Chapter 11

POV Syrup

I texted Ace to tell him I was done with my part (aka Killed All For One) but unfortunately he wasn’t done with threa—I mean dealing with the politicians and setting up some plans for GrandLine’s development in Japan. Since I didn’t trust the Public Safety Commission’s respect for Privacy in Japan, I would need to specify my unexpected meeting with All Might in private later.

Strolling down the streets of NahBuh, I was getting some Star Wars vibes from the name. It seemed to much like the green world of Naboo to be a coincidence. Actually, with all the crazy quirks and plot-holes in this world, it seemed likely that the author (if this world is a manga or anime) was a Star Wars fan on Crack. Instead of Space Wizards, we got way too much gay magic everywhere. I mean…some of the villains I’ve encountered had quirks related to their genitals which made them pretty much quirkless in society. GrandLine might as well be a ray of hope for bringing them an alternative.

I’ve never been to Japan before…at least not in this world’s Japan. By structure it didn’t look much different from 2015’s Japan which surprised me as how could technology not develop at all in such a long time period? Despite the introduction and the chaos caused by quirks, technology should have been the dominant force and solution in this world. By being dumb and trying to force quirks to become the solution and answer to everything, they had managed to create a quirk-based discrimination system as well as a world which was in desperate need for some useful science. Seriously. Idiots.

Ooh, a ramen shop

Passing by the stores, I saw a rather nice and old looking Ramen place. How long has it been since I had proper ramen? Too Long. One of the few dishes that I couldn’t cook properly because there was simply not the right ingredients or the skills to cook the perfect ramen dish.

The chefs at Totta Land were hopeless in almost every other area other than Sweets and my own skills…well, while I could whip one out, it just wasn’t the same nostalgic taste. Also, due to years of fighting and training my powers to become stronger, ironically my Kitchen Kitchen fruit had become more combat oriented than its intentional use of an actual kitchen.

With some rather high hopes, I entered the wooden store and instantly I knew I made the right choice. Despite being an awkward time for food (between lunch and dinner), the place was relatively full with only a handful of seats being empty. Looking around, I saw that most of the customers were old-timers, an obvious good sign if it meant looking for that original flavor. A couple of them looked up before going right back to their dishes. Hmm…I guess with all the crazy quirks out there, a foreigner in rural Japan isn’t really something to gawk at. Nice.

As I sat down on the high table attached to the kitchen, I looked at the chef. An old man wearing the traditional attire…good…and placed in my order for a double serving of their original.

As I was waiting for my ramen to come out (rather eagerly too), I felt a hand on my head as I turned to look at who it was. It was a dark skinned lady with pure white hair reaching down to her bottoms. Her most noticeable features? She had bunny ears.

Bunny: Sorry kid. You just looked so cute waiting for that ramen. I needed to pet it.

Hmm…I feel like I saw her somewhere on the Japanese television.

Well. I had priorities. Instead of answering her, I reached out my hands to touch her ears but she quickly dodged out of the way. Fast.

Bunny: Hey kid, it’s not nice to just touch people’s ears you know?

Me: But they’re cute…well, not as cute as kittens but bunnies ears are cute too. I want to pet them. Pleasseeee

Using my strongest attack, puppy eyes + quivering lips, I felt the bunny girl’s will crumble as she lowered her head and allowed me to fluff her ears. As I grabbed them gently and began rubbing them on my face…ahh, so soft. I wish my pillow was made of this stuff…should I cause a genocide on the rabbit population in Australia?

Rumi: Hey hey! Not so rough kid. I have uses for my ears you know? By the way, the name’s Rumi. Well, almost nobody calls me by that though.

As I released her, I took a look at her more closely and it surprised me to a degree. She was ripped from head to toe. Not enough to make her any less hot but she was definitely strong. I could sense her power and eagerness to fight underneath her smile…a brawler for sure.

Me: You’re a hero, aren’t you?

