58

Hitoshi tried to shake the feeling that he was in trouble as he, Izuku, Mei, Ochako, Present Mic, All Might and Aizawa all crowded into the space across from Nedzu's desk. Izuku was practically vibrating with excitement next to him and after a hurried explanation in the hall on the way there, Mei was doing the same. Ochako and Mic just looked confused, but that was probably because nobody had had time to explain to either of them what this meeting was about. Aizawa just looked done with life and if he didn't know better, Hitoshi would have said that All Might was vaguely terrified. 

Nedzu, on the other hand, looked absolutely delighted, "Well, Midoriya, it appears you have discovered yet another state secret and it's not even the end of the semester yet! I must say I'm impressed."

Izuku turned bright red, "I...it was...I wasn't trying to!"

Nedzu smiled a bit wider. "That makes it even better! I knew taking you on as a student would be fun!"

"Wait, what secret?" Ochako's eyes flitted about the room. "I can leave if you need to discuss something…"

"Don't bother." Aizawa sighed. "Midoriya just figured out One for All. It's a miracle it took him this long, honestly, considering that he somehow knew about All Might's smaller form before the school year even started."

Ochako sighed in relief, "Oh good. That means I can actually ask you guys all the questions now. It was getting really hard to remember that you didn't know!"

"Uh…" Hitoshi raised his hand. "What's One for All?"

"That must be the name of Ochako's second quirk!" Izuku piped up. "What are the mechanics of it? Does it make you teleport or did it just strengthen your quirk, which resulted in teleportation? Did you know it would do that? Did you even know about it before it manifested? How did it develop? Is it genetic or artificial? How did…"

Ochako cut him off with a giggle, "All Might gave it to me, so no, it's not genetic, but it did have to be transferred through dna, which is kinda gross. And we really thought it was gonna strengthen my muscles like it did for him, but the quirk kinda just latched onto my quirk instead, so no. We had absolutely no idea that I was going to start teleporting."

Izuku lunged to grab his notebook and Mei cackled, "Oh, this is gonna be fun!"

"Whoa!" Tenya yelped as he tripped and fell into the grass for the seventeenth time. He'd counted. 

Tensei laughed as he wheeled up to him, "You need to loosen up, Tenya. You keep falling because you're too tense!"

"I'm falling because the ground keeps rolling out from under my feet." Tenya spat, tearing the roller blades off his feet. "This can't possibly be faster than just running!"

"Just calm down." Tensei put his hand on his shoulder. "Look, I know you're frustrated, but you can't let your anger get the best of you, ok?"

Tenya felt the anger rush out of him like a deflating balloon, leaving a familiar sense of dread and guilt in its place, "I...you're right. I'm sorry. It won't happen again."

Tensei sighed, "Of course it will happen again, Tenya. You can't just repress anger and expect not to blow up, that's what got you into this mess in the first place."

Tenya swallowed, "I know."

"Look." Tensei sat up and started rolling away. "You have to learn how to go with the movement, Tenya, otherwise you're gonna keep slowing yourself down. The problem isn't the roller blades, it's that you keep acting like nothing is going to move or change. You can't fight your own momentum, you have to just go with it!"

"I'm trying!" Tenya insisted. "But these things are impossible! I can't balance on them!"

"Then don't try to balance!" Tensei grinned. "Why don't you just...I don't know, lean into where you want to go and stop worrying so much? Stop being so tense and just…"

"Go with the movement." Tenya groaned. "Sure, fine. I'm just going to fall twice as fast, but fine, let's do it your way!"

Tensei smiled and gestured for him to continue and Tenya rolled his eyes as he pulled the roller blades back on, "This isn't going to work."

"Maybe not." Tensei shrugged. "But it's worth a try."

Tenya sighed and shakily stood up, holding his arms out on either side. Tensei said he was too tense, that he needed to loosen up. Tenya took a deep breath and tried to relax, forcing himself not to imagine the roller blades rolling out from under him as he started moving. Within seconds, he started falling again, but instead of freezing up he tried to go with the movement whatever that meant. Instead of falling over like he'd expected to, though, he just turned and gained momentum. It felt natural and almost freeing as he sped faster and faster...straight into the ground. He spat out a bit of dirt and glared at Tensei, who was holding his sides and would probably be on the floor laughing if he wasn't stuck in a wheelchair, "Stop laughing."

