Song: Villain by K/DA
"Is it really a surprise
If I'm playing with your mind
And I treat you like prize
Then I throw you to the side
And am I really that bad
If l love to make you mad
And get happy when your sad
Only care about a bag"
✯¸.•'*¨'*•✿ ✿•*'¨*'•.¸✯
The echo of footsteps bounced off the buildings of U.A., a slow clapping getting louder as the man reached the center of the courtyard, standing proud in a matching suit, his tie the color of your power. You wondered if that was on purpose, a way of him getting dressed up to welcome the addition of a new weapon to his arsenal. Has this been his plan all along? You were getting fucking sick of being a puppet. A piece to his game of chess— strung along in his game of manipulation and pain. This man... he orchestrated it all. He was behind your kidnapping, behind the torture, behind every little incident that has led up to his moment. And right behind him had been that traitorous creature. It was disgusting of Nezu to take advantage of a broken girl who had nobody, to take her trust only to stab her in the fucking back. And for what? To gain brownie points with a century-old villain?
It was a good thing that Nezu wasn't present, but he made himself the number one target on your hit list. After this war was over, you'd be coming for him.
Without wasting time, you shot a hand out, the Nomus crawling up the building spazzing before hitting the ground, their bioengineered bodies dead as your quirk had killed them from the inside. Your eyes met Aizawa's and a second was all that was needed as he understood the emotions you were trying to reveal. Whether AFO was after you or Eri, you weren't going to leave U.A without defeating him first.
Although it kills Aizawa to leave one of his daughters to protect the other, he understood that this was your sacrifice, your choice, not his. Gritting his teeth, he wrapped the extra length of his capture weapon around Eri's body, trying to comfort her while swinging away, hitting the ground with running feet, trying to not lose the opportunity you gave him.
"Daddy," Eri whimpered, her body shaking, tiny hands gripping the front of his hero suit, tears pooling up in those beautiful eyes of hers, seconds away from rolling down her plump cheeks. "I'm scared," she confessed, curling her body into Aizawa's, seeking the heat from his body as comfort.
Before he could answer, a Nomu bounced at him. Aizawa hadn't seen this type of Nomu before; it was smaller than the rest but quicker, and based on its physical features, it seemed to resemble some type of animal, like a tiger or leopard. Except the Nomu looked sickly, its ribs protruding and its skin hairless and gray. Sharp claws sank into Aizawa's leg, ripping out a chunk of his muscle, making the hero bite his lips in pain, his knees buckling as he hit the ground hard. Aizawa barely had enough time to turn his body to hit the floor first, making sure Eri didn't slip from his grip.
Dizzy upon impact, Aizawa lost his breath and needed a second for his body to catch up to his brain. It's moving, his mind supplied him, and Aizawa couldn't even move the bottom portion of his body without immediately wincing. The injury was grave, and at the rate that it was bleeding, the exposure to the dirt and germs around, the odds weren't in his favor. If Aizawa wanted to save his leg, he needed to wrap it now to stop the bleeding and seek medical attention. But the only fabric he had on hand was his capture weapon.
So the question was: will he use it to protect Eri from the predatory Nomu, or use it to save his leg?
It wasn't even a question as Aizawa willed himself to stand up, grunting while putting the majority of his weight on his uninjured leg. Bracing himself, he took a deep breath in before hopping forward, almost crumpling to the floor as he accidentally put too much weight on the injured leg.
"I can help, Daddy," Eri piped in, sparks of golden glow beginning to sputter from her horn but he was quick to decline.
"No, it's too risky. I don't want the bad guy to sense your power and come this way. I'm fine sweetheart, just don't look." Grunting, he pushed himself up, trying to regain balance on one leg, his senses going haywire as his hero instincts kick in, trying to alert him of the Nomu slinking around. Aizawa probably had less than 20 seconds to come up with a plan before it attacked but even his hands were tied. He knew he could always call for you but it appeared that All For One had other plans for you as the villain summoned quirk after quirk, trying to get close enough to drain your power.
No, Aizawa could only count on himself.
"Hold on, sweetheart, don't let go," he warned his daughter, biting the inside of his cheek as he formulated a plan. He had to retreat, swing away to the nearest hospital, and hope that Nomu didn't give chase. It was risky since he'd be putting the lives of civilians at risk. He prayed that local heroes were nearby.
And as the clock ran out of time, Nomu's muscles tensed, power ready to be unleashed as its dark eyes focused only on Aizawa, ready to sink its claws once again. Aizawa braced himself, urging his body to move quickly, purposely ignoring the trail of blood leaking down his leg and onto the cement floor, staining it crimson.
Behind him, he heard the impact of a body against flesh, metal slashing through bone, and the guttural roar of pain from the creature. Aizawa spared a second to glance at the commotion, and not once in his lifetime did he ever think the Hero Killer Stain would be there protecting him, standing tall with daggers covered in blood.
"What the hell," Aizawa cursed, landing ungracefully on the nearest roof. Eri giggled at the dirty language and Aizawa shot her an apologetic look, "Sorry, Princess, remind me to put some money in the Swear Jar." Leaning over the edge, he watched as Stain licked the blood off his blade, the tangy taste bringing a satisfying grin to the villain as the Nomu whined, its body slowly dying, paralyzed from the quirk. Aizawa made sure to block Eri from this, the scene was a bit too graphic for a girl her age. With the job done, Stain turned to look up at Aizawa before pointing at your body a few feet away, an "I didn't do this for you. I did this for her" message conveyed as Aizawa nodded in understanding, allowing himself to move away from the ledge, watching as Stain moved away, probably to hide in the shadows once again.
With the threat gone, the hero could finally focus on his leg, warning bells ringing as Aizawa registered that his leg had begun to feel numb. Allowing Eri to stand, he was quick to drop to the floor, peering closely at the wound, resisting the urge to touch the area with his dirty hands. Swearing softly to himself, Aizawa shook his head before looking up at Eri, "Angel, I think I'll take you up on your healing offer?"
