," All For One agrees, "but the real question is whether they look within or look without."

"I don't know."

"Take a guess if you don't know and try to justify it."

"They're looking outward. Sailing and flying are forms of movements. They aren't tied to the ground like the military."

"A good guess and it is true. But only if we ignore other forces."

All For One places a single soldier where Taiwan once was. It is sad and pathetic compared to the other forces.

"The remnants." Then he places seven figures on China. "The Great Ten, now the Great Seven given that I killed three of them."

Izuku swallows. "How powerful were they?"

The villain hums. "They made for adequate practice," he settles on. "You're wondering if they could have posed a threat to me. Perhaps if all ten fought me at once, then I might have to use my full power to win."

All For One takes a silver 'V' and walks to North America. He places it over Vancouver Island. Instantly, British Columbia, Alberta, Montana and Washington gain a silver fill whilst Saskatchewan and Oregon alongside Idaho gain a silver border.

"My allies in Vancouver Island. By winning against the Hero Conglomerate, they told the governments of America and Canada that they are now an independent state. A nation built by villains for villains. It may not happen immediately, but eventually, those two nations will fracture because of this. Do you understand now why the navy looks inward?"

"They're a defensive line against the world."

"Yes. The only thing keeping the Navy tied to Japan are the forces against them. The navy is the first line of defence but there is always a fear that they will mutiny and flee. I know for a fact that they have protocols and infrastructure in place for that eventuality. A paradox, or perhaps an irony. A navy tied to the land yearning only to be free."

Izuku frowns. The Dark Age and the destruction it had caused had left cities and islands uninhabited. Entirely new archipelagos rose from cataclysmic powers clashing. Border lines had changed with some countries being decimated. It had been a world war where individuals held the power of nations.

"But they could go if they wanted to."

"And go where? That's the problem. The Pirate Supernovas during the Dark Age are remembered well by many nations around the world. No one wants another navy fleet of dozens of ships roaming around the world, fighting whatever battles they please, and accountable to no one. Perhaps Australia or some other petty dictator would welcome their power, but it would more likely galvanise a massive coalition to battle them, especially since they have nuclear capabilities."

"Then why do they want to leave so much? It makes no sense."

"Because they were the ones who died first during the Dark Ages. It was navy men and women who took the brunt of every engagement. It was the navy that was purged twice. Because of that, they seeded the idea of a military junta running Japan."

"They knew what they were signing up for."

All For One shrugs. "And now they're stuck between a country they can't trust and a world that will see them burn. Let me show you another power."

He takes a Chrysanthemum and places it over the Imperial Villa. That region turns white. But only that region. Others grain splotches of white, but never the definitive fill or border of the military or UA.

"They're more powerful than that," Izuku says. "The Royal Guard. They have their own soldiers as well."

"Ah, but we haven't entered their rules. Look at how the world changes when we enter the Royal Guard."

He places a chrysanthemum with a lightning bolt against the Great Ten. Two more Chrysanthemums, one on fire and one with a clock are placed against the silver V. Finally, the last of the guard is placed with the navy.

And just like that, a white circle surrounds Japan. Oddly, though, streaks of black appear in the white circle.

"This is the state of the world right now. Japan is at war, both within and without. To ever hope to win, you need to understand the laws of power. The Imperial Household protects Japan with their Guard from outside invaders. But they also protect Japan from the abyss."

Izuku falls still, looking up at the great villain. His features are blank but he fears he has already given away too much.

"You know."

"Of the abyss? Yes. Your father was very informative." The villain smirks. "I knew about you long before you joined UA. You weren't important, not even when you suddenly developed a quirk. I'll admit, it took me a bit to determine if you had adopted One For All but my spy confirmed your relationship with Toshinori."

"Spy?"

"How else did you think the League would know the layout of the USJ? Did you think we simply prayed to the gods to reveal the location of your camp?"

Izuku rolls his eyes. "Behave yourself," he snaps. "I take it you won't tell me your spy. Fine, then where are you on this map?"

The piece All For One uses to represent himself is just a plain wood model, nothing special about it in the slightest.

He places the model right in the centre of Japan.

