Chapter Text
The Aoyamas had spent months tracking down rumors of a criminal mastermind with the bizarre and wonderful ability to give their son a quirk. They poured money into their search with reckless abandon. Finally, they found a guy who knew a guy who knew All for One.
A day later, their contact was murdered for skimming profits from his boss. By then, the Aoyamas already had a phone number that All for One supposedly checked for voicemails periodically. But they had second thoughts. Did they truly want to strike a bargain with a man who would murder so easily? They looked down at their tiny son, playing with hero figurines on the living room floor. They wanted him to have all the perks and power of social acceptance, as well as a chance to fulfil his heroic dreams. But even more importantly, they wanted him to remain alive.
The Aoyamas threw the hard-won phone number in the trash, then found a private martial arts tutor for little Yuga.
Thousands of miles away, in America, Hisashi Midoriya called All for One.
“You purchased a quirk for our son?” Inko stared at the phone in her hand, shaking her head in disbelief. She put the phone back to her mouth. “Are you certain it’s not a scam?”
On the other end of the phone, Hisashi sighed. “Don’t treat me like a fool. Men like me don’t get scammed. All for One is very powerful and important. Not just anyone could have obtained this opportunity for Izuku.”
Inko considered who would keep such a quirk secret and use it without government approval. “Is he a villain?”
“Who cares what he does in his private life? All that matters is he can make Izuku normal.” Hisashi’s voice became impatient. “You keep pestering me to send more money home. Well, if Izuku had a quirk, then I would.”
Inko inhaled sharply. She’d already known it had been no coincidence that her husband had transferred to the United States not long after their son had been diagnosed as quirkless. Yet it still cut her to the bone to hear it said so carelessly and without shame. In a shaking voice, she said, “There’s nothing wrong with Izuku. He’s already normal.”
“No, he’s not.” Hisashi snorted. “Quirkless people are rarer with every generation, therefore it’s not normal. I’m only stating the facts. You’re being emotional.” His voice rose with each word. “Oh my god, you’ve been irritating me so much lately. All that crying about Izuku’s diagnosis, and now you don’t want him to have quirk? Shouldn’t you be grateful to me for finding him one? What kind of awful mother are you? I shouldn’t have married you, with your weak quirk. It’s your fault that Izuku doesn’t have one. I have a good quirk. I bet if I marry a woman with a fire quirk, then we’ll have a child with an even stronger power.”
Inko trembled. She had not missed how her husband had spoken in future tense. This was a threat. If she didn’t agree, then he’d divorce her and start a new family.
After receiving the news about Izuku’s lack of a quirk, Hisashi had demanded a paternity test. Inko had told him to shove it up his ass. Then he’d gotten…well, it had been scary…she felt certain that she could have done better and not escalated the situation, and she knew she shouldn’t have mouthed off to her husband like that…but surely he’d gone too far. The police had wanted her to press charges. But Hisashi had threatened to divorce her, and Inko couldn’t raise her son without his financial support. Even if her husband’s frequent absences had become a relief after that incident, the cold harsh reality was that she depended on him.
Inko had been only sixteen when she’d met Hisashi, a girl in foster care who’d been dazzled by a man two decades older who’d showered her with expensive presents and compliments. He’d gotten her pregnant only a few months into their relationship. She’d been so relieved when he’d offered to marry her. In Japan, Hisashi was required to get permission from her parents to marry a sixteen-year-old, but her parents were long gone and the head of the orphanage had barely cared. Inko had dropped out of high school to look after the baby. In retrospect, at an older and wiser age, words like “grooming,” “pedophilia,” and “financial abuse” came to mind.
But now Inko was trapped. She’d visited a divorce lawyer who’d given her a free consultation. He’d been blunt about the difficulty getting child support from someone who lived abroad. Not that she could even afford a lawyer to pursue it. As a high school dropout with no work experience or skills, she knew her job prospects were nonexistent. She’d made her mistakes and thought maybe she deserved this. But Inko couldn’t bear to think of her son, thrown out of their apartment and left to starve on the streets.