Rumi: Bingo~. Hero name’s Mirko…and as a result most people actually think that’s my name. Nice to meet ya kid. Always nice to see some young folks at my favorite ramen shop.

Owner: Hey Rumi! I’m guessing your usual?

Rumi: You got that right!

Mirko, the Rabbit Hero, turned to me with a rather dark glint in her eyes.

Rumi: I get a 50% discount for marketing for them.

She pointed at a poster where, not surprisingly, she was displayed holding a bowl of ramen in her hands.

Rumi: Want me to pay for ya kid? The Miso with extra pork is my favorite but the shiitake flavored ones are not so bad as well.

Me: No thank you, but can I have your signature? I just want to brag to someone that I met the number four hero!

Rumi: *sigh* Number five actually now. There’s this new guy called Hawks who just overtook my ranking. But hey! Of course I can, where can I sign it?

I pulled out a blank cat themed white hoodie (I keep dozens of these) out of my inventory and a marker before handing them to her.

Me: A space related quirk

I hastily explained as she took the clothing and the pen, an eyebrow raised.

Rumi: A white hoodie with a cat theme? What, you a fan of that vigilante or something?

Me: Who?

Rumi: Nothin for you ta know kid. Here.

She signed her signature on the front (covering the entire front actually) before turning to the back and began drawing herself in chili-form.

Rumi: To give a rabbit hero a cat themed hoodie to sign…aren’t ya a little too sadistic for ya age?

Me: I might have a big closet but cats are my favorite!

Rumi: So ya got cats?

Me: No. I’m a cat. I do whatever I want whenever I want. I take naps when I want to. My butler feeds me and takes care of me.

Rumi: *smirk* What, does he bath you too?

I felt a blush come up at a specific memory…before I suppressed it. Not the time!

Me: no comment

*bonk*

Rumi: Ya too young to be doing that kind of things!

Me: I might be older than I look!

Rumi: Nonsense! Now eat ya ramen while I leave you in peace.

She wasn’t kidding as in the next ten seconds, she devoured the ramen, threw some cash at the table before leaving.

Well…at least I had a hero-signed hoodie and a nice ramen to look forward to. The steaming beauty looked absolutely amazing.

Forgetting about all my worries (if I even have any) for the moment, I dug in…almost matching Mirko’s speed.

Location: Central Hospital

POV Yagi Toshinori

The last thing I remembered before I blacked out was the rushing form of Recovery Girl and my sidekick Nighteye. I must have woken up in the middle a couple of times as I remembered being in pain, white rooms, lots of blood, and unnecessary screaming into my ears.

Waking up, I knew something was instinctively wrong. Even before I opened my eyes, I could tell that my body had changed…possibly permanently. My breathing was horrible and felt like I couldn’t even get half of the oxygen I used to and my stomach…my stomach? Before I would have never known how my stomach had felt but now it was clear as day on how it would feel to have a stomach removed. I felt my bones around my chest weak and brittle…I felt my muscles around my mid-section feel as if they were new and raw.

I knew exactly why that was…and truthfully, I did not regret my decision. If I had moved from that spot, then there would be countless more victims under Snowfallen’s name. Hundreds if not thousand more innocents dead for a fight between two villains.

I had expected this outcome when facing off against All For One and though it wasn’t exactly All For One who gave me this injury, it was something I had already prepared myself against.

Technically, All For One was dead so he had achieved his goal, though indirectly. But was his goal really to end All For One? To simply kill a man and the quirk he possesses?

Underneath my smiling mask, I knew I was lying to myself. Ending All For One served a purpose and that purpose was to end the terror he brought to this world. All For One might be dead…but instead of being defeated by a Hero, All For One was simply replaced with another. Another who had very different intentions and views on this world from All For One, but undoubtedly more powerful.

