My Hero Academia: Aura Farming

[The Synonym]

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[I AM—]
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All Might, now in his muscular form, walked through the school hallway with Recovery Girl alongside him, expression deep in thought as the two advanced in silence.

After dragging him out of the teachers' lounge, Recovery Girl had offered nothing further in the way of an explanation—saying it was better for him to see it himself rather than hear it hurriedly from her.

And so All Might had been forced to leave his rest and follow, knowing only that something had come up, but having no idea what.

Her tone, when she'd said as much, hadn't been one of worry but of sheer bafflement—which at least let him rule out the possibility that something had happened to one of his students.

And from the way she'd worded it, it seemed Taka actually had something in store for him. Something significant.

But what?

All Might had to sit with that question through the two minutes it took them to reach the infirmary.

Once they stepped inside, he was surprised to find it wasn't only Taka waiting there—sitting on a bed with a bored expression.

Nezu was there too, standing calmly beside him, watching both of them approach with a quiet, knowing smile.

Instantly, the weight of the situation scaled several levels. The principal's presence here wasn't something that happened over small matters.

After all, Nezu wasn't merely his current boss. He was one of the few people aware of what had transpired during his fight with that man, and everything that had followed. He was the one who had volunteered to help find a successor, and who was practically aware of all the behind-the-scenes details.

For him to be here, alongside Recovery Girl…

"…"

All Might looked at Taka with a puzzled face.

'Just what is going on with young Takahashi?'

"Sorry to interrupt your break, All Might." Nezu's voice pulled him out of his daze, nudging him to finally step inside rather than linger at the entrance.

Recovery Girl made her way to the chair beside her desk. All Might took a seat on the bed across from the principal and the student, looking between them with quiet seriousness.

"Recovery Girl said something important came up—something involving young Takahashi?"

"Precisely. To be honest, I'm quite surprised myself. The news came so suddenly we barely had time to process it."

"News?"

"Young Takahashi has awakened a new ability." Nezu said.

"Awakened?"

A deep frown settled across All Might's hollowed face for a moment.

He understood what awakening meant. It was the point at which a Quirk underwent a kind of evolution—gaining power or capabilities previously thought impossible given the Quirk's known nature. But for something like that to occur, it was said the person had to experience tremendous stress—the kind only reached when staring death in the face, and even then, it was just a slim possibility.

If young Takahashi had truly awakened—what could have possibly happe—?

"It seems I may have prompted unnecessary concern." Nezu interrupted his train of thought, gesturing calmly for him to settle down, then turning to Taka. "Let me first give you the context around Takahashi's Quirk, and how the two of us came to have an agreement… if he's alright with that, of course."

The teenager gave him a look, followed by a small huff and a silent nod.

Nezu turned back to All Might. "Splendid. Tell me—do you recall the incident involving that giant heteromorph near the lake, toward the end of last year?"

All Might cast his mind back, looking pensive.

After a moment, he nodded. "I remember it. The incident drew a lot of attention because of the villain's sheer power—it was talked about for weeks afterward, given how much destructive capability he demonstrated, and how he'd apparently been moving through the city completely undetected up until that point. If that man, Rockinesis, hadn't intervened when he did and kept him airborne long enough to reach the lake, it could have ended in a disaster."

"Precisely. That's also the day Takahashi and I first met. He came home beaten up from the fight, and I almost burst out laughing when his face contorted for a split second upon finding me sitting in his living room."

"My face did what?" Taka muttered, looking at him with a baffled expression.

"Hold on, principal." All Might raised a palm, looking confused. "What do you mean he came home beaten up from the fight?"

"Well, he tried to hide it—but by paying surgical attention to his behavior and body language, I noticed he'd come back with a broken arm. I didn't say anything at the time, but I did let out a small snicker once I finally left."

"You did…?" Taka muttered again, the flat look deepening.

All Might waved his hands in opposite directions. "No, no—I mean, what fight are you referring to?"

"With the villain, of course."

"The villain?" All Might struggled to reconcile what was being implied with what he couldn't quite believe. "Which villain?"

Nezu smiled innocently.

"The giant heteromorph."

"…" All Might went quiet, blinking, his mouth opening and closing as he tried to process whether he was understanding correctly before committing to a response.

Ultimately he found no other way to read the rat's words.

"Y-you're saying young Takahashi is…?"

Nezu's smile stretched with quiet satisfaction.

"The vigilante, Rockinesis. Yes."

"…!"

All Might's mouth fell open, and his head turned slowly—like a rusted hinge—toward Taka, who offered a faint smile as the attention landed on him.

"Don't arrest me, please."

"…!"

Everything resurfaced at once. No longer the actions of some distant, mysterious vigilante—but of a student of his. A teenager.

A kid the same age as his successor.

The dozens, if not hundreds of villains apprehended. The concert crashed and turned into one of the vigilante's song debuts. The heteromorph incident they'd just been discussing. The Yakuza raid. And most recently, the capture of the Hero Killer and the saving of Ingenium.

It all landed on him now as the acts of a student under his care. A mere teenager going to U.A.

The most wanted vigilante of recent years was one of his students?!

And it was Takahashi?!

A chain of detonations went off inside All Might's head.

His eyes darted between Nezu and Taka. "B-but—if that were true, his Quirk wouldn't be Telekinesis anymore!"

The original concept of Muscle to Mind—which supposedly granted Taka greater telekinetic output proportional to his physical strength—fell apart quickly once you stacked everything else on top. Abilities with no apparent connection to telekinesis whatsoever.

Clones, energy rays, flames, electricity, cutting force.

What Takahashi had shown until now was already strange enough—but now?

Now there was no way this was just Telekinesis!

And if the premise of strength feeding the telekinesis was a cover story, then Taka's superhuman physical abilities counted as yet another power with an unexplained origin.

Just what kind of Quirk could hold so many abilities? He had never heard of such a thing!

"That's precisely why I reached out to Takahashi months before the school year began." Nezu replied. "Through his actions as Rockinesis, he had demonstrated multiple abilities with no obvious connection to one another—all from a single Quirk that didn't quite match the description in the official documents. When I discovered it, I couldn't help but want to see that talent properly channeled. So I eventually roped him into our dear school."

All Might nodded. It made sense, and it was the right call—especially since he had seen the gap between Takahashi and every other student in his year.

Every student, actually.

That said, it didn't make the shock any easier to absorb.

Nezu walked up and patted him on the thigh, then drifted toward the window, watching the sun begin its descent, quietly marking the end of the school day.

"The truth is—according to Takahashi's own account, and my analysis—it appears his Quirk continues to evolve even now. Whether in raw output or entirely new capabilities." He said, still facing the glass.

All Might swallowed, taking in that information with difficulty.

A Quirk in constant growth. Unbelievable.

"And that brings us to the reason we called you here." Nezu's words drew him back. "… One of those new capabilities—one Takahashi reported today—is healing."

Taka extended a hand, green aura flames seeping from the palm as if in demonstration.

Seeing that, and piecing together why he'd been summoned, All Might turned to Nezu with a stunned look.

"You mean to say he can…?" He hesitated at the last word, out of habit around the secrecy of his condition.

But Nezu continued regardless.

"We tested the ability as thoroughly as we could. Given the extent of the damage in your case—and the track record of every doctor and hero with healing-adjacent Quirks who's examined you before—we were cautious about drawing conclusions. The results, however, were not what we expected."

Recovery Girl spoke up from her desk, setting a sheet of paper down.

"My Quirk works by accelerating the body's own natural healing, drawing on the patient's energy to fuel it. Which is also why it has limits—the body can only regenerate what it hasn't already given up on. Scar tissue is the body's way of declaring a wound closed. It doesn't reverse that decision on its own."

