I lay down in my room, no longer filled with All Might memorabilia, something for which I must personally thank my mother.
(Seeing that man everywhere while I slept was terrifying.) The comfort of my pillow made the desire to sleep harder to resist.
I had two reasons not to fall asleep right there.
The first and most obvious: I was waiting for a message from Kirishima for Bakugo's rescue, but I supposed I should go to the hospital and confront him face to face.
And the second...
(Aren't you going to comment on what happened recently?) The power core that is One For All made its presence known, allowing me to feel the comfortable sensation of power running through my body. (You haven't commented on practically anything since confronting Shigaraki.) I stared at the ceiling, knowing well that if I wanted answers, I would have to be specific with my words.
I glanced at my phone, noticing that it was already two in the morning. I sighed with fatigue at that.
I was interrogated more than anyone for my active participation in almost all the "important" events for the investigators.
Besides... I couldn't just hide the fact that I had run into Shigaraki again.
That was... a rather extensive explanation.
(I understand your desire to kill the vast majority of our common enemies.) It wasn't necessary to be specific; we both knew who we were talking about. (But you understand the fact that killing them so soon will only get us into trouble whose results can be truly unfavorable, right?) The answer came instantly, accepting the fact that it was something impulsive.
Curiously, I noticed that I had three different messages: Mirio, Nejire, and Tamaki were asking how I was doing.
(At the same time and everything? They're not the "Big Three of UA" for nothing, I suppose.) I quickly replied to their messages, promising to meet up to explain in detail everything that could be revealed.
I placed the phone on the desk next to the bed and returned my attention to the ceiling, completely recalling the attack on the camp.
(There were many unstipulated variables... and what the hell with Nezu revealing your existence to Aizawa?) A strange shrug was what I got in response. (You're not very collaborative with this, are you?) I sighed at its lack of interest in the topic.
In a certain and strange way, I could understand the little desire that One For All had for debate. Its attitude at the beginning was complicated for me to follow.
During the entire attack, I assumed it was being selfish and wanted to put its desires first to ensure its existence.
I didn't blame it anyway. Wanting to survive is a basic instinct that comes with being a conscious entity.
But as the night went on and I had time to think calmly, I came to the conclusion that it was the complete opposite.
It wasn't being selfish, nor was it appealing to its most basic desire.
It was simply... tired.
Tired of seeing how slowly but surely the cycle repeated itself, having to bear the fact that it wouldn't have a tenth wielder to try again.
It had eight attempts, and none with a certain victory. Its actions are just to not lose again.
It needs to win, to know that if it is going to disappear, it will be because of the cycle of life that affects all beings, not because of its ironic means of creation.
In the end, it is cornered, and that makes it impulsive.
(I'm sorry I didn't understand all that from the beginning.) I didn't hesitate to be honest, understanding how hard it is to fail even with the advantage of knowledge. (You're connected to me in a way that transcends average understanding, so I don't have to be too expressive, you get that, right?) The energy became warm and friendly. It was the answer I wanted.
When I arrived in this world, I took things as an extremely simple game. I assumed victories over battles that hadn't even happened and paid the price for it.
I was arrogant to a fault and learned the hard way that taking people for granted was a mistake.
The successes I can represent with pride are few.
I can't do this on my own... not anymore.
(All For One is not going to win, not this time. With you as my co-pilot, that bad imitation of Slenderman won't make it.) One For All was encouraged by what was said, being an exuberant current that ran through my body. (And then... we'll live a quiet life. You can be sure of that.) The thought was pleasant, an excellent way to be able to sleep without worries.
After all... I wasn't fighting a war on my own.
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Getting to the hospital was quite an odyssey. People recognized me on the street, and it became tedious.
Knowing that they are photographing me from behind and yet having to pretend not to know is frustrating. I understood their interest in me due to recent events.
But that... was a line they couldn't cross.
(And that kid who questioned me about my short stature for a hero... it's not my fault his Quirk made him twice as tall as the average! He didn't even look like a kid!) Complaining internally, I entered the hospital, noticing that there were some reporters in the lobby. (Don't they have respect for the people who really need help?) I knew I couldn't pass without them noticing me. Having green hair and eyes was a curse at times.