Inko burst into tears.
“Ugh.” Hisashi groaned. “Call me back later when you’re willing to talk rationally.” He hung up.
“Mommy? What’s wrong?” Izuku ran into the room and flung himself into her arms.
Inko’s shoulders heaved as she regained control of herself. “Nothing.”
Her son stuck out his lower lip. “Did someone on the phone make you cry?”
Even at five years old, Izuku could be very perceptive. Inko rubbed her eyes. She did not want to tell her son negative things about his father. “I’m just feeling tired, sweetie.”
Izuku did not look convinced, but he only said, “I’ll make you some tea.”
Inko felt a pang of guilt as her son grabbed a stepstool to reach the cabinet with the tea. For a kindergartner, he was entirely too good at taking care of himself and her too. She hadn’t known how to handle a baby when she’d been little more than a child herself and her husband had been utterly useless. As a result, Izuku had grown up too fast.
Watching her son take out a tea bag, Inko asked, “Do you want a quirk?”
Izuku froze. His shoulders hunched defensively. In a cold, un-childishly articulate voice, he said, “The doctor might have been wrong. I might be a late bloomer. I have a long list of possible quirks that I still need to test.”
“Of course.” Inko wrung her hands. “Is that a yes? You want a quirk?”
Izuku did not look at her as he crouched down to take out the tea kettle from under the sink. He seemed to be deliberately avoiding her eyes. “I want to become a hero. Everyone says I need a quirk for that. So I guess I want a quirk.”
Inko bit her lip. “Then I have a way to get you one.”
Izuku whirled around. His surprised look turned into anxiety. Gasping, he ran over. Inko did not understand why until she realized she’d bitten her lip so hard that blood dripped down her chin.
Mom had dressed Izuku up in a child-sized striped brown suit. He shifted and tugged at the tie she’d fastened around his neck. It didn’t feel comfortable. But he had to look his best. A very important man was coming to give him a quirk.
Izuku wanted a quirk, yes. He would be excited to have any power, to play with and analyze and polish to perfection. But even more importantly, he needed a quirk. Even though Mom never said so, Izuku knew that his father had left them because he was quirkless. In the incident they never talked about, Daddy had turned into a monster and hurt Mommy because he was quirkless. Mom cried when she thought he wasn’t looking because he was quirkless. It was all his fault.
The doorbell rang. Inko’s voice came from the hallway. “Sensei, it’s such a great honor to meet you. I prepared refreshments.”
The living room table contained a three-tiered platter with six different kinds of cookies. Inko had been in the kitchen all day making batches of cookies and setting aside the ones that came out perfect for their special guest. She’d also squeezed lemons into handmade lemonade and brought out an expensive bottle of wine from the basement.
Izuku had stuffed his tummy on the cookies that had been rejected for minor imperfections. Now his full stomach rolled with nervousness.
An extremely tall man with curly white hair and piercing red eyes strode into the living room. He wore a black suit with the top unbuttoned and no tie. As soon as those cold eyes fixed on Izuku, the child shuddered like a mouse in the thrall of a snake. Sweat dripped down Izuku’s neck. He squirmed on the couch cushion, suddenly longing to go to the bathroom.
Inko rushed after the stranger. “Izuku, this is All for One, but you should call him Sensei. Sensei, this is my son, Izuku Midoriya.”
“Let me check if he’s quirkless. He wouldn’t be the first one with a hidden ability. Quirk counselors and doctors these days are a joke.” All for One grabbed Izuku’s head. Izuku’s brief life flashed before his eyes. But the man did not crush his skull. The touch was firm but applied no pressure. A small hint of red light flashed from the holes in his palms. “No quirk in there.” All for One let go and Izuku collapsed backward onto the sofa. “My payment?”
With trembling hands, Inko bowed and handed over a check. “M-my husband said to send his compliments and tell you how much he admires you.”
All for One’s lips peeled back with scorn. His lack of response was its own answer. After pocketing the check, he turned back to Izuku.
