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In addition to training and spending time with Kazuho and Mina, I spent the rest of the fortnight raising my reputation with Kyeka, Momo, and Itsuka, and I usually only hang out with girls at school, and if I hung out with guys all the time, it would be weird...at least I think so. Mostly all the students train at the school's dedicated training grounds, but I've been training mostly at home, honing my gravity.
I hadn't seen Almighty at the academy for the past two weeks, so I hadn't had a chance to ask about Shigaraki yet. I don't know how badly he was injured, but since the battle at U.S.J, I still hadn't seen him once, so he might be healing up now, since the Almighty's ability to regenerate quickly wasn't something I or anyone else had seen.
However, just before the start of the sporting event, Aizawa said that I was summoned to his office by Principal Nezu. Why I was summoned, he didn't answer, nor did he seem to know. By the way, his elbow healed quickly enough, he was treated by the school nurse Chiyo Shusenji, the heroine of the Healing Girl, a short grandmother with the quirk 'Healing', she can quickly heal a person's wounds through a kiss, but this quirk works only with the life force of the person, so it is not recommended for severe wounds.
Aizawa, I could heal myself, but then Aizawa might guess that I'm Tengu, since a vigilante once beat him badly and then healed him. Sotrigolova is no fool, and clearly might suspect me, if he doesn't already.
Entering the principal's office, I saw not only Neza sitting at his desk, but also a strange blond man in a yellow dinner jacket who looked like a reanimated skeleton, to say the least, with a suspiciously familiar hairstyle.
- Hello Mizuiro-kun, have a seat. - The talking beast said hello.
- Thank you. - I sat down on the sofa opposite the unknown person, while staring at him suspiciously, causing him to look away.
- Let me introduce you, this is my good friend, Toshinori Yagi. - Neza introduced the stranger.
- Nice to meet you, Mizuiro-kun. - The Almighty greeted me...and it was him.
It wasn't hard to guess. Since I've had a lot of training in energy absorption, I can easily sense energy in any object or living thing, and I noticed that the energy content of the Almighty's body seven and a half years ago when I first met him at the Underground Masquerade was much greater than it is now. His body, like mine, can also store energy, but it seems to work differently for him, but the point is that his body stores energy much worse, and even right now, a lot of it is being drained out of it, which the body is supposed to hold.
I didn't pay attention to it before, I thought he was getting weaker because of his age, so I just ignored it.
If I compare our strengths now, after my enhancement, I'm about five times weaker than the current Almighty, even though he has become weaker, and after the battle with Nomu, it's as if a hole has formed in the place of the wound he left, from which more energy is flowing out.
- Toshinori-san, has anyone ever told you that you are very much like the Almighty? - I asked him a question on purpose, causing Yagi to suddenly cough violently and sweat.
- Akira-kun, I'm not the Almighty, I'm just an ordinary office clerk. - Toshinori tried to refute my assumption.
- I can sense the energy in living things, so I can easily tell who's in front of me even with my eyes closed. And I can say with certainty that you Toshinori-san and the Almighty have exactly the same energy...and your hairstyle is exactly the same...and the tone of voice, if you make it a little higher and rougher, will be exactly like the Almighty. - I gave Toshinori a suspicious look.
- Ya-ya-ya, uh...' Yagi hovered slightly, not knowing how to avert his suspicions, panicking as he shifted his gaze to Neza.
- Eh, it's too late for Toshinori, he's already exposed you. - The talking animal sighed. - Akira-kun I summoned you just to talk to the Almighty, but I'm afraid now I still have to ask you to keep his secret.
- Don't worry, I won't tell anyone that you actually look like a zombie from a horror film. - with a sneer in my voice, I said.
- Uh, yeah, thanks for that. - he thanked me. - Young Mizuiro, I have a serious matter to discuss with you. Firstly, I'd like to ask you, what does it mean to you to be a hero?
- It's a complicated question, and everyone will answer it differently. To me, being a hero means being a selfless, compassionate person who makes the right decisions...and I am definitely not that person. I'm a narcissistic egomaniac who sometimes does things so crazy I'm surprised at myself. - I gave you an honest answer. Even though I was reincarnated and mentally already an adult...but even twenty years of age is comparatively small for a god or a demon who live for a thousand years and do even more crap.
- Then why are you here? - The Almighty asked me, not expecting such an answer from me.
- Because I have a grandfather who raised me and taught me to fight and stand up for my life. Because I have a girlfriend who loves me with all her heart. I came here because I like to fight and protect my dear and close people, studying in Yuei can make me stronger so that no one can hurt my loved ones.
