Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Izuku had spent months tracking All Smite sightings. He had a massive corkboard in his room, conveniently sized to tuck under his bed whenever his mom came by. The other kids at school called Izuku a villain fanboy. That was very unfair. Izuku did not condone villainy or want to become a villain. But as he got kicked around at Aldera Middle School every day for being quirkless, Izuku had developed a fascination with the villains who lurked at the fringes of society. In his opinion, more people should be researching villainy and the underlying causes instead of always throwing violence at the problem. Izuku had written a twenty page paper on the subject (it had been failed by his teacher with a sticky note telling him that he was creepy.).

In particular, Izuku was convinced All Smite had more complicated motives than the average villain. According to the media, no one knew why All Smite popped up, destroyed property, and sometimes killed people. Always important people, either politicians or wealthy businessmen. Then the black-suited villain vanished into the mist before the heroes could catch him. The heroes did not try very hard, not when they’d gotten their asses kicked by All Smite so many times. Even attacking him as a group had resulting in an embarrassing loss for every top hero in Japan. Most people assumed All Smite to be a man addicted to destruction. Psychologists had gotten on TV and claimed he must be driven to break everything by his quirk urges.

Izuku didn’t buy it. All Smite was very controlled in his destruction. If he targeted a particular business, the building next door wouldn’t take a scratch. When he fought heroes, he usually left them alive, except for select ones where he snapped their necks deliberately and efficiently. Izuku had done careful research, and he was certain all the heroes All Smite had killed were corrupt. They either took bribes from villains or outright used their licenses as cover to commit their own crimes. The deeper Izuku looked, the more it seemed All Smite went after businesses and politicians with crime connections. Not just the yakuza. Izuku had uncovered outlines of a shadowy villain organization, and All Smite at war with them.

Was Izuku truly the only one who saw this? Or did the people in power cover it up? The Hero Public Safety Commission was rife with corruption and had been frequently targeted by All Smite. Of course they would prefer to cast All Smite as a psychopath rather than a vigilante (albeit a very violent one).

If Izuku told anyone his theories, he’d be deemed unstable. Just because he’d had a picture of All Smite in his notebook, Kacchan had burned it and sarcastically asked if he was checking out his future career options. Izuku could recite the statistics on quirkless people falling into crime by heart—because his teacher mentioned them often enough in class. No, Izuku didn’t think anyone would take his theories very seriously. But for his own curiosity, he needed to know.

Late one night, Izuku snuck out of his bedroom to investigate. He took the train down to the docks.

All Smite and Endeavor’s battle could be heard from a kilometer away. The blaze and crackling of flames nearly drowned out the sirens. Explosions danced off the water of Musutafu Bay. Police were herding people away from the building. Fortunately Izuku had already planned for this. He’d researched an abandoned building in the right spot. He climbed onto the roof and hunkered down to wait.

Only Endeavor, the current number one hero, kept trying to fight All Smite like he had a death wish. Endeavor held a deep shame over losing to the villain so many times. This time proved no different. Endeavor went down from a sucker-punch to the gut. All Smite stepped over the hero’s unconscious body, dipped a stick into the surrounding flames, and set alight a boat docked in the harbor.

Izuku pumped a fist in victory. That ship had held medical supplies. No doubt the media would report this as another perfidious crime by All Smite. But Izuku had been researching Jaku Hospital, the recipients, and noticed a lot of their supplies went mysteriously missing. Jaku Hospital was involved in something sketchy. Izuku had successfully been able to predict the actions of the supposedly random and insane villain. This confirmed Izuku’s suspicions that All Smite was in a secret war with another criminal power. Even if no one would ever know or believe him, he’d been right!

Before departing, All Smite stamped out the flames to stop them from spreading. Would a violent lunatic do that? Izuku definitely did not think All Smite was any kind of hero, and he didn’t know if All Smite was better or worse than the people he fought against, but he was damn well certain that All Smite was a highly organized criminal mastermind with a plan.

Content, Izuku closed his notebook and stood up.

All Smite looked up. With his famously terrifying smile gleaming in the darkness, he stared straight at the abandoned building. The smile dropped off his face, replaced by an expression unreadable from such a great distance. Heart pounding, Izuku ducked down. Only fifteen minutes later did he dare raise his head.

All Smite was gone. The villain couldn’t have seen Izuku. Not from so far away. And even if he had, All Smite didn’t target people randomly. Izuku had no reason to draw the attention of the number one villain. Even so, Izuku sweated the entire train ride home. Perhaps he should put an end to foolish late night trips to study villains.

Toshinori Yagi had only glimpsed the boy sitting on the roof of an abandoned building briefly, but he knew what he’d seen. All for One’s very familiar features, blended with Nana Shimura’s eye shape and round face. The combination had nearly knocked him off his feet as Endeavor’s blows never could.

Perhaps it was a coincidence. Or an old man seeing nostalgic memories in the middle of his battles. But Toshinori had to be certain. Forgetting all about Jaku Hospital and their illicit experiments, he slipped away, silently following the boy home.

The house looked ordinary from the outside. He snapped a picture of the mailbox. A home address was all Toshinori needed to get a name. He texted, about to send orders to his employees to research this family. Then the moonlight fell through the window across family photo hanging in the living room. The green-haired boy stood with his parents on either side: a woman who looked uncannily like Nana Shimura and All for One.

Memory bowled him over like a hurricane.

He’d been a homeless quirkless teen when All for One had approached him. All alone and bitter toward a world that valued people based on their power. Young Toshinori had no power: not money, not family connections, and most importantly, not a quirk. All for One had made Toshinori an offer. He would approach a hero named Nana Shimura, a sad woman who’d recently given up her son and her infant daughter for adoption. She’d be ripe to develop an attachment to an orphaned, brave boy. Toshinori would persuade Nana to make him into her successor. After obtaining One for All, he would give the quirk to All for One. If Toshinori succeeded, then he’d been promised a quirk of his choice and enough money to live in luxury for the rest of his life.

Of course Toshinori had accepted. He had nothing to lose. Stealing would not be new to him, and he hated heroes. The proud, snooty bastards used their power to oppress others and pretended to be better than the criminals they beat down with brute force.

At first, Nana had been nothing except a mark to Toshinori. Like All for One had said, she’d been easy to manipulate by a boy who pretended to love heroes in all their idiotic caped glory. Yet she’d been unfailingly kind to him. After learning about him dropping out of school way back in elementary, she’d personally tutored him. She’d called him a genius, which had surprised him, because on the rare occasions when people looked at him at all, they only saw brawn. Only Nana had faith in him. She’d died believing she was protecting him from All for One.