Eri immediately perked up, trying to not focus too much on her father's leg, afraid she'll feel overwhelmed by the blood. "Really? But what about the bad guy?" On queue, a loud boom echoed across the campus, making her flinch as she turned around, squinting her eyes, trying to find you among the debris. You were hovering a few feet above the ground, your hands slightly moving in thought-out mannerisms as purple power began to ball up, ready to blast against All For One. Eri crouched down, clutching her ears as the building beneath her feet shook from the collision, coughing from the dirt kicked in the air. "Will Y/n be okay?" She asked worriedly.
"Don't worry, your sister can handle him but we need to be quick about this. Remember your training?"
She nodded, scooting forward to kneel by his injured leg, hovering her hand above the open wound, trying to not breathe through her nose as a way to avoid the stench of blood. "Yes. Focus on guiding the light to your cut. Count to three and stop the light."
"Exactly, sweetheart. It's as simple as that. The moment the light becomes too strong to handle, let me know and I'll cancel your quirk. Don't be afraid."
"I'm not scared, Daddy. I'm a big girl now. I'll be a hero! Like you and Y/n and Touya and Deku and—"
Aizawa laughed softly, nodding along to her daughter's words making Eri slightly blush, suddenly shy about her dreams to be a hero. He reached over to gently pat her head, "You're already my hero, Eri."
My hero.
The words will forever be ingrained in her mind as Eri's eyes shone more brightly, a twinkle igniting in those eyes, fueling her determination to follow in her family's footsteps. Aizawa would never realize just how impactful his words were to his daughter. Blinking rapidly, Eri focused on her mission, kicking into gear Rewind as particles of gold began to float, falling from her horn and onto the injury. It would take a few minutes for the wound to fully heal as they sunk beneath his skin, but all Aizawa needed was for it to close so they could get the hell out of there. As Eri continued to rewind his injury, Aizawa took this opportunity to look at you.
Strands of hair frame your face as you wipe away some blood from the cut on your cheek. Looking at the blood staining your fingertips, you chuckled, glancing up at All For One, nodding at him in mock niceness. "Wow, you seem really serious about this. It's only fair that I get serious as well, right?"
A muscle in the villain's jaw ticked, a bead of sweat slowly making its way down the back of his neck, sinking into the fabric of his suit. He's never built a sweat before when fighting an opponent. Not a single user of One for All reached his level. And yet here you stood... you were a pesky insect, and All for One couldn't wait to step on you. Controlling the rage in his voice, he adjusted his tie, letting it hang loosely around his neck now. The grin on your face got smugger.
The tiny hairs on the back of your neck began to rise as you tensed, instincts screaming at you to take cover for something powerful was forming. The wind got stronger, clouds beginning to swarm together above U.A, darkening and casting a gloomy filter over you. A storm had formed and you were in the center of it. It took less than a second for lightning to strike, its power colliding against the shield you had created, the electricity zapping through your body, making your limbs heavy. It was a shot to the heart. It almost felt like your heart stopped, too overwhelmed by the lightning created by AFO. Digging the back of your heel into the ground, your arms trembled from the force of it all. It felt like being boiled alive, blisters bubbling across the skin of your arms, turning a concerning color. Gritting your teeth, you raise your arms, fighting the slaughter of lightning, praying that the shield holds together.
You were going to be pissed if you came out of this with singed hair. If your eyebrows were nonexistent after this, you were going to bring All For One's worst nightmare true. And that was a promise.
The storm wasn't over. But the target had shifted. The villain waved his hand, commanding the lightning to strike the pair nearby. Body still slightly twitching from the lightning, you looked at Aizawa and Eri, both unaware of AFO's intentions. They were half a mile away, still using the roof of a nearby building as a refuge. It would take a blink of an eye to get there. A second blink to cast another shield. A third blink to hold up the barrier. But would your body be able to handle the overstimulation from the shock? A human can survive getting struck by lightning, the odds being 9 out of 10. However, each lightning strike increases the list of effects. A high chance of seizures, cardiac arrest, muscle aches, memory deficits, etc. The list would never end.
You shook your head. No, you couldn't take the risk. All For One may be an immortal villain, but you were a hero with just one life.
Maybe it was the rising panic suffocating your lungs, or the way Eri's red eyes connected with yours across the field, but something clicked within your body. It was hard to describe this feeling. Not exactly an 'Aha!' moment or an epiphany, but it seemed to center your core. A gear began to turn, brushing off the cobwebs that had coated the piece.
"Y/n," Eri gasped out, a sort of awed look on her face, wiggling in your arms, indirectly asking to be put down. When did you grab her?
Slightly bending down, you let her feet touch the ground while also unwrapping your arms from Aizawa's back. Since when was he standing there? His gaze felt heavy on your body but you couldn't seem to focus too much on that when your mind was swarming with confusion.
"—It was so cool!—"
"Your quirk seemed to include—"
"—and woosh! I didn't even blink—"
"Growing power. What else can you—"
"Stop." Buzzing simmered underneath your skin as their voices ceased, concern openly displayed on their faces. You lightly touched your forehead, wondering if this was all part of some elaborate hallucination but the skin wasn't warm, so that eliminated a fever from the list of causes. "I was standing over there," you softly mumbled, looking at where All For One still stood, a flicker of amusement in his eyes. "And somehow I managed to reach you, hold you, and carry you away before the lightning struck. Even with my power, I can't move in nanoseconds." Rubbing your head as if chasing away an incoming headache, you turned to Aizawa, seeking answers from him but by the look of confusion on his face, he was probably just as lost. "I don't have time to think about this. All For One will make his move and—"
"Breathe," Aizawa flicked your forehead, "One thing is for certain: your quirk is evolving. Psionic is one huge umbrella and you've just unlocked the teleportation branch. What did you feel?"
"I... felt lighter. Something clicking into place, like a book sliding perfectly into an open spot on a bookcase."
He pondered about it, "Then it's safe to expect more books to slide into place. This is the end-of-the-end, the fight that finishes our war. A crucial moment for you. A turning point for your quirk. Whatever you do, don't stop it, let it happen."
