Chapter Text
Nedzu wasted no time. Lelouch heard him typing furiously in the background of the call. "He’s not far," Nedzu told him. "Three blocks northwest of his intended location."
Lelouch brought up his mental map of the area, placing Midoriya in an area with a few small stores and residential buildings. "Now what could he be doing there?" Lelouch mused aloud before giving Nedzu his thanks. Then he called CC back. "Three blocks northwest. Can you get eyes on him?"
"Give me a minute," she said, sounding unconcerned. He heard the sound of her shifting up, moving around on the tall rooftop she had chosen. "Hm," she said after a few moments.
"What is it?"
"He’s fighting someone."
"Our target?"
"No. Some guy with a sword."
"Elaborate."
"They’re fighting by a corner store."
"Robbery?"
"Likely. Several civilians are peeking out from the window."
Lelouch sighed, pressing several fingers to his brow. "It’s either a coincidence or a deliberate play by All For One to lure him out." Midoriya would have gotten himself involved either way. Lelouch could hear his response already: he couldn’t ignore people in need. "How conspicuous is their fight?"
CC understood his meaning and replied immediately, "A passing hero assisting wouldn’t be unusual."
Lelouch temporarily abandoned the phone to speak into his radio. "Deku is three blocks northwest of his intended location, currently engaged in combat due to an attempted robbery. Uncertain if related to Target One. Be ready to intercede but otherwise stay out of line of sight."
The crackle of a radio came through the speaker, a chipper voice following: "Roger that!"
Lelouch lowered the radio, peering through the window out on the streets below. He could see nothing.
"Is Izuku fighting already?" came Toga’s voice, light with curiosity.
"Not with our target."
"I bet it's a trap," Shigaraki said. "Idiot. He should have stayed where he was told."
Toga came to his defense with enthusiasm. Lelouch turned toward them as she told Shigaraki, "He’s a hero student. He’s gotta take down the bad guys!"
"What does that make you?"
"Didn’t you hear? I’m reformed.”
"You—reformed?" He let out a croaky laugh. "That’s hilarious."
"With all the free blood they’ve been giving me, I feel pretty good," Toga informed him cheerfully. "Maybe you should—"
"Fat chance of that," he ground out.
"They were nice to me," Twice piped up, only to follow up with the opposite.
Shigaraki made a face. "Whatever. Let’s just get this done."
Lelouch picked up his phone again, only to hear CC chuckling through it.
"They truly are an amusing group considering the circumstances," she told him.
"Indeed," Lelouch said dryly. "Update me."
"Midoriya is escorting the civilians from the building. Villain is out of sight: I think our hero threw him into the alley."
"With any luck, Midoriya will return to his original position, making a smooth transition."
CC made a noise like a snort, which Lelouch agreed with. Already their plans had to be adjusted, though he was well used to it nowadays. Plans never survived initial contact. Lelouch checked in with several groups and updated Nedzu. They had several heroes running point: once fighting went underway, their ability to coordinate would erode. But it did not surprise him that only minutes passed before CC gave him the update he had been waiting for. Lelouch immediately raised his binoculars to the window. No sign of them yet.
"Is All For One attacking alone, or does he have allies?"
"He’s currently by himself. I see a group two blocks south of them, however. Probably waiting for his signal. Midoriya is making his way toward you now, but with the path not cleared, it will take him longer."
"All teams be prepared to receive Target One," came crackling through his receiver. "They’re coming in hot!"
CC’s voice came short after. "Enemy forces are converging from the southwest."
Lelouch picked up the radio. "Team four—intercept incoming enemy combatants coming in from the southwest. Keep them busy. We cannot have them reaching Deku yet, and we must keep Target One in the dark for as long as possible."
An explosion interrupted his last words, a small plume of smoke erupting from one of the residential buildings a few streets from the hospital. With his binoculars, Lelouch was finally able to get eyes on Midoriya himself as he jumped from one roof to another, having to dodge out of All For One’s attacks.
"That fucking bastard is down there, isn't he?" Shigaraki said, coming up beside him. "I’m going."
Lelouch gave him a short nod before he began to bark out orders: each team given a separate position in the surrounding area. Midoriya and All For One had reached the residential area just south of the hospital that he had fully evacuated that week. It was time.
Lelouch gave the go-ahead for several heroes to engage directly, and then for two teams to shortly follow after. Then he called a different number. "Update me."
The yelling in the background had gotten louder since the last time. "Pro-heroes have shown up. It’s the ones you’d expect with crowd control quirks. Midnight is here. It’s mostly civilians causing trouble. His main forces are probably coming your way."