"Sorry!" Tensei gasped. "It's kinda my job as a big brother. But how did it feel? Well, before the epic crash and burn?"

Tenya frowned and looked at the roller blades, "I think you're right. Maybe it's worth a try."

Shuichi gulped before following Trapper through the misty portal. He didn't know why he was doing this, it seemed completely idiotic, but at the same time, it had to be better than staying here. He'd been in this same stupid town with teh same stupid predjudices for so long and sure, Trapper had been a bit vague on the how, but he'd basically said that not only could he help him get out of his dead end life, he could help him change the world and disprove all those prejudices that had been holding him back ever since he was a kid! Yeah, it was a little sketchy and was probably the exact opposite of a good idea, but at the end of the day...what did he really have to lose? Friends? He'd never had them. Family? Not the best relationship to begin with? Sanity? 

...Ok, maybe that last one, but he had to be insane to begin with because he was now stuck with this kid he barely knew in an unfamiliar location and he didn't even know what city they were in. Oh, and there was a blind guy hooked to machines like some pre-quirk hero movie. What had he gotten himself into?

"Hello Iguchi." The man smiled, which was somehow creepier without eyes. "My name is All for One. I'm sure you're wondering what's going on."

Shuichi nodded hesitantly, "Yeah. Trapper said you were going to change my life...and the world."

All for One grinned wider, "Exactly. You are familiar with the work of Stain, correct?"

Suichi felt a steak of happiness spurt through him, "The hero killer? Yeah! He had such a vision! Getting rid of all those fake heroes! If only he'd been able to complete his mission..."

"I agree…" All for One nodded. "It's a pity that the heroes did not allow it…"

Shuichi frowned, "the heroes? But the news said it was a rival vigilante…"

"Do you really think that the corrupt commission would want society believing any differently?" All for One's voice was full of pity. "But you seem like a bright young man, Iguchi. You deserve to know the truth. Stain was not killed by a rival. He was killed by one of the fake heroes he strove to destroy."

Shuichi gasped, "What?! A hero killed him? And they just got away with it?"

"Yeah, they sure did." Trapper piped up. "It's so unfair isn't it? The heroes get away with everything and get all the support, while the rest of us are underestimated and left in the dust."

"So how do we fix it?" Shuichi grit his teeth. "You said you were going to help me change the world."

All for One nodded, "I'm glad you asked. Before he died, Stain was able to leave behind one final piece of himself...a torch to pass on, if you will. My quirk allows me to take powers from some and give them to others who can use them better. In his final moments, when Stain knew death was certain, he entrusted me with finding a new holder for his quirk. Someone who was worthy of continuing his legacy."

Shuichi felt like he could hardly breathe as All for One reached out for him, "Shuichi Iguchi, you are worthy. Will you carry on Stain's legacy and vow to take down those fakes that call themselves heroes?"

"Yes!" Shuichi didn't even have to think about it. "It's all I've ever dreamed of! Please! Let me change the world!"

All for One chuckled, "No hesitation, just as I expected. Well, come here and let me give you your gift."

It hurt. It felt like every cell in his body was being pulled apart and rearranged as what must be Stain's quirk was forced into him. It felt like an eternity and Shuichi was fairly certain that he screamed at some point, but a few seconds later, he was on his knees catching his breath as Trapper and All for One smiled down at him. 

"How do you feel?" Trapper asked excitedly. "Powerful?"

Shuichi nodded, "It's...I'm carrying Stain's essence. A part of him is a part of me. His legacy."

"Exactly." All for One agreed. "But now that you are Stain's successor, you can no longer be who you were before. What should we call you?"

Shuichi took a deep breath and his expression hardened in determination, "Call me Spinner, because I'm the one who's going to spin the web that all the heroes will trap themselves in."

All for One grinned again, "Well then, Spinner, welcome to the league of villains."