Authors note:
Speaking: "…"
Thinking: '…'
___
Two Days Later
Ayato POV
Slowly opening his eyes, the mostly black-haired boy found himself in unfamiliar surroundings. Looking around, he realized he was standing on a half-destroyed concrete floor floating in a black and blue void. Shifting his gaze downward, he saw his entire body surrounded by a strange, thick fog with the same coloration as his surroundings, leaving only his eyes and hair visible.
"So you finally woke up. Well, it took you long enough," a female voice called out from behind him. Turning his head, he found an unfamiliar woman standing there with her arms crossed.
She looked to be around twenty-five years old and wore a pair of baggy pants with far too many pockets and a dark blue long-sleeve compression shirt with silver accents. Around her neck and mouth, a black-and-blue storm-cloud-like scarf covered her lower face. However, what stood out the most were her long, straight silver hair that reached down to her lower back and the electric blue eyes that matched Ayato's.
Trying to speak, the boy attempted to ask her a question, but no words came out.
"What's wrong, kid? Cat got your tongue?" she teased, walking closer until her face was only a few centimeters away from his.
Unable to move his body except for his head, Ayato was stuck staring at the beautiful woman so close to him. She grinned with her eyes, then spun around and laughed.
"Don't crap yourself, I'm just kidding. Your mouth hasn't formed in here yet, so for now I'll do the talking."
'My mouth hasn't formed yet? Where even am I?' the boy thought, glancing around the space.
"Looks pretty darn decrepit, right?" she said, gesturing at the broken concrete slab beneath them.
"Look, right now you're inside One For All's mindscape. Outside, you're probably still unconscious in Recovery Girl's clinic. But that's not important right now," she began.
‚Inside... One For All?'
"As for who I am, the name's Raika Blackwood, sixth user of One For All. And that power you used to defeat that tiger lady? That was my quirk." She pointed to herself, and at the same moment, the same black-and-blue lightning Ayato had used at the USJ began crackling around her.
"It's called Black Lightning. I know, not the most creative name. But it's quite the power to have, especially for you, since now it's been strengthened by four generations of stockpiling. Bottom line, you can make a crap ton of extremely high-voltage lightning." To prove her point, she released a massive bolt of black and blue lightning into the void.
Watching the demonstration wide-eyed, Ayato's mind raced. ‚You mean I can do that?'
"Cool, right? Anyway, before my time with you runs out, there are two more things you need to know. First, there are seven more quirks from the previous user besides mine that will soon start to manifest in you, depending on which one you feel you need most."
She paused, her tone shifting slightly. "Though I should give you a heads-up, some strange guy sitting on a throne showed up in our meeting room. Probably has something to do with that rune on your shoulder. We haven't figured out what to do with him yet. Doesn't help that he refuses to speak."
Suddenly, cracks spread across the void, and Raika's body began dissolving into black-and-blue smoke. Looking down at her hands, she cursed.
"Crap, looks like my time's up. Before I go, here's the last piece of advice: find the one person who inherited the Void Veil and tell them all of this. They'll help you reach your full potential. Anyway, see ya."
The whole space collapsed.
, Wait, what do you mean by Void Veil? I still have questions!' the boy thought, but it was already too late.
Shrieking awake, Ayato shot upright in bed, gasping for breath. Looking around, he realized he was in Recovery Girl's clinic, just as the previous OFA user had predicted. Beside him, two more beds were occupied, one by his older brother, the other by Momo Yaoyorozu. Sitting in a chair at Ayato's side was Toshinori.
"What's got you screaming like that, lil' bro? Nightmare? Or were you just scared of losing the world's best big brother?" Haruki teased with a grin, lounging back in his bed.
Sighing, Ayato flopped back onto the mattress. "Good to know your humor hasn't changed, Haruki."
"I'm hurt, Ayato. How could you even suggest something so cruel? What would I be without my humor? Haruki, the normal high school student? No thanks, that's way too boring for me." He put on an exaggerated sad act, wiping away imaginary tears.
"Young Ayato, it's a relief you've finally woken up. I was worried something might have happened to you." Toshinori smiled, the look of worry fading from his face.
"Now we only need to wait on young Yaoyorozu."
"That's not necessary. I'm already awake," the girl in the farthest bed said calmly, gazing at the ceiling with a peaceful smile.
"Well, that's new! Normally you'd be like, 'Oh my god, what happened? Is everyone fine? Did I do a good job? How could I fail?' Or am I just imagining it?" Haruki joked with another exaggerated act.
"You're not wrong. But for some reason, I can't get worked up about anything. It's like the world is so warm and peaceful around me that nothing else matters." She replied in the same calm voice, still staring at the ceiling.
"All Might, there are some matters we need to discuss. And I think Momo should be part of it," Ayato said firmly, shocking the retired pro.
"Young man, you shouldn't reveal my identity so casually. Your brother already knows, no need for more people to—" Toshinori tried to argue, but Momo cut him off.
"So you're All Might? Nice," she said in that eerily calm tone, glancing at him briefly with a smile before returning her gaze to the ceiling.
"Don't worry, I won't tell anyone if you don't want me to. But you need to tell me what's really going on with Ayato. I've considered a lot of possibilities, and unless he's been unconsciously boosting his muscles with internal electricity, that lightning power from the USJ doesn't make any sense."
"Lightning power? Young Ayato, what is she talking about?" Toshinori asked, concerned.
"Well, that's what I wanted to talk to you about. So buckle up, it's a long story."