"Thanks," Lelouch said, watching as the streets below crowded with new bodies.
Midoriya was still a block away, coordinating attacks with his new allies by the looks of things and moving slowly toward the hospital. Their enemy had a definite advantage in numbers, but that was only counting pro-heroes. Lelouch took a certain delight as the attention of the villains below took a turn—because coming straight at them was a new crowd dressed in burnt orange, Shigaraki leading in front.
Twice whistled from farther down the long window. "Boss is looking good."
"Lemme see," Toga said, crowding up beside him. "I like the new coat. Very nice. Oh—there’s all the pro heroes coming in now!"
The color coordination had been for everyone’s benefit: it was easier to tell ally from foe. The pro-heroes had not been told explicitly of Shigaraki’s appearance, but it had been insinuated subtly. The clash of three forces rattled the windows, causing the floor under their feet to shake.
"Can I go now?" Toga said, all but vibrating off the ground with excitement. "I wanna fight too."
"Not yet," Lelouch said, following Midoirya’s path. The cooperation of several heroes had managed to hold All For One off for a time, allowing Midoriya to weave through the crowd and disappear.
Voices from floors below them reached his ears. They only had to wait a minute longer until Midoirya made it to them, wiping sweat out of his eyes. He was panting, the exertion in his voice plain. "Sorry I’m late!"
"No need to apologize," Lelouch told him. "You may not have stuck to the plan, but you got here nonetheless."
"Er, yes," Midoriya said, and some of the redness in his cheeks may not have been fully from exhaustion. In the next moment, however, his expression turned grim. "We’re so outmatched by him it's terrifying. He was going easy on me the whole time, and I only just made it here."
"That is why we aren’t fighting him with solely brute force," Lelouch said briskly. "Twice—you’re up."
"Aye," the man said, wandering over with his hands pressed against the back of his head. "Let’s do this, you two." It took mere seconds for the room to fill with copies of Toga and Midoriya, along with a dozen or so of Twice himself. "Gonna go help the boss," he told them afterward with a cheerful wave. "You kids be careful!"
Toga wrinkled her nose as every one of her clones did the same. "Kids?" she muttered under her breath before her expression lit up as she turned to Midoriya. "This is the first time we’ll get to fight on the same side."
Midoriya gave a quick bow, though that only seemed to further his embarrassment. He straightened immediately. "I’m prepared for whatever comes next."
"Good!"
Lelouch had to dive out of the way as the glass from the window shattered inward. A hovering figure followed through the new gaping hole inside, dressed impeccably in a black suit and tie. He had a full head of hair as Shigaraki had alluded to previously—and a black tie around his eyes.
"The boy, the traitor, and the thorn in my side all together. How convenient," All For One said.
Toga pointed at herself before smiling. "I’m no traitor. If anything, you’re the one who betrayed Shigaraki."
"Your loyalty to him is heartwarming," he replied, but there was a clear sneer in his voice. He turned his head toward Lelouch and tilted his head. "I have a theory about how your quirk works. Shall we put it to the test?"
"I’d rather test whether you’re fireproof," came a new voice that entered from down the hall. Dabi appeared out of the gloom, a bright blue fire lit at the tips of his fingers.
"Dabi," All For One said with false warmth. "I thought you were to consider my offer."
Dabi raised his brows. "I said I’d consider your offer, not that I’d take it. Lamperouge here already made me one, and it turns out I prefer it." Without hesitation, Dabi followed up with an attack straight at All For One. All For One dove back into the open sky outside the hospital as a massive plume of blue-white fire followed him through the window, giving them time to scatter. Midoriya and Toga, along with their clone,s disappeared down the hall. Lelouch was left in the waiting room with Dabi, who turned to him with a shrug. "That was my one heroic act of the day. I’m off to go kill my father."
"Good luck," Lelouch said, and parted with him altogether, taking the stairwell down to the next level. The hallways were unlit; he used a flashlight when the light coming in through the windows wasn’t sufficient. He passed one of Toga’s clones, who winked at him, updating Nedzu as he went. CC gave him her own update on the events outside the building. The sound of footsteps rushing toward him was his only warning when a man nearly barreled into him, fists covered in what looked like some kind of metallic alloy. It ran up nearly to his shoulders, fading back into regular flesh.
"You fight for me now," Lelouch commanded.
