Chapter 04: What Good Could I Do?
Horns blared loudly at the human roadblock, who remained unfazed, staring forward with a blank expression.
"What's going on?" Toshinori asked, leaning forward in his seat.
"I-I'm not sure," the cab driver said, slightly unnerved by the situation. "Looks like some guy just standing there…and I think there's something in his hand."
"Could it be a weapon?" Toshinori wondered out loud.
"I can't tell…my eyes are usually sharp, but I think the cars in front of me are obscuring it a little." The driver starts getting nervous. "This might get bad." He takes out his phone. "I don't doubt someone has already called the police, but…" He dials in 110 and holds the phone near his ear. "...You can never be too sure."
There is logic in that. When crossing a suspicious person, it's smart to be in contact with law enforcement on the chance that the person could be dangerous. Sure, there were false alarms, sometimes being a prank, but it never hurts to be cautious. It also doesn't hurt to listen to your intuition, something that Toshinori had trained himself on.
And his intuition told him that something wasn't right. That this was a serious matter and not a prank. Maybe it was the way the person was standing so still in the middle of a bustling road.
Toshinori looks around, not seeing any signs of a hero coming their way or unable to hear police sirens, even over the horns.
What if a hero arrives too late? A second of no hero or even police could mean a second closer to this person enacting whatever plan they may have.
It could take that second for lives to be in danger…
But…
Toshinori is here.
All Might is here.
The cab driver's ear twitched upon hearing his back door open. "Hm?"
"Continue to try and contact someone," Toshinori told him, getting out of the cab and leaving his messenger bag. "I'll go check out the situation. Please, stay here for your safety."
"M-Mr. Might? Wait!" the driver spoke. He sounded concerned, but Toshinori ignored it and closed the door. Toshinori took a deep breath, steeled his nerves, and started to make his way over to the still person.
Should he be doing this? A tiny voice said 'no.' He no longer had One for All and he cannot maintain his muscle form any more than a tiny few seconds. This was not a good idea. He could easily get hurt if he's not careful.
But…
Once a hero, always a hero.
Many people started to notice the man sauntering past their vehicle, making his way to the person.
"Is that…?"
"It's All Might!"
"What's he doing here?"
"Was he called too?"
"I thought he retired from active duty!"
"Go, All Might!"
The mystery person didn't move a muscle as Toshinori drew closer to them, only stopping when he was about ten feet away.
"Excuse me, young…" Toshinori does a quick scan at the person. "...man. Mind telling me what you are doing?" The person was silent. Toshinori's eyes trail down to the object in his hand. It appeared to be some kind of needle. "What do you have in your hand? Is it Trigger?" Again. The person remained quiet, his eyes firmly on Toshinori.
"If it is Trigger, it looks to be a different variant," Toshinori thought. "The container looks different. Different compared to the ones I've seen, at least." He returns in his gaze back to the young man. "With the attacks made from Humarise, the danger of Trigger had become more apparent. There is no telling what this variant can do. I have to at least talk him down before he does something."
"Young man, I don't know what you are thinking, but do know that whatever it is that you are planning won't solve anything," Toshinori said to the unnamed person. "I understand that the world we live in isn't a kind place and…I have no doubt that you may have your own fair share of suffering." Toshinori gives him an assuring expression. "It's not too late, you know. If you need help, I'm sure there is someone who can be of assistance. I can even recommend a few, if you want."
The young man was still quiet, staring at Toshinori with dull yet tense eyes.
"...Want…" he muttered. He gripped the canister in his hand tightly. He narrowed his eyes. "What I want is…"
"I'll take it from here, All Might!"
Toshinori turns slightly to the new voice coming up from the side, seeing an male officer in uniform. He was fair skinned with short, reddish brown hair. The man gives a salute to him.
"Officer Aki Norio. I was called over about a person blocking the road." The young officer glances over at the young man. "Is this him?"