"Right right," you nodded along, eyes looking past Aizawa's shoulder to follow All For One's movement, a little worried about his lack of attack. "Don't stop. Let it happen. More books. Anything else?"
"Don't die, kid."
"Wow, really great advice," cue the eye roll, "Seriously, I got this." It didn't seem to reassure him. Or maybe it did, but just a tiny tiny bit because Aizawa knew better than that. Always expect the unexpected from you. He looked at you with a deadpan expression, his tired eyes staring right through you. "What? C'mon, Dad, don't give me that look. I won't kill him." Exasperation drowned the last sentence.
"Then what will you do? As long as All For One lives, his army will continue to live on. We have to cut the problem at the root of it all, which is him."
"I thought you'd be glad I wasn't trying to kill him."
"That man has murdered hundreds of innocent people. He tortured you. Manipulated your brother into a mindless soldier. He attacked my students over and over again. I have no mercy, compassion, or the energy to give a fuck about him."
"Daddy said a swear word again!" Eri pointed out, grin getting wider as Aizawa sighed in exasperation. He was losing too much money to the Swear Jar.
As terrible as it sounds, you had forgotten that Eri was standing right between you both, listening to the conversation. Looking at Eri, an idea begins to form. "What if... instead of killing All For One, I take the only thing that gives him power?"
Aizawa followed your eyes, looking down at Eri's horn before sharply looking back at you. "You can't really think that—"
"—I do. Eri might not be able to do it on her own, but I can help her. I've guided her quirk before. It would be like that again. All I need to do is put All For One in a vulnerable position. That would give you enough time to bring Eri to me and nobody gets hurt. All For One without his quirk is nobody. He can't take quirks. Can't give any either. He would be a normal man who will live a normal life and die a normal death." Your voice begins to rise with excitement at the idea, "Think about it. Without his quirk, he can't control people. Can't make them kneel in fear."
"And Rewind can take someone's quirk? Are you sure about that? Eri has never done something like that. It's unknown territory. What if it's something even Rewind can't affect?" Aizawa wondered, thinking about the physical limitations Eri's quirk could have. Being able to target an individual's power and take it away would be something unheard of. It wouldn't be like AFO's power, where he took anything he wanted with a touch, only to store it within himself. Eri would essentially erase the quirk from the person's DNA, making them... quirkless.
Aizawa contemplates the idea, trying to quickly come up with a method that ensures success without his daughters getting hurt. This was a gamble, a risk that had to be taken if the heroes wanted to win the war. The truth hurt. Eri was a child, not just a power that can be used to their advantage. If they went down this road, then would they be any better than Overhaul?
"You're wrong, you know," you protested, the wisps of thoughts streaming from Aizawa's mind were guilty, and the heaviness of the emotion made you twitchy. "He was cruel. Didn't see us as people. You're our father, trying to keep us safe. I don't see how you can ever compare yourself to that monster. Plus, I wasn't going to go forward with the plan unless Eri agreed. It's her choice."
He released a deep sigh, shoulders hunching as he attempted to kneel to Eri's level. "Are you okay with using your quirk, Eri?"
"On the bad man over there?" She pointed.
Aizawa nodded. "We need you to take away his power."
"I can do that?" Eri asked, a little confused. All she knew was how to heal.
"You can with my help," you piped in, patting Eri's head before smoothing down the baby hairs. "I got you. And you got me. We can defeat the bad guy together, Eri. What do you think?"
Eri has grown a lot in the months you've spent with Aizawa. Gone was the timid girl who hid behind your legs, body shaking at the idea of interacting with strange people. Before you stood a brave girl, bright red eyes full of determination, with fists at her hips, ready to overcome any obstacle in her way. This attitude was new but wondrous. It made you proud, so proud you could fall to your knees and weep at the sight because this had been the future you dreamed of, a future where Eri could be herself in a world that loved her instead of hurting her.
"We can be a hero team!"
"Obviously," you promised, linking pinkies while grinning at Aizawa's tired face, the face of a father who knows he's raising two kids that will drive him crazy with worry.
Aizawa shook his head softly before reluctantly agreeing, "What's next?"
Pieces began to slide into place as a plan began to formulate in your mind, something All For One would never suspect. In fact, you were sure nobody was going to see this coming. Grabbing Aizawa and Eri's hands, you gave a soft squeeze before speaking softly, tone deadly serious, "Trust me. Whatever happens, you must trust me and know what is real."
"Real?" Aizawa echoed back, looking at you with a narrowed gaze.
"Yes, real." You responded slyly, a twinkle of mischievousness in your eyes. "Just know that things are about to get really weird." Letting go of them, you clapped your hands, taking a step back until your heels touched the ledge of the roof. Turning around to face AFO, you called out over your shoulder as your quirk levitated your body in the air, "Remember what I said!"
They watched as you flew away, energy beams igniting your hands before burning through All For One's defensive barriers. Dirt kicked into the air, creating a swirling tornado of power and dust, giving your vision a brown tint.
"Consider me impressed." All For One greeted, taking a step towards you. "I always found quirks fascinating, they evolve with their user, achieving things that break the physics of the universe. Being able to teleport has always been a neat trick. Too bad you won't have it for long." He explained, hand coming up as if to touch your forehead, but you flinch back, taking steps back while he moves forward. His hand is still raised, finding it amusing how you scurry away, wary of his touch. So you knew that he needed physical touch to actively steal a quirk. It made his job harder.
With enough distance between you both, you cross your arms over your chest, changing your stance from a defensive one to something nonchalant. "Blah blah blah. Too many words, not enough action." You taunted, "C'mon coward, hit me with your best shot." It would appear as false bravado to All For One, for you had been cowering away just seconds ago. What he didn't know was that you were an excellent actor, and this was your play.
