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MHA Paragon 2.0 Chapter 26: Selfish
🕑 Added 2025-01-13 03:40:25 +0000 UTCStill in his hero form, All Might sat outside the UA infirmary. The everyday joy and cheer were absent from his face, which now seemed cast in shadows, as All Might stared off into the distance with a hateful glare, 'How could I let this happen.'
While All Might had been made more than aware, he couldn't save everyone and everybody, even with his extraordinary power. This incident had been different; the Villains had broken into the school aiming to kill him, and when they found him absent, they had instead directed their cruelty at the students.
'I was supposed to be there,' All Might thought darkly as his hands curled into fists, which could have pulverized solid diamond to dust, 'I should have been there to protect them!'
Just as All Might was about to tip over the edge into a seemingly endless chasm of dark and self-deprecating thoughts, a soft paw came to rest on his forearm. All Might blinked and looked over to see Nezu sitting beside him. The usually prim and proper principal had an unusual grim look as he turned to meet All Might's gaze, "There's no use in beating yourself up about it."
All Might's brow twitched, "How can I not? I've failed countless times during my career, but this time...it's a miracle that no one died."
Nezu sighed and retracted his palm, "Very well, I'll let you brood and pout, but I suggest you stop being so selfish."
"S-selfish?" All Might exclaimed at Nezu's insult.
The mouse continued to stare at the Pro Hero unphased, "Yes, selfish...you could be out there looking for the villains yourself or give your account of events to the police to help in their investigation. But instead, here you are, camping outside the Infirmary, waiting to hear the fate of your protege."
All Might bit back a retort, realizing Nezu, as always, was right. Watching some of the fight leave All Might's eyes, Nezu sighed, "Besides, the blame hardly lies on your shoulders. I should have taken extra precautions after the earlier incident with the gate. The only reason why they had any modicum of success was because this was an unprecedented attack. What villains would be so bold to attack an institution where a majority of the staff are Pro Heroes."
"Do we know anything about them," All Might asked, only for Nezu to shake his head, "No, the villains we managed to capture were only grunts, mercenaries hired for a cost. Most likely, they were just a distraction to keep any other heroes from attempting to assist you."
"And the ones who hired them?"
Nezu shook his head again, "Complete unknowns. No villains in the database match both the appearance and description of their quirks. Even more concerning is that they claimed to be part of a League of Villains, and I doubt the riffraff they brought with them are full-fledged members."
All Might frowned, "A new crime syndicate?"
"Possibly, but usually, syndicates are fueled by profit; while your death could elevate them to the top of the underworld power structure, the reward-to-risk ratio makes no sense," Nezu muttered as his ears twitched in thought, "What is even more concerning, is how they aimed to kill you."
"You're talking about the supposed monster young Midoriya managed to tell me about before being taken to the infirmary," All Might answered.
"I watched the security footage, and there was nothing suspicious about it," Nezu countered, a dark look crossing his furry face, "That thing shouldn't exist."
Nezu spat with such vitriol that it caught Nezu off guard, "Thing? It wasn't a Villain with a transformation quirk?"
"No," Nezu replied curtly with a singular shake of his head, "I don't know how, but I believe that this apparent Leauge has somehow managed to get their hands on an animal with an awakened quirk."
All Might's eyes widened, "That shouldn't be possible."
"Yet that is the situation we are presented with," Nezu countered, "Any organization with the resources and connections to get their hands on such a rarity will not give up after one failed attempt. I'm afraid this won't be the last we see of them."
Before All Might could respond, the door of the infirmary opened, and an old woman barely four feet tall shuffled out with the support of a cane designed to look like a syringe,
"Nurse Shūzenji!" All Might exclaimed immediately, standing up.
"Oh, it's you," Shūzenji replied with a tired sigh, "Here to check on Midoriya, no doubt."
"And the other students as well," All Might added on, only for Shūzenji to shake her head disappointedly, "I'm too old for you to fool Yagi. Even the symbol of peace has bias."
All Might didn't bother to refute the old nurse, knowing that she spoke the truth. While he cared about the other students of Class 1-A, Midoriya, as the inheritor of One for All and the future symbol of peace, was vital to the continued stability of Japan and the world.
"Midoriya is fine; I used my quirk to heal his bones, which were only fractured this time instead of completely broken. I would prefer if he could use his quirk without serious injury, but I'll take what I can get," Shūzenji answered, taking a weight off All Might's shoulders.
While Midorya had looked relatively stable when All Might had arrived at the USJ, there was no telling what kind of hidden injuries could have lingered after battling with a villain.
"You should be worried about the other two brave young students in there. They were far worse off," Shūzenji muttered.
"Kenji Atoma and Katsumi Bakugo were the other students you held behind for overnight observing, correct," Nezu clarified, to which Shūzenji nodded.
"The girl was lucky not to have lost her leg," Shūzenji explained, "While I don't know the specifics, I've seen what disintegration quirks can do to a living body. And this one was particularly nasty, complete molecular unraveling. I had to cut out the damaged tissue before using my quirk to activate her natural healing factor."
"What about Kenji," Nezu asked, his voice frosty, drawing Shūzenji's knowing gaze, "You know already, don't you?"
Nezu didn't reply, leaving All Might to look between them, confused, "What's going on?"
Instead of replying, Shūzenji turned back around, entering the infamy, "It's best that you see for yourself."
All Might and Nezu followed after her, walking into what was essentially a state-of-the-art hospital condensed into a single room. Though UA also had a fully staffed hospital for private and public use, to train Support Heros who wished to get their medical license.
Shūzenji led Nezu and All Might past the first two beds in which Bakugo and Midorya peacefully slept, recovering from not only their exhausting fight but the draining quality of Shūzenji's Heal quirk, which was fueled by the energy reserves of whoever she was targeting.
Shūzenji stopped at the third bed, which was covered by a curtain that she pulled back to reveal Kenji. He was asleep as well, but his resting face was twisted into one of discomfort and agony, and he stirred restlessly even in his dreams.
All Might's gaze drifted from Kenji's face to his exposed chest. All Might's stomach twisted at what he saw, and a new wave of guilt threatened to overwhelm him. "W-what happened?"
"He fought the monster they brought to kill you," Nezu answered solemnly, "Had anyone else in his class found themselves facing the creature, I doubt they would have survived."
All Might didn't respond as he felt the left side of his body start to ache at the sight of Kenji's scars brought back All Might's unpleasant permanent injury.
"He wasn't bleeding when I got there," All Might spoke aloud with realization as he turned to look down at Shūzenji, "How is that possible?"
"That is what I was hoping our dear principal could answer," Shūzenji replied as she glanced at Nezu, who was lost deep in thought.
"When I watched the footage, it seemed that Kenji was able to use his quirk to heal himself," Nezu explained as he looked up.
"How, that wasn't in the description of his quirk," Shūzenji asked, "Had I known, I would have treated him differently."
"I don't believe that even Kenji himself was aware that his quirk could be utilized in such a way," Nezu answered as he stared at Kenji. Watching his fight against the beast had been the second time Nezu had gotten an insight into the psyche and potential of the young man, 'Perhaps, it's time that time and the lad have a 1 on 1.'