She folded her hands.

"What the kid's healing energy does is entirely different. Rather than working alongside the body's healing response, it overrides it. The energy appears to instruct cells directly—signaling damaged or scarred tissue to break down, while simultaneously prompting the surrounding healthy cells to multiply and rebuild what was lost. It doesn't accelerate healing so much as it reverses the injury… In a way, it's almost like a sentient healing—one that knows exactly what is damaged and how it should be restored, even when the body itself no longer does."

She handed him the sheet.

"The cost comes entirely from the kid, not the patient. And it scales depending on several factors—the age of the injury, the size of the affected area, and the structural complexity of what needs to rebuild. In your case, the first and last of those are the significant ones."

All Might nodded, frown deepening as he absorbed the data in the paper alongside his limited medical knowledge.

"Does this mean… he knows?" He asked, eyes lifting from the sheet and moving across the three faces in the room—settling on Taka's unsurprised expression in particular.

The two teachers nodded.

Taka didn't look surprised by the question.

"I see…"

At that, All Might let out a long breath—and his body deflated all at once, the steam leaving him in one long release.

When it cleared, he had become his gaunt self. Gone was the towering figure of the greatest hero and the ever-present smile—in their place, a thin man with hollow eyes and a quiet, heavy expression.

Seeing him finally lower his guard, Nezu smiled softly and continued.

"According to what we've understood so far, the way this healing works should be able to address the kind of damage your body sustained—Takahashi's healing energy will act as both a guide and energy source, directing your cells to revert the injury to its previous uninjured state, regardless of whether the body believes it's possible or knows how to do it on its own. The only concern is…"

"Whether I'll have enough energy." Taka finished. "Like Recovery Girl explained, the cost scales with several factors. For all I know, I might not be able to heal it fully—or I might not even break a sweat."

All Might nodded in silence, his expression not changing much despite the apparent good news.

That was because he hadn't let himself expect much the moment his injury came up.

Despite the hope the two teachers clearly carried, too many treatments had failed before—regardless of the expertise, the Quirk, or the approach. The best anyone had ever managed was preventing him from dying of it.

And however exceptional young Takahashi was—however far beyond any expectation he'd already proven himself—he couldn't quite bring himself to believe the kid would also be able to pull off a miracle like this.

Even as the two teachers walked him through the logic of why it should work, he had quietly resigned himself to the idea that it probably wouldn't.

But who was he to deny them the try?

Before that, though…

"You mentioned the energy comes directly from you, young Takahashi?"

Taka nodded.

All Might looked at him directly, serious. "What happens if you run out of energy and it isn't enough? No matter how much I'd like to be healed—I won't risk a student for it."

There was a brief pause before Taka let out a soft snort, mildly amused.

"It's not my direct life force or anything like that. Think of it more as a secondary energy that fuels all my other abilities. If I exhaust it, I go back to normal human capabilities until it recharges on its own."

All Might blinked in surprise, nodding slowly.

He hadn't expected to come away from this conversation with new details about the boy's actual Quirk.

But regardless—if healing him truly carried no grave risk to Takahashi… then perhaps it was worth a try after all.

His fist tightened.

"Then, young Takahashi—I'll be in your care." He said, his tone somewhere between resignation and faint hope.

Taka smiled—freely, confidently, in a way All Might wasn't used to seeing from the usually composed student.

"Don't worry. This will be easy peasy."

All Might noted that he even spoke differently in this moment. Less… dramatically, if he had to put it into words.

He really did seem like a normal teenager right now.

...

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| Minutes later… |

...

Soon after, the room was prepared as thoroughly as the circumstances allowed.

Which mostly meant giving All Might's bed more space, and connecting a few monitoring devices to track his condition once the healing started, so nothing would go unnoticed.

Once everything was in place and All Might's vitals along with many other details were under watch, Taka approached the bed.

"Uhm, young Takahashi—does this hurt?" All Might asked, glancing nervously at the approaching Taka, whose face was faintly illuminated by the green flames in his hand.

"For minor things like cuts or muscle pain, not really. But I honestly don't know about rebuilding a stomach and fixing a respiratory system from scratch."

"I see…"

"You can bite down on this leather belt, though."

"Why do you have that?!"

"I borrowed it from Recovery Girl's supply cabinet."

All Might gave Taka a baffled look.

Then, without a word, he put it between his teeth and bit down.

"Very well—let's begin, Takahashi." Nezu said, seeing that everything was ready.

Taka nodded silently, and the flames in his hand intensified in the same motion.

Then he placed his engulfed hand over All Might's scar.

From it, the flames spread and washed over All Might entirely.

"It doesn't burn?" The hero murmured through the belt, staring at the green fire now covering him.

Taka smiled wryly. "The energy itself is actually invisible. I'm only giving it a color for dramatic effect."

As he said that, the flames shifted to an orange-red—looking for all the world like actual fire.

Yet All Might felt not the slightest heat.

He gave Taka a baffled look.

'Dramatic effect, seriously?'

Taka shrugged.

Since he was already outed, he might as well be a little honest.

"Well—enough about me. Bite down hard."

"Ye—"

His agreement was cut off as a sudden rush of warmth flooded through him.

Like a heatstroke arriving all at once—instantly hot, then cold, leaving him drenched in sweat before he could process it.

It didn't hurt, but it was deeply uncomfortable.

And uncomfortable would have been perfectly fine, because what came next was far worse.

"Hngh!" A groan tore from him as heat began building in his innards. His lungs, his ribs, his muscles—all of it burning.

It was as if an inferno had ignited directly inside his chest.

Taka's brow furrowed at the sight of All Might's face contorting in pain.

But before he could even consider whether the healing was having adverse effects, Nezu's voice cut through.

"All Might's cells have gone into overdrive—thousands of new cells per second across the tissue"

"Don't worry kid. The pain he is feeling is all the heat of his own body repairing." Recovery Girl added, her eyes moving rapidly between All Might and the monitor, where cell division was happening at blinding speed. "Mitosis at that volume and speed releases an enormous amount of thermal energy. Your energy itself may be heatless—but the conversion into cellular activity is generating the heat from within. All Might's body can't thermoregulate fast enough to compensate. However, conversely, even though it's burning him, it's also healing him even faster."

They didn't even need the screen to verify it. The jagged purple scar stretching from All Might's left ribcage across his chest was visibly fading—and in its place, steam was rising from his skin in steady waves.

"You alright, All Might?" Nezu asked.

All Might gave a rapid nod.

He had endured considerably worse. This hurt, but it was bearable.

So instead of focusing on himself, his eyes drifted to Takahashi—standing beside him with eyes closed and hand still pressed over him, channeling the energy.

There was a frown on the kid's face.

And no wonder.

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[STATUS PAGE]

▸ Strength: 183

▸ Defense: 366

▸ Aura Projection: 124,343 → 112,223

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Total Aura: 124,526 → 112,223 (90%)

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Just a few seconds in, and he'd already burned through nearly 10% of his total aura.

He checked the monitor. Aside from some superficial damage having cleared up, the deeper injuries—the respiratory system, the missing stomach—remained untouched.

'H-how is it costing this much already?!' He questioned, outraged.

Fortunately, Recovery Girl's voice cut in before his panic could go anywhere, apparently having taken note of Taka's less than ideal expression.

"Is the energy flow too high, kid?" She said, watching the monitor closely. "Well, I suppose it's to be expected somewhat. All Might's body spent years compensating for the missing tissue—surrounding organs shifted, the musculature restructured, everything rearranged to accommodate the absence. Before it can accept a new stomach, the body first has to undo all of that—reverting itself to its original pre-injury configuration. That's essentially two healing processes for the price of one. So it ought to be pretty taxing."

