Zero slowly rose to his feet. His newly transformed body was still adjusting to the unfamiliar sensations of movement. He flexed his fingers, rolled his shoulders, and took a moment to appreciate how effortlessly his muscles responded to his commands. Gone was the weakness and stiffness that had plagued him moments earlier. His body felt magnificent. He could get used to this. A short distance away, Dr. Garaki was struggling to get back onto his feet. The old scientist's white coat was stained with purple fluid, and his goggles had been knocked askew by the force of Zero's explosive awakening. Yet despite the obvious danger, Garaki couldn't seem to take his eyes off the young man. His expression was a peculiar mixture of terror, disbelief, and unrestrained fascination.
"Number Zero…" he whispered.
Zero tilted his head.
"Number Zero that's me right?"
"Y-Yes! You are Number Zero, the first and greatest of my master's experiments!" Garaki straightened as much as his trembling legs allowed. "To think that you would finally awaken after all these years! And your body… extraordinary! Absolutely extraordinary!" The old man's voice rose with each passing word, his initial fear being gradually overwhelmed by scientific enthusiasm. Zero stared at him for a moment. Then he smiled, with one hand he slicked back wet white hair. Purple liquid dripped to the floor as he casually stepped closer to the doctor. He searched the room with eyes, quickly realizing it was some kind of odd laboratory. He also noted that it was quite dark and yet he could see perfectly.
"Okay. Let's start with some basic questions," He took a step forward, subtly closing the distance to his prey.
"Who am I?" He asked trying to make his smile more charming and disarming than wicked though that kinda failed, whatever.
Garaki blinked.
"You are Number Zero."
"You said that already, that's a designation, not a name. Try again."
"R-right w-well, your biological father is—"
"Where am I?" Zero cut him off looking for an exit, instead he found a massive steel door dripping water and with the large label NUMBER 0 in the middle.
"Kamino. You are currently inside my personal laboratory in Kamino ward Japan."
"I see, Kamino huh? Who are you by the way?" Of course Zero had guessed the old man's identity by now but it'd be odd not to ask.
"Dr. Kyudai Garaki, at your service," He said nodding his head shifting on the floor as if to stand up but hesitated. Zero guessed the little doctor was quite intimidated by him. Understandable after all he was quite tall and the little doctor was quite short. He put a hand to his chin and hummed.
'I wonder if Japanese people are still short on average or if that changed thanks to quirks' he didn't know how tall he was but he could definitely tell it was a great height. If he remembered right All for One was about 7 and a half feet tall and All Might was about about 7 foot as well.
"Excellent!" Zero clapped his hands together. "Now we're getting somewhere. And why was I sleeping in a giant purple fishbowl?"
Garaki opened his mouth to answer, but his gaze briefly flickered toward the pocket of his coat.
It was an almost imperceptible movement.
Almost.
Zero's smile widened.
Oh? What's this?
The doctor's hand was slowly creeping toward his pocket. His fingers were mere inches from the phone hidden within.
'Calling someone, are we? Well I can't have that.' To stop him from running was the whole reason Zero had been stepping closer and closer while trying not to alarm the old man but sometimes plans need to change. As Zero's mind raced through the possibilities. He had a few suspicions about what his new Quirk could do, but he hadn't had much time to experiment. Still, if his understanding was correct, he could create an ability to solve this particular problem. And he knew exactly what he wanted. Simple but effective because often the direct solution was the best one. Before Garaki could reach the phone, Zero lunged forward. The old doctor barely had time to gasp before Zero seized his wrist and forced his hand away from his pocket. Compared to the younger man the doctor was practically as helpless as a mere babe.
"Now, now. We haven't finished our conversation yet."
"W-What are you—"
"Quirk Creation."
The verbal command made a something stir inside Zero. He didn't need to understand the precise biological mechanism behind his power. He merely needed to imagine the result he wanted. His will and his quirk would handle the rest. Yes, he could recall it now, all the little details of his new ability. Right now he needed a Quirk that would make Garaki stop moving. A Quirk that would prevent him from thinking, too just in case.
"Paralysis."
The name came naturally. Then a strange sensation passed through Zero's body, and suddenly he knew that the Quirk existed. He had created it, and it was ready to be used. His hand tingled with a strange static sensation but there was no visual cue to the ability.
