22 Chapter 21
"I'm bored..."
With school being closed to facilitate the police's investigation and an internal security review, Izuku found himself with the day off and no plans. If it were the past, he would have spent his free time modifying patents or conducting market research. However, while that was still an option, his diminished Intelligence and Dexterity made it comparable to playing his favorite game on inferior hardware. He could; it simply wasn't as enjoyable.
*ding*
"Hmmm?"
Since his phone was set to chime only if there was an emergency or a high-priority message, Izuku was both surprised and not to find he had received a text from Nezu.
'If it isn't an inconvenience, please make your way to the school as soon as possible. There are matters of paramount importance we would like to discuss with you.'
"There go my chances of asking one of the girls on a date..." muttered Izuku. However, despite this utterance, he practically leaped out of bed to prepare. There were only a handful of reasons Nezu could be calling him in like this, most of which were extremely beneficial. Thus, after telling his mom the police needed to ask him a few follow-up questions, Izuku ran to the school instead of taking the train...
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Surprised by how quickly Izuku had reached the campus, Nezu, once again accompanied by All Might and Tsukauchi, remarked, "You're here much sooner than I expected, Midoriya-kun. Were you in the area when you received my message?"
Adopting a wry smile and rubbing the back of his head, Izuku revealed, "Sensei's text mentioned this was a matter of paramount importance, so I came running as quickly as I could. My maximum speed is faster than the trains at the station, so I...may have violated the provision prohibiting the use of Quirks without a license..."
Though Tsukauchi frowned upon hearing Izuku's admission, Nezu and All Might were all smiles as the former exhaled a light chuckle and mused, "I appreciate you treating this matter seriously. However, as the Principal of UA, I'm obligated to ask you not to violate the statutes of the Association in the future."
Without waiting for Izuku's response, Nezu shifted his gaze to Tsukauchi, asking, "Well then, shall we be off?"
Nodding his head, Tsukauchi rose to his feet while Nezu hopped down from the sofa, the duo hastily departing so that All Might and Izuku could be alone. Their sudden and swift exit caused tensions within the room to become palpable, but Izuku did his best to appear calm despite sitting as straight as a rod.
Leaning forward and linking his fingers together, All Might's expression and tone were solemn as he revealed, "The duo you identified as Tenko Shimura and Oboro Shirakumo have disappeared from their confinement. According to the medical team responsible for their treatment, a strange black liquid burst forth from their mouths, swallowing them before the on-site security had a chance to respond..."
Though he wasn't surprised by All Might's words, Izuku couldn't prevent a discontent frown from marring his face. Tomura was a key player in many of the future events he wished to avoid. If All Might had killed rather than apprehended him, All-for-One would either need to reveal himself or bide his time rearing a new successor...
Believing that Izuku was upset because the man who had targeted him and his friends had gotten away, All Might adopted a somewhat forced smile, assuring, "Worry not, young Midoriya. We have competent people working around the clock to uncover their location. We'll locate and have them in custody before you know it."
Forcing a smile of his own, Izuku replied, "I pray that's the case...that Quirk, Decay, seems like it could cause tremendous harm if allowed to be unleashed at its full potential..."
Recalling the danger he had felt when Tomura attempted to touch his face, All Might couldn't help nodding in response to Izuku's words. Then, with a resolute look, he said, "Alas, that isn't the reason I called you here. Rather, in light of recent developments, there's something important we need–no, we 'must' discuss..."
Waiting for Izuku to steel himself and reply, "I'm ready..." All Might went on to reveal the origin of his combined Quirks, One-for-All, the fate of its many wielders, and the responsibility thrust upon them. They had been engaged in a more than one-hundred-year struggle to defeat a man who referred to himself as All-for-One, the Symbol of Evil.
As his name implied, All-for-One had the power to steal the Quirks of people he touched, utilizing them for his own purposes or transplanting them into others. Doing so had allowed him to become the shadow ruler of the world, as, with the exception of One-for-All's wielders, there were none who could oppose him. Even then, until All Might's generation, every single user of One-for-All had been slain by All-for-One.
Listening to All Might recount his past, Izuku's body was incomparably tense. He was well acquainted with everything All Might was revealing, but hearing it in person hit differently. The gravitas of All Might's words placed legitimate pressure on him, leaving him completely speechless in their wake...
Meeting Izuku's gaze, All Might's body began exuding steam as he said, "I'm telling you these things for three reasons, Midoriya-kun. Yesterday's events revealed that my nemesis, All-for-One, may still be alive. If not, a person with a very similar power has appeared. Thus, if you are to inherit my power in the future, becoming the Ninth Successor of One-for-All, you must be prepared for the possibility of facing off against the greatest evil this world has ever known...can you do that? Can you stare into the abyss of evil without flinching?"
Overwhelmed by the intensity of All Might's words, Izuku found himself unable to respond. He honestly wasn't sure he had what it took to face off against a genuine monster like All-for-One. However, if he sat back and entrusted everything to others, there was a 'very' good chance he would come to regret it. Thus, as the silence between him and All Might lingered, Izuku's expression gradually hardened, culminating in the response, "If it must be done, I would rather it be me than someone else..."