'Of course.' Taka groaned internally, but held the output steady.

Before hosting a proper respiratory system and a stomach again, the body had to roll back everything it had quietly changed over the years to cope without them.

Muscles, tendons, bones, arteries—the whole internal architecture was being remodeled back to what it once was.

And with it, the aura kept draining.

By the one-minute mark, 70% remained.

"The body has finished reverting." Recovery Girl announced the moment it reached that number.

However, following that, the rate of drain suddenly accelerated enormously, making the two spectators, Nezu and Recovery Girl, stare harder at the screen.

60%

But in turn to the preoccupying boost in energy being spent, the tears and damage along the lungs and diaphragm began closing, rebuilding into perfectly functioning tissue.

50%

The cracks and missing sections of the ribcage grew back, filling in solid.

40%

The scar on the left side of his chest faded entirely.

30%

And then came the last part.

The void in his body—the space that had formed as everything rearranged itself around the absence—suddenly stopped being empty.

A small mass of living muscle appeared where there had been nothing.

It grew. It sent tendrils out into the surrounding tissue, finding its connections.

20%

Soon it had integrated. Then the overall shape continued expanding, growing into its proper size.

Until—

10%

At last—

5%

It was done.

A new stomach was born. One that was connected to All Might so seamlessly, it appeared to have always been there.

And with it—the healing process was over.

—Tsssssss…!—

The moment the treatment ended, All Might's body expelled vapor as if he were a machine venting steam—the heat radiating off him palpable from several steps away. The room had become a sauna.

Taka stepped back, pulling in a deep breath.

His eyes moved to his status screen, wincing at the sight.

· · ─────── ·𖥸· ─────── · ·

[STATUS PAGE]

▸ Strength: 183

▸ Defense: 366

▸ Aura Projection: 124,343 → 5,380

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Total Aura: 124,526 → 5,380 (4%)

· · ─────── ·𖥸· ─────── · ·

96% aura, used in just a matter of minutes.

He'd never burned through that much in such a short window. It left him dizzy.

Slowly, he pulled his gaze from the screen and looked at the room around him—thick with vapor, the far wall barely visible through it.

'Did it work?'

With what aura he had left, he opened the curtains, then the window, and siphoned the vapor outward in a steady stream.

Until, at last, the room cleared—now lit softly by the last of the setting sun.

-Screech-

As soon as sight was returned to everyone, the bed of the patient groaned as the figure lying in it began to move—slowly at first, then with increasing certainty.

-Tap-

The figure sat up. Then stood, his wet feet echoing in the silent room as the figure rose tall, letting the light fall over it.

There stood All Might.

Not in his muscular form. No.

But he wasn't a skeleton anymore.

It was a healthy-looking All Might, staring at his own open hands and stomach with wide, stunned eyes.

Then he looked up.

And the smile of the symbol of hope returned.

"I AM—Cured."

...

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-To Be Continued...-

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(A/N: Pretty epic, if I say so myself.)

 

[The Synonym]

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…

As All Might stood there, admiring his new state with a dazed look, Taka heaved a sigh of relief.

'So it worked,' He thought as he gazed at the newly healed hero, before shaking his head and rolling his eyes. 'Of course it did—it drained me completely. It had to work.'

He had expected it to cost a lot—just not this much.

Truth be told, the energy conversion for healing compared to destructive output was horrendous. A hundred thousand aura had barely been enough to rebuild a stomach and repair a respiratory system—whereas shooting a laser that, per his calculations, could level several buildings in a row would cost the same amount. The disparity was crazy.

It also scaled wildly depending on factors like size, complexity, and age of the injury. Midoriya's broken finger on the day of the Quirk assessment test had cost him only a few hundred aura at most.

Yet All Might's injuries had gone through the roof.

But hey, at least it had worked.

'Also, good thing I only tried this after the festival, otherwise I'd have run out of energy midway,' He thought, snorting.

The 50k he had before all of it began? It would have been gone before he could have even begun the actual healing process.

And what would happen if he left a treatment like that half-finished?

He preferred not to find out any time soon.

But what's done is done.

'It's time to focus on what lays ahead.' Taka thought, focusing on All Might's figure, and then, on what it meant for the future.

He'd done this somewhat on a whim, so he hadn't thought through the consequences. Even if it was a pretty significant move—for canon, and for his carefully maintained secrets.

Though, on the other hand, One For All was already passed to Midoriya. Even with All Might healed, the Quirk would run its course sooner or later.

He doubted his healing had done anything to reverse that.

But at least the hero would be retiring more dignifiedly, now that he looked like an actual human being. And maybe he'd be better equipped to deal with All For One in their eventual fight after the summer camp.

—If canon continued as it should.

Who knew? Maybe his interference had already pushed things too far off course for that fight to play out the same way, or at all.

'What am I saying? Of course the canon is already derailed like crazy—Stain is behind bars without the chance to rally villains with his speech, Chisaki is without a Quirk and probably losing his mind over it, not to mention what beating the Nomu instead of All Might doing it might have changed.' Taka thought, mentally slapping his forehead. 'The path of the canon is in shambles. It's only going to go haywire from here.'

If the future bore any resemblance at all to canon from this point forward, he'd be shocked.

Except for school matters—those would probably stay roughly the same for a while. Final exams. The summer camp.

Sighing, his eyes fell back on All Might, who was now testing his movements, as if hunting for even the faintest trace of the pain he'd lived with every single day.

The excitement was hard to hide from his face.

Seeing him like that, Taka smiled too.

'Well, at least there's a new fallback if something goes wrong. Even if One For All will fade eventually, the limits his injuries imposed on how much he could use it should be gone now.'

His gaze shifted to Nezu, who had been patiently watching All Might examine himself in silence.

Picking up on the look, the rat seemed to understand what it meant, and turned back to All Might with his usual smile.

"How do you feel, All Might?"

The hero finally snapped out of his daze, looking between Nezu and Taka with a wide smile.

"I feel amazing, Principal. No discomfort of any sort… it's truly as if my body has been rebuilt to perfection!"

Then he focused on Taka specifically.

"Thank you, young man. Truly. I had already lost hope—but to think a day like this would come… I can only express my deepest gratitudes."

Taka gave a nod, though his actual question still hadn't been answered.

So he was straightforward about it this time, without using Nezu as a middleman.

"Your full power—can you use it?"

"…" All Might's eyes widened for an instant. Then he glanced at Nezu, who gave him a small nod of approval.

Sighing, he fell quiet, eyes dropping from Nezu to his own body, hands opening and closing as if gauging what was actually there.

"No." He answered plainly.

Taka's brow furrowed. Had the Quirk depleted too far, even with peak condition restored?

All Might's next words settled it.

"You've brought me back to a healthy state, but the power I used to access required my body to be in absolutely peak condition."

He flexed an arm. It was solid now that he was no longer a skeleton of a man, but Taka understood what he meant—the frame in front of him was nowhere near the mountain of muscle from All Might's golden age.

Right now, he looked like a teenager who'd maintained decent physical condition over the years and aged naturally—not the All Might who had trained to the absolute bone for decades and built himself into the superhuman he had been.

In other words: injured All Might had become healthy All Might, not peak All Might. Whatever that meant for the semantics of his Quirk.

"However, I can feel that the strength I'm able to tap into has grown tremendously, even if not what it once was at its peak." All Might smiled. "And now I feel as though I can hold the muscular form for several hours without issue."

Taka tilted his head. "Wait—I thought you couldn't hold that form because of your injuries. How is time still a factor even now that you're healed?"

All Might looked briefly caught off guard by how knowledgeable he looked about the problem.

He had expected the kid to be a bit more lost.

…Just how much had Nezu told him? Hopefully not too much about One For All.

