The Emperor's Dragon

What's In A Name?

All For One tapped one finger on his chin as he waited for Gigantomachia to bring him Izuku. He'd been watching his son train with Giran from the mezzanine level. It had certainly been interesting.

He'd had no idea that his son found it so easy to attract quirks. But that was now working against him. The ease with which Izuku took quirks meant he hadn't really exercised his quirk. That would have to change.

Gigantomachia squeezed into the room, carrying Izuku. Giran had already left via warp gate and Izuku was beginning to stir. His son recovered fast.

"My Little Dragon," All For One said as Izuku blinked.

"I did it!" His son said in that odd voice that was between waking and sleeping.

"You did!"

Gigantomachia lowered Izuku to the ground and his son stood for a few moments, still resting one hand on the huge man's arm to steady himself before he was sure on his feet. Then he rushed over to sit beside him.

All For One dropped his hand, resting it on Izuku's head.

"It was hard," Izuku reported.

"What did you find hard about it?" Hisashi asked.

"Giran's quirk is like a mist, and it was hard to surround it," Izuku said.

He'd never really thought of the broker's quirk like that but it was an apt description. "So do you think it would be easier with a smaller quirk?" he asked. All For One did not mean smaller to be weaker.

"Maybe," Izuku replied.

All For One ruffled Izuku's hair. "I'm going to hold out two quirks, and I want you to tell me which one you think would be easier to cover, my Little Dragon," he instructed. He pulled up two older quirks. One was hazy like Giran's and one was sharper, more defined, and somewhat tighter. He pushed the hazy one to his left and the tight one to his right.

"That one," Izuku said without even thinking about it, pointing to his right.

"Why?" Hisashi pushed.

"Because I wouldn't have to stretch as much," Izuku explained.

All For One smiled. "Yet we are going to have to stretch your quirk," he replied. "You can already take multiple quirks from a distance, but I want you to be able take them, and knock the person out."

It spoke well that Izuku didn't dispute it. Instead he nodded. "It would make any battle against a group easier," he mused.

Gigantomachia gave a bark of laughter. "You would win, Little Lord," he said firmly.

"But you will need to practice. Just as you practiced with your other quirks, you are going to have to practice with yours," All For One said. "But we will have to be careful," he added, though personally, he didn't mind if Izuku ended up with a few more quirks, they were going to have to ensure that the previous owners were disposable.

"What do you mean?" Izuku asked.

"My Little Dragon," All For One chided gently. "What happened when you tried to return Giran's quirk?"

His son gasped when he made the connection. "I almost couldn't give it back!" he exclaimed. "That's never happened before," he added.

"Why do you think it happened?" Hisashi prompted.

Izuku shifted under his hand, and rested his back on his leg. "It only happened the third time when I managed to surround his quirk, which means it has to do with that," Izuku deduced. "It would mean that when I surround a quirk, it's almost like I'm absorbing it. I wonder if I would absorb a quirk quicker if I kept it that way?"