Chapter 214 - Mind Games 2/2
Nezu didn't answer.
Shoto's eyes were two narrow slits.
"It'll freeze in hell the day I accept All Might's-"
"You'll come to accept it", Nezu shushed him. "And think about the monstrous power you'll have. You'd be able to walk on the world"
How delightful it sounded in Nezu's ears : walk on the world.
Being a God among men.
He craved such existence.
"I don't care about-"
"Come with me. Let's get out of here"
Shoto's eyebrows were furrowed.
After a beat, he followed Nezu, though it was obvious how reluctant he was.
Nezu locked the office behind them and then shot Shoto a surreptitious smile that made him frown even more.
The teen followed him until they reached his car, a black, glossy model of a vintage Aston Martin.
"You do not truly consider giving me All Might's power, do you ?"
Nezu had noticed the lack of comment over the fact that All Might's power could be 'given'.
He opened his trunk and put his suitcase inside.
"I indeed have no influence over who will get or who won't get All Might's Quirk"
He pressed a button on his car key : the trunk shut automatically.
"Then why did you say I would get his Quirk?"
Nezu mulled over his words.
"There are… people that could hurt the one that will get the One for All. I'd rather have them focused on you"
The teen crossed his arms.
"I'm wondering when I'll start getting paid for all of the shit you put me through"
Nezu smiled.
Shoto has talked without an ounce of anger or frustration.
He wondered how he'd react if he truly knew why had All for One managed to get to the Summer Camp.
"If you'd allow me, I would like to start paying you back right now"
Nezu gestured towards the passenger seat of the car.
Shoto's eyebrows rose.
"Trying again to get my trust ?"
Nezu smiled with good humor.
"I'd rather say trying to show you who you should not trust"
Curiosity lit up Shoto's eyes, yet he didn't say anything.
"It will be worth your time, I assure you", Nezu pressed
The teen pondered then nodded.
"Alright. Show me"
*
As soon as Nezu opened the door, dust fell from the ceiling.
Shoto had taken a step back to avoid it but it had fallen on Nezu's shoulders, who was clearing it away.
The room Nezu had brought him to was so small and cramped up it looked like a corridor, yet it was as dusty as an attic. Old cobwebs were hanging like threads from the ceiling as if even the spiders had long fled the place.
There barely was enough room for a chair and a computer on a dirty table.
Shoto knew that even while sitting his knees would touch the wall and he'd feel as stiff as a stick.
Nezu stayed on the threshold of the room while Shoto surveyed it.
"This screen is connected to a camera in the room next to it. I will conduct a meeting there that will be of great interest to you…The wall is thin enough for you to hear through it without trouble"
Shoto was still looking around, weirdly disgusted yet nonphased by how dirty it was.
"Do you want me to poison someone ?"
He only needed a peephole to feel like a spy in one of Ian Fleming's novels.
"Of course not. I merely want you to listen about what will happen next door"
Shoto shot him a sharp glance before he focused once more on the screen.
"Alright"
Nezu smiled and closed the door behind him.
*
"We'll give Shoto Todoroki the One for All"
"No"
The General's answer had shot up abruptly from his mouth, not leaving any room for discussion.
President Pantu shot him a side glance and said nothing, her gaze settling back on Nezu.
In the back, All Might, hands crossed, had not batted an eye.
"I believe he has what it takes to become the next bearer", said Nezu calmly. "He is clever, resilient, and strong-minded"
"Giving him that much power would be foolish", answered Shirai. "He's sixteen and he's already way too powerful. Few people in Japan would be able to restrain him if the need arose"
Nezu felt blood and went straight for the throat :
"And you as well as all of us here saw how capable he was when he fought those Nomus. With the One for All in addition to his own Quirk, he'd be a boon for our country"
Shirai took the bait.
"A good weapon is a weapon that won't turn itself against us. He won't have it"
It was a sentence that invited neither argument nor protestation.
On the other side of the wall, Shoto was startled.
Why was Shirai acting as if his possibly getting All Might's Quirk was a personal slight against him ?
Granted, he did not care about the One for All – wouldn't even touch it with a stick – but was he truly so bad that they could not even fathom him getting it ?
Nezu nodded humbly.
President Pantu shot Nezu an assessing glance.
"You know as well as we do how dangerous one individual holding that much power could be"
"I do", Nezu conceded
She expected him to speak, to explain his point of view ; his lack of response only served to make her more puzzled.
Shoto was getting more and more confused about what was happening.
He'd saved Tokyo, saved millions of people with only his father to help him : certainly it had to mean something for them, didn't it ?
"And it is without considering his mental state", Pantu added, gaze leveled on Nezu. "Trusting someone so volatile with such power would put us all at risk"
Shirai nodded, and a spike of anger pierced Shoto's chest.
Was he such an awful person that they could not even consider him as a potential candidate ?
Nezu nodded humbly and said nothing else.
"Though I am still wondering about something… When did you come to know about the One for All ?"