Although—even if he had, at this point, Taka had become someone he owed a great deal to.

Maybe it'd be fine to do so personally one day.

When? He didn't know.

Regardless of his uncertainty, he answered. "Before, using the form worsened my condition directly. Now it's simply exhaustion—that muscular form is me flexing, after all. Imagine holding a full-body flex for hours, it's very tiring. Although, from now on I'll just need a brief rest to go back into it, unlike before, when my limited hours cost me the rest of the day."

Taka nodded, expression neutral.

"Basically—All Might will need to rebuild his musculature before that form stops being time-limited." Nezu stepped in, filling the gap. "The muscular form reflects what he looked like before the injuries gradually stripped away most of his muscle mass. For now, flexing makes him appear the same, but there's considerably less behind it than there used to be."

Taka nodded again.

'So in the end, even 100k aura was able to bring back peak All Might.' He sighed inwardly, disappointed that despite the expenditure in aura he still had failed to bring back the full Symbol of Peace .

Still, it was a stronger All Might than before. And that was all that mattered at this point.

'At least now I know a few more things about how my healing works.' Taka thought, letting out a satisfied huff, before slowly getting to his feet.

Once standing, he went to the nearby desk and picked up his things, before giving Nezu, Recovery Girl, and All Might a curt nod.

"Then, if everything's good here—I'm heading out. I have an appointment with my little sister to teach her guitar that's coming up soon, and if I don't move now I'll be late." He declared, already making his way to the door. "And I'm not an unpunctual guy."

With that, he gave the teachers one more nod of farewell, before closing the door behind him and leaving the room for good, his steps across the hallway echoing through the door.

The three teachers stared in silence as the furthering steps slowly became lower and lower, until they eventually ceased all together. Their faces utterly baffled, yet amused.

Leaving that quickly, that unbothered, and with such a priority in mind—as if he hadn't just healed the number one hero in Japan and effectively pulled him back from what had seemed like an irreversible decline.

All Might ended up letting out a short huff of laughter at the teenager's attitude.

"He's a peculiar boy."

"That he is," Nezu agreed. "And he grows more peculiar with each passing day. I'm excited to see what else he'll show us."

All Might nodded—before turning at Nezu with a wry look. "By the way, Principal…"

"Hmm?"

"The concert at the festival—you knew about it beforehand, didn't you? That's why you told me not to interfere."

"Me? What a crazy thing to suggest."

Nezu laughed, patting the man's back with an amused look.

"Now, nevermind the small details—let's have a proper talk. I'm sure you have plenty of questions."

"Can't say I don't."

All Might smiled slightly, casting one last glance back at the closed door, recalling Taka's figure leaving like nothing, even though he had been revealed as the most wanted vigilante in recent days.

Yet—

'I suppose that's fine.'

Criminal or not, he couldn't bring himself to hold anything against the teenager. The good he'd done so far was real, and even if the means had been illegal, Nezu was quietly steering him toward the right path.

There wasn't anything he could add to that.

Having settled whatever misgivings he might have had, he looked back at himself—his now-healed body, a stark contrast to the half-dead figure he'd grown used to seeing in the mirror.

'I wonder how young Midoriya will react.'

...

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| Several days later, at the subway station… |

...

"Alright, does everyone have their luggage and costumes?" Aizawa asked, scanning the crowd of students assembled in front of him.

""Yessir!""

Some responded properly, others simply held up their bags to make the point. Some with considerably more enthusiasm than others.

Aizawa ignored the inconsistency and gave a nod once he'd confirmed everyone had what they needed.

"Good. Remember—no wearing them in public. And mind your conduct at your internships. It won't be school. It'll be a professional environment, and you'll need to behave accordingly."

After that, he checked his phone, glanced at the time, and nodded.

"It's time. If that's understood—off you go. Good luck."

""Yessir!""

And with that, he left them to it.

From there, each student headed for their own train, since everyone had chosen different agencies. Some departed right away. Others had to wait, and filled the time with idle chatter.

Taka had settled into one of the empty seats nearby, his group drifting in around him.

"So—remind me again, which agency did everyone go with?" Sero asked, bag resting on his knees, grinning.

"Didn't we go over this on Friday?" Kirishima gave him a confused look.

"Yeah, but people change their minds. Who knows?"

"Well, I'm still going with Fourth Kind. He was the manliest choice on my list—pretty much a no brainer." Kirishima said, pumping a fist.

"Just because of that?" Sero stared at him.

"Leave him alone—that's his thing, so it makes sense for him." Kaminari laughed.

"What about you, Kaminari? You were still going back and forth by Friday."

The blonde froze for a split second, then a sly smile appeared.

"As a matter of fact—it turns out there's this heroine who uses electricity as well, a total babe. Hero AA is her name. She actually sent me an offer. Can you believe it?"

He pulled out his phone and showed everyone the hero's official page.

But the reaction he got was not the one he'd been hoping for.

"Dude. She looks like she could be your mom."

"Yeah—she's even blonde with a lightning bolt in her hair. You sure you didn't just get scouted by a distant relative?"

Kaminari's expression dropped.

"Huh?" He looked at the phone again. "Wait—for real?"

"If I were you, I'd check if there's any family resemblance."

Kaminari nodded slowly, staring at the screen like having a quiet existential crisis.

While that unfolded, the rest moved on.

"How about you, Jiro?" Sero turned to her.

She couldn't quite hide her smile, scratching her cheek. "Cangunnon from the Buster Union actually sent me an offer. When I asked the teachers about it, turns out Present Mic-sensei interned under them too—makes sense, since both our Quirks are sound-based."

"For real?! That's one of the hardest-hitting hero teams out there!" Kaminari leaned in, eyes wide.

"That's just what ranking high at the festival gets you, I guess." Sero sighed in a mildly tragic way. "My offers were nothing that wild by comparison. I ended up going with Arthropodman—his fighting style is a bit similar to mine, so hopefully that was the right call."

"Who's that?" Kirishima tilted his head.

"… You don't even know him." Sero muttered, deflating.

Ignoring his sulking, everyone turned to the last person in the group.

"And you, Takahashi? That many offers didn't paralyze you or anything?" Kaminari asked, with just a hint of bitterness.

Taka lifted his head from where he'd been dozing with his chin lowered. "Nighteye." He said, not sounding particularly sold on his own choice. "Seemed the most interesting, I guess."

That was the entirety of his reasoning.

The four could only stare at him.

Not that they could blame him—with that many offers, having deep reasons for any one pick probably became impossible after a while. Still, they couldn't help feeling a little jealous of just how freely he'd been able to choose on a whim.

"Nighteye, huh? That blonde third-year interned under him, didn't he?" Jiro commented, the meeting from the cafeteria surfacing in her memory.

"Yeah." Taka answered, sighing faintly at the mental image of spending a week around Togata's relentless good cheer.

He was not looking forward to it. The guy didn't look like the quiet type, which is what he'd prefer.

Contrastingly, Nighteye's stern look seemed much more pleasing.

"By the way—where is that third-year girl interning? Not under Nighteye as well, is she?" Jiro asked, frowning slightly.

"I think she's going to Ryukyu." Taka answered.

"Hm, is that so?" Jiro hummed, sounding satisfied with that answer for reasons Taka didn't particularly want to examine, so he let it go and went back to resting.

"Talking about Ryukyu—" Kaminari leaned in, lowering his voice slightly. "Has anyone noticed Midoriya keeps looking this way?"

"What does that have to do with Ryukyu?" Sero looked at him strangely.

"No idea. I just couldn't think of how to bring it up naturally. But it's starting to bother me."

The four of them glanced over.

Midoriya was looking in their direction.

