Chapter Text
Tokyo. What once was the name of a city on earth thousands of years ago was now the name of a planet in the Ethra system of the galaxy. Quirks had expanded, the population had expanded, and now the universe was a vast frontier of planet systems and whole galaxies all run by various people, nearly every one with a unique power. Some were good, some were evil, and all were dangerous.
And the most well known was All Might. All Might, Tokyo's guardian, and the name that could cause criminals of all caliber to quake in fear. Despite the amount that quirks had evolved, with every year bringing into being humans of extraordinary power, not one could hold a candle to the sheer strength that All Might possessed. No one had any idea how he'd come to be the way he was, with his ancestry shrouded in mystery. He'd simply emerged one day, with his bulging muscles and signature smile.
And now he was gone.
All Might's fortress was located in the very center of Tokyo's biggest city. There was no need for secrecy, as only a fool would attempt to take All Might head on. There was no taking him by surprise, and even that element would help no one. Bakugou Katsuki was no fool. But he was reckless.
The angry blond stomped down the hallway, making no effort to hide his presence as his footsteps brought him closer and closer to the double doors that hid the hero he was trying to find. Two guards waited there, guns at the ready, but Bakugou only sneered, raising his hands and loosing two crippling explosions that brought the men to the ground, blowing the doors wide open.
Inside was All Might, waiting at his desk. His face held no surprise, as if he'd been expecting Bakugou all along. Bakugou hated it, hated the inferior feeling that always bubbled up inside him at the sight of his old mentor's face. But he hid it well, curling his lips in a snarl instead.
"Ah. Young Bakugou," grinned the man. He wasn't old, but he wasn't young either. Yet something in his face indicated weakness. He looked tired, something that Bakugou had never once seen in the man.
"I knew you'd come," All Might continued with a sigh. He coughed into his hand and Bakugou's eyebrows rose in surprise as it came away bloody. Something had happened in his absence. All Might was no longer the indestructible symbol of peace that he'd been for so long.
"I found out. You thought you could hide it from me, but I know how you got to be so powerful," Bakugou said, triumphantly.
All Might grinned. "I never tried to deceive you. I just knew you weren't ready."
"Weren't ready? I trained for years. I worked my ass off, I did everything you asked and yet you turned me away. You thought I was weak," Bakugou spat.
"I never said that," All Might replied, with an infuriating level of calm. "You're very strong, Bakugou. Too strong. One for All would do you no good."
Bakugou glared at the man, and pulled his gun from his holster, leveling it at All Might's head. "That's one man's opinion. You know what I could do with that power. You just don't want anyone else to have it."
"That's one thing you have right," All Might sighed. "You don't know what that power would do to the world, Bakugou. Not even I should have ever had it. It's hidden, and if you care what's best for the galaxy, you'll let it be."
"Like hell I will," Bakugou hissed. "You have two options. You can tell me where you've hidden it, or I can put this bullet through your skull."
All Might laughed, much to Bakugou's fury. He cocked the gun, his glare intensifying and All Might gave the boy a sad look.
"I was going to destroy it. And yet I could never bring myself to. Every time, I told myself I'd wait, just a little longer, just a bit more, and now I won't live long enough to see it gone. Ironic isn't it? I was the weak one, young Bakugou. Not you."
"I don't need your monologues, old man. I need that serum," Bakugou spat.
"I hoped it wouldn't come to this, but I had a feeling. Very well, Bakugou. I'm sick and dying anyway. Go ahead and end it, and see where that gets you," he replied, looking past the gun and into Bakugou's eyes.
The blond hesitated. It was brief, but All Might saw it and seized the opportunity.
"You're not the only one after this power," All Might warned. "Young Midoriya has likely figured it out. So did the man who left me with this."
All Might lifted his shirt to reveal a twisted garish scar that spread like lightning across his torso, oozing a black liquid. Bakugou knew how it'd happened, but he'd had no idea that it'd left All Might in his current state.
"Is this a fight you're prepared for?" All Might questioned, tilting his head. He'd seen so many people lost to the temptation of power. He didn't want to add Bakugou to that list.
Bakugou forced his gaze to remain unfazed. All Might was acting only out of desperation and he couldn't afford to let it affect him now. Not when it was all so close. "All for One is dead. You killed him."
"True enough. But All for One had a following. A movement. He has plenty of zealots who want that power just as much as you do, and you can only hope they destroy each other before one of them finds it and destroys the world," All Might said. He paused to cough again, this time not even bothering to wipe away the blood that spilled over his lips.
Bakugou paused. It was so strange to see him weak like this. For just a moment, the boy that All Might remembered taking in was there, the one with eyes full of passion and a heart ready to learn. He was there, just out of reach.
"It's not too late, young Bakugou," All Might pleaded. "You could find it and destroy it. You have so much potential for good, you could help people."
And then he was gone, quickly replaced by the Bakugou everyone knew now, the man who ravaged the galaxy, ruthlessly taking what he wanted simply because he could. Bakugou's gaze hardened.
"No one ever helped me."
His hand didn't even shake as he pulled the trigger and All Might fell backwards, silenced forever. Funny how fragile the Symbol of Peace looked with a bullet between his eyes.
Bakugou turned and left, not looking back. He didn't need All Might. He didn't need anyone. He had his crew and he had his quirk, and once he got a hold of the One for All serum, he would be unstoppable. He would undoubtedly be the most powerful man in the galaxy, and perhaps then would his ambitions, the itch inside him that always pushed for him to do more and be more would be silenced. He could be at peace.
As he left the building, the guards were groaning, starting to stir from their unconsciousness. Bakugou let them, confident that they would soon see what he had done and spread the news that there was no more Symbol of Peace.
Now was his time. The era of peace and harmony was over, and the hand of chaos, Bakugou Katsuki's hand would spread over everything until nothing was left unconquered.
"You thought you could tame me," Bakugou muttered.
You were wrong.