….
This had been one of his secondary objectives from the start: secure biological evidence…
"These belong to Tomura Shigaraki, the leader of League of villains." Dabi said, handing them over. "Document chain of custody properly. These might be critical for investigation."
Obviously that wasn't his real objective.
What he actually needed was the final piece of evidence to prove something only he knew.
Naomasa took the evidence personally, understanding the implications. "We will run a full analysis. DNA, trace material, quirk residue - everything we can pull from it.
After making sure they were alone, Dabi lowered his voice slightly.
"There's something else you need to know." he said. "It was All For One."
The statement landed like a physical blow.
Naomasa's pen stopped mid-stroke in his notebook. He had been writing observations, but now his attention focused entirely on Dabi.
"You're certain?" His voice was carefully controlled, but the underlying tension was obvious.
Shigaraki and Kurogiri appearing didn't disturb Naomasa that much, they had been involved in the USJ incident months ago.
Known threats could be planned for.
But All For One?
This was the first time anyone had truly 'seen' All For One since his battle with All Might six years earlier, making it the first real confirmation that he was still alive, still active, and still manipulating events from the shadows.
This wasn't just an incident, but a game-changer.
Dabi confirmed, meeting Naomasa's eyes directly. "He confirmed it himself."
The implications were staggering, a villain who had been content operating through proxies for years had personally intervened in a shopping mall confrontation.
Either he was becoming desperate, or something about this situation had forced his hand.
Just then the door opened abruptly.
All Might entered in his civilian form, Toshinori Yagi, skeletal and haggard, looking far older than his actual years.
The worry etched into his face was profound.
"Young Midoriya!" His voice cracked slightly with emotion. "Are you hurt? Did anyone–"
"I am completely alright, All Might… at least physically." Midoriya said automatically from where he sat.
At first, All Might didn't fully understand what Midoriya meant, but once the situation was explained, he did.
Physical wounds could be healed, but the psychological impact of facing All For One was something else entirely.
All Might's gaze shifted to Dabi, the relief in his eyes was profound and genuine. "Thank you for stepping up and protecting him again Dabi, I couldn't–"
"You could stop right there." Dabi cut him off, deflecting the gratitude with visible discomfort. "Kamui Woods handled civilian evacuation, and Stain helped keep the crowd under control. I just dealt with the immediate threat."
All Might replied quietly. "You confronted All For One directly and walked away from it. More importantly, you may have stopped what could've become a massacre." He paused for a moment before continuing. "That's not something you brush aside as 'just' anything, Dabi."
Outside the interrogation room, Naomasa was coordinating with other investigators.
….
Midoriya Inko arrived like a force of nature compressed into a small, anxious package.
She burst through the police station doors, eyes wild with maternal panic, spotted her son sitting mostly unharmed, and immediately dissolved into tears.
"Izuku! Oh god, Izuku, are you–"
"Mom, I am safe." Midoriya said quickly, standing to intercept her before the tears became a complete breakdown. "The heroes got there in time, so nothing happened to me, not even a scratch."
He was lying, of course.
Something had very definitely happened, but mothers needed reassurance, and sometimes reassurance required simplification.
Dabi stepped back immediately, giving them space.
This wasn't his moment to step into.
It was a mother reassuring herself that her child was still alive and unharmed – the most primal kind of relief a person could feel, sacred enough that outsiders had no place intruding on it.
Inko clutched her son, sobbing into his shoulder with the kind of relief that came from confronting worst-case scenarios.
After several minutes of reassurance and continued tears, the Midoriyas prepared to leave.
Inko paused at the door, turned back to Dabi.
"Thank you." she said simply, voice thick with emotion. "For keeping him safe."
Dabi nodded but didn't trust himself to speak.
What could he say? I did my job? Your son was bait in a trap I set? I used him to draw out villains?
None of that would help.
So he just accepted the gratitude silently and watched them leave.
….
After the Midoriyas departed, Naomasa, All Might, and Dabi gathered in a secure conference room to discuss broader implications.
"Today Tomura Shigaraki directly targeted students." Naomasa began, laying out his threat assessment on the table. "This represents significant escalation from the USJ incident. We have to assume he will try again, either targeting Midoriya specifically or going after other U.A. students."
"Agreed." All Might said heavily. "The question is how we protect them without restricting their development as heroes."
Naomasa suggested turning to All Might. "There's another consideration. Your connection to U.A. puts a target on the school. If you were to… create some distance between yourself and the students for a while, it might lower the risk profile for–"
"He's not going anywhere." Dabi interrupted flatly.
All Might looked surprised. "Dabi, if my presence is putting students at risk–"
"And what exactly changes if you leave?" Dabi shot back sharply. "All that does is send a message that threats work, that we're willing to retreat and abandon ground the moment someone applies pressure."
He leaned forward, intensity radiating from every word.
Naomasa watched this exchange with analytical interest.
There was something in Dabi's tone, a certainty that went beyond general tactical knowledge.
But now wasn't the time to press that particular issue.
"Then we reinforce security without pulling All Might out of U.A.," Naomasa Tsukauchi decided. "We will increase undercover hero patrols around the school, tighten monitoring during off-campus activities, and coordinate with local police so response times are faster if something happens."
