The Symbol of Peace had made his dramatic entrance to save the students from the threat of these villains. All of the students at the entrance felt like their guardian angel had just arrived: Ashido and Uraraka had tears in their eyes, while the other students, Sato, Shoji, and Sero all had wide smiles on their faces.
"There was a nagging feeling that something was wrong when Aizawa and Thirteen didn't answer my calls, so I ran over to see what was going on. I came across young Iida, who informed me of the villains you were fending off." As the number one hero made his way to the end of the staircase, his jaw clenched up. Toshinori couldn't believe that all of this had happened while he'd been in the teachers lounge resting! To imagine what kind of fear all of these children were feeling, being forced to fight these villains by themselves, and to see his colleagues so grievously injured, it sickened him. At this point, the most he could do was reassure them all he would be alright, and that he would be there for them. That was his duty as the Symbol of Peace.
"Have no fear students," All Might assured, removing his tie and throwing his jacket to the ground, "Because I am here!"
From the battlefield, Shigaraki took note of the number one hero's arrival at last, after all this waiting and this delay with the bowl-haired brat. "So the heroic piece of trash shows up at the door at last."
As it so happened, some of the villains who had been taken out by Aizawa were beginning to come back to their senses and saw that the Symbol of Peace, their target, had come to conduct his justice. Some of the villains were stricken with fear, an expected reaction when coming face-to-face with the most powerful hero on the planet and knowing he's your enemy.
"It's really All Might!" one of the villains said, "He's even more huge than I imagined!"
"I've never actually seen him in the flesh before!"
One of the villains scoffed at the fear his comrades were displaying and attempted to get their focus on taking him down. "Stop talking, you idiots. If we all attack together, we can-"
Before the villain even had the chance to finish his sentence, the Symbol of Peace had already traversed the distance between them. It knocked every single one of the villains unconscious with single, calculated chops to the neck, forming slight gusts of wind from his speed. Then, he quickly sped over the esper, who was surprised at how fast the hero was able to defeat all of those villains, but unlike everyone else, Mob's eyes were able to keep up with All Might's speed.
Shigaraki stood startled by the number one hero's remarkable abilities, for his eyes had been on his form, yet not once did he catch a glimpse of his movements. Even so, it didn't sound off any alarm bells for him. "He's fast, way faster than I could keep track of. Even so, he's not as fast as I thought. Not as fast as he used to be. So it is true then." The villain felt a momentary giddiness, and his lips widened to form a sadistic smile. "All Might's getting weaker!"
"All Might! You made it!" The green-eyed teenager was relieved to see that the Symbol of Peace had come to their rescue and ran over to his side, also noticing his friend appearing fine.
"And Kageyama, you've managed to hold your own against that thing?" the student said, pointing at the bulky creature staring blankly at the three.
"Midoriya, why did you come back?" Shigeo felt the worrisome weight being put back on his shoulders when he saw his friend had returned.
"I wanted to come back and help you! But, I couldn't just let you fight that thing by yourself."
"Very noble move, Midoriya, but you must return to your classmates. You too, Kageyama."
"Hold on, All Might. I can finish the Nomu by myself." The teenage esper didn't find the need for the Symbol of Peace to join in the battle, believing such intervention was unnecessary. While the biologically engineered opponent was quite powerful, and its abilities were annoying, now that Mob understood how they worked and had seen them in action, he was confident that it wouldn't take much longer for him to finish the creature off, use his psychic powers to deal more significant damage to his body and use them in slightly more... violent ways.
"No. I commend you for holding this monster off yourself, but now I will take care of this threat!" After hearing the two students' comments, it became apparent to the hero that the large black creature was the biggest threat. Anyone who could put Kageyama under pressure was definitely someone All Might needed to take care of, which was why the Symbol of Peace decided he was his first target. Then, he'd focus his attention on the other two remaining villains.
"I'll finish you quickly, big guy!"
"Wait, All Might! I need to tell you-" Toshinori rushed towards the Nomu before the esper could finish his speech and prepared one of his super moves by crossing both arms.
"Carolina Smash!" The hero performed a downward cross chop to the monster's chest, the force of his attack causing the water behind him to spurt up. The Nomu looked down at his chest, expecting the attack to have done more damage, but then looked down at the hero, whose face was twisting with shock at how the monster took his attack so quickly.
"What?" The bioengineered creature attempted to grab All Might, but the hero ducked and countered with a strong forward jab to the creature's stomach. Once again, the Nomu was utterly unaffected by Toshinori's punch and was forced to take more evasive measures against the creature's swipes.
"These blows aren't having any effect!"
"The Nomu's got shock absorption, All Might!" Mob yelled, "That's what I was telling you before! Not only that but he's got regenerative abilities that let him regrow limbs in seconds!"
While the number one hero was having a challenging time with the Nomu, the villain still wasn't secure in their victory. Even though the Nomu was designed to kill All Might, if Kageyama was working with All Might, he couldn't guarantee that the biologically engineered creation could hold out. God, this punk had put such a hole in his plans. Now that their main target had arrived, all the kid was doing was getting in the way.
"Kurogiri, get the psychic brat out of here."
The smoke villain did as Tomura instructed and began to form a portal around the esper. However, unlike before, when he was unprepared for the villain's attack and unable to react correctly, the esper quickly saw the black mist beginning to form underneath him and swiftly dodged. Kurogiri attempted to create multiple holes to get Mob into them, but the esper was too fast, too mobile for the villain to catch him, floating in the air to more easily maneuver against his portals. Watching this unfold, Midoriya was surprised by the ease with which his friend was handling the smoke villain's attacks. This looked like it was a breeze for him...
As his final resort, Kurogiri sent large streams of his body toward Mob like a raging black river, but sadly for the villain, the esper erected a barrier to protect himself from the foe's attack. Unfortunately, since Kurogiri needed to make significant contact with his enemy to teleport them, he couldn't force the psychic off the battlefield.
"I can't warp him away, Shigaraki. He's too fast, too multi-faceted with his moves."
"Damn it..." This bowl-haired student was proving to be more and more troublesome than he'd ever imagined. He could easily match everything Tomura and his ace troops threw at him. But, honestly, Tomura didn't know any other way that the esper could make things worse.
While Kurogiri was attempting to deal with Kageyama, All Might devised a new strategy to deal with the Nomu. "So you've got shock absorption, then? I think I've got something that'll work against you!"
All Might maneuvered around the biologically engineered creature and wrapped his arms around the Nomu's chest. Then, the hero performed a suplex, lifting the beast above him using his own momentum and slamming its head into the ground. The force created a shockwave that sent the two spectating teenagers a few meters back. Once the smoke cleared, it revealed the Nomu's legs sticking up in the air while the rest of his body was buried underneath the concrete. Had Kurogiri not been occupying himself with Shigeo, he would have created a portal directly underneath the Symbol of Peace to give Nomu an opening to strike All Might. Still, sadly, the villain missed that opportunity.
