All For Them Ch. 9 (MHA/Dispatch) (Patreon)

(Every character depicted in the story below is a consenting legal adult over the age of 18)

A/N: A Dispatch character finally shows up!

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Izuku takes it as a good sign when Momo Yaoyorozu takes him up on his offer and calls Blonde Blazer in. While they wait, she asks if he would like anything to drink and to be polite, he takes a glass of water brought in by her assistant.

Ultimately, if the woman seated across from him hadn’t wanted to give his idea the time of day, she never would have involved Blonde Blazer. The fact that she was doing so… well, it implied that she was at least willing to consider his offer. And that was good, because while there were other ways for Izuku to go about doing things, PDN offered the best option for his future plans.

Plus, after reading All For One’s own plans for the Pro Hero Defense Network, Izuku felt compelled to at least give them a shot. Especially since, before perusing All For One’s files on Momo Yaoyorozu, Melissa Shield, and Blonde Blazer, Izuku himself had bought into the propaganda perpetuated by rival Hero Agencies, corporate interests, and worst of all the Hero Commission.

Admittedly, on the face of things the entire idea behind PDN did seem a bit… mercenary. Expecting your average citizen to pay a monthly subscription fee for access to heroes? That was the sort of thing that was very easy to twist into a negative. It stank of money grubbing, of putting a price on people’s lives, and of making a profit on the backs of everyday working class civilians.

As focused on All For One as he’d been this past decade, Izuku had admittedly not paid much attention to the whole situation. He’d only heard the bare minimum through cultural osmosis, and that had been enough for him to form a piss-poor opinion of PDN’s entire organization.

Ironically enough, All For One’s own musings on the subject and his plans for how to abuse PDN’s flagging reputation had been what opened Izuku’s eyes to the truth. Seeing as he never believed anyone would read what he wrote down except for himself, All For One had been completely honest and brazenly blunt about things.

Psych profiles for Momo Yaoyorozu, Melissa Shields, and Blonde Blazer had described the three as idealists being beaten down by society. Their actual business model, that of a network which would allow anyone who subscribed to call in help for anyone else in trouble, not just themselves, was deemed ‘childishly naïve’ but Izuku saw it as revolutionary. And finally… there was the Phoenix Program, an idea that had died on the vine before it could get off the ground.

All For One’s plans had involved letting Momo Yaoyorozu get more and more desperate, until she would have no choice but to submit to his will. At which point he intended to use PDN to forward a number of nefarious desires, including twisting the idea of the Phoenix Program on its head and using it as a cover for ‘reformed villains’ who would in fact still be villains working for All For One.

All part of his overarching plan to slowly take over Japan and rule from the shadows as he’d always wanted to do.

Suffice to say, Izuku wasn’t about to follow All For One’s playbook beat for beat, but he wasn’t against utilizing parts of what the evil bastard had come up with. Especially since it was in order to aim for something pretty much the exact opposite of what All For One would have wanted.

The first major change was that he was here far earlier than he was supposed to be. All For One’s plans called for waiting at least another six to twelve months, because by that point in time all projections showed that PDN and its owner would be in such dire straits that desperation would be as high as possible.

Izuku didn’t want to take advantage of Momo like that, so he’d come now and was making an offer in good faith with a lot less leverage, something All For One would have balked at.

He also fully intended to involve Blonde Blazer in this scheme as well, where All For One’s plans had called for shutting out the upstanding moral do-gooder.

Speaking of which… the doors to Momo’s office suddenly slide open and the woman in question enters with a slightly confused look on her face. Izuku rises from his chair to greet her as Momo does the same, an honest smile on his face as he takes in the imposing Pro Hero’s presence.

Blonde Blazer is a ways away from the Top Ten of Pro Hero Rankings, however she IS comfortably in the Top Fifty, marking her as PDN’s highest ranking Pro Hero. Even the efforts of the rival Hero Agencies and the Hero Commission couldn’t properly tarnish her reputation either like they’d managed with PDN.