"Y/n, you should mind your manners." He chided, the ground surrounding you beginning to crack like glass, slowly at first until chasms began to form, forcing you to hop across the open ground, trying not to fall to the pits of hell. "A nice girl like you should respect her elders above anything. Or did your lowly father not teach you anything about respect?" His words never held much emotion besides the occasional flicker of amusement or anger. They didn't need any emotion to effectively make you prickle at the undermining insult he shot towards your father. It's like he knew exactly how to push your buttons and make you tense up, like a cat ready to hiss and claw.
"Don't." You sneered, face crumbling into a look of so much hatred and disgust, "I should let you know that I hold grudges, I really do. Insult me all you want but you leave my family out of this. It was bad enough that you tried to kill them with lightning. I haven't gotten my revenge on that either."
All For One let out a dry chuckle, "Family? Is that what they are?" He found it ridiculous how attached you had become. "Some hero who happened to be at the right place at the right time and a child that shouldn't exist."
You slammed his body with an energy beam, your eyes glowing so brightly that wisps were emitting from your eye sockets. "Shut up." Suppressed anger coated your words as the veins in your body ignited. It appeared that All For One managed to finally hit you where it hurt the most. With a roar, you rip buildings from the ground, raising them high in the air before slamming them against All For One, dropping building after building on him. But the asshole comes out alive either way, one of his unknown quirks turning the material of the U.A buildings into sand as they come near him.
It only made the entire situation more amusing. "You could've been stronger. Better than I am even. If you had let go of those emotions. Those attachments have been the downfall of humanity." He explained, only slightly stumbling after recovering from your attack. Almost like it didn't phase him. "People get too kind, too soft, allowing themselves to fade away. When people were blessed with quirks, they were shunned, cast away, and deemed unholy. Unnatural. That's when we should have fought back. Instead, people curled away from the power, choosing to hide who they were in hopes of being accepted. I laughed at them for choosing to give away their most precious gift just to be accepted by some strangers. I laugh now, watching as people follow the Hero Commission's laws like sheep, so mindless. Why are we deemed villains for wanting to freely use what was given to us? It is our right." The chasms on the ground only got bigger. The broken buildings surrounding the field began to crumble, and large pieces of debris fell through the cracks. There was heat crawling up from the damage AFO had done so you risked a peek inside. What looked like molten lava seemed to rise with every second, bubbling as streams of hot air burst against your face, making you wince at the temperature.
Moving away, you looked around, trying to find Aizawa and Eri, hoping that they were on stable ground. This changing environment was turning the fight to AFO's advantage. "Stop spouting bullshit. You don't care about rights, about freedom. You care about ultimate power. You want chaos and bloodshed. You want families to fall apart and kids to grow up in a world tainted red." Unable to find Aizawa or Eri, you face your palms towards the ground, closing your eyes for a brief second as you try to sense their energies through your quirk. There were two bodies a couple of feet behind you, remaining unnoticed while hiding on a stable patch of land that hadn't been affected by All For One's distraction.
You sighed a breath of relief before latching onto pieces of cement, making them float before sharpening them. They hovered behind your body, tips sharp and ready to sink into AFO's flesh. As the weapons raced forward, the villain brought up some type of force field as protection. It was odd how much the barrier reminded you of the quirk Nine exhibited, but you simply brushed that thought away.
The shards slammed against his shield, cracking into pieces, only to be put back together by your quirk and slammed against the barrier again. You created more and more, sending each new wave of attacks towards All For One, hoping that at least one could slip past through.
All For One sighed, flicking his wrist as liquified metal pooled around his feet, creating a silver sludge. It grew, taking the shape of a monster, its body hardening into metal and its eyes focusing on you.
Swearing, you hovered in the air, taking flight as you dodged the incoming swing from the metallic monster, avoiding collision with a building that began to crumble to your left. Once this fight was over, you were sure that U.A would never go back to the beautiful campus it once was, for nothing remained. The gold letters that spelled out the school's name were gone, probably hundreds of feet below the surface of the ground, falling victim to the lava that was beginning to spill over from the cracks. The green trees and grass were on fire, turning dark as trails of smoke rose to the sky, providing a veil of privacy to the fight.
The ground beneath All For One began to rise, bringing the villain up in the air, close to you so you could hear his words. "You heroes pretend to be society's guardians. For generations, you pretended not to see those you couldn't protect and swept their pain under the rug. It's tainted everything you've built. That means your system's all rotten from the inside with maggots crawling out. It all builds up, little by little, over time. You've got the common trash, all too dependent on being protected. And the brave guardians who created the trash that need coddling. It's a corrupt, vicious cycle. Everything I've witnessed... this whole system you've built will always reject people like me, people who strive to be more. Now I'm ready to reject it, to destroy it until ashes remain in my hands. That's why I will take this power of yours for myself. The ultimate key is to bring everyone to their knees and finally see the light. Simple enough, yeah? I don't care if you don't understand. That's what makes us... heroes and villains."
With barely some time to react, you drop down to the ground, hands above your head like you were trying to carry the weight of the sky. The metal monster was above, slamming its gigantic hands down on your barrier, roaring with eagerness at the idea of killing you.
"You really are as horrible as All Might described." You called out, using one hand to raise the barrier while the other began to light up, wisps leaving your fingertips before softly coiling around the monster. The villain watched as his creation was wretched apart, crumbled into pieces so tiny, that it was impossible to see with human eyes. "I used to think about how desperate you were to be powerful, taking from others simply because you could. With a quirk like yours, you could've changed the world for the better, and saved countless lives instead of stealing them. You are obsessed with One For All. You went around crushing the strong because there was nobody who could defy your sheer malice and control. But then a wrench was thrown into your plans. The birth of One for All. Writhing in that hellscape, as they lay down to die, the past users made sure the power would reach the future. They weren't really chosen ones. Through all those battles, all they could do was receive the quirk and then entrust it to another. And my friend will bring forth a future of peace." You proclaimed as both hands began to release tendrils of power.
The purple ropes rose through the air swiftly and deadly, striking All For One and binding him. The villain struggled to release himself, but his movement only made the ropes tighter, to the point where he was sure that his ribs would break if any more pressure was added.