—Or rather, since he didn't seem to notice all four of them looking back—

"He's looking at Takahashi." Jiro noted.

Taka opened his eyes and glanced lazily toward the greenhead.

Only then did Midoriya look away in a hurry.

"Look—he even tried not to get caught."

"What did you do to him, Takahashi?" Sero asked, laughing wryly, clearly picturing Taka having bullied the already nervous Midoriya into a paranoid state.

Taka shrugged.

"No idea. But he's usually like that around everyone, isn't he?"

"True, true." Kaminari nodded with deep agreement.

"Maybe he's just jealous of Taka's offers?" Kirishima offered, though he didn't look very sure about it.

"Like all of us."

Everyone scoffed—then immediately glanced at Taka with a pettiness they didn't bother hiding.

While they sulked over their own comment, Taka's gaze remained on the now-nervous Midoriya, who could clearly feel the attention.

'I'm guessing All Might, much like his pupil, is terrible at keeping secrets—not that I asked him to, but I thought he'd be sensible enough not to bring it up unprompted... Apparently, I was wrong.' He sighed inwardly.

Well. As long as Midoriya didn't start sharing things he shouldn't with the rest of the class, he didn't mind too much.

If Midoriya said too much—then he could just send the greenhead flying from a school window all the way to the USJ with one well-aimed punt.

"...!"

At that moment, Midoriya felt a chill crawl down his spine.

While Taka had such thoughts, barely keeping up with whatever chatter the group made in the background as the minutes passed, slowly more and more trains passed by.

More minutes later, most students gradually began boarding their trains, the group present at the station slowly thinning.

At some point, only a few remained, one of them Takahashi, who was still in his chair, calmly resting from a night of very responsible activities.

Since he had solved most of his issues, he had let himself indulge a bit in his old hobbies, like playing.

Turns out, he might have went at it a bit too hard, and ended up still awake by 3 AM.

Thus, he now was paying the price, feeling a bit under the weather.

Luckily, True Breathing was helping him feel a bit better. Though he wouldn't mind sleeping for a few hours right here and now.

"Your train still hasn't come, Takahashi?"

Just then, Jiro—who'd just returned from buying juice at a nearby machine—blinked to find him still sitting there, completely unbothered.

"Nope." He said, the p popping.

She scratched the side of her head. "That's strange—I'm pretty sure the train to the city Nighteye's agency is at should have come and gone by now."

"Must be your imagination."

"Hmm." She hummed, unconvinced, then sat back down and let it go.

A brief silence settled between them. Not awkward—the topics had simply run out after the long wait, and both were more or less in quiet mode until they could leave.

Until Jiro suddenly perked up, glancing at Taka from the corner of her eye with a small smile starting on her face.

"… So, Takahashi—you play music?"

Taka's head came up, looking at her with a baffled expression. "Where did that come from?"

"Nothing, nothing… you just seem like the type."

"…" Taka's mouth twitched.

She was making her suspicions pretty clear.

He turned it over for a few seconds.

But to his own mild surprise, he found he wasn't quite as determined to deflect as he usually was.

Maybe having All Might find out had made him slightly less guarded about it.

That, or the lack of sleep was making him more susceptible to her puppy eyes.

Taka shook his head. He'd have to play the long game a little while longer still, so no revelations to her for the time being.

Still…

He glanced at Jiro, who flinched faintly under the direct attention.

Then he opened his mouth.

"I guess… you could say I know a little."

Her eyebrows shot up and a proper smile appeared. "Oh, is that so? A little, huh? What do you usually play?"

Taka winced.

Give someone a hand and they'll take an arm.

He turned his face away, not bothering with more than he'd already given.

"Whatever sounds good."

"What does that even mean?" Jiro asked, her expression going flat all of a sudden.

Right on cue, a train began pulling in, and Jiro checked her phone.

"Well, that's mine. Lucky you—you're getting off scot-free this time."

"From what?" Taka asked, face calm but eyes clearly baiting her.

Her smile went tight, annoyance creeping in at the edges.

The train doors opened and Jiro got to her feet, picking up her things.

As she stepped toward the platform, she threw one last look back at him.

"See you in a week, Takahashi. Try not to cause too much trouble."

Taka let out a short laugh, smiled faintly, and waved her off without a word.

Jiro boarded, and the train pulled away. Taka looked it go, heaving a soft sigh.

Minutes later, it wasn't only Jiro who left. Whoever else had been waiting filed out too.

Leaving only one behind at the station.

"Took them a while." Taka muttered, standing up and brushing off his pants.

And instead of heading for a platform, he walked out of the station. Eventually reaching the street, and then an alleyway.

Standing in the quiet and the shadow of it, he pulled out his phone.

"They're not expecting me for another forty minutes." He muttered, shouldering his bag as he began to float.

He pocketed the phone. His figure blurred—then vanished, reappearing high in the sky a moment later, barely visible from below.

At that height, he raised a hand to shade his eyes from the sun, and fixed on the general direction of his new destination.

Done, he smiled, aura flaring around him.

"No reason to waste all that time sitting around. They're getting an early visitor."

And without further delay—

—BOOOM!—

He shot forward.

New destination: Nighteye's agency.

...

────────────────────────

-To Be Continued...-

────────────────────────

 

[The Synonym]

────────────────────────

[Nighteye]

────────────────────────

...

Inside the Nighteye agency, the hero in question sat at his desk, clicking rapidly through his keyboard while staring at his screen with focused intensity.

"It's quite breezy in here, isn't it, sir? Should I close the window?"

Beside him, Mirio Togata stood with his arms behind his back, swaying slightly left and right—most likely waiting for Nighteye to finish whatever he was working on and explain why he'd been called in.

"No need. The breeze is pleasant while I work." Nighteye clarified.

Mirio nodded, and after a few more seconds of silence, glanced at Nighteye's screen—more specifically, at its contents.

On it sat a picture of Taka, alongside a brief profile covering his Quirk and personal history. At the bottom, it noted his application to the agency, and his scheduled arrival as being… today.

Seeing that, Mirio's brows rose, a smile appearing on his face.

"That freshman actually applied here? I'm surprised. When I handed him your card, he didn't look entirely convinced... and with all the offers he must have gotten after the festival, I genuinely thought he'd go somewhere else."

Nighteye didn't bat an eye, simply adjusting his glasses as he continued typing.

"Nezu was the one who recommended him, so I assume he also nudged the boy our way. Otherwise, I agree with you. For a young man this promising, I doubt my agency would have stood out among his options."

"Come on, don't say that, sir."

"It's only logical, Mirio. With his performance in front of the whole country, the top heroes must have sent offers in numbers. Ours isn't likely to stand out among them."

Mirio could only laugh wryly at the cold facts delivered in Nighteye's usual matter-of-fact tone.

But then something in Nighteye's words made him blink.

"You said the principal recommended him, sir?"

"Yes. He was cryptic and difficult to read as ever. However, he said it was in my best interest to extend an offer to the boy—though I'm not entirely sure what he meant by that."

"As eccentric as ever, huh?" Mirio smiled wryly.

A brief pause settled, filled only with the sound of keys clicking. Then Nighteye spoke again.

"Since you've met him, what's your read on him, Mirio? From what I saw, he appears rather arrogant—daring to declare he'd surpass All Might's mark at the festival, how ridiculous. He may have followed through, yes, but that doesn't excuse the obvious overconfidence."

Mirio smiled wryly, eyes drifting across the All Might merchandise covering every available surface in the room.

It seemed sir hadn't taken kindly to Takahashi's history-making declaration.

He put a hand to his chin, thinking back on his own meeting with the freshman.