Shikoku and Hokkaido gain a purple glow immediately. The outline of Japan is coloured purple. A ring larger than the navy and the Imperial household materialises. He sees distant countries gain a purple glow as well, the western provinces of Canada most prominently, alongside Egypt and South Africa. Brazil, Switzerland, Greece, Morocco and Portugal all gain the same purple fill. The countries near them gain purple borders. There are more like Bangladesh and Indonesia and Mexico that all belong to All For One.

Looking at this, Izuku finally understands the scale of power the man possesses. He stares at All For One in horror because that isn't just influence. Facing the League had been something he expected to do for decades.

The idea that once he is done with the League, he will have to face other organisations around the world aligned with All For One fills him with dread.

He may very well need to fight entire countries with all their economic and military power. If they refuse every overture of diplomacy, he'll have to compromise or fight a war. If he truly wants to beat All For One and destroy everything he built then...

They'll call you a Warlord at best, Mikumo voices his thoughts, terrified as well. Maybe even a Tyrant.

"I am the Strongest Man alive and I've seen two centuries," All For One says deeply, joyfully. "My influence is further reaching than anyone else. I have waged wars alone and won. I may not be Stormwind or Titan or Hero, but no one has come as close to them as I have."

The villain circles around the room, around the world, slowly and exuding menace with every step. This is a show of force, nothing more and nothing less.

"My empire is not as far-reaching as Stormwind but I have ruled it longer than she did. I may not be able to withstand a dozen nukes like Titan but no hero will ever come close to killing me. My punches are not as strong as Hero, but I can destroy countries with my strength. Do you understand now why no one has ever beaten me?"

All For One lays a hand on Izuku's shoulders. Izuku cranes his neck up to meet his gaze, refusing to back down.

"Toshinori did," Izuku says.

"Even you don't believe that."

Izuku bares his teeth. "I believe in him. And when he faces you, I'll be right there beside him. And we will beat you down. Stormwind and Titan and Hero all died. We'll add your name to that list."

All For One watches him, assessing the conviction of his words. Then he nods, smiling. The villain takes a step back

"Yes. Strength of will. You have that in spades. A good successor to a powerful legacy needs it."

"I'll never be your successor."

"I wasn't talking about me. But do you see how you're changing? You associate power with my name."

"One day, you'll regret taunting me. Tell me your rules so I can defeat you?"

All For One smiles and removes his piece. A piece representing Kurogiri appears as well as a hand that can only be Tomura. But additional pieces, pieces he is unaware of, appear as well.

"This is my method for power. I hold the power to shatter Japan but I entrust the future to my subordinates. I have learnt that it cannot be by my old and outdated means that change Japan. Someone else must take my lessons and mould them for the future."

Izuku shakes his head. "Nothing good can come from your lessons. There's a reason One For All exists and it's to battle your evil."

"Is that what you know, dear boy? Can you say that with certainty?"

"Yes."

The villain shakes his head, disappointed.

"Well, if you believe that, then we have nothing left to say today. Go. I'll release Kouta in a few days."

-TDB-

Fumikage Tokoyami finally gives up on his search. There are no leads he can find using purely abyssal means. Which is why he tears through dozens of layers of the abyss to travel the breadth of Japan. He steps out into his room in the Imperial Villa.

It is empty, thankfully enough. He takes a shower and throws on another set of armour, before heading out.

The villa is a hive of activity, people bustling from one location to the next. He doesn't make it very far before a flash of light heralds Maya in full imperial regalia, white uniform over white armour.

"Done having a tantrum?" she asks immediately. "We need to get to work."

He nods. "How has the Guard been mobilised?"

"Ra and Itinerant are preparing to stall the VIVA before they get anywhere near Japan. Ryujin and I will be dealing with China when their remaining Great Ten mobilise. Our last two members are going to be wherever they're needed most."

"And the Emperor?"

"Unguarded save for me," Maya says softly. "He's willing to risk death to ensure Japan's sovereignty."

"I never thought the villains were this dangerous."

"They're led by the Strongest Man Alive. We underestimated the skills of his right-hand man. Stupid, given that he worked for us before." Maya shakes her head. "Come on, let's go. I also need to know if you're going to run away again."

He frowns. "I didn't run away. And I'm ready to fight this war."