In that moment, something inside Toshinori had changed. He’d stolen One for All and fled. Since he’d betrayed the hero who had loved him, why not also betray the villain who had used him? He had zero regrets about this decision, even though All for One had hunted him for decades. Clearly One for All was the best quirk. Nothing All for One could have given him would have matched it in value. Toshinori could never be a hero. He still believed heroes to be symbols of everything wrong with society, oppressive to people who wanted to live freely and use their powers without restriction. Still, Toshinori had fought against All for One, partly because the villain kept trying to kill him and partly because it was what Nana would have wanted. Nana would have hated what All Smite had become, but he could at least fulfil the legacy of One for All for her and destroy her archnemesis.

Over the last fourteen years, Toshinori had been irritated and thwarted by All for One retreating from the underworld. He’d believed the coward had fled a battle he wasn’t strong enough to win. Now, having seen that family picture, Toshinori realized All for One had gone into semi-retirement to start a family.

A family with Nana Shimura’s daughter.

Toshinori had reports on the Midoriya family on this desk by daybreak. Inko Midoriya was, as suspected, the daughter of Nana Shimura. It had not merely been a trick of the memory. She was a stay-at-home mom. Toshinori assumed this was All for One’s way of controlling her and keeping her financially dependent on him. Marrying Nana’s daughter must have been part of the villain’s subtle revenge plot. The Sensei who Toshinori had known as a child wouldn’t have been the type to start a family. All for One did nothing without a purpose. Whatever All for One intended, it couldn’t be good. Inko’s medical files showed anxiety medication. No wonder living with All for One had destroyed her nerves.

Izuku Midoriya was a quirkless teenager suffering from heavy bullying at school. He had little interactions with his peers in-person but frequently posted on websites about hero and villain stats. The boy was clearly brilliant, judging from how cleverly he’d analyzed All Smite’s quirk in several posts. Naturally, Toshinori assumed that if All for One cared about his son, he wouldn’t allow the bullying. Izuku was probably another pawn in the revenge scheme. Toshinori’s heart, solidified rock hard by years of fighting against All for One, gave a small throb. He remembered what it had been like when he’d been a quirkless child pushed around and beaten, even his tiny stockpile of stolen food taken by larger kids. He remembered being a pawn, being so hopeless and desperate for a quirk that he could be talked into anything. No doubt All for One would use the same tactics to force Izuku into villainy, getting a sick thrill out of turning Nana’s grandson into a villain.

Toshinori had been looking for a successor for years, ever since he’d realized he might die of old age before finding and killing All for One.

Hmm. By turning Izuku into One for All’s successor, Toshinori saw a route to achieve multiple goals. He could remove All for One’s latest pawn from the playing field. Save young Izuku. Perhaps lure All for One out of hiding if this plan was important enough to him. And Toshinori could pass along One for All to Nana’s grandson, a meager attempt to repay his debt to her. It would be perfect.

Izuku would make an excellent successor. The boy would simply need some…training, in order to adapt to his new reality.

A hand shaking his shoulder woke Izuku up. “Mom?” he mumbled. The hand felt too large. “Dad?” Shouldn’t his father be in America? Cracking one eye open, he saw the clock reading three in the morning. A drift sent his window curtains fluttering. When had the window opened? Sitting up, he asked, “What’s going on?”

The eternally smiling devil of Japan beamed down at him.

Suddenly Izuku was wide-awake. He nearly screamed, but he clamped his hand over his mouth in time.

“Smart,” All Smite complimented him.

They both knew screaming would do Izuku no good. For one thing, All Smite was fast enough to snap his neck before he got a syllable out. For another, no hero or police officer could stop All Smite. The world treated him more like a force of nature than a villain. Izuku had just watched the number one hero get his ass kicked earlier in the morning. If All Smite wanted Izuku dead, then Izuku would die. He could only pray not to bring down his mother with him.

“If you’re here to kill me because I saw you earlier, then p-please leave my mom alone. She doesn’t know anything.” Izuku tried to keep his voice calm, wanting to die with dignity, but he could not help stammering a little. A lump had swelled up in his throat. This would be it, huh? At least he’d die before he became a homeless drug-addicted criminal like everyone at Aldera expected of him.

“Brave, too. You’re perfect,” All Smite said, his infamous evil grin widening. That smile caused a nearly Pavlovian fear in people around the world, because as soon as they saw it, they knew the heroes would lose and nothing would be all right.

For a brief, mad moment, Izuku wanted to run, but All Smite was a massive wall of muscle between him and the door, and he had his mother sleeping peacefully in the next room to protect. This was all his fault. He never should have followed a villain. Only he should pay the price.

All Smite said, “I’ll offer you a deal, young one. Come with me, and I give my word to never harm your mother under any circumstances.” He held out his hand.

Everything Izuku knew about All Smite said he always kept his word. The number one villain was odd like that. Therefore, Izuku had no choice. His mother came first. He let his hand be engulfed by that massive one.

All Smite tucked Izuku under his arm like a package, then leapt out the window.

In the middle of negotiating a new shipment of medical supplies for the Nomu Project, All for One received a phone call.

In a broken voice, Inko said, “When I woke up this morning, Izuku was gone.”

All for One shifted into Hisashi Midoriya, worried father, in the flash of an eye. Hisashi was back home as fast as his quirks could take him.

He found his wife sitting on the couch, weeping. A black card with A.S.—All Smite’s calling card—lay on the table. Inko blew her nose. “As soon as they saw the card, the police left. The cowards filed Izuku as a runaway. No one is willing to take on All Smite. Especially not after Endeavor lost. I don’t understand, Hisashi. Why would the number one villain target our son?”

But Hisashi understood all too well. This had happened because of him.

Toshinori Yagi had been All for One’s greatest mistake since the battle that had left his little brother dead, and he did not make that comparison lightly. When they’d first met, Toshinori had seemed like a simple, angry boy, smart enough to possibly obtain One for All and dumb enough to manipulate out of it.

But Toshinori had turned completely irrational after Nana Shimura’s death. (Even though he’d helped arrange it and lead Nana into a trap.) He seemed to think he had the right to take revenge on All for One even though his precious Nana would have despised him if she’d known the truth. What an enormous hypocrite. Unfortunately, that hypocrite possessed one of the strongest quirks in the world.

After All Smite had grown too powerful, All for One had decided to outlive him. Around that time, Hisashi had met his beautiful wife and fallen for her. He genuinely hadn’t known Inko was Nana’s daughter. (Yes, they looked alike, but he was really, really bad at faces.) That had been a nasty surprise during his background check on her. By then, he’d been too smitten to care. It would be fine as long as Inko didn’t find out. She’d never expressed much curiosity about her birth parents.

The day Hisashi’s son had been born had been the happiest day of his life. He’d slipped into semi-retirement, keeping up just enough activity to distract All Smite. After the mistakes he’d made with his brother, this time Hisashi had decided to prioritize his family.

Yet once again, his family had been stolen from him.

Inko whimpered. Hisashi realized he’d accidentally unleashed his skin-crawling aura. With great effort, he controlled himself. He went to the couch and put an arm around his wife, comforting her with sweet lies.