Acknowledging that he couldn't physically free himself, All For One relaxed, once again putting on this mask, pretending like your power wasn't a threat to him. "Will he now?" The villain taunted, "He's too weak. Can't even use the power to its full extent. The boy will be crushed, his blood used to polish my shoes." The ropes wrapped around his throat, slowly suffocating him.
"Midoriya Izuku isn't alone in this fight of good versus evil. And as long as my heart beats and air fills my lungs, I will make sure you never kill his light. Countless others feel the same. Even All Might—"
The villain burst out of your binds with a snap, real anger appearing on his face and you knew that AFO was beginning to crumble. It took everything in you not to smirk, instead choosing a shocked expression.
"All Might?" He asked incredulously like he couldn't believe why anybody would store their faith in that blond hero. "All Might was nothing without my power!" He yelled out, slamming his hand against his chest repeatedly, emphasizing his point. "He took something that was mine and I intend on getting it back from its current user. Had I known Yoichi would betray me, I would've left him to wither away with time." He muttered, frowning at the feelings this so-called Yoichi gave him. Shaking it off, he extended an arm in your direction, hand posed as a claw, almost like he was imagining wrapping it around your neck, ready to deplete you of air, just as you had done to him moments ago.
An invisible force pushed against your body, dragging you towards him. You bit the inside of your cheek, trying to control your giddiness at the revelation. You hardly knew anything about the villain's past apart from the little All Might once secretly confessed. But this... Yoichi... oh yeah, this Yoichi person was the key to driving AFO insane. Now that you had something to work with, you began to do what you did best— annoy the shit out of murderous villains. Kicking your feet and failing your arms, you pretended to fight back but the force kept you in check.
"Yoichi?" You chuckled, "The infamous First User of One for All? He was your brother? Wow, that's priceless." The laughter continued, "That man is caring, compassionate, and smart too, and then there's you. He fooled you, not once or twice. And you've been stupid enough to chase after him, desperate to steal something that cannot be taken. You really are the black sheep of the family." The easiest thing you could do to anger someone who thinks they're the shit is to compare them to someone that they feel insecure about. In this case, it was Yoichi, the one quirkless younger brother who managed to sneak away with one of the most powerful quirks to ever exist.
And it definitely worked.
"My brother was weak, powerless, with a mind full of stupid hope!" He began to rage, his face so close to yours that you could feel the saliva flying from his mouth as he spits out the words. "He held onto the idea of justice and morals. What a burdensome weight he was. I pitied him. Do you think he fooled me?" A pause, and then more anger. "No! He was foolish, thinking he was strong enough to defeat me. Me! The Demon Lord!" Something was slowly coming apart in him as All For One managed to actually wrap his hand around your neck, while his other hand produced some kind of knife. Or was it an ax? You weren't really sure but what was for certain was that the object was very very very sharp, and it was getting a little too close to your skin for comfort. "For years my brother convinced others that once they accepted the quirk, they'd be strong enough to stop me, but it was all a lie. Because every user never came close to defeating me. He's a failure."
And with those words being said, AFO swung his arm, fulling intending on plunging it right into your chest, where it could pierce your heart and end its beating. He didn't even care that in doing so, he would erase his chances of ever getting his hands on Psionic. Better yet, if he couldn't get your quirk, then it didn't deserve to even exist in the first place. And so that solidified his plan, the murderous intent written all over his face.
But as the knife moved down, time moved slowly for you. Another piece slid into place in your body as you activated a power that has never been used before. Your eyes glowed purple for a brief nanosecond, too quickly that even All For One missed it, too caught up in his rage.
Pale hands and pale hair.
"Your words wound me, brother."
All For One's arm was held back by somebody else. Somebody that sounded so familiar to the villain, but he couldn't exactly pinpoint who it was. That was until he turned around to face a man who slithered right under his nose and backstabbed him. He never thought he'd come face to face with his younger brother again.
Yoichi stood in all his glory. Body covered in used, second-hand clothes, feet bare, and toes exposed. His pale hair was slightly pushed back behind his ears, making his entire face visible to the unexpected villain. Unlike his vestige form, Yoichi was solid and glowing healthily with the light of life.
"Yoichi..."
The force that bound you to AFO extinguished, letting you escape as you move away from the pair, trying to put into action Phase 2 of the plan. Assuming, of course, that Phase 1 actually goes according to plan. Either way, this new distance would make sure that All For One didn't attempt to take your quirk. You hadn't forgotten about the villain's purpose.
"Decades later and you still haven't changed at all," Yoichi remarked, finding it incredible how his older brother remained the same decades later (personality-wise because his looks did not make it through the years). "You're still pretending to be more than you ever were, comparing yourself to the Demon Lord from the comic books we used to read as kids. Will you ever give it up, big brother? Aren't you tired?" He asked, letting go of his arm before walking around his body, standing directly in front of All For One. "Everybody from our lives is gone. Why are you still holding on to this lonely world?"
The villain scoffed, looking away from Yoichi and towards you, completely ignoring Yoichi as if he was nothing. "I won't fall for your kid tricks, Y/n." He voiced, body turning around every time Yoichi tried to step into his line of vision. "A bit impressive, I can admit, but hiding behind an illusion will do nothing. You've only bought yourself a few seconds of relief. Cherish them."
You waved at him cheerfully, completely ignoring his threat as Yoichi grabbed his brother by the arm, not letting him walk away.
"This isn't an illusion. You've said it yourself, the girl's power is nothing like you've seen before. How can you be so sure that it's not real? I'm standing right here." He pulls All For One so that the villain has no other choice but to look him directly in the eyes. Why he hasn't blasted Yoichi yet is unknown to you. You really thought All For One was going to snap his brother's neck the second he saw him. "Didn't you miss me?"
The two stare at each other before Yoichi speaks up again, "It makes me sad, seeing how far we've drifted apart. I once looked up to you and thought you were the coolest person ever with your quirk. Remember how you used to grow flowers for our mother? She loved coming home to color painting her garden. Remember the ice cream quirk you stumbled upon? I still don't know how we didn't gain weight from all the cold deliciousness."