She snorts. "Ready? You're the furthest thing from ready. Do you know how to spot a sniper? Do you know what an ambush looks like? What do you do when the enemy has the high ground and are laying down suppressive fire? Have you ever taken part in a retreat?"

The answer to every question is no. How could he? He's trained to be a hero and a bootleg part of it has been facing threats from the abyss.

"Then teach me."

She nods once.

"I'll teach you tactics and strategy," she says. "I'll show you what a formation looks like. But I won't let you enter the battlefield."

"This is my home."

"And this is the highest level of lethality." She looks him in the eye. "Have you ever killed before?"

"What?"

"Have you ever killed a living human untainted by the abyss before?" she repeats, forcefully.

"No."

"This isn't some joke. It's going to be kill or be killed. If you hesitate, you will die. Maybe you'll be lucky and wind up immortal, but you'll get other people killed."

"You think I can't learn?" he asks stubbornly.

"I'll show you," she says.

There is a flash of light and then they're gone. Travel through her quirk is always odd. He doesn't become light as she does, but he is still somehow attached to her in a protective field.

They stop suddenly and it takes him a few moments to get his bearings. He almost regrets doing so.

It is blood spilt on the earth and death for miles around and bloated corpses feasted on by carrion. It is the devastation of a ruined base, collapsed walls and raging fires, the controlled anarchy of people trying to restore even a modicum of order as people die in agonising pain, howling in rage against an unfair world.

He feels sick immediately and sways. Only her strong grip keeps him upright.

"This is the meaning of war." She says it softly, a warning and a grim reminder.

"I've fought gods and monsters," he says weakly, watching someone scream as their friend, maybe their lover, leaves the mortal coil.

"But humans aren't gods or monsters. Do you understand now? Taking a life isn't easy, not the first time at least."

He counts them. One with a blade embedded in her chest. Another missing their head. A third with a bloody throat, glassy eyes staring vacantly to the sky. A fourth that is nothing but burnt bones.

A fifth and a sixth and a dozen and hundred, all dead or dying. They won't be the last. More and more will suffer in agony long before this war is over.

"Then teach me." He meets her patient gaze. "Forge me into a weapon."

If he must stain his hands red to protect Japan, Fumikage will do so gladly.

-TDB-

Izuku is tired and angry and disappointed. They aren't good emotions, more harmful than useful in most cases. But they are all that he has. The angrier he is, the weaker he appears, the stronger he will be.

He'll play the part of the obedient and helpless prisoner prone to outbursts of anger. He'll be pliant beneath Toga's perverse touch and utterly indifferent to Shigaraki in favour of his master.

Most importantly, there is one whom he must keep off-balance and questioning.

Spinner must be your target. All For One taught you manipulation through strength. Now do the same to him if you wish to survive.

He's unrestrained, sitting in a chair. Dabi observes him quietly, one finger always ready to set off the detonators.

A screen has a reporter describing power outages in Shikoku and estimates for recovery. Without context, Izuku has no idea why things are the way they are, especially given that there is a death toll in the bottom right corner. It may be the Great Ten invading or All For One's allies from Vancouver.

"You know, Shigaraki," he says to the quiet of the room. "I can understand working with what you've got but why the fuck do you have that piece of shit with you."

He's looking directly at Spinner who frowns. "What did—"

"Oh, you're deaf and stupid as well. You couldn't even fight a fucking rescue hero without losing."

Toga laughs. "Fun," she says simply.

Good, Mikumo says, let them think you merely hate him. He's a piece on the board and you control both sides.

"You're nothing but a Stain groupie." He draws every ounce of disgust he feels about this situation and projects it to the lizard. "You're pathetic and you've got nothing going for you. You copy everything—"

"Shut the fuck up," Spinner interrupts.

"—he does and you don't know shit about the man. I respected Stain, you know. He was outnumbered when he fought me and he still nearly won. He had a strength of character, of will. The fuck do you have?"

Dabi, the scarred one, holds out a flaming arm to stop Spinner.

"You don't know shit."

"I broke your weapon after I fought Muscular. Now that's a proper fucking villain. And I fucking killed him. You aren't a threat. I could have taken you on months ago and right now you're nothing but an irritant. Where's your conviction, Spinner?"