Instead, these days most people saw Blonde Blazer as a struggling, good-hearted woman ‘stuck’ in a bad situation. No matter how many times she spoke out in PDN’s defense, no matter how impassioned her pleas were for everyone to not make baseless assumptions, the general consensus was that she was basically being forced to defend PDN by contract and that any day now she would go freelance. This was in spite of Blonde Blazer herself making multiple statements saying she had no intentions of leaving PDN behind or going solo.

Of course, Izuku knew even more than that. He knew Blonde Blazer’s greatest secret, one that was connected to that beautiful red gemstone she’s managed to incorporate into her costume. The truth is… Blonde Blazer is a fraud.

In reality, she’s actually a shorter woman with brown hair named Mandy… and she was born Quirkless, just like him. Unlike him, her powers were not usurped, nor are they permanent. Essentially, as long as she’s wearing the red gemstone, she’s empowered as Blonde Blazer. If she takes it off or its removed in any way, she reverts to her powerless self.

How is this possible? Well, All For One’s spies had uncovered the truth there. When All For One had struck the decisive blow against All Might and torn most of the man’s Quirk out of him… remnants had been left behind. Fragments of power that All For One himself would have thought meaningless.

However, All Might’s longstanding friendship with David Shield, father to Melissa Shield, had wound up bearing fruit before All Might finally passed away. The Shields, both father and daughter working together, had developed a way to collect and extract the final fragments of One for All from All Might at his request. And they’d then gone on to turn those final fragments into something physical… something powerful.

That was Blonde Blazer’s great secret, as uncovered by All For One. The iconic red gemstone, which she either wore as part of her costume or in a necklace when she was at official events, was in fact the last remnants of All Might, transmuted into a power source that gave Blonde Blazer her powers.

Fortunately, All For One was too busy trying to recover from All Might’s last attack to ever take advantage of this knowledge even once he uncovered the truth. Otherwise, Izuku shudders to think what might have happened to poor Mandy, a woman who has done everything in her power to live up to All Might’s ideal.

“Blonde Blazer, this is Izuku Midoriya, a potential investor in PDN.”

Meeting the Pro Hero with a handshake as Momo introduces him, Izuku nods.

“Well met, Blonde Blazer. I’m a big fan.”

To her credit, she’s professional as can be, smiling right back at him as she gives his hand a couple of solid pumps without trying to actually crush him in her grasp. The temptation to just give her the rest of One For All right then and there is strong, but Izuku knows this is neither the time nor the place… and that doing so without a heads up would likely result in issues for the blonde heroine. No, better to hold onto that for now…

“I’m happy to hear it, I hope I continue to live up to your expectations Mister Midoriya.”

Glancing between him and Momo, she furrows her brow.

“Did you… want an autograph or something?”

Izuku just chuckles to show he’s not offended by the assumption, even as Momo shakes her head.

“No… actually Blazer, we called you in because Mister Midoriya here found out about the Phoenix Program. And neither of us felt right discussing that without you present.”

PDN’s owner gestures back to their chairs and retakes her seat as Izuku joins her and does the same. Blonde Blazer, meanwhile, blinks and then moves in to perch herself on the other seat in front of Momo’s desk, her interest clearly piqued.

“The Phoenix Program? Really?”

She sounds tentatively hopeful, as if she’s worried about getting her expectations up but still wants to believe that this might be good news. Momo just nods before glancing to Izuku, clearly passing the ball back to him.

“That’s right. I can’t exactly reveal my sources unfortunately, but suffice to say the idea behind the Phoenix Program reached my ears and… I found it quite interesting.”

Blonde Blazer looks more excited, but Momo narrows her eyes in suspicion, unable to help interjecting.

“Interesting?”

Chuckling, Izuku nods and offers a shrug.

“Yes, quite so. As a Quirkless man myself, I think I have a rather unique perspective on how Quirks have shaped our society these past generations. The rise of the Hero and Villain has caused our entire way of life to focus on both. Heroes help people and they get rewarded for it. But then why does the Villain do what they do? In my humble opinion… most of the time, the Villain would choose another way if they had any other option.”

His words leave a thoughtful expression on Momo’s face, while Blonde Blazer looks surprised.

“You’re Quirkless?!”

