"In exactly a week we will capture All for One"

Six people were in the room; All Might, Shirai, Pantu, Sung Jin Woo, and I.

I looked around.

None of them reacted, though I had expected them to know what the meeting was about.

I hadn't : Nezu had merely told me to come here and, seeing what I'd learned last week, I did without asking any questions.

"This operation will be held in utmost secret: and to this endeavor, none of the people in this room should discuss – even between them – what will happen"

Nezu's eyes turned to All Might.

"All Might, if you'd like to explain to everyone"

All Might sniffled then stood up, bored eyes going straight through us.

It had been a while since I'd last seen him.

He looked changed, not altogether the man he was portrayed to be.

Once more I wondered if All Might was only a persona, and the man standing before us was the real one: powerful, tired, yet with an undertone of something dangerous.

"In exactly three days I will give to Katsuki Bakugo the One for All"

I shot Katsuki a glance.

Sitting on the other side of the table, he looked weirdly stiff, yet he showed no sign of nervousness when everyone's eyes landed on him.

I saw the way Pantu was assessing him and the way Shirai barely acknowledged his existence.

Katsuki caught my gaze briefly before he looked back at All Might.

"We will spread the rumor that Shoto will be All Might's successor", Nezu chimed in. "All for One, understanding what it entails, won't resist the opportunity of getting his hands on the Quirk before anyone else does"

"How does this-", Shirai shook his hand dismissively "- giving away Quirks work ? Is it something that our soldiers could replicate ?"

"It is a propriety inherent to the One for All", explained All Might. "His Quirk was that he could transmit it, and its power is accumulating while going from one user to the next"

"Hmm"

Shirai shot a glance at Katsuki.

"How are you feeling about it, boy? Not too nervous ?"

"No sir"

"You've got a lot of responsibilities on your shoulders"

"I know sir"

Katsuki's respectful tone was so out of character that I had to extend my senses and check if it was truly him sitting in front of me.

It was.

"How is this going to work ?", asked Pantu "Is some sort of ritual needed ?"

"No"

Pantu waited.

And All Might said nothing else.

The air grew thick with tension, yet All Might was either oblivious or didn't care.

Jin Woo's eyebrows rose high while Shirai's cold eyes from All Might to Pantu.

Nezu, sensing the mood shift, added :

"The way this Quirk's transmitting works is rather… personal and different from One for All user to the next."

Smooth lie.

Nezu truly was good with words...

"It may not be wise to disclose such information, especially as it holds value to the nature of our project"

"Do you know how he can transmit his Quirk ?", asked Pantu bluntly

Now she acted as if All Might wasn't even in the room.

"No", smoothly replied Nezu. "But we'll have to act as if it is a complex process to lure All for One. The false 'Quirk transmission' will be held out of the city and far from civilians. We will make it look as if the transmission itself takes a while to make All for One think he has a chance of stealing it"

The genuine version of this novel can be found on another site. Support the author by reading it there.

Though not especially ingenious, the plan seemed decent enough.

At least no civilians would be hurt once All for One would come out – and I wouldn't have to restrain myself from killing them while fighting.

A hand rose.

"I understand why you are all here", said Jin Woo "But why am I ?"

"We want you near Shoto, hidden in the shadows", Nezu explained

I disliked the idea of Jin Woo hidden in my shadow.

Even while standing at the other end of the room, I'd felt chills being in the same space as him.

There was something about him – about his Quirk – that rubbed me the wrong way.

A vicious voice sneered in the back of my mind.

Kill him before he's tasked with killing you.

I cracked my neck and rolled my head to shake away the whispers of murder.

"Even if All for One doesn't have Kurogiri anymore, we can't exclude the possibility that he has managed to get his hands on another space Quirk"

Jin Woo sank back in his chair.

"Alright"

Nezu smiled.

"Yet how are you so sure", asked Shirai, "That All for One didn't leave the country ? It would be the wisest thing to do seeing all of the damage he has suffered, be it personally or considering his men lost"

I'd heard there was an investigation concerning the people that had tried to herd away Aizawa but I'd not been privy to the answers it had brought.

"I know All for One very well", said Nezu. "I've studied him for decades and I've noticed a pattern in his actions. No matter what happens, no matter how hurt he is, he will bid his time and lick his wounds but he will always come back. His pseudo immortality enables him to set pans that will span over years if not decades ; and in all of his very long life, it is the first time he would have ever been so close to getting the One for All"

Nezu's eyes were shining.

"He will come"

More questions concerning the logistics and the number of people we'd have on standby were raised.

