Midoriya, who was enjoying the lively atmosphere, suddenly felt something. He looked up and met All Might's gaze.
"What's wrong, All Might?"
All Might withdrew his eyes, glanced deeply at the massive Kaminari in the night sky, then smiled and said, "Young Midoriya, let's find a place to sit down."
"Okay." Midoriya didn't refuse, naturally. He knew All Might had sustained serious injuries in the battle two days ago.
The two of them found a plastic table and chairs outside a drink stand and sat down, ordering two glasses of water.
[Do you still remember the tears you shed?]
[Even if God does not grant our wishes, we must stick to our original ideals!]
"All Might, can you tell me about the previous generation?" Midoriya asked softly, the beautiful singing ringing in his ears.
"Previous generation?"
All Might was taken aback. Wasn't he Midoriya's predecessor? Then he realized—Midoriya was asking about his predecessor, the seventh One For All user.
"Why are you suddenly bringing this up?"
Midoriya scratched his head awkwardly and smiled. "Actually, I've wanted to ask for a while. Out of all the past One For All users, besides you, the seventh generation is the closest to me."
"Indeed."
All Might nodded in agreement, then started to organize his thoughts. Memories inevitably began to surface in his mind.
[To abandon confusion and reach the other shore of life, become stronger! Become stronger!]
[Become a Hero!]
"I was around your age, Midoriya, when I first met my master."
"I met her when I was in third year of junior high. I was fourteen at the time, and she was only thirty-one. That's a bit different from us now, hahaha," All Might laughed cheerfully, thinking about how he was now over fifty.
Midoriya thought to himself, Fourteen years old—one year younger than me.
"I was Quirkless too, just like you, Midoriya. I dreamed of becoming a Hero and had already decided to apply to U.A.'s Hero Course.
"After meeting her, we talked a lot. What stuck with me the most was probably what I told her."
"What... what did you say?!" Midoriya had completely turned into a starry-eyed fanboy, staring at All Might with sparkling eyes.
[Break through the gray clouds!]
[Spread your wings and soar! Soar into the blue sky! Spread the wings of hope!]
"I want to create a world where people can smile. And to do that, we need a symbol. Our country didn't have one then, so I wanted to become that symbol." As the song played, All Might spoke softly, his eyes distant.
Repeating that line brought him back to that moment years ago, back to that frail, fourteen-year-old self.
"That sunset back then... Master looked so beautiful." It was as if All Might had returned to that time, seeing his master gazing dreamily at the setting sun.
"Yagi, you know," the seventh generation said, turning and smiling, "people who smile are the strongest in this world!"
[Prelude to destiny!]
[In that miracle called chance, I only see you and only believe in you!]
[I will continue to love you deeply, no matter what!]
"A world where people can smile."
For some reason, when Midoriya heard that line, he looked around at the joyful, laughing crowd and felt a moment of realization.
"All Might, you did it!"
"Hmm?"
All Might looked over in confusion and saw Midoriya standing up, pointing excitedly at the crowd in the distance.
"Because of the birth of the 'Symbol of Peace,' and because of all the effort All Might put in over the years, everyone can live such a happy life!"
[Summon that courage! Protect love until the end, and never give up in order to survive!]
"Hahahaha!" All Might burst out laughing, then picked up his drink and took a big gulp.
Midoriya's words and the smiles around him made All Might feel that everything he had done over the years truly had meaning and value.
Yes, he did it!
"Speaking of which, your actions back then, Midoriya, really touched my heart." All Might smiled, setting his drink down, and recalled the moment clearly.
"You mean...?" Midoriya asked, looking back.
"Your body acted before your mind could think!" All Might said, emphasizing each word.
[That boy back then was a Hero. Become stronger! Grow more powerful! Become a Hero!!]
"All Might!" Midoriya's eyes welled up with tears, but fortunately, he had grown enough to hold them back.
Because he remembered every word All Might had ever told him—and lived by them.
"Always keep yourself smiling. Because only a Hero who smiles can be the strongest Hero!"
At that moment, Kaminari, having finished singing "Poem of Heroes," looked up at the starry sky in relief. To be honest, his voice was hoarse.
He had been singing nonstop since the afternoon two days ago until now.
Thankfully, this final piece didn't require vocals, only instruments and his electric Quirk to energize the performance.
By now, all the Pokémon on stage had slowly disappeared; they weren't needed for the last song.
"Up next is tonight's final performance! Just like the opening song, 'The Passionate Duelists,' this one is a newly composed instrumental piece!"
All Might suddenly stood up. "Looks like Kaminari and the boys are wrapping things up. Let's stand and witness the end."
"Okay!"
Midoriya quickly stood up as well, then asked, "What's the seventh generation's name?"
"Her name was Shimura Nana," All Might replied with a smile. "She was a great and beautiful Hero who left her family behind and fought All For One alone to prevent evil from harming her loved ones!"
On the other side, with Kaminari's opening solo, a burst of electric riffs erupted, and ten seconds later, Tokoyami's electric guitar joined in. The rhythm gradually climbed toward the climax.
Fifteen seconds in, Bakugo's fierce drumming thundered across the venue, rousing the spirits of listeners around the world!
Then Momo's electronic keyboard and Kyoka's bass followed in perfect sync. Finally, the most exhilarating song of the night echoed across the stage and across the world!
"Listen up, future enemies!" Kaminari shouted while playing his guitar. "If you're hearing this track—'Justice Enforcement'—that means you've pushed me to go all out!!"
At that moment, with his rich imagination, Kaminari envisioned an epic scene in his spiritual world, a fierce battle between himself, Black Hood, and All Might. This song was the BGM for that clash.
Yes, in his imagination, he had become the strongest version of the God of Thunder, fighting All Might and Black Hood in the skies above!
After witnessing All Might's overwhelming power, Black Hood's menacing aura, and Wolfram's Quirk-boosting might, Kaminari finally felt that spark, that ambition to chase the pinnacle of strength.
(To be continued.)