MHA 16

At the end of a gouged-out valley, lay All Might. His back was against the cold, hard wall, his hero costume in shambles, but the true extent of his injuries was concealed by his unyielding determination. A single trail of blood dripped from the corner of his lips, a testament to the intensity of our battle. As I approached, his eyes widened with shock, and recognition dawned on him as he saw the energy enveloping my body.

Summoning the power of his quirks, he covered his palms with the same black lightning that crackled around me. A small smirk appeared on his face as he brushed away the blood, "So, that's your gimmick? copying quirks?"

I chuckled, shaking my head, "It's a lot more than that," I replied confidently. "Like your old friend, I can take quirks, but I can also learn them simply by observing, and improve and evolve them over time."

As I spoke, I focused my will on the energy surrounding me, causing it to condense into a tiny sphere the size of a pea. With a swift motion, I shot it out toward the horizon.

The small energy sphere streaked through the air, leaving behind a brilliant trail of light. All Might's eyes followed its trajectory, but he had no idea what was about to happen next. In the blink of an eye, a deafening explosion shook the planet to its core. A shower of stones fell from the sky, scattering the surroundings with a mix of black and brown debris. Massive cracks, like streets splitting open, released molten earth, creating a web of destruction across the icy surface. A colossal mushroom cloud of vapor and dust, crackling with the same black lightning, soared high into the air in the distance, rapidly engulfing the sky in ominous black clouds.

Power Accumulation was so much more than I had initially thought, far beyond even their wildest imaginations.

"By the gods," he muttered, his voice barely audible over the chaos surrounding us.

"You called?" I said with a smirk, but he seemed to miss the meaning behind my words.

The quest completion pinged in my mind like a well-timed punchline, momentarily catching me off guard. I furrowed my brow, wondering what could have triggered it at this moment. But like a seasoned performer, I chose to set it aside for now, unwilling to break the rhythm of the battle.

With a flourish, I waved my hand, and Yagi was restored to his prime as if the devastating battle hadn't left a scratch on him. His torn hero costume mended itself, and he turned his gaze back to me, a perplexed expression etched on his face.

I grinned mischievously, enjoying the bewildered look in his eyes. "Let's continue," I declared, taking up a martial arts pose and gesturing with my palm for him to come at me.

To my dismay, he shook his head and remained on the ground. "You've already proven that you're stronger, what more do you want?"

"To have fun?" I replied with a shrug.

"Is this a game for you?" He asked, his confusion evident in his voice.

"Pretty much," I replied with a nod.

"Yeah, I think I'll stay here. Do whatever you want." He said, looking away.

"Are you... sulking?" I asked, surprised by his unexpected behavior, not expecting him to act like a pouty girlfriend.

"You're sulking!" he exclaimed, turning back to me, fury flashing in his eyes, but then something seemed to click in his mind. "You said, 'Like my old friend'. Who were you referring to?"

"AFO, duh." I replied with a deadpan expression as if asking 'Are you serious?'.

His eyes widened in surprise, and he pointed at me, "I knew it! You're working with him!", he exclaimed.

"Oh? Would that be enough to get you to fight me again?" I asked, raising an eyebrow.

He looked at me suspiciously, squinting his eyes, "Are you not with him?"

"Not really," I replied, telling him the truth, "Although, I did send him to a better place."

"W-what?" He asked, stuttering, his expression etched with confusion.

"You know? He is pushing up daisies." I said, looking at his expression, and added more idioms, "He crossed over, bit the dust, bought a farm, kicked the bucket, cashed in his chips. Should I go on?" I asked, raising an eyebrow, before rolling my eyes and saying, "In one word - Dead."

"No, no, I got that right off the bat." He mumbled, then looked into my eyes and asked, "How?"

"He was in the right place, at the wrong time, and kind of in my way." I said with a shrug, "But if it helps you, he didn't offer as much of a fight as you did." I gave him a pointed look. "That does raise a question on why you didn't just take him out before."

"He is, or if I can believe you, was, slippery." He said, looking away.

"You mean his teleportation quirk?" I asked, not remembering anything else that would have allowed him to escape quickly, and Yagi nodded.