Well, the number one hero didn't exactly secure his victory: he assumed that keeping him restrained would be enough to take him down, but he'd underestimated Nomu's strength. For a being as strong as All Might, being buried in concrete was the same as being buried in the sand. The monster quickly broke free of the hero's grip and the concrete, causing him to scramble back up to his feet. The Nomu retaliated with a solid right jab, which the hero could barely block with his elbow. Unfortunately, the punch had the same fantastic power and shockwaves as one of All Might's punches, and the hero was sent back dozens of meters. He attempted to dig his feet into the ground to stop his speed, but even that wasn't enough to control the kickback.
The Symbol of Peace was thrown back towards Kageyama and Midoriya, and the esper quickly used his telekinesis to stop his speeding approach until he was only a few inches in front of them. Mob immediately began to feel an internal sense of panic: he'd felt how powerful the punches of the Nomu were, and they weren't something to be taken lightly.
"All Might..." The two students grimaced when they saw the number one hero raggedly breathing. The Nomu's punch had taken off the sleeves of the teacher's shirt, and there were some light bruises on All Might's forearms. Even a single punch from the Nomu was enough to ruffle up All Might. Their grimaces worsened when they saw the Symbol of Peace coughing up a small blood trace. That's right: All Might was already at his limit. It was why he hadn't come to class today: he'd already used up all of his time doing hero work. At this point, he was running on fumes.
The blue-haired criminal cackled when he saw how the Symbol of Peace was staggering, forced back by a single punch from the Nomu. "So you tried to bury him in the concrete, All Might? Nice try, but Nomu's as strong as you are, as you're painfully aware now."
"You can't do this," Mob asserted, "He's too strong for you." The esper's aura lit around him, and Shigaraki felt his body tense up. Nevertheless, there was still rage in him: although it wasn't as intense as earlier in the fight with the Nomu, it was still more than enough to finish the creature off for good.
"I'll take him on alone."
"Absolutely not." Even though the esper may have been capable of defeating this beast, it was not something All Might wanted to delegate to him. He was a gentle soul who didn't like using his powers to hurt others. As much as he could help it, the Symbol of Peace would not allow Mob to fight villains like this. So the hero attempted to fill the psychic with confidence and flashed him a peace sign.
"Don't you have faith in me, Kageyama?"
The esper was unprepared for the hero's question and was silent for a second. Did he doubt All Might's abilities? Was it fair for the esper to question the man who'd been there to help and guide him for the past ten months? He was the number one hero, after all. He knew his power, what he was capable of. His online history class went over All Might's rise to stardom and how it impacted Japan's history, and he also saw a few videos of the hero in action. So it wasn't as if he was just some amateur fighter. His anger didn't compare to his respect and appreciation towards the number one hero.
After the initial shock at the question, Mob smiled at the number one hero. "Of course I do, All Might." However, the esper's expression quickly returned to a serious tone.
"But I think you'll need a little help."
Toshinori and Izuku lifted their eyebrows in confusion when they saw Shigeo lift his hand up while his rainbow aura glowed brighter. Very quickly, the number one hero began to be enveloped in this rainbow aura. Now All Might understood what the esper was doing: giving him his energy. Of course! All Might had been so focused on taking care of the Nomu he'd forgotten entirely about this facet of Kageyama's abilities. But what All Might was feeling was far more than he anticipated. Shigeo wasn't giving him just a tiny portion of his energy; he was pouring all of his psychic power into the Symbol of Peace.
There were only two espers capable of giving and taking energy from others: Shigeo and Toichiro, both possessing an unbelievable quantity of psychic energy. For Toichiro, even a tiny portion of his power was enough to turn his 600 hundred ordinary soldiers into powerful espers, allowing them to topple buildings while working together and heighten their abilities to a level not too far from the level of the Scars. For Shigeo, the energy he'd given his master to fight the 7th Division of Claw was enough to fodder all of the Scars with ease. But in all of these instances, the psychic energy was given to ordinary people with no psychic powers or other remarkable attributes. Imagine what would happen if such a large amount of psychic energy were given to someone like All Might, a hero whose physical strength was unrivaled, who could punch with enough power to change the weather, and whose quirk was practically unstoppable.
It was a genuinely unbelievable power-up: the psychic energy began to fill the hero like a monstrous river. As it coursed through his body, seeping into all his muscle fibers, it multiplied the power already given to All Might by One For All dozens of times. Toshinori felt as though he'd been given new life. It was as if All Might was a wilting flower, and Kageyama's energy was a potent fertilizer, letting the flower bloom with vibrant energy.
Watching this unfold from afar, Tomura's thoughts were scrambling to understand what he thought he was seeing, what the esper was doing to All Might. Whatever it was, it wasn't good for him or the Nomu.
"What the fuck has that brat done?"
"Kageyama, this..." All Might let out a short, spontaneous burst of laughter, for he thought this was too good to be true. "This is incredible!" The Symbol of Peace clenched both of his fists with excitement.
"I feel like I'm back in my heyday! But, no, this is even greater than that!" But this excitement was very short-lived, quickly replaced by a sudden burst of anger. All Might recognized this rising fury as a side-effect of Mob's energy transference, having experienced the same shift in emotion the night Kageyama cried in his arms.
Like Aizawa and the other three students, All Might was shocked at the determination to fight the Nomu himself, the once docile and peaceful brown eyes replaced by hardened red eyes. However, even more shocking was the anger fueling the esper, urging him to do battle.
"There are very few things that make you angry, Kageyama," said All Might, "These villains must be truly despicable if they drove you to this level of rage."
Kageyama and Midoriya were confused by what the hero was saying; the esper still hadn't figured out that the energy he gave others could affect their emotional state based on what emotions Mob was experiencing when he transferred his power.
The hero's body began to tremble with this anger. Toshinori decided to use this anger as a weapon, a sharp tool that would pierce the Nomu's defenses and mark him victorious. Now that he'd been powered up to what he felt was his prime, he could employ his next strategy much more quickly.
Before any of the spectators even had time to blink, the Symbol of Peace had gotten in front of the Nomu and punched him in the chest at such speeds that even the biologically engineered weapon couldn't react. The shockwaves and wind pressure created from this punch were worlds beyond anything displayed before: a crater dozens of meters in width was formed. The force of the punch shook the entire U.S.J. once again. The Nomu was sent hurtling across the floor, crashing into a boulder near the mountain section of the U.S.J. Tornado-like winds swept everyone dozens of meters off into the air. Still, Mob, having donated practically all of his energy to All Might, couldn't use his telekinesis to stop himself or Midoriya, and the two tumbled onto the ground. Unfortunately for Shigeo, he just so happened to land on the foot that the Nomu had damaged, so when it touched the ground, the esper yelled out in pain, although Midoriya didn't hear his cry due to the high wind pressure and the sound of tremors.
As Shigaraki flew in the air like a bird, the first thought that came across his mind was how much faster the Symbol of Peace had gotten. Although it was difficult to determine with precision, given the difference between their speeds, he could tell that a substantial increase in speed had occurred. Not only that, but All Might's punches had also gotten a lot stronger. Even so, it didn't make sense to the villain why he'd even bother with more punches after he'd found out about the Nomu's abilities.
"Weren't you listening to what that kid told you, All Might!" yelled Tomura, "One of his powers is Shock Absorption!"