The villain is shaking with rage and only Dabi's arm is keeping him from leaping forward. Izuku bares his teeth, taunting him and, for a split second, reminding Spinner of a grin filled with endless teeth and unrelenting malice.

The others don't see it but Izuku knows Spinner falls still because of his instinctual fear reaction, not because he is afraid of Dabi.

"I dare you to fucking punch me." Izuku smirks. "Stain would have."

"Don't you fucking dare!" Shigaraki roars before Spinner moves. "Don't you fucking move."

The threat keeps Spinner in place because even he can see how Toga and Dabi are positioned around him threateningly. They don't see that they're isolating him, removing him from the group with their actions.

Spinner, however, is vibrating in rage, but his eyes dart to Toga and Shigaraki, assessing his chances for survival. It's something he does unconsciously.

You see his cowardice now. He is not the knight he thinks he is. Push him further.

Izuku laughs. "Ah, are you scared of Tomura? I can't even call you an attack dog. You're nothing but a pet." He looks to Shigaraki. "Let him. Please, I want to see him fail to fucking do it. And you know what, Muscular punched me and I walked away. I won't even feel this."

Tomura meets his gaze then nods to Dabi. The moment that arm is down Spinner is across the room, his hand wrapped around Izuku's throat and lifting him up.

"I don't care if Stain liked you," he snarls. "I'm going to enjoy this."

Izuku huffs, tired. "Stain wouldn't have said anything. He'd have just broken my nose."

Show them your weakness. Show them the boy beneath the legend.

The rage, the bluster, all that passion leaves him then. It makes them all pause.

"I just don't understand you. You respect Stain so much and now you work for the group he hated more than anything else. Stain earned my respect but everything you do just spits on his legacy."

Izuku looks away and focuses on the bloodstains on the wall.

"Go ahead. Punch me already." He shakes his head. "I'm tired of breathing the same air as you."

The grip around his throat tightens. Izuku simply closes his eyes. For a long moment, he wonders if he miscalculated because the pressure only increases. He sees bright spots beneath his eyelids.

Eventually, the grip slackens and he lowers Izuku.

"You're fucking cra—"

Now.

Izuku takes the opportunity and slams his head forward.

His forehead meets the villain's snout and forces him to stumble back, blood gushing freely. Dabi and Toga are on Izuku in moments. He's brought down roughly, a needle plunged into his neck.

He feels his limbs go lax. Muscle relaxants, he realises, even as Dabi forces him up and against the wall, brilliant blue flames ready to roast him to a nice crisp.

"Talking isn't a free action," Izuku says, channelling every ounce of the same menace that All For One exudes. It makes even Shikaragi pause. "I told you Stain would have just broken my nose."

He slumps forward in the strong grip holding him. There is no anger, no disappointment, only apathy as he looks to Spinner.

"I can say with complete certainty," he says, meeting Spinner's eyes, "that you embody everything Stain hated and sought to change."

"Fuck," Toga says, "this kid's hardcore."

His punishment for that act of defiance comes swiftly.

They make him watch as the bones in Mandalay's arms are broken, one by one, from the smallest to the largest. He can't look away, because every time he does, he has the pleasure of hearing Pixie Bob's screams as she is electrocuted. So, he keeps his eyes wide open and watches Mandalay suffer for his actions.

Her screams never seem to end and they mix with the Vanguard taunting him. All the while, Izuku keeps his teeth gritted so hard that they shatter. And when they grow back in, he breaks them again. Anything, even the slightest distraction, is welcome.

He watches how Spinner smirks at her pain and at his discomfort. When the reptile glances his way, Izuku grins, triggering Spinner's instinctual flight reaction.

"I wonder how well Yaoyorozu will do without food and water for a few days."

"You're all cowards too afraid to hurt me."

"I told you the name of the game," Shigaraki says from behind him, four fingers digging painfully into his neck, keeping his gaze on the act of torture.

He watches Yaoyorozu shiver as the temperature plummets. The thin blanket she wraps around herself doesn't help when the temperature drops below freezing. It's only made worse when she receives no water for the entire day.

Deep in his heart, something dark and cruel is borne of seeing this. It is hatred, pure and unrelenting and endless.

