Oneshot: Battle of Wits

Battle of Wit

  Izuku Midoriya stood before the most powerful man in the world without fear. Quirkless and alone, the young man stared Death himself in the face with a serene smile.

  "All for One. We meet at last."

  "Izuku Midoriya, the thorn in my side. Come to die have you?" The villain asked.

  Izuku smiled.

  "Not at all. You could squash me like a bug with barely a thought, but that wouldn't prove anything! I've already bested you twice, and all without a quirk of my own."

  The villain's deformed face scrunched up as though he were frowning.

  "What do you propose?" He spat.

  The boy just smiled.

  "A battle of wits."

  The suited man raised mangled brow.

  "And what form would this battle take?" He queried.

  The teenager gestured to the table and two chairs to the right, indicating that they take a seat. Once he was seated Izuku walked over to Kurogiri's bar and produced two glasses, filling each with water before returning to the table and setting them down. He produced a vial from an inside pocket and held it out to the supervillain.

  "Inhale but do not touch." He told him.

  All for One took the vial and pulled out the stopper, taking a whiff of.. nothing.

  "I smell nothing." He said, returning the vial to Izuku.

  "What you do not smell is iocane powder. Odourless, colourless, tasteless, and one of the more deadly poisons known to man." Izuku explained, reaching for the glasses.

  "Please deactivate any quirks you have that create spatial awareness." He said, turning away from the villain, both glasses and the vial in hand.

  He turned back a moment later, setting a glass close to both of them and tucking the now empty vial back into his pocket.

  "Where is the poison?" Izuku asked, spreading his hands. "You choose a glass and drink, I have the other at the same time. Whoever finds the poison loses."

  All for One was silent for a moment before beginning to chuckle, which became a long, loud laugh.

  "How simple! You are a smart man Young Midoriya, so of course you would put the poison in your enemies glass, thus I cannot drink the water infront of me!" He said.

  "So you've made your choice?" The teen asked.

  "Not quite! Because you would know I would think that way, so you would put the poison in your own glass to trick me, so I obviously cannot drink the water infront of you!"

  "Are you finished?" Izuku asked, raising an eyebrow.

  "Not even close!" All for One crowed. "You're quite small for your age, so you cannot be hoping on your body's natural toughness to save you, so you would put the poison infront of me!"

  "Really?"

  "Of course not! Because as everyone knows, iocane powder comes from Australia, the country that criminals were once shipped to in the distant past. Criminals of course are rarely trusted, so I obviously cannot choose the water infront of me!"

  "Truly, you have a dizzying intellect." Izuku said, leaning forwards with his hand raised to his chin.

  "Just wait until I get started!" All for One said, reaching out and lifting both glasses, examining them closely. "The glass infront of you is slightly lighter than the one infront of me, but that is obviously a ploy and so I cannot drink it! But of course, you would anticipate my figuring that out, and so I cannot drink the water infront of me!"

  All for One set the glasses back down in their places.

  "You're stalling, trying to get me to give something away. It won't work." Izuku said.

  The villain laughed.

  "But it has worked, you've already revealed everything!"

  "So you're finally ready to choose?" The teen asked.

  All for One reached out and chose his own glass. Izuku picked up his own, staring All for One in the eye.

  "And now, we drink." The villain said, slowly raising the glass to his sneering lips.

  Izuku followed his example, raising the glass and drinking every drop of water alongside the villain.

  They set their glasses down, and Izuku smiled.

  "You made the wrong choice."

  All for One chucked.

  "Oh but did I? I switched the glasses with a quirk when I picked them up, completely avoiding your notice! Now everyone shall know that I am the superior strategist!" He crowed. "The quirkless brat shall only ever be remembered as the boy who got lucky a few times!"

  He resumed his laughter, throwing his head back and cackling at the ceiling.

  Suddenly, he fell sideways, his body slowing down. Izuku stood up as the villain hit the floor shoulder first, unable to move.

  "H-how..?" He managed to croak.

  "Both glasses were poisoned. I've spent the last 2 years building an immunity to iocane powder for situations just like this one." Izuku smiled, turning and walking away from the quickly dying villain.

  "Goodbye... All for One."