"I wouldn't call him arrogant, personally. When we met, he was mostly quiet and reserved, if anything. He even seemed uncomfortable when Nejire bombarded him with questions—but he didn't turn her away until she'd gotten through all of them. If anything, he just didn't strike me as someone who enjoys social situations."

Nighteye didn't respond, simply continuing to type as he listened.

Mirio thought on it a bit longer, this time recalling the festival recordings and the string of edits that had spread across his feed afterward.

Setting aside Nighteye's obvious bias from his All Might fanaticism, Taka's personality still read as a little flamboyant—erratic behavior and strange choices that somehow only made him more popular with the crowd.

But if there was one thing that stood out to him…

"I think he might be a good classmate. Given the kind of power he had on display, there were plenty of moments where he could have ended his opponents in one move—but didn't. He let them show what they had first, then defeated them. And when he did knock someone out, he usually just tossed them off the platform rather than doing anything worse."

Nighteye gave a faint nod, as if already aware of as much.

"I suppose we will see soon." He said, finally turning to Mirio. "The school has just notified me that Takahashi should be arriving in roughly thirty minutes. As his senior, it will be your responsibility to meet him at the station. I'll be here when you both return, finishing the weekly report."

"Thirty minutes?" Mirio repeated, gauging the time window, then gave a nod. "Got it, sir."

"When you're back, and after I've briefed him on his responsibilities for the week, I'll have you show him around and to his room."

"Room two, right? That one's been empty for a while now."

"Correct. Now start making your way—since he'll be more or less a guest here, it would be inappropriate to leave him waiting at the station."

"Yes, sir!"

"No need."

Both heroes' pupils shrank as an unfamiliar voice suddenly came from somewhere in the room.

Their heads snapped toward it—and the owner made himself apparent quickly, clearly not intending to hide.

"..."

"..."

Taka was there, sitting at the window with his back against the frame, the curtains swaying in a wind with no clear origin, his hair catching it mystically.

"Sorry for the interruption. The window was open, so I let myself in."

The alert dropped out of both of them at once—and was replaced immediately by pure bafflement, cautious expressions flattening into deadpans.

The new intern was here. But… why like that?

"I've changed my mind, Mirio—go ahead and show him around first, then come find me. I'll brief him on his duties after." Nighteye said.

"… Yes, sir."

...

°

°

°

| Minutes later… |

...

Taka and Mirio now walked the corridors of the agency together, door by door, Mirio narrating as they went.

"This is the meeting room. We use it at the end of each day for anything important—case progress, notable incidents, that sort of thing. Also for meetings with other heroes from outside, though that doesn't happen often."

"…"

"This here is the cafeteria. It may be small, but with how few of us there are, everyone fits. You can eat the food you bring here, but we also have a small stock of simple meals just in case."

"…"

"Down there are the bathrooms. There's also one in your dormitory room, so you won't need to use those much."

"…"

"We also have a small office for any online work or research you might need. Though, as an intern, you'll mostly be observing and learning—so you probably won't be spending much time in there."

"…"

"Oh, and how could we forget the indispensable janitor's closet! Though he usually comes by well after we're all asleep, so we rarely see him—except for sir, who stays late to greet him."

"…"

Mirio didn't seem deterred by the wall of silence. Since Taka was looking around and giving small nods, he appeared to actually be paying attention, even if he had nothing to add.

Soon they reached the dormitory area—small, with at most three rooms spread along a short corridor.

Mirio led him to the door marked with a two, opened it, and showed him a compact but comfortable room with everything he'd need.

"This is yours for the week. We're up and ready by six in the morning, so try not to stay up too late."

Taka nodded—though this one nod was faintly less convincing.

"That's the last stop. We should head back so sir can walk you through what you'll be doing the rest of the week. Leave your things here for now."

With another faint nod, the bag on Taka's shoulder and the briefcase he'd brought flew across the room and settled on the bed on their own.

Mirio watched with an impressed look.

"What a convenient Quirk… can you just grab things from across the room whenever you feel like it?"

"Yeah."

"Oh!" Stars appeared in Mirio's eyes.

After that, both left the dormitories.

Minutes later, they were back at Nighteye's office. Stepping inside, both noticed the window was now shut, before their eyes found Nighteye already waiting at his desk.

"Everything went smoothly, Mirio?"

"Yes, sir. Full tour!" He did a salute.

"Good."

Nighteye turned to Takahashi, his serious, almost stern gaze settling on him with full weight.

"You can leave us now."

"Oof—you're not putting him through that test, are you, sir?"

"I am. Even with Nezu's recommendation, I need to see for myself his qualifications."

Mirio gave Taka a pitying look and stepped out—leaving the two most cheerful people in the world alone together.

"…"

"…"

Awkward silence filled the room.

A full thirty seconds passed before Nighteye spoke.

"I saw your performance at the festival. I'll admit—you're a promising future hero." He adjusted his glasses and fixed Taka with a sharp look. "However, do not let arrogance overtake you. It's been the downfall of many who showed the same early potential. You're still far from any comparison to All Might, and I hope you're aware of that."

"For now." Taka answered plainly.

Nighteye's frown deepened visibly.

"Confidence is a necessary quality for greatness, I suppose… Then I hope you won't mind a test of mine. It's designed to tell me how much potential you truly carry to become the hero you claim you will."

Taka slid his hands into his pockets, unhurried.

"Sure, fire away."

A small smile crossed Nighteye's face, barely noticeable.

"Then, the test for you is… to make me laugh."

The very next second, he expected confusion, or at least a visible hesitation to appear on the youth's face. That was what usually happened with every intern or sidekick who came through his door.

But Taka didn't hesitate. Instead he pointed a finger at him, completely confident.

"Sure."

And of course he was like that. He'd known what Nighteye was going to ask from even before this day, so he'd come prepared.

With the best joke he knew.

"Tell me—what is the fish that makes a 'tssss' sound?"

"I don't know. What fish is it?"

"The fried fish."

"…"

Not a single muscle on Nighteye's face moved.

'That didn't work?!' Taka's expression froze.

That was the joke Seiji used to tell him whenever he tried to act like the annoying man wasn't there, and it never failed to crack him despite his best efforts. How did it have no effect here?!

'This guy is something else… no wonder he's a pro hero.' Taka thought, a bead of sweat rolling down his temple as he found himself with his best option already used up.

—Or not.

His mouth curled slightly.

As a thorough aura farmer, of course he'd prepared a contingency for exactly this.

If his own humor couldn't crack this man, then maybe someone else's would.

'I didn't want to do this, but you've left me no choice.'

He pulled out his phone and turned the screen toward Nighteye, who raised an eyebrow.

Then, a video began playing.

There, All Might landed on an open field in front of the school, the dust rising and swallowing his figure whole.

{"I AM—"}

Then it cleared, revealing, for Nighteye's widening eyes—

{"—A CLOWN!"}

—All Might, sporting a rainbow wig and a red nose.

Then he reached into his pocket and produced a small rubber horn.

-Honk, honk-

A beat of awkward silence passed.

{"Is that enough, young Takahashi? Who are you even planning to show thi—"}

The video cut off.

Nighteye's face contorted. He brought a hand quickly to his mouth and held it there, not making a sound.

Despite it, Taka wore a smug look.

'Good thing I called in that favor the day after I healed him.'

When he decided to come here, he recalled the grateful look in All Might's face when he got healed and thus decided to ask for this favor just in case Nighteye might be feeling testy.

The hero had seemed a bit weirded out, but agreed in the end.

'And it worked perfectly.' Taka thought, snorting at Nighteye's tightly closed eyes and struggling look.

It took a full minute before the hero had his composure fully back, his face returning to its usual impenetrable stillness—as if he hadn't been a breath away from laughing moments before.

"Unfortunately, that doesn't count. It wasn't you who made me laugh." Nighteye said, adjusting his glasses.