When he's finally allowed to look away, every shadow in the room darkens and vibrates with his rage. Glimpses of the monsters hiding in the dark below manifest, a step out of tune with reality. This is a promise of a future to come should he ever forget to restrain himself, a world of sword logic and lines of tribute.

"I hope one day I can forgive you," Izuku says, eyes endless pits of darkness that kill the light. "I hope one day I can let go of this hate because all I want to do is rip out your hearts. I want to see you all suffer and burn and regret every decision you've made."

You must be better if you wish to win. They must see a saint.

He meets their eyes one by one, seeing all they will never be: Shigaraki, the prodigal son; Himiko, a lost girl drowning in blood; Compress, the stage man who has become the mask; Dabi, who sets his emotions alight and dances on the ashes; finally, Shuichi, the pretend villain who still has a chance.

"I hope you all live good and happy lives because it means I let go of my hate. I hope you all find some measure of kindness because it means you aren't my enemy."

He lets the darkness and madness fade.

"My last enemy was Muscular. Remember that. Remember what happened to him. Remember that you're all too scared to hurt me."

He turns away from them.

Keep your back straight and your head high. This is your strength. They think you restrained and leashed. Remind them, constantly, that you are chained only because you permit it.

"I'll promise you this," Izuku says. "If any of you touch Kouta, then I don't care. Everyone in this building will die."

His show of power has made them wary.

Not all of them by any stretch. Himiko seems to find him even more entertaining after that show of force and practically spends her time on his lap. He puts up with it, careful only to lean into her touches when he seems exhausted.

He listens to her as she whispers sweet nothings in his ear, taking note when she reveals innocuous information. He learns that Twice and Magne don't get along well and that Kurogiri is the one waging the war.

"He's there and then gone," Himiko says in his ear, making him shiver. "He's just so cool. Don't worry, older men are fun, but I like you the most."

The closer he is to her, the more helpless he appears, the more willing she is to speak. Izuku knows that Compress spends hours on end away from the rest of the group and that Dabi is restless, prone to starting fights with the staff in the facility. She never says anything about Twice who Izuku saw maybe three times.

That, more than anything else, tells him that there is more than one facility being used. It's a guess, one that might be horribly wrong, but there's no reason for him not to be in this base. This is the safest place for the Vanguard given that All For One is in it.

They let him see Kouta again in a few days. Magne pushes him through the facility. He bares his teeth, hissing like a car, before shrugging off the arm.

Kouta's room is different. The walls aren't utilitarian white anymore. Now, there are splashes of colour from a paint set in the corner. Izuku takes note of the television and games console, glad that there is something for the boy to distract himself with.

"I didn't know you could paint," Izuku says.

It isn't a very good painting, but he's not about to tell Kouta that. At the very least, his childish resilience means he still has a spark of creative ability. So long as that spark remains, Izuku can live happily.

It may be cruel and callous, but seeing Mandalay suffer has put things in perspective. Kouta never chose any of this and was never given the opportunity to say no. Above all others, Izuku needs to make sure Kouta is safe.

He can't know Mandalay or Ragdoll's wishes, but if they love Kouta even a tenth as much as he suspects, then he knows they would want him to take care of Kouta first.

Izuku kneels just before Kouta tackles him. He hugs the boy tightly, leaning his chin against Kouta's head. He says nothing when Kouta cries silently, only shielding him from Magne's view.

"I promised I'd save you," Izuku whispers soothingly. "Okay. I'm going to get you out."

"What about Mandalay"—for a moment, Izuku freezes—"and Pixie Bob?"

Izuku rubs Kouta's back to give his hands something to do.

"First I'll get you out," he settles on. "Sometimes, being a hero means you have to win one battle at a time. And I promise you, as far as I'm concerned, you're the most important person alive. Everything I do is to keep you safe."

Kouta pulls back to meet his eyes. They are red rimmed from his crying. "You promise?"

Izuku grins, extending his pinkie. "Tomorrow or a year from now or a century, I promise I'll do everything I can to keep you safe."

And so, they seal their promise.

It might mean nothing to Kouta, but for Izuku it is a statement like gravity makes things fall. So long as he lives, he'll keep Kouta safe for getting him involved in this. Come what may, he'll fight to the very end to make sure this kid stays safe. It's the least he can do.

