Power Grasping Chapter 7

Demon. The Quirk is really perfect for someone like Zone, not the innocent baby he'd stolen it from, because of how it functions. Whilst there are no 'villainous' Quirk just bad users, this Quirk really is meant for someone vengeful. Someone like him.

The user can turn their negative emotions into energy, which is then stored within their horns where it can be converted into vitality and superstrength. Turning the Quirk off resets the energy, but the limits of his reserves were quite low so he never cared about it much. Plus, now that he has Energy Conversion, he can turn his reserved energy into the type that his Stored Power Quirk could stock away.

Zone, for all the control he had over his emotions, never got over what happened to him. Sometimes, on the rare few occasions he manages to get to sleep these days, he wakes up and will think he's still trapped in that tiny white room. Where he was alone, weak and had no power over his own fate.

Sometimes Zone was bound and tied to a table, surrounded by doctors who wanted to cut him open, and all he could do was struggle feebly before he finally awakened in a sweaty heap. He didn't know whether it was because of Hypnosis, but whenever he let himself drift off he'd always be haunted by horrible memories. That was if the vestiges didn't scream and curse at him themselves, even if he could mostly push them out, they appeared in his dreams.

It was the reason he avoided sleep as much as possible, and why Energy Conversion was such a good Quirk. He could turn his stockpiled energy into vitality, letting him shave down how much sleep he needed.

But alas, even that wouldn't be enough to put off rest indefinitely. His body was still human, he'd need to fall asleep eventually. But, that wouldn't be now, he could focus all his effort on training.

'Move.' Zone tried to will the new appendages sprouted on his back to move, only to get a sparce few twitches for his troubles. His teeth felt sharper, and his sight had changed thanks to Spider granting him another set of eyes, and the new limbs would definitely be valuable additions to his arsenal... that was, if he could actually get them to move.

Usually, Zone would have some basic idea of how to use a Quirk, thanks to Quirk Manipulation's 'reading' function. However, these limbs were proving to be a stubborn egg to crack. They could move, that much he was certain of, but any attempt to guide them with thought produced nothing.

Zone felt a bit of celebration when he got one of them to move right, but that was stamped on when the limbs suddenly flailed without warning. The movements were rapid, uncoordinated and one eventually knicked his cheek. By that point, he knew a lost cause when he saw one and deactivated Spider with a sense of disappointment.

Zone shivered as one pair of eyes disappeared, along with his other limbs and his teeth blunted down. He only had two Mutant type Quirks, though it always felt weird to turn them off. Demon was at least a minor mutation, but Spider altered his body quite heavily. Once that was done, he activated Healing Touch to fix the minor wound on his cheek with ease and minimal energy loss.

"Well, that was utterly without grace." Zone admitted, placing himself down on a rock. He was training deep within the wilderness, making sure the chances of him getting caught were minimal. The car was hidden away, prepared to take him back at any moment.

"I would have to agree."

That drew a snort from him. Alice was pretty socially inept, but then again that wasn't a bad thing. She was blunt, and that lack of filter was refreshing. She said things how they were, that he could appreciate.

"You got any suggestions then?" He questioned half-joking, but made sure to keep an ear open. Alice was smart, but in a very 'inside the box' way, which made sense considering she was essentially a computer, so tips about training and fighting style weren't her strong suit.

"Hmm, perhaps you should try to build up muscle memory. For example, whenever you walk or move you aren't constantly processing that movement. It is simply ingrained in your mind through repeated action, so much so that you hardly even need to think about it."

Zone hummed, that thought already having passed through his head. "Yeah, I guess these extra legs will be pretty useless without putting in the hours. Building muscle memory only works if I can actually move them at all."

A rustle from behind caught his ears, and Zone went still before his eyes met the source of noise. It was probably nothing, wild animals and critters were common in this section of the woods, but-

Zone glanced closer, noting how high in the trees the source of sound was, and activated X-Ray to satisfy his curiosity. It was useful and very easy Quirk to use. Comparing it to an on-off switch would be accurate, and when active he could look through objects... and right now, perched up in a tree, he could see a blonde man with red wings observing him with the intensity of a hawk.

'Wait, is he...' Zone felt a threat from him as their eyes met, and whoever it was clearly noticed as they moved to-

Acting entirely on instinct, he darted to a sharp right just in time for a red blade to slash down right where his left arm was. The world slowed down as he reached out and activated Bio-Sword, his arm writhing as it transformed into a chillingly sharp blade, and he swiftly countered. But, much to his surprise, the bird man was fast enough to react and within a moment their swords were locked.