Toshinori nodded. "It is. But, be careful. I think he has a vial of Trigger. An unknown variant, it seems."
"I see." Norio tips his hat to Toshinori. "Thank you for your help, All Might. I'll take things from here. You get to a safe area in case things get dicey."
There was a bit of hesitancy on Toshinori's part, but complied. "Okay." He turned around in the direction of his cab as Norio headed over to the young man. That same tiny voice in his head praised Toshinori for doing what he could, while the other berated him for just walking away now.
But what can he do? On the chance that the kid might inject himself with the Trigger, there would be nothing Toshinori could do. He no longer has One for All. He's Quirkless for the first time in 40 years. He's powerless, weak, and past his prime.
What good could he do?
"H-Hey! What are you–?!"
Toshinori whips around to Norio's shout in time to see the young man grabbing Norio and injecting the substance into the officer's neck. He presses the button, inserting the substance into Norio's system.
"Officer Norio!"
The now assailant shoves Norio down and runs off as Toshinori runs over to the downed policeman. Toshinori helps the younger man up, who was holding his neck. He eyed the officer, looking for any signs of Trigger. Thankfully, he sees none.
For now.
Toshinori looks in the direction where the young man ran off to. To his shock, the young man wasn't gone. He was standing at the end of a nearby alleyway, watching. Is he waiting for something to happen?
"Officer Norio, how do you feel? Do you feel any abnormalities?"
The officer winced. "...Other than a nauseating sensation, I think I'm okay…" Norio gives Toshinori a grin.
A tiny smile of relief found its way onto Toshinori's lips. He turns serious when he looks over at where the assailant is.
He's still there. Watching. Waiting…
What good can Toshinori do…
"Call for backup. I'll go after him," Toshinori said. He didn't wait around for Norio to reply and flew into full run after the perp, who darted off to the adjacent alley with Toshinori in pursuit, leaving Norio's view.
"Wait! All Might!" Norio reaches for the radio on his shoulder. "This is Officer Aki Norio! I'm at the Berken Main Street intersection on calls of a suspicious hooded individual blocking traffic! The person of interest had just injected me with an unknown substance and is now on the run with retired pro All Might after him! I need heroes ASAP! We might be dealing with a new variant of Trigger!"
"Stop!" Toshinori exclaimed, as he continued the chase.
The young man paid no heed, which Toshinori anticipated after he shouted that. Very rarely would a guilty criminal adhere to the demands of law enforcement, be it heroes or police. Toshinori mentally berated himself for such a cliche.
Still…Toshinori continued the pursuit and the younger man definitely wasn't making it easy. Every so often, the assailant would grab whatever in his path to trip Toshinori up or just stop him, but the man's quick reflexes would always assist him in dodging and jumping over obstacles. Next, the perp tried making sharp turns around the corner, but Toshinori easily did that too. He had even done a brief wall run after another attempt to derail him.
Unfortunately, the gap between Toshinori and the criminal remained large.
Contrary to popular belief, a man with Toshinori's height would not be the faster runner here. The illusion is from the long strides tall people have in comparison to shorter counterparts. The person's weight also applies here. Tall people generally weigh more than shorter people, thus weighing down their speed to be even keel with the shorter strides and lighter weight.
Now, Toshinori is still a slight exception. 220 cm tall, but due to his thin frame, training, and lighter weight – practically rimming the 'underweight' line – he's still faster than most average joes of his great height.
On the other hand…Toshinori is still older. He's still affected by his age. That could explain why he's having difficulty waning the distance between him and the perp, who might be as young as in his 20s with mid 30s at the oldest.
In the end, that difference was in the criminal's favor and when he made another turn with Toshinori coming up, the taller man skidded to a halt.
Before him were three different paths and the perp was nowhere to be seen.
Adrenaline still pumped in his veins as he took deep gulps of breath and looked at each path, looking for any signs of the perp. And he thought he found the path when he heard a crash coming from the path to the right, only to see a cat scurry out from a trash can.
