Yuuei Conference Room.
Seiki.
"ARE YOU WILLING TO TAKE MY POWER, ONE FOR ALL, FOR YOURSELF?
"ARE YOU WILLING TO BECOME THE NINTH?
"TO USE MY GIFT TO SLAY ALL FOR ONE, ONCE AND FOR ALL?"
Seiki can't believe it.
From the moment he knew that Quirks could be transferred— from the moment he knew that boogeyman was not only real, but still alive— he's thought about it.
He's thought about it constantly.
What if he could have super-strength, flight, or laser eyes? What if he could move things with his mind? Because even if he wouldn't trade his own Quirk, Save & Load, for anything else... the appeal of a physical, tangible power that could interact with the world around him was enough to make him seriously consider it— enough to annoy him that he would never receive it, because he could never trust the man who could offer him such a thing.
But now here it is once more.
The Kindest Titan, All Might himself, offering his own power to him.
"I, I can't," he mumbles... and he feels his mom's arms tighten around him supportively. Konan's slips making themselves known on his back. Rinka, D'Vorah, and even Azula leaning against them in understanding.
And then he sees All Might look at him with something along the lines of understanding... as if he knows just why Seiki can't— won't accept it.
"I feel like you're forgetting something, young man," he says, and Seiki can almost hear the smug grin. "Why not give it a test run? Because not only can you always give it back, you can always go back in time to before you even had it. And didn't Nezu say that you wanted to find the best possible scenario for yourself?
"How can you know if this isn't it... if you don't take that first step?"
Seiki blinks.
And then he laughs.
"You know, everyone considers you a macho muscle head, but you've got a way with words," Seiki said, rubbing at his eyes.
But...
He still has one final excuse— one final thing that should be considered.
"But... isn't uh, isn't One For All alive though?"
All Might blinked. "Uh... huh. Well, I guess it is...?"
"You... you don't know?" Seiki asked, baffled.
"Well... it might be? I mean, as my master's gift, it means a lot to me, and I like to think that she's watching over me... but I don't really know for sure...?"
"What if... what if it doesn't approve of me?"
"The goals and mind of the Quirk follow that of the user," All Might said, quoting Seiki's own words back at him. "I've only ever met one user. Nana Shimura, my master. But if the Quirk One For All is anything like her, I believe that it would only help you. That it would only see a child that was wronged by the world, and would do whatever it could to guide you to taking down the threat is was born to handle, once and for all."
Seiki bit his lip.
"...You look like you want to say something, uncle."
Mirai tenses, and then sighs. "If you choose a path in which you receive One For All... you won't become Japan's next Symbol of Peace, will you?"
Seiki blinks.
"Huh... actually, I'm not so sure about that honestly."
To which his mom tenses around him. "Sei-chan, I, I thought you didn't want to be a hero. Not... not anymore."
"You're right," he assures her, leaning back into her arms. "The idea of sacrificing myself for people that I don't know... I honestly find it repulsive," a statement that makes all the heroes present wince. "But... that's not quite what being a hero means, is it?"
"Uh... I'm not sure I follow..." Mirai says, but Seiki catches Nezu's shift in expression— one of holding back laughter.
Because of course the rodent would catch on immediately.
"Being a hero is about looking good for the cameras. About being relatable, about looking pretty, about being famous, and beating up those dastardly villains," Seiki says, a smile creeping onto his face. "And while being a hero is normal a daunting task, one of hardship... with my Quirk and skills, it's a task I can only complete. A ticket to instant celebrity status that I can then use to my benefits— all while letting me reap the rewards of such a position, and fighting as many people as I could ever want. Not to mention that, if I were to make it as some big shot hero, there'll be a whole lotta women throwing themselves my way..."
Because even if Seiki still isn't sure what he wants to do with his life... he still knows exactly what he wants to do in the moment.
And with society as it is now...
Being a hero is, unironically, a very appealing path to take.
Especially if he had the power to swing his dick around and make all of those dastardly governments fall in line.
"So I... I guess it wouldn't hurt to give it a try," Seiki finally decides. Because even if the idea of something interacting with his Quirk is something to be wary over... the person offering such a boon to him is All Might.
If it was anyone else, he would explore every avenue, every other scenario.
But in the same way that Narumi's presence is what saved Seiki from the HPSC's grasp...
All Might's presence is dooming him to One For All's.
"So... how does it uh, does it work? Do you..." Seiki trails off, realizing that this Quirk is the brother of All For One. "Do you have to palm my forehead or something?"
And upon making the connection, All Might immediately coughs up a bit of blood.
"N-No no no! No, not at all," he assures Seiki. "you simply have to eat... THIS!"