The Almighty, after hearing such an answer from me, thought about it and nodded to something and said to me:
- Young Mizuiro, you never cease to amaze me, you say that you definitely don't look like a hero, but your reliance, your desire to protect your loved ones, is nothing short of true heroism! Do you know why I joined the academy? - After I shook my head, he continued. - As you can see now, my body is no longer in as good a condition as it used to be. Many years ago, I received this wound in a battle with a villain.'' - He pulled off the top of his robes, revealing a huge scar on his side, which still bore fresh marks from Nomu. - Half of my respiratory system is destroyed, as is my stomach. The constant surgery had drained me badly, and the recent fight with Nomu had done more damage than I had expected. I can now be in the guise of the Almighty for about two and a half hours, maybe less.
- Hmm. - I walked up to the Almighty and swiped a glowing green hand across his wound, causing him to have a puzzled look on his face. - I can heal people with the energy that the physical body stores. In Eastern arts, it's also called vital energy. - to illustrate my point, the fresh wounds from Nomu were beginning to heal.
- It's very similar to the Wiping Girl's quirk. - Nezu surmised.
- Not really, a nurse can only heal with the patient's own internal energy, and I use mine to heal. - I finished the procedure by removing my hand. - What can I say, you're in a terrible state, I don't know how you're still alive with those wounds. I've healed the recent damage, but I can't heal the entire wound, nor the organs, the damage is too severe. - I concluded. In comparison, Kastet's wife had no significant internal damage, so her treatment was easy.
- Even so, thanks for your help. - Yagi put his clothes back on. - I asked the director to summon you because I want to offer you something. As you realised, I don't have much time left before I lose all my power, so I want to ask you if you want to accept it?
- Accept it? - I didn't understand the meaning of his words.
- Yes, my quirk is a sacred torch passed from one user to another. It's the accumulation of energy by a user and then passing that quirk to another. By doing so, brave hearts will be able to accumulate great power from generation to generation! And the name of this great quirk is One for All! - Shouted a solemn speech and stretched forward a palm from which a bright light poured out.
- Have you come to the academy to find a strong successor with high moral principles like yours? - I asked and was answered with a nod. - Well, that explains a lot, however I will refuse your undoubtedly generous offer Almighty.
- Why do you refuse? - wondered the Almighty, as he thought I would certainly agree.
- From what I can see, you have spatial energy in your energy, which means that you, Almighty, like me, most likely have a pocket subspace where all the accumulated energy is stored, except that this subspace was formed independently. I assume that if an untrained person receives your quirk, their body will explode from the inside from the first application of the quirk.
- Yes, that's true. My predecessor said so, but you already have a body prepared enough to withstand my power. - He took a quick look at me from both sides.
- I've trained hard, it's true. However, my quirk is also an accumulation of energy, and my body already has its limit of accumulation. If I accept your power, there's a ninety percent chance that I'll die simply because I can't withstand that much energy, and if I survive, my lifespan will be greatly reduced due to my body mutating.
- Toshinori, is that possible? - Nezu asked Yaga.
- I'm not sure, but my predecessor, Nana Shimura told me about previous One for All users, and most of them died before they reached forty years of age. - The Almighty shifted his gaze to me, and it was full of regret. - I'm sure you're more than worthy of wielding the One for All, young Mizuiro, but putting your life in danger would be wrong.
- Don't feel bad, there are still many people in the world, and someone will surely be worthy of possessing your quirk. - I said. - I think the perfect candidate for One for All would be a quirkless.
- Whimsical? - The Almighty questioned me. - Before I became the possessor of One for All, I was an ordinary person without a quirk.
- Quirkless people lack the Plus-Alpha gene responsible for mutating the body. Your quirk is quite primitive, it, like mine, stores energy in cells, which is what almost all living things do, only we store energy in much larger quantities. A freakless human, with a trained body, can easily withstand your power without shortening your lifespan. The proof is that you're still alive, even though, according to you, most of the previous users didn't even make it to forty.
- Without fancy means... - the Almighty thought about it, putting his hand to his temple. - To be honest, besides you, there is another candidate - Mirio Togata, a third-year student. He's a capable young man with a good quirk, but after hearing your words about the quirkless...' Toshinori stood up from his seat, and as if inflated like a balloon, returned to his former healthy form. - ...I think there's another suitable candidate!
- I'm glad I could help you. - I got up from the couch. - Before I go, I want to ask you a question. Have you noticed the strange behaviour of that villain, Shigaraki Tomura?
- He's been acting like a child who's allowed to do anything. - said his thoughts about him to Nezu.
- Yeah, I don't know what the reason for his open aggression towards you Almighty, maybe you've done something to him...or maybe he was encouraged by someone who hates you so much. Either way, I'm making an assumption. - I walked away, leaving the Symbol of Peace pensive.
The Almighty impressed me a lot...well with the fact that he half-dead continues to help people. The right thing to do would be to accept his quirk, but that's debatable, I might actually burst from such power, considering that the Almighty has five times more energy than I do. It's also a bit of a shame that I haven't made much progress in getting stronger, because I used the Almighty as an example, but he's weakened over the past seven years, and it's only because of that that I'm almost as strong as him.