The media had been looking for an exclusive with a conscious student since dawn, something with which they could stir up the already turbulent waters surrounding UA even more.
As expected, it only took Aizawa and the parents themselves to scare them off for them to stop.
But it was momentary. That's how these things work.
(Maybe if they were attacked by surprise, they would be more considerate. But hey!... that would be classified as the move of a psychopath.) The wave-like flow I received at that comment brought a smile to my face. (Yes, it's fun for you, but that's because you don't have to answer their questions.) Leaving the hospital, I began to circle it, ending up on one of the sides where the ambulances entered.
I raised One For All to 30% and jumped up, feeling again the adrenaline that follows such a simple but exciting experience.
Landing on my feet, I ended up on the roof of the place. Several white sheets were hanging and drying.
That brought back a familiar memory...
(All that's missing is seeing Sasuke with Chidori in hand and Naruto with the Rasengan.) I smiled amusingly at the memory, noticing how really similar it all was. (At the beginning, I said it as a joke, but... I'm grateful I didn't transmigrate to the Naruto universe.) I really wouldn't know how to survive in such a situation...
Not wanting to get any more distracted, I began to walk towards the exit door, remembering that I had no idea about my classmates' rooms.
(I could call Uraraka and ask, or be like a fool on every floor until I find the right one... difficult decision...) With my hand, I held the doorknob, thinking about my next move. (The answer is obvious.) I decisively opened the door, descending the stairs.
I would search on every floor until I found the right one.
(I have time.) That wasn't true, but I had no desire to arrive with the rest. (They won't mind waiting for me a few more minutes.)
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"Where were you, Midoriya?" Uraraka questioned me with curiosity, watching as I approached them down the hall.
"Oh, well... you know, I got lost on the path of life," I replied calmly, remembering that it took me half an hour to get to the right floor.
...Damn giant hospitals...
The whole class was in the hallway, watching the unconscious Jirou on the other side.
"The... path of life?" Kaminari joined the conversation, mentioning with strangeness the words given.
"Yes, it's a..."
"Does it even matter right now?" Kirishima spoke with unusual seriousness, looking at me with a fierce scrutiny. "We're all here, worried about our friend, and you just..."
"Calm down. I'm not taking this as a game," I refuted his words calmly, trying not to make a scene. "I just tried to break the tense atmosphere a little... I'm sorry." He exhaled before returning his gaze to the glass. The others didn't comment, maybe out of respect or something more.
It was strange to see them so defeated, with their shoulders slumped and their heads down. I didn't think the camp could hit their self-esteem so hard.
"Everything was too fast and unexpected," Iida adjusted his glasses, looking at no one in particular. "I... I'm the class vice president, and yet..."
Guilt was eating him up. I don't remember exactly where he was when the League attacked, but...
"Don't beat yourself up, Iida. I didn't do much either." Uraraka found the right words, smiling with resignation. "Tsu and I could barely handle one killer. If it weren't for Midoriya, we would be nothing more than..."
"Simple corpses in the morgue," Tsuyu concluded with complete honesty. Outwardly, she didn't seem affected, but inside, it was very different. "Even if it seems like our fault, it's not."
"She's right," Shoto commented, able to add his two cents, observing everyone with his serious gaze. "We are heroes in training. We did the best we could with the little we know. Asking for more would be illogical." His words resonated with some, who nodded their heads to express their tacit agreement.
I couldn't stay behind either.
"We did our best, and that's what counts. The fact that you're safe and sound proves it." I took a few steps forward, supporting my friend with his speech. "I know... not all of us are in the best condition." My gaze was directed towards the room in front of us.
The toxicity of the gas Kyoka inhaled was enough to leave her in an induced coma until her body can completely eliminate said toxins.
"But if you must blame someone, that should be me. I should have done more, and with my ability, that would have changed things a lot." I bowed to them as a sign of apology, accepting that I had failed in my responsibility. (Heh... Responsibility? How things have changed.) I raised my head and observed them, waiting for some kind of reaction from them.