"Yeah... That one..." He said with a grimace and looked back at me, "How did you prevent him from escaping?"

"I am the master of space and time," I said, warping the fabric of space around us with a grin. "It was an easy feat to block his amateurish teleportation attempts."

He looked at the spectacle happening before him, at the myriad of images of different planets and moons appearing through the hundreds of spatial gates around us, making his heart skip a beat in shock.

"So can we continue our little bout?" I asked, shutting down the gates, and making him look at me with a deadpan expression.

"Hmm... Maybe you need an incentive to continue." I mumbled, making him raise an eyebrow in confusion.

With a confident smirk, I focused my energy, causing the air around us to crackle with electricity. Blue sparks danced at my fingertips as I created a mesmerizing display of raw power and with a snap, a two-kilometer-wide magical circle appeared above our heads, illuminating the darkening sky with its blueish glow. Yagi watched in awe as billions of mana saturated the formation, slowly condensing into a single sphere of destruction radiating palpable power. His trusty danger sense rang like never before, his pulse quickened, and his instincts told him he couldn't survive that. Nothing he knew could survive that.

I snapped my fingers again, opening a single spatial gate, revealing a familiar bluish-green planet beyond it.

Realization dawned on him, and he turned around, his eyes wide with terror as he shouted frantically, "What are you doing!?"

"Giving you the incentive to continue our fight," I replied nonchalantly, my voice carrying an air of amusement. With a flick of my finger, I commanded the ball of flame to slowly move towards the gate.

"STOP!" he pleaded, finally managing to get off the ground. "Alright! I'll fight you, just stop that!"

A wicked grin spread across my face as I responded, "Too late. You'll have to kill me to stop that."

But before my words could fully register, the atmosphere crackled with raw power. Sparks of electricity danced over his entire body as he tapped into the full potential of Power Accumulation. In the next millisecond, he disappeared, and the world seemed to stand still. It was as if all kinetic energy had been drained away, leaving behind an eerie silence.

Then came the devastation. Molecular bonds shattered, atoms split, and electrons vanished as he unleashed an attack with the power equal to a 200 Kiloton thermonuclear weapon. The atmosphere vaporized, the surface disintegrated down to the bedrock, and the very planet itself seemed to groan in pain.

But even as the cataclysmic energy surged towards me, my [Space-Time Manipulation] skill activated instinctively slowing time down to a crawl, allowing me ample time to comprehend the danger with unparalleled clarity. Swiftly and with a tremendous burst of power, I activated [Annihilation] forming an impenetrable barrier around myself, reinforcing it with as much power as I could muster.

And as the world around me trembled, I stood unyielding.

The attack subsided, leaving behind a scorched landscape and a fractured planet. All Might looked on, his expression a mix of awe and disbelief. Despite the destruction he had unleashed, I was still standing.

"That was impressive," I said with genuine admiration, a touch of amusement in my tone.

"You're... still alive?" he stammered, coughing up blood heavily, disbelief etched across his face.

"Of course," I replied with a smirk.

With tremendous determination, he took a step forward, only to collapse face-first onto the ground. "I... failed..." were his last words before unconsciousness claimed him.

I let out a sigh of annoyance, looking down at his unconscious form with a deadpan expression. "For fuck's sake," I muttered, giving him a kick for good measure and with a wave of my hand, I dispersed the spell and the illusion I had created over us.

There was one reason Earth had never truly been in true danger - one brunette who needed a good spanking later tonight, was still safely on its surface.

As entertaining as it would have been to witness the mass panic that the flaming ball of doom would have caused on Earth, there was no need to add unnecessary trouble to my already eventful day. Besides, I had plans for a much more amusing approach to finish the 'Take Over' quest – a Duck Mothership, or should I say a Quackship – a quirky idea for a planetary invasion that would undoubtedly sow massive panic and chaos.

I sighed, shaking my head at the aftermath of our battle. "Well, that was kind of entertaining," I mused to myself, the crackling of residual energy filling the air around me. Glancing around at the destruction we had caused, I couldn't help but marvel at the power he displayed.