Nezu shot President Pantu a tight-lipped smile.
"All Might told me all about it quite recently"
All Might, arms crossed, looked bored out of his mind. There were dark bags under his eyes, and blood capillaries had exploded in his eyes.
Pantu did not smile.
"How convenient"
The air was thick with tension.
Shirai chose not to pay it any mind : he bent down and took out a portfolio as thick as his arm.
"Here is the list of candidates I am proposing as the next bearer of All Might's Quirk"
There were at the very least fifty candidates.
Shoto's frustration was growing by leaps.
That was it ?
They'd talked about him for barely a minute and dismissed him so quickly.
Was he not worth more ? Had he not done enough to prove them he was worthy of- of bare consideration ?
"Sung Jin Woo", Nezu read aloud
"Obviously", Pantu said
"He has a great Quirk and he's been working in the military for years now", Shirai said, choosing to ignore him. "He'd make an excellent Peace Symbol"
"I believed Gunhee was grooming him to become the next head of the Special Forces ?", Pantu asked
"He says himself ready to partake in it if no better candidate is found"
"And I believed concentrating too much power in one's hand was too risky for us to consider ?", Nezu said innocently
"He's different"
And he did not bother to develop.
Shoto's left fist clenched.
"He may be", Pantu conceded. "But I believe I may have more interesting options to offer"
She too put on the table a portfolio as big as Shirai's.
They started discussing other potential candidates, their Quirks, and achievements, whereas Shoto was seething.
They'd dismissed him so quickly to discuss fucking background characters ?
These people were nobodies – they were unable to do even a tenth of what he'd done, All Might's Quirk or not.
He could crush them as easily as he'd crush bugs, and yet they were worthy of consideration ?
He had saved people.
He had fought for Tokyo's citizens.
They should be grateful.
They should be on their knees, licking the sole of his shoes, begging him to accept being the next bearer.
They had not even considered him.
To them, he was nothing.
Suddenly, All Might's voice rose.
"I have someone else in mind"
The three heads turned to him.
He had not spoken a word since the beginning of the meeting.
Shirai gestured for him to continue.
"Someone tenacious and that will hold his ground, no matter who faces him"
"What's his name ?"
"Katsuki Bakugo"
There was a moment of silence.
"Who ?"
All Might was sprawled in his chair, looking like a bored king talking to people he did not want to talk to about matters that should not have been theirs to discuss.
"A student from Yuei", he explained. "A strong, capable boy. He'll do what needs to be done, no matter who's opposing him"
Another round of silence.
"All Might", Pantu said slowly. "No matter the… qualities of this boy, he may not be the best candidate. You can certainly find-"
"Too late", All Might cut her off. "I've already given it to him"
*
Bonus :
"What ?"
A beat of silence.
All Might sighed then looked up at the sky.
The moon was high, hanging as a watchful being over the clouds.
"My Quirk", he explained slowly. "It's called One for All. I can pass it down. I want you to be the next bearer"
There, another lie.
All Might did not want him to be the next bearer : rather, he needed the kid to be the next bearer.
Not as if he would be able to pick up on it.
Confusion and shock flashed through Katsuki's eyes.
"I-"
All Might waited for him to get a grip on himself, still looking up at the sky.
Despite not being there during Tokyo's attack, All Might had learned everything about what had transpired.
He'd felt guilty about the whole ordeal, and had felt foolish for not having realized that the few Nomus spotted north of the country were only a distraction made to push him away.
To punish himself, All Might had learned by heart all of the deceased names, printing it in his brain to never forget those he had failed.
He'd also learned about the neighborhood that had been blown up, totally obliterated.
Scorching, destroyed pieces of torn buildings had been the only thing left in a humongous pit.
He'd heard about Endeavor and his son being there that night and being praised as the main reason the city hadn't been erased from the map.
All Might had felt weird when he'd heard Shoto had managed to evacuate more than six hundred people in a matter of seconds, all alone ; the feat had been nothing short of godly.
He remembered reconsidering everything he'd learned about him : had he judged him wrongly ? Had he seen something wrong in him that wasn't there ?
He felt as if the world's axis had shifted.
All Might had always trusted his guts and it had never failed him.
Since the first time he'd met him, he'd felt uneasy around young Todoroki.
Even when he was a child, something in the back of All Might's mind had always tingled whenever the kid was near.
His senses had never been as wary when he'd faced All for One himself.
Uneasy, All Might had asked more questions.
That's one he learned about why the neighborhood had been destroyed.
All for One had blown it up.
Supposedly.
All Might hadn't bought it for a second.
If All for One truly had the power to blow up a street with a snap of his fingers, he wouldn't bother raising his army of monsters.
What was the point of fighting when you could just hold the whole world hostage ?
If someone such as this existed, everyone would have to bend to their will.
And deep in his heart – the same way All Might knew the sun would always rise and the night would always come - he knew that this – someone who would always break others before breaking himself - was what Shoto was.