She flushes after blurting it out, clearly knowing how it sounds for her to say such a thing. Only Izuku’s secret knowledge of her backstory allows him to recognize that her surprise is due to the unexpected kinship between them, rather than the prejudice it might seem like at first glance.

“I-I mean… n-not that there’s anything wrong with being Quirkless, of course!”

The knowing look Momo shoots at the blonde makes it clear that she’s well aware of Blonde Blazer’s true nature. That’s interesting to Izuku, because All For One’s information hadn’t been too clear on whether Melissa and Mandy were keeping it a secret from Momo or not. Good to know it was the latter instead of a lie that might eventually blow up in their faces.

Smiling and waving a hand to show he takes no offense, Izuku chuckles again.

“Not to worry, I’m not offended. But yes, I am Quirkless. I have the two joints in my pinky toe and everything.”

Blonde Blazer lets out a slow breath but clearly doesn’t know what else to say. Some of her earlier confidence is gone now as she fidgets in her seat, prompting Momo to try and draw his attention away so that the Pro Hero can compose herself.

“You were talking about desperate Villains?”

Allowing himself to be ‘distracted’, Izuku simple nods again.

“Indeed. There are certainly evil people in the world, don’t get me wrong… but your average Villain is not evil… they’re, as you already said it, desperate. And that’s where I believe the Phoenix Program can and should come in.”

Momo doesn’t look like she disagrees with his perspective, but she also still doesn’t look entirely convinced.

“With you in charge, right?”

Izuku smiles blandly, even as Blonde Blazer is pulled out of her momentary bout of shyness by that.

“Wait, what?”

Gesturing to him, Momo explains things to Blonde Blazer.

“Mister Midoriya here is only interested in investing in PDN if we both institute the Phoenix Program… and put him in charge of it. That’s why I called you in, Blazer. I wouldn’t make a decision like this without your input.”

The Pro Hero’s hope is now mixed with a healthy wariness as she regards Izuku more carefully.

“Why would you want to be in charge of the Phoenix Program, exactly?”

Izuku arches a brow in response to that.

“Other than wanting to see that my investment is well spent?”

That brings a flush to the blonde’s face, because yeah, that is a pretty good reason. However, she doesn’t back down.

“Yes. Other than that.”

Smiling slightly, Izuku splays his hands out.

“Because I believe in the idea with all my heart. And I want to be part of something like that. Something worth believing in.”

That stuns both women into a momentary silence, one that Izuku capitalizes on without hesitation.

“Post-Quirk Society is far from perfect. I can tell you that from personal experience. But this world we live in, one of Heroes and Villains, one where a single individual can have the power of an entire army in their hands… is the world we’re stuck with all the same. So we must all do our part to improve it. Admittedly, I cannot go out and fight the good fight directly like you can, Ms. Blazer. However, I can still support you with every tool at my disposal.”

Then, Izuku goes for the kill so to speak.

“While I do wish to be in charge of the Phoenix Program… I do not need to be publicly in charge of things. In fact, I would prefer to be a silent partner, both in PDN and in controlling the Phoenix Program. Instead of putting me in some office like this one, I would actually prefer to be the first Phoenix Program Dispatcher.”

Its Momo’s turn to be inordinately surprised.

“Wait, what? Why?!”

Izuku chuckles and offers a helpless little shrug.

“Because even if I’m Quirkless, I still have that common desire shared by so many humans to do whatever I can with my own two hands. And proving that villains can become just as good of heroes as those who start out as Pro Heroes by dispatching for the first team of the Phoenix Program IS something I can do with my own two hands.”

Looking at them both, he offers a crooked grin.

“I’m just not the kind of person who enjoys having people above me. So if I’m going to dispatch for you… it’s with the understanding that behind the scenes, I’m also in charge of the entire Phoenix Program. Because while I would love your help Ms. Blazer… I can’t entrust something I consider this important to anyone except for myself.”

There. That was plenty of his cards laid out on the table. Time to see what they decided.

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A/N: Remember to Vote, leave a Like, and let me know what you think!

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Google Doc Link: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1kiqQdWvSv74dpGMYGa6ZwyvTXWwrkG7LToDqdZJR87M/edit?tab=t.0