"Yea, so what?" replied All Might, "His power's only shock absorption, not nullification, which means there's a limit to how much he can take, and thanks to Kageyama, it'll only take a little bit to finish your pet off!"
Watching All Might cause such an increased amount of destruction with a single punch to the Nomu, Midoriya could not believe how substantial of an increase the esper's energy had given the hero. So if what All Might had said before was true, he was witnessing the number one hero at his best for the first time.
"What the hell's going on over here?"
Kageyama and Midoriya were somewhat surprised to see that they were not the only students who'd come here: arriving at the battle scene with no injuries were Todoroki, Bakugo, and Kirishima. As the esper had predicted, both Bakugo and Kirishima could defeat the villains that had ambushed them without trouble and had come here for whatever reason.
"Hey, guys!" The green-haired fanboy waved at his classmates to grab their attention. "All Might's fighting a villain! So we need to stay back!"
"All Might's..." The three students turned to see what Midoriya was talking about, and sure enough, the number one hero was currently pounding a giant black monster.
"So that's what those tremors were," exclaimed Kirishima, his lips curving into a wide smile as he filled with excitement, "All Might's punches can shake the entire stadium."
The Symbol of Peace was supremely confident in this newfound power, so much so that he predicted how many blows it would take to finish this fight based on the strength of the Nomu.
"Alright, big guy, two more blows until you hit your limit.
"Two!"
All Might followed up his left jab by rushing toward the monster, moving at such speeds it seemed as though he was teleporting, clamped his fists together, and slammed the beast to the ground, creating another monstrous-sized hole in the ground and destroying more than half of the trees in the section they were in. The hero's attack completely shattered the ground of the entire woods and almost half of the ground of the entire U.S.J., including where the five students were.
"And finally..." The Nomu was a wreck: its body, even with its super regeneration, could not heal the tremendous amount of damage being dealt by All Might through multiple attacks with little time to regenerate, and as All Might deduced before, there was a limit on the Nomu's shock absorption, and that limit was about to be reached. While the Nomu momentarily floated in the air, the Symbol of Peace appeared before him, preparing his final attack. The rainbow aura burst to life around him, the psychic power enhancing One For All and bulging his muscles to even larger sizes.
"OOONNNNEEEE!"
The Nomu didn't stand a chance: barreling into the Nomu's stomach, the hero's punch tore a hole through the Nomu's belly and chest, and sent the monster hurtling into the sky, out of the stadium like a comet. The rock underneath All Might fractured once again until the hero sunk into a hole ten meters deep. All of the nearby trees were obliterated: All Might's punch had so much power the pressure it created tore a hole through the U.S.J. dozens upon dozens of meters in size that amounted to almost an entire side of the building. The shockwave also managed to uproot a good portion of the trees outside the U.S.J. in the punch's path. Inside the stadium, whereas the vibrations the students felt were only noticeable to them, every single one of the students and villains in the stadium was knocked off their feet by the tremors. The fractured rock caused by All Might's kick wholly shattered, causing the exercise areas on the side of the U.S.J. where All Might was fighting to break down. Across the entire U.A. campus and all of the buildings within a few miles of the school, the civilians could feel the tremors caused by the hero's final punch and nervously wondered if there was some earthquake that was about to hit them.
Back at the school entrance, the students all stood in awe and momentary confused at what they'd just seen.
"Did you see that thing that just went flying?" asked Sero.
"I think it was that brain guy," replied Sato, "All Might sent him flying away."
"Unbelievable," remarked Shoji, "To think someone possesses that level of strength."
With equal awe and his eyes watering with admiration, Mineta expressed his total respect for the number one hero."That's All Might for you. He's on a totally different level!"
The five students, barring Kageyama, who'd just witnessed the power displayed by All Might, felt as if it was the strength of a god.
"That kind of brute strength, who would have thought it existed?" Kirishima said, gaining a newfound respect for the number one hero.
Even Bakugo, fiercely determined to surpass the number one hero and claim that title, was in awe of what he'd just witnessed. "Imagine having the power to unleash punches that can destroy buildings with their shockwaves."
For the students, this was a clear affirmation of why the Symbol of Peace was crowned with that title, and what it took to be a pro hero. Midoriya was also one of those baffled students, looking at the destroyed wall as if it was some miracle, but he knew the truth. This was only possible because Kageyama had given All Might his energy. The green-haired teenager gazed back at the esper, whose red eyes had returned to their standard brown color and was staring at the destruction with only a mildly surprised face. It wasn't just All Might who saved the day: it was Kageyama. Who knows how much more of a struggle the hero would've faced without him.
Watching his trump card be sent flying off into the distance and beaten in less than thirty seconds, the leader of the villains felt his brain was about to explode from fury. His body was shaking with violent anger, his teeth were grinding so hard that Kurogiri could hear the calcium constructs pressing against each other, the veins in his eyes were swelling red, and he was scratching his neck so hard that his fingers were being stained with blood.
"He... No, they both cheated."
But the Symbol of Peace wasn't finished yet, far from it. He still had more than enough of Kageyama's energy to find the two remaining villains and finish the job he'd come here to do. So he jumped into the air to get a 360-degree view of the surroundings and locate the villains' leader.
"Shigaraki, we must flee!" Kurogiri instantly went into panic mode, knowing that with the Nomu gone, neither of them stood a chance against All Might. He quickly shrouded his body around Tomura. The Symbol of Peace spotted the villains and, using his immense strength, created wind pressure that propelled himself toward Shigaraki and Kurogiri. But by the time the number one hero reached the villains, only a faint ember of Kurogiri's black body remained, and with that, the villain invasion was finally over.
Several miles away, in an abandoned bar in the interior of a large city named Kamino, the only two villains who'd managed to escape from the clutches of All Might and the other heroes returned with nothing to show for their conquest of U.A. High. Still shaking with anger and scratching his neck, Tomura was boiling over how things could have gone so south.
"All of those underlings were wiped out, and Nomu was beaten. This was a failure, a complete and utter failure." The blue-haired criminal's body began to shake even more, and in a fit of anger, he slammed his fists onto the bar, fracturing the wood construct.
"AND IT WAS ALL THAT BRAT'S FAULT! THIS WHOLE THING WAS A FAILURE BECAUSE THAT KID JUST HAD TO INTERVENE!"
"So the mission was a failure?" At the end of the wall was a television with speakers, although the speaker's image was not displayed on the screen. Only the words "sound only" were projected onto the television. Despite hearing of Tomura's failures, the villain's voice was calm and collected, as though this was only a minor inconvenience. However, the voice took an interest in Tomura's statement of a child's intervention. "And who was the child that foiled our plans?"
"Master, that kid, he was so, so powerful. He was one of the strongest people I've ever encountered.
"Oh? How so?"
"His quirk gave him enough strength and speed to keep up with Nomu, rivaling All Might!"
"Speaking of Nomu," Another voice, slightly higher and more impatient, came up on the intercom, curious to know the reason for his absence, "Where is he? How come he isn't with you?"
"Yes. I'd also like to know where the creature we created is now."
Kurogiri was the next to speak, looking intently at his palm as he lamented his failure and frustration. "He was blown away by All Might!"