"Why do you care so much?"

"I chose to be a hero," Izuku says. "If I die but you live, then I've lived a good life. I've lived a life I can be proud of. That's what it means to be a hero. I'd never hesitate if it meant you lived. I know you don't want to hear this, but I think you can understand now why your parents sacrificed themselves for strangers they didn't know."

"You know me."

"Even when I didn't, I still would have done the same. They left you and that's not fair, but they died as they lived. I don't know them, but I know that deep in their hearts, they hoped that on the day you needed a hero most, one would show up. Don't stop being angry and sad. Never stop. Keep that pain and grief close to you. But one day, maybe not this year or next year, you'll understand why they did what they did."

Kouta smacks him in the side. Izuku huffs, amused.

"Do you want to hear a story?" he asks instead.

Kouta nods. "Sure."

"Let me tell you about Hero."

The boy frowns. "I don't like heroes."

"I know, but you'll like this one. I'm talking about Hero, the one who ushered in a Golden Age. Hero who stands beside Hawkmoon and Graviton Lance and Master Railroad as a legend. Hero who led to a resurgence in southern Africa and ennobled so many others to stand against injustice. That Hero."

Izuku pokes Kouta in the forehead just for the sake of it. The boy bats his finger aside and for a moment, the sadness following him like a shadow vanishes.

"Hero started from nothing in Zimbabwe. Just a girl trying to make things better. But she was never alone, even in the beginning. She was there with her childhood friends Legion, an army unto herself, and Trafalgar, the Surgical hero. Let me tell you their story."

And so Izuku does, telling the story of Hero's Golden Age centuries gone but no less important for what it achieved. Izuku doesn't hide the gory details. They lived in a different era, one with rules that were harsher.

He speaks for hours and Kouta listens, enraptured.

Finally, he speaks of her last fight.

"They were so glorious that day, Hero and Duchess," Izuku says. "Each punch shattered the sound barrier. They were so strong that you had to look at how the weather patterns changed just to follow them. You could track their punches by the earthquakes a continent away. In the end, their final blow was like no other. Have you heard of Hero Trench?"

Kouta frowns, but nods. "No way."

"You can still find Duchess's armour at the bottom of the trench. But out came Hero, her armour broken but she looked so bright. She raised her fist and roared. I swear, the world roared with her."

Izuku ruffles Kouta's hair, grinning.

"One day, you'll roar and the world will listen. One day we'll be strong enough that no one can ever hurt us again. Just stay strong."

You sound like All For One.

For the first time in months, Izuku ignores his brother

-TDB-

Hisashi Midoriya doesn't return immediately after sending Fumikage back home. No, there are secrets to be learnt about One for All and the living lightning.

He communes with godlings and allows an alien hive mind to infect him so he may see their memories. The beached whales have a few interesting stories to tell him about Izuku and his journey through the dark.

Somehow, it all ties back to Master Railroad.

Every story he learns takes him back to the man's train and each journey circles back to it.

The first warp quirk, the World Walker says.

"You think he brought a piece of the void with him and that led to everything else."

Unknown. The dragons or the elder trees would know.

"And they're both not options."

There are other locations he could search for and more entities who would have that knowledge. But they would all try eating Hisashi first before communicating with him. And he's not ready to do that alone, especially not when he can bother Fumikage or Izumu help.

He sets aside his curiosity and makes a doorway to the real world.

The moment he returns to the real world, his phone blows up with messages. He reads through them carefully, his heart sinking with each word.

"Oh, shit."

Hisashi searches everyone location he's ever interacted with All For One or his lackeys. He searches every base and every meeting point. He uses every line of communication he has and tortures his way through a string of informants.

The destruction and devastation don't matter to him. He could care less that people are without electricity or that he watches people die to brutal acts of violence on the street. Weapons and drugs flowing freely don't interest him unless they lead to an informant of importance.

None of them knows where his son is.

"Where is my son?" he asks politely for the third time.

The girl strapped to a plain metal chair across him is terrified. It may have something to do with the pile of corpses behind Hisashi, all members of a League cell he managed to track. They were her friends before he killed them for being useless.

"I don't know," she cries.