He watched the cat disappear and he could hear his blood pumping in his ears from the long run. He could feel his limbs ache and his head spin as the adrenaline finally left his system and a realization dawned on him.
He had lost the trail.
On slightly shakened legs, Toshinori headed his way back to the intersection. He occasionally blinks several times whenever vertigo hits. It was a vague reminder that he hadn't eaten since yesterday…
He comes across Kamui Woods and Edgeshot.
"There you are, All Might," Edgeshot said. "We came as soon as we got the call."
"Are you alright? You look a little pale. You're not hurt, are you?" Kamui asked.
Toshinori shook his head slowly. "No…just a little winded from running. I'm afraid that I have lost sight of the criminal." He points to the direction he was in. "My guess, he's run off somewhere in that direction. He's wearing a gray hoodie and dark gray pants. He's kept his hood up, so I couldn't get a good look at his face, though I guess he has long, dark hair."
"Thank you, All Might," Edgeshot said.
"Are you heading back to the intersection?" Kamui asked. "Would you like one of us to escort you?"
"...No. Don't waste time on me and go find the criminal. He could be working for a Trigger cartel," Toshinori said.
Edgeshot doesn't say anything at first before nodding. "Okay. Let's hurry."
Kamui nodded. "Right. Take care, All Might." The two Lurker members leap into action, using their Quirks to maneuver around the maze of buildings.
Toshinori watched as they disappeared from view. He returns to walk back to the intersection, slowly as he still feels a little drained from the fruitless chase. Was Norio okay? The civilians? Toshinori dared to pick up the pace as he hurried back, ignoring his lightheadedness as he did.
He needs to eat something as soon as possible.
Once back, he noticed an ambulance leaving the scene and traffic resuming business. Almost as if nothing had happened. There was a police car nearby with a different officer standing nearby. Said officer notices him and comes over.
"Thank you for the assistance, All Might," the officer thanked. "We can take things from here."
Toshinori nodded. "How's Officer Norio? I saw an ambulance leave."
"He's going to be under surveillance for a while because of the unknown substance. Nothing seems to be happening yet, but we can never be too sure."
"I see." Toshinori thinks back to the moment it happened. He should've stayed. With his reflexes, he could've easily outmaneuver the young man and take the canister out of his hands. "Any else?"
"Actually, we'd like for you to come to the police station so we can get a testimony. It's nothing major. Just for formality and such," the officer said, politely. "That is, if you don't mind."
"No. I don't mind at all," Toshinori said. "I'm going to have to call the school though. They were expecting me to arrive back at a certain time." He goes to get his phone in his coat pocket, but it wasn't there. He checks his other pocket, but it wasn't there either. He checked all the other pockets on his person, but to no avail. He couldn't find his phone. In fact, he doesn't have his messenger bag either.
"I left my things in the cab!"
"Mr. Might!" Toshinori's cab driver is seen running up to him with his messenger bag in hand. "You forgot this!"
"Ah. Thank you so much," Toshinori said, taking his bag. "Before you go, let me give you your money." He takes out some banknotes from his wallet and hands them to the cab driver.
"Thank you," the driver thanked. He looked down at the money and noticed something. "Hold on. This is the original amount for the route to UA, isn't it?"
"Yes, it is."
"But, I didn't take you all the way there."
"Consider it compensation for the delay," Toshinori smiled nicely.
The cab driver gapped slightly and got misty eyed. "Th-Thank you so much, sir!" he exclaimed with a bow.
What good could I do?
It went longer than expected and by the time Toshinori returned to the dorms, it was already past 6.
Toshinori felt tired from the whole thing. Once he had entered the building, he was met with the enticing and familiar aroma of the sukiyaki from last night, seeing Tsuyu at the stove, warming the stew up. Tenya and Momo are setting up the tables.