"What?" The second voice was very shocked to hear that All Might had defeated his creation, even though he was purposefully designed to counter All Might's abilities.
"I couldn't locate him without specific coordinates to his location, and I didn't have any time to search for him."
The second voice grew louder, sharing the same tone of disappointment that lingered in Kurogiri's words. "This is a travesty! And after all that time, we modified him to make him as strong as All Might."
The first voice did not share the same disappointment as the second voice and quickly accepted the situation for what it was. "An unfortunate loss, but I suppose it can't be helped."
"Wait, master. There's more about that psychic brat." Both voices stayed silent, waiting to hear what other vital information Shigaraki had to share with them.
"Not only was that brat able to match Nomu in strength, but his quirk let him move things with his mind, let him fly, protect himself with barriers, and somehow control plants."
The first voice was taken aback by how someone's quirk could be utilized in such a multitude of manners and actually began to grow slightly worried. "His quirk has that many uses?"
If his master was surprised at the kind of things that kid's quirk could do, he'd probably be blown away by what he had to tell him next. "And that's not the worst part. The worst part is that he can give his energy to others, which is exactly what he did for All Might!"
As Shigaraki expected, this revelation managed to shock both the second and the first voices, the two of them letting out small gasps of disbelief.
"That's right!" continued Shigaraki, "Once that kid gave All Might his energy, it only took THREE hits," the villain said, putting heavy emphasis on the number, "for him to finish off the Nomu!"
"WHAT!" While the first voice had accepted the first shocking statement of the Nomu's fate without much trouble, this newest information served as a heavy and dramatic blow for him.
"Only three hits?" the second voice asked, the tone in his voice suggesting that Shigaraki was delusional, for the idea that their prized creation could be taken out so quickly was unacceptable.
"Yes. It was like that kid had given All Might new life." Shigaraki's hands clenched into fists, frustrated by how easily their plan had fallen apart once that psychic kid had come into the picture and, more importantly, what kind of impact this kid would have on their plans.
"Master, what the hell does it matter if the Symbol of Peace is weakened? If he can use that kid as his battery to bring him back to his prime, then how are we supposed to kill All Might?"
The first voice did not respond, processing everything he'd just heard and formulating his response to this dire problem.
"This is quite a troubling revelation. You are correct: fighting All Might in his prime is impossible, especially the way I am now. To topple hero society, he must be put to an end. This makes that child the most significant threat to our plans. To take care of All Might, we must also take care of the child.
"However, this was not all for naught. We've learned of this child's existence and can better prepare for the next encounter." With this in mind, the first voice decided to inquire more into this child's capabilities.
"Is there anything else about that child you considered remarkable or unusual?"
Shigaraki's eyes glued to the ceiling while he tried to recall what the esper demonstrated. Then, he remembered when the kid had first arrived to fight the Nomu and save his teacher.
"When the Nomu first attacked him, he broke through the brat's barrier. But once he got pissed, Nomu couldn't penetrate his barriers. After that, he had the Nomu on the ropes the entire time. He couldn't land a single hit on the brat afterward. The kid stopped when the pathetic piece of trash All Might came on the scene."
"So it appears his powers work in accordance with his emotions. Peculiar and dreadfully unpredictable. Anyway-" The first voice attempted to shift the focus of the conversation so as not to discourage Shigaraki completely.
"For now, your mission should be to gather more of the criminal elite. Take however much time you require. I must remain hidden in the shadows, so you will need to be my face. By doing this, you will become a symbol of your own, and the next time you show your face to the world, they will understand that they must fear you."
Shigaraki's eyes widened as the voice spoke with sincerity and support. His master was putting his trust in Tomura, hoping that he would continue his master's work while he continued to recover from his debilitating injuries.
"Now, if you'll excuse me, there are some things I must discuss with the doctor. Remember, this is only the beginning, Tomura." Infusing his last words of support and hope for the future, the television screen went black.
In a separate room far off into the city, at the top of a very high skyscraper, the two voices were seated in a very dark room, which was only lit by multiple monitors displaying several different infographics and data. Connected to the monitors were multiple large processors to help download and analyze the data displayed on the screens. The first voice belonged to a man in a black suit, but this man was in grave condition. A single look at his face would be enough to frighten anyone who saw it, for almost all of the features, eyes, nose, ears, hair, and everything except the mouth was replaced with scar tissue. Connected to the man were multiple IVs and tubes, sticking into his skin and helping his body function. What could have happened to cause such horrendous damage? Who was responsible for putting this man on the verge of death? All Might, the Symbol of Peace, had fought this man five years ago in the fight he'd been preparing for almost all his life. While the hero had taken a devastating blow that wiped out most of his insides, his opponent got it even worse. His opponent, the Symbol of Evil, All For One, had almost his entire body destroyed, leaving him on the verge of death and in such debilitating condition that were he any average person, he'd have likely died five years ago. Assisting this man was his personal doctor, Kyudai Garaki, who went by Daruma Ujiko. He was an older man with no hair, a huge, bushy mustache, and a very peculiar set of glasses.
"That child is going to be quite a thorn in our operations," the doctor said.
The first voice grew increasingly troubled with what Tomura had told him about this child's capabilities, wondering what would have to be done to take care of such a formidable opponent.
"I thought I was the only being able to wield multiple powers at once and lend my power to others. Someone else who has a quirk with such similarities will be very difficult to eliminate, especially if his strength is on par with All Might." All For One clenched his fist in irritation. How could someone possess such resounding strength?
"Could this child be the next successor of One For All?"
Doctor Garaki tilted his head to the side, seeing the existing correlations to make this assumption. "Interesting theory, All For One. It seems possible: based on what you've told me from your multiple battles with One For All users, the quirk significantly strengthens the original quirk's power and enhances physical strength by several levels."
"Initially, the levels of physical strength and quirk strength were pathetic, but eventually, the time came when it gave enough power for All Might to best me. He likely took the job at U.A. High and found someone with a quirk with enough potential to pass his power onto. With such a practical quirk like that, it makes sense why he'd pass One For All onto that child. It kills two birds with one stone.
"If only I could obtain that power-up and put me back in my glory days. Sadly, All Might did quite a number on my body, turning it into a rotting corpse."
The doctor shook his head and sighed. "If only we'd gotten our hands on the super regeneration quirk five years ago. The quirk can do practically nothing for you now that wounds have already healed."
"Fighting two All Mights is quite the challenge, even for me, so we'll have to develop a way to create powerful weaponry, something with enough strength and versatility to deal with that child's abilities."
"What did you have in mind?"
"I think you should begin the development of the High-End Nomu."
"What?" The Nomu was not a name unique to the creature that had attacked the U.S.J. today: it was a term to refer to a species of mindless beings created by All For One and Doctor Garaki. They'd only perfected the creation of Nomu a year ago and had already begun the creation of the Nomu, having made about four of them, including the Nomu used by Shigaraki. The Nomu were ranked by different levels of strength: low-tier, middle-tier, and upper-tier. The black Nomu was the only upper-tier Nomu they'd successfully made thus far, which took several months of studying and preparation. The High-End Nomu, however, was something else entirely, an idea that still needed to be put into practice.
