The Emperor's Dragon

Frustrations

All For One looked down at the small... thing. He wasn't sure what it was.

Doctor Garaki seemed happy with it.

"What is this?"

"The prototype," Kyudai replied.

Hisashi frowned. "I was expecting something more," he indicated.

The thing was rather spindly. It possessed dark skin and had an exposed brain. There was a clear helmet covering that and All For One could see that it had a beak type mouth. It's legs were short, as were its upper limbs. It was naked but had no sexual organs.

"I thought it was best to go small. Johnny is robust and does retain control over the warp quirk."

"Regeneration?" Hisashi asked.

Kyudai shook his head. They did not have a regeneration quirk, but since healing was something which was natural, he had been hoping to stimulate something similar to regeneration by other means. "Johnny has incredible life force but no regeneration."

"How hardy is it?"

"Very," the Doctor assured him.

All For One wasn't so sure, and moved before the Doctor could object, creating a blade out of one hand. He slashed it at the creature. There was resistance as his blade connected with the thing's middle. More resistance than the narrow nature of the body would suggest but not as much as he wanted. The Doctor cried out as the thing fell in two.

Hisashi pulled his hand back, looking at the blade he'd created. There was no residue but the edge wasn't as sharp as it had been. "Yes, it is reasonably strong," he agreed as the Doctor looked dismayed.

He reformed his hand, noting the minor scratches that now covered it. They would heal. "It needs to be stronger. I should not be able to cut it."

For a moment it looked as if the Doctor would object, then he sighed. "The human body can create carbon and calcium type armors but against some metals, they aren't going to be enough," he said. "Not without optimising for that," he added.

Hisashi took a deep breath, thinking. Quirks were so varied that it was often easy to forget they came from a human base. Those elements that comprised a body were the ones most easily worked with. Others, that the body either didn't possess, or only possessed in trace amounts, were more difficult. Rock type quirks for example often relied on the surrounding earth for materials.

"Strengthen as much as possible then," he conceded. "The next prototype should be full sized," he added the instruction.

"What quirk?"

"Pick anything," All For One waved one hand. "But push two into it. Emitter types. I want the next prototype to show me its unaltered physical ability," he decided.

Kyudai had picked up the brain half of the creature he called Johnny but he nodded.

"You may fix that one," Hisashi said. A warp quirk, even one as inconvenient as this creature's was useful, after all.

-ted-

Naomasa Tsukauchi was always a bit surprised, but thankful, at how easy it was for his friend to pass as a civilian. Put his hair down, out of those stupid raised cowlicks, and put a mask on him and Toshinori Yagi was no longer All Might. He was glad of it. There were times when his friend needed a break from being the Number One Hero.

Now appeared to be one.

He was sitting in the station, on the other side of his desk and to Naomasa's eyes, he was ready to tear out his ridiculous fringe.