"Leftovers for dinner, I see," Toshinori observed. He frowned, looking guilty. "I'm sorry that I was unable to make you kids lunch like I promised."
"It's quite alright," Tenya said. "Present Mic came by and made us some sandwiches."
"I see."
"What about you, sir? For lunch, I mean," Tenya said. "I know you haven't eaten anything since yesterday, so I hoped you had a meal while you were gone."
"I had, thank you," Toshinori replied. It was thanks to Tsukauchi, in fact, when the man learned what happened. Plus, Eri's gift of an apple helped in the matter as well.
"I'm actually excited! I've never had leftovers before!" Momo said, looking very enthusiastic.
"Some things are unavoidable, sir, and out of our control," Tenya said to Toshinori. "So, please, there is no need to feel bad. We're just happy that you're here now."
"...Right," was all Toshinori said. He looks around the common area and spots Izuku sitting behind Eri on the couch, the young girl was on her knees on top of a throw pillow, playing Yu-Gi-Oh against Kirishima on the coffee table with Bakugo keeping score on a whiteboard. Scanning around some more and Toshinori sees that everyone is present for lunch.
Except for one.
"Where's Aizawa?" asked Toshinori to Tenya. The moment he turned to speak with the 1A class representative again, Toshinori failed to see Izuku giving him a troubled glance.
"He was here, about 15 minutes ago, I think. He said that Principal Nezu wanted to speak with him," Tenya replied.
Toshinori had a nagging feeling that it might have something to do with today's recent incident and his involvement. The tall man wasn't sure he wanted to face the scruffy man and intelligent rodent on the matter, but knew it was unavoidable and would happen as soon as possible.
He sighs to himself, pretty much resigning himself to that once it happens. But, for now, he's gonna focus on feeding himself.
"I'm going to put my things back in my room. I'll be back in a minute," he said. He heads over to his room. He removed his trench coat and scarf and hung them on a nearby rack and placed his messenger bag on the floor below the rack. He looked over at his bed and felt compelled to just lie there for the rest of the day. As much as he wanted to nap, he still needed to eat something and, to be honest, some of that sukiyaki is enticing.
He returns to the common area and takes a seat next to Izuku and watches Eri duel. He's aware of the game's premise, but wasn't really into the game's franchise. Still, he watched as, according to Bakugo's scoreboard that showed the 'Life Points' of the players, Kirishima's points went to '0' after a direct attack from Eri.
"Ah, man. You're gettin' good, Eri!" Kirishima grinned, despite his loss.
"She learned how to play from me. What did you expect?" Bakugo said. Eri smiled.
"Thank you, Baku!"
Bakugo rises from his seat. "I'm done. Good game, kid."
"You kids had a good morning and…afternoon?" Toshinori asked.
"Yessir!" Kirishima and Eri exclaimed.
"Oh! How was your doctor visit, Mr. Yagi?" Eri asked. "You were gone all day."
The memory of Ichiro resurfaces. "...Pretty good. Everything is working as they should," Toshinori responded.
"Does that mean you won't have to go again?"
Toshinori wanted to chuckle at the child's insistence. "Little Eri…"
"Even healthy people have to go to the doctor sometimes, Eri," Kirishima said.
"Really?" she asked curiously.
"Y-Yeah," Izuku said, finally speaking after Toshinori returned. "Doctors help us to live as healthily as possible."
Eri tilts her head. "Even when you're already healthy?"
"Yep," Kirishima nodded.
"Everyone! Dinner will soon be served! Please, get cleaned up!" Tenya announced.
"Yeah! Chow time!"
"Chow time!" Eri cheered, throwing her hands in the air and following Kirishima.
Toshinori chuckled. "It's crazy how much she has changed. I feel it was only yesterday she was this shy little girl, still getting used to her newfound freedom."
"Yeah…um, All Might?" Izuku spoke up, sounding quiet.
