IzuOcha: Love is the Answer

Chapter Seventeen: The Reckoning, Part 1

It was a rare occasion that All Might wasn't smiling while in his muscle form. Rather, he stared into the face of his master's grandson with a look of worry and regret. His muscle form was becoming tougher to maintain, but worse, he knew that he played a small part in Shigaraki going further down the path he chose. He so wished he had known who he was at the time of the USJ incident. Could he have reasoned with him then? Either way, all he could do was face him now.

"Where's that disgusting smile of yours All Might? Aren't you going to arrogantly declare that you're here to stop me?" says Shigaraki sarcastically.

"Please, listen to me. Let's talk this over. I've fought your mentor all my life. I've seen him do it over and over again. All he does is manipulate people for his own selfish whims. As soon as you're no more use to him, he'll toss you aside like garbage. Don't listen to him anymore!"

"My master is the one person who reached out to me when I was suffering and in need. He protected me from you the last time you two fought. He's helped me learn from my past failures and helped me become an unstoppable force! I've never been so liberated in my life!"

"We don't need to fight kid. I knew your grandmother very well and it pained her more than anything to leave behind your father. I knew him too, and all he ever truly wanted was a happy family. And all th..."

"DON'T YOU EVER BRING UP THAT MAN IN MY PRESENCE!! I HATE HIM MORE THAN ANYTHING IN THIS WORLD!!"

With his blood still boiling, he began to touch the ground in order to make it and everything else start to decay. All For One grinned from ear to ear while levitating to avoid his apprentice's quirk, and All Might began to do the same for the safety of his own life. He'd heard intel reports about how much stronger he'd become with his quirk, but seeing it up close felt unsettling for him. It was as if he was now dealing with TWO All For Ones!

Knowing he wouldn't be able to break through to Shigarki with words, he had no other choice but to fight with what he had left in the tank. In a last ditch effort, All Might began to flick his fingers to create a gust of wind to propel himself further upwards, and then used the momentum of falling to power up another attack.

"SAINT LOUIS SMAAASSSHHH!!" The punch connects but barely fazes him. In retaliation, Tomura grabs him without all five fingers and throws him to the ground.

"Master, let me have this one all to myself! I've been fantasizing this moment in torturing All Might for a long time now!"

"Go right ahead! I'm loving the entertainment!" said All For One.

Shigaraki proceeds to kick him multiple times in the side where his weak spot was located. Each kick became more excruciating for All Might to bare. What was left of his muscle form steamed away to revert him back fully to his skeletal form. Tomura had a sadistic grin on his face.

"You represent everything I absolutely despise about this world All Might! You say you're the symbol of peace and yet you uphold a society that does nothing but persecute and marginalize people who won't fit into your little boxes of what you say is 'normal'!"

All Might tried to push himself up off the ground to face Shigaraki. He groaned but began to look him in the eye. "I know society has its flaws, and I've done my best to help correct those flaws, but you can't keep doing this! What do you intend to do when you win? Why will your vision of the world be better?"

"Because in my vision of the world, the strong will dominate and be free! No more rules! No more weak people rigging the system because there won't be a system! And now All Might, it's time to take my first step to making that dream a reality! Say good bye!"