"I planned for it, though—so technically it was."

"You planned for it?" One of Nighteye's brows rose.

"I…"

Taka paused, realizing he'd said more than he should have.

"Ask Nezu."

And swept it cleanly under the rug.

Nighteye didn't look entirely convinced, but knowing he'd have to consult the principal about several things later anyway, he gave a nod of mild acceptance.

"That still doesn't make you the one who made me laugh, however."

Taka fell quiet, visibly a little annoyed at the man's persistence.

He glanced back at his phone and turned the screen on again.

"I see… then I suppose this video is useless. Might as well delete—"

"Nevermind. On second thought, I'll overlook that small detail. You've passed, Takahashi."

Taka slid the phone back into his pocket, expression unimpressed.

Letting out an almost imperceptible sigh of relief, Nighteye moved straight to business. "Now that that's settled—let's go over what your responsibilities here will be for the week, since you're my intern from now on."

He proceeded to walk Taka through the agency's general schedule and where he'd fit into it.

Three patrols throughout the day—one early in the morning, one around midday, and one in the evening. A break for lunch in the afternoon. Night patrols were handled by a separate squad and wouldn't involve him.

For most of it, he'd be accompanying Mirio—observing how incidents were handled, occasionally helping with physical tasks if needed. Carrying people, moving medical supplies, that sort of thing.

Overall, a fairly quiet schedule given what he was capable of. But he didn't have much of a choice until he had his provisional license.

Besides, if it got genuinely unbearable, he could always dip out and leave a clone to deal with all this.

For now though, he'd try to stick to Nezu's plan. He was curious about Nighteye's Quirk as well—specifically how it would interact with him, the very person responsible for derailing canon in the first place.

Though he'd leave the explaining to Nezu. He was the one who'd sent him here, so he could handle telling Nighteye whatever needed to be said and dealing with whatever came after.

As for himself—he'd make the best of this internship. Powerful as he was, this was genuinely his first time working alongside heroes. Or close to it.

That was worth something.

Suddenly, Nighteye checked the watch on his wrist, squinting faintly. "... And since you're already here, there's no reason to delay it. You'll go out with Mirio for the second patrol. Twenty minutes, get your costume."

'Right away, huh?'

Taka nodded and left without complaint. His pace slightly hurried.

Walking back through the hallway toward his room, the calm of his expression shifted, just a little.

A small smile surfaced.

If he was being honest—he was a bit excited.

He'd seen hero work up close growing up alongside Seiji, sometimes following him to the job. Never too close—but closer than most people ever got.

The years he'd spent with a Quirk he thought was mediocre had only deepened his sense of wonder at this world.

So, with this being his first real step into the thing itself—setting aside his vigilantism, which was its own kind of pseudo-heroism—he couldn't quite stop himself from wondering what was waiting out there.

'Besides—it's finally time I showed off the new look.' Taka's smirk settled more firmly as he thought of the briefcase sitting on his bed.

His new hero suit was ready.

And it was time to let the villains out there get a good look at it.

...

────────────────────────

-To Be Continued...-

────────────────────────

 

[The Synonym]

────────────────────────
[Debut]
────────────────────────

…

Across the city, people went on with their daily activities like any other day. Taking the bus, calling a cab, going in and out of all sorts of buildings, or just walking by alone or with friends.

In a less central part of the city, life wasn't so different. Purposes just varied a little.

Some people were heading out to restock food, others were waiting at bus stops to go elsewhere, and some were sitting calmly on benches, relaxing.

Yet none of them were able to remain indifferent when, all of a sudden, two figures appeared around the corner and made their way down the street unhurried, but carrying themselves with a quiet confidence that drew the eye.

One of them was a broad-shouldered blonde in a white, gold, and red hero suit with the number 1,000,000 on his chest. His steps were confident but light—almost bouncy—like he was radiating some inexhaustible good cheer.

This was Mirio Togata. A hero in the making already in his third year, also once a primary candidate to become All Might's successor, and the future number one ranked hero… in another timeline at least.

As he walked, he turned toward his patrolling partner.

Takahashi.

He studied the way the kid carried himself on what could reasonably be considered his first real patrol.

Absolute confidence.

He really couldn't describe it any other way.

His way of walking didn't look extraordinary at first glance—but there was something in the way he carried himself that gave off the feeling of a seasoned hero whose mere presence was enough to make anyone nearby feel safer.

Strange, given that Mirio was supposed to be the one showing him the ropes.

Still, regardless of whatever he was feeling, he had a job to do.

"I bet you're nervous. I was incredibly nervous during my first internship. I wanted to absorb every bit of wisdom I could from my senior heroes, even from the most ordinary moments. But don't worry, being a hero is hardly sixth dimensional science. Just do your best, and people will start looking up to you right away!"

"But you're not a full hero yourself yet either, are you?" Taka gave him a look.

"Well, I'm sure I'm not wrong regardless!"

Taka nodded, not exactly agreeing with the optimistic outlook, but not arguing it either.

"By the way—we've put our costumes on and stepped out into the streets, which makes us heroes right now. But we haven't told each other our hero names, have we?" Mirio pointed out, gesturing between them.

"I believe we haven't."

"I'll go first then. I'm Lemillion. I know I can't save everyone, but I want to save at least a million, that's the goal. Hence the name. What about you, Takahashi?"

"My hero name is Auros—"

Taka paused, weighing whether to go into the explanation about gold and the old terminology for mountain.

However, after a beat, he just gave a thumbs up.

"... I chose it because it sounded neat."

Mirio nearly tripped, sweatdropping.

"Because of that…?"

"There were other reasons. But if I'm being honest, that's the main one."

'Plus it's kind of my power, so it fits neatly—but no one's going to figure that out, given that no one here actually knows what aura is.' Taka added inwardly.

"Well…"

Mirio seemed to turn the name over a few times, tasting it, before giving a wide smile and a thumbs up back.

"It does sound pretty cool, I'll give you that. Fits the serious vibe! If I were a villain, I'd be scared."

Taka nodded, the corner of his mouth lifting ever so slightly.

'So the vibe is still there. Good.'

He glanced down at his new outfit.

It was similar to the old one—just a bit more personalized and less dark-fantasy.

The hat was gone. As much as he liked the shadow it gave off, it was a nuisance during combat and high-speed movement. He could keep it in place, sure—but it was still an unnecessary thing to focus on.

He'd taken it off during the Nomu fight for exactly that reason. Fighting something like that with his aura reserves at the time, while also keeping a hat pinned would have been pretty auratic, yes, but also pretty idiotic.

So he'd dropped it from the suit. He still had it stashed somewhere for the occasion that called for a dramatic hat-tip. But for now, no hat.

Next, the cloth that had covered his mouth was replaced with a proper mask with an air filter. Easier to breathe in, and it looked more modern.

His long coat was no longer worn—instead it hung over his shoulders, the way a mafia boss might wear one, or a certain Viltrumite with the most iconic drip in the universe.

He was testing a less bulky silhouette without completely removing something for the wind to catch.

The belts were also gone as they had been a tad unnecessary in the context of a hero suit.

Overall the changes weren't dramatic, he was still wearing practically the same clothes, but the effect they gave him now was different.

Equally serious but less villainous.

Something like Gang Orca.

—Although the saw cleaver hanging at his waist did push things back toward villainous a little.

'But I wouldn't give you up for anything.' Taka gave the weapon an affectionate caress.

He'd grown attached to the thing. Though, mostly for the aesthetic and how good it looked. In the practice, even a stick could replicate its function with the aura he now carried, but it certainly wouldn't look half as cool.

—Unless he was cutting a mountain or something. In that case the stick would probably look cooler.

