Paths Of A Hero
Summary: Hero or Vigilante? What is the difference? It used to be black and white, a boundary so sharp cut that many have found themselves in pieces just for approaching it. So why is it blurring now, as Eraserhead tries to keep his head low while unwittingly gaining 20+ kids, at least three Pro Hero friends and seems to have caught the eye of All Might himself, all the while his past is persistently trying to catch up to him?
USJ had a lot of consequences, way more than All Might had thought a single incident possibly could.
For one, three Pro Heroes have been injured in various degrees and one civilian - because Eraserhead is a civilian, even if he's a Vigilante in the eyes of the law - had nearly died. One student, too, ended up having severely broken bones, but that was all Midoriya-shounen's inability to deal and cope with the power of One For All. He'll get better and stop breaking his bones ... one day. He'd healed fast enough, within hours, and then he'd left the medical ward Chiyo-san had put them in, mentor and protege, to go meet his classmates and they all went off to do something together. No one of the teaching staff knew it at the time, but they sure did learn the day the kids were back for classes two days later.
Two, All Might's time as, well, All Might has decreased once again because he had forced himself so well beyond his limits. He had barely about an hour in his muscled form, which meant he'll now only be able to do Hero work on weekends and days when he's not teaching any classes. Those were few and far in between, but he's starting to realize where his priorities now lie. He's a teacher. After watching what Thirteen had gone through and after seeing just how much Eraserhead had done for a bunch of kids he had no obligation to, Yagi Toshinori has realized his days as an active Hero are coming to an end but his days as a teacher are just beginning. No more distractions. He'll be on call for more serious incidents and leave everything else to the hundreds of active Heroes and sidekicks of Musutafu.
(Besides, he knew the streets will be in good hands, once Eraserhead emerges once again. If he does. Gods, does All Might hope he will.)
(He may mourn a bit that he's only had one late night chat with the Vigilante he's unexpectedly come to respect and that they've never gotten a chance to work together, but he fears he won't even have the courage to look at the man once more after the sacrifices the man has made for children Toshinori was supposed to protect.)
Three, society was in a bit of an uproar after the attack, speculations were made, UA professional integrity and capabilities were put into question, as though the school hasn't been running successfully for decades now without a single incident before this one. The media frenzy was even worse than before and Toshinori had to waste one day of being All Might on interviews and statements that were meant to reassure the public that it will not happen again.
Four, word got out who the first responder was and Eraserhead's popularity suddenly skyrocketed. Suddenly, half the city knew about his existence when before he'd been as anonymous as any non-Hero or non-Vigilante. Investigative reports swarmed the police departments all over the city, the gossip magazines tried accosting the students of 1-A for statements about Eraserhead and more and more Heroes were asked less about their own work to be, instead, questioned if they have ever worked alongside or against the mysterious, brave Vigilante.
Of course, the question of how and why Eraserhead had been there to respond so quickly eventually came up, from the reporters, the Hero Commission, Principal Nezu, other Heroes and of course Detective Tsukaushi himself, as he was the one in charge of the case, only for a different detective to reveal that the night before the attack Eraserhead had apprehended a villain might similar to Nomu, though smaller, weaker and of a different color. That detective, more used to working with Eraserhead than Naomasaa since his station was so close to Naruhata, was convinced the reason Eraserhead had been there at the right time was because he was investigating that captured villain. He doesn't know any more than that, as is usually the case until Eraserhead has solid leads, but it's still a great clue and it only got Eraserhead more attention once it somehow got leaked to the media.
The Hero Public Safety Commission raged, long and hard, at the Heroes who had been there when the order was given to arrest Eraserhead on sight when a title appeared in one newspaper.
ERASERHEAD: VIGILANTE OR UNDERGROUND HERO? Why does the HPSC allow such treatment of one of our Heroes?
The article was both printed out in thousands of copies and posted online and it was one of the most popular and read texts for days before the UA Sports Festival and will probably continue to be so for a while yet after it. No attempts from any of the higher ups to deny Eraserhead's 'Hero' status were accepted as truths, not when the mayor himself was convinced it all made sense now. Apparently, Eraserhead had saved his daughter some years ago and he'd been confused by it, as Vigilantes are usually trying to go against the system, mostly because of politicians or other figures in power that they view as generally corrupt. In an interview, the mayor explained it wasn't like that with Eraserhead. The man had just saved his daughter from a hostage situation and left without even waiting for a thanks. He'd seen the young girl was safe and that was it.
Eraserhead's selfless acts at USJ seem to support this kind of behavior and a good half of Musutafu was convinced Eraserhead was, indeed, a Hero, even if he was an underground one and that's why they've never heard of him before.
Had All Might not spoken to the man himself, he also might have believed it. The evidence so far suggested it to be true, after all. Eraserhead truly was kind and only wanted to help people. He wasn't in it for defiance or the fame.
