The failure at the summer training camp sent shockwaves throughout Japan. U.A. High, the most prestigious hero institution, was now under intense scrutiny and public criticism for failing to protect its students, and worse, one of its most talented students, Katsuki Bakugo, had been kidnapped by the League of Villains. Principal Nezu and the teachers, especially Aizawa, faced immense pressure from the Hero Public Safety Commission and the media.
Among the Class 1-A students, the atmosphere was filled with a mixture of grief, anger, and helplessness. Midoriya, Kirishima, and Todoroki, in particular, felt responsible and desperate to do something. A plan to secretly rescue Bakugo began to form among them, a reckless act born of frustration.
And Tom Jacker? He spent his days after the incident very casually. He returned to his "apartment," slept until noon, and occasionally visited U.A. just to see if there was any new "entertainment." He was completely unaffected by the crisis plaguing the school or the sorrow of his classmates. For him, Bakugo's kidnapping wasn't a tragedy, but an overture to a much larger and more interesting show. He knew that the heroes would retaliate, and the League of Villains wouldn't stay quiet. That meant there would be a big fight involving the strongest individuals, a prospect he eagerly anticipated.
Aizawa tried to talk to him, ordering him not to interfere with the official rescue operation being planned by the Pro Heroes.
"Jacker," Aizawa said with a tired yet sharp gaze, when they met in a deserted U.A. corridor. "Whatever you're thinking, don't do it. This isn't a game."
Tom just smiled. "Everything's a game, Mr. Aizawa. It's just that some games have higher stakes." He patted Aizawa's shoulder amicably. "Don't worry. I won't interfere with your boring 'official plans'."
Of course, that didn't mean he would just stand by.
While the Pro Heroes, led by All Might and Endeavor, formulated their assault strategy on the League of Villains' hideout, and while Midoriya's small group planned their own rescue mission with the help of a tracking device from Yaoyorozu, Tom conducted his own "investigation" in his unique way.
He didn't need a tracking device. He had memories of Kurogiri and his Warp Gate. Although Kurogiri wasn't present in the last attack, Tom could sense the "echoes" of the large-scale use of the Warp Gate Quirk used to whisk away the villains and Bakugo. With the Warp Gate ability he had copied, he had an instant understanding of how such portals worked.
He teleported to several locations around Hosu and the training camp area, sensing the residual spatial energy. It was more like a hunch than scientific tracking. Then, he did the most Tom Jacker thing: he teleported to the dingy bar where Shigaraki had first appeared publicly (according to information he'd casually gathered from news and street gossip), then sat there like a regular customer, ordering an orange juice.
He didn't have to wait long. A few low-level villains who perhaps recognized his face from the news about USJ or Hosu tried to "teach him a lesson." Tom easily incapacitated them, then casually "interrogated" one of them, obtaining information about the general location where the League of Villains often gathered: the Kamino district in Yokohama.
"Kamino, huh?" Tom muttered. "Sounds like a place where there'll be a lot of fireworks."
He knew the heroes and probably his reckless classmates would also be heading there. He could feel a massive energy beginning to converge on the city. This would be the biggest stage he had seen in this world. And in the center of that stage, he hoped to meet the mastermind behind it all, All For One. Someone called the "Symbol of Evil," a figure who sounded powerful enough to be an interesting collection.
Tom finished his orange juice. He didn't care about rescuing Bakugo. He didn't care about justice or retribution. He just wanted to be in the front row when the biggest chaos began. He wanted to dance in the eye of the storm.
That night, as the Pro Hero team prepared for their dawn raid, and as Midoriya's group snuck out towards Kamino, Tom Jacker also made his move. He teleported to the rooftop of the tallest building in Kamino Ward, sitting on its edge, his legs swinging casually over the abyss, as he gazed at the glittering city lights below.
He could feel everything. The coordinated movements of the heroes. The hidden agitation of the villains. And somewhere down there, an overwhelmingly immense dark power was waiting, like a predator ready to pounce.
"The show is about to begin," Tom whispered to the night wind, a smile full of anticipation on his face.
And indeed, not long after, the night, previously filled only with the city's bustle in Kamino Ward, exploded in flames and the roar of battle. From his vantage point, Tom watched with delight as the Pro Heroes, led by All Might, launched a simultaneous assault on two identified locations: a bar serving as the League of Villains' temporary hideout and a hidden Nomu factory. Explosions and flashes of Quirks lit up the night sky, turning the streets into a warzone.
He caught a glimpse of the reckless U.A. students—Midoriya and his friends—sneaking amidst the initial chaos at the bar, and with surprising luck and teamwork, managing to rescue Bakugo just before All Might himself demolished the place to smithereens. "Those kids have guts, or they're just incredibly stupid," Tom muttered with amusement. But his main attention wasn't on them. He was waiting for something bigger, the main event.
