"Since when did you know? Does someone else know?"
Those were the first words Midoriya managed to say after recovering from the shock.
Almost immediately, he lowered his voice and leaned across the table, trying to make sure nobody around them could overhear the conversation.
"That was supposed to be a secret," Midoriya whispered urgently. "No one should have known."
Raiden remained completely calm.
In fact, he looked far more interested in his fries than in the revelation that had nearly caused Midoriya a heart attack.
"Oh, don't worry."
He casually grabbed another fry.
"I figured it out myself, so I never told anyone."
Midoriya visibly relaxed, though only slightly.
"Your secret is safe."
Raiden pointed at him with one fry before eating it.
"At least from me."
That wasn't exactly the reassurance Midoriya wanted.
"What do you mean, 'at least from me'?"
Raiden shrugged.
"Well, now I'm the only one that I know of."
That answer somehow made things worse.
"That I know of?" Midoriya repeated.
"Yeah."
Raiden leaned back slightly in his chair.
"I believe there are probably other people who could figure it out."
Midoriya froze again.
"I don't know who," Raiden continued. "But I'm pretty sure someone else has the ability to notice it."
The green-haired boy felt his stomach drop.
"Though maybe not."
Raiden tilted his head.
"It depends."
"Depends on what?"
"On whether they spend enough time around both of you."
Midoriya listened carefully.
"For me, the biggest clue wasn't your power alone. It was comparing your energy signature to All Might's. Someone who only interacts with one of you would probably never notice."
Raiden paused for a moment.
"Someone who spends enough time with both of you, however..."
He let the sentence hang.
"...might eventually connect the dots."
Midoriya slowly sat back down.
His mind was already running through every possible person who could fit that description.
Teachers.
Pro heroes.
Students.
Internship supervisors.
Anyone.
"Since when?" Midoriya finally asked.
Raiden thought about it for a moment.
"Mmm..."
He grabbed his drink and took a sip.
"Last week."
Midoriya almost fell out of his chair.
"LAST WEEK?!"
Raiden nodded.
"That was when I became certain."
He pointed toward Midoriya.
"You and All Might happened to be in the same room, and the similarities became impossible to ignore."
The psychic student paused.
"Though honestly, my suspicions started much earlier."
Midoriya immediately focused on him.
"Earlier?"
"Before the school year even began."
Now Midoriya looked genuinely surprised.
Raiden nodded.
"When I was assigned to teach a group of first years."
He rested his elbow on the table.
"The whole thing felt strange."
"How?"
"Because All Might took you in personally."
Midoriya blinked.
Raiden continued.
"You were constantly injuring yourself."
Another nod.
"Your power was clearly too much for your body."
Another nod.
"And meanwhile, there was a student whose Quirk was literally capable of healing that exact problem."
He pointed at himself.
"It didn't make sense."
Midoriya opened his mouth.
Then closed it again.
When Raiden put it that way...
It really didn't make much sense.
"So from that point onward," Raiden continued, "I knew something was unusual."
He shrugged.
"I just didn't know what."
Midoriya lowered his gaze.
"For so long..."
Raiden laughed softly.
"Don't feel bad."
The older student reached for another handful of fries.
"As far as I know, All Might has never been particularly good at keeping secrets."
Midoriya almost laughed despite himself.
"Really?"
"Really."
Raiden grinned.
"At least that's what my mentor used to say."
The image of the Symbol of Peace accidentally revealing classified information was strangely amusing.
Raiden continued eating while Midoriya slowly processed everything.
The secret he had guarded so carefully.
The power he had inherited.
The fact that someone had figured it out entirely on their own.
And perhaps most worrying of all...
The fact that Raiden believed he might not be the only one capable of doing so.
After letting the silence linger for a few moments, Raiden finally spoke again.
"Anyway."
He pointed a fry toward Midoriya.
"We can talk about that later if you want."
Midoriya immediately focused on him again.
"For now, tell me something else."