He'd blow up the whole world with a snap and he wouldn't bat an eye.
The realization had chilled him to the bones.
All for One hadn't blown up this street ; Shoto had.
And worse than that, All Might was too old and too tired to stop him.
He was far from his prime : chances were that if he tried to stop him, the kid would simply crush him.
Once again, All Might wondered what would happen if Endeavor died.
"Does that mean you were Quirkless ?"
All Might's blue eyes snapped to Katsuki's.
It took him a moment to remember where he was and why he was talking to him.
The One for All truly had eaten him, body and mind alike.
"I indeed was"
The boy looked at him intently.
His reddish gaze was sharp, focused.
He'd been close to Uraraka, from what All Might had heard.
And when he'd learned – not even from Nezu – that the girl was allegedly a spy, All Might hadn't found it in himself to be upset.
It was Nezu who had pushed her into All Might's elite group. He'd had insisted, had asked All Might to treat her like he did everybody else.
The small, cold part of All Might – the one that had been hardened by years of fighting for his country – had wondered what new game Nezu was playing.
After Nana's death, Nezu had lent All Might a helping hand : yet only now did All Might understand that all along he was truly the one who had helped Nezu.
The 'Symbol of Peace' title had been nice for the first decades.
It had stroked his ego, even if he knew that were he to die, the country wouldn't crumble to pieces.
Sure, the civilians would be shaken, but All Might wasn't paramount to their country's security – no one was.
Maybe Nezu, feeling that All Might was growing more and more irritated with him, wanted to push someone he knew would've been loyal to him.
The Uraraka girl would serve Nezu, had All Might felt her worthy of the One for All.
She could have been. Truly.
If only All Might hadn't felt in Shoto a growing threat.
And now that everything had come to light, All Might's mind had worked quickly : he'd connected the dots and realized something.
Uraraka wouldn't have ever gotten the One for All ; Nezu would've merely pushed All Might to play his game and make her think she would get it.
All for One would've sprung up once she'd gotten it : it would've been a trap.
All Might's legacy was nothing but a mere game for Nezu, a mere setup that he would've used to catch All for One.
He didn't care about what such power meant.
He didn't care about the legacy it represented.
He didn't care about All Might, never had really.
It was all about power.
Everything was about power.
All Might despise them all, the fucking General who acted as if he were a mighty god – having the right of death or life over everyone else – and all of those fucking politicians that cared only about the money depreciating and the fucking Heroes who'd fled their duties when civilians had died by hundreds and he fucking despised-
"Why me ?"
All Might blinked.
He was standing against the railing of a rooftop, one hand on the cold surface.
He realized he'd crushed it without realizing it until it was but a mere straw.
Years ago, he would've obliterated the thing without thinking.
He truly was getting old.
"Don't you feel you're worthy of it ?"
The teen straightened, pride and ego swelling in his eyes.
He had potential.
But he was not worthy of it.
If only Shoto hadn't existed, All Might could've chosen someone else.
"Of course I do"
All Might nearly smiled.
"Of course", he repeated blankly
All Might considered telling him he'd only get this power because he was friends with who was certainly the next All for One in the making.
He would've probably refused to get it, then, and All Might would've been robbed of the only one he felt could stop Shoto Todoroki once he started his killing spree.
It didn't matter why or where or when.
All Might just knew deep down that the boy would be far, far worse than anything this world had ever seen.
But there was hope.
All Might knew how much he cared about his father, how concerned he was about him.
If he cared this way about people he was close to then maybe- maybe Katsuki could talk him out of whatever he would want to do someday.
It was a gamble.
The whole future was a gamble.
Yet All Might had lost the other half of the Peace Symbol and, despite everything, he had liked having someone else standing by his side.
It was time to put the burden on someone else's shoulders and go live somewhere far away, where he could rest in peace for the last few years he had to live.
It would be nice.
He'd always wanted to go to Bali.
All Might straightened up, shooting one last glance at the sky.
"There is one condition for you to get it"
The boy nodded seriously, though the bags under his eyes were red from crying.
All Might felt both pity and cold resolution wash over him.
"If I give you this power, I want you to promise that shall you have the opportunity of killing All for One – or anyone else of his level that could threaten the well-being of our fellow citizens - you will kill him"
The boy looked surprised, then frowned.
"You have to promise", insisted All Might.
He did not want the next bearer to repeat his own mistakes.
"Even if it is your friend"
All Might's eyes were hard and unyielding.
He wouldn't give him his Quirk if he didn't promise.
"I swear I will kill All for One at the first opportunity that arises", Katsuki repeated slowly, looking resolute yet slightly weird about the words coming out of his mouth. "And anyone else as dangerous as him. Even if it is my friend"
All Might smiled, yet it barely lighted up his dark face.
"Now open your mouth"
And then, the teen did something completely unexpected.
He took a step back and said :
"Thanks for the offer. I'll consider"
And he left.
*
A/N :
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