After the battle, Taiko returned to the others at the observation post. He leaned his back against the wall and silently watched his classmates, replaying the incident in his head. Many mistakes had been made. Some on his part, no less serious, but far more on the hero team's. Momo, however, stood out from the crowd: throughout the match, she methodically built a strategic advantage for the villain team, giving them almost no reason to criticize. She had much to learn.
It would have been naive to expect more from Denki and Kyouka's first combat training session, but Denki surprised them. He held his own under stress and, despite the psychological pressure, delivered an unexpected response. His Quirk was used deliberately, without unnecessary fuss. Although the attack was largely ignored physically, it struck a chord within Taiko. Outwardly childish and frivolous, he showed an unexpected strength in battle.
Kyouka acted more cautiously, using her ability strictly when necessary, though neither of them were yet perfect. Taking advantage of Taiko's moment of confusion, Kyouka managed to break free and escape. For Grimm, this would have been a serious defeat; lost prey always left a bitter taste. But Grimm was in the past. It didn't matter anymore.
He was far more preoccupied with thoughts of Oneself, to the point of aching in his head. A fragment of the previous AFO Quirk Resonance had engendered something new within him: a seed that was almost fully formed into a second Quirk. The first was his own—Hornet King, the antithesis of Kuinn`s quirk. He immediately recalled that childhood incident with the tree and the beehive. Such things are unforgettable.
He had no idea what had happened during the Quirk Resonance on "Jaku Night," but surely the energy for the split had to come from somewhere? Taiko suspected that All For One had lost one of his Quirks at that moment, disintegrating into energy and flowing into Taiko, where it began to transform. While this energy might have been the energy of a stolen Quirk, over the long time AFO possessed it, the Quirk could have altered its signature and acquired a tint of his hostile energy. True, esotericism is generally closer to the study of Quirks than non-speculative science, but esoteric terminology explains many things related to Quirks and their nature. The biofield, the flow of energy, the energetic imprint of a person's personality, and the will that energy carries.
Did Denki notice?
A spark flew between them—certainly not in the way they might have thought. Literally, some kind of reverse charge received from Denki. Definitely not his Quirk. An instant, comparable in speed to a flash of light. Had Oneself reflected Denki's electricity? Or did he receive something from Denki? The former assassin couldn't remember which side Oneself had affected, which he sensed only through the familiar feeling of resonance, something he'd experienced twice before. It was as if Oneself had sent a signal into Denki's body... and that was it. At least outwardly. Now Denki was being carried on a stretcher to the infirmary, his face battered.
«There are no visible changes. It's unclear what exactly the Quirk affected,» — Taiko assessed his condition from a distance while All Might analyzed the fight.
The teacher lectured, analyzing what had happened, occasionally glancing toward the infirmary, as if in a hurry, and barely paying attention to Taiko himself.
—Denki put Taiko in an awkward position with his quirk and didn't give up, which deserves praise. Kyouka used her ability to detect the enemy effectively, but in the end, she put everything on one path. You always need to have a plan for escape. Heroes often find themselves in situations where they have to abandon their comrades in order to save themselves. That's the harsh reality.— All Might continued after a short cough.
—Taiko and Momo, in turn, demonstrated exceptional understanding of their opponents' abilities, caution, and tactical thinking. Just think about their foresight in dealing with Denki's electricity and Kyoka's stunning attack. Who knows how the fight would have gone without those gloves. If Taiko had touched Denki directly, he might have lost consciousness from the shock, but the insulating gloves played a decisive role.
Meanwhile, All Might reflected: «The power of Denki's shock was quite significant. Even twenty percent would have been enough to paralyze an ordinary adult, but Taiko recovered almost instantly and incapacitated Denki in close combat despite the damage he received. What frightening resilience... However, his skill with a staff leaves much to be desired.»
—Taiko took out both of them cleanly, just like Shoto,— Kirishima noted. He didn't seem at all bothered by the moment Taiko dropped his staff. Apparently, Taiko's demonstration of close-quarters combat had stoked his fire and intrigued him far more than the rest of the fight.
—Yeah, but he dropped his staff. He doesn't look like he knows how to use it very well,— Sero Hanta agreed. Working together had brought them closer, and their team had also emerged victorious, securing the objective.
—You did very well for your first time!— All Might concluded.
—After such training, Teacher Aizawa's classes seem a little... disappointing.
—We can have lessons like that too! Well, I need to discuss the results with young Midoriya. To class!
He left too quickly. Taiko watched him go, looking at his back, and couldn't shake one thought:
Did All Might notice Oneself's activation, or was he simply pretending not to?
...
The class was noisily discussing the training session, interrupting each other and analyzing every action. Gradually, everyone filed into the locker room, and a few of the quicker ones had already changed and made it to class, but Taiko decided to linger.
«All Might is acting strange, as always. Okay, I'll go to the restroom.»
Hearing voices, he felt the urge to press his face against the door and hear what they were saying. And he thought: No, I'm not going to embarrass myself like that here...
Realizing who the voices belonged to, he abruptly changed his mind. Coincidentally, the restroom was right across the hall. The speech was muffled, distorted by the walls, but he recognized the speakers almost immediately.
