Gray floated down toward the ground and looked directly at the Symbol of Peace. "All Might, let me ask you something first before we start fighting."
All Might looked taken aback for a second, but he quickly got his bearings together. "I don't know why you're doing this... What was your name?"
"Name's Gray, and to be fair, they all started this," Gray replied, pointing around at the smoking battlefield. "I wanted to leave, but they wanted to fight."
"I see, Gray-shonen," All Might said, adjusting his stance. "What did you want to ask?"
"How much time do you have left in that form?" Gray asked calmly.
All Might's eyes widened behind his shadowed face. This person actually knew about his hidden time limit. If this kid turned out to be an underling working for All For One, the situation was incredibly dangerous. "I don't know what you're talking about," All Might replied firmly.
"I see," Gray said, rotating his shoulders to stretch his muscles. "I guess I'll have to find out myself then. Just a heads up..." Gray looked straight into All Might's eyes. "Don't hold back on me."
Gray launched himself forward, flying straight into All Might to throw a heavy punch. All Might barely managed to dodge, but his instincts immediately flared in high alert; his body told him that if he had taken that punch head-on, he would have actually taken serious damage. Taking the fight completely seriously now, All Might countered with a massive punch of his own.
"SMASH!" he yelled.
Gray snapped his arm out and blocked the giant fist with an open palm. He didn't move an inch from the impact. Gray looked at the hero and let out a short sigh. "I told you not to hold back, didn't I? Come on, show me what you've really got."
Seeing his signature punch blocked that easily, All Might finally exhaled and his expression turned entirely serious. Gray saw the face the hero was making and a wide smile broke across his own face. "There we go. Let's give the news people a show they'll never forget."
All Might and Gray instantly clashed and started trading a furious barrage of blows. Gray perfectly matched All Might's speed and power so they were evenly matched, turning the entire battle into a test of who was the more skilled martial artist. Gray knew he had the complete upper hand because All Might heavily relied on raw, overwhelming strength, whereas Gray had tons of elite martial arts training under different legendary masters. The mechanics of the fight were entirely in Gray's favor.
Every single heavy punch that Gray dodged created a massive, booming gust of wind that knocked down several trees in the background. The pro heroes standing on the perimeter tried to step in and help, but the sheer shockwaves kept them from getting anywhere near the center of the clearing; every time they tried to approach, they were violently pushed back by the wind and flying debris. Even the news helicopters had to fly much further away just to avoid the intense updrafts of wind.
Gray noticed that his own blocks and punches didn't actually create destructive gusts of wind or shatter the surrounding landscape like All Might's did. He simply ignored it, figuring it was due to his perfect Ki control keeping his energy entirely contained within his strikes. As they fought, Gray deliberately avoided hitting the old injury All Might had on his left stomach to avoid making it worse. He had pulled a fresh stack of Senzu Beans out of his Home Garden a few hours ago, so he could technically heal the hero if things went wrong, but watching All Might take a few hits and aggressively retaliate made his smile deepen. He knew he could end this fight anytime he wanted, but watching Japan's strongest hero go all out was a rare sight for sore eyes.
All Might had been fully confident he could take this new "villain" down, but something kept gnawing at the back of his mind as the seconds ticked by. Seeing just how absurdly strong this kid was, he realized Gray could have easily slaughtered every single pro hero present on the mountain and escaped long before backup ever arrived. Instead, Gray had chosen to strictly incapacitate them without causing permanent harm, which instantly put the stranger on All Might's good side. Furthermore, noticing how Gray was actively avoiding targeting his vulnerable stomach injury proved the kid wasn't allied with All For One at all. It had been a very long time since All Might had found an opponent he could actually go all out against, and using this fight to let off some steam was genuinely enjoyable.
They continued fighting at that blistering pace for thirty straight minutes. All Might's movements finally started to slow, his chest heaving as he began breathing incredibly hard. Gray, on the other hand, stood floating a few inches off the ground without showing a single sign of exhaustion or sweat anywhere on his skin.
Seeing the physical state the Symbol of Peace was dropping into, Gray decided to give him a hand. He reached into his system inventory, pulled out a green bean, and tossed it straight toward the exhausted hero.
"Here, eat that," Gray said. "It'll help you recover. I'm not done having my fun yet."
All Might caught the bean out of the air and stared down at the weird, wrinkled legume in his palm. "What's this?"
"Something to help you recover. It will give you your energy right back," Gray explained, crossing his arms. "I noticed you started getting slower, and I'm not even close to being done."
All Might stared at the bean for a few seconds. From the forest line, a few of the watching heroes used their intercoms to yell at All Might, telling him not to consume anything a villain handed him. But after trading hundreds of punches with Gray, All Might knew deep down that this person wasn't a villain at all. He popped the Senzu Bean into his mouth, chewed it a few times, and swallowed.
The effect was instantaneous. The bruises and muscle strains he had accumulated throughout the thirty-minute brawl completely vanished, and a massive surge of energy rushed back into his veins. He could instantly feel that his muscle form had stabilized, granting him a few more hours of use for the day. Feeling the sudden rejuvenation, he stared up at Gray, demanding answers with his eyes.