Refocusing my attention on the downed hero, I couldn't help but sigh again. The "second wind" he had mustered just a moment ago wasn't some awe-inspiring new evolution of his quirk or grandiose trump card. No, it was a desperate, yet hero-like attempt to save the world. Power Accumulation, as I had mentioned earlier, was an incredibly potent quirk and it had already become a skill of mine.

It allowed someone to convert and accumulate power, and that's exactly what this stubborn idiot had done. He had converted 99% of his remaining life force and overcharged all of his other abilities to deliver a single, devastating strike that had nearly torn the planetoid we stood on asunder.

"His last punch did deliver quite the punch," I chuckled, the memory of the world around him beginning to disintegrate still fresh in my mind.

The labored breaths escaping from him were a clear indication that he was close to the end, but I had other plans for him. With a wave of my hand, I activated [Rewind], once again restoring his body to its prime, while [Mental Domain] kept his mind unconscious. I couldn't let this fierce opponent go to waste just yet.

I couldn't help but smirk as I reached out and placed my hand on All Might's shoulder, activating [Assimilation]. With a surge of power, I permanently removed one of his quirks. The quest had never specified how to prevent him from finding a successor, but my method seemed quite effective. [Pass On], the skill that allowed him to pass on his abilities, was now mine, and the quest condition was effortlessly cleared.

[Quest: [No Symbol] Completed 1,000 WP(x2) Received]

As the notification screen blinked, I couldn't resist taking a quick glance at the earlier quest completion. "Huh, she's quite diligent," I mumbled with a sense of pride, impressed by Olivia's efficiency.

[Quest: [Pro Hero] Completed 2,500 WP(x2) Received]

Satisfied with the rewards, and vowing to reward her for her diligent work, I turned my attention back to my newly acquired skills. [Pass On] was a peculiar skill, allowing its user to pass on their abilities to a successor while gradually making them lose progress in them as time passed on. For a moment, I considered integrating it into [Bestial Physique] or removing and merging the same skill's self-fertility manipulation into this one, however, I swiftly dismissed the idea.

Experimenting with contraception was not something I wanted to mess around with, especially with my high vitality. Though I had [Overhaul] as a backup, the passive ability of [Bestial Physique] worked effortlessly and without risks. While the thought of castrating myself with [Overhaul], didn't quite sit well with me.

Thus, I pushed [Pass On] aside, marking it as a potential target for removal if I ever experienced the burden of my soul being weighed down again. It was better to focus on other abilities and skills for now.

The skills I had permanently copied from him during our little spar, were the same ones I had always planned on taking earlier – [Power Accumulation], [Gearshift], and [Fa Jin]. Each of these skills held surprises and potential beyond my wildest imagination.

[Gearshift], a name that barely did it justice, turned out to be a full-blown inertia manipulation skill. It allowed the user to bend the very fabric of motion to their will, allowing them to control speed and momentum with a mere thought. And then there was [Fa Jin], a raw, unbridled force of kinetic energy shaping and accumulation. The sheer potential of these skills sent shivers down my spine, yet I couldn't let them stay as separate skills for much longer.

Unable to contain my excitement, I activated the skill merger option within the system, fusing [Gearshift], [Fa Jin], and my trusty [Kinetic Burst], creating a skill with a single, yet exceptionally powerful, ability.

[Kinetic Energy Manipulation 3x LVL: 1/100]

- Grants the user the ability to create, shape, and manipulate kinetic energy, allowing them to increase or decrease the speed and momentum of matter at will.

It was a skill that defied the laws of the universe. The system had once again shown its defiance of physics, spitting in the face of limitations. Now, I held the power to make an object utterly immovable or relentlessly unstoppable.

With a wicked grin, I wondered, what happens when they meet?

As amused as I was by the thought of experimenting with the laws of physics, I decided to leave it for later and focused my attention on [Power Accumulation]. The skill was a powerhouse of possibilities, allowing me to accumulate and convert energy, and use it as fuel for attacks or even overcharge them at will. However, there was still a small issue with the skill – it could only use the energy I generated. While using different [Magical Embodiment] forms could fix this, I had another plan on how to improve it.

Opening the skill merger screen once again, I selected [Power Accumulation], [Drain], and [Mana Drain], immediately combining them into one.