He considers her. Young, no older than eighteen, but competent if her position in the League network is any indication.

Hisashi presses the button in his hand. The woman spasms, grunting in agony as a few thousand volts of electricity course through her body. He lets go and she slumps forward.

Hisashi sighs when he smells the urine. That will make disposing of her more cumbersome.

"Where is your boss? Tell me."

"I don't know," she moans. "Kurogiri just—"

He electrocutes her once more, letting this one last longer than the last.

"I said your boss," he snarls once she's coherent. "Not Kurogiri, your real boss."

"I don't know who you're talking about. Shigaraki is nothing to us."

"Then tell me where your division commander is."

She shakes her head. "Vanished. We were all told to break up and hide. No communication between cells. I haven't spoken to anyone from the League some the war started "

Hisashi stands and approaches her. "Well if you're useless then I may as well get rid of you."

He places the gun beneath her jaw.

"No, no, no. Please don't."

Hisashi pulls the trigger. It clicks. Empty.

"Huh, how embarrassing. Well, I suppose you can live."

Her sobs change in tone, from terror to relief.

"Thank you."

"You shouldn't thank me," he says honestly. "A clean death was the nice option."

Hisashi opens a doorway beneath her to some distant part of the abyss. She screams as she falls. Without another thought, Hisashi sets off.

He returns home and prepares for his wife's rage.

He is surprised to find her silent. There is no destruction, no damage wrought to their home or even the neighbourhood.

She's making a cup of calmly whilst he looks haggard, blood dripping down him and smelling of death.

"Our son was taken," she says, setting down a cup. "Izuku's gone and they won't give me information. I had to open that safety deposit box you left a decade ago. A personal line to the Emperor himself. Imagine that, little old Inko Midoriya speaking to the Emperor and demanding information."

Hisashi winces. Of course, she would do that.

"He told me they weren't participating until they received a confirmation to enact a kill order on those who kidnapped our son. You know what he said? He said you might be able to get him before they're at war."

Inko adds two spoons of sugar to her coffee.

"Did you find him?" she asks without looking at him, drinking her cup of coffee as though nothing has changed.

Hisashi shakes his head. "I can't track him. Everything I have isn't working."

She takes a sip of her coffee. She hums in consideration before adding another spoon of sugar.

"I know. That's why I told him to go ahead with that kill order. I knew you would fail him again. Who took our son?"

He winces, ashamed and guilty.

"His name is All For One and he's the Strongest Man Alive. There's no one alive who can match him."

"This is the same villain you worked with."

It is a statement, not a question. She knows who he once was, knows the lies he's told and the powers he's bartered with. A favour here, an errand there. Easy enough to keep All for One away from his family.

"Yes."

His wife stands and stalks towards him. She grips his collar and pulls him forward. Her eyes burn with rage. There is nothing calm or dignified. No, this is a mother's pain as its worst.

"I want UA to burn to the ground until there isn't even ash left. I want these villains to suffer. I want their heads. I want everyone they love to die. I want them to know my pain. Do you understand?

Hisashi nods. "I do."

"Get out. Don't return without my son." She touches the gun beneath his coat. "If he doesn't come back, you're the final target on my list."

"That's… fair."

"If you can't bring him back, I'll call forth every god and demon I know. I'll see this world die if it means he comes back. Don't fail me again."

She lets go and turns away. The dismissal hurts but it's nothing he doesn't deserve. He had made a promise to keep his son safe and that's failed so spectacularly.

Hisashi leaves through a doorway and heads towards one of his safe houses in Korea. He picks out the most well-armoured suit in his collection and chooses a higher calibre gun. When that's done, when he's truly ready for war, he heads to fulfil a promise.

He might not be able to keep his son safe, but there's one person he holds responsible. There is one person he warned.

Aizawa is in UA's teacher's lounge, bent over and sifting through files. The man looks beaten down and broken, too busy to mourn but half a step from breaking.

Hisashi coughs, drawing his attention.

"You," Aizawa growls, standing to his full height.

"Hello, boy."

He paces the length of the room calmly.

This room is where they laugh and joke and relax whilst every crime against his son occurred. There is Nezu's favourite spot in the sun by the chair. Here is Midnight's desk, clean and cluttered only by numerous pictures.