To forestall another terrifying head grab, Izuku held out his hand. “Here, since you need to touch me.”
All for One’s eyes narrowed. “How did you know that I needed to touch you to transfer a quirk?”
“I saw your palms glow. I guessed.” Izuku had been paying close attention to the stranger to see how he gave quirks. If All for One went back on his promise, then Izuku had every intention of trying to take a quirk by force. If the transfer had been based on DNA, he’d considered biting the man. It looked like All for One used touch, so there wasn’t a good way to force a quirk from him except by threatening him. Izuku had no illusions about his ability to threaten this intimidating grown-up. It would have to wait until he was older. He almost started mumbling his threats out loud, but he clamped his lips shut just in time.
All for One’s eyebrows rose. “You’re an interesting boy. What was your name again?”
“Izuku Midoriya,” Inko said from behind him. Her tone was clipped and nervous. She clearly did not want All for One speaking to her son.
“Izuku Midoriya.” All for One repeated the name as if committing it to memory. “What are you planning to do with your new quirk?”
Some instinct told Izuku not to say that he wanted to become a hero to a man who had the aura of a villain. He hesitated.
Inko answered for him. “He wants to be a hero.”
Izuku flinched.
All for One laughed. “Don’t all the children these days? A hero, eh?” His lips twisted mockingly. “I’ll be interested to see what kind of hero you become with my quirk.” He moved like a rattlesnake striking, grabbing Izuku’s outstretched hand.
Something hot forced its way into Izuku’s body. His stomach burned and bulged. He screamed.
Inko made an aborted attempt to grab All for One’s back, her hand falling away. Her whole body shook. Tears trickled down her cheeks. “P-please, what are you doing to him?”
“A little pain is normal, especially as the quirk settles into a body unsuited for it.” All for One released Izuku, letting him fall in a heap to the carpet.
Izuku’s head spun. He could barely keep his eyes open. Through dim vision, he saw All for One bend over the coffee table. “Mmm, are those macaroons? I love macaroons.” All for One picked up the entire cookie holder and walked off with it, leaving Inko crying and Izuku collapsed behind him.
A DECADE LATER:
Izuku Midoriya woke up early every morning to train. It was almost time the U.A. Entrance Exam. The navel laser quirk had been unsuited to Izuku’s body. Even after years spent practicing, the laser caused him pain whenever he used it. But it was still a quirk of his very own. Izuku believed with further training, he could completely master it.
As Izuku headed into the kitchen he heard his mother shouting into the phone, “Dammit, Hisashi, you promised me that we could pay with money! You never warned me that this might happen!” Despite the tears streaming down her cheeks, her voice echoed with rage.
Izuku sighed. Of course it was his father causing trouble. Hisashi did nothing but make Inko suffer every time that he called. Even after Izuku had gotten a quirk, Hisashi had never once visited from America. In Izuku’s opinion, it was good riddance to bad rubbish. As a child, he’d been deeply hurt by this father’s rejection. By the time he’d reached his teens, he’d noticed many things wrong about how his father treated his mother. If Hisashi had found another woman in America as Inko suspected, then Izuku felt indifferent except for concern for the latest victim.
“Hang up on him, Mom,” Izuku said, shaking his head in disgust. Now that Inko had gotten a secretarial job at a doctor’s office, they didn’t depend on Hisashi’s money any longer. A good thing too, because payments had gotten increasingly small and excuses had gotten bigger over time. At the same time, Hisashi had thrown up endless obstacles to divorce because he didn’t want to pay child support.
Hisashi’s voice came from the telephone, sounding small. “Was that Izuku? Put me on speakerphone. He needs to hear this.”
Inko obeyed. It bothered Izuku, seeing how automatically she always obeyed his father even when he was upsetting her.
Hisashi said, “All for One, the man who gave you a quirk, honored me with a message. He’s calling in his favor.”
“Favor?” Izuku frowned. “What favor?”