Raiden leaned forward slightly.
"What do you think you've improved?"
Midoriya blinked.
"And what do you think you're still lacking?"
The green-haired boy remained silent.
Raiden smiled.
"We need a deep analysis."
He tapped the table lightly.
"It doesn't work if I simply tell you everything."
The older student pointed directly at him.
"You need to understand your own strengths and weaknesses too."
Then he grabbed another fry.
"So."
Raiden smiled.
"Start talking."
"I-I... I still lack a lot of things."
Midoriya lowered his gaze slightly as he tried to organize his thoughts.
"My combat style, for starters. Or maybe I don't even have one yet."
Raiden remained silent, letting him continue.
"When I fought against you, there were so many moments where I couldn't get past your guard no matter what I tried. Every time I thought I found an opening, it turned out not to be one at all. By the time I realized it, I had already been hit three times."
The green-haired boy clenched his fists.
"It felt impossible. I couldn't break through your defense, while mine practically didn't exist. If I had to explain it... the difference between us is just too big."
Raiden chewed another fry before shaking his head.
"That has nothing to do with power."
Midoriya blinked.
"What?"
"Not everything is power."
Raiden stood up from his chair and stretched.
"Come on. Finish eating."
The older student smiled.
"I'll show you."
A short while later, both of them arrived at another training ground.
Unlike the massive facilities of the U.S.J., this one was much smaller. It looked like a normal combat field, simple and practical.
Raiden walked toward the center and stopped.
Midoriya followed him.
Then Raiden positioned himself roughly two meters away from the younger student.
"Alright."
He rolled his shoulders.
"Activate your Quirk and attack."
Midoriya immediately frowned.
Something felt wrong.
Or rather...
Something was missing.
"Uh..."
He pointed at Raiden.
"You haven't transformed."
Raiden tilted his head.
"Oh, that?"
"Yeah."
Midoriya looked genuinely confused.
"You haven't turned into your other form."
Raiden simply shrugged.
"Not necessary."
The response caught Midoriya off guard.
"For this lesson, it's actually better if I stay like this."
He stretched his arms one more time.
"I'm trying to show you what you're lacking in technique."
Midoriya looked even more uncertain.
"But..."
He hesitated.
"If I attack you with One For All, I could seriously hurt you."
Raiden stared at him for a second.
Then he sighed.
The next instant he moved.
One step.
That was all it took.
The distance between them vanished.
Before Midoriya could fully react, Raiden's fist slammed directly into his stomach.
The impact lifted him off his feet and sent him stumbling backward.
At the last second Midoriya activated Full Cowling on instinct, reducing some of the damage.
Even then, pain exploded through his abdomen.
"Cough!"
The green-haired boy bent forward as air escaped his lungs.
His eyes widened.
What?
That punch had felt heavy.
Really heavy.
And Raiden wasn't transformed.
He wasn't using telekinesis.
He wasn't using psychic abilities.
That meant...
That was just his natural physical strength.
"Don't underestimate me."
Raiden calmly stood where he was as Midoriya recovered.
Only then did Midoriya notice something.
The fist that had struck him was positioned around Raiden's stomach level.
The realization hit him immediately.
He had made a mistake.
A massive one.
He had unconsciously associated Raiden's true strength with Mewtwo.
But even without transforming...
This was still the same person who had defeated his group of students countless times.
The same person who had trained first-years.
Just because he wasn't transformed didn't mean he was weak.
Far from it.
"One For All: Full Cowling, 4%!"
Lightning danced across Midoriya's body.
The next instant he launched himself forward.
His leg shot toward Raiden's face in a powerful kick.
Raiden moved smoothly.
He simply rotated his body slightly, allowing the kick to pass harmlessly beside him.
And at the exact same moment...
His fist struck Midoriya's stomach again.
The timing was perfect.
"Cough!"
Midoriya nearly spat from the impact.
The attack interrupted his momentum entirely and sent him flying across the field.