He says, holding out a strand of his hair.
"...So it transfers via DNA," Seiki concludes... and even if he's still willing to test whether or not this is the right path for him, eating hair of all things doesn't appeal to him in the slightest. "Couldn't we just like, do a blood transfusion instead?"
To which All Might deflates.
"...Probably." All Might says with a sigh. "And that's the same thing my master told me when I asked her... after I had to eat one of her hairs! And those things were like, ridiculously long! And even if her shampoo was of good quality, it did nothing for the taste...!"
"And given that the school year just started, Recovery Girl is more than capable of overseeing such a trivial matter," Nezu says, before continuing, "and thankfully, Seiki Yamazaki's blood type is AB plus, making him a universal receiver."
"...That's a little creepy, man." Seiki cuts in.
"I resent that remark. You of all people should know the downsides of having a photographic memory."
"...You shouldn't know I have that either."
"...Hang on," Eraserhead, Shota Aizawa, speaks up for the very first time. "I was told I was being paid overtime for this... but if the brat goes back in time to before 'this' happened, doesn't that mean I'll never get paid for this? No matter how many times I'm called in for overtime?" he asks, staring a hole into Nezu.
To which Nezu says, "well, that would be incredibly unfortunate..."
*
Yuuei High Nurse's Office, 15 Minutes Later.
"So... I have it now?" Seiki asks, sitting up in his hospital bed.
Toshinori's shriveled form sitting in the bed next to him.
"Yes, Yamazaki Shonen. One For All is now yours. But it should still take a few hours—"
"If he had to digest it, but he didn't eat it, muscle for brains," Recovery Girl cuts in. "It only takes blood a single minute to circulate throughout the body. Whether that means you'll be able to feel your new Quirk in a minute or not, well, that's not my area of expertise."
"Well, I guess I'll wait—" Seiki cuts himself off as... as he starts to feel something more.
As if his Quirk, now Quirks, have become something greater.
And then, agony.
*
*
*
Within One For All, A Few Minutes Earlier.
Yoichi.
Surrounded by an endless expanse of black, stood eight figures.
Yoichi Shigaraki, Quirk Bestowal.
Toshitsugu Kudo, Gearshift.
Bruce Lee, Fa Jin.
Hikage Shinomori, Danger Sense.
Daigoro Banjo, Blackwhip.
En Tayutai, Smokescreen.
Nana Shimura, Float.
And lastly, the wisps of Toshinori Yagi. Not quite yet a vestige, but a being that has been slowly forming from the moment that Toshinori acquired a Quirk. Not quite capable of thought, or action, not yet. And maybe not ever.
All of them coming together to form the Quirk One For All.
And now...
The Ninth blossoms into view.
Strands of red and blue erupt through black, and another figure of wisps forms, all the strands leading back to his eyes. An outline far more solid than that of Toshinori's. Forming an outline of Seiki Yamazaki— no.
Forming an outline of Save & Load.
And then Yoichi decides, that now that Seiki has their Quirk...
"We cannot allow Seiki Yamazaki to exist."
"W-What?" Nana stutters in disbelief.
A sentiment shared by quite a few of them.
But while Seiki's story is by all means tragic... it was just that. A story.
And while Mirai, Toshinori, and Nezu were enraptured by it, to the point that there trust in Seiki isn't absolute, but something close to it...
Yoichi only saw the worst.
How Seiki uses his Quirk to manipulate those around him. Gaining ever loyal followers, just like his brother did.
How Seiki uses his Quirk without any regard for the world around him.
Simply ignoring the countless discarded timelines he might be creating, the same way that All For One disregarded the people who had Quirks that he wanted.
How Seiki hides and strikes from the shadows... just like his brother does.
And even if the start of Seiki's life was by no means pleasant... neither was All For One's. And even if they are now within the boy himself, and can catch the occasional glimpse into the boy's inner thoughts... it's not enough to know one way or another. With how new of a user he is, it is impossible to have the full picture. And if Seiki Yamazaki can truly rewind time infinitely... it is impossible to tell just how long that Japan's hidden Titan has lived.
Because with infinite time within his grasp, being able to act on this level would be an easy feat.
And Seiki Yamazaki could be far more crueler, cunning, and older than his brother.
"It took him a single meeting. A single meeting to convince All Might to give him his Quirk," he says.
A statement that makes all the past users tense.
"How long do you think it'll take him to convince my brother to give him his?"
"But, he, he wouldn't," Nana says. "All For One tried to take his Quirk! Multiple times! Seiki would never trust him after that. Not to mention that, that even if he isn't a true hero, like Toshi is... he's not bad. And he would use One For All to destroy All For One."