The fifth consequence that came from the USJ Incident was that Mister Blaster officially could no longer be a Hero. Even with Recovery Girl's expertise and half a dozen surgeries, Sensoji had simply not been lucky. His heart was simply too fragile for the strain and with his hands shot, the blasts he could produce were minimal and could do no damage to anything or anyone. The man seemed even less motivated to be a teacher after that, not that Class 1-A noticed.
That brings us to the sixth consequence: Class 1-A were officially Eraserhead's biggest fans. It started almost without the teacher's noticing upon the kids' return after the USJ Incident. That Sensoji-kun didn't notice until he walked in on the kids talking about it very loudly two days before the Sports Festival surprised no one, but it did come as a surprise that it was All Might, the most inexperienced of the teaching staff, had noticed it first. Though, to be honest, that was only because he's been stressing himself over Eraserhead's last known condition and how the man might be now that he's been almost obsessively following any and all information regarding the man that wasn't media speculation. No police reports mentioned him at all in the week preceding the Sports Festival and even the streets were awfully quiet.
Eraserhead was the talk of the classroom in 1-A, from Kirishima and Kaminari discussing how cool he was, to Midoriya, Asui and Mineta recounting how he'd saved them at the last second to Yaoyorouzu then joining in to discuss possible reasons for the capture weapon's movements. None of the kids mentioned a single thing about Eraserhead's Quirk, even though the UA staff already knew he did, indeed, somehow, have a Quirk-cancelling Quirk. A few debated over whether they should support a Vigilante's actions or not; Iida found himself torn on that one while the rest of the class adamantly denied Eraserhead being anything but a Hero.
All the teachers knew within two days that Eraserhead may currently possess more of these kids' respect than they themselves did save maybe All Might, but Sensoji only truly understood when he dared accuse Eraserhead of being as much behind the attack as the League of Villains and Bakugo fucking lost it, attacking his homeroom teacher. Midnight had to put him to sleep just to keep him from doing something truly stupid.
Sensoji-kun had brought his concerns over 1-A's new fascination with the Vigilante to Nezu, but the Principal could only say that it would be cruel to take Eraserhead away from the kids when just the mention of him seemed to be keeping the worst of the possible trauma they've acquired away. Mister Blaster could only fume silently whenever he walked into his own classroom and heard the talk of the Vigilante continue until whatever topic had been brought up ended. He had even less control over those kids than when the year had started and, at this point, even the inexperienced educator Yagi was wondering how that was possible.
The seventh and final big consequence that Toshinori was aware of after the USJ Incident was that 1-A became rather popular in the days preceding the Sports Festival, and not in a good way. Yagi had overheard what kids from other classes had said and he can't help but be disappointed in them all for envying victims for being attacked just because it brought them 'fame'. And even more disappointing and a bit distressing was that a couple of them were from 1-B, the other class in the Heroics Course. How could they leave the future of Heroics to such children if they would blame a victim for being attacked? Though, to be fair, only one kid seemed to be truly acting like an arse to 1-A while others were just scoping out the competition. Or throwing down the gauntlet, in young Tetsutetsu Tetsutetsu's case.
Monoma Naito, though, might have some serious issues.
1-A didn't seem overly bothered by Monoma's words, but some of them were nervous for the Sports Festival. Toshinori himself felt like a jackass for putting so much pressure on Midoriya-shounen's shoulders on his first Sports Festival, but this event was important for getting noticed and the next Symbol of Peace needed to show himself to the world as soon as possible. Toshinori knew he probably only had a year or two left for Hero work in any capacity before he won't be able to use even leftover embers of One For All. He needed the boy to be ready. He's the one who had chosen to go Yagi's footsteps, though he'll make sure his successor doesn't have nearly as bad a life as he himself has lead.
Though, with the greatest evil gone after the fight that nearly cost Toshinori his own life, Midoriya-shounen just needed to grow up, get stronger and then, when he's the best Hero of his generation, keep a weather eye on the horizon for anyone trying to take All For One's place. Yagi hoped to live long enough to see it, but with his condition, nothing was certain.
The preparations for the Festival were no laughing matter, either. All Might had never found himself so busy, even when he'd been doing all of his work as both All Might and his own PA at Might Tower since his injury. He guessed he should have expected it, given how important and big the event was, but it still somehow managed to come at him from the left field. Maybe he really wasn't suited to be a teacher if something like a school event manages to trip him up to this extent, never mind that said school event is what has basically replaced the Olympics since the widespread emergence of Quirks. There were a lot of things to prepare besides training the students and preparing them both physically and mentally for what was to come while also continuing the curriculum. And he had to prepare a speech, too, because he was supposed to be the one to lead the awards ceremony at the end.
He couldn't help but wonder who the best three will be, or maybe even the best four, it varies from year to year. Bakugo-shounen was undeniably one of the most talented students of his generation and even Todoroki-shounen was extremely powerful