Then, as All Might was dealing with the remnants of the League of Villains and several Nomu in the ruins of the bar, an overwhelmingly powerful dark presence finally emerged from the shadows. All For One. The mastermind behind all crime, the Symbol of Evil himself, revealed himself.
"You look pathetic, All Might," All For One said, his voice calm yet filled with a piercing threat. "It seems your age is finally catching up to you."
The battle between the two legends was about to begin. But there was one variable no one had accounted for.
"Oh, so this is the big boss?"
Tom Jacker appeared out of thin air between All Might and All For One, landing casually as if he'd just finished a morning stroll. He ignored the shocked stares of All Might and the other heroes present. His eyes were fixed on All For One.
"You must be All For One," Tom said, his tone cheerful as if meeting a celebrity. "I've heard a lot about you. They say you have a lot of cool Quirks. I'm a collector, you know? Maybe we could trade?"
All For One looked at Tom, his iron mask hiding his expression, but Tom could feel a strong wave of curiosity and analysis from him. "A new anomaly. Interesting. What Quirk do you possess, boy? I cannot sense it clearly."
"Oh, I have a few," Tom replied with a shrug. "Wanna see?"
Before All For One or All Might could react, Tom lunged. He didn't use a single Quirk but combined them in a brutal and effective manner. He teleported directly in front of All For One, his body already slightly enlarged thanks to partial Gigantification, his hands coated with sharp blade-teeth from Blade-Tooth, while his muscles bulged thanks to Muscle Augmentation. His punch, amplified by Telekinesis, struck All For One with a force that could demolish a building.
All For One, though surprised by the sudden speed and power of the attack, managed to activate several of his defensive Quirks simultaneously: kinetic shields, bone reinforcement, and impact recoil. He was pushed back several meters but managed to withstand the blow.
"Magnificent!" All For One exclaimed, sounding genuinely impressed, not scared. "A very crude combination of Quirks, but effective. I must have them!"
The fight erupted. No longer All Might versus All For One as the world might have expected. But All For One versus Tom Jacker, with All Might and the other heroes only able to watch in horror and disbelief from the sidelines of their destructive arena.
All For One unleashed a barrage of his stolen Quirks. High-pressure air blasts, bone spikes shooting from his body, flickering force fields, even attempting to forcibly activate others' Quirks. But none of it had a significant effect on Tom. His cartoonish immortality made him laugh at every supposedly fatal attack. Bone spikes pierced his body, and he plucked them out like thorns without a wince. Air blasts only pushed him back slightly before he teleported back with an even wider smile.
"This is fun!" Tom shouted, dodging a volley of attacks, his movements unpredictable and chaotic. He then used his Compress Quirk, trying to compact one of All For One's arms into a marble. All For One managed to dodge quickly, but he was clearly surprised by the rare ability.
"You can steal Quirks too?" All For One asked, his interest growing. This wasn't just a strong opponent; this was a dark reflection of himself, but with a completely different and incomprehensible source of power.
"Steal? Not really. I prefer to call it 'forcefully copying after winning'," Tom replied cheerfully.
Their battle devastated a large part of Kamino Ward. All Might tried to intervene several times, but Tom always managed to push him aside with Telekinesis or Teleportation, as if saying, "Don't interrupt my playtime, old man."
Finally, after a long and incredibly destructive fight that forced the other heroes to focus solely on civilian evacuation, Tom managed to corner All For One. The Symbol of Evil was exhausted, many of his defensive Quirks having been breached or overcome by Tom's insane and unpredictable tactics.
"You... you're not human," All For One hissed, his breath heavy and ragged.
"I'm your worst nightmare come true," Tom retorted with a grin. He focused all his power. He didn't just want to defeat All For One. He wanted his grand prize, the Quirk he coveted most.
With one final touch, he placed his hand on the helpless All For One's forehead.
[System Panel]
- Condition 'defeat target' of highest power has been met.
- Analyzing target... Core ability with unlimited potential detected.
- System Notification: 'All For One' ability has been copied. Slot filled: (Replaces 'Blade-Tooth' Quirk).
- Description: The ability to permanently steal others' Quirks and use them at will, as well as bestow those Quirks upon others. Allows for the storage and combination of various Quirks.
Tom felt an incredible surge of power, an instant understanding of the thousands of Quirks All For One had once held, and more importantly, the ability to take even more. This was the ultimate jackpot.
He looked at All For One, now completely helpless, all his Quirks gone, leaving only his weak body lying amidst the rubble. Tom could have killed him, but that was too boring and pointless. He just waved his hand dismissively.
"You're no fun anymore."
With that, he teleported away, leaving a powerless shell of All For One amidst the ruins, just as All Might and the other heroes cautiously approached.
The Symbol of Evil had fallen. Not by the hand of the Symbol of Peace, but by a laughing anomaly. The world's balance had been shattered, and no one knew what Tom Jacker would do with his terrifying new power.