All Smite almost certainly knew about the Nana connection. Otherwise, he wouldn’t have left Inko behind and unharmed. Likely for the same reason, Hisashi had returned home to a kidnapped son instead of a dead one. But would All Smite’s loyalty to the second mentor he betrayed be stronger than his hatred of his first mentor? Hisashi didn’t know. He had no idea what All Smite wanted with his son. The lack of knowledge terrified the master of the underworld.

But Hisashi did know one thing: he would hunt All Smite down and kill him for this.

Izuku had never been on a helicopter before. Not until All Smite had abducted him in the middle of the night and strapped him into the passenger seat. The villain had even packed a bag of Izuku’s clothes. That was a good sign, wasn’t it? It probably meant All Smite intended for Izuku to live at least a week or two longer.

As the helicopter drifted over the ocean, Izuku stared at the stars, so much clearer than in the city. He wondered where they were going. He contemplated grabbing the controls and diving them into the ocean, but All Smite could survive it. In fact, All Smite could probably snap his wrist before he got close.

A small, less relevant part of Izuku felt a little betrayed. He’d been convinced that All Smite didn’t involve civilians. Not that he imagined All Smite to be any kind of saint, but—this meant Izuku’s analysis had been wrong. That, or Izuku’s spying had been enough to turn him into an acceptable target.

They approached a tiny island almost completed covered by a sprawling stone mansion. The helicopter landed on the pad on the roof. This rock was so small, it might not even be on maps. How would Izuku be able to escape a place only accessible by helicopter? He couldn’t fly one.

All Smite opened the door and offered Izuku a hand down. It seemed politic to take it.

Abruptly, Izuku asked, “Is your promise not to harm my mother void if I try to escape?” It was a blunt and risky question. But surely All Smite must already know his captive was thinking about escape. No matter how the media tried to portray him as a brute, All Smite was a brilliant tactician. Izuku thought it better to get everything out in the open so he knew if he had to kill All Smite before even trying to escape.

All Smite met his eyes. “I will never harm your mother. I wouldn’t have, even if you hadn’t made that bargain.” He ruffled Izuku’s hair. “You made a foolish deal, my boy, but I’ll teach you better. I expect you to try to escape. You won’t succeed. But your attempts will be educational for you.”

Izuku exhaled in relief—which turned to confusion. “It doesn’t sound like you fear me escaping. Then you didn’t kidnap me because I saw your fight with Endeavor. Of course you didn’t, why would you care? You seemed to recognize me back then when you spotted me on the roof. Why did you take me?”

“I’ll explain in the morning, when you’re better rested,” All Smite said.

“I’d rather an explanation now.” Izuku wet his lips and tried to be conciliatory. “If it’s not too much trouble.”

“In the morning,” All Smite said firmly, and ended further discussion by picking up Izuku again.

Izuku was carried down the stairs and into a bedroom. The room had clearly been set up for a child, with a bed, desk, and bookshelf. There was an attached bathroom. The books were all comics to Izuku’s personal tastes, a gesture which chilled rather than pleased him. The villain had been researching him. Why? What made a quirkless boy so important?

All Smite set Izuku down on the bed. “Go to sleep,” he said, the tone an order.

Sarcastically, Izuku asked, “And you’ll kill me in the morning?” It was a reference to a pre-quirks movie his father liked.

“I’ll never kill you,” All Smite said. “I may break you down and mold you into a new, better being, but your life is sacrosanct in my hands.” That famous wicked grin spread across his face again. “You’re my precious successor.”

The door closed, clicking with a lock. On those confusing words, Izuku was plunged into darkness.

When Izuku woke up, the smell of bacon ticked his nose. Not only was his door unlocked, it was partly cracked open, as if to lure him out.

Izuku had not tried to escape over the night, although he’d barely been able to sleep, tormented by the knowledge of his parents’ fear and crafting plans to return home. But none of his ideas had been even slightly plausible. He was trapped on an island with the number one villain. Realistically, he needed to at least scope out the place and look for a boat. Trying anything on the first night, when All Smite’s guard would be highest, would have been foolish. Izuku didn’t know what was going on, but he believed All Smite’s promise not to kill him. For that reason, he had time to plan an escape instead of skipping straight to a desperate last stand. He’d struggled to make sense of the successor part and eventually concluded he must have heard wrong. Why would the number one villain want a quirkless kid to succeed him?

Izuku opened the door and followed the sound of All Smite whistling. The massive villain stood before the stove, wearing apron with “PANCAKE KING” written on the front. Turning around, All Smite added a pancake to a plate with scrambled eggs. “Eat up,” he said with a big grin.

There would have been no point in poisoning the food. Izuku sat on a stool by the kitchen counter and took a bite. The pancakes were perfectly fluffy. “It’s good,” he admitted. “Not as good as my mom’s pancakes, of course,” a suicidal loyalty compelled him to add.

All Smite chuckled. “I don’t doubt it, young Shimura. Your grandmother was the best cook I ever knew.”

“You knew my grandmother?” Izuku blinked. “Why did you call me Shimura?” This kidnapping had better not be a mistaken identity, or he would have a meltdown.

All Smite sat down, pulling over his own plate stacked very high with pancakes. “It’s time for the explanation I promised you.”

Izuku nodded and tried to memorize every word.

All Smite told a story, about a villain from the ancient past with the power to give and take quirks. A heroic younger brother who’d resisted the devil and paid the ultimate price. A legacy of heroes. A boy who’d inherited the legacy. Somehow, Izuku got the feeling All Smite had not quite told him everything about how he’d first met Nana Shimura as a child, but it was merely a hunch.

“Nana Shimura was your grandmother. She gave your mother up for adoption to protect her.” All Smite paused. “And she failed. All for One is your father.”

Izuku choked on a bite of eggs. As he coughed, All Smite helpfully handed him a glass of orange juice.

Wiping his mouth, Izuku said, “You must be mistaken. My father has a fire-breathing quirk.”

“Among others,” All Smite said darkly. “I prepared proof for you. First, you should finish your breakfast. You won’t want to see this while eating. I assure you, I don’t hold your parentage against you. Clearly, you inherited Nana’s brilliant spirit. That’s why I decided to make you the Ninth Successor to One for All.”

Izuku’s breath stopped again. “Now?” he asked weakly. He…was getting a quirk? The strongest quirk? It felt surreal, unbelievable.

All Smite flashed a grin. “You’ll need to train first, to strengthen your mind and body to inherit the strongest quirk in the world.”

In other words, All Smite planned to brainwash Izuku. That made a little more sense. In all honestly, such a powerful quirk was tempting to a quirkless boy. But Izuku knew he’d be naïve to assume he could resist brainwashing and Stockholm Syndrome simply because he saw the danger coming. With his parents waiting for him, he could not afford to hang around a villain’s evil lair. “How long will it take for me to be ready?”

“That depends on your effort,” All Smite said with a cryptic chuckle.

Izuku decided to risk honesty once again. “What happens if I don’t want to use One for All for the same purposes as you? I don’t intend to become a villain. I don’t believe you about my father, and I don’t want to kill my own dad.”

