Chapter 23

The aftermath of the Kamino Incident was seen as the Hero Commission as a loss for them. While they did some damage to some of the Villains major players, such as Crucible and Usagi, as well as capturing All For One, the League's leader, and taking their bases in the Kamino Ward, the price was seen as too high. In the fight with All For One, All Might's weakened state had been revealed and he had lost the last of One For All, forcing the number one hero into retirement. On top of that, the next best bet for the number one hero, Endeavor, had been badly wounded, losing his right arm in the battle with Crucible and Dabi, now known as Shoto and Touya Todoroki. Obviously, this news wasn't shared publicly.

As well as the loss of the top two heroes, one permanent and one that they'd been assured was temporary, a number of other heroes had been injured. The entire Warehouse raid team had been heavily injured by their brief encounter with All for One. While it was thought they'd all survived after the fight, the mutilated corpse of Mount Lady was found nearby, icicles through arms and torso and electric burns covering her entire body. Edgeshot was taken to the hospital suffering from frostbite. Additionally, following the bombings that took place that night, Sir Nighteye was found severely injured but miraculously clinging to life by his sidekick, Bubble Girl, in the ruins of his hero agency.

Of the four hostages, three were recovered. From the Villains main base, Denki Kaminari was found in a back room, unconscious due to Mustard's quirk, by Edgeshot just before he was ambushed by Crucible. Ragdoll and Neito Monoma were rescued from the Warehouse, with Tiger shielding Ragdoll with his own body for much of the fight and Monoma being rescued by UA students when the fighting started. Both had their quirks taken by All For One. The final hostage, Momo Yaoyarozu, was reported to have been the true identity of the Villain Forge, who had been in UA as a spy similar to Usagi.

These reports had come from a group of UA students that had been at the scene. The Commission decided to throw out any crimes they committed on that night, such as vigilantism, due to their actions and the fact they still needed them now the Symbol of Peace had left. Of the five students, Kendo Itsuka and Tetsutetsu Tetsutetsu, had rescued Neito Monoma from being in the crossfire between All Might and All For One, Tenya Iida and Eijiro Kirishima had defended their classmates from the Villains Forge and Mina Ashido and escaped to give invaluable information about not only Forge's identity but a chat room some of the members used, which was quickly shut down, and Katsuki Bakugo had been found injured nearby by the rescue team and had apparently fought off Usagi to stop him getting involved with the main fight.

While the main fighting had been in Yokohama, there had been bombings in Musutafa as well. All of them had been related to All Might in some way, be it plaques, statues or, most majorly, the agency of All Might's former sidekick. It was clear that, after the battle with All Might, the Villains were sending a message. All Might was dead. He hadn't actually died, but they were right. The Hero All Might was gone. And now they needed someone else to protect them. The League of Villains had vanished into the night, leaving them on the back foot. It was time to put some plans together. The Commission wasn't about to let Villains have the run of the place.

Izuku woke up to the annoyed face of Tomura Shigaraki. He hadn't lasted long when he passed through the portal. A few steps maybe before he nearly collapsed on the cold concrete of Giran's warehouse if he didn't have Toru to catch him. The gang were quick to move into a new base that they'd secured ahead of time just in case of a situation like this. Kurogiri had already moved everyone personal items from the bar to the rooms in the complex.

" So. Is this about Sensei?" Izuku asked.

" You're hopeless, you know that?" Tomura sighed. " I can't believe you ran off on your own just to try and fight that explody bastard"

" Hey. I'm alive, aren't I?"

" Think, you idiot. We just lost Sensei. We can't lose you too." Tomura growled. " You're our strategist and… well, you remind me of an annoying girl I… used to know. So, remember that and stop being so stupid." Izuku lowered his head.

" Yeah. You're right. Sorry." He said. " If it weren't for Toru, I'd have likely gotten arrested myself." He tightened his hands together. " I thought I was strong enough. But it seems, after all this time, he's still just out of my reach."

" You should stop comparing yourself to trash."

" Maybe. But he's always been my goal." Izuku looked up. " Don't worry. I'll still be more than capable to help you take down this selfish world. So…"

" I thought you were passed that. I'm not gonna throw you away cause of one mistake. You're more useful than that."

" Yeah. I know." Izuku sighed. " I hate how he makes me feel this way." Izuku slapped his cheeks. " No time for self pity. Tell me how it looks."

" Pretty good, all things considered. We lost Sensei, our home base, Nomu creations facility in Yokohama, Forge's spot in UA as a spy and I think that Violet's existence was discovered. Though we gained so much more conceptually, or so Kurogiri and Forge are saying." Tomura took a seat in Izuku's computer chair. " All Might's gone. His quirk gave out. On top of that, Magne, Spinner, Compress and Singularity completed their bombing missions successfully. Mount Lady is dead. Shinso made sure of that. As well as that, though they couldn't kill the bastard, Shoto and Dabi removed one of Endeavors arms. Other heroes are injured. Yaoyorozu is writing up a full report."