The green-haired boy twisted his body in midair and landed properly this time.
Immediately he rushed forward again.
This time he stopped just before reaching Raiden.
A feint.
Then a roundhouse kick.
Another one.
Then a third attack.
Raiden avoided all of them using the smallest possible movements.
A tilt of his shoulders.
Half a step.
A slight turn of the hips.
Nothing more.
And yet every attack missed.
One thing became painfully clear to Midoriya.
Their physical stats weren't that different.
At least not in this form.
Their speed felt comparable.
Their strength felt comparable.
But the difference in technique...
That gap was enormous.
Midoriya kept attacking.
Punches.
Kicks.
Feints.
Combinations.
Every single time he was countered.
If he threw a punch, Raiden struck his ribs.
If he launched a kick, Raiden redirected it.
If he overextended even slightly, Raiden punished him immediately.
At one point Midoriya attempted a powerful front kick.
Raiden caught his leg.
Closed the distance instantly.
Punched him in the face.
Then spun and delivered a kick that sent Midoriya flying once again.
The exchange repeated over and over.
And strangely enough...
The exhausted one wasn't Raiden.
It was him.
Bruised.
Sweating.
Panting.
While Raiden looked completely relaxed.
"You noticed it, right?"
Raiden spoke while Midoriya slowly stood back up.
"My current raw physical strength is almost at your level."
Midoriya listened carefully.
"Maybe a little higher."
Raiden shrugged.
"But not by much."
The older student crossed his arms.
"And yet you can't hit me."
Midoriya remained silent.
"That's what I'm talking about."
Raiden pointed toward him.
"The gap isn't power."
"It's technique."
"Reflexes."
"Experience."
He tapped his own chest.
"In this state, I'm not even close to my maximum strength."
Raiden looked toward his hands.
"If I had to estimate... maybe ten percent of what I can do while transformed."
He shrugged again.
"Maybe less or more. I'm honestly not sure."
His eyes returned to Midoriya.
"So yes."
"You might eventually surpass me physically."
"You might become stronger."
"Faster."
"More durable."
He smiled.
"And it still wouldn't guarantee victory."
Midoriya clenched his fists.
"Raw strength isn't everything."
Raiden raised an eyebrow.
The next second Midoriya increased his output.
Electricity intensified around his body.
6%.
His current safe limit.
The pressure immediately became uncomfortable.
His muscles protested.
His body complained.
But he pushed forward anyway.
This time Raiden had to react faster.
The attacks carried noticeably more power.
The speed increased as well.
Yet the outcome remained exactly the same.
The biggest difference was that Raiden blocked more often.
He had slightly less room to dodge.
But that was all.
His expression never changed.
He still looked completely calm.
Completely in control.
"You say you understand that raw strength isn't everything."
Raiden blocked another punch.
"But the moment you face a problem, you immediately add more power."
Midoriya gritted his teeth.
"Yes."
Another attack.
Another block.
"Because I understand something else too."
He pushed harder.
Closer to seven percent.
His body immediately began protesting.
"The gap between our abilities is too large."
Another strike.
"So I need something to compensate."
Raiden hummed.
"Mmm."
Then he stepped aside.
"That's a reasonable answer."
Midoriya's eyes widened.
The response surprised him.
"But..."
Raiden continued.
"This is training."
Not a battle for survival.
At that exact moment Midoriya threw one of his strongest punches directly toward Raiden's face.
Raiden tilted his body.
The attack missed by centimeters.
Then, using Midoriya's own momentum against him...
He drove a fist into his stomach once more.
The impact was devastating.
"Cough!"
Blood escaped Midoriya's mouth.
His body folded around the strike before collapsing to one knee.
Raiden looked down at him.
Calm as ever.
"See?"
The older student pointed toward him.
"It's about technique."
Then he pointed toward his own eyes.
"And timing."
Finally, he crossed his arms.
"Not power."
Midoriya remained on the ground, breathing heavily.
Once again.