“How you use One for All is your own choice,” All Smite said. “It would be a dreadful waste for someone of your talents and courage to become a hero, and I plan to show you that. But it’s up to you whether you become a villain. Personally I’ve never thought of myself as a bad guy—I’m someone who provides a necessary purpose keeping the darkness of the world in check. Ultimately, you’ll decide how best to carry on the legacy of One for All. I’ve had my chance. I had successes, but I ultimately failed to fulfil the main purpose of our legacy, so I don’t see myself as in any position to tell you what to do. Now it’s your turn to carry the torch. As for your father—you’ll change your mind once you see his true nature.”

Izuku did not know how much of this he believed. He still wondered if the transferable quirk might be a lie, bait for an unknown purpose. Nothing in his extensive research had ever suggested quirks could be passed down. It seemed even less likely All Smite would give his up. “If I refuse?”

With a knowing gaze, All Smite asked, “Do you truly want to turn down a quirk?” Their eyes locked, one formerly quirkless boy to another.

Izuku looked away first. “I want to return to my mother more than I want a power.”

“Returning to her is not an option. I cannot let All for One have you. Until you are prepared to become my successor, you will stay on this island. If you have to stay here regardless, then do you want to train with me to inherit One for All?”

Izuku looked up. “Yes,” he admitted. He justified to himself that it would be better to play along in hopes the villain would lower his guard. But he did not plan to stay long enough to complete this mysterious training unless something went wrong with his intended escape.

Yet…to have a quirk…

From All Smite’s knowing smile, he understood entirely too much.

Izuku had a strong feeling that All Smite knew his compliance was fake. The villain must know. Did All Smite believe the lure of a quirk would win in the end? (Would it? And to what end exactly? Would it be better for the world if Izuku possessed One for All instead of a villain?)

After breakfast, All Smite took Izuku to his office and showed him a detailed presentation of All for One’s crimes.

By the first half an hour, Izuku had vomited up his breakfast. All Smite held out a trash bin and gently patted his back. Then All Smite forced Izuku to watch the rest of the video of his father dissecting a hero student’s corpse to retrieve the quirk inside.

Izuku wanted to deny it. Videos could be faked. There were even quirks to create illusions. But it hadn’t just been the videos, it had been piles of documentation timed to his father’s business trips. It had been the odd moments Izuku remembered when his father moved a little too fast and his eyes flashed red. Izuku’s own research proved the existence of the shadowy master of the underworld. Most of all, if it wasn’t true, then All Smite would have had no reason to kidnap Izuku. All Smite was no fool. If he believed this, then it was true.

It hurt so much that Izuku’s father could have given him a quirk, could have given him a million quirks, and had never bothered. Funny, how that tiny betrayal stood out among the multitudes. Izuku knew he ought to be much more upset about all the murder. Oh, and the unholy mad science, and the political corruption, and the attempted world domination. But that small, personal betrayal completely shattered Izuku’s image of a loving father. His dad had seen how much Izuku had suffered without a quirk and never even slipped him one secretly.

“I know it’s a lot to take in,” All Smite said. He looked smug at seeing Izuku so pale and shaken with revulsion for his own father. “Do you want to take a break for the rest of the day? Or begin your training at once? I won’t think less of you if you need a day to recover, young Shimura.”

Izuku’s throat felt sore from vomiting and his head throbbed. “Must you keep calling me Shimura? That’s not my last name.”

“I refuse to call you by All for One’s fake name. If you prefer, how about young Izuku?”

“That’s fine,” Izuku said, having a vague memory of reading in a book that first names would help him humanize himself to his captor. Or was he faking compliance a little too fast? He was in no state for plans. “I think I need a break.”

“I’ll put on a movie for us to watch,” All Smite said. “Do you like comedies?”

Izuku gaped. “I assumed you would need to leave on…villain business.”

“I’m taking a break from work,” All Smite said cheerfully. “All for One will be hunting me across Japan with every last one of his resources, furious that I robbed him yet again. I’ll let him run around like a headless chicken. We’re not in Japan any longer. He’ll never find us here.”

Unfortunately, Izuku feared the villain was right. Though Izuku had mixed feelings about his father finding him at the moment, he worried no one at all would be able to save him. Izuku was trapped on this island with the strongest villain.

They watched a movie. It was astonishingly normal. Izuku felt like a bundle of nerves with the massive bulk of the number one villain sitting on the couch next to him. All Smite moved with unnatural speed even when he reached for the remote. But the villain never once made a move to hurt Izuku. Even his kidnapping had been oddly gentle in retrospect.

There was one more question Izuku had to know the answer to. “Why didn’t you kidnap my mom too? She’s related to Nana Shimura as well.” He feared giving the villain ideas, but there was no way All Smite hadn’t thought about it when he’d been in the same house with a sleeping Inko. Alas, Izuku didn’t think their promise covered abduction because All Smite clearly didn’t see it as harm.

All Smite said, “Earlier today, I sent your mother a note telling her I could get her away from her husband if she needed help. She showed him the note, so that means she made her choice. Someday she’ll see him for what he really is, and then I’ll be there to help.” He did not sound overly concerned.

Izuku demanded, “Why did Mom get a choice and I didn’t?”

“She’s an adult. You’re a child.”

“I’m not your child! You don’t get to make decisions for me.”

With chilling conviction, All Smite said, “You’re my son now.” There was no arguing with that sort of all-encompassing delusion that brooked no disagreement from reality. Izuku could tell he wouldn’t be able to reason his way out of this one.

In a smaller voice, Izuku asked if he could take a walk around the island. All Smite agreed with a very knowing smile. In fact, All Smite went out of his way to escort Izuku around the entire island and let him see the painful truth. There were no boats on this island. There was no way off except a helicopter Izuku couldn’t fly.

It appeared Izuku would not leave this island unless he inherited All Smite’s quirk.

OMAKE TIME!

Izuku: All my teachers at Aldera told me I’d grow up to be a homeless drug-addicted criminal.

All Smite: Dream bigger! Become the number one villain.

#

All for One: I love my son in this fic.

All Smite: In all fairness nothing from canon would have led me to believe that.

All for One: Also why would you think you can turn Izuku against me? Ever since you vilely kidnapped my son, I’ve prepared a nice vault to keep him safe.

All Smite: Apparently I wasn’t wrong about that one.

#

All Smite: I’ve saved Izuku by kidnapping him away from his evil father.

Inko: You took my son away from me as well.

All Smite: Eh, I figure you’ll save yourself and get a divorce once you see your husband’s bank vault.

Inko: Or I’ll drop the bank vault on your head from a high distance.

#

All Might: I just want to live long enough to mentor Izuku.

All Smite: Me too!

All Might: Why do you wear black?

All Smite: Why do you dress like the American flag? You’re from Japan. It’s weird.

#

All Smite: Ha-ha, I promised Izuku to never harm his mother. Little does he know I’d never harm Nana’s daughter so I didn’t give up anything.