"Hm? Yes, Young Midoriya?"
The young man took a deep breath and looked at the man with a determined look in his eyes. "Please, don't be discouraged by everything that has happened. You've done everything you could!"
Toshinori wordlessly watches as Izuku gets up and leaves to freshen up for lunch. His words…did Izuku somehow know about what happened at the hospital?
Not a second after Toshinori put his bowl in the sink did Aizawa come up to him with a fierce look in his eyes.
"Courtyard, now," the man demanded. Toshinori complied, following Aizawa to the outside area sequestered in the center of the building, accessible through the glass door just across from the main entrance. The men walk out, Toshinori sliding the glass door closed once outside. The students witnessed this and hurried over to the windows to see what was going on.
WIthout missing a beat, Aizawa showed Toshinori his phone with the Hero Network app on.
"Um…"
"Officer Aki Norio radioed into the Hero Network for a hero dispatch, calling about 'a hooded person injecting an unknown substance into him, possibly Trigger, and running off with retired pro hero All Might going after him,'" Aizawa stated. "Not only that…" He turns his phone around to get to the group chat shared amongst the hero course staff. "...Principal Nezu informed us of you arriving back later than usual because you were at the police station, giving your own testimony of the situation." Aizawa stuffs his phone in his back pocket. He crosses his arms. "So, mind telling me how you got yourself into this?"
"...I was on my back to the hospital when I came across the individual. I could tell that something wasn't right and, so far, the police nor a hero had come by yet. I didn't want to take a chance that an innocent civilian might get hurt in some way. So, I confronted him," Toshinori said. "When the perp ran off, I didn't want to lose sight of where he went, not after what he did."
"Multiple calls were made to investigate the disturbance and law enforcement were on their way," Aizawa said. "You didn't need to do that. You don't have to risk your life anymore." That somehow struck a chord in Toshinori. He didn't let it show, but he could feel something from that comment.
"I may not be an active hero anymore, but I can still help when it comes to pro heroism," Toshinori said firmly.
"Not in frontline combat," Aizawa argued sternly.
"I wasn't going to fight," Toshinori protested. "I was trying to conciliate."
"Alone. Thus, leaving you vulnerable to a possible attack." Aizawa gave out an irritated sigh. "...Why? Just…tell me why, at that moment, you decided to nearly throw away all of your hard work."
"I…wanted to help," Toshinori said. Ichiro's words rang through his head. "I left behind a mess and it's only going to get worse. Sure, All for One's behind bars but the League of Villains is still at large and criminals are coming out of the woodwork now that the Symbol of Peace is gone. The world isn't going to wait for new heroes to emerge. I refuse to just sit back and do nothing when I know I could still do something."
"You are doing something. Here, at UA. Or did you forget because you're letting biased words affect you?" Aizawa inquired. "If that's the case, it's not wise to make Midoriya worry like that."
That made Toshinori pause. "...Wait, was that about Young Midoriya?"
"Damn it…I can't hear a thing," Kaminari complained, pressing his ear against the glass.
"Can't see anything either. Stupid trees," Mineta said.
"We shouldn't be attempting to eavesdrop!" Tenya said. "Whatever they are speaking about is for their ears only!"
"Hey, Jiro, you can use your jacks to hear through the wall, right?" Kaminari asked the rockstar girl.
"WHAT DID I JUST SAY?!"
"Think it has anything to do with All Might coming back so late?" Rikido wondered.
"Very likely," Tokoyami replied.
Izuku certainly believed so, too. Toshinori had been late coming back before, give or take a few minutes. This was the first that he had been this late.
From where he stood, he could only see Toshinori through the leaves. Mostly his eyes. At first, they were pensive, but it wasn't long until there was this fierce, defiant look in them.
Then, he looked shocked…then worried. His blue eyes moved in his direction, making Izuku's heart skip a beat.
Did…Aizawa tell Toshinori what happened? And what was told?