" I see. I never expected Momo and Toru to remain hidden forever, especially since Iida knew both facts and he's in no rush to join us. Quite the opposite in fact. Ah, if only we had a quirk that extracted memories from people." Izuku lamented, falling back on his bed. " What of Denki?"

" He was 'rescued' by the heroes."

" Good. We still need him in play at UA. Ochako's fine where she is, but she isn't in the position we need. It'll be useful for when we turn our sights there. But right now, it's not our target." Izuku hummed. " Well, I think everything went well all things considered."

" There's one more piece of information though. I think you'll like this. It's probably our biggest prize." Tomura grin widened. Izuku looked up at him, interested. Tomura unfolded a report from his jeans pocket and handed it over to him. Izuku took it, skim reading it.

" Mirio Togata. UA student. One of the Big three, if I recall. Class 3-B. Quirk: Permeation. Special Note…" Izuku stopped. His eyes widened in surprise. " Where did you get this?"

" Singularity found it while raiding Sir Nighteye's office." Tomura told him. " This kid is apparently his apprentice or some thing."

" I can see why. All Might must still trust him." He smirked. " This is valuable knowledge. So All Might truly was weakened because he already passed it on." Izuku sat back up. " Let's stick to our plans for now. We need more men for the next step. We can deal with this later."

" So. What's our next trick?"

" Hmm. I think our best bet is to try and gain the partnership of someone with a lot of resources, man power and reputation." Izuku reasoned. " I think we should plan carefully before making our next step. A few weeks just to get our footing again. Then, we'll move onto the next stage. Message Giran. I want a meeting with Kai Chisaki."

" Oh? That Yakuza thug?"

" He's the closest person with everything we need." Izuku said nonchalantly. " Whether or not he serves or we become business partners, we should at least try. Let's say… one month from now. I think that'll do nicely." Izuku rubbed his bandaged eye. Things were about to get real interesting around here. This was going to be fun.

Toshinori Yagi walked through the halls of Tartarus' depths, flanked by the duo of eight armed guards that served as it's lead protectors. He ignored the noises echoing from the other rooms as he made his way to the deepest cell that Tartarus had. A cell made for holding the devil himself. Still dressed in his yellow suit after being called straight out of UA on request from Detective Tsukauchi. Their interviews on the recently caught All For One weren't goin anywhere. However, the Villain had asked for a single person and said, if they were brought, he'd answer the proposed questions. Unfortunately for Toshinori, he was the person asked.

These last four months had been a roller coaster. He'd become a teacher to find a successor for his quirk, One For All, which was passed down from generation to generation, powering up as it went. And he had found one. A perfect user, powerful and with a just heart. However, soon after he passed it down and began private tutoring on how to master the quirk, Villain attacks began rising. The League of Villains made its existence known by attacking the USJ. Then Hosu. Finally, the Wild Willd Pussycat's forest training grounds UA was using and Yokohama. The last derived him of One For All's last vestiges, forcing him to retire. However, in the end, he did take out his biggest rival. The man he thought dead yet showed up as the League's leader. All For One.

The League had been a mystery when it first attacked. While they were able to capture the majority of the Villains, a small group escaped. In their interrogations, it seems these were the leaders of the group, with one notable exception. When they appeared again in Hosu, it was just Nomu which the heroes thought odd until they found the Hero Killer and Native dead and a UA student claiming it was the work of League members. Then came the attack on the Pussycat's training ground and their strategist revealed themselves as a former member of Class 1-A who made waves in the Sport's Festival, Mikumo Akitani aka Izuku Midoriya, someone logged as missing for a year prior. An investigation into the League was able to compile a list of most of its members secret identities, with more coming to light during the Heroes raid on the Leagues bases in Yokohama. Some were troublesome to know. He had a lot to confront All For One about.

When Toshinori entered the cell, he noted the security around it's sole inhabitant. All For One was chain to the back wall and surrounded by guns and separated from the visitor area by a wall of bulletproof glass and steel. When someone entered Tartarus, they didn't leave. The security of the place made very sure of that. " Ah. All Might. How nice to see you again? How are the wounds?"

" This isn't a pleasure call, All For One."

" Ah yes. I did ask for you." The man laughed. " I'll talk to you and you alone. Get rid of the entourage." Toshinori narrowed his eyes. " What? Worried I'll escape?" With a sigh, he nodded to the guards, ushering them to leave. " Isn't that better?"

" I am here. Now, answer my questions."

" Of course. I am a man of my word, after all. What is it you wish to know?" Toshinori opened a file that Tsukauchi had given him. Questions and files on the League.

" Where is the League hiding?"

" I'm not going to tell you that. We both know it's not going to be that easy."

" You said you'd answer."

" And I did. My answer is that I'm not telling you." All Might growled.

" Then let's go through some of your pawns."