Inko: Oh, so this will be a one-sided fight? Step within the reach of the frying pan and give up your skull.

#

All Smite: All for One doesn’t deserve such a cute son.

All Might: Whoa, for once, we agree on something, my evil alter ego.

All Smite: What some call kidnapping, I call surprise adoption.

All for One: Yikes, for once we agree on something, my archnemesis. I hate it.

Chapter Text

The next morning, Izuku ate another hearty breakfast which he kept down this time. Then All Smite took him out to the beach to lift off the rubble left behind from the last storm.

No matter how Izuku moved rocks and tree branches, it seemed endless. Yet he did not dare complain under the villain’s watchful eye.

Around noon, All Smite said, “Time to take a break and eat.” He patted Izuku on the shoulder. “You did well, my boy. Most children your age would have given up after the first hour. I knew you had your grandmother’s spirit in you.”

The tips of Izuku’s ears turned red. After every teacher at Aldera had accused him of being lazy and worthless, he could not help but enjoy the praise. But wasn’t this just an attempt to brainwash him? All Smite probably didn’t even mean it. He wouldn’t seriously praise his archnemesis’ son. Izuku felt pathetic, getting tricked so easily.

After lunch came studying time. All Smite brought out historical records of All for One’s crimes. They ranged from horrific to nearly funny. (All for One once locked his little brother up inside a bank vault? Seriously?)

In addition to studying All for One, All Smite also forced Izuku to study the corruption of hero society. And it was bad. Much worse than even Izuku, avid online critic of the government, would have guessed. The Hero Public Safety Commission had dissenters assassinated. Nearly a majority of the Diet took bribes from All for One. The number one hero Endeavor’s family life was full of dark secrets. Heroism was openly about making money, with heroes barely even bothering to help people in classes of society who couldn’t afford it. Discrimination against people with mutant quirks and the quirkless had been in some cases actively encouraged by the government. The entire hero system relied on a certain number of villains to keep the populace scared, even if the HPSC had to arrange them.

The messed-up system had originated during the dawn of the age of quirks. The Japanese government had initially started oppressing people with special abilities, only to pivot when the group grew too numerous and powerful. But the people in power back then had actively hated metahumans and deliberately passed laws to suppress use of powers and have an excuse to label a certain percentage of the population as villains. Heroes were the enforcers who took down villains and kept the populace entertained like the old Roman bread and circuses. When people with quirks became the majority, the focus had shifted to oppressing people with mutations instead. There always had to be a group of designated villains to keep people too scared to question their leadership or the restrictions on their abilities. As quirks had grown stronger over time, public officials had grown even more fearful of a populace who didn’t yet realize how easily even a small group could overthrow the government. Perhaps the fear of Quirk Singularity was legitimate, as increasing numbers of children had hurt themselves or others. But those in power had not focused on finding solutions to dangerous abilities or creating a government that people would want to defend. They’d been obsessed with keeping everything under control. And it hadn’t worked. For a while, the HPSC had been looking for stronger heroes to become a symbol of peace, but their existing crop hadn’t been powerful enough to bear the burden. Although people were more scared of villains than ever, they’d lost faith in heroes.

Izuku knew All Smite had shown him all this information to manipulate him. But it had worked, because it was all true. Izuku had read straight from secret HPSC files. He’d never been overly interested in being a professional hero. He wanted to help people, but he hadn’t trusted the heroes. After several days of this onslaught of cynicism, he could safely say he’d never, ever even consider heroism as a career. But he still didn’t want to become a villain. What did villains do except make it worse? All Smite clearly believed he’d done good in holding back All for One, but their private war had led to causalities across Japan. Villains fighting villains wouldn’t give people hope.

Maybe the country needed a new prime minister more than villains or heroes. Izuku, a teenage boy, was in no position to run for office. Though he’d been considering getting involved in political activism if he ever made it off this damn island.

Izuku’s days were divided between studying and strength training. He still feared maybe All Smite had only bribed him with successorship to get his compliance and had no intention of handing over his quirk. However, at the least All Smite seemed deadly in earnest about training Izuku. On the plus side, each day left Izuku so exhausted that he fell asleep immediately. On the negative side, he was too tired and busy to plan an escape.

For a villain, All Smite strangely resembled a supportive soccer mom. He made Izuku delicious meals with a diet plan designed to build muscle. He constantly praised and encouraged. He offered to massage Izuku after the weightlifting left him sore all over. At first Izuku had refused but his pride had collapsed by the end of the first week. It turned out All Smite could wipe out his muscle pain in about five seconds of rapid massaging. The villain would have done more good in the world as a masseuse.

A couple times, Izuku asked if he could call his mother. All Smite said that he’d sent her proof Izuku was alive. He refused anything more. On those occasions, Izuku hated All Smite.

On the eighth day, All Smite said, “We’ve laid the foundations. I believe you’re ready to spar with me.”

Sitting at the table eating breakfast, Izuku nearly spat apple juice out his nose. “Me? Fight against you?”

“Only light sparring,” All Smite assured him. “I’ll train you in the basics of combat. If you feel ready, of course.”

Izuku definitely did not feel ready. But if he seriously wanted to escape, it would be useful to know just how far he stood below All Smite in a fight. A secret part of himself even longed to get training from the world’s greatest fighter. Swallowing, he said, “I’d like to try.”

All Smite took Izuku to a dojo located in the basement of the mansion. Izuku donned protective gear. At first, All Smite started Izuku hitting a punching bag. Just when Izuku became a little letdown (not disappointed, exactly, but like his anticipation had been for nothing) All Smite offered a spar.

In the middle of the circle, All Smite stood still. “I’ll let you have the first hit for free.”

After over a week, Izuku felt sure All Smite wouldn’t kill him. And he had some pent-up rage to work out. He drew back his fist, thumb tucked below his fingers as he’d been trained, and hit the villain in the stomach.

He might as well have been beating a punching bag. All Smite didn’t move. But he did say, “Good form.”

Izuku tried a kick. All Smite hummed in approval, stepping sideways. The villain moved fast, too fast. This had been impossible from the beginning. Yet Izuku didn’t feel like going down without a fight. A week of imprisonment had put him in a temper.

When All Smite lunged, clearly prepared to grab Izuku and end this fight early, Izuku ducked low and kicked All Smite in the crotch.

For a brief moment, the blow nearly landed, but then All Smite leapt up in the air and backflipped behind Izuku. Caught off balance, Izuku wobbled. All Smite beamed, holding out a hand to catch him. “Brilliantly done, my boy. Grown heroes haven’t come as close to landing a blow on me.”

Izuku nearly called it flattery. But All Smite said it with such a brilliant smile Izuku had to believe it sincere. In spite of himself, Izuku smiled back.