The man fell in line, showing his usefulness when the next villain wore a mask. He made short work of him, allowing Lelouch to order the villain to sow chaos within All For One’s forces. The ceiling above his head shook as Lelouch went on, occasionally turning a villain or two to his side, placing particularly useful ones around the building in wait. Even without watching through the windows, Lelouch could hear the fighting outside with all its fervor. Thanks to CC’s intel, it appeared All For One or one of his allies had put some kind of barrier around the hospital to keep heroes from entering.
Lelouch was sending out the order to find the villain in question as a priority when a length of ceiling abruptly collapsed in front of him. The villains under his control immediately moved ahead of him for protection, and Lelouch ducked into a patient room, watching as Midoriya leapt down and ran through the hall. All For One followed, sending an attack arching toward his back. Midoriya dodged once, twice—then it stabbed straight through his neck, turning the boy into dark sludge.
All For One let a heavy sigh, giving his followers a dismissive glance before his feet lifted from the ground, and he disappeared through the hole in the ceiling. Twice’s quirk was keeping him occupied, then.
Lelouch took note of where they were in the building and contacted CC. "He’s on the third floor. There are six windows along the southern wall. If he doesn’t deviate from his current path, he’ll pass the first one within the minute. Tell Lady Nagant to take the shot if he passes by."
"I’ll tell her."
Through his radio, Lelouch received another report: they had found the villain with the barrier quirk. She was on the first floor; they could occasionally see her at the main doors. Lelouch sent several of his geassed-turned allies to handle her, and then attempted to contact Shigaraki without success. Lelouch bet he had lost his earpiece or turned it to dust.
Lelouch moved to a window and used his advantage of height to point teams toward several particularly tricky villains. He was interrupted by a report of the barrier being down, and then he could hear both sides as they rushed inside, a canopy of footsteps that had Lelouch moving quickly to duck into a closet as they passed by. He restocked his geassed allies as the sound of footsteps dwindled, picking off several villains that showed promise.
"Report. Does anyone have eyes on Shigaraki?"
He had to wait only a moment for someone to reply with, "He entered the hospital several minutes ago."
CC cut in. "All For One looks to be fighting Best Jeanist and Mirko on the roof."
"Where is Endeavour? We could really use him on the north side," came another voice.
"Last time I checked, he’s fighting his son on the east side of the hospital."
A younger voice jumped in: a hero student. "His son? Why would he be fighting Todoroki?"
"No, his older one. Didn’t you see that video—"
"Enough," came Aizawa’s irritated voice. "Stay focused. You may not be in the main fight, but you’re still here to work."
The feed went silent. Then, "Where is Todoroki anyway?"
"He’s also fighting his brother."
Another short bout of silence ended: "Jeeze. It’s the Todoroki showdown over there."
"Pinky! Go south if you have time to gossip."
"Aye, Sensei…"
"Keep me updated on Shigaraki’s location," Lelouch said, and then left the closet to signal his geassed allies to follow.
He ran into a fight between several heroes and villains, but skirted the destruction and made it back to the stairs. It was complete chaos in and outside the building. Lelouch would ignore it for now, knowing All For One was still on the roof. Shigaraki would be doing the same, but Lelouch did not fully trust him to keep a handle on his temper, and that would be a very dangerous thing for everyone involved.
Floor by floor, Lelouch passed the doors leading off to each level, stopping only when he was attacked—and said attackers were swiftly made irrelevant either by his geass or through his growing forces. When they made it to the twelfth floor, blinding sunlight greeted him. Briefly, he raised his hand to block it. The roof had once been used to intake urgent helicopter patients. As such, it was large enough for him to keep an eye on the fight while remaining out of it.
Best Jeanist and Mirko were exchanging attacks with All For One, though it was fairer to say they were managing to stay upright and not topple over the side of the roof. It was All For One’s unpredictability that caused their disadvantage: he could use one quirk repeatedly, enough for them to get used to the rhythm of it, only for him to switch to a completely different type of quirk and combat style. He was fighting alone against two pro heroes—and winning.
All For One stepped down on the roof after throwing Best Jeanist nearly over the edge, and had the other pinned to the ground. It was only the roof caving in abruptly that saved Mirko’s life. All For One disappeared into the dust cloud before jolting up into the air, Shigaraki narrowly missing him. His quirk spread over part of the roof instead. It was what Lelouch had been concerned about: if Shigaraki lost control, he could take the whole hospital with him. All For One would be fine; the rest of them would be out of commission.
"Best Jeanist and Mirko require backup on the roof," Lelouch said into the radio. "Shigaraki is currently engaging, but he does not have the advantage with All For One in the air."
Hawks answered. "Give me thirty seconds and I’ll be there."