"You don't have to apologize, Midoriya. It's as Todoroki said. We fought to survive, and that's what counts... It would be worse if someone had died." Iida acted as the voice of reason, being supported by the rest. "We can only trust the heroes to recover Bakugo."
"Not necessarily." Kirishima stood at the front, having been quiet during the entire exchange of words. "I was in doubt about mentioning this in front of you, Midoriya, but your final words convinced me." My eyes narrowed at his comment, unable to understand the reason for his doubtful state.
"Why would you have to doubt, Kirishima?" I hadn't caused anything that would generate distrust in me, at least not with them.
"You hate Bakugo," he blurted out the reason without any preamble, as if it were a simple fact to understand.
When it really wasn't, no matter how obvious it seemed.
Since I transmigrated to this world, taking control and the life of who was once Izuku Midoriya, everything changed in general.
But there were few who surrounded the boy, no one with the capacity to notice these changes and look for a reason for them. Only Inko could have done it, but she assumed it as great maturity and security upon obtaining her Quirk.
Even so, for brief moments, she makes it clear how much everything has changed.
So... to remember that my hatred for Bakugo, whose true origin was covered up by the years of abuse Izuku received, was put into question.
And by Kirishima of all people, made me see that even slight changes have a weight in the representation of the world.
(If it weren't for All For One, I wouldn't have gone to rescue him. Kirishima is right to want to hide his idea.) Internally, I congratulated the boy, having predicted my opinion under pressing circumstances like the current one, but externally, I couldn't show that. "I can't deny your statement; it would be hypocritical of me. But all of this goes beyond something as inconsequential as my hatred." I had to choose my words carefully. If I spoke too much, I could generate real distrust towards me.
Kirishima's face practically lit up at what was said. "I'm glad to hear that, Midoriya, because..." he checked that there was no one but us in the hallway. "We have a plan to save Bakugo." Although he whispered it, it was heard by the others.
Although, from their lack of surprise, I can tell this had already been discussed beforehand.
It's good to know that the rescue will still happen despite everything. It would be very negative if the opposite were the case.
"A plan? What kind of plan do you have?" I got a little closer to Eijiro, inquiring with false surprise.
"Yes! What we want to do is...!" A blow to his head from Mina made him shut his mouth. "Ouch! Why the hit?"
"Are you shouting your great 'plan' out loud? Don't be so stupid, Kiri," she reprimanded him with annoyance, pointing at his face ungracefully.
"Sorry..." he murmured defeatedly, rubbing the spot of the blow. "The point is that we heard Yaoyorozu this morning telling the officers that she placed a tracker to have the location of the League of Villains." His excitement returned again, but there was an undercurrent of seriousness impossible not to notice.
He was serious about all this.
"And you're looking to ask her to create a second tracker for you to go on a personal crusade? Without taking into account the already active search that the heroes are conducting?" I didn't hesitate to contradict almost his entire idea. I had to feign contemplation for all of it. "Who else is in agreement with all of this?"
"I'm in on the plan," Shoto instantly caught the attention of the rest. "Friend or not, Bakugo was with us at the camp, and I think it's our duty as classmates to go to his rescue." He didn't look at the class as he spoke, choosing to analyze my expression.
"Why can't you understand the madness you're trying to do? We are not professional heroes; we don't have the power to perform such acts," Iida exclaimed, being the voice of reason, earning the support of the majority. "We can't do anything against the League of Villains. Unfortunately, we must wait for Bakugo to return safe and sound."
"With our arms crossed? As if he were a stranger?" Shoto's cold indifference was a great contrast to show the annoyance he felt.
"Hey..." I couldn't allow things to escalate to a greater point. The last thing they needed in the hospital was a bunch of teenagers hitting each other with their Quirks.
"No, but respecting the rules that have been instilled in us with such fervor." Iida didn't feel intimidated in the slightest.
"How can you rest so calmly knowing that someone is kidnapped?" Kirishima's fists clenched tightly, unable to understand his classmates' inability to follow him on his crusade.