All Might and the only nurse there, a highly skilled one thanks to her quirk, Recovery Girl. The old woman had already healed many, even the mortally wounded, with her kisses, but the last time he visited, Taiko had gotten by with only simple ointments for his aching muscles.
—The school year has only just begun, and he's already here for the third time. Why aren't you stopping him?
—Forgive me, Recovery Girl...
—Why you apologizing to me? I've already given him first aid. After the IV, all his body can do is slowly recover overnight. Oh my... I know he's your favorite and you've passed on your powers to him, but that's no reason to spoil him like this.
«...What?» — Taiko froze. For a few seconds, he seriously doubted he'd heard wrong.
—I have nothing to say about that,— All Might muttered. — I wanted to understand his feelings, which is why I waited too long to stop the fight. And yet... could you please speak more quietly about One For All?
«O-One For All? The antithesis of All For One?»
—All the UA teachers and some professional heroes know about my injury and this appearance. But the secret of my Quirk is known only to you, the principal, my close friends, and Midoriya.
«And me.» — Taiko noted coldly.
— I know you don't want to simply rest on your laurels. But is it really that important to be a hero from birth? To be a Symbol of Peace?
— If I stop being one, the heroic society will be taken over by villains. Such is the duty of those who wield this power.
— If that's the case, then it's truly important for you to understand what it means to be a mentor. I understand you spent your whole life being a hero without much thought for tomorrow, and only after you were wounded did you begin to think about an heir. Being a hero and being a mentor are two completely different things.
The conversation died down. Taiko slowly slid down the wall, removed his mask, and put his staff away. He disappeared in a small flash. Now he could be summoned again in a full 24 hours. Accordingly, the timer on his wrist beeped at 23:59:59. He exhaled nervously, as if he had only just now allowed himself to breathe.
«One For All. A power that is passed down. The Symbol of Peace... is that a hereditary title? Raising Izuku to be the Symbol of Peace... I can't even imagine the weight of responsibility that must lie on them. Incredibly immense strength, endurance. All Might is literally superhuman, and now that I've learned that his power can be obtained... What will happen if AFO steals it for itself? If these powers are antipodes, then they are a priori antagonists and cannot coexist in the same body. Opposite wills, characters, and temperaments of the users.
One For All: Honest, sincere, magnanimous, decisive.
All For One: Vengeful, envious, angry, treacherous.
And what if All For One can pass on his own Quirk to someone else? That fits in with his concept of stealing and gifting Quirks. Something big is happening, and I really don't want to be involved. I just want a quiet life.»
His thoughts feverishly formed a frighteningly logical picture.
«Izuku is his successor. He has all the traits of a One For All user, even if he looks unimpressive, but looks can be deceiving. Then it all fits. Hence the problems with controlling his new Quirk." Taiko ran through every instance of Izuku's Quirk in his head. After his first use during the entrance exam, Izuku had tried to limit his Quirk's use. First, he'd broken all his limbs, then just a finger, then just his arm while playing the hero team in his final lesson. It became clear that Izuku had learned to scale his injuries. It was only a matter of time before he mastered this Quirk, it would adapt to his body, and he'd stop hurting himself. Perhaps he'd learn to disperse the energy throughout his body so it wouldn't concentrate too much in one spot and break a limb.»
He winced. «I had the same thing. In the first months with the staff, I couldn't train well with it because of this problem with my quirk control, and my mastery of it is still very poor.»
Taiko was familiar with a vast database of Quirk mechanics thanks to his time working with Kyudai and his teachings, and he could perfectly understand how energy worked even without doctors or additional research. The very existence of a cumulative Quirk, passed down not by inheritance but by choice, was astonishing. It was too familiar. Too similar to Oneself and All For One. Or rather, to certain parameters of them.
Taiko didn't yet fully understand the nature of the newly formed Quirk, but one fact was undeniable: Oneself had once stolen the Staff Quirk. It hadn't yet been fully formed: just a bare concept, a fragment of All For One's power. That's precisely why the theft was possible. A good theory, it makes sense.
What happened to Denki was fundamentally different. Oneself had changed. The electrical charge became the catalyst, transforming the rudimentary essence into a full-fledged Quirk. A foreign will penetrated Taiko's body and initiated Oneself.
«I need to check on Denki.» — He needed to know if Denki still had his Quirk. Or if he'd been able to take it away, like with the staff.
A few seconds later, the infirmary door opened. Taiko instinctively approached the crack. Almost immediately, a thin, emaciated creature, only vaguely resembling All Might, slipped out.
«...What the fuck!»
The creature disappeared around the corner of the corridor. Only then did Taiko emerge from the restroom, still not fully comprehending what he'd seen.
—This is bad...— he breathed out. —This is fucking bad.
He understood everything instantly. If the AFO learned of All Might's weakness, the villains would fully activate. And there was no doubt: such a vindictive and cunning creature would strike where it hurts most.
It would be war. All-out war.
—I need to get stronger...— he cursed and exhaled. He hoped all the problems of this era would pass him by.
There was too much uncertainty ahead. The fog was thickening, obscuring any semblance of a bright future. And only one thing remained clear: only their own strength would guarantee safety.
For him. For Kuinn. For their family, and their future children.