"What?"
Shigaraki clutched his abdomen with his right hand, struggling to stand while supporting himself against the wall with his left. His face, once twisted with pain, anger, and madness, now carried an additional emotion—shock—after hearing Kaminari's words.
"You… met Sensei?"
"Yeah, I've seen him before."
Kaminari nodded casually and joked, "Let me think… probably more than once. Didn't he tell you?"
"Why… why would Sensei want to see you?!" Shigaraki stared at Kaminari in disbelief, as if such a thing was simply impossible.
"Why?"
Kaminari stroked his chin, pretending to think, before responding, "He said he admired me very, very, very much and invited me to walk alongside him the first time we met."
With that, he shrugged nonchalantly, completely ignoring the increasingly bloodshot look in Shigaraki's eyes.
"But as you can see, I turned him down. Otherwise, you—'Leader of the League of Villains'—might not even be you right now."
His expression then shifted to one of exaggerated distress before he spread his hands and sighed. "But who would've thought? He still went and gave me a gift afterward."
"Gift… a gift…?"
The next moment, Shigaraki saw a golden glow appear in Kaminari's open palm, accompanied by countless shimmering particles forming out of thin air.
"According to your Sensei—this is a Quirk called 'Electricity Absorption Physique.'"
"He thought it suited me perfectly, so he went out of his way to take it from someone else and give it to me."
Kaminari's expression gradually became serious, his entire demeanor turning even more arrogant and domineering, like a child flaunting a brand-new toy to another child.
"I have to admit, your Sensei's Quirk is truly something else if he can pull off something like this. Don't you think?"
As he spoke, his expression shifted slightly as if suddenly remembering something. He looked at Shigaraki with curiosity and asked, "What about you? Did he give you any Quirks?"
Shigaraki didn't respond, but his tightly clenched fists betrayed his emotions.
"Oh… I guess not," Kaminari said, feigning confusion.
"You've known him for so long, yet at twenty years old, you still only have your original Quirk?"
"And with a teacher like that?"
"Shut up!" Shigaraki muttered, his head lowered.
Memories flooded his mind, scenes of Sensei mentioning Kaminari in front of him surfaced one after another.
"Did I… really disappoint you, Sensei…?"
"Ah, so that's it. You're just a failure. You disappointed All For One so badly that he hasn't given you a new Quirk in all this time. Now, he's placing his hopes on me instead!"
"Hahahahaha!"
Kaminari's wildly arrogant laughter instantly filled the alley, igniting Shigaraki's fury and madness.
"SHUT UP!!!"
BOOM!
Decay erupted instantly as Shigaraki pushed his speed to the limit. In a flash, he crossed a distance of seven or eight meters, appearing directly in front of Kaminari, his right hand reaching for Kaminari's face.
"Die—!"
CRACK!!
As if expecting the attack, Kaminari's body erupted with brilliant golden lightning.
BOOM!
The moment Shigaraki's Decay-infused hand made contact with Kaminari's 'High Voltage Shock,' electricity burst forth.
Unfortunately for Shigaraki, Decay only disintegrates matter, it had no effect on an energy-based existence like lightning.
Of course, if Shigaraki had enough willpower, he could have endured the pain of burns and paralysis, forced his way through the electric barrier, and directly grabbed Kaminari. In that case, the outcome would have been uncertain.
But… did he have that kind of willpower?
"AAAAAARRRGHHH!!!"
That agonized scream answered the question—he didn't.
"This is boring."
Kaminari glanced at Shigaraki, who was now writhing in agony, his body overwhelmed by golden lightning. He felt an odd sense of disappointment.
Because he realized, most villains in this world were just too weak.
Even the leader of the League of Villains was so fragile. This was completely different from the anime he had watched in his previous life.
"Could it be… that the true final boss of this world is actually me, Kaminari Denki?"
The thought left him momentarily dazed.
The first time he met All For One, when he heard the story about All For One and the century-long battle against the heroes, he had already begun to suspect that this world might be based on an anime he had never seen before.
"If that's the case, then according to the original story… did All For One break me out of the Saitama Police Station's detention center?"
"Then he took me to the League of Villains, where I competed with Shigaraki for leadership, eventually winning and inheriting all of All For One's abilities and resources?"
"And in the end, Midoriya Izuku led Class 1-A to take down the League one by one, before defeating me and throwing me into prison?"
At this moment, Kaminari mentally mapped out a huge portion of the plot as if he were analyzing a story from the outside. And the more he thought about it, the more plausible it seemed.
"That said, if I hadn't transmigrated, I definitely wouldn't have the strength I do now. There'd be no Railgun, no God Speed, no Lightning Dragon's Roar, or High Voltage Mode."
But he still had one lingering question, why had All For One taken an interest in him in the original story?
Unbeknownst to him, he had already started subconsciously accepting his own imagined storyline.
As for Shigaraki?
Kaminari glanced at the villain on the ground. After a good dose of electrotherapy, the guy had already passed out, eyes rolled back.
"You were wrong about one thing. I'm not killing you, not just because it'd be troublesome, but also as a favor to All For One."
The reason he had rushed here, abandoning his shopping trip with the two girls after seeing Shigaraki appear on his phone screen wasn't just concern for Midoriya.
He also wanted to take advantage of Shigaraki.
Kaminari had a rather peculiar mindset, he felt that if he defeated Shigaraki but spared him, it would count as returning a favor.
"This way, I don't owe you anything anymore, All For One…"
Though he was talking to himself, he felt a weight lift off his chest.
After all, peace of mind and a clear conscience truly affected one's mood, and now he felt much more at ease.
As for All For One?
Who cared what that guy thought?
Tap, tap, tap, tap, tap—
Kaminari turned and walked away with Pikachu in tow. Kyoka and the others were probably still waiting for him, he should hurry.
Before leaving the alley, he left behind a fleeting remark.
"I hope you won't fall into my hands next time. Otherwise… your teacher might just have to bring me another new Quirk."
"This time, I want one that lets me control the electricity around me… hahahahaha!"
One life in exchange for one Quirk?
Fair and square.
It was a deal worth continuing.
Just as Kaminari's figure disappeared down the alley, a swirling mass of dark purple mist appeared beside Shigaraki's unconscious body.
"Kaminari Denki… just what are you?"
***
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