The old scientist froze. His expression remained fixed in the middle of a terrified gasp. His hand stopped moving, his eyes became motionless, and even the frantic thoughts behind them seemed to grind to a halt. Zero released his wrist, stepping back a bit. Garaki remained standing perfectly still.
"…Huh," Zero waved a hand in front of the doctor's face.
Nothing.
He snapped his fingers.
Still nothing.
"That's convenient."
He leaned closer, examining Garaki's frozen expression. He smiled, a slight giggle slipping from him.
"Don't worry, Doctor. I'm sure we'll have plenty of time to discuss this later." With that, Zero turned on a dime a stepped away beginning exploring the laboratory. His first obstacle the giant door separating him from the outside world. It wasn't had to open just a few rather intuitive button presses.
He had a great deal to learn about his new surroundings, and there was no reason to waste an opportunity. Grabbing the paralyzed doctor and lifting him over his shoulder he brought him into the massive room before dropping him to the floor like a sack of potatoes and forgetting about him.
The room was enormous. Rows of machinery lined the walls, their displays flickering with indecipherable data. Thick cables snaked across the floor and disappeared into various pieces of equipment. The air was cold and smelled faintly of disinfectant, metal, and something rather unpleasant that Zero couldn't immediately identify.
Then he noticed the tanks, dozens of rows of metal vats with exposed green fluid and cables running into them but most importantly were the exposed brains poking out the tops of the odd liquid.
His eyes lit up.
"Oh, what's this?" He approached the nearest green vat and peered inside. A hulking humanoid creature floated in the murky fluid. Its body was grotesquely disproportionate, with muscles that seemed to have been piled onto its frame without much concern for aesthetics. Tubes connected various parts of its body to the surrounding machinery.
Zero stared.
"…Gross."
He moved to the next tank.
Another creature.
Then another.
"Wait, wait, wait. Are these what I think they are?" He pressed his face closer to the green fluid.
"Nomu? Actual Nomu?" A grin spread across his face. Yes this must be the Nomu factory, the doctor did say he was Kamino right? So that meant this was from that Hosu arc he vaguely recalled.
"Oh, this is fantastic!"
He had seen plenty of bizarre things in anime, but there was something different about seeing them in person. These weren't drawings on a screen anymore. They were real creatures, suspended in tanks inside a real laboratory.
He tapped the green liquid of one vat.
"Hello, ugly," The creature didn't respond.
"Rude."
Zero continued his inspection, occasionally stopping to examine a particularly interesting specimen. He couldn't decide whether the laboratory was a nightmare or a treasure trove of scientific wonders. Honestly, it was probably both. Some were larger than the first few, while others had stranger proportions. They came in different colors too some black, some grey, a couple blue, and a few other colors. One had an enormous head, another possessed arms that looked far too long for its body, and a third appeared almost human until Zero noticed the unnatural structures protruding from its back. The one he found most interesting had chainsaws for hands. His expression shifted from disgust to fascination and back again with each new creature he looked at. He was halfway through examining a particularly disturbing Nomu when a repetitive buzzing noise caught his attention.
Bzzzt! Bzzzt! Bzzzt!
Zero turned, the sound was coming from Garaki's coat. More specifically, from the phone in his pocket.
"Oh, right. You." Huffing and turning back to the doctor. Zero returned to the frozen scientist and retrieved the phone. Its screen was illuminated by an incoming call. The caller's identity was hidden behind a number, but Zero had a pretty good idea who was on the other end. He glanced at Garaki, then at the phone, then back at Garaki. A thoughtful expression crossed his face.
"You know, Doctor, I have a feeling that you're going to be very useful to me," He tapped his chin.
"But I can't have you running off to tell your master everything before I've had a chance to figure out what's going on," Zero's eyes brightened quite literally as the shone a little brighter. Zero hadn't yet noticed the secondary effect of his quirk, a simple biological adjustment his body had made.
"Ah! I've got it!" He raised his free hand.
"New Quirk: Loyalty." The name was simple, but the concept behind it was anything but. He imagined a power that would bind Garaki's allegiance to him. Not merely obedience born of fear or a temporary compulsion, but genuine, unwavering loyalty. He stepped over to the paralyzed man and gripped him by the neck. A chain appeared on his hand in glowing purple before slithering off his skin like living tattoo and around the old doctor's neck. For a brief moment, it shone with a dark, almost metallic light. Then the symbol faded from sight, leaving no visible trace. Zero felt the Quirk settle into place.