The sports festival will be held in a separately built, circular shaped stadium with an open roof. All the famous heroes of the country came to the event, and even a few from abroad came to watch the younger generation, many famous personalities, relatives of the speakers, and just people who came to enjoy the show. A lot of media came here again, only this time as spectators.
At the entrance to the stadium were my old friends Lady Gora, Kamui and Desutegoro, the heroes who had tried unsuccessfully to save Bakugou last year. The academy put them as perimeter guards...they could have found better guards, or these ones can't even save a schoolgirl.
- Oh, he's so cute. - Lady Hora noticed me while snacking on the takoyaki she begged from the shopkeeper using her looks.
- You're a student of Yuei. - Desutegoro said, noticing my uniform.
- And you're just another second-rate hero. - I walked past them and said without turning round. - Looks like the academy doesn't take the League of Villains seriously if they hire such weak heroes.
- You bastard! - Lady Hora changed her mood abruptly, threateningly jabbing a takoyaki skewer in my direction.
- Calm down, you shouldn't take a teenager's words seriously. - Kamui calmed her down, though he too was a bit offended by my words.
- My words are completely serious, heroes that can't even save a schoolgirl from the clutches of a mud freak are just another second-rate weaklings. - I dropped one more phrase and walked away.
- What an impolite teenagers are nowadays. - said Desutegoro.
- What an asshole...hehehe, I hope this boy gets an internship with me, trust me, you'll love it at my agency... - Yu Takeyama's gaze turned sinister, so that even Desugerigo and Kamui shuddered.
Our class gathered in the waiting room and so far everyone was killing time as best they could.
- Man, I'm so tired of waiting. - Itsuka started to get nervous.
- Don't worry, I'm sure that no matter what challenge we face, we'll get through it! - said Uraraka with confidence.
- Ochako, you're so optimistic. - said Mina.
- You really have a lot of confidence. - I patted Ochako on the head, which embarrassed her...and Kendo too.
- Akira, that's very brave. - said an embarrassed Kendo.
- Don't be afraid of the festival, just give it your best shot. - I stroked her head too, causing more pink colour to appear on Itsuki's cheeks. Mina only smiled wryly at my actions, but Ochako, her face showing that she was jealous of me and pouted, grasped my hand with her palms.
- Mizuiro...' I heard a voice behind me and turned around to see Todoroki. - From an objective point of view...I think I'm on the same level of strength as you. - she suddenly said out of the blue.
- I don't mean to be rude, but I'm going to beat you. - the girl made a statement.
- Oh-oh, is this a declaration of war, the strongest in the class? - Denki broke off from his conversation with Sato when he heard what the classmate had said.
- When I'm challenged by such a pretty girl, it's hard to refuse. - I complimented her.
- Pretty girl? It's not a funny joke. - She said in a low voice, touching her scar.
- I wasn't joking, you look very nice and your scar doesn't spoil your beauty in any way.
- Um, well...thanks, I guess. - Shoko's lost her spirit, I guess guys don't hit on her very often.
- And about your challenge, I accept it, just don't regret it later Todoroki. - I'm getting serious.
- I won't. - She nodded.
- Man, it's not fair, why do all the girls hang on him. - Kaminari said quietly.
- If you look at it that way, I consider Tokoyami to be my opponent at the festival. - I dumbfounded the whole class at once.
- Me?' the talking birdman pointed a finger at himself.
- Your power is darkness, mine is light. They are two opposites, neutralising each other like fire and ice. - Shoko twitched slightly at those words. - So yes, you are the one I consider my opponent.
- I see, then I will also try my best. - The raven said confidently.
Soon, it was our turn to go out, and to the shouts and applause of the people from the stands, students from all courses entered the arena, in small groups.
- YUEI SPORTS FESTIVAL! Here are the future heroes of the world...READY TO GO TO THE BEST! THIS IS OUR YEARLY FESTIVAL!' said Soucy Mick, who was the commentator, along with Aizawa. - READY TO GO HEAD TO HEAD WITH THE BEST OF THE BEST! AND I BET YOU'VE COME TO SEE THEM SURVIVING AND THWARTING THE ATTACK OF A HUGE PILE OF VILLAINS WITH A WILL OF STEEL! HEROES FACULTY, FRESHMAN CLASS! AND IT'S CLASS 1-A! - Mick paid us special attention, which caused a wave of indignation and slanted glances in our direction from the other classes.
- All right, all right, settle down! - Nemuri Kayama, who was standing on the podium in front of the students. She's the heroine of Midnight, the sexy lady in the BDSM costume...
- Wow, that's an 18+ heroine!
- Is that, like, legal? It's high school. - said someone in the crowd.
- Silence! - The BDSM Mistress cooled them down. - I'm here legally, okay?! And now, a representative to the stage! Class 1-A, Mizuiro Akira!