Chapter 36 - Opposites And Equals

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"It's been a while, hasn't it All Might?" All For One sat before All Might, a pane of glass the only thing separating the two symbols. He had lost his signature black suit in exchange for a straitjacket and chains, preventing any form of movement or resistance. Camera's hung in the corners of the pale white room, constantly observing and monitoring every aspect of his containment, never once allowing this great evil to escape his cell and wreak havoc on the world once more. They monitored every aspect of his biology: his heart rate, his blood pressure, his brain waves, etc with active guns trained on him at all times so that if he even thought of activating a quirk, they would immediately unload every bullet in their magazines and kill him instantly.

"You know this prison was named after an ancient deity?" All Might said nothing. "Yes, in Greek Mythology, Hades was the god of the Underworld. But the domain of Tartarus was the home of monsters and demons alike. Rather fitting, wouldn't you agree?" Still nothing. "Oh come on All Might. Give me something. I've been in here for so long I was worried that you'd forgotten about me."

...

"How could I forget about you after all you've done?" All Might spoke calmly. The kind of calm born from barely contained rage in a kind soul. "I will never forget you. What you have done will never be forgotten. The stain you have made on this earth will never be washed out. You deserve to die for what you've done. Life in Tartarus is far more than you deserve."

"Aaah, fine. Believe what you want. Tell me All Might..." A grin lit up the evil's face. "Tell me, why have you come to see me? It can't be that you miss me, can it?"

"Where is Shigaraki?"

"I don't know. My successor acts of his own will. Any actions he makes are his own and I have no influence over them." To that, he was met with a scoff.

"What do... no, what did you want? You spent all of this time toying with people, abusing your power to control others, and playing with people's lives like they're worth nothing? What could you possibly have hoped to achieve from this?"

A pause.

"We aren't so different All Might." The eyes of a predator cut into All Might's very soul. "We were both given great power from the universe. However whilst your power catapulted you into the world of heroes and all that is good, my power flung me into the pits of hell, where it grew to earn even Satan's fear. Whilst you wanted to cause equality by bringing people up, I wanted it by dragging people down. And I would have died if it had meant bringing those ideals to fruition."

"So why set up a successor?" It didn't make sense to The Symbol Of Peace.

"Why? WHY? You are asking me why? That is rich." AFO chuckled for a moment before the eyes of the hunter returned to his prey. "Because you stole my life from me. Look at me. These tubes and chemicals are the only thing keeping me alive. I was unlimited until you appeared and made me a cripple." He paused to breathe, his thinly veiled rage almost activating the safety measures. After a moment he continued, his attitude calm and professional. "So, as most people do, I looked for a way to pass on my gifts. To find someone to pass my legacy to. And lucky for me, I found one."

"Three more minutes, All Might," a voice over the intercom said.

"Oh, can't we have a little bit longer?" AFO said. "This was just starting to reach the good part. Tell me All Might, how are things on the outside world?"

"All Might, a reminder that all information about the outside world is strictly prohibited," spoke the intercom.

"A shame," AFO said. "But I have a hunch. And my hunches are usually correct."

"I suspect that society's foundations have become unstable now that your 'retirement' is common knowledge. They're struggling to accept Endevour as the No. 1 Hero. Unease and anxiety are creeping into the hearts of the people of the world, and more and more villains are coming out of hiding now that you aren't around to stop them. It's starting slow, but it is happening. And all you can do is watch as the world you worked so hard to build burns in front of you. How does it feel, being the crippled one?" He laughed as All Might quickly rose from his chair, oblivion etched on his face. "I knew it. You can't bear to be on the sidelines, and you can't bear the fact that I'm right, can you?"

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