"Who the fuck are you?!" Zone snarled, breaking through the red blade and forcing the blonde man backwards. He thought for a moment he was safe, only to be caught off guard when a barrage of red feathers were shot his way.

He already had Endure and Enhancement active, but even with his physical Quirks he only managed to dodge the feathers by a hair. His opponent was a fast one.

Only when he finally had a moment to breathe, did he realise how familiar this man looked. His eyes were golden like his hair, he was dressed in a jacket that could almost be considered casual, if it weren't for the protective coating he could see hidden beneath the surface, and his jaw was set firmly in place.

It was then, that Zone realised who this was, and a sneer passed his face. "So, the Commission finally decided to try and tie up loose ends. They send their little lapdog over to do their dirty work for them?"

The Public Safety Hero Hawks just gave a grin at that, though his eyes remained deadly serious. "Actually, I'm more of a bird. Then again, lap bird doesn't exactly have the same ring to it."

The grip Hawks had on his feather blades tightened as he flew forward faster than the average person could track, but unfortunately for Hawks he was far from average. Pushing Speed Boost to the absolute limit, making sure to power it with Stored Power, Zone turned his arm into a shield that blocked the incoming slash not a second too early. But, Hawks was relentless, sending a swarm of feathers his way that were pointed at his throat.

Noting how his enemy was going for the kill, Zone summoned a ball of compressed air that exploded outwards and blew the tiny blades away. He needed to escape. He was able to match his opponent thanks to Speed Boost, but once he exhausts that Quirk he'll be a sitting duck. Hawks was trained by the commission, much like him, since he was a child so he wouldn't be a pushover.

'Plus, there's a chance he has allies hiding somewhere.' Zone thought to himself, knowing he needed to flee when the chance came.

However, he knew full well that Hawks wouldn't be giving him that chance. That just meant he needed to create his own opportunity, so he'd need to play this smart.

Zone grinned. One mistake could- no, would kill him, but that just meant he'd need to play this perfectly.

After blowing Hawks away with Air Blast, Zone whispered with practiced silence. "Alice, prepare the car. We're going to shake this bird off."

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Hawks narrowed his eyes at the target, flapping his wings to regain some feathers back. Fierce Wings was made for speed, not power, so if he wanted to pick apart his opponent keeping the advantage in terms of speed was pivotal. The Quirks which the target possessed were unknown, probably around a hundred by now, and if he got touched, even if just for a split second, he was done for.

The Commission had told him to just spy and give information back, but his opponent must have had some sort of sense Quirk that threw his plan out the window.

This wasn't an unmanageable scenario. Hawks would prefer to have backup, going in without support against a monster like this was never his first option, but ideal situations never did fall on his lap. Plus, he could tell he had far more mastery over his Quirk than his opponent had with his Quirks.

'Better end this quick.' Hawks thought, flying in with his feather swords drawn back, smaller feathers flying at the target faster than bullets. With any luck, his opponent would go quietly.

Zone didn't fall for it however, transforming his arm into a fleshy shield that shattered his feathers when they struck. Hawks guided them to fire through his guard, but a swipe of the hand was enough to shake them off.

"You're a real pain in the ass, birdy. I knew they'd come eventually, but one person isn't enough to stop me." Zone's red eyes locked onto his own moments before he struck, his arm transforming into a blade in the blink of an eye. "I wonder though, why mindlessly obey them like this? Why not rebel?"

Hawks didn't answer. His mission wasn't to make conversation, so he wouldn't. His opponent wouldn't psyche him out. Zone looked mildly disappointed. "I see, then you're too far gone. That makes this much easier."

Hawks felt his blood run cold as he snapped his neck behind, coming face to face with a huge swarm of black birds. Who could say how many there were. Hundreds? Thousands? Either way, they were all diving as one, a storm of black set to wash him away.

The mass of crows swallowed him up, with their beaks and bony wings constantly jabbing at his exposed skin, and he was forced to raise his arms defensively so they didn't jab his eyes. He sent a few feathers out to cut them down, but there were just too many to efficiently cull!

"Crow. It's a useful Quirk, one I took from a man with Alzheimer's." He could vaguely hear the voice of his enemy from outside the storm, looking amused. "I can create all the crows I want, on the condition I make them one by one of course."

Hawks slashed away at the swarm desperately, trying to cut his way through. None of the dead birds bled when they died, they just poofed out of existence strangely enough, but he hardly had the time to think on it. He needed to complete this mission, he'd never failed the Hero Society before and he wasn't starting now!

