"I didn't expect your taste to be this twisted. Honestly, I'm impressed."
In a dimly lit space, the only sources of light came from a wall of over a dozen glowing monitors.
A short, plump, bald man in a doctor's coat and glasses stood with his back to the wall of screens, smiling as he faced All For One who had just entered.
"Why do you say that?"
All For One sat down in front of the monitors and asked in a puzzled tone.
"You clearly already knew where we were staying, yet you still had Kaminari-kun do this spy routine. Isn't that just unnecessarily cruel?" the doctor said.
"Hahaha, it only deepens Kaminari's sense of guilt and betrayal. That'll start pushing him away from the heroes, even if just subconsciously."
All For One's mood brightened at the memory of Kaminari Denki's rapidly beating heart. He hadn't felt this pleased in a long time.
"So that's your twisted pleasure—manipulating people's hearts," the doctor said with a bitter smile, shaking his head. After spending so much time with this man, he had come to understand this so-called "evil ruler" quite well.
This man didn't care for power, money, or women. What he loved most was systematically manipulating people's hearts.
He enjoyed watching a coward descend into madness after being given a dangerous Quirk.
He delighted in seeing a kind person, who had lost their true love and everything else, fall into darkness and become a killer.
The reason he stole powerful and useful Quirks, the reason he built a massive organization to rule society—was all to toy with people's hearts however he liked.
After all, only overwhelming power gave him the ability to do so.
That's why he was called an "evil" ruler, not something like "dark" or "bloody" or "terrifying."
"Kurei Yuuto was like that, Shimura's story was like that, Himitoumi, Wolfram… and now, Kaminari Denki…" the doctor muttered.
"And my brother, right?" All For One smiled faintly. "It doesn't matter—it's been so long, it's not a taboo anymore."
"But… the human heart is such an interesting thing. It'd be a waste not to play with it—even after the accident with All Might."
Elsewhere, in a brightly lit, girlish room, a nine-year-old girl named Youmei lay on the bed, silently staring at the phone in her hand. On the screen played a video she had watched countless times.
"Youmei... Her name is Youmei. She should be in Room 605 of the municipal hospital. I beg you, please, save her!"
"Youmei? What's her surname?"
"She doesn't have one. I found her in the trash five years ago and gave her the name. I hoped she could decide on her own surname when she grew up.
"I… the last name of a tramp like me isn't good, really isn't good..."
At this point, the girl's eyes held no tears—because she had already cried them all out.
"How could it be bad, Tomomi… I really like the surname Himuro. I really like the name Tomomi, too!" she muttered to herself, just like she always did.
Immediately after, the screen showed a pile of steaming, charred rubble—that was the body of her adoptive father, Kento Himuro. In an instant, the sorrow in the girl's eyes turned into hatred.
"Kaminari Denki, rope-man, Midnight..."
Strangely, there was something—or someone—she seemed to skip over as she clenched her teeth and named them.
At the same time, in Saitama City, Kaminari had already returned home. But instead of going to his room to rest, he went straight to the top floor.
Drink! Drink! Drink! Hoo—!
Heavy breathing echoed through the air. The shirtless blond boy was pushing a heavy weight machine back and forth with his muscular body.
Judging from his sweat-drenched state, he had been training for a while now. The time was already 11:36 PM.
After meeting with All For One, he felt extremely burdened and unsettled. Instead of testing out any new Quirks, he chose to vent through intense training.
How to describe this feeling? Guilt? Regret?
But deep down, he kept telling himself—if he had to make the choice again, he would still do it.
Not just because he had no other choice, but because he wanted to. Yet, as someone who received a "proper" education, he also felt incredibly selfish.
In order to fulfill his own desires, he had dragged Kyoka, Tetsu, Momo, and the others into a dangerous situation.
In his heart, everyone held different weight.
His parents were first. Then Kyoka, Tetsu, and Momo.
Then came Bakugo and Tokoyami, who had just joined the band.
And lastly, everyone else at U.A.
Honestly, if Kyoka, Tetsu, and Momo hadn't been involved this time, he wouldn't feel as miserable as he did now.
Because to him, there was a difference between classmates and true partners. As for Bakugo and Tokoyami—well, they'd just joined. They hadn't earned a spot at that level yet.
He was a selfish person. Someone who didn't love deeply.
"Haaah…"
His arms were sore and exhausted, so Kaminari slowly stopped, drenched in sweat, and slumped onto a red chair, exhaling deeply.
"It's already done anyway. All I can do now is face it," he murmured, staring at the beads of sweat dripping from his blond hair.
After such intense training, the weight on his chest finally lightened a little. He stood up and walked to an open space, ready to examine the newly acquired Quirks.
He stood silently for two minutes, letting his body cool down, then activated his Quirks, drawing on the electricity in his body.
Szzzzzzzzzz…
Golden currents soon began emerging from his sweaty torso. In the next moment, the currents gathered on their own and hovered in front of him.
"This feeling..."
He realized that controlling the currents had become incredibly easy. What used to take concentration now responded to his will almost instantly.
Look at this—thick currents, like serpents or pythons, twisted freely through the air. Sometimes they became a thunderbird. Other times, they split into dozens of needle-thin lightning spears.
Eventually, they morphed into a lifelike golden thunder dragon with detailed scales, circling slowly around Kaminari—even the whiskers looked real.
"So that's it. The micro-control I've trained for over a decade has granted me a ridiculous level of precision over this 'Current Control,'" Kaminari chuckled, and the last bits of frustration in his heart finally began to fade.
The Black Hood had never trained this ability, so he could only use it crudely. But Kaminari? He wielded it like a work of art.
"According to what was said before, newly obtained Quirks start in their original awakened state—like when someone first develops them around four years old. It'll take a few days for them to grow and match my physical condition."
"Then let's test the upper limit of this initial state today. I'll work on deeper control tests tomorrow."
Kaminari probably hadn't even noticed—right now, there were no negative thoughts in his mind. He was simply enjoying the joy that came with becoming stronger.
"My Quirks are flawless now. I should find a time to give it a new name… 'Electrification' sounds way too lame."
(To be continued.)
***
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