The words hit All For One, and the villain isn't sure what to believe anymore. Doesn't know what is real. His brother's words are the truth, he vividly recalls the memories he speaks of, feeling the sun of the past shining on his youthful body, back when Yoichi and he were brothers. Real brothers.
But Yoichi doesn't stop there as he grabs onto his brother's shoulder, almost like he wants to hug him. All For One's attention is on Yoichi, and only him. The villain doesn't pay you any attention as you strategically move around so that AFO's back is to you. "And now, here we stand, reminiscing old memories of ours as nothing but enemies. A stranger that I would've gladly given my life up for once upon a time."
All For One wants to respond, but the words get stuck in his throat, feeling as sharp as glass. This feeling... is building up to something painful and he knows he needs to get rid of Yoichi.
"End this war, brother." Yoichi pleads.
All For One briefly touches his temple, trying to focus. He can't let himself be fooled. It has to be an illusion because there was no way you were capable of bringing back the dead.
So there was only one way to truly know what this was.
"Talk about the past all you want, but you died. I killed you myself. Those lifeless eyes stared at me as I became the Demon Lord," He exclaimed, opening his arms as if to show off the chaos and damage he had brought upon U.A. "Through One for All you must have seen what I accomplished. And it's only the beginning of what is yet to come. But guess what?"
"What?" Yoichi snapped back, "Going to taunt me more? Insult me until your words finally get carved into my skin?"
AFO scoffs at the weak attempt from his brother trying to gain some pity from him. Bringing up the past won't change the future.
There is something dark and twisted charging up the atmosphere, it makes your stomach fall to the ground as you watch the two brothers face off.
"You won't be here to stop me, little brother." All For One began to fix his suit, putting the messed-up tie back in order, brushing off pieces of rock, and slicking away the creases. This man was composing himself, ready to deliver the final blow and Yoichi knows it. So he delivers his last lines, hoping that they haunt All For One.
"You know, The Demon Lord did conquer the world, yes." He begins to tell, "But the hero fighting for justice struggled past the pain and managed to save everyone. Get it, big brother? The villain always loses in the end!"
The sound of All For One unleashing a deadly quirk on his brother halts your movement, and you stare in horror at the blood spilling from Yoichi's lips, dribbling down and splattering against AFO's shoes. The villain only looks at his brother, never tearing his eyes away as Yoichi goes limp, crumbling to the floor, his body heavy with death.
"I supposed it was real after all." He says, looking down at the corpse, his nose scrunching up in displeasure upon noticing the red on his shoes. His perfectly good shoes are stained and worthless now.
The shock doesn't fade away but a pang of guilt strikes your chest. You were the one who brought Yoichi, only for the man to face the same fate as before.
It appeared that Phase 1 failed after all.
"Since you made this battle personal, bringing back skeletons that should have remained buried. Why don't I return the favor?" He proposes, activating Search as he pinpoints the location of his targets, snatching them up before you could even react.
"What are you—"
Aizawa and Eri appear, kneeling before All For One.
Their sudden appearance in the fight is a surprise, your mind racing to catch up with All For One's sudden change of plans. Without hesitation, you attempt to strike the villain down, but he uses Impact Recoil, and your attack reflects on you. That's how you find yourself on the ground, held back by red wisps that resemble yours in power and looks but are sourced from the monster standing before you.
"Don't you fucking dare do anything, you basta—"
"No no no," He scolds, snapping his fingers. Immediately you begin to gasp, your lungs painfully contracting, trying to desperately get some air but All For One prohibits this. He controls the air surrounding you and so you bow over, your body trembling from the torment.
Aizawa activates his quirk, aware that Eri is silently crying at his side. He wants to comfort her, he really does, but he hears your choked gasps and the way you're starting to convulse and he can't stand the sight.
"That won't work, Eraserhead. But go ahead and try to cancel it." AFO comments before gagging their mouths. Aizawa doesn't quit, his hair floating up in the air as his eyes blaze with red light. He hoped that the villain was merely bluffing, but your state didn't change as his eyes began to sting from dryness.
"How does it feel to be on the receiving end, Y/n?" AFO addresses you, aware that your body's system was on overdrive, trying to save you from suffocation. He gives you some credit when you still manage to look up at him with tears in your eyes and glare. "I suppose it's not as fun, seeing your family tremble before me." He teases, stepping forward to crouch down by Eri, his finger softly touching the pointy edge of Eri's horn. "This is the child Overhaul desperately tried to conceal. I can see why he was so overprotective. The power flowing from this is remarkable. I wonder what limit it has."
He looks at you, watches how his quirks torture you, how the state of your family pains you more than anything. He drinks it all in, feeling no remorse for his actions. You're still gasping, the threats and promises of death trying to leave your mouth, but your chest begins to hurt from the convulsions. Tense seconds go by, and you regret having asked your family to stay behind to help fight.
And at last, he nods, straightening up. He had his fun, enjoying the way you're trying to apologize to your family with your eyes. It was time to go. "Say goodbye, Y/n," he enjoys the horror in your eyes as he strikes the final blow.
It happens quickly because All For One is nothing but effective with his method of killing.
Shakily, you close your eyes before opening them. Daring to look, the sight caused you to gag, an action difficult because All For One still refused to stop his torture. The tears overflow your eyes, gushing down your cheeks.
Bodies lay on the floor, twisted and covered in blood.
They were sliced open, limbs mauled by whatever quirk All For One chose worthy. But it was still easy to distinguish who was who. Shaggy black hair and yellow goggles. Pale silver hair and a cat hairpin.
Finally, he released the quirks and you were able to properly breathe but at what cost?
Sobbing, you crawl towards their remains, not caring about the blood sinking into your clothes or the tiny rocks getting stuck underneath your fingernails. Your body shakes from the force of your cries, the tears blurring your eyesight as you finally reach them. But now what? You're on your hands and knees, right in front of their bodies but you can't find the courage to get closer. What would you do? All For One left nothing for you to grieve over. You can't cradle their bodies to your chest and pray to whoever was listening to bring them back.