When he was first made aware of this villain, the one who bore the same Quirk as Japan's Demon Lord, Hawks felt a primal sense of fear about this boy. Maybe it was the idea of having his Quirk taken, the idea of losing what he'd poured so much blood, sweat and tears into, but he absolutely did not want to come face to face with Z1-142.

But, he still went anyway. Because, he didn't have a choice. Not since the 'Public Safety Commission' preyed on his naïve youth, not since his parents failed him, the only thing he'd really chosen was to be a Hero.

After a while, Hawks' breath became short and he immediately covered his mouth and nose on instinct. That proved to be the right call, since the air was filled with a strange purple gas that made his head go dizzy, and the crows around him started to drop like flies.

'Poison.' Hawks thought, flapping his wings rapidly when he realised how little he could see. It hurt his pride to admit, but the target had just used those crows as bait, the real objective was to escape. Clever.

The constant flapping made the poisonous gas thin out, and when it did his eyes picked up on a figure that was gaining distance by the second. His crimson wings flapped, and within a second he was closing in.

Hawks didn't feel any satisfaction as he brought his blades back, positioning himself to cut the target down. It was a lethal cut he was going for. Maybe the target had defensive Quirks, but it wouldn't mean much. His swords could slash right through solid stone, so the attack would connect.

Swooping down below, Hawks hardened his eyes as he cut forward and the sword cut- thin air?

"What?" Hawks whispered to himself as he came to a screeching halt, the boy he'd cut shimmering before disappearing, with nothing but dust and a purple sky being proof that he'd ever been there.

Everything was quiet for a moment, and Hawks was frozen for a mere moment. Unsure of what exactly to say.

"What the hell?"

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In the distance, moving further and further away from Hawks, a freshly painted black car burst out of the forest and onto the streets. Within, Zone let out a sigh of relief when Crow told him that Hawks wasn't trailing them.

It was a decently scraped together plan all things considered. He'd learned a while back that Toxic could be used to expel poisonous gas from his pores, which he used back then for cover, and by using Substitute he could create a copy of himself that will disappear upon taking physical trauma. Since he could telepathically connect to the crows he creates using Crow he could tell that Hawks was thrown off their trail.

Well, hopefully anyway. They don't call him 'too fast' for nothing.

Once confident they weren't being followed, Zone ordered. "Alice, make course for Tokyo please. Staying here is asking for trouble, the best thing we can do is move." Whilst he could probably stay in the countryside by moving to a different town, he'd quite frankly grown tired of waiting. He'd gotten some more Quirks, it was about time he made some moves.

"Of course, though might I hear your reasoning."

"I'm not going to grow much stronger if I stay in the shadows." Zone explained. "I rarely find opponents that can challenge me, so by moving closer to the action I'll be able to gain experience. Besides, the HPSC are very fond of the city... it's time I paid them a visit."

"Understood."

A silence descended on them, and Zone's eyes focused on his hands. They were scarred here and there with calluses, tiny black holes residing in the centres as permanent reminders of his Quirk. There was no denying he wasn't ready to fight the HPSC yet, and he probably never would be, but something inside him was demanding that they pay for what they've done. It was telling him to unleash him rage and give them what they deserve, but how could he?

Zone stared out the window, watching as the trees passed by in blurs. He wanted to topple the HPSC, to watch them crumble down, and he knew that killing their current leaders wouldn't mean anything. They'd be replaced before their blood goes cold, and no matter how many he slayed another would take their place.

No. He couldn't destroy them physically... but he could destroy what they stood for. An empire that is destroyed by an enemy might come back, but if it's people were to tear it apart... it wouldn't come back.

Gone, forever.

Zone pulled out a USB from his pocket, holding it like brittle glass in his fingers. This tiny thing contained enough evidence to bury the HPSC under a mountain of their own corruption, it would be pure irony at it's finest. Even a fraction of what he held would suffice, but-

'How do I release it?' Zone had to wonder. Whilst yes, he could just upload it onto the internet or something, that just wouldn't suffice. The HPSC would simply delete it within a few minutes if he was lucky, and anyone who caught sight of him would just wave him off as some attention hungry blogger.

No. Trying to release this as a nobody, or a villain, wouldn't be enough. What he needed was some good will from the people, since if he could gain the populations trust then he could destroy them. It wouldn't matter how strong they are, they can't be the Public Safety Commission if the public despises them.

And, what did the people love more than a hero?