Finally opening his eyes, he looked around to see where he was. It wasn’t Recovery Girl’s Nurse office at U.A, though this place did seem quite familiar. Central Hospital would be his guess. Clean but lightly decorated (wallpaper) brown walls that made it look more like a classic hotel room than a hospital. The beds were quite soft and large for a hospital, but judging that it was him, not to sound arrogant, they probably managed to find something rather large.

There was nobody in the room with him at the moment. Just him, the heart monitor, quite a pile of organized medical supplies in the corner of the room, an IV and needle sticking into his arm (much be made of some reinforced steel or diamond for the needle to not break). *tap* *tap* *tap* As the sound of rushing feet came closer and closer, I knew that someone was approaching. I bet Nighteye

Nighteye: *BANG* Sensei!

As my sidekick almost broke the door off of its hinges, he rushed over to my bedside as he took a seat before speaking a rush of things too quickly for me to understand.

Me: *groan* Young Nighteye please! My ears aren’t what it used to be…and there’s a lot of ringing in my ears right now. Could you talk a bit slower?

Nighteye: Actually sensei, I have just informed Principal Nezu and Recovery Girl that you have, or would have, woken up by now. I’m sure they’re on their way as well.

As Nighteye looked at me in the eye, he was suddenly lost in thought as I realized he was looking into my future.

Nighteye: Huh…It looks like the Rabbit Hero Mirko is coming as well. She’ll be coming in together with Recovery Girl. I’m not exactly sure why Sensei. Should I kick her out once she arrives?

Mirko? The new Rabbit Hero that’s rising through the ranks like a rocket? I wonder why she’d be here. There’s no real reason seeing as I don’t know her that well personally…but we’ve worked together on a number of occasions and we are both alumni from U.A so I don’t see any harm

Me: No, no need Nighteye. If she wants to come, then I see no problem.

Nighteye: I see. As you wish sensei.

Afterwards he spent a number of minutes asking about how I felt and if I could stand, was hungry, and the basic questions I would expect most people would ask to someone who was bedridden.

I pulled up my hospital gown to see that my entire body was pretty much being held together by bandages.

Chiyo: Ah, that’s because we needed to stop your body from collapsing into itself because of that darn hole. All For One really did a number on you, didn’t he?

Just as Nighteye said, Recovery Girl came through the door with the Rabbit Hero Mirko right at her heel, both looking at me with worry.

Me: Nighteye’s not telling me this but how long have I been in this hospital?

Nighteye: Sensei! Knowing the information will only make you strain yours—

Chiyo: Ahh, he deserves to know. Yagi, you have been unconscious for around two weeks. Of course, most of it is due to the drugs we’ve pumped into your system to keep you stable while we worked on you day and night.

Two weeks…TWO WEEKS? That was way too long! What would the people of Japan think if their Symbol of Peace just disappeared for that long?! Villains were always quick to take their chances and with me, the Symbol of Peace, gone…

Mirko: Jeez All Might, calm down. Japan’s been doing fine without ya. We’ve told the press that ya needed a break after many long years of non-stop Hero work. As far as the press or public knows, ya’ve taken an official 1 month long break that is already long overdue. More on that later though…man, that All For One guy did a big number on ya huh.

Nezu: Hello everyone! Toshinori, so glad to see you are awake! Now I am here, your cute, furry, and smol principal!

As we greet the ‘smol’ but frighteningly intelligent petlike principal, it eventually comes back to the main topic.

My fight with All For One…or rather a fight that was supposed to happen.

Nezu: I’m not sure if you’re willing to tell but I do believe that it is best for both you and ourselves if you share what happened that fight. Don’t get me wrong but I’m rather glad you are in this hospital because at least that means that you’re alive.

Nighteye: Sensei, did All For One survive? Did you finally put an end to the Symbol of Evil?

I took a deep breathe as I prepared to tell them something I knew they were not prepared for.

Me: *sigh* I didn’t fight anyone.

…

…

Me: It’s true

…

Everyone (excluding me): EHHHH???!!!