Chapter 208: Strength doesn’t come without sacrifice.

--Saturday, May 23, 2172 After a while, the bus finally arrived at the stop near the Saito mansion, so the group got off, and after speaking with the guards at the gate, they entered the estate in silence. They soon reached the garden, where they found Kai alongside Momo and the beautiful blue-haired senpai, who were calmly chatting with the golden-haired senpai capable of phasing through objects with his quirk. Also, Mina, Jiro, Hagakure, Ojiro, and Midoriya. “Hi, guys!” When they arrived, they were greeted by the cheerful Mina, sparking a brief conversation that lasted until the others showed up—Kaminari, Tsuyu, the frog girl, and Sero Hanta. However, amidst the chatter, Kirishima and Ochako couldn’t help but glance now and then at the calm Kai, who remained mostly silent, seemingly lost in thought. “Well, now that everyone’s here, let’s head to the gym.” Kai, pulled by the sleeve of his sports jacket by Momo, was snapped out of his thoughts and realized that everyone had gathered. He began to speak while scanning the group with his unique black-and-white 360-degree vision, carefully observing the shifting outlines of their silhouettes. “Today, I want to focus on assessing everyone's strength and skill level. So after two hours of training in the gym, we'll do a quirk test, and then we'll have a short meeting where I'll talk with each of you about your specific situation. In the afternoon, I’ll give each of you specific exercises you can practice here, at U.A., or at home—since I have things to take care of.” Kai quickly turned around and began walking toward the gym, explaining in a calm tone, though his 'gaze' remained fixed on the silhouettes of those present, taking full advantage of the 360-degree nature of his strange sight—even if it inevitably left him a little dizzy. Everyone quickly began walking behind Kai, who, as always, had his black cat on his shoulder. At that moment, Nejire turned to face everyone and, while walking backward, said with a big smile. “Even though there are some new faces, just like last time, you can count on me if you need anything.” “Same goes for me.” Mirio quickly added with a charismatic smile, then continued. “I'm not the best at teaching, but if you need an opponent, I'm ready.” “I'll also be supporting you with whatever you need.” Momo added with a cheerful smile as she looked over her shoulder at her classmates. At that moment, Tsuyu raised her hand and asked in a serious tone. “Saito, while I really appreciate the opportunity, I can’t feel completely at ease until I know why you want to train us. It’s hard for me to believe you’re doing it just to help us.” Upon hearing Tsuyu, Kai deactivated his black-and-white vision and turned to look at her over his shoulder with a smile, then explained in a slightly mysterious tone—once again finding that straightforward girl interesting. “You can relax; I’m not planning to charge you or anything like that. Let’s just say I’ve realized the world is dangerous, and it’s in everyone’s best interest to have strong, brave heroes out there helping keep the peace. So we all win: you get stronger and move a step closer to your goals, and I get the peace of mind of knowing there are capable heroes maintaining safety.” While most looked at the blue-eyed young man with a mix of surprise and confusion, Ochako, Kirishima, and Todoroki couldn’t help narrowing their eyes—because that answer practically confirmed that something had happened, something big, and their classmate wanted to make them stronger so they could help him carry the burden. … Upon arriving at the gym, Nejire and Momo gathered the girls into a group and began warming up, while Kai and Mirio took charge of the boys, starting a joint training session. However, as Kai began striking a massive metal block with his bare fists—surprising everyone—he discreetly focused on the [In] state holographic screens in front of him, which displayed data on all the students, paying special attention to Midoriya’s information. As he analyzed Midoriya’s data and observed the strange, misshapen outline of his silhouette, Kai couldn’t help but drift a little into his thoughts. Truthfully, that boy made him feel uneasy just by being there. But thinking about it rationally, the problem had never really been Midoriya—it had always been himself. After all, they had barely spoken and had never had any direct conflict of any kind. In truth, his discomfort with Midoriya was a combination of factors. First and foremost, the boy was a living reminder that he had once viewed the world he lived in as an anime—a fictional story. Even now, ten years after regaining his memories, that thought still made him feel incredibly uneasy and triggered occasional episodes of derealization, where everything felt fake. But even so, his unease with the green-haired boy went deeper—it came from somewhere else. He had already found that character annoying in his previous life, and although he had played dumb about it for a long time, deep down, he had always known the reason, and it was a pretty stupid one. Somehow, he saw himself reflected in that boy, and Midoriya’s “goody two-shoes” attitude and hero complex reminded him of how foolish he had been for trusting that “best friend” and his ex in his past life. That led him to hate him—because he knew that no matter what happened in the story, that idealistic attitude would be rewarded in the end. Because that’s how it always went. And that made him feel frustrated, since, in his experience, the world wasn’t like that. It was cruel and unforgiving.  