“I never heard anything about it, either,” Inko muttered bitterly, her hands twisting her apron.
Hisashi adopted a pompous tone. “All for One is a very important man, and he’ll become more important in the future. It’s an honor to be of use to him.”
“So he’s a villain,” Izuku said flatly. The fearful tone his deadbeat father used had confirmed it. Honestly, he’d had an inkling even at age five. In his childhood memories, All for One had been terrifying, but Izuku assumed that his impressions as a young child exaggerated the intimidation factor. “I’m not giving him anything. The only place he’s going is to jail.”
Hisashi gasped. “How dare you speak of Sensei like that? Inko, how did you raise our son?”
“Without you,” Izuku said.
Hisashi spoke over him. “All for One has ordered you to get into U.A.’s heroics course and send him information. In particular, he’s looking for a special quirk among the students—”
Izuku reached over and hung up the phone.
Inko gasped. Hanging her head, she whispered, “All for One threatened to kill all three of us if you don’t cooperate.”
No wonder she looked ready to faint. Izuku took his mother’s hand. “Mom. I know you must be scared.” Izuku himself thought the threat might turn out to be a bluff. The villain probably wouldn’t want to draw police attention like that. Still, he’d act as if the threat was real and take precautions accordingly. “Please think about our options. What happens if I obey a villain? He’ll only keep on making more ridiculous demands. He already told me to get into the top hero school as if that was nothing. What happens when I can’t do something he asks for, even if I want to? What happens when he asks me to do things that hurt innocent people? Sooner or later, he’ll want something I can’t give.”
Inko shuddered. “H-Hisashi…your father…said All for One will let you go if you do him one favor.”
“Do you believe that?” Izuku asked.
After a moment, Inko shook her head.
“I don’t either. Giving into a blackmailer empowers him,” Izuku said. “If I cross the line and help a villain hurt people, then I’ll be committed to his side. If he loses, we’ll go to jail. Then what? Do we hope that a villain wins and takes over Japan?” Scorn filled his voice, reflecting how unlikely he considered that possibility. That would never happen with All Might on the job.
Inko muttered, “I’d rather not live under the thumb of another bad master.”
Without her saying it, Izuku knew she was speaking of his father. His heart clenched.
Inko rubbed her eyes and raised her head. “You’re right. We can’t do this. We have to…go to the police?”
“Of course.” Izuku nodded. “We’ll tell the police that a villain threatened us. I’m certain that they’ll arrange protection for us. We don’t have to mention the quirk. No one would believe it possible to buy a quirk, anyway. If the police don’t take us seriously enough, or even if they do, we should probably leave town for a bit. Can you pack while I go to the police station?”
“Good idea.” Inko rubbed Izuku’s head. “You’ve always been smart. I’m sorry I put you in such a horrible position by dealing with that dreadful man.”
“Don’t be,” Izuku said. “It’s not your fault.” He placed all the blame on his father.
Inko shook her head. “No, I made a bad choice. I’m sorry for it.” She smoothed down an unruly lock of his hair. “Thank you, Izuku. You thought up a good plan while I was panicking. You’re going to be a wonderful hero someday.”
Izuku flushed and stammered, unable to think of anything eloquent to say. He settled on, “I love you, Mom.”
She pulled him into a hug. “I love you, too.”
Izuku delivered his report to a very bored police officer who’d never heard of All for One. The policeman said they’d send some extra patrols by the apartment complex but didn’t seem interested in doing more. As Izuku had feared, he and his mother would need to handle this on their own. If they skipped town, then the villain would be unlikely to bother to track them down. Even so, they would have to take precautions so that they weren’t followed. Izuku hoped this whole mess would blow over in time for him to take the U.A. Entrance Exam as planned. Come to think of it, perhaps he should tell U.A. next? They might be interested in a villain trying to spy on them. Maybe they’d be more willing and able to provide protection for a prospective student and his mother.
Lost in his thoughts, Izuku pushed open the front door. “Mom, I’m home.”
