A BAM rang out as All Might punched the big, red rubber button, the machine displaying numbers immediately.
Looking at him from outside the testing area, through the see-through glass, Detective Tsukauchi, Nezu, Vlad King, and Aizawa's mouths opened… and remained like that for some time.
In the room, a doctor approached All Might, and began asking him some questions.
Then, giving him a nod, the doctor dismissed the retired Hero.
All Might walked out of the room, clenching and unclenching his fingers, his head almost hitting the upper threshold of the door.
"That was…" Vlad King mumbled, looking up. "… much more powerful than any Villain I had fought. Are you really sure about all this retirement, All Might?"
All Might chuckled wryly.
Together, they headed to his hospital room and sat down on the sofas around his bed, with the Chief of Police Force joining them soon.
"Even the doctor sent by the Hero Public Safety Commission couldn't tell what happened to me," All Might told them. "He did come up with a theory…"
"What theory?" Erasure Head asked.
All Might furrowed his brows, thinking about how to put it.
"It's like…" he said. "… imagine a young me aged normally and never fought All For One later — the same fight that had given me that… injury. Imagine I aged normally with no injury constantly weakening my body. Something like that happened to me… was done to me…"
Everyone present in the room shared a shocked glance.
As if mere words weren't enough, All Might lifted his shirt and showed them his chiseled muscles.
Nezu's eyes shook.
Nothing.
There was no injury where there had been a horrible scar before.
Forget about a scar; there was not even a bruise.
"This is…" Nezu said. "… a miracle…"
And spontaneously, an image manifested in all their minds — Dr. Blessed, his words echoing in their ears like whispers of a ghost.
"Don't tell me you bought into that nonsense, Principal?" the Police Chief barked.
"No… No…" Nezu shook his head. "It's not about buying into any nonsense, Mr. Tsuragamae. It's about the facts."
"Facts?" the Detective asked.
Nezu nodded. "The single fact that none of us can deny…" he said, looking up at them. "Dr. Blessed… not only saved All Might's life, but he also healed him — completely."
The silence that lingered between them was deafening.
"But at what cost?" the Police Chief growled after a while. "All Might lost his Quirk!"
Vlad King's fingers clenched into fists.
Erasure Head's eyes narrowed as All Might, Nezu, and Tsukauchi shared a secret glance.
All Might saw Nezu and Tsukauchi's pupils stir, begging him not to say anything about One For All to stand up for Dr. Blessed.
Clenching his teeth and cursing himself, he swallowed the words that had risen to his throat.
In truth, All Might had already lost his Quirk long before Dr. Blessed's arrival.
All he had left were dregs, which weren't even enough to survive one punch of All For One's monstrous form.
All Might believed that it was him assuming his younger self which had allowed him to use those dregs.
The combined effect had been so miraculous that, for those few moments, he had become invincible, regaining his prime.
But he couldn't tell the world that, All Might knew.
Because that would include telling the people of One For All — putting young Midoriya's life in danger, especially now when All For One knew he was One For All's successor.
And so, after a heated, careful deliberation, Nezu and Tsukauchi had suggested partially blaming Dr. Blessed for the time being — the same Villain who saved All Might's life had also forced him to retire!
Otherwise, people would question All Might's decision to step down when clearly he looked stronger than ever!
In a way, that was indeed the truth.
All Might not only felt good, but he felt… awesome — especially for someone who had been hanging at death's door only a week ago.
It was just… it felt wrong.
"What about Gran Torino?" Nezu asked.
The Police Chief shook his head. "We are still looking for him…"
All Might didn't worry about Gran Torino one bit, though. He knew that the old man had suffered grievous injuries to his legs, perhaps even losing them on the spot while trying to save him that night. If not because of the shock alone, then Gran Torino would have died from the blood loss.
Perhaps that's why Dr. Blessed had taken Gran Torino with him, All Might believed.
He still hadn't forgotten that it was this International Criminal who had saved Dr. Samuel Abraham's life by operating on him.
It was then that they had confirmed that the Dr. in Dr. Blessed's name wasn't just for show.
"I am coming directly from a meeting," the Police Chief explained. "We have strong reasons to believe that the Claws of Conformity are being led by Shigaraki now. He is maturing… Also, with the Quirk Amplification Device in their hands, the damage they are capable of raining down on the world is unimaginable. Even if we captured All For One thanks to All Might's sacrifice, things… will get worse, I am afraid."
A hollowness welled up in All Might's heart suddenly, remembering what All For One had told him about Shigaraki's origin.
This Villain… was his Master's blood…
Shigaraki was Nana Shimura's grandson!
Nezu noticed the complex emotions on All Might's face and guessed that something was troubling him.
"I think we should let the Pros and Police deal with Shigaraki," he said, taking out a document from his suit. "You have retired, All Might. But only from the field, not from being a Hero. Not from being a teacher. UA needs you. Your students need you. Do your job… nurture the future of this country."
Nezu handed the document to All Might.
"I wanted to share it with you all much before…" he said, smiling. "For the safety of students, and considering their best interest in mind, I have decided…
"… to turn U.A. into a Boarding School."