When Izuku looked at himself in the mirror, he’d put on a layer of muscle. He had abs like a washboard. He’d grown faster and more graceful, even landing a couple hits on All Smite during their daily spars. Truthfully, Izuku liked the sight staring back at him from the mirror. Finally, he felt worth something. He enjoyed his training sessions. Fighting with All Smite was genuinely fun. The praise was nice, too. No one except Izuku’s mom had ever believed he was special. All Smite seemed to genuinely think Izuku was an ideal successor and wasn’t shy about saying it.

What Izuku didn’t like was his fear of developing Stockholm Syndrome. He could not forget that All Smite had abducted him and taken him away from his mother. Weeks had turned into two months. Whenever Izuku asked, he kept getting told his body wasn’t strong enough to inherit One for All yet. He couldn’t leave his mother waiting for another month. For her sake, he owed it to her to at least try to get her a message about his condition.

Over time, Izuku had found excuses to explore the mansion. Most of the rooms were empty. A dozen walk-in freezers and pantries had enough food for years. All Smite had no need to ever leave, unfortunately. The house had ample books and DVDs, but no internet. The only place Izuku had been forbidden access was All Smite’s office. Therefore, any internet connection or means of communication must be there.

Even after two months of compliance, All Smite still locked Izuku’s door at night. But Izuku had time to palm a hairpin and teach himself lockpicking on the bathroom door.

The lockpicking plan hadn’t worked. The hairpin just kept breaking. Instead, Izuku discovered he had the new strength to lift the door off its hinges.

The sound echoed loudly across the nighttime hallways. Izuku winced. But no one came.

On socked feet, Izuku padded down the hallway. Ironically, moving quietly had also been part of his training.

If All Smite had an alarm on his office, then Izuku was already screwed. So he didn’t bother to worry about it or think about consequences. He forced the door open.

Inside the office, Izuku got a quick glance of a computer sitting on a standing desk and a telephone. Unless this was all a huge trap, there was a method of communication. His gamble had paid off. He reached for the phone.

Izuku heard a footstep. It sounded like someone coming up the stairs.

He’d never before worked so quickly and yet carefully in his life. He fastened the door back on the hinges and checked once for visible damage. Then he darted back toward his bedroom.

The stair at the top creaked. Izuku realized he wouldn’t make it down the hallway in time. He ducked into one of the many empty rooms. The door shut a little too loudly, making him wince.

Izuku crouched down low, his hands over his mouth. His heart hammered an obnoxiously loud beat. Cobwebs grew in the corner by the doorway and all down the windowsill. A draft came from the open, broken window. The dust tickled his nostrils. He plugged his nose, desperate not to sneeze.

All Smite’s footsteps sounded loud in the silence. They stopped in front of Izuku’s door.

Oh, gods, he’d been caught. Should he come clean and hope for a lighter punishment? But if All Smite wasn’t sure yet, he’d give himself away. Izuku’s eyes flashed to the window. The creaky floorboards would betray his presence. However, his training had greatly improved his jumps. He rose silently to the balls of his feet. Then he leapt, grabbing the windowsill.

Grinning from the window, All Smite said, “Boooooo!”

Izuku screamed and fell backward.

All Smite caught him and leapt into the room. “Whoa there! Sorry, I couldn’t resist a little joke. Someday you’ll also be able to move around the entire house at my speed, young Izuku. Still, for someone without One for All, your stealth is excellent. You could have fooled anyone else.”

Izuku shuddered, keenly aware of All Smite’s massive bulk and how the hand on his back could easily break him. Most of the time he forgot his fear of living with the number one villain, but in the dark of the night in an abandoned dusty room, he could only think how no one could help him. It would be easy to dispose of his body. He asked, “Are you angry?”

All Smite boomed with laughter. “Nonsense, I’ve been patrolling every night expecting this. I would have been worried if you didn’t try something, because that would mean I didn’t know what you were up to. I’d nearly stopped the patrols—but how like you, to wait until I’d lowered my guard. Of course you’d try to escape, no matter how hopeless it might be, because you’re a brave boy.”

“Look, I just want to know if you’ll punish me.” Izuku swallowed.

“It’s expected for a little villain to break the rules.” All Smite engulfed Izuku into a hug. “This is your punishment! Hug attack!”

“I am not a villain,” Izuku said indignantly, voice muffled by All Smite’s chest. Would anyone back home believe him if he told them the number one villain acted so silly? Probably not. Izuku could barely believe it himself. His racing heart had finally started to slow down. It left him shaky from adrenaline, relieved, and a little annoyed at being toyed with.

“Whatever you say.” All Smite smirked. “By the way, my phone and computer are both biometrically protected. So I didn’t bother to lock the office door. You could have just opened it.”

Then he had the nerve to laugh at the look on Izuku’s face.

Another month of training passed. Izuku could seriously spar with All Smite now, as long as the villain wore weights. It was an exhilarating feeling, an amazing accomplishment for the quirkless kid who’d always been called weak. (Often Izuku wondered why his father had never trained him on top of never giving him a quirk. Sometimes in his darker moments, he remembered even his own mother had taken it for granted that certain options were closed off to him from the moment he’d been diagnosed quirkless. Only All Smite ever believed in him like this.) Part of Izuku kept waiting for the other foot to drop. Back at Aldera, some kids had once pretended to be his friends so they could film a video mocking him. He could not escape the feeling of waiting for his oddly friendly kidnapper to turn on him.

When All Smite praised Izuku’s report on the HPSC’s child solder program, Izuku mumbled in response, “It wasn’t that good. I rambled on too much. It was very opinionated instead of focused on the facts.”

All Smite ruffled his hair and boomed, “I wanted to hear your opinions.”

After Izuku made turkey sandwiches for lunch, All Smite slapped his full belly and said, “Delicious!”

Under his breath, Izuku whispered, “Your cooking is better.”

During a sparring session, Izuku scored a kick to All Smite’s side. Laughing, All Smite said, “What a strong kick! I’m impressed. Your speed has improved sharply and you’re integrating more tactics into fighting. At this rate, you’ll be knocking me flat on my back in no time.”

“There’s no need to exaggerate,” Izuku snapped.

All Smite frowned. “My boy, you’ve been down on yourself all day. What’s wrong?”

Izuku looked at his feet and scowled. Sweat dripped down his forehead from the training. Adrenaline made him reckless. “You’re the one who’s over-complimenting me. I know you don’t mean it. You want to manipulate me.”

All Smite tipped up Izuku’s chin, forcing their eyes to meet. “I meant every word. Do you know how few heroes have ever scored a kick on me?”

“You’re wearing weights! It doesn’t count!”

“Plenty of those heroes had their own advantageous conditions, and you’ve only been training for three months. Your talent is remarkable, but I’m even more impressed by how hard you’ve worked.”

“You’re doing it again.” Izuku’s frown deepened. “You can stop. I know I’m not any kind of halfway decent pick for a successor. You only chose me to get back at my father, or maybe because of my grandmother.”