Eri looks up at the students curiously with a hint of worry. "Is Mr. Zawa and Mr. Yagi fighting?"
"No! Oh, nonono, Eri. They're not fighting. It's nothing like that," Momo said. "They're just having a disagreement."
"Disagreement?"
"That's right. You see, Mr. Aizawa and Mr. Yagi both have different opinions on certain things," Momo explained to her. "So, when those different opinions collide and they have a disagreement, they talk it over."
Eri thinks for a moment before responding, "...You mean like how Baku didn't like the way Kami made pancakes last week?"
"That's right."
"Oh, come on. It was a smart idea and you know it," Kaminari defended.
"You were using your Quirk to cook it. It was a stupid idea, Dimwatt," Bakugo frowned.
Kaminari smiled. "And that's your opinion."
Bakugo fought every fiber in his body to smack Kaminari in the head…at least while in front of Eri.
"So, it's okay, Eri. Once they are done talking, they have come to an agreement," Momo said.
"...and there you have it. Now, can you not give Midoriya any more reason to worry? The kid's got a lot going on already. He doesn't need this," Aizawa said, after telling Toshinori what Izuku had told him. The older man was looking off to the side, but he still listened.
"...You're right," Toshinori said. "It's not fair for Young Midoriya. Or anybody else."
"At least, the ones that matter," Aizawa said. Toshinori faces him, his eyes following the younger man as he is about to go back inside. "Because the ones who matter know damn sure of your real worth. Not some bigots who only saw you as an easy way out."
"...My real worth…"
"And what worth is that?" Toshinori asked. "I am not the Symbol of Peace anymore."
Aizawa stops. "You're here. Alive and with us against all odds."
"Yeah, Sho was a little pissed when he heard what you did," Hizashi said to Toshinori as the taller man rinsed the dishes.
"...He didn't need to be," Toshinori insisted.
"Well, he was. And he was just worried," Hizashi said, leaning on the counter. "Getting miffed is his way of showing concern. I should know. I'm usually on the receiving end. And, if I'm being honest, we all were worried."
Toshinori sighed as he put the last dish in the dish drain. "...I'm sorry. I just wanted to help."
"It's cool, big guy. I get that it's hard to settle down after so many years of being a hero," Hizashi said. "And you are helping. You may not realize it, but you are and we really appreciate it."
"How? I'm not All Might anymore…I'm no use to anyone," Toshinori lamented.
"Seriously, dude? You really think we only cared for the hotshot Symbol of Peace?" Hizashi questioned.
"Hm?"
"Think back to when you first came to UA about your teaching gig," Hizashi said. "At the time, the only people you knew about your secret were Nezu and Recovery Girl. Everyone else was none the wiser."
"Yeah…I remember," Toshinori said.
"When you were around All Might, you felt…oddly distant. Which is weird because of how you present yourself." Hizashi chuckled. "I actually joked with Sho about how he and All Might were alike in how they put up walls, but for different reasons…he didn't think it was funny."
Toshinori managed to snort a laugh at that. "I believe that, considering how much he hates All Might."
Hizashi grinned. "Anyways, All Might's wall was different in that he is welcoming, but at the same time, he was shuttin' people out. Specifically, us."
"I see. Sorry."
"Don't be. You had your reasons. Now, Toshinori Yagi was different."
"How? I mean, I wasn't as bombastic as I would've been, but I don't think I was all that different."
"That's where you're wrong. As All Might, you acted as the Symbol of Peace. An untouchable figure who would inspire hope in people and fear in villains. You were practically a god. But, Toshinori Yagi, you felt real," Hizashi said. "You were being…well, you." He puts a hand on Toshinori's shoulder. "All Might was a figurehead of the real hero. We can mourn all we want for the loss of the Symbol of Peace, but it's nothing compared to you."
Hizashi smiled at him.
"We care about you, man. You. Toshinori Yagi. Not some symbol."