Apotheosis

Chapter 44: NEW LIVES

"Interesting move." All for One smiled at Izuku. They were playing chess as they often did whenever he invited the teen to his lair to have discussions. Sensei's chess set was this marble gaudy thing where the white pieces were sculpted to look like angelic warriors while the opposing black side looked demonic and hideous. "I heard Tomura is planning the attack on the U.A training camp without you."

"I did the best I could when teaching him strategic planning sir." Izuku said as he moved one of his white pawns forward.

"That you did." All for One moved one of his black knights to counter. "Which is why I felt I should return the favor with a special lesson, just for you."

"What sort of lesson Sensei?" The boy tilted his head curiously.

"What do you know about manipulation?" The ancient villain asked.

"Like getting people to do what you want? Or tricking them into making a move that benefits myself? Or forcing someone to follow your orders? There's blackmail. There's bribery." Izuku mumbled out loud as he stared at the board.

"I'm talking about control. How to truly rule people." All for One smirked. "How do you think I amassed so many followers in my time?"

"You told me that you offered to give and take quirks." Izuku remembered when he explained his quirk and a little bit of his history. The boy was quite shocked when the man told him that he was born during the dawn of quirks.

"Yes, but if you really think about it, there simply were not enough quirks to pass around at the time. So how did I get so many people in my corner?" The thought did cross the boys mind at one time or another. "Sometimes all you need is to control one person." Izuku pondered what he meant. "Allow me to illustrate." He picked his bishop and placed it around a group of his pawns. "There's one fact I've come to understand about human behavior is that almost everyone in this world has someone, at least one, that they deeply care for. Someone who they'd go to any lengths to protect."

'That's true.' Izuku thought to himself.

"Imagine these pawns care about this bishop." Sensei explained. "Maybe they're family, friends, coworkers, a loyal gang, you get the idea." He chuckled. "I don't just give quirks to anybody. I look for people that have a following of their own. This bishop wants a quirk or wants someone else's quirk taken and will do anything I wish should I grant him his request. Now that I have the bishop I have all the pawns."

"Its kind of like a pyramid scheme." Izuku noted.

"Exactly." All for One smiled wider as the boy understood. "My point being is in the end all you really have to do is control a hand full of people and through them you have an army. It's surprisingly easy."

"I'm sure with a quirk like yours it would be easy." The teen joked.

"Your right there. Alas in a world without quirks All for One would be useless." Sensei quoted poetically.

"This is going to be your room Eri." Dr. Higurashi said as he showed the little girl to where she would be staying. Eri looked around carrying her only possession, the large white stuffed unicorn that Izuku won for her during the U.A festival.

"Go on Eri." Izuku gestured for her to enter the room, assuring her that it was safe. The dark haired doctor smiled as they entered the room. It was about the size of a dorm room. Thanks to Midoriya's generous donations they had more than enough funding and could afford to give the children each their own room.

Izuku followed behind them as they entered. So many strings had to be pulled for this arrangement to be made. Blackmail had to be cashed in, social workers had to be paid off and a judge had to be bribed. Eri was technically a ward of the state. A ward that U.A adamantly wanted to take custody of. During the court hearing Izuku shut down that proposal very vocally. He explained that the League of Villains have targeted the hero school multiple times and that it was not safe for a young girl who couldn't control her quirk.