This is the moment.
I'm arriving at the gym where Gran Torino and I train.
But today is different.
It's not just any training session.
Today, I reach 8% of One For All.
I feel that once I manage to break that annoying barrier, I'll be able to improve in a better way.
(With that in my favor... the rest will come on its own.) I opened the gym door and went inside. Everything is as usual: weights here and there, punching bags, a ring, Gran Torino and All Might talking...
Hey...
What is Toshinori Yagi doing here?
"You're here, brat," Gran Torino comments upon seeing me arrive.
"Yes, sir, but I must ask, what is he doing here?" I asked, pointing to the unexpected guest in front of me.
"I don't know, he wanted to come. So question him, not me."
"Well, Toshinori? What are you doing here?" I was hoping to hear something really good, not the same old stereotypical slogan.
Only God knows how many times a sane person can hear that in a day before going crazy...
"Well, I pay for this gym, and you're my student. What other reason do I need to come?" he replied naturally. Uh... point taken.
"Every time you train with me, I end up with a broken bone. Look at what happened on the beach." I thought about it, and that's the reason. Toshinori is the curse, not me. As long as he doesn't get close, everything will be fine.
"It was just an accident, Young Midoriya!" He's indignant, but it's because he doesn't understand. He's the cause of everything!
"An accident? My bones don't say the same, sir."
"Alright, that's enough, you two. Brat, start with those meditation sessions of yours, and you, Toshinori, go buy something to eat." Gran Torino brought order to the place, eliminating any unnecessary conversation. He was the responsible adult, even if he didn't want to be.
I followed his orders, taking a seat in the center of a red and gold mat we had placed specifically for this.
Because meditating on the hard floor alone isn't good for anyone's backside.
In my old life, I never meditated more than two or three times because I didn't see the point. But right now, I can say that meditation is the best thing this new path has given me. It helps to bring calm when I think about the shit I'll have to deal with in the future.
And I can improve in the process. It's simply wonderful.
Besides, the speed at which time passes when meditating is surprising.
Good luck, Ninth.
I snapped my eyes open at that voice and left my meditation posture.
(Was that what I think it was? But it's too soon. How far ahead are things getting?) The wielders are already starting to manifest, which is crazy. I assumed it would happen when I accessed 20% of One For All, not before.
"What happened, brat? Are you so excited that you want to get ahead and start training already?" Gran Torino's voice pulled me out of my thoughts. After this, I need to start considering what I'll do about this whole wielder issue.
"Hahaha, you know me, Gran Torino." The strange look I received is uncomfortable, but I can't say anything until I confirm exactly what happened.
"Then activate One For All at 5% and go up from there," Gran Torino instructed as he took two steps back.
"Alright, here I go."
I activated One For All at 5% and once again felt that sense of power I've become so accustomed to. It went from 6% to 7% without any problems, while the feeling of power increased slightly but significantly.
I feel Toshinori enter the gym and stop to witness what was happening, like a faithful witness to the important event.
It's when I try to cross the 7% threshold that I really feel the changes. 8% is strange; it's powerful because it feels that way. However, it's more like a dam holding water in place until it's opened.
I manage to fully access 8%, and what I expected happens: the body tenses from the energy output.
But I won't deny it, it's impressive.
I try to regulate my breathing and loosen my muscles a bit to release some tension... and it works!
It's not a perfect 8%, but it's a start.
"Alright, brat, now move around a bit to adapt to the pressure." Following Torino's orders, I start walking in circles on the mat until the heaviness becomes more bearable.
"Great work, Young Midoriya! At this rate, you'll achieve...! OUCH!" All Might wanted to offer congratulations, but a well-placed cane strike was enough to cut him off.
"Shut your trap, Toshinori! The kid needs to adapt!"
Heh... I'd like to laugh.
"Alright, now sit down and meditate, kid. Try to bring that percentage to an optimal level of control." I nod at what I heard, letting my body relax from the physical stress it had endured.
"Of course... But first, there's something I'd like to ask you if it's not too much trouble." I sought to appeal to the teaching moment to execute the plan I had been weighing for some time.