"I warned you once that I would hold you accountable for my son."

Hisashi turns, letting the gun beneath his jacket peak out. Aizawa tenses, ready for battle.

"You don't want to do this," Aizawa says, his capture equipment already in hand. "You can't even use your quirk."

Hisashi shakes his head. Yes, his ability to warp may be suppressed. But long before he could, he had another ability.

He inhales sharply and in the next moment, a stream of green fire escapes his lips.

It doesn't matter if Aizawa can neutralise his other quirk because it needs line-of-sight to work. And the wall of green flames breaks that.

The moment the full power of his quirk returns, the World Walker takes control and assesses their chances for victory: enclosed space limits target's agility; dual nature of Operator's quirk neutralised target's greatest strength; in possession of target's movement patterns from twelve separate world's with an 82% or higher similarity.

The World Walker opens a doorway and finds a creature longing for slivers of true life. In exchange for protection, the World Walker promises to tithe a human life. The creature agrees and the contract between them is sealed in bone and crystal.

This occurs in less than a second.

By then, Aizawa has already leapt over his desk and is in front of the World Walker. The hero punches cleanly, a blow that would destroy the old and frail body of the Operator.

A shimmering wall intercepts the blow. It brightens and then the force of Aizawa's blow is amplified a dozen times over before being reversed.

The hero grunts in agony as his arm explodes from the sudden internal forces. Every bone shatters with sickening crunches even as blood vessels burst and his skin rips open in deep lines.

The World Walker retrieves the gun and takes aim. Before it can fire, Aizawa's capture equipment snakes out. The hero is fighting against the agony of his injury. Commendable.

The threads force the gun down and wrap the World Walker's arm to his waist.

Nothing to worry over. His gun is aimed to the ground so he simply fires and opens a doorway at the same time.

Then he opens another right behind Aizawa.

The teacher is too slow and takes the bullet right to the knee. Not that he'd be able to react to a bullet. Maybe if he didn't have a ruptured arm, he might have managed something.

Aizawa topples over, his sound of pain unrestrained and horrifying.

He isn't foolish enough to think Aizawa doesn't have a secret ace. So, he repeats his earlier trick, firing from safety.

Bang.

Bang.

Bang.

Three bullets, one for each working limb. A hero can survive a lot, Aizawa more than most, but even he can't battle with each limb incapacitated.

The battle is over. In truth, this was simply a formality before the execution. Had he wanted to do this efficiently, he would have warped an abyssal creature to consume the teacher before setting off an explosive.

He ambles over to Aizawa, dragging a chair along with him. He turns it and takes a seat beside the fallen hero. He's breathing heavily but he's on the far side of fifty and not that fit.

"I told you once that I would burn down everything you love if my son was hurt," Hisashi says raggedly. "Where is he? At home, safe? At a camp that was supposed to be protected? No. Instead, he's in the hands of a villain so powerful that comparisons are useless."

"You're a monster," Aizawa spits out.

"Yes. How did you know?" He cocks his head, curious, then realises it doesn't matter. "I'm going to kill you then I'll kill one of your friends. I won't destroy UA today. No, once this war is done, every secret and lie will come to light. I'll let Japan burn it down for me."

Hisashi kneels beside Aizawa and grips him by the throat, clenching tightly.

"I told you not to fuck with me, boy."

"You're all monsters. All of you."

"Your mistake was thinking you were powerful. You aren't even a piece on the board. You made enemies of the wrong people."

Hisashi inhales once more and feels the spark of heat ignite in his chest. Gently, he exhales the green flames. They burn the man's face, chewing through skin and fat and muscle. In the process, he tithes this death to the creature that granted him protection. The screams give him just the slightest bit of joy but then they end, and he's left with the sizzle and snap of burning fat.

And when he is done, Hisashi stands. The fire suppression system activates and water pours down.

Being wet just pisses him off. He takes a massive breath, the largest of the lot. And then he breathes superheated flames that vaporise the water.

He sets the room alight with his quirk, fuelled by his rage and love for his son.

"I know he was your teacher," Hisashi says in the middle of a burning building, "but they're my enemy now. One day, I hope you understand why I did this, son, even if you don't forgive me."

Without another word, he leaves.