There was nothing for you to do but drown yourself in sorrow.
AFO moved around, you heard his steps come closer to your pitiful body. But you could only think of Aizawa and Eri, the last moments you had with them, how your father's eyes shun with acceptance and love, while Eri's shun with fear. It tore you to pieces, your mind refusing to accept the truth. That the smell of blood was merely coming from the wound on your body, and their gruesome deaths were merely a hallucination created by All For One.
He looks down at your small form, annoyance curling his lips. He didn't have time for this. Your crying fest can happen later but all he needed now was to graze your forehead so that he could take your quirk. As his hand reached down, your sobs grew louder and for a split second, he considered killing you rather than taking your power, for your grief was giving him a headache.
That was until your sobs began to change into laughter.
From your position on the floor, you looked at him with red eyes and tear-stained cheeks, a grin on your face, completely catching the villain off guard.
Did you finally lose your grip on reality? You made a complete 180 change, going from a wailing, devasted hero, to some crazy weirdo, making him instantly wary.
All For One watches as the scenery changes before his eyes. The ground beneath him used to be splintered into pieces, separated by jagged lines brewing with hot, rising lava, a result of his own destruction. Now? There was no lava, not even a lick of heat. The ground was perfectly intact, a couple of cement pieces displaced. But how could it be? He was certain that no more U.A buildings were standing, all of them had fallen and been diminished to nothing more than ashes. The trees he believed were gone, burnt to a crisp, were green, only a few broken branches littering the floor. And the sky had a grey tone at some point. Now everything looked brighter, less grim. More cheerful. All that he believed to be truth was unveiling itself.
Everything was false.
He had been wearing glasses with incorrect lenses, letting him view the world with untrue colors.
And the worst part? What he believed were the remains of your family on the ground were all false too. Your father's dead body? No, All For One had merely slaughtered a bench. Your sister's dead body? No, it was just a piece of cement.
"What?" All For One whispered, disbelief written all over his face, for he had been played like a fiddle. You made a fool out of him, and the grin on your face felt like a slap to his face.
Slowly standing up from the ground, your clean your hands, brushing the tiny rocks stuff to your skin off. Wiping the tear tracks and rubbing your now sore eyes, you roll your shoulders, trying to stretch away the tension in them. "Did you like my special move? I'm quite proud of it." Pride glittered your words, slamming against All For One like bullets. "From the moment you attacked my family with lightning, you became a little mouse in a maze— my maze. Don't you get it? I've been playing you this entire time." Your voice was giddy like you were feeding off of the blatant disbelief on All For One. And you were.
If it were physically possible, your grin would be 100 times bigger, sharp with cruelness.
AFO watched as you bowed before straightening up again. "Thank you. I truly mean that. Because of you, I was able to unlock parts of me I didn't know even exist. Teleportation? Transmutation? Illusions? Reality Warping? God, you really fucked yourself over. Should've run away with your tail between your legs the second I gave you the chance to surrender."
"Reality... warping?"
You nod, "The ability to bend reality to my wishes and rules. I'm able to reshape matter, molecular polarity, and energy on an enormous scale, allowing me to alter and control what you believe is reality. So everything that happened, Yoichi, the destruction of U.A, killing my family... it was all made up. Can you believe that?" You ask with a small laugh, shaking your head in awe.
The villain began to slowly step back, licking his lips, his eyes focused on your body. Your eyes snap up to his, glowing a bright purple, completely overshadowing your eye sockets, where he couldn't even see the whites of your eyes.
"Don't go, All For One. We're just getting started." You flick your wrist, restraining him as he tried to flee. Your hands began to move like you were summoning a spell.
He watched as Aizawa and Eri appeared behind you, their real bodies this time, not inanimate objects like before.
"Trust what is real... you sure know how to surprise me, kid." Aizawa commented, eyes locked onto All For One's.
"I even surprised myself. I wasn't unsure if it was going to work." You confessed, "I thought he'd look past the veil after he killed Yoichi."
"About him... was he an illusion or did you actually..."
"Bring him back?" Aizawa nodded. "No, that's out of my field of power." You look down at your glowing hands, "Well, I believe it's out of my field. I think if I ever do attempt to bring someone back, I'd be stepping into darker power and something tells me I shouldn't do that."
"Smart. You finally make a good decision," He teases, trying to see if you'd raise to the bait and you did.
"Hey! I'm full of good decisions. Remember when I—" All For One grunted as he attempted to break free from your wisps, catching your attention as you frowned at him for being so rude. "We can argue about that later." Turning towards Eri, who was hiding behind Aizawa's legs, you gently pat her head, "Are you ready for this, Angelface?"
Eri took a deep breath, stepping out from her father's protection to grab your hand, letting your power engulf her. She feels its comforting weight, reassuring her that no matter what, you would always be there for her, ready to defeat whoever dared stand in her way. "Yes. I'm ready, Y/n."
Holding hands, you look at Aizawa, "Let's do this then." He picks Eri up, placing her on your back as he wraps his capture weapon, tying you both together. When he stands back, he watches as you both begin to glow purple, hairs floating to the air, resembling the way his hair did whenever his quirk activated.
Eri put her tiny hands on each side of your head before closing her eyes and concentrating on her quirk. Her horn began to glow the color of the sun, a gold so rich that it lit up her face. The power merged with your own as the purple fire of your eyes began to fade from a dark purple to Eri's golden light. Aizawa can't help but softly smile at the sight.
When Eri opened her eyes, she felt happy, unafraid of her quirk. Instead of fearing it like before, she embraces it, knowing that she's the one who wields it— not the monsters from her nightmares, not the doctors with the sharp knives, and especially not Overhaul.
You let go of All For One and he scrambles to his feet. He knew how powerful your quirk was alone, but mixing it with Rewind was a whole different beast. AFO rapidly constructed a mental barrier, a wall impenetrable, not allowing his mind to be vulnerable. But it's ineffective as you break through it like it was made of paper. You slithered around his mind, your cruel laughter echoed off the walls of his brain. And then you whispered a single word.