No one replied. The apartment was vacant. There was no sign of a struggle. An unfamiliar television rested on the coffee table, next to the same silver cookie holder that All for One had walked off with a decade ago.
Izuku felt faint. He wanted to break down into tears, but a cold part of his brain did not let him. Whatever he did next would be critical to his and his mother’s survival.
The screen flickered to life. It showed Inko Midoriya sitting on an unfamiliar red couch. A man wearing a black breathing mask and a suit stood behind her with his hands resting on her shoulders. Inko wept silently, heavy tears pooling at her feet. Three strange black creatures stood around the couch. Exposed brains jutted from rotten flesh. They looked like monsters created from CGI, too grotesque to be real.
“All for One,” Izuku said numbly.
The villain smirked. “Right on the first guess! How were you so certain? I’ve changed since we last met.” He tapped his face mask.
Izuku said, “You still wear your suit the same way. Top unbuttoned, no tie.”
“Smart.” The voice muffled by the breathing device was cold and mocking. “You’ll need that in order to infiltrate U.A.”
Through her sobs, Inko gasped out, “Izuku, don’t worry about me, you can run away.”
“Can he?” All for One asked with snort. “I’ve ensured that his police report was deleted. I have more agents in police stations around Japan, ready to do the same thing. There are heroes in my pocket, as well. Maybe you’re not the only spy I’ve planted in U.A. If you tell the wrong person about me, then I’ll know that you’ve betrayed me. What do you think will happen then?”
“You’ll kill my mom,” Izuku said. Tears stung the backs of his eyes.
All for One chuckled. “The first time you betrayed me, I should have killed your mother. I’m giving you a second chance, because you seem smart and useful. But that means the penalty for betraying me a second time will be harsher.” He leaned down and put his mouth close to Inko’s ear. His sightless face remained turned toward Izuku as he whispered, “If your son disobeys me again, I’ll kill you, then resurrect your corpse as one of my minions.” He gestured at the black guards.
Oh, god, those are dead people? Izuku thought. His hands shook.
All for One continued, “Then I’ll send you to kill your child with your own two hands. Knowing that, can you still tell your son to forget about you and run?”
Inko wept so hard she couldn’t speak. She looked away, refusing to meet Izuku’s eyes.
In a high-pitched voice, Izuku said, “It’s okay, Mom. I’ll do whatever Sensei says. As long as I do that, you’ll be safe.” This wasn’t true. Earlier, Izuku had clearly explained to his mother why going along with a blackmailing villain wasn’t a viable long-term strategy. But in the short run, Izuku had no choice but to obey. He would have gotten on his knees and begged this villain for the privilege of serving him if it would save his mother’s life. “Thank you for your mercy, Sensei. I’ll be a good spy.”
“First, you’d better prepare for the U.A. Entrance Exam,” All for One said carelessly, straightening. “If you fail, then you’ll hold no use for me. And neither will your mother.”
Inko’s sobs filled the room. She slowly lifted her head and stammered, “I-Izuku, I’m sorry.”
The screen went dark, leaving Izuku alone with his despair.
OMAKE TIME!
Omake: A Very Short Ending to This Story
All for One: I’m here to call in my favor.
Inko: But it’s only been one day since you gave my son a quirk!
All for One: Those cookies were the best I’ve tasted in decades. You’re going to be my personal chef from now on.
Izuku: You don’t want me? I feel cheated. I’m supposed to be the main character!
All for One: You can be my new quirk analyst. Two for the price of one!
#
Omake: What if Izuku Did Have a Hidden Quirk?
All for One: No quirk in there.
Izuku: I felt something pulled out of my head.
All for One: It was all your imagination. Here, have a less valuable quirk that will give you stomach troubles.
#
Omake: The Boogeyman of the Underworld
Izuku Before All for One: I vaguely remember the man who gave me my quirk as a nebulous mass of terror and evil, but that’s probably just because I was an easily impressed child.
Izuku After All for One: I apologize to my five-year-old self. That was an accurate description.