I felt Katsuki's gaze on me : he moved his shin toward the door and I nodded.

Half an hour later we were all dismissed.

I stood up last – just after Katsuki – and dragged out to catch him outside.

"Shoto"

Nezu's voice rang loud and clear.

"Would you care to stay a bit more ? I have a few points I'd like to talk to you about"

I looked back at Nezu, then looked at Katsuki who nodded : he'd wait for me outside.

I sat on the table's edge, slouched, hands in my pockets, looking down at a smiling Nezu.

"Let me guess : you did not get me on this to fight All for One"

Nezu shot me a glance full of meaning.

"Should the need arise, or the mission parameters change, I want you to put this on and follow my orders"

From his pocket, he retrieved a small earring that looked ordinary.

I did not even touch it

"Why would I do that ?"

He smiled as if he'd expected my reaction - I didn't like it.

"Our partnership is mutually beneficial", he explained. "Last time I got you the information you needed and in exchange you said you would... take care of my problem. This time – if, and if only something different happens during this plan – I want you to put this on and do what I'll tell you to. In exchange, I'll owe you a favor – no matter its nature – with no time limit"

I looked with more interest at the small device.

Getting owed a favor that I could ask for years down the line was interesting enough, but getting the smartest creature on my side was too good of an opportunity to pass up.

"Will I have to kill one or multiple persons ?"

Nezu seemed to ponder.

"I don't believe you shall have to kill anyone"

"Is it something that could come back to bite me or my family in the ass ?"

"Of course not. No one will be the wiser, and everyone will benefit from this"

I considered the situation as much as I could yet I had no reason to refuse.

If what he'd asked me to sounded even the slightest bit wrong, I would simply not comply.

I took the earring.

"If your order contradicts any of what I mentionned, I won't do it"

His smile widened, showing me all of his sharp little teeth in a way that weirded me out.

At this moment Nezu felt more animal than human.

"I wouldn't expect less from you"

*

Katsuki was waiting for me in the corridor, leaning against the wall, arms crossed.

Everyone else had already left.

Soldiers in uniforms walked by, their gazes lowering to our identification badges on our chests.

I stopped right in front of him, hands in my pockets.

"I suppose you being here means you've changed your mind"

His gaze crossed mine, and he didn't have to look up to meet my eyes like most people did nowadays.

I was getting insanely tall and yet he was keeping up easily.

"I did"

I showed him the staircase.

"Shall we ?"

He nodded, and we walked down in silence.

Outside it was snowing.

We stood in front of the doors, watching cars leaving the car park one after another, their yellow headlights sweeping across falling snow, giving the impression that flakes were suspended mid-air.

I shot Katsuki a side glance : he was merely wearing a shirt under a thin coat.

I exhaled, and a cloud of smoke shot from my lips.

The temperature on my skin rose and the snow under my feet became puddles.

"You don't have to do that anymore"

"Do what ?", I asked innocently

High above us, an eagle was flying in circles.

"I got it", said Katsuki

Our gazes locked.

He pulled up his coat and lifted his bare forearm for me to see properly.

"The One for All"

Power ran through his veins like lightning, making them pop all over his skin.

Pressure was building in his muscles, stretching his skin over his flesh so much that it looked like it was going to burst.

His pupils grew two sizes bigger, and darker, losing on the reddish hue.

Lightning crackled around his forearm and his hair started floating as if pushed by an invisible breeze.

"Why ?"

He scoffed, turned off his Quirk, and pulled down his sleeve.

"Though you'd be happy"

"You shouldn't do stuff you don't want to just because I told you so", I answered, frowning

Trying to coerce him into getting the One for All had been as wrong as pushing him to kill a man, no matter how wicked said man was.

I'd spoken out of envy for the possibilities he had and also out of fear that he, too, would quit and leave me alone.

Dad hadn't spoken to me in two weeks.

"I didn't do it because of you", he said, looking away. "I mean, I did in some way, but that's not entirely only because of that"

I expected him to say that it was because he wanted to become a Hero – that this was what he'd dreamed of all of his life, and he couldn't let the chance of his life slide right past him.

"She died alone, scared and confused"

My eyes went back to Katsuki.

He was clenching his fist, eyes burning.

"I want to make him pay"

His red eyes locked with mine.

"And I want you to help me with it"

*

A/N : I'm six chapters away from finishing Part 2 on P@treon, thus I'll take a week off starting from next wednesday to organize Part 3 - I'll write another note when the time comes

If you like the story, want to support it and read ahead of schedule up to 27 chapters, then go check the story's P@treon, Nar_cisseENG

And see you in the next update everyone !