"Alice, how do you think I'd look with a mask?" Zone asked, finding the idea quite ironic. He'd always wanted to be a superhero like in the comics, and it would make his plans easier.

"It would depend on the design. Why?"

Zone allowed himself to smirk, answering vaguely. "Because, my beautiful A.I friend, we're about to earn the hearts of Japan by doing the Pro-Heroes job even better than they do."

"What do you mean?"

Zone didn't answer, asking after a moment. "Alice, why does this world trust Heroes so much? It's because, Heroes are the ideal. Every person on earth loves All Might, everyone trusts him with their life, why is that?"

"...though I don't understand the human mind, it would be because he has been saving other humans for many years. They would be obligated to trust him because he is the world's greatest Hero, a man everyone reveres for his heroic deeds, and the common man would feel compelled to trust him entirely."

Zone nodded, leaning backwards. "That's part of it yes. If I were to find a place in the heart's of the people, then I show them the Commission's true nature, then even if they didn't outright believe me the Commission would still be under suspicion."

Zone looked out the window, up at the starry sky. It wasn't a flawless plan, things could still go wrong, but he could do this.

He would have to steer clear of All Might in the city. The number one and All for One were old enemies, so the blonde would definitely act rashly if he caught a hint and he wasn't confident in his chances against One for All. Though he might be weakened, All Might was still a force of nature.

Well, he was just a single person. He wasn't like All for One, one powerful Quirk wouldn't be enough to thwart his goals.

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All for One sat alone, the room around him dark except for the light his life support machines luminated, a tubed mask pumping in rhythm with his breath. He wouldn't say it aloud, but even with his breathing equipment simply moving was a struggle. He was using a myriad of Quirks to keep his discomfort to a minimum, but even they had their limits.

Pain Dampening. Enhanced Respiration. Infrared Vision. Echolocation. Vibration Sensing.

He'd collected an impressive stockpile of Quirks over the years, so the loss of senses only majorly hampered him, not kill him. Still though, keeping all those Quirks active at once was a struggle, and he had a feeling that when he swapped to a synthetic copy of his original power it would get even more trying. Eventually his Quirks would give, and he'd be left in the isolated, dark void of the vestige realm with the clamouring and cursing of the ghosts.

However, something in his Quirk felt a stir, and not in a familiar way. He was used to the vestiges trying to act up and rebel every once in a while, of course it never worked, but this time it was different because it was his own Quirk that pulsed flickered.

All for One frowned to himself, the thought jarring him. His Quirk never acted without his command, it was a part of him afterall, and that would never change. His powers were his and nobody else's, even that little experiment Garaki was working on only had a smidge of his original Quirk factor.

'It's probably nothing.' He concluded. His ability to utilise his Quirk had been severely struck when he lost his head, with his damaged and aged body not able to use as many Quirks as before. The constant Quirk exhaustion probably just caused a glitch, nothing to be concerned with.

All for One checked another camera, using a technology control Quirk named Technopath to 'look' through the cameras and monitor how his 'successor' was doing. Tomura was playing games in his room, with Kurogiri standing watch just outside the door awaiting instructions.

He remained unfazed when Tomura threw a tantrum, yelling 'Hacks! I call hacks!' and 'That's cheating! You're a cheater!' It was only expected for Tomura to still be acting like a man-child, to be honest it didn't matter all that much.

He would be ready in time, that All for One was certain of. Tomura's growth was his growth afterall, the next him wouldn't be weak.

Him finding a new body was long overdue. Even if All Might hadn't smashed his head in, he was still a century and a half year old supervillain and one of the first people to have a Quirk. As powerful as he was, his powers found have been more evolved if he was born in a body more used to Quirks like nowadays.

With Tomura he'd be able to 'upgrade' himself for a lack of better word, and use that heart bursting with hatred to finally take his brother back. Of course, to do this he'd first need to briefly part with his original Quirk, but that was a price he was willing to pay. It wouldn't be permanent afterall.

Smiling despite the ache over his body, he leaned back. All for One and One for All would both be his soon enough, everything would fall into place and he'd come back stronger than ever. He'd finally become the Demon Lord he always strived to be.

'But, before that I'll need to give myself some entertainment.' He grinned widely as the camera switched to another figure, one with dark hair and a scar stretching over it's face. It was strangely similar to the one he left of O'Clock, he ruffed up his face a bit when he took Overclock, and he doubted that was unintentional.

This one was more of a guinea pig to him, proof of theory to see how a human body handles being nomued; but this twisted little thing could provide some good comedy for him.

"Make sure to put Overclock to good use, Number Six."