" They're not pawns, All Might. I'm not like your Commission. Each one of my pieces has power and purpose. They may serve my king, but each is a promoted piece." All For One grinned. " But please. I'll be happy to enlighten you."

" Let's begin with the USJ Incident." Toshinori began. " Your League attacked the USJ to draw me out and kill me, correct?"

" It was a good plan but alas, no-one can predict your foolish bravado. If not for that and a string of interruptions, you'd likely be dead by now." All For One said, matter of factly. " It wasn't even my plan either. Tomura and Izuku are rather resourceful."

" Let's talk about them. What you told me about Tomura Shigaraki. Is that true?"

" Every word of it. Tomura Shigaraki's real name is Tenko Shimura, grandson of your mentor. Because of Nana's poor decision to abandon her child, his father grew up to resent heroes and he grew into a rather bitter old man who wasn't exactly kind to his children. And when poor Tenko's quirk was formed after one of his father's tirades, well… one by one, his family was never destined to last. I found him in the aftermath, covered in the blood of his family, and took him in."

" You turned him into a weapon."

" If you think of him a weapon, then you're the exact reason he despises heroes in the first place. He's no Weapon, All Might. He's as human as you or I." All For One chuckled. " Perhaps that's not quite the best comparison though."

" And Izuku Midoriya? How does he fit into your scheme?"

" In Chess terms, he's the Queen to Tomura's King. Dangerous in his own right but the game continues without him. He's a tactical mastermind and it's because of him Tomura has such a following. He gathered those people like you and your ilk threw away and rebuilt them as a powerful fleet ready to sink the sun." All For One paused. " Do you remember him, I wonder?"

" He was a good student. He would have made a good hero." Toshinori stated.

" No. Before UA. You met before. Did that day slip your memory?" Toshinori paused. He knew this was a trick question. Something to made him doubt himself. A lie. No. All For One was a lot of things. A murderer. A thief. The thing that goes bump in the night. But he wasn't a liar. That was one of the most dangerous things about him. He told the truth. Sometimes twisted. Sometimes not all of it. But he always told the truth.

" Let's move on."

" No, let's not. You don't remember do you? I know the day quite well because that was the day I met him as well. A poor boy with his world broken at his feet desperately trying to pick up the pieces. You taught him the true face of hero society." All For One laughed. " And I must sincerely thank you for that." Toshinori grit his teeth, trying to hold back his anger. He could never have done such a thing to the boy. Not to one with such a fantastic quirk and an incredible mind. This was just another of All for One's tricks. It had to be.

" Let's. Move. On."

" Very well. If you insist." All For One leant his head back in his bindings. " Who do you want to talk about next? Momo Yaoyarozu? How about Shoto Todoroki? That's a fun one."

" Mina Ashido." Toshinori said. " According to all records she was a hard working, happy go lucky middle school student until around 10 months ago. Her personality started changing slightly after than point. Next thing anyone knew, she was raiding the USJ. What did you do to her?"

" That one wasn't me." All For One admitted. " If you want Ashido's story, you'll have to ask Himiko Toga."

" Don't lie to me. We have the logs of Young Midoriya's blog. She changed after joining Venality."

" The Children of Venality are all Izuku's pet projects. I had no hand in any of them. The only ones I personally got to join the League were Tomura, Izuku and Kurogiri. So, if that's why you're here, I'm afraid you'll not get much from me since I don't have much to give." All For One tipped his head slightly. " All I can give you is stories. Like how Hitoshi Shinso was abused his entire life for a supposedly villainous quirk for example. Would you like to hear the of the true face of Endeavour perhaps? Or how about the link between the Yaoyarozu Hero Lawyers and the Commission?"

" If you don't know, I'll skip ahead." Toshinori took out a few files. " There are three villains we don't know the true identity of."

" Up from six I would imagine."

" Who are Singularity, Blackout and Ghost?"

" Is that what you dubbed the Invisible one?"

" It is."

" It's generic but I suppose it works."

" Answer the question."

" UA's security is so lax."

" Answer-"

" Nedzu's had how many attacks on his students now? And that's not even getting into the spies. I didn't even put that much effort into creating a fake background to check for Izuku's fake identity. Perhaps this was for the best. You heroes were getting lazy."

" Answer! My! Question!" All For One looked at Toshinori with a hint of disappointment in his expression.

" No. I believe we are done for today."

" I'm not finished."

" But I am. Perhaps we can continue this another day. Perhaps on the outside of this miserable room."

" No, All For One." Toshinori said, rising from his chair. If the Villain wasn't going to speak, he wasn't going to waste his time looking at him any longer. " You'll never see the outside again."

" Let's put a pin in that one for now, shall we All Might?" All For One said, grinning. Something about that made Toshinori uneasy as he turned to leave. All For One was always scheming. But no schemes in the world could breach the walls of Tartarus. He had to believe that. For now, the biggest threat were the rest of his League. And retrieving Tenko Shimura. He owed his mentor that much.