"The High-End? I've barely tinkered with them on paper yet! Unfortunately, I still require much more extensive research and advanced tools to begin their creation, which will take up most of my time and prevent me from creating more Nomu foot soldiers."
"A necessary sacrifice. Unless you can fix my body, that is the most effective way to take care of All Might and that psychic child."
The short doctor agreed with All For One's reasoning and nodded. Now that Tomura had begun his development as a villain and they had finally made some progress with the Nomu, they could not afford to jeopardize their operations like this. Moreover, Shigeo Kageyama had put himself on top of their priorities, and the esper would not like what that would bring.
Crouching at where he'd just landed, the Symbol of Peace's body was motionless, his usual smile replaced with a building snarl.
"They got away," muttered All Might. The number one hero's nostrils were flaring, furious at his failure to capture the villains despite his incredible new power given by Kageyama. Unfortunately, the psychic energy also influenced this boiling anger, causing him to act out much more aggressively than usual.
"Damn it!" The number one hero prepared to punch the ground in frustration but stopped himself at the last second. Even without contact, All Might's punch was strong enough to create several gusts of wind and crack the ground underneath him.
"Calm down, Toshinori. It's the psychic energy Kageyama gave you." The hero closed his eyes and took a deep breath. Losing control of his emotions wouldn't do anyone any good: with the power coursing through him, a single punch to the ground would destroy the entire U.S.J., taking out the school and possibly some of the city with it. Besides, he needed to focus on the most important thing now that the main villains had escaped: confirming the safety of the rest of the students. But still, it was amazing how much power Kageyama had given him: he hadn't even tapped into his full psychic power when he was fighting that Nomu just now.
From his vantage point, the students in his closest sight were the five students at the center of the U.S.J., so he quickly jumped over there so fast that it looked like he teleported once again. Once he arrived at the scene, he noticed Midoriya's green eyes pointed towards the esper's foot. He grimaced when he saw the purple discoloration and the swelling skin. Kirishima, Bakugo, and Todoroki also noted how Kageyama was limping, and all crowded around the esper.
"Kageyama, your foot! Is it broken?" said Kirishima.
"No way that some weak-ass villains managed to hurt you," remarked Bakugo.
Speaking of those villains who were extremely weak, many of the fallen foes who Shota and Toshinori had knocked out were beginning to regain consciousness and were ready to continue wreaking havoc. However, once they saw the Symbol of Peace standing proud and tall, many of them began to buck with fear. Most of them were too afraid to fight the number one hero alone or had already experienced how easily he could take care of them when the hero chopped them all in the neck.
Toshinori readied his fists to strike the villains down once again, but as it turned out, some others had come to lend him a hand. From the school entrance, a bullet was shot, hitting one of the villains in the leg and causing them to fall onto the floor. Two more shots rang out towards the mountain area, where Yaoyorozu, Jirou, and Kaminari had been teleported, and the electricity-wielding student was being held, hostage. The bullets hit the villain, restraining Kaminari in his upper arms, releasing the student from his grip.
All Might and the other students averted their eyes to the top of the stairs to see who had fired the shots. It was the hero Snipe, whose quirk allowed him to control the trajectory of any bullets he shot. Walking beside him was an army of the U.A. faculty, finally arriving to assist the young students and put their minds at ease. Sitting on the shoulder of one of the teachers was Principal Nezu.
"Sorry we're late, everyone! I tried to get the teachers here as fast as I could!"
Among the pro heroes was Tenya Iida, who swiftly and efficiently informed them of the villains and returned to his classmates.
"Your class rep has returned! I've fulfilled my duties and brought reinforcements!"
The remaining villains mustered up whatever courage they could and aimed their quirks at the teachers. Present Mic made the first move, walking to the edge of the staircase and unleashing a high-pitched sound at the foes, making them cover their ears in pain. The next hero to act was Ectoplasm, whose quirk allowed him to create multiple clones of himself from an ectoplasmic stream he released from his mouth. Dozens of these clones rushed down the stairs and knocked down the villains ascending the staircase.
Very quickly, the rest of the teachers took action, and each began to fan out across the U.S.J., find whichever students were still in-battle, and apprehend the remaining villains.
"With the rest of the pros here, I guess this means it's over," Todoroki said, "Though if all of the pros came here at once, it means that the rest of the school is secure."
"Thank goodness," replied All Might. Then, with an army of pro heroes arriving, the Symbol of Peace found that things had finally calmed down. "Kageyama, let's get you to Recovery Girl and have her fix your foot right away."
The esper flinched with pain: with the rush of adrenaline died down and all of his psychic energy in All Might's possession, Mob could feel just how badly the Nomu had damaged his foot when it accidentally collided with the ground.
"Any of you have any serious injuries that need immediate medical attention?"
"I broke two of my fingers during my fight with the villains," Midoriya said, showing the hero his fingers hidden by his elbow pad.
"Then we'll go right now. Kageyama, I'll help you up." The hero grabbed Mob by his legs and hoisted him up on his back, giving him a piggyback ride. "The rest of you, meet up with the rest of the class at the front gate."
All Might and his two trainees began walking up the steps, allowing them to converse amongst themselves. The other three students took a few seconds to join them, but the distance between them was enough that they were out of earshot.
"Kageyama, you saved my ass back there. Without the psychic energy you gave me, I'm not sure I would've been able to win against that monster. I'm even more impressed that you managed to handle that threat on your own."
It was hard for the esper's lips to curve up into a smile with the pain in his foot, but Mob still managed to flash a small smile, pleased to know that he managed to be of help to the number one hero.
"With the energy you've given me, I think I'll be able to maintain my muscle form for at least another hour, maybe more." All Might was still astonished by the increased power Kageyama's energy had given him. Even more amazing was that All Might had yet to tap into the full psychic energy given to him when fighting the Nomu: in fact, it was only scratching the surface. To think he had enough psychic power to restore Toshinori to such a state, to give him such an overwhelmingly strong boost in power. Even though it might not have been able to last for a sufficient amount of time, as he could slowly feel the energy seeping out of his body, it was still advantageous.
"Ah, All Might!" Principal Nezu was relieved when he saw the number one hero uninjured, though he, along with the two other heroes who'd chosen to stay back, Midnight and Snipe, were surprised to see that All Might was carrying Kageyama on his back. "Good to see you've defeated the villains without trouble."
"I managed to defeat their most powerful opponent, but unfortunately, I couldn't apprehend the leader of these villains. He warped away before I could reach him."
"Well, the most important thing is that the students are safe." The principal directed his attention towards the bowl-haired esper. "Kageyama, I'm hoping that whatever injury you have can be fixed by Recovery Girl."
"It's nothing, Principal Nezu." Then, surveying all of the students and faculty crowded at the entrance, he felt his throat constrict when he saw his homeroom teacher slung over Shoji's shoulders, unconscious, bruised, and bleeding down his arms. "Mr. Aizawa's the one that's in the worst shape. He needs to be taken to Recover Girl right now."
Once All Might got a good look at his fellow teacher, his eyebrows drew together, shocked and sickened by how badly he'd been injured. "I'll take Mr. Aizawa to the nurses' office, young Shoji."