"And we push the students harder." Dabi added immediately. "They need to be capable of protecting themselves when heroes can't reach them right away. Today proved that."
All Might nodded slowly, the decision settling into place. "Agreed. The provisional license exams are coming soon anyway. We will intensify their preparation from this point forward."
….
In a hidden location far from police surveillance, All For One reclined on a medical bed while his personal doctor tended to injuries that shouldn't have existed.
The burn on his hand where Dabi's flame-wrapped fist had connected through the portal – minor, superficial, barely noteworthy in the grand scheme.
But real, and deeply concerning.
"MASTER!!!" Shigaraki paced like a caged animal, scratching at his neck compulsively with bloody hands. "You should have killed them there! Torn them apart! Made them suffer for–"
"Tomura." The patience in All For One's voice was wearing dangerously thin. "What would you have gained from killing them in a public mall surrounded by cameras and witnesses?"
"Revenge! Satisfaction!" Shigaraki's scratching intensified, drawing fresh blood. "For daring to stand in my path and thinking they can oppose us!"
All For One studied his student with clinical detachment.
This obsession with Dabi had grown beyond useful motivation into something approaching liability.
The boy is now really fixated on the U.A. teacher in ways that were becoming counterproductive.
Originally, Shigaraki's development had been proceeding according to plan.
His primary motive, the complete destruction of hero society, aligned perfectly with All For One's goals.
His hatred for All Might provided excellent motivation.
His trauma and rejection created perfect psychological conditions for manipulation and growth.
But Dabi's influence had disrupted that trajectory.
Instead of focusing on broader societal destruction, Shigaraki was becoming personally fixated on one specific opponent.
This wasn't part of the plan.
"Doctor." All For One said quietly, ignoring Shigaraki's continued ranting. "Take Tomura and begin treatment for his injuries."
The doctor moved to comply, guiding the still-protesting Shigaraki toward another room.
All For One remained on the medical bed, studying his burned hand with clinical interest.
There was still one thing he hadn't addressed, something he had deliberately avoided acknowledging because doing so meant facing the reality of a major strategic setback.
Kurogiri's capture.
The loss of their teleportation specialist was devastating on multiple levels.
Obviously, the tactical mobility was critical, the ability to strike anywhere, retreat instantly, coordinate multi-location attacks.
But beyond that, Kurogiri served another crucial function: stabilizing Shigaraki.
The modified Nomu had been specifically designed not just for warping, but for psychological management.
His presence kept Shigaraki's more destructive impulses in check, providing a calming influence during stress.
Without Kurogiri….
All For One could already see the deterioration beginning.
Shigaraki's emotional control was deteriorating, his obsessive tendencies growing stronger while rage increasingly overwhelmed his ability to think strategically.
This is becoming problematic.
Soon, All For One was reconnected to his life-support systems – the breathing apparatus, medical monitors, and all the machinery required to keep his damaged body functioning.
He looked at his hand again, blood stained the skin, and for once, it was his own blood rather than an enemy's.
The doctor worked in silence, but even he seemed disturbed by recent events. "You attempted to steal Dabi's quirk during the encounter?"
"I did." All For One confirmed.
That had been the real reason Dabi's punch had landed.
All For One hadn't tried to defend himself properly, instead focused entirely on stealing the fire quirk through contact, confident his usual techniques would work.
They hadn't.
"And the attempt failed," All For One continued, slowly flexing his burned hand. "Not because of strength or resistance. The quirk itself rejected the theft, as though it didn't recognize my ability as something legitimate, as though it existed outside the normal framework entirely."
He studied the damage with genuine scientific interest.
"I haven't encountered a quirk that could do that in decades, perhaps not ever."
The doctor said nothing, but his expression suggested deep concern.
But watching through the doorway as his student scratched compulsively at his neck, barely containing his rage, All For One wondered if patience was still possible.
For just a moment, All For One allowed himself to consider an alternate timeline.
What if he had managed to recruit Dabi?
What if that incredible combat instinct, tactical awareness, apparent immunity to quirk theft, and the raw strength – what if all of that had been turned toward villainy instead of heroism?
What if he had become the successor instead of Tomura?
But no.
The man had already chosen his path, aligning himself so completely with All Might's ideals that turning him was impossible.
He had built too many bonds – family, students, colleagues, for simple manipulation to sever.
Some pieces couldn't be moved, no matter how valuable they might be.
"Doctor." All For One said quietly, decision made. "Accelerate Tomura's development timeline. Recent events suggest we may need to move certain plans forward sooner than intended."
The doctor hesitated. "Are you certain? An accelerated process carries significant risks–"
"I am aware of the risks." All For One interrupted smoothly, leaving no room for argument. "Do it anyway. We need results faster than the original schedule allows."
The game was changing.
Variables were multiplying beyond initial calculations, and somewhere in the chaos, a teacher who shouldn't be as competent as he was had punched through a portal and drawn blood from someone who hadn't bled in decades.
All For One smiled despite the pain.
After so many years of careful planning and patient manipulation, things were finally getting interesting again.
Unpredictable. Dangerous. Exciting.
Yes.
This would require adjustments to the plan.
But perhaps that was acceptable.
Perhaps even... preferable.
After all, what was the point of a centuries-long game if it became too predictable?
.
….
[To be continued…]
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