“That’s not true. I’m sorry I’ve made you feel that way.” All Smite crouched down to put them at eye level. “I was motivated to take you to protect you from your father, but I would not have made you into my successor if my research hadn’t revealed your potential. Your online analyses were brilliant and you were able to predict my battle with Endeavor. I see a lot of Nana in your kind spirit, but you’re two very different people. Nana lacked your cynicism and suspiciousness, for one thing.” A rueful look passed his face, as if remembering something sad. “I would never give my quirk to someone I deemed unqualified. If you do not pass my tests, then I have no intention of letting you have One for All. Especially since it would blow your arms and legs off if your body was too weak to handle it. However, so far you’ve been passing with flying colors.”

Under any other circumstances, Izuku would have been very focused on the mention of losing his limbs. It said a lot about his mental state that he didn’t even care. “What if you’re wrong and my dad didn’t create me as a tool for revenge? What if he cares about me? Would you take me hostage then? Even kill me?”

The thought had been haunting Izuku ever since he’d been abducted. He’d accepted his father was a villain. He had a much harder time believing Hisashi Midoriya’s entire family was an elaborate revenge plot, since absolutely nothing in his childhood would suggest it. Izuku couldn’t forgive his father for the crimes he’d committed. He could never go back to his normal family life in blissful ignorance. But he still believed his father loved him, despite being a villain and despite always treating him as a weakling.

Izuku knew he should not raise this dangerous and volatile topic with All Smite. Better to let the villain see him as a victim instead of the son of his greatest enemy. But months of living in tension and fear had finally made Izuku snap. He could not stand this state of limbo. He had to know. If All Smite was going to hurt him, then better to just get it over with.

“I don’t care,” All Smite said firmly.

Izuku looked up in confusion, blinking back tears.

“I don’t care what All for One wanted with you in the past or what he wants now. I care about you, Izuku. You are brilliant, brave, insanely hard-working, and everything I wanted in a successor. I need you. You’re my son now, not his.” All Smite swept Izuku up in a tight, crushing hug. “All for One can’t have you back. I’ll never, ever let you go.”

Staring into the insane possessiveness in those eyes, Izuku finally believed it. Praise and smiles could be faked. The selfish madness in All Smite’s gaze could not be faked.

All Smite meant every one of his compliments.

And All Smite also meant the part about never letting Izuku go.

The training got more fun after Izuku started to believe All Smite’s praise. It was easier to smile at the villain. Easier to eat meals together and watch movies. All Smite had a surprisingly goofy sense of humor. Easier to forget he’d been kidnapped.

Izuku wondered sometimes if he’d lost his mind. He hadn’t thought about going home in a few weeks. It was a betrayal. It was probably a trauma reaction. He found it difficult to hold onto his old life. Even without taking Stockholm Syndrome into account, Izuku didn’t have any good memories of Aldera. Unfortunately, he could honestly say his kidnapping had been better than his usual daily life. His captor didn’t beat and insult him like his classmates. Wasn’t that sad?

After four months, All Smite told Izuku, “You’re ready.”

Izuku gaped, not fully able to accept these world-changing words.

All Smite took Izuku into the living room and brought out a bottle of sparkling champagne. “Non-alcoholic, of course,” he said as he poured two glasses. “Nana let me have a little taste of real wine the night I got One for All. But I was older than you, eighteen. Just like you, I was quirkless.”

Izuku startled. That hadn’t been part of All Smite’s story before. He took a sip of champagne to hide his shock. It bubbled down his throat.

All Smite said, “I was desperate back then. I would have done anything for a quirk. I let All for One trick me into betraying Nana, which I will forever regret. I picked you as my successor because of your qualifications, not because of any family connections. You’ve earned this with your incredible hard work. Still, I find myself glad to be returning One for All to Nana’s family. I believe she’d approve.”

Izuku swallowed down more of his drink and an uneasy feeling. This still did not feel real.

All Smite said, “One for All transfers through DNA. Nana had me eat one of her hairs.” He laughed. “Oh, the look on your face! I looked the same way when she told me to eat her hair.”

But Izuku’s nervous expression had more to do with his inner doubts and turmoil. Izuku had always wanted a quirk. He’d worked hard to earn this. But could he really take All Smite’s quirk when he wasn’t willing to become One for All’s successor? Izuku would never become a villain. He was equally unwilling to accept a legacy dedicated to killing his own father. So far Izuku had only heard All Smite’s side of the story—he wanted to at least speak to his father once and ask for the truth. Even if Izuku agreed afterward that All for One needed to be stopped, he didn’t think he’d ever be able to take a life with his own two hands.

If Izuku accepted One for All but did not fulfil his mission, then surely All Smite would feel betrayed. He might take out his wrath on Izuku and his mother. Yet Izuku didn’t seriously believe that. It was merely an excuse. Deep down, Izuku didn’t want to betray All Smite. It was foolish. He ought to take this quirk, and with it the power to escape this island. But All Smite had been the first person to ever acknowledge Izuku. And Izuku could not bring himself to betray that trust.

This was going to be the single stupidest thing Izuku had ever done in his entire life. And his old middle school teacher would tell people that would be saying something. In a small voice, Izuku said, “I can’t accept One for All. I’m sorry. I know you’ve put all this hard work into training me. But I won’t become a villain or kill All for One, so I’m not qualified. Please forgive me.”

“Oh, that’s fine.” All Smite said casually. “It’s your choice, my boy.”

Izuku dared to look up. “Why aren’t you angry?”

All Smite shrugged. “I thought you might say this. I’ve done my best to persuade you, but I know how stubborn you can be. Still, a promise is a promise. I said that once you were qualified to become my successor, I would let you go. Would you like to return home now?”

Barely daring to believe it, Izuku nodded.

All Smite said, “Pack your suitcase, then we’ll head to the helicopter pad.”

It had to be a trick, a trap. It couldn’t be this easy. Izuku had refused to become All Smite’s successor countless times before, and All Smite had never let him go. What on earth had changed now? Surely it couldn’t just be about a promise. Izuku packed as quickly as possible, afraid All Smite would change his mind.

But the helicopter was already up and running, as All Smite had said. All Smite spoke cheerfully on the trip over the ocean about the last movie they’d watched together, as if they weren’t parting forever. Izuku was a bundle of nerves the whole way. They landed in a forest outside Musutafu. Then All Smite carried Izuku into the city in a few leaps, stopping just a block from his house.

All Smite hugged Izuku one last time. “It’s been a pleasure to train you, young Izuku. You’re going to do great things.”

“Thank you for everything,” Izuku said. His jaw hung open. Had he just thanked his kidnapper for kidnapping him? He’d definitely lost his mind! The words had just slipped out. And he could not deny he’d meant them.

Why did it feel so hard to leave All Smite behind? Why did Izuku’s feet drag? He was going home. He should be happy. (Should be, but wasn’t.) Izuku looked back at All Smite one last time, and his mentor smiled and waved at him. At some point that smile had started giving Izuku a warm feeling instead of terrifying him. Izuku nearly asked if he could see All Smite again, his lips parting to form the words. But no, no, it would be stupid to stay involved with the number one villain. This was definitely the Stockholm Syndrome talking. Shutting his mouth, he turned away.