The multi-limbed student complied and gently placed his homeroom teacher into the hero's arms. Grimness was written all over the faces of Toshinori, Izuku, and Shigeo as they saw Aizawa's broken body up close. It was tragic that the hero had been tortured at the hands of the Nomu.
It became even more tragic when the three saw Thirteen, who was missing her back. The battle with Kurogiri had taken a toll on her, and she was barely clinging to consciousness. "And what about Thirteen?" asked Mob.
"We'll get someone else to bring her, seeing as you already have your hands full. Let me assure you she'll be right behind you, " Principal Nezu.
The three walked silently for a moment as the other students watched them head to the entrance. Class 1-A had made it through this ordeal and had gotten a first-hand experience of the dangers and enemies that heroes had to go up against daily, the kind of darkness that lurked in the shadows of society, ready to wreak vengeance and destruction.
When the school nurse had heard about the villain attack from Principal Nezu, part of her anticipated that Midoriya would come to her office later that day with some form of injury. Sure enough, the next inheritor of One For All walked in with two of his fingers broken less than fifteen minutes after Nezu had informed her of the attack. But she had not expected to see Shigeo Kageyama with his hands latched onto All Might's shoulders while he rode on the hero's back. She'd seen his unbelievable performance during the entrance exams and was aware of his successes during the quirk apprehension tests and the battle trials. So if any students other than Midoriya were injured during the villain attack, Kageyama was the last person she would've suspected.
She instantly put aside that momentary shock when she saw Shota and his horrendous condition.
"Aizawa's in bad shape," All Might said with a frown on his face, "Both of his arms are broken, but I don't know how badly the bones are damaged."
"Dear me! Let me have a better look!" The elderly nurse approached All Might, where she gazed closely at the unconscious hero's arms, noting the deformed position they were in, the heavy discoloration, and the blood oozing around the sites of fracture.
"This is very serious indeed. I'll have to get an x-ray of the broken bones to know how much power I should use on him.
"All Might put him down over there." Recovery Girl pointed to the x-ray machine at the end of the room, and the number one hero gently placed the unkempt teacher on the table.
"Take it easy, Kageyama. We'll put you on the bed over there," All Might said, resting the bowl-haired esper on the bed a few feet away from Aizawa.
While All Might was busy getting Aizawa and Kageyama on their respective beds, Recovery Girl decided to get the most uncomplicated part over with.
"It makes sense that you came here to see me with the villain attack," murmured Recovery Girl, "Though I'm surprised you only broke two fingers. Normally, I'd scold you for being so reckless with your power, but seeing as you were faced with a life-and-death scenario, I'll let it slide." The nurse's lips extended towards the teenager's middle finger, which began to glow bright green as his body healed the broken bones. As anticipated, Midoriya felt his eyes begin drooping, which only worsened as his left thumb was repaired.
"All done!" Recovery Girl wrapped some bandages around the teenager's fingers and gave the child some gummies as a treat like a typical nurse. "Now, if I were you, I'd return and rejoin my classmates."
"I think it'd better if you got changed back into your school uniform and headed back to your classroom," All Might suggested. "It's a long walk back to the U.S.J., and once all the class has been gathered up, they'll likely be sent back to the classroom, so it's not worth the trip."
"Oh, that makes sense." The green-haired student directed his eyes toward his friend. "I'll be waiting for you once you get out of here."
"Sure thing." The number one hero couldn't hold back his smile. He was being reminded of how much these two had grown, the special bond they carried after all those back-breaking months and fond memories created. It warmed his heart.
"Thanks again, Recovery Girl. I'll see you later, All Might!" The fanboy extended his last farewell before exiting the nurse's office. With Midoriya's injuries out of the way, the nurse swiftly walked to the x-ray machine to turn it on. She put a lead apron over Aizawa's unconscious body to protect him from the radiation, then positioned the device over the teacher's right arm and began sending the x-rays through his arm. The entire process took less than ten seconds.
"The images will take a few minutes to develop, so let's place him in another bed." The number one hero did as instructed and lifted Shota onto the bed next to Shigeo. All Might and Mob expected the nurse to use her powers on Shigeo quickly, have him fixed up in less than ten seconds, maybe have him stay for a little while to rest, and send him on his merry way. But what happened next was something neither of them had expected or prepared for.
"While I'm at it, let me x-ray your foot, see how badly the bones are broken, if they're even broken, or if it's just your muscles that have been torn."
"Oh, come now, Recovery Girl. That's not necessary!" The number one hero put up a fake smile, attempting to hide the developing panic. Suppose Recovery Girl took an x-ray of Kageyama's foot. In that case, she'd notice the extra joint in his pinky toe, realizing that he was technically quirkless and, therefore, should not have any powers.
Kageyama also came across this realization and followed All Might's lead. "Yea, my body can handle the energy I need to heal my wound."
"Unfortunately, I'd rather not take that chance and risk you using more stamina than you have. You already look worn out, so I doubt you have that much stamina remaining." Although his battle with the Nomu, while he was at 100% Rage, hadn't drained any of his stamina, transferring his psychic power and the subsequent worsening of his broken foot had caused his body to tire, which was why Mob was looking nominally pale and had a few wrinkles underneath his eyes.
"Tired? He looks perfectly lively!"
Recovery Girl's eyebrows squished together in confusion. "What's with all the hullabaloo from you two?" she said, finding no reason for either to make a big fuss over something as simple as an x-ray.
The two of them exchanged uneasy glances. All Might felt like he was stuck between a rock and a hard place. If she took the x-ray and saw the anomaly, that would only create unnecessary suspicion and force them to come up with some bizarre explanation, one that she would likely not believe or might draw unwanted attention. In that case, the only other option was to come forward about Kageyama's origins and how he came to be a student at U.A. High. That option wasn't so terrible: Recovery Girl knew about One For All, after all, so it wasn't like she wasn't close to him or couldn't keep a secret. The hero supposed now was the time to tell the school nurse the truth finally.
"Listen-"
All Might was interrupted by pained moaning from the bed next to Kageyama. Then, the three conscious people saw Eraserhead's eyes slowly flutter open, wincing in terrible agony as he became painfully aware of his injuries.
"Where... Where am I?"
"You're in the nurse's office, Aizawa," said All Might, "You took a real beating." The eraser hero familiarized himself with his surroundings and saw that Kageyama was sitting beside him with a swollen foot.
"So you made it out of there in one piece, Kageyama," Aizawa remarked, getting only a tiny, shy nod of confirmation from the esper. "And the rest of the class?"
"The teachers and the police are on the scene, and all of the students are secured," the number one hero replied.
"Don't you fret, Aizawa. It would be best if you focused on getting some rest. I've already gotten your x-rays and will give you a healthy dose of my quirk in a few minutes. Now Kageyama, your turn. Please put the lead apron on."
Toshinori and Shigeo were facing an enormous problem; at this point, they were still determining if they could do anything about it. Now that Aizawa had regained consciousness, he couldn't tell Recovery Girl the truth. But if they kept trying to dissuade the nurse from the x-rays, that would only make her more suspicious and confuse Aizawa. So the only option they were left with was praying that Recovery Girl wouldn't notice the extra appendage in his pinky toe.