It was a good matchup, especially since he wasn’t a stranger to Shigaraki. In the meantime, Lelouch listened to All For One steadily driving Shigaraki into a rage with targeted comments and taunts. The moment Hawks appeared, giving All For One sufficient targets to keep an eye on, Lelouch sent out several of his allies under Geass, giving the appearance they were on All For One’s side. Then, when All For One was in the process of dodging Shigaraki’s attacks, the villain he had picked up with a sticking quirk grabbed hold of his arm, keeping him held in place long enough for Shigaraki to graze his forearm. All For One shook off the villain’s grasp with a slice through his wrist and tossed him over the side of the roof.
All For One leapt back into the air, gaze roaming the rooftop to find Lelouch. He no longer seemed quite so confident in his sneering, unable to attack through Hawks’s intervention and his newfound injury. With the short break they had gained, Best Jeanist and Mirko also threw themselves back to the throes of battle, attacking mercilessly with more allies on their side. Lelouch saw the moment All For One decided to flee, instantly dropping down a level through the hole in the roof. Shigaraki swore loudly before following.
"What’s your status?" Lelouch said as he walked over to the remaining heroes. Hawks had yet to follow, speaking quietly to the other heroes.
Best Jeanist looked up, saying, "I took a hit earlier, but I can still fight."
"I’m prepared to go after him," Mirko added. "Can’t be outshown by vigilantes. Japan’s gone nuts."
Hawks ran a hand through his hair, appearing torn. "A vigilante, huh?"
Shigaraki’s image had changed little by little over the past months. From afar, perhaps it seemed natural. To anyone who knew him, however…
"Right. I’m ready to go after them," Mirko said, pushing her fists together. "Let’s do this." She sent a look toward Lelouch’s geassed allies before jerking a thumb toward one of them, calling, "That one—let’s bring ‘em along. They’ll be useful against him in close quarters."
"Very well," Lelouch said, and called them over to give brief orders.
Hawks glanced back before he left with her. "You going to be alright up here?"
"Yes. Go."
Once the heroes had left, Lelouch headed down the stairs, which remained mostly empty until the tenth floor, where a villain who could walk on walls was taunting the hero student Creati. Together, they dispatched her before Lelouch continued down the stairwell. There, he ran into Toga again. There were flecks of blood decorating her jaw, and a patch of it staining her sweater.
"Are you the original or a clone?" Lelouch asked dryly, knowing he wouldn’t get a clear answer.
"Neither," sang a new voice from behind her, and the hilt of a knife knocked into the Toga in front of him hard, sending her to the ground unconscious.
"Another Toga," Lelouch said, accepting her strangeness before the one on the ground’s features began to shift, turning into a woman he didn’t recognize. "Is that—"
"The mimic who stole Eri?" the new Toga said pleasantly. "Yes. I saw her transform and have been hunting her ever since. She proved to be really slippery." She crept up to him closer, smiling. "Aren’t you proud that I didn’t kill her?"
"I am," Lelouch said, though it was a lie and both of them knew it. In other circumstances…
He banished the thought and called up the staircase, hoping Yaoyorozu was still around. Fortunately for all of them, she hadn’t been far.
"They need to be put in cuffs and brought downstairs. They took Eri during the attack on U.A."
"She won’t escape,” said Yaoyorozu, needing no further convincing. Lelouch sent the last of his geassed allies with her to ensure she would make it outside successfully.
The moment they were gone, Toga turned her attention back to him. "How’s Shigaraki doing? He’s not answering my messages."
"I believe he lost his earpiece," Lelouch informed her. He moved to the door leading onto the eighth floor. "He lives, though perhaps in a constant state of rage at the moment."
"That tracks," Toga said, following him.
The walls were black as though they had been scorched by flames. More than one had gaping holes in them, blasted clean through. His earpiece crackled.
"Target One has changed targets. He caught sight of Midoriya. Both are heading to the ninth floor."
"That’s right above us," Toga said.
If there was any remaining mystery, a sudden boom from above had both of them hurrying down the hall to make way before a chunk of the ceiling came down. Toga pulled him into a room just as Midoriya flashed by, followed by All For One, and Shigaraki in tow. Shigaraki was slugging insults the whole time, but they seemed to have little effect on their enemy. All For One had run out of patience and perhaps was running lower on energy after being shot at, having to heal from numerous injuries, and nearly losing his arm to Shigaraki earlier: he was there solely for Midoriya’s inherited quirk now.
"Should I do it now?" Toga whispered.
He waited until they were out of sight again. "Soon," Lelouch promised her.