"It's not about that. Neither Iida nor the rest of us feel indifferent to this whole situation," Asui made her way through the rest, her indifferent face looking at the main spokespeople. "If we go to save him, we'll break the laws. We won't be different from the villains we've faced." We all looked at her this time, surprised by the way she unreservedly categorized her own classmates.
Of course, the surprise turned into annoyance. I couldn't believe she would make such a... stupid comparison, to put it kindly.
...Judging someone as a villain just for not following a stupid law, for committing an act labeled as licentiousness...
Maybe in this world, that's the norm, but I'm not from here, and even if I were, I wouldn't accept such a thing.
(Wanting to do the right thing, no matter the way, doesn't make you a villain.) Even One For All was noticeably annoyed, feeling offended knowing that Asui didn't understand how hard it is to sacrifice your own principles for a greater good. (It makes you stupid, maybe, but not a villain.) I may have different principles, but I know how to differentiate between right and wrong.
"That's...!" Kirishima was now angry. Anyone would be if they were labeled a villain.
"It's complete bullshit, and there's no room for discussion." I approached the rest, not hiding my contempt for what I had heard. "You compare us to villains? Us? Your classmates? Who have fought by your side for a common goal. We wouldn't hesitate to defend you if necessary, and yet..." a small portion of power flowed through my body, illuminating my eyes without me noticing. "We'll be villains to you? Do we wish to cause harm for fun, perhaps?"
Everyone looked at me, surprised. Some stepped back out of fear. That's what power does to people.
"I... I-it's not what..." She wanted to defend herself, to correct her words so as not to cause misunderstandings.
"Having a moral code like Kirishima's, which prevents him from fully siding with the laws, doesn't make him a villain." One For All cut off the flow of energy, having finished with the initial outburst. "He's just someone whose desire for justice surpasses his logic, an old-school hero, and that... is respectable." Silence reigned after my words. I didn't know how much the rest agreed with me.
My definition of a hero, those I take as an example to follow, are not compatible with this society.
"With Great Power Comes Great Responsibility." How much effect could those words have on my classmates? They don't fully understand what it means to make difficult choices, and that's okay.
They haven't been through that kind of situation yet, and that should be postponed as much as possible.
"Kirishima..." I pointed at him with my hand, observing his still-stunned face. "When do you plan to carry out this rescue?"
"I-uh, tonight. We-we plan to meet at the hospital entrance," he stuttered in bewilderment, processing the escalation of recent events. "Does that mean you...?"
"Yes, I'm in." I turned around and began to leave the hospital, not wanting to add more to the conversation.
"That's my friend." Shoto's murmur was barely audible to me, and I couldn't help the smile that spread across my face at it.
I definitely taught him well.
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Surprisingly, crossing the hospital's exit threshold was easier than when I entered.
The sun was at its highest point of the day, and the city was as usual, each person going about their lives oblivious to the fact that tonight things would change.
It was curious how the storm could be so easily hidden without the right information.
Kamino wouldn't be the same in a few more hours.
(People will die.) I refused to admit that it was for a greater good, but I wasn't willing to accept the blame for it either. (But we will stop him. We will sign our position as the next number one hero.) My nerves were on edge. A feeling of emptiness oppressed my chest at the fear that All For One generated for me.
The man was probably over two hundred years old and had a lot of experience in combat.
My greatest advantage lies in the raw power I have under my control, but it's still not enough to be indiscriminately confident.
But that didn't matter. It was my duty to face him to be able to live with the security that... despite all my failures and mistakes... I can deal with the future.
"Midoriya!" Uraraka's shout caused me to stop my walk, watching as she approached my position.
"...Uraraka?..." At a glance, it was clear she was in a hurry. "Do you need something?"
"Yes! Well... more or less!" She managed to get beside me, calmly following my pace. "Can we talk about something?"
Her gaze was somewhat distant, probably remembering what was bothering her.
"Sure, I have to go to the station anyway." With my hands in my pockets, I continued walking, enjoying the distraction I was having from my fears. "What's on your mind?"
She considered my question, observing different shops as we walked through the somewhat busy streets of Musutafu.