"You're right. Seiki would never let All For One, the man, live," Yoichi agrees. "But what about All For One, the Quirk?"
Nana says nothing.
"With infinite time, he would eventually get it. And then he'd be in an even graver threat than my brother."
"...Why can't I convince you otherwise? Why are you so set on this?"
"Our main goal, my main goal, has always been to destroy All For One. Man or Quirk. And with the information Seiki himself revealed... the line's been blurred. And I can already tell that in a lot of ways, Seiki is just like my brother. The most prevalent way that he views people and their Quirks as toys. But while my brother can just rip them from their bodies, Seiki has to methodically plan out their extraction... or ensnare their loyalty. Something that couldn't be easier with the use of his own Quirk.
"And if he thinks there's a chance that he can acquire All For One, then he won't stop until he eventually has it. Something he will have infinite time to do so.
"So Seiki Yamazaki must die here, before he truly becomes a part of us.
"To not doom thousands of more timelines on his way to claim All For One, the Quirk."
Then Kudo, Yoichi's ever loyal supporter, cuts in. "What happens to us, to One For All? We've been transferred to Seiki already— so if he were to die right here..."
"We go back to Toshinori. He still holds our torch, and that will bring us to him."
"I see," Kudo says, floating next to Yoichi. Staring down at Nana.
The other users quickly get the memo.
Kudo's already taken his side— because of course. Bruce is quick to follow, as well as En, two more users standing by Yoichi's side.
"I'll sit this one out," Hikage, Danger Sense says. Aimlessly floating away from their upcoming battle.
A wise decision.
"Heh, and that just leaves me," Banjo, Blackwhip says. "Toshi here can't pick a side yet, right?"
"...Right," Yoichi agrees. Already knowing what side Banjo will pick.
And with the users of One For All divided for the first time, in such a way that might result in the weakening of One For All itself... Yoichi makes another decision. 'We'll have to vet users more thoroughly after this. Choosing those who will follow our goals absolutely. Because while Nana and Toshinori were true heroes... they're too kind. Too kind for this.'
So Yoichi strikes.
Lifeforce itself pressing down on Nana, Banjo, and Save & Load.
And in the realm of Quirks, vestiges have so much more wiggle room to operate. Their beings no longer confined to the rules Quirks must follow.
No longer confined to reality.
So Quirk Bestowal, the ability to give Quirks the user has to others...
Becomes 'to give.'
Allowing the first holder of One For All to exert himself on those three with all of the energy that One For All has accumulated. The Second, Third, and Sixth users pressing down with him.
And while Nana can Float away some of that damage...
And Banjo can Whip it away, and Whip them all back in turn...
It isn't enough.
They start to crack.
And Save & Load starts to crack with them.
But like the heroes they are...
They hold.
Far longer than they should be able to.
"Why won't you fall in line?!" Yoichi hollers. "Can't you see the threat we're up against!"
"M-Maybe you're right," Nana says, crumbling beneath their might. Tears forming in her eyes. "Maybe Seiki isn't kind. Maybe it's all an act. B-But... Toshi d-decided to trust him. A-And, even if I'm the S-Seventh... I'm Toshi's sensei f-first.
"H-He trusts me, and I... I want him to believe that One For All c-can be kind."
She says, as she starts to crumble into nothing.
And even as she falls apart...
There's a kind, caring smile on her face.
Nana Shimura [img]
"Because I want to be the hero Toshi knows me to be."
"YEAH!!! That's the stuff right there!" Banjo cuts in, threads of black spewing out of him, swatting at Yoichi, at the users on his side. "The kids got spunk! He might not have a heart a' gold, but he ain't all bad! And he can't be worse than All For One! So I'm rootin' for him!" Banjo roars, even as he crumbles away as well.
But even if they mean well...
They won't last longer than a minute.
And then One For All will lose their Quirks... their wills. Forever.
But...
One cannot ignore the Titan now within them.
The Titan that, on the brink of death, will always fight back. The Titan with the Quirk that will undo any and all consequences that it can.
The Quirk that, just like All For One, will do anything it can to save its master. If it must.
UNLOAD.
In an instant, Yoichi, Kudo, Bruce, and En vanish.
Leaving only Nana, Banjo, and Shinomori.
"H-Huh?" Nana sputters, still crumbling to nothing. Both Banjo and herself still on the brink of death—
RELOAD.
Until they are immediately healed. As if they're bodies have been loaded into a previous state.
"So..." Save & Load, the wisps of Seiki's Quirk starts. A form just as solid as Nana and Banjo now overlapping it, it's movements ever so slightly out of sync. Both the man and Quirk now present within what remains of One For All.
"This is the inside of my Quirk, huh..."
*
*
*