"Run."
Burning terror ripped through his body, a feeling he's never felt in the years he's been alive. It's a new feeling— and he fucking hates it. For the first time, All For One was afraid that his power alone won't be enough to defeat his enemy. He's ready to pull out every single trick up his sleeve, he doesn't give a damn if it kills him in the process. He'd rather die that way than being defeated by you. He won't give you that satisfaction of boasting about being his executioner. Nobody was allowed to ever have that right.
The composed facade he carried slipped away, revealing the ugly truth that he hid. All For One was a nobody— a man who only held power because he preyed on the weak and took advantage of the people that once loved him. His face morphed into a sneer, lips pulled back so that you could see his teeth. The styled hair he spent time perfecting fell flatly on his forehead, a few strands covering his eyes, but unable to cover the fear in his eyes.
When he gets his hands on you... oh, he was going to kill you. No, better yet, he was going to keep you alive as his witness, so that you could be chained by his feet, unable to do anything as he burned the world to ashes and all of its people. Everybody be damned. He didn't care about the war, your quirk, winning against the heroes, Shigaraki, or anybody else. All he cared about was holding on to his title as the Demon Lord. He worked hard for it, earned it— it was his. Nobody else's.
Right as his body was ready to ignite with strength, he felt a tugging sensation in his body, sizzling under his skin and sinking into the molecules that composed who he was. Confused, All For One glanced down at his hands, trying to decipher what was the cause of this. He didn't see any tendrils from you. No illusions to play mind tricks on him. This was real. He was sure of that.
"I've been called many names during my life. Monster. Demon. Scarlet Witch. Hero. Kinesis. Y/n. But today, I stand here as the Symbol of Hope. And it will be Hope that drives you mad."
"What the hell—"
There's screaming filling the air, a loud snap followed by silence.
All For One's molecules were torn apart, the painful rips invisible to the human eye but you felt the strings minding atoms together. You could hear the hollow popping of limbs being dislocated, the squelch of flesh being stretched before getting torn apart, and the splatter of entrails on the ground.
But then Rewind activated.
It's like watching a movie in reverse, broken pieces of a body being put back together out of order, starting with the surface of the body. But before the true essence of All For One is reassembled, you close your eyes grabbing Rewind by its hands and guiding it to the zone that needs to be changed— the DNA.
The chemical building blocks are about to be linked into chains with the phosphate and sugar groups alternating. That's the typical process of DNA being created. But in this society, where humans possess the biological gene to carry a quirk, there's an addition to the chain. There's a slot where the Quirk block fits into DNA strands.
Rewind sunk into the Quirk block of every strand, permanently erasing its existence. And so when the process was finalized, All For One crumbled to the floor as nothing more than a normal man— a quirkless man.
The reign of terror had ended. At last.
Aizawa watched as the glow over your body and Eri's intensified, the two of you raising your fists in the air, grins on your faces, so bright that they could rival the sun.
All For One was slumped, groaning from being ripped apart and put back together forcefully. Even though he no longer possessed a quirk, you made sure to mutate some pieces of debris laying around into handcuffs, slapping them onto his wrists. Funny how some metal cuffs were capable of restraining him now.
Powering down, you began to unwrap the capture weapon but are stopped as Aizawa engulfs you both into a hug, pulling you against his body. He feels so warm. You sink into his embrace, closing your eyes as you breathe in the scent of coffee lingering on him.
"My girls... you did it," Aizawa murmured against the crown of your head, kissing your forehead.
"That was so cool!" Eri gushed, giggling when Aizawa's facial hair tickled her face as he kissed her forehead. You smile at the sound of her laughter.
Now that the war was over, you felt dead on your feet. You were aware of the sweat glistening on your skin, and you probably smelled awful, but it was the least of your worries. For now, you would live in this little moment.
In the background, your power extended and washed over the destruction, quickly fixing it back to its original state. Transmutation was a neat little perk. You couldn't wait to show it off to Katsuki, knowing he was going to explode in both jealousy and awe. He'd then demand that you fight him with these new powers, eager to defeat you. The thought made you smile softly. Thinking of him, you should probably race back to help in the fight against Shigaraki but you could feel Katsuki through the bond, feel his excitement and happiness, and you know that it stemmed from Shigaraki's defeat.
Everything could finally go back to normal for the Symbol of Peace, Symbol of Victory, and Symbol of Hope had been victorious today.
✯¸.•'*¨'*•✿ ✿•*'¨*'•.¸✯
Quirk: Psionic
A̶n̶ ̶a̶r̶r̶a̶n̶g̶e̶d̶ ̶a̶s̶s̶o̶r̶t̶m̶e̶n̶t̶ ̶o̶f̶ ̶p̶s̶y̶c̶h̶i̶c̶ ̶a̶b̶i̶l̶i̶t̶i̶e̶s̶ ̶s̶u̶c̶h̶ ̶a̶s̶ ̶p̶s̶y̶c̶h̶o̶k̶i̶n̶e̶s̶i̶s̶, ̶e̶n̶e̶r̶g̶y̶ ̶m̶a̶n̶i̶p̶u̶l̶a̶t̶i̶o̶n̶ ̶a̶n̶d̶ ̶t̶e̶l̶e̶p̶a̶t̶h̶y̶. ̶S̶o̶ ̶f̶a̶r̶ ̶t̶h̶o̶s̶e̶ ̶h̶a̶v̶e̶ ̶b̶e̶e̶n̶ ̶u̶n̶l̶o̶c̶k̶e̶d̶.
An arranged assortment of psychic abilities such as psychokinesis, energy manipulation, telepathy, conjugation, mental manipulation, emotional manipulation, illusions, transmutation, teleportation, energy absorption, flight, force field generation, and reality warping.
Limits unknown. Power unlimited.
Weakness: Eri. Katsuki. Shouta. Touya. Hizashi. Izuku. Shoto. Keigo. Mirai. Her friends. Her teachers. Her first fan, Kozuma. The people that believe in her.