Or maybe his bare hand would be cooler, going for a mere gesture being enough to cause all that devastation.

'Guess the art of farming aura is too versatile to categorize properly.'

While he turned that over idly, both heroes in training continued the patrol with not much happening, following the route Nighteye had given both—which was standard for this early in the shift.

At least, that's how it usually went for Mirio.

But that was about to change.

"Hey, Lemillion." Taka suddenly spoke up.

"What's up?" Mirio turned, tilting his head.

Taka jabbed a thumb toward an alleyway at their side.

"I'm getting the strangest feeling that something might be happening about two streets over in that direction… can we check it out?"

Mirio slowed, then stopped altogether, giving him a perplexed look.

Then a wry smile.

"You're… having a feeling?"

"Yeah."

"…"

Mirio fell quiet, scratching his head with visible internal conflict.

On one hand, this was an official patrol—they couldn't just reroute on a hunch. On the other, this was Taka's first patrol, so turning him down felt a bit wrong.

'Well, patrols are somewhat flexible as long as the whole area we're responsible for stays covered… so I suppose it's not a huge issue.'

Sighing, he gave Taka a nod.

"Alright. But we're making it quick. We don't want to stray too far from the route."

Taka nodded calmly.

Seconds later, the two had crossed two alleyways and one street, stepping back into the light at the road Taka had pointed toward.

Both stood there for a moment, scanning their surroundings.

As the seconds ticked by with nothing happening, Mirio felt a bead of sweat roll down his forehead.

"Well, don't sweat it too much, Auros. I've had feelings like this plenty of times myself. Usually it's just hunger or boredom making me believe they are some sort of sixth or seventh sense. Sir's patrol routes are designed carefully to minimize anything slipping through, so don't worry too mu—"

—VROOOOOOOM!—

—CRASH!—

"Outta the way!"

Without warning, the window of a small store around the corner exploded outward as a motorcycle carrying two figures burst through it, each of them loaded with bags stuffed to the brim with cash and goods.

The people on the street scattered in a hurry as the bike accelerated, weaving through them without the slightest regard.

It sped up and away—clean, fast. The perfect crime, over before anyone had fully processed what had happened.

Or so everyone thought.

-Tap-

Lemillion's eyes widened faintly as he heard Taka's foot touch the ground once.

Then—

—CRASH!—

The motorcycle slammed into something invisible and came to a violent stop, the impact launching both riders into the air.

They hung there for a moment—suspended, motionless.

Then, slowly, they began to descend. After a while, they settled onto the pavement exactly where they'd crashed. The motorcycle followed, lowering beside them without a sound.

Mirio stood watching the whole spectacle with his mouth open.

"Well, what a coincidence. A small pebble just so happened to block and overthrow both of them" Taka said, already walking toward the downed robbers at an unhurried pace. He glanced back at Mirio, who was following beside him, still too shocked to say anything, and gave a thumbs up.

Mirio gave one back, too surprised to do anything else.

"By the way, you're not going to believe me, but that direction is giving me a feeling too…"

...

°

°

°

| Somewhere in the Nagano mountains, underground… |

...

In a dark room, All For One sat calmly in his chair, one finger tapping the armrest as the steady beeping of medical equipment filled the air with a heavy, ominous rhythm.

—Bzzzz!—

A portal opened several meters behind him, and a figure stepped through.

"I'm back, master," Kurogiri announced as the portal closed.

"Welcome back, Kurogiri. How did it go, has Tomura settled into the new base?"

"He has some complaints about the internet connection." Kurogiri said, with a faint helpless note in his voice, before giving a nod. "But nothing beyond that. We've also made contact with several local villain figures and more influential names in the underworld. A number have agreed to join us, or at least to ally. I believe the pressure Takahashi's presence has been applying has done a great deal for Tomura Shigaraki's growth. All Might had been an static target, Takahashi however has proved himself a looming threat, fueling his focus to great lengths."

All For One's smile shifted into a grin. "Good. Very good. Perhaps the safety net we'd been giving Tomura had been stunting him without our realizing it. A real threat may be exactly the pressure he needs to become something greater."

Kurogiri listened in silence.

Then All For One tilted his head slightly, as if regarding Kurogiri from the corner of his perception, even though he couldn't see.

"Besides that—how have our little tests gone?"

Kurogiri gave an affirmative nod. "You were right, master. Our people among the civilian population noted consistent surveillance on the bar over the past week—several individuals of similar appearance, some aerial, others at street level, all of them, however, oddly interested in our previous base, and all of them with their face mostly covered up. I made appearances at regular intervals to make it seem we were still operating from there... And given their lack of reaction or behavioral change, it's unlikely they know we've relocated."

"So I was right." All For One laughed quietly. "Takahashi-kun really did have eyes on our previous location—"

He turned toward one of the nearby monitors. On it, feeds from various cameras showed the surrounding forest and mountain terrain—undisturbed, no movement beyond the occasional bird crossing the frame.

"—And yet, he has yet to appear anywhere near this one. Is he managing to evade our detection somehow… or is this clear evidence of the limits of his unusual knowledge?"

He chuckled to himself, then tapped the monitor and brought up a document on the larger screen showing Taka's registered internship placement under Nighteye, turning it toward Kurogiri.

"According to our informant, Takahashi-kun chose Nighteye's agency for his internship week."

Kurogiri's yellow eyes amidst the mist widened, interest growing in his tone. "An alleged clairvoyant, going to another clairvoyant for training… If our suspicions are wrong, that would be an extraordinary coincidence,"

All For One nodded, his quiet laughter continuing as the evidence piled up.

"Beyond that, it presents us with a perfect opportunity."

"Master?"

"Takahashi-kun is powerful. Based on the doctor's analysis of available footage, even deploying another Nomu at the level of the one used at U.A. would likely accomplish little—he's already grown past that. A conventional villain wouldn't fare much better. If we want to move against him decisively, the options narrow considerably—down to taking action myself."

A brief silence settled, heavy with the weight of that implication. Taking action himself—with his deteriorating condition, it was as significant a risk as it was a threat.

They had remained hidden all these years for a reason.

Even if they took care of Takahashi, what good would it be if his master ended up captured, or worse, killed, once the heroes arrived?

Kurogiri shook his head. It wasn't a wise decision, no matter how much of a threat Takahashi appeared to be.

"But that's only if we face Takahashi at his full strength." All For One suddenly added, and Kurogiri straightened slightly.

"What do you mean, master?"

"His cloning ability has proven extremely versatile. He can be in multiple places at once without needing to be there himself—and each clone carries tremendous power, from what the recordings show. In effect, he is an army unto himself… However, I highly doubt those clones come without cost, or that they're equal to the original. If they were, he would have deployed them against opponents that clearly gave him trouble in the past, rather than facing those situations personally."

Kurogiri nodded, recalling the handful of notable instances—the three A-class villains Taka had dealt with when he first came to attention, and Gigantomachia. Both situations where the clones would have helped considerably if they had been that powerful, and yet he'd largely managed them without them.

It strongly implied a real cost per clone—a portion of his power, perhaps more.

"'Divide et impera'… divide and conquer," All For One said with quiet amusement. "—Only this time, we will be the ones doing exactly that, in the most literal sense."

Suddenly, the entire base began trembling rhythmically, as if something enormous were approaching.

The monitor feeds shook.

"And once we have spread Takahashi-kun thin, we will draw the real one out."

A shape appeared on one of the cameras—enormous, like a shadow moving across the sun itself.

"And when we do, we'll be able to deal with him once and for all."

He leaned forward, pressing a button at the edge of the monitor.

"Isn't that right, Machia?"

"Master..."

...

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-To Be Continued...-

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(A/N: All For One has Taka completely figured out.

Or does he?)