Izuku hurried home and flung open the door. His heart raced with anticipation to see his mother again. In that one part of his old life, he could find sincere joy. “Mom, I’m ho—”

His words cut off sharply. Hawks and half a dozen HPSC agents filled his house.

“Where’s my mother?” Izuku asked in a small voice.

Hawks stepped forward. “We don’t know either, kiddo. But we’re looking for her.”

The HPSC knew about All for One. It was all over their faces. The agents around Hawks stared at Izuku as if wondering why he didn’t look more monstrous as the son of a villain. Izuku decided to play dumb. “Please, I’ve been kidnapped by All Smite. He only just released me. What happened?”

Watching Izuku’s face, Hawks said, “Your father is a villain named All for One, as I suspect you already know. He’s been ripping Japan to pieces since you vanished. I’m afraid you need to come with me. Children of villains need to pay our debt to society—don’t ask me how I know. Our president believes you’re the only one who can stop your father. And you want to help the heroes, don’t you? If you’re good, we might even turn you into a hero too.”

No, no, no! Izuku didn’t want to go straight from one kidnapping to another. This time would be far worse. Thanks to his studies, he already knew exactly what the HPSC had done to Hawks.

Izuku turned and ran.

The HPSC agents shot after him. Hawks moved the fastest, sending his feathers to encircle and capture. Izuku dodged, then kicked Hawks in the stomach. The hero had clearly not expected much resistance. Caught off-guard, Hawks smashed into another agent.

The agents in the back shot tranquilizer darts at Izuku. Fortunately, All Smite had trained him to dodge projectiles. Izuku made it out the door and to the sidewalk.

Hawks soared through the air, landing in front of Izuku. “Sorry, kiddo. This will go easier on you if you don’t fight. Besides, you wouldn’t be safe on your own. A lot of powerful people want to find you right now. You’re better off sticking with the good guys.”

Flatly, Izuku said, “I’m sorry for what they’ve done to you, and you’re not the good guys.” Then he jumped.

Izuku had only planned to jump sideways, away from Hawks’ inevitable attack, and then run. But something very strange happened. Green sparks danced down Izuku’s legs. An incredible power filled him. He soared through the air, high above the stunned Hawks, high above the houses.

Izuku landed on a skyscraper roof several blocks away. His training saved him, reflexively letting him remember how to fall safely and roll. His legs throbbed, but nothing felt broken. Wobblily, he stood up.

What had happened? That had been the power of One for All. But Izuku had refused the quirk! He hadn’t eaten the hair! What had All Smite done?

No time for thinking. Izuku had to move, to flee. The HPSC would be chasing after him. Tears streaming down his cheeks, Izuku ran for the stairs.

Watching the confrontation between Izuku and the HPSC using his binoculars, Toshinori whispered, “Happy graduation day, my boy.” Then he transferred One of All.

Before giving Izuku his champagne, Toshinori had added a drop of his own blood. The DNA had been in the drink. Though One for All could not be stolen, it could be forcibly gifted. Toshinori never had any intention of letting the perfect successor slip away from him.

Really, Izuku had done marvelously on his graduation exam. He’d rejected the HPSC immediately, then might have even escaped them on his own. Toshinori had given his student a little help, forcibly activating One for All to carry Izuku away and controlling the flow of the power for his successor, a small gift for the first time. Every child deserved a graduation present.

Toshinori himself had been the one to call the HPSC and tell them about All for One’s civilian identity. Izuku never would have become a villain willingly. But now he had no choice. The HPSC would treat him as culpable for his father’s crimes. In doing so, the fools had ensured All Smite would have a villain for a successor.

What kind of villain would Izuku become? Would he descend into hatred and destruction at the unfairness of the world, like All Smite himself? Or would Izuku decide to change and reform the world instead? Toshinori looked forward to it either way. He’d meant it when he’d offered his successor a free chance to do whatever he wanted with One for All. All Smite’s time had passed. He’d been proud of his accomplishments in stopping the HPSC and All for One from taking total power, but he’d never truly improved the world as Nana had dreamed about. Perhaps Izuku would make something better of One for All’s legacy.

Dressed in civilian clothing, Toshinori followed Izuku’s trail. Although he’d planted a tracker in his successor’s shoe just in case, he stayed close. He was most curious to see what his boy would do next.

Izuku’s options had just become sharply limited. If he fell into HPSC hands then their cruelty would quickly teach him hatred. If he’d gone with them willingly, then Toshinori would have let his successor suffer just long enough to be grateful before busting him out. If Izuku returned to his father, then Toshinori suspected the boy would quickly discover how All for One treated One for All successors. It would certainly not be a happy reunion. Toshinori had made sure of that with a few helpful videos to All for One showing how close he and Izuku had grown during their training, fanning the flames of that legendary possessiveness to put All for One in a vaulting mood. From there, All for One’s charming personality would probably take care of any compunctions Izuku had about killing his own father.

Perhaps Izuku would try to make it on his own as a fugitive and vigilante. Or perhaps, with nowhere else to go, Izuku would return to the mentor who had trained him and could offer him a safe haven.

Toshinori smiled to himself. With his keen vision, he’d picked up on the question Izuku had mouthed at him before leaving. And he answered his successor: “Yes, my boy, we’ll see each other again.”

OMAKE TIME!

All Might: You have to prove yourself worthy to get my quirk.

All Smite: Take my quirk if I must ram the hair down your throat!

#

Izuku: Despite being a villain, All Smite still seems to respect boundaries better than my dad.

All Smite: It’s called subtle manipulation. Mister Bank Vault should learn it.

#

All for One: Heh, you might have kidnapped my son but I turned Nana’s other grandson into a villain.

All Smite: No worries, I’m already an expert in curing your brainwashing with more brainwashing. Time for one more kidnapping.

Tomura: Actually I’ve just been playing video games since Sensei retired. I’m not interested in becoming a villain or a vigilante. Hey, put me down! Why aren’t you listening to me?

#

All Might: Apparently even villain me gets Dadmight.

All Smite: Especially villain me! My son doesn’t get to push me away and reject my bentos because I locked him up on a creepy abandoned island.

#

All Might: Why didn’t Izuku break his bones the first time he used One for All?

All Smite: Because I’m a better teacher than you (and also I scammed All for One out of a regeneration quirk when I worked as a spy for him.)

All Might: Oh no, the boy will be even more feral with one of those!

#

Izuku: My self-esteem has reached rock bottom and a villain is the first person outside my family to praise me.

All Smite: I need names and addresses of all your former teachers. For reasons.

#

All for One: You of all people want to turn my son into a villain?

All Smite: Yeah and I did a better job of it than you.

All for One: …Inko, here’s our son’s kidnapper, bring your frying pan.

All Smite: Hey! Foul play!