"Later," Gray simply told him, dropping right back into his fluid martial arts fighting stance.
All Might smiled and mirrored the posture, and the two immediately launched back into their explosive clash. Up in the skies, the news helicopters caught every single second of the interaction on camera. The only thing the media broadcasts were missing was the audio; otherwise, it would have been breaking national news that All Might was suffering from a daily limit on his hero work. Instead, the footage simply recorded the legendary battle, showing a gallery of top pro heroes standing completely helpless on the sidelines while Gray and All Might traded world-shaking blows.
Miles away in his small suburban apartment, Izuku Midoriya sat glued to his television screen, staring in absolute shock. He watched his idol fight a shirtless, long-haired stranger who was successfully keeping up with his speed and power. Knowing the secret about All Might's fading flame and his true physical limit, Midoriya gripped his knees, his heart racing with worry as he watched the battle grind into a terrifying standstill.
Elsewhere in a different district, Mirko could be seen with her face practically plastered across her TV screen, completely captivated by the fight she was witnessing. Her rabbit ears twitched with excitement. She wanted a piece of that action more than anything.
She marched over to her coffee table, grabbed her cellphone, and dialed a number. Not even a few seconds later, she heard the calm voice of her friend and fellow top hero, Ryukyu, answer the line.
"What's going on, Mirko?" Ryukyu asked.
Mirko instantly replied, her voice loud and full of energy. "Come and pick me up right now! We are going straight to where All Might is fighting!"
Ryukyu let out a heavy sigh on the other side of the line. "What do you think we'll actually accomplish out there? All Might is fighting him to a standstill. If we jump in, we would just be in the way."
Mirko bolted upright, a wide grin on her face. "I don't care! I'm going regardless! Just fly me over there, drop me off, and you can leave if you want to!"
Ryukyu sighed once more, knowing there was no way to talk her out of a good fight once she made up her mind. "Fine, fine. I'll be right there. Just be outside and ready."
The line went dead. Mirko tossed her phone onto the couch and continued staring at the live battle on her TV. Her eyes locked onto the shirtless, long-haired stranger who was casually matching the Symbol of Peace blow for blow. She couldn't wait to test herself against that guy.
Somewhere else in an empty bar, Kurogiri was cleaning some glasses while Tomura Shigaraki watched the fight on a TV screen, a bunch of detached hands grabbing tightly onto his body. A computer monitor sat open on the counter right next to them, casting a dim light.
Kurogiri stopped polishing a glass and turned toward the computer screen. "Should we intervene, Master? A powerhouse like that could come in handy on our mission."
"He shows promise," All For One's distorted voice replied through the computer speakers. "But let's not be hasty. He might not share the same views as us, so let us wait and watch."
"Understood," Kurogiri replied.
"I don't care about that guy, but he better not kill All Might," Shigaraki scratched at his neck furiously before picking up a glass and throwing it to the side, letting it shatter against the wall. "That's my job!"
"Calm down, Tomura," All For One continued calmly. "All in due time. If anything, this encounter will give us a definitive answer as to whether All Might is getting weaker or not. This is excellent data."
All Might and Gray continued fighting. At one point, Endeavor stumbled out of the woods, clutching his bruised side as he watched the clash. He felt completely powerless. He had been toyed with and smacked aside like a fly. He wanted to do something, but he stopped himself... in his current state, he would only be in All Might's way.
After around ten more minutes of intense fighting, Gray was completely engrossed in the battle. He failed to notice a large signature approaching their location. He threw a punch, but All Might suddenly looked distracted, glancing over to his left.
Gray turned his head, only to see a pair of metal shoes with a bunny paw imprint on the soles flying straight at his face. Gray leaned back instantly. He got a good look at the new arrival, dark-skinned, athletic, and featuring a white bunny tail on her behind.
'Nice view,' Gray thought to himself.
Mirko had officially arrived at the battlefield. She attempted to kick Gray, but she smacked a tree instead when Gray effortlessly dodged her attack. She landed on her feet and turned around, a huge, wide grin stretching across her face. "Yes! This is it!"
Gray looked around and let out a heavy sigh. The situation had gotten completely out of control. A few more top-tier heroes had arrived at the scene. Mirko and Ryukyu had made it there, but that wasn't all. He could see Eraser Head crouching to the side with a few more backup heroes, his scarf loose around his neck.
All Might raised his hands, trying to be the voice of reason. "Gray-shonen, let's stop here! I know you don't mean any harm, but you will still need to come with us to the police station. This has gotten out of hand."
Hearing that, Mirko got immediately upset, waving her fist. "Buzz off, All Might! I still wanna fight this guy!"
Hearing what Mirko said, Gray smiled. Maybe it was thanks to his Saiyan body, but he felt that Mirko's wild, aggressive personality would make her a great partner. He turned his eyes toward her. "I wouldn't mind keeping you company for a while."
Mirko's wide smile stretched even further. "Let's do it!"
She planted her powerful legs and dashed forward like a rocket, launching herself straight at him.