"What do you want, brat?"
"You see, tomorrow we have a trip to the U.S.J. for rescue practices, and I wanted to know if it's possible for you to attend as another teacher." I know it's a bit late to ask, but I needed to build trust with him before doing so.
"Why do you want me to attend? I don't specialize as a rescue hero." I can see that Gran Torino isn't the only one confused, if the look Toshinori is giving is any indication.
"I know, but you've proven to be an excellent teacher, and I think giving some advice to my own classmates to help them improve would be really good. Plus, I want to show you how much I've progressed with One For All in situations as close to real as possible."
It was a risky move, but...
"...Toshinori, can you call that rat you have for a principal and ask him to add me to the trip?"
...not impossible to achieve.
"I think so. I'll step out for a moment to call him." And just like that, All Might made his way to the privacy of the outside world.
"Alright, speak up, brat, and tell me the truth. Why do you want me to go to the U.S.J.?" Gran Torino was direct, proving that his years of experience were not in vain; he could see the hidden game behind the innocent excuse.
"....I have a bad feeling, sir."
"And that justifies my attendance on your trip?"
"I don't know, honestly, I don't. But since yesterday, I've had this bad omen every time the U.S.J. trip is mentioned. I've unconsciously tended to activate One For All when it happens." I used a mix of truths and lies. They know I have no knowledge of All For One, and the fact that One For All reacts to the "bad omen" will divert suspicion. Besides, once I acquire the Quirks of the other wielders, it can be reinforced by saying that the feeling came from the Fourth's Quirk.
"I see. Alright, go back to meditating. I'll go talk to Toshinori."
"As you say."
I didn't really go back to meditating. I activated One For All and sharpened every sense to the maximum to hear their conversation.
"...I told you, Toshinori, this is not just a coincidence." Gran Torino's voice was tense; he clearly doesn't like the direction things are taking.
"I don't know, I eliminated him, master. It shouldn't be possible." Sadly for All Might... he is many things, but not dead.
"Fine, but if something out of the ordinary really happens tomorrow, then you'd better be there. By the way, did you get the rat to let me go?" Gran Torino hasn't changed his tone of voice; he clearly knows something is off.
"Yes, I did."
"Perfect. Don't you dare be absent tomorrow, Toshinori. If One For All is making the kid react this way, it's for a reason." Gran Torino was cautious. Without knowing it, I had planted a large seed of doubt within him.
"I won't be absent, master, don't worry." Toshinori promised, which brought me great joy. Maybe I could even get him to be there on time.
After those words, I completely disconnected from their chat to focus my full attention on One For All.
If I successfully master 8%, then the rest will just be a matter of repetition until the next block.
After the fruitful day at the gym, the time came to go to the U.S.J.
Gran Torino was introduced, and everyone quickly made their way to the designated location.
There was a long and unnecessary organization process and the uncomfortable need to answer questions from those I was supposed to call "classmates." I was nervous; I just wanted some silence before the next incident.
However, a certain girl with a frog Quirk decided to speak up.
"Midoriya, I always say what comes to my mind." Good for her; not everyone has the courage to do that. "And your Quirk looks a lot like All Might's."
I'm his heir; I'd find it funny if it didn't.
"Well, Tsuyu, both my Quirk and All Might's are similar in only one thing, and that's the fact that they enhance our physical abilities." I can see I have everyone's attention now, including Aizawa and Gran Torino, though they hide it better than the rest. "But my Quirk allows me to do this because it's an energy accumulator. You see, for years, it has been accumulating energy, from the most basic exercise like walking to the most complex like doing a series of exercises. Because of this, at first, it was thought I was Quirkless. However, the problem comes from the fact that my body has accumulated too much energy, so much that it's impossible to use it all without suffering injuries in the process." I hope this is enough to calm the doubts of many.
"...I see. Thanks for answering, Midoriya."
"Anytime, Tsuyu."
Suddenly, the bus stopped.
"Alright, we're here. Get off in an orderly manner and go inside." It seems the time has come.
My first encounter with Shigaraki Tomura.
And indirectly with All For One.