But at the same time, he knew that if the character were to be betrayed and humiliated—“as he should be”—he would feel even more frustrated. Because then it would be “obvious from the start,” and he wouldn’t be able to do anything to change it… just like his own past. Because of those irrational feelings, Kai stopped watching anime and began to be irritated by even the mention of it. But unexpectedly, he ended up living in the very world of the anime he had come to hate. And now, after years of silently reflecting on it, he was even more aware of just how foolish and irrational his feelings had been. After all, in his past life, he had never been as “good” or heroic as the green-haired boy. He had only been naive and stupid. He had truly been overestimating himself by comparing himself to that “protagonist.” … … … As Kai reflected in silence, striking the super-dense metal block with increasing speed and such overwhelming force that the ground itself trembled slightly with each blow, the others continued their own training. Yet, they couldn’t help but be drawn to Kai, utterly amazed by the sheer absurdity of his power. But suddenly, somehow, everyone watching Kai clearly heard a cracking sound—like a wooden stick snapping in half. In that instant, they couldn't stop their eyes from widening in shock, as they saw Kai abruptly stop and glance at his right arm, which was now pointing in an entirely different direction—completely broken. “Wow, my bones are weaker than I expected...” Amid the commotion, Midoriya and Mina tried to get up to help, but before they could take a single step, a calm murmur from Kai stopped them. At that moment, they watched in shock as Kai, without making a sound, simply grabbed his broken arm with the other and, with a swift motion, snapped it back into place. He then clenched and unclenched his fist a couple of times in front of him, before walking over to a shelf with a large first aid kit. Everyone present watched as Kai—still seeming lost in thought—took out several bandages from the massive kit. With practiced movements, he wrapped his broken arm, then proceeded to bandage his other three limbs without even flinching. And immediately after finishing, he walked back to the massive metal block and began striking it again—this time even harder than before. Completely shocked, all the Class 1-A students present looked at each other with astonishment written all over their faces—especially the girls. Even though they had already heard from Momo that something similar had happened before, seeing it with their own eyes was far more impactful than they could have imagined. This led them to glance at Mirio, Momo, and Nejire, who wore slightly bitter expressions, though they never stopped training. Perhaps because of the shock, everyone began to feel like the cracking sounds were growing louder and more frequent, which drew their eyes toward Kai’s limbs. He was throwing punches and kicks at the metal block as if it were made of cotton, without holding back in the slightest. This inevitably caused Kirishima, Todoroki, and Midoriya to clench their fists tightly. (How much pain has he endured to become so indifferent to such agony…?) Midoriya, who had broken his arms on several occasions, couldn’t help but wonder to himself in shock. He, more than anyone, understood the unspeakable pain caused by a fracture like the one he had just seen Kai suffer—that kind of pain was nearly incapacitating. “Truly, strength doesn’t come without sacrifice…” Todoroki murmured to himself with understanding, something Kirishima overheard and silently nodded at, a solemn expression on his face. After a few minutes, the students—still shaken—returned to their exercises in silence, each lost in their own thoughts. But one thing was certain: within every single one of them, a new respect had taken root for that strange blue-eyed boy. Because now they understood that the strength they had once envied came at a price they could barely even imagine. … … … “Today was quite a productive session.” In the middle of a specialized training facility for quirk use, located within the forest surrounding the mansion—recently upgraded with Nezu’s help—Kai spoke in a calm tone while observing the youths sprawled out on the ground before him. All of them seemingly on the verge of unconsciousness. He then added casually. “I’ve already sent today’s recommended exercises to your emails. As I mentioned before, you can practice them here or wherever you prefer. I have things to take care of, so I’ll see you later—or tomorrow.” After saying his goodbyes, Kai began walking out of the facility with Salem perched on his shoulder. Meanwhile, the U.A. students, all lying on the ground utterly exhausted and bruised, could only watch him in silence. It was then that Mina, lying flat on her back with her limbs spread out, turned to Momo—who was sitting beside her, breathing heavily—and asked. “Yao Momo… how do you even deal with him…? He wiped us all out and didn’t even break a sweat…” Hearing her friend, Momo—completely exhausted—looked around and saw everyone utterly defeated, with Todoroki staring up at the sky, questioning life itself. She couldn’t help but smile with a hint of irony before replying. “Kai knows how to control his strength perfectly, so unless it’s during training, it’s hard to realize just how strong he really is…” … While Mina and Momo were talking, Todoroki turned to look at Mirio, who was nearby and in just as bad—or possibly worse—shape, battered and drained. He then asked in a strained voice. “Do you have any idea what could make someone that absurdly strong so cautious…?” “No, but I can tell it’s serious. That’s why we have to train with everything we’ve got.” Mirio replied in a breathless but firm tone, fully aware that if Kai had gotten serious enough to put them through such a beating, there had to be a reason. Meanwhile, Nejire—who wasn’t in much better shape than Momo—looked toward the path where Kai had left, becoming even more aware of how terrifying he truly was. But more than that, she realized how terrifying