'There we go.' He grinned.
"Now we're friends," He removed the effects of Paralysis. Garaki immediately lurched forward, stumbling as his body and mind resumed their normal functions.
"Gah!" He caught himself against a nearby console, gasping for breath. His head searched left and right clearly disoriented. Zero continued his silent analysis of the old man, an analysis which he'd started the moment they'd locked eyes. The doctor hadn't truly reacted to his declaration of turning the world upside down. But the old man was a wonderfully useful resource. After all who couldn't use a good mad scientist every once in a while?
"W-What happened?" The old man looked confused it seems that Paralysis froze both the body and the perception of time. His forge of creation seemed to interpret his will just as intended. That was good Zero thought nodding to himself.
"Funny how that works," Garaki turned toward Zero, his eyes widening as he remembered what had happened.
"You… you did that just now with your Quirk?" The old man asked.
"Correct!" Zero cheerfully chirped back to him standing proudly over the smaller man.
"Without any external assistance? Without any genetic material? Without a laboratory or any of the necessary equipment? You just instinctively knew how to use your quirk on me?" Zero tilted his head.
"Do I look like I need a laboratory to do that?" Garaki's mouth opened, then closed, then opened it again. The scientist looked as though he might either faint or start writing a research paper directly on the floor. Zero patted him on the shoulder.
"Relax, Doctor. You can have your scientific breakdown later. Your phone is ringing," Garaki glanced down at the device. His expression changed. The number on the screen was familiar. Very familiar.
"My lord…" Zero's smile became positively radiant.
"Ah! So this is the big one," He held out the phone. The number and name was unknown but Zero was near certain who was on the other end. Dr Garaki stared at the device far more advanced than the phones Zero was familiar with from his previous life. A previous life he was having an incredibly hard time recalling outside of the entertainment at the moment.
"Go on. Answer it."
Garaki hesitated. For a moment, his hand trembled as he looked between the phone and Zero. Something inside him insisted that he should tell his master what had happened. The laboratory had been damaged, the containment chamber destroyed, and Number Zero had awakened with an unknown ability. This was an emergency. His master needed to know everything. But another feeling rose within him, stronger and more absolute than the first. His loyalty to Zero took precedence. The doctor swallowed.
"Of course… my lord," He answered the call.
"My Master?" Garaki asked into the phone.
A familiar, composed voice came through the speaker. "Garaki. I've received an emergency notification from the laboratory. There was a significant containment failure. Explain what happened."
Garaki glanced toward the shattered remains of Zero's tank. Then he looked at Zero. The young man gave him an encouraging nod.
"Everything is under control, my lord," A brief silence followed, and Zero folded his muscular arms to wait and listen. Only for him to notice that new muscular definition and flex his bicep before giving it a quick kiss and focusing back on the call.
"Under control?"
"Yes. Number Zero has awakened."
Another silence met the words, one lasted considerably longer. Garaki sounded calm but it was almost two calm.
"Zero is awake?" The demon lord asked breaking the still tension. Zero immediately realized where Garaki had messed up. Zero probably wasn't supposed to be awake for whatever the two of them had planned.
"Yes, my lord. The thawing process was successful. He is conscious and appears to be in excellent health."
Zero leaned closer to the phone.
"Tell him I'm handsome, too," Zero whispered, he was certain about that part he hadn't gotten a fully clear look but had gotten several glances of himself in the reflections of multiple surfaces he'd briefly studied.
Garaki ignored the comment.
"His physical condition is remarkable," he continued. "There have been some unexpected developments, but nothing that requires your immediate concern."
Zero raised an eyebrow 'Unexpected developments? That's one way to put it.'
On the other end of the call, All For One was silent for a moment.
Then he spoke.
"I see."
His voice remained calm, but there was something different about it now. A sharper interest. A sudden alertness.
"Prepare the laboratory. I will be there shortly."
"Of course, my lord."
The call ended.
Garaki lowered the phone and Zero stared at it for a moment before bursting into laughter.
"Oh, this is going to be fun!" He could hardly contain his excitement. All For One. The legendary villain himself. The man who had terrorized Japan for generations, manipulated countless people, and built an empire of crime. His father. Well, technically. Zero had no idea whether he should be excited, disappointed, or simply curious. But he knew one thing. He wanted to meet the man.