[Energy Absorption 3x LVL: 1/100]

- Grants the user the ability to accumulate and convert various forms of energy, including life force, mana, kinetic, and other types.

- Grants the user the ability to sap energy from their environment, enabling them to utilize it for healing, self-empowerment, or augmenting the potency of their skill or attacks.

That answered one of my questions – mana and life force did fall under the concept of energy. Now, the only question remaining was whether I should merge [Electromagnetic Spectrum Manipulation], [Kinetic Energy Manipulation], [Thermokinesis], and [Energy Absorption]. All of these skills were currently low-leveled, so I wouldn't lose any progress with them, and my intuition told me I would gain a skill encompassing energy as a whole.

As my mind delved deeper into the possibilities, another combination revealed itself to me. [Energy Absorption], [Ageless], [Immortality], [Temporal Singularity], [Magical Embodiment], [Astral Projection], [Adapt], [Shapeshift], and finally [Regenerative Healing Factor]—the sheer magnitude of this merger promised unparalleled power, a force that I knew would propel me to tier five.

A devilish grin tugged at the corner of my lips, envisioning the immense potential of such a skill. But as quickly as the excitement rose, a flicker of concern crossed my mind. "That would also bring new troubles in the form of reduced experience and WP gain," I muttered, contemplating the trade-offs. A sigh escaped my lips as I decided to table the idea for another day. "There's still plenty of time for that," I reassured myself, redirecting my focus back to Yagi.

I conjured a sticky note, jotting down a playful message, and placed it on his forehead. With a flick of my wrist, I teleported back to the meeting he was supposed to be attending.

"Time to go home," I mumbled, warping space around me, and in an instant, I stood back in our apartment. However, my excitement turned into disappointment as I found the place empty. "Stupid patrols..." I mumbled sitting down before the TV and turning it on.

(Haruki Mizushima's POV)

(A/N: The dude who escorted Olivia to the Association in ch 3)

"Haruki, try calling All Might once again. If he doesn't answer, we're starting the meeting without him." As the chief whispered his instructions to me, I nodded in understanding. Calling All Might again was a futile endeavor, but it was my duty to attempt it one more time.

I slipped out of the conference room, closing the door behind me to gain some privacy for the call. Scrolling through my contacts, I found All Might's name and dialed it for the tenth time, only to be met with the busy signal once more.

I returned to the room, shaking my head at the chief's inquiring gaze. His expression showed the weight of the situation; without All Might's presence, this meeting could turn into a chaotic mess. Taking my seat beside him, I could see the concern in his eyes as he began to address the assembled heroes.

"Greetings, everyone. I appreciate you all taking the time to join us today," the chief started with a forced smile, knowing the challenges that lay ahead.

"Cut the flattery, and get to the point." Endeavor, as expected, wasted no time in cutting to the chase, voicing his annoyance at waiting for All Might.

"I apologize for the inconvenience caused by the delay," the chief bowed in apology, and Endeavor waved him off, urging him to continue.

"On today's agenda, we have three things we need to address," the chief continued, looking around the room. "First of all, let's start with the good things." He clapped his hands, and the screens displayed an image of a young hero I had met before. "The ranking advancements of a new hero."

"Are you serious?" Ryuko asked, clearly taken aback.

"Yes, the hero in question has been working tirelessly for only a few days now. However, she has proven time and again that she is capable and way above her original rankings."

"She's cute," Mirko chimed in with an uncharacteristic comment, surprising everyone.

"That's the other thing," the chief nodded with a smile. "We could boost the association's image by presenting her as a new pro hero."

"So she'll be a mascot?" Hawks inquired, seeming open to the idea. "I don't really have anything against it. But if she loses against someone, the association will lose face."

"She won't," the chief grinned, playing a video of the hero effortlessly defeating a group of villains without causing harm or environmental damage.

It was truly an impressive feat.

As the video finished playing, the others nodded in understanding. The chief continued his presentation, "The hero in question already has a sidekick, going by the name... Blade Dancer," he said, rolling his eyes at the name's ridiculousness. "So all who are for advancing Sky Wolf to A rank, please raise your hands."

The room fell silent for a moment, before hands slowly started rising, one by one. The decision was made, and the young hero's journey to greater heights had begun.