those spiders must have been to have defeated him the way they did. That thought made her clench her fists tightly. She wasn’t willing to let the man she loved keep fighting alone. She wanted to support him and protect him—and for that, she needed to become much stronger. That started with proper training. So, gathering all her strength, she pushed herself up off the ground, and though still a bit shaky, she began generating spirals of energy that flowed through her body. Then, she started practicing the exercises her beloved had recommended. … When everyone noticed what Nejire was doing, they looked at each other in surprise, speechless. They were all so battered and exhausted that none of them had wanted to move. But at that moment, Momo stood up and began practicing her martial arts, simultaneously creating all kinds of weapons in rapid succession—displaying a fast, unpredictable combat style that was both lethal and beautiful. Not wanting to be left behind, Mirio quickly got to his feet and started training, followed closely by Kirishima, who, after checking the exercises on his phone, began his own practice. This motivated the others, and before long, everyone was silently training in the facility, wearing serious, focused expressions. … … … --Monday, May 26, 2172 On Monday morning, Kai found himself in his room, completely surrounded by all his beautiful girlfriends, who were dressing and grooming him like a doll. They helped him into his U.A. uniform, fixed his hair—and even Salem wasn’t spared, as they caught him, brushed his fur, and put on the custom-made red tie that matched the U.A. uniform. While Kai wore an expression of mild defeat, Nejire and Momo, who were adjusting the sleeves of his jacket, were grinning from ear to ear. After all, they were finally going back to U.A. with their Kai, and that made them feel like that tragic night was truly behind them—that everything was finally getting back on track, and now everything would be okay. … After Chatora, Keiko, and Yumiko had a good laugh at his expense, Kai took the Pussycats back to their base using Accompany, then left for U.A. with Momo and Nejire, since Nemuri had headed out earlier. The two beautiful girls insisted on going by car, wanting to savor the moment—though most of that “savoring” consisted of holding his hands the entire ride and stealing a few kisses, all while keeping the driver’s side window firmly closed. … After Nejire said her goodbyes to head to her own class, Momo and Kai walked together toward Class 1-A. But the moment they stepped inside, Kai saw Mina, Kaminari, Kirishima, and Sero standing at attention in front of him, giving a military-style salute with mischievous grins on their faces. “Welcome back, Demon King! Long live the king!!” As everyone laughed at the little joke—including Momo—Kai simply rolled his eyes and walked over to his seat, where he sat down calmly. This surprised several students who hadn’t had recent contact with the blue-eyed boy, their eyes widening in disbelief. After all, judging by the way Mina, Kaminari, Kirishima, and Sero were laughing—along with the rest of the class rep's group—it was clear that the terrifying blue-eyed student hadn’t used that overwhelming pressure on them. That was unexpected, especially since some had even braced themselves to catch others in case they passed out. But as they looked at him more closely, everyone noticed the absence of the scar on his forehead, which left them both confused and curious. Before they could dig deeper into the strange mystery, Aizawa—their ever-exhausted teacher—entered the room, greeted the class, and began announcing the day’s schedule. But before leaving, he turned to Kai and said in his usual tired voice. “Saito, Principal Nezu wants to see you after this.” … After leaving the classroom, Kai didn’t head to his workshop as usual—instead, he made his way to the principal’s office, where he found Nezu sitting with All Might and Nemuri. The three of them were calmly drinking tea while reviewing some documents spread out on the table. “It’s truly a pleasure to see you again, Kai-kun. My apologies for not being able to visit—I’ve been a bit busy gathering the team for the expedition.” Principal Nezu, the strange, hyper-intelligent rat/bear-like creature, spoke as he cheerfully raised one of his tiny paws in greeting. Kai replied in a calm tone. “Don’t worry about it. I was just asleep at first, and by the time I woke up, I was already fully recovered.” “Good morning, Kai-shonen.”  All Might greeted him warmly, to which Kai nodded and returned the greeting before taking a seat next to Nemuri. At that moment, Principal Nezu slid a folder across the desk toward him—containing various documents that Kai quickly scanned, realizing they were profiles of different pro heroes. That’s when Nezu spoke in a serious tone. “Although Midnight mentioned you still haven’t made a decision about forming a team for the expedition, I’d like you to take a look at the candidates we have in mind. I truly believe they’ll be valuable assets in uncovering the secrets of that place.” “…” Kai remained silent, focusing instead on reviewing the documents. He quickly realized they were profiles of fairly well-known pro heroes—including Ryukyu, Nejire’s internship mentor; Kamui Woods, a hero who appeared to be made of wood; a ninja-like man known as Edgeshot; and the rabbit hero Mirko—an old acquaintance of his. “Kai-shonen.” All Might said at that moment, his tone serious as he looked at the silent young man and continued. “Even though you're very strong, you already suffered a defeat on that island. That’s why, this time, we should go in with support. All of them are powerful and capable heroes who will be a great help—and the Pussycats will be going too.” *** You can support me on /lordanl and get up to 10 advanced chapters.