Having already lived and sacrificed himself once, Izuku felt he had less of a right to live in this world than others. He may have the memories of the original Izuku, but he was ultimately an 'outsider' taking advantage of his previous life's knowledge for personal gain. If he didn't give anything back at all, he would have done more harm to this world than good. And Izuku hated having red in his ledger...
Though it took a little longer than he would have liked, Izuku's response brought a smile to All Might's face. After all, while the desire to be a Hero was required to wield One-for-All, it was far more important to possess a strong will and a spirit of sacrifice. Most aspiring Heroes sincerely wanted to help others, but very few would walk into a situation knowing there was a strong possibility they would die...
Canceling his 'muscle form' transformation, All Might abruptly changed from a 220cm, 255kg mountain of muscle to a lanky, borderline skeletal man with a gaunt face and sunken eyes. It was an exceptionally drastic transformation, but Izuku didn't flinch, asking, "Is this the side-effect of overdrawing your power?"
Shaking his head, All Might raised his dress shirt to reveal a vicious scar that radiated from his rib cage like a webbed impact crater. Just looking at it would cause others to wince, but All Might just exhaled a sigh, his voice surprisingly deep and gravelly as he explained, "During my battle with All-for-One, I received an injury that damaged most of my internal organs and annihilated my stomach. Now, I can only wield my power for around three hours before compromising the total amount of time I have left."
Letting his shirt fall, All Might, better known as Toshinori in his current form, met Izuku's gaze as he added, "This is the true reason I became a teacher at UA. While teaching here, people won't expect me to appear as frequently as I used to. It allows me to save what little power I have left to teach the person that will become my successor..."
Swallowing hard, Izuku would be lying if he said he wasn't nervous while asking, "Does that mean...?"
Nodding his head, Toshinori replied, "If you're willing, I would like you, Izuku Midoriya, to inherit my power and, if possible, become the next Symbol of Peace. I believe that your Digitalization Quirk may be the only power that can adapt my own before the next great battle. I don't know when it will occur, but if All-for-One is truly still alive, it's only a matter of time before he strikes..."
Understanding better than anyone just how right Toshinori was, Izuku no longer hesitated, nodding his head with a firm resolution in his eyes. He still believed his Quirk was more than capable of securing his position in the world, but with monsters exceeding Level 1000 appearing, he simply didn't have time to take things slow. Not when most of the major events he was knowledgeable of occurred during the original Izuku's first year in school...
Seeing the determination in Izuku's eyes, Toshinori plucked one of the luminous golden hairs from his head, grinning like a skull-faced demon as he said, "Now, if you've prepared yourself, eat this."
"..."
Though he knew it was coming, Izuku still deadpanned in response to Toshinori's words. However, eating a hair was far less disconcerting than imbibing All Might's blood, sweat, tears, or saliva. Thus, after a moment of silence, Izuku forced a smile and asked, "Can I put it on a bagel and wash it down with some coffee...?"
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A few hours after ingesting All Might's hair, Izuku was in a training room prepared by Nezu, his exposed upper body caked in sweat as he fended off the never-ended swarm of ghost-like opponents wearing trenchcoats and black bodysuits, clones provided as a courtesy of his Mathematic's teacher, Phantom Hero: Ectoplasm.
Though Ectoplasm was far from the most physically capable Hero, even losing his legs in the line of duty, his ability to create upwards of thirty-six ghostly clones made him a difficult opponent. At the very least, that was the case for ordinary opponents and Villains.
With azure blue electricity crackling around his body, Izuku repelled six of Ectoplasm's clones with the wind pressure generated by his hand. Then, in the same series of motions, he executed a sweeping sidekick, creating a blade-like shockwave that bifurcated the clones and left an impression in the reinforced steel wall behind them.
"This is incredible..." muttered Izuku, unable to keep a smile from his face even as his body screamed in protest. After all, not only was he adapting to the energy flowing through his body, but every time he defeated one of Ectoplasm's clones, his Experience would increase upwards of 1,500 EXP in a single go. It was indescribably exhilarating...
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Name: [Izuku Midoriya]
Quirk: Digitalization, Transfer, Stockpiling, Singularity, Gearshift(sealed), Fa Jin(sealed), Danger Sense(sealed), Blackwhip(sealed), Smokescreen(sealed), Float(sealed)
Current Level: 16->19 (54,108->88,295 EXP)
Effective Level: 485
[Attributes]
Strength: 50->680(A/N: With OFA Activated)
Agility: 50->680(A/N: With OFA Activated)
Vitality: 100->2720(A/N: With OFA Activated)
Intelligence: 62
Dexterity: 50->680(A/N: With OFA Activated)
Luck: 15->30(From Leveling-Up)
Free Attributes: 0
Rerolls Available: 2
[Perks]
[Bronze Skin], [Fleet-footed], [Lesser Regeneration], [Healthy Body], [Sharp Mind], [Nimble Fingers]
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(A/N: For those disappointed with this development, the novel is called BNHA: Singularity for a reason. But don't worry, while Izuku may have inherited One-for-All, it will ultimately be playing second fiddle to his Digitalization Quirk and the many Perks it provides.)
