Chapter Text
“Is it possible to become a Hero without a Quirk?”
Toshinori Yagi had no idea that this one question would have so much impact on both of their lives.
He was frustrated, first that he had wasted so much of his time limit chasing down that Sludge Villain. Second, that his true form had been exposed to this child he didn’t even know.
He wanted to say no. To tell the boy to be realistic, that without a Quirk he would only get himself killed.
Then he saw his eyes.
The boy had the eyes of someone who had been broken and put down one too many times. Eyes that sought validation, that pleaded for some small spark of hope, lest rejection be the straw that broke the camel’s back.
And so, Toshinori thought about his answer.
“Young man, why do you want to be a Hero?”
“It’s… It’s all I could ever think about.” Izuku muttered. “When I was little, and I saw the video of your debut here in Japan, I always wanted to be just like you. Someone who could save anyone with a smile on their face and bring hope to those in need. I want to be a Hero who saves everyone.”
“A Hero who saves everyone, huh?” Toshinori mused. “Well-“
An explosion in the distance cut him off.
He would in no way blame young Midoriya for the Sludge Villain’s escape. Maybe the boy grabbing onto his leg jostled the bottles the vacillation was stored in, but in the end, Toshinori blamed only himself for not securing the bottles better in the first place.
He felt helpless as he stood there, watching that boy as he struggled against the villain’s hold, clutching at his scarred stomach in despair as he wished for just a few more second of power.
What the hell were the other Heroes doing!? Why were they just standing around while a child was being murdered!? The Villain’s eyes were solid! Why weren’t they targeting those!? Why weren’t they trying to negotiate, couldn’t they see the boy was suffocating!?
Just as he made the decision to overtax his body and step in himself, a green blur shot past.
“Stop! What the hell do you think you’re doing!?” Death Arms yelled. Toshinori watched as Young Midoriya ripped off his backpack and hurled it at the villain, its contents nailing the giant mound of slime in the eye, causing him to recoil and release his hold on the boy’s mouth, letting him breath and Young Midoriya tried desperately to pull him out.
‘Well done young man!’ Toshinori thought as he rushed forward, straining his already taxed out body with power as he deflected the Sludge Villain’s counterattack, grabbing onto the two boys as he cocked his fist back.
With a single Detroit Smash, the villain was splattered all over the street.
He needed to talk to Young Midoriya, but first he would need to escape the reporters. He had barely sent the boys off to be checked by the paramedics when he heard raised voices.
He had looked over to see what was going on. Death Arms and Kamui Woods were scolding Young Midoriya while the rest of the Heroes were praising the other young man.
What?
Toshinori felt his blood boiling as he caught a few words, calling Young Midoriya ‘Reckless’ and saying that he had ‘Gotten in the way’.
“Excuse me.” He said as he walked away from the reporters. He clasped Death Arms on the shoulder, startling him. “Why are you scolding this child? He should be getting checked out by paramedics.”
“I- well.” In an instant, Death Arms’ confidence had taken a nosedive. “He was being stupid and reckless! Rushing in like that when we had the situation under control! He’s lucky to not be charged with Vigilantism!”
“Did he use a Quirk?”
“I… What?”
“Did. You. See. Him. Use. A. Quirk.” Toshinori repeated slowly.
“Shitty Deku doesn’t have a fucking Quirk!” Bakugo snarled, though the boy flinched when Toshinori shot him an unamused glare.
“I do not believe that little tidbit of information was yours to give out young man. Especially on live TV!”
“Who cares!? He’s a Quirkless freak!”
“SILENCE!” Surprisingly, Bakugo actually shut up.
As did everyone else in the vicinity.
Maybe the fact that Toshinori wasn’t smiling?
He turned back to Death Arms.
“But yes. This young man did not use a Quirk, so by legal definition, he cannot be charged as a Vigilante.”
“I- Still, we had the situation contained! This boy didn’t contribute anything to the situation!”
“Really now? Because from my viewpoint, it looked as though you were just standing around doing nothing while this young man was in the process of being murdered.”
“We didn’t have the right Quirks for the situation-“
“Inexcusable!” Toshinori snapped. “You could have tried to reason with the villain! You could have done a great many other things yet you did not even bother to try! You saw what this young man did. He targeted the Villain’s eyes and bought the victim a few seconds to breathe and gave me an opening to move in and neutralize the Villain. You say he contributed nothing, yet this boy did far more than all of you combined.”
“I-“
“Just stop Death Arms. Your behavior today has been nothing short of disgraceful. Don’t go digging yourself deeper. Ah, and while we’re on the subject of disgraceful behavior, Mount Lady.”
“Y-yes?” The rookie Heroine gulped.
“I saw your debut earlier. You should be ashamed of yourself. Kamui Woods had the situation perfectly under control. That’s why I stayed back myself. Yes you took down the Villain, but you did it in the most obnoxious way possible and caused millions of Yen’s worth of damage. That is not something to be proud of. You need to be better than that, we are here to protect people, not flash our rear ends at the camera for some extra publicity. Do you understand?”
“Y-yes sir…”
“Good. I have no doubt you can become a fine Hero, but being a glory hound isn’t the way.”
He turned away from the scolded Hero and placed his hands on Bakugo and Young Midoriya’s shoulders.
“Now then, this boys should be getting checked out instead of scolded. If you’ll excuse us.”
X
It turned out both boys had a bit of fluid in their lungs from their individual encounters with the villain. The Paramedics gave them some special pills and sent them on their way. Toshinori had offered to escort the boys home, but Bakugo merely scoffed and walked away.
“That boy, his attitude rubs me the wrong way.” Toshinori sighed as he deflated when Bakugo was out of sight.
“I- I know Kacchan has a bit of a temper, but he has an amazing Quirk and he’ll make a great Hero-“
“Young Midoriya, the way he behaved today didn’t even come close to being heroic. He outed your Quirk status on live TV.”
“It’s fine. I’m used to it.”
“You shouldn’t have to be.”
“Um… All Might, not that I don’t appreciate it, but you don’t have to escort me home. I’ll be fine.”
“Actually, I never got to answer your question earlier, did I?”
“Huh?”
“You asked if you could be a Hero without a Quirk. Well, I think you just answered that question yourself.”
“I did?”
“Today you were more of a Hero than any of the Pros. Let me guess, when you rushed in to save Bakugo, did your body just move on its own?”
“Y-yes?”
“And it’s because of that I know you’ll make a fantastic Hero, Quirk or no. So yes, you CAN be a Hero, even without a Quirk.”
“A- All Might…” The boy broke down, crying with the pressure of a fire hose (it was very impressive).
“That being said, I do have an offer for you.” Toshinori spoke up. “Of course, you’re free to turn it down. I’ll support you either way, but you should know I’ve been trying to find a successor. Someone to take my place when my broken body can no longer go on. That’s why I wanted to ask if you’d be willing to inherit my Quirk.”
“…Huh?”