And if All For One proved to be as disappointing in person as he was in the story, well…
Zero shrugged.
There were plenty of ways to dispose of a bad demon lord.
"Doctor!"
Garaki straightened immediately.
"Yes, Number Zero?"
"First things first. I want the full story. Who I am, why I'm here, what happened while I was sleeping, and anything else you think might be important."
"Of course," The doctor rapidly nodded his head.
"And no more sneaky phone calls without my permission."
"Understood."
Zero studied him for a moment. Garaki's obedience was immediate. Too immediate, perhaps, but Zero decided not to dwell on it just yet. He had more interesting things to do.
"Excellent. Let's start with my identity."
Garaki began explaining. The full run down was what Number Zero had already mostly put together. Zero was the biological son of All For One, conceived as a potential heir to his father's criminal empire. Initially, the idea had been to raise him into a successor who could eventually inherit his father's position. But as All For One's ambitions evolved, so had his plans. He had eventually decided that the boy's potential made him more of a threat than an asset. Rather than allow him to mature into a possible rival, All For One had ordered him placed in cryostasis. The experiment had remained dormant for more than a century. Meanwhile, the world had changed. Quirks had become commonplace, heroes had risen to prominence, and All For One had continued operating from the shadows. Zero listened with growing interest.
"So, let me get this straight. I'm the son of the biggest bad guy in the country, I've been sleeping in a freezer for over a hundred years, and the world has developed an entire profession around dressing up in ridiculous costumes to fight crime?"
Garaki blinked. "…When you phrase it that way, yes."
Zero burst out laughing. He really was in My hero academia which meant there were all sorts of new games to play.
"Oh, this world is going to be incredible!" He wiped a nonexistent tear from the corner of his eye.
"And my father has a successor already?" He asked just to make sure of white time period he was in.
"Yes. Tenko Shimura, who now operates under the name Tomura Shigaraki."
Zero's smile became thoughtful.
"Shigaraki, huh? I remember that name," The villain wasn't so bad by Zero's standards. In fact he'd found Shigaraki a far more compelling character than All for One. It was like Izuku once said. All for One wasn't some demon lord. Just a sad, lonely, and old man.
He leaned against a nearby console, his grin widening as he thought about the ninth user of one for all. He was a tad bit mediocre but over all a good premise for a chosen hero. It was the demon king he was ment to defeat who did a poor job. After all the old monster had missed tons of opportunities to improve his chances to win.
"Well, I suppose that means I'll have to meet him eventually." He wasn't particularly interested in stealing his, adopted brother? half-brother? Whatever their relationship was it didn't matter. He had no interest in taking the other man's position as All for One's future vessel. Not yet, anyway. But anyone being groomed as the ultimate villain had the potential to become an entertaining person. Perhaps Zero could help him along. Or perhaps he could make things much, much worse. The possibilities were endless.
"All right," Zero announced. "I think I've got the general idea."
He glanced down at himself.
Then paused. What met him was a large and clearly defined 10 pack of abs. Thick and powerful thighs like tree trunks. But most importantly was a massive cock that was at least a foot long if not longer, and thick as a Coca-Cola can flanked by balls the sides of fruits hanging low and heavy even in the cold. Above them was a large pale white patch of hair that matched the ones on his head and brows.
Then slowly looked back at Garaki.
"Doctor."
"Yes?"
"Why am I naked?"
Garaki froze.
For the first time since Zero had awakened, the old scientist appeared genuinely unable to formulate an answer.
"Well, you see, the cryostasis chamber—"
"Yes, yes, I'm sure it has a perfectly reasonable scientific explanation. But did nobody think to prepare a change of clothes?"
"I… was not expecting you to awaken today."
Zero stared at him.
Then he sighed dramatically.
"Unbelievable. A hundred years in a freezer, and nobody even has the decency to leave me a pair of pants."
He looked around the laboratory. There were no lockers nearby, no spare uniforms, and certainly no convenient wardrobe filled with stylish outfits for recently awakened superhumans. Zero clicked his tongue.
"Fine. We'll improvise."
He stepped toward Garaki. The old doctor instinctively flinched. Zero simply reached for the hem of his white laboratory coat.
"Borrowing this," He slipped the coat off Garaki's shoulders before the man could protest. Unfortunately, the garment was designed for an elderly scientist, not a tall, broad-shouldered young man with a physique that looked as though it had been sculpted by a particularly ambitious artist. The sleeves were too short, and the coat refused to close properly around his torso. Zero considered it for a moment. Then he tied the coat around his waist.