It was really a wonderful day. A shame I couldn't enjoy it as such.
"It's about the camp." My mind went on alert. Several things had happened out of place at that moment, and if... "There was this villainess... Toga." She let out a tired sigh, staring straight ahead.
"Toga... They managed to recover her because of me. What about her?" I made a rookie mistake at that moment, too caught up in the battle and the possibilities.
"It's mostly about what she said and her actions. It was scary how little her attitudes and her appearance matched," she recalled the girl in question with a hand on her chin.
"Well, if it's any consolation... she looked crazy to me from the start," I replied with humor, laughing at the unimpressed look she had on me.
"Really?" One of her eyebrows was raised, and I felt judged by God. Uraraka commanded respect when she had to.
"I'm sorry, I'm sorry. I'm just trying not to overthink it for my own mental well-being." Leaving the games aside, I thought about what my friend had said, looking for reasons to understand her doubt. "Is there anything specific that made you question things?"
Noticing that I was taking things seriously, Uraraka did too, calmly continuing our walk.
"Yes, several times she stressed the fact that I wasn't fighting for anyone in particular, that I didn't know that kind of love." That was an interesting change. I'm glad to know that even without having the effect of the original Izuku, she can improve. "I think Toga feels alone in the world and tries to compensate for it with a feeling as complex as love."
The deduction was a surprise I didn't expect. Trying to understand the villain is something that isn't done much in this world.
"I think... no, I'm sure she's a victim with no power of choice in her life, and..." she directed her gaze towards me, smiling with an enviable determination. "I want to help her."
I really didn't know what to say. Personally, there was nothing in me that screamed benevolence towards Toga and the rest.
Being able to analyze everything from a third-party perspective made it easier for me to empathize with them, but not to risk what I have for the help they could receive.
I want to do the right thing. I've been understanding and enjoying day after day how incredible it is to be able to do that to its fullest extent.
But that desire doesn't surpass the greater good I must ensure.
Once my goals are met, and only when that happens... I will consider helping them.
Until that moment comes, I will act with feigned ignorance.
"You're very motivated, Uraraka. That makes me happy." A smile spread across my face. My personal judgment shouldn't cloud her own thoughts. (She wanted to discuss this with someone, not a second opinion.) Listening to someone in silence is often worth more than opining on what's said.
She laughed a little at the comment, looking at me once the laughter stopped. "I guess your speech on morality inspired me quite a bit. Thanks, Midoriya."
That made me quite happy. At least my words had reached someone.
"It was a pleasure. Speeches are my bread and butter." The rest of the walk passed without problems, being a comfortable moment of peace before what was to come.
The end of the day was near, and with it...
All For One.
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Author's Note:
Hey.
What did you think of the chapter?
So yes, getting closer and closer to the fight against the Symbol of Evil. I hope you don't feel like I'm dragging out that moment or anything like that. I just want to take my time to work in detail on those moments that are in between each big arc.
It might be boring, maybe, but it's important, and I kind of like doing it.
On the other hand, I have to say that I feel a bit saturated with writing this story, and that's why it took me a while to update it. I could have uploaded this chapter days ago, but I didn't feel like it.
I want to start other projects I have in mind, and that would mean less time for this work and the rest, but it would allow me to put my ideas into other fics without as many standards as this one.
So it's very likely that once Bakugo's Rescue is over, I'll pause this story for a month and advance with the rest.
I don't want to get stuck on this. There's a lot I want to offer on this platform that I haven't been able to reveal.
Of course, I'll continue to update this whenever I can (and mostly when I want to), but maybe reducing the total words or taking a little longer.
I want to write an Isekai in the world of Naruto and some more ideas about Spider-Man. I need to put that here and show it.
Since, in general, I couldn't be more grateful for the support you've given this story. I mean, it's not for nothing that the barrier of [X] reads has already been surpassed. It's crazy! It's unheard of. Even with all the flaws it has, you give it such great recognition.
It's something that greatly comforts me.
I'll try to update sometime this week if I don't get distracted writing other things. It might take a little longer, but like everything, it will have its deserved end.
Anyway, take care. See you.