As the esper got up on the table and readied himself for the x-ray, the eraser hero moaned in agony. "I can't even move my fingers without feeling like a knife is stabbing through my arms."
"I'm sorry that I couldn't come and rescue you sooner, Mr. Aizawa," Mob said, feeling that his teacher's injuries were partly his responsibility and, therefore his fault. However, the teacher didn't hold his injuries against the young esper and tried to give him some comfort, even if it wasn't his strongest suit.
"Don't stress yourself over this, Kageyama. If you hadn't come when you did, that thing would've slammed my head into the ground and probably given me serious brain damage, maybe even affected my quirk's functionality."
"Aizawa's right, Kageyama. Don't undervalue what you've done today." The words from All Might and Eraserhead were enough to put his guilt at bay. However, as the unkempt hero remembered his confrontation with the Nomu, he also remembered Kageyama's sudden display of power and ferocity.
"I was surprised by your sudden increase in power," remarked Aizawa.
"Oh. That was just me getting ready to fight," Kageyama said, with Recovery Girl having already finished taking his x-ray and waiting to process it.
"I never imagined that you'd have such anger hidden away. Once you got angry, you became much more focused, and unwavering in your resolve to fight. Your eyes..." Aizawa recalled the passive, clear brown eyes that he and everyone else had gotten used replaced by those crimson red eyes with no innocence, no compassion, only cold-hearted fury.
"Here we are." The school nurse finished processing the images from the x-ray machine and put them on the board for all of them to look at the teacher's arms and how bad they were. Unfortunately, it was even worse than they imagined: his bones were completely fragmented and split into more than a dozen tiny pieces. Fragmentation such as this would require more than just Recovery Girl's quirk.
"This is quite grave indeed. I will have to do surgery and put the fragmented bones back in place before I use my quirk on you, Aizawa. But still, nothing that can't be treated, so there is no need to be concerned about permanent damage. Now for your x-ray, Kageyama."
Toshinori and Mob held their breath, waiting in silent anticipation and dread as the moment of truth came upon them. The nurse replaced the teacher's x-rays and put the esper's x-ray onto the light board. Unfortunately, the damage wasn't so glaringly apparent as with Aizawa, so the nurse had to lean in closer to the image.
"It looks like some transversal fractures of the metatarsal bones on the big and index toes. There's also an oblique fracture of the cuboid bone. Minor problems, but you'll be out of here in a few hours. Everything else seems perfect..." Recovery Girl's voice trailed off as she continued to observe in detail the different bones of the foot, working her way from the big toe to the pinky toe. But when she got to the pinky toe, something was there that shouldn't have been there.
"What is this?" The nurse pointed at the second joint in the pinky toe, rapidly blinking and internally questioning whether or not what she saw was even there. "A second joint in the pinky toe?"
All Might and Mob felt both of their hearts stop, the blood in their bodies running cold as their worst fear came to pass. The school nurse turned her head back to the esper, a blank look on her face and her eyes narrowed with confusion. "But... how?"
Aizawa was processing this a little bit differently: like Recovery Girl, his eyes widened with shock at this unusual finding. But unlike her, this finding made him recall what had happened when Kageyama first tried to confront the villains by himself.
"When you tried to fight the villains at first, Kageyama, I tried to erase your quirk, but nothing happened." The two superpowered humans jerked their heads back. Mob hadn't even noticed his teacher do this to him, so he wasn't ready for this confrontation. "The only time my quirk doesn't work is against mutant quirks, but your quirk is clearly an emitter-type. So if you have two joints in your pinky toe, and my quirk doesn't affect you, the only possible explanation is... you don't have a quirk."
All eyes were on Shigeo. The truth about his quirkless nature had been revealed to the two teachers, each wondering how in the hell someone could have supernatural abilities without a quirk. How would the teenage esper react to this situation?
After a few seconds of silence, the atmosphere in the room brimming with tension, Mob drooped his shoulders down and averted his gaze toward All Might. "We might as well tell them the truth now, All Might."
"Huh? You knew about this, All Might?" The unkempt teacher grew more confused, unable to understand how this all fit together. Finally, the number one hero sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose. Aizawa wasn't someone he'd been keen to add to the loop about Kageyama's origins, for the two still had several conflicting points of interests and differences in personality, as well as teaching style. Those differences didn't matter at this point, though. Whether he liked it or not, Aizawa would be in the loop of the esper's true nature.
"Alright, you two." Toshinori plopped himself down onto a chair next to Recovery Girl's desk and slapped his hands onto his lap. "The story I'm about to tell you is gonna sound crazy, but it's the truth."
Recovery Girl and Eraserhead looked at each other with confused and uneasy eyes, unsure of what kind of bizarre or outlandish story the number one hero was about to recount. All Might started from the beginning, describing the world Mob lived in, the lack of widespread powers, and the few people who existed who did possess supernatural powers. As expected, both teachers gasped and bulged their eyes open. But this shock would only continue as he detailed the esper's encounter with Claw, the final battle that tore the city apart, Suzuki's self-destruction, and Kageyama's attempt to absorb the energy to save his friends and the city.
"The energy he absorbed tore a hole through reality and sent him to our world. That's when I found him, about eleven months ago. He's been staying with me ever since."
"My lord..." The school nurse touched her throat, her voice shaky and soft as she took this tall tale in. As with Principal Nezu, she managed to accept this story relatively quickly, considering she was one of the only people aware that All Might's quirk could be transferred from one person to another. Aizawa was taking a little more time to digest what he was being told.
"Take your time to process this," said All Might, knowing full well how ridiculous this story sounded, especially for Shota. For more than ten seconds, the room remained silent, the eraser hero's eyes staring out into the wall with a blank expression. Finally, after this silence, the eraser hero broke the silence and spoke to the bowl-haired esper.
"So you've already had experience fighting villains. Now I get why you were so willing to fight the Nomu." All Might's lips pressed tightly together, his pulse quickening. Was that the first thing that Aizawa had to say about this? Was he that cold-hearted?
All Might's pulse lessened when he saw the teacher let out a deep sigh and his face morph into a thoughtful expression. "I'm sorry for what's happened to you, Kageyama." Were his arms not shattered, he would've affectionally patted the young esper on the shoulder.
"Your friends and family are still safe, right?" asked Recovery Girl.
"That's right; they weren't caught up in the explosion."
"I see..." The elderly nurse could see how terrible and alone this child must feel, "A truly terrible loss."
"And does anyone else know about this?" Aizawa said.
Upon hearing this question, Toshinori glanced at the school nurse. "Just the principal." Recovery Girl grew perplexed when she saw the hero extend two fingers, his hand still on his lap and out of sight from Aizawa. The hero prayed that the nurse would get the message.
Recovery Girl tried to figure out what All Might was telling her. It seemed as though there was some other secret that he was trying to keep, something that he didn't want Aizawa to see. But what could it be?
She remembered when he was in her office to visit Midoriya after the battle trial. He'd mentioned a fifth name among the people who knew the truth about One For All but stopped halfway through. The name started with a K, that much she knew. Could that mean...
Now the nurse understood: Kageyama was one of the people who knew about One For All. This likely meant that Midoriya also knew about Kageyama, and his status as a person from another world. That's what All Might was trying to tell her, that the only other people who knew were Nezu and Midoriya, making it so that Aizawa wouldn't find out the secret of One For All since it wouldn't make sense for Midoriya to know about Kageyama for no apparent reason.
The nurse gave a short nod to confirm that she'd gotten the message, and All Might returned the gesture with a slight nod of his own.
"I don't want any of the other teachers to know. It would only draw unwanted attention towards Kageyama."
"That's a sensible approach to this issue," said Aizawa, "Having a bunch of heads poking into an issue like this is only going to makes things more hectic and annoying. You don't have to worry about me spilling this secret to anyone." The eraser hero could no longer mask his unbelievable pain and closed his eyes while moaning in terrible pain.
Recovery Girl swiftly rushed over to his side. "I need to get started on the surgery right away. I'll administer some anesthetic and put you under. It'll be over before you know it."
"Enough about me, Mr. Aizawa. Just focus on healing yourself up," added Mob, his brow wrinkling with worry while the school nurse began administering the proper dosage of anesthesia. The unkempt teacher did not resist, resting his head on the pillow and allowing his body to relax as the drugs were pumped into his body, quickly slipping him into sweet unconsciousness.
"That ought to have put him to sleep." Now that the eraser hero was put under, the school nurse could confirm the message that the symbol of peace had given her.
"So Kageyama also knows about One For All. That's what you were trying to tell me, right?"
"Yes. I'm glad you got the message. I and young Midoriya were the ones who came across Kageyama, and after sorting some things out, we decided it was best he stay with me, and for the last ten months, they've been training together."
"So you got yourself two students working themselves ragged then?" In a surprising move for the esper, Recovery Girl walked over to his side and gently patted him on the head. "At least one of your trainees isn't breaking his body every time he uses his power," she said, attempting to lighten the mood.
The school nurse positioned herself next to the psychic's foot. Her lips extended out and touched the front part of Shigeo's foot. As with Midoriya, his foot began to glow bright green, and the esper felt like a suction cup had sucked out his energy. It was similar to the tiredness he experienced after overusing his powers against Suzuki but less intense.
"I'll give you another shot of my power after I've finished the surgery with Aizawa, so you'll probably have to stay here a while."
"I'll keep you company, Kageyama." The symbol of peace knew this was the least he could do for the esper after everything he did against the villains and to help the hero finish off the Nomu. Mob smiled at the number one hero, who leaned his chair slightly toward the student. Recovery Girl saw the small exchange and couldn't help but silently beam: it seemed like All Might wasn't the utterly incompetent teacher she'd been led to believe with Midoriya. During the ten months that Kageyama had spent with the hero, it appeared that All Might had established himself as an acceptable supporting figure for the esper. That was good to see.
"I'll need to wheel Aizawa into the next room. It has all the equipment I need for the surgery." The school nurse wheeled the unconscious hero into the adjacent room to begin the surgery, and at last, Toshinori and Shigeo were alone to decompress everything that had just happened.
"Whoo!" The symbol of peace forced out a small chuckle, then puckered his cheeks to take a sharp breath in and out. "Quite a turn of events isn't it."
"Mm-hmm." The esper put his head against the wall and caved his chest in, somewhat overwhelmed by all these forced revelations and the day's events. "I wasn't expecting Recovery Girl or Mr. Aizawa to find out like this."
"Recovery Girl's someone reliable. She knows about One For All and has supported me for years. Aizawa..." The number one hero rubbed his forearms, "Not someone I'm particularly fond of, and not someone who knows about One For All. Still, he's a teacher at U.A. High, and even though he acts rough, he's kind in his ownway. So I trust him enough to keep your secret.
"But enough of all that. I think it's time for you to relax. You've had a rough day." Toshinori placed his hand on Mob's shoulder and gently patted it once. He'd had his first encounter with real villains in this world, broken his foot, and suddenly confronted by two teachers about where he came from. Now, all the esper needed to do was sit back, relax, and calm himself down while All Might sat by his side.
Shortly after this revelation, Thirteen was brought by some of the other heroes, and she was then placed in the same room as Aizawa. For Kageyama, most of the afternoon was spent waiting for Recovery Girl to finish patching up both heroes. During this time, Kageyama mainly remained silent from the events of the day and took an hour long nap at some point in the afternoon.
It was late afternoon: the sun was already beginning to set, creating a dark orange hue that lit up all across the school. In the nurse's office, Recovery Girl had already given Mob his final shot of her quirk and wholly healed his broken foot. Once finished with his recovery, the esper darted out of the room without All Might, who said he needed to stay a little longer to talk with a detective over the details of the U.S.J. incident.
By this time, the esper knew that classes had already finished and most of the students had likely gone home, so he decided to head back to the apartment and wait for All Might to finish whatever business he still had pending. As he made his way to the front entrance, he was surprised by the appearance of several of his classmates. Three classmates consisted of those he'd gotten the most acquainted with and spent the most time with thus far: Midoriya, Uraraka, and Iida. But then, there were two other faces with whom he was surprised to see there: Yaoyorozu and Tokoyami.
"Kageyama, you finally made it back!" Uraraka said.
"Recovery Girl's treatment took quite some time," added Iida.
"It's a relief to see you up and running again." The tall girl approached the esper with a look of joy in her eyes. It was fortunate for the esper that it was so late at night because had it been daytime, Mob's blistering hot face would have been easy to spot. It touched him very deeply that she had taken the time to stay after school and wait for him. For her, the way that Kageyama had given his words of condolences for her loss of the class president campaign, even if it was only minor, had shown a great degree of kindness and consideration on his part, and Momo felt that waiting for him was the right way to reflect that kindness.
Tokoyami also approached Shigeo with a rare smile on his face. "You fought bravely, Kageyama. I wish I could've been there to lend you my aid, and as the one who fought the villains alongside you, I felt I owed it to be there when you recovered."
The esper found it hard to properly react, too touched by this small yet potent gesture from all five of his classmates. "Thank you all," said Kageyama, the only words he could think of to express his gratitude.
The green-haired fanboy's eyes glowed brightly, and he motioned for the esper to come towards him. "Now come on. It's late, and we should be heading to the station."
The six classmates repeated their walk back to the train station. They'd survived their first villain attack, and seen what it took to be real pro heroes. Little did they know that even more calamitous threats would be on the horizon, but none of that mattered to them at the moment. In the end, they'd made it out alive, shown their potential, and did it together, and that was all that mattered.
My Hero Academia/Mob Psycho 100 Ultra Analysis
- Had Mob continued to fight the Nomu by himself, he would've easily defeated him without incurring a single injury.
- All Might wasn't using the fullest extent of the energy given to him when fighting the Nomu.
All Might takes the glory of this victory, but this time, he does it with a lot more ease. Now, Kageyama has become a much bigger threat to All For One, much more than if he'd simply beaten the Nomu by himself, since his existence and support is directly tied in with All Might. Makes you wonder what more will come out of this, what kind of other threats will arise, how Mob and the rest of his class will handle it. You'll just have to find out in the next chapter, where the second season of My Hero Academia begins and the U.A. Sports Festival is around the corner!