"There. Fashion."
Garaki stared.
Zero gave him a thumbs-up.
"Don't worry. I'll return it when I find something better."
The doctor decided not to ask when that might be. Zero, meanwhile, had begun thinking about his next Quirk. If he was going to operate in this world, he needed a way to keep track of his abilities. With Forge of Creation, he could potentially create an enormous number of Quirks, and remembering every detail might become inconvenient. A personal status screen would solve that problem rather neatly. He brought his hands together.
"Let's see… I want something that can display my current information, list my Quirks, and update whenever I create or remove an ability."
He smiled.
"Quirk: Status."
The familiar sensation of creation stirred within him. A moment later, a translucent blue screen appeared in front of his eyes.
Zero blinked.
Then grinned.
"Oh, that's beautiful."
The screen floated in the air, its luminous text arranged into neat rows.
[STATUS] image here
[ Name: Number Zero
Sex: Male
Physical Age: 25
Chronological Age: 105
Primary Quirk: Forge of Creation
Description: Allows the user to create new quirks in their body. When the user wants to create a new quirk it must fit into one of the types. These five types are emitter Quirks, mutation Quirks, transformation Quirks, and accumulation-type Quirks. The last type is fusion Quirks which are a single quirk that combines two other types into one quirk. Any gaps in logic or function are filled in by the user's imagination and the quirk's own will. The user can gift these sub-quirks to others and take them back as well. Secondary effect glowing eyes, pale skin, white hair, white eyes.
Example: User creates a quirk that makes fireballs and allows them to throw them like a regular ball. The quirk will fill in how the fire was made why it doesn't burn the user as well as the shape and size of the fireballs.
Sub Quirks:
Perfect Body - Type: Mutation
Description: Your body is at its physical prime and in peak health and physical condition. It is the pinochle of what your species can achieve while remaining balanced.
Paralysis-Type: Emitter
Description: Upon touching the target they are frozen and their perception of time is brought to a complete stop.
Loyalty - Type: Emitter
Description: By touching another living being a loyalty mark is placed on them. This mark compels them to completely and utterly loyal to you unable to betray or harm you unless ordered to do so. The loyalty mark quickly fades to become invisible unless you will it to appear.
Status - Typer: Emitter
Description: Displays a status screen visible only to you and shows your age, sex, quirk, and sub quirks.]
Zero stared at the last entry.
Then he laughed.
"One hundred and fifteen years old!"
He leaned back, shaking his head in disbelief.
"That's incredible. I've technically been alive for longer than a century, and this is the first time I've actually gotten to do anything!"
He swiped a hand through the display. The interface responded to his movement, expanding to show more detailed information about his primary Quirk.
Forge of Creation.
The ability to create new Quirks, each one designed according to his imagination. The ability to gift those Quirks to others and reclaim them when he wished.
It was absurd. It was magnificent. And he was only just getting started. Zero dismissed the screen and looked toward the laboratory's entrance. Somewhere beyond those walls was the world he'd once known only through fiction. A world of heroes, villains, spectacular battles, and people who had no idea what was about to happen to them. He could already think of a dozen things he wanted to try.
Perhaps he would become a hero.
Perhaps a villain.
Perhaps he would simply spend a few months causing chaos and see where things went.
Why decide now?
After all, he had plenty of time.
A century's worth, apparently. Then he heard footsteps approaching from the other side of the laboratory door. Garaki straightened immediately.
Zero's grin widened.
"Ah. Right on schedule."
The door began to open. A tall figure stepped into the laboratory, his presence immediately changing the atmosphere of the room. The man wore a dark suit, and his posture carried the effortless confidence of someone accustomed to being obeyed. His gaze swept across the shattered containment chamber, the scattered glass, the damaged equipment, and the enormous Nomu tanks lining the walls. Then his eyes settled on the young man standing beside Garaki.
White hair.
Pale eyes.
A physique that bore little resemblance to the frail, half-preserved child he remembered leaving behind.
For several seconds, neither man spoke.
Then Zero smiled.
"So," he said cheerfully, "you're my father?"
All For One stared at him.
And for the first time in a very long time, the greatest villain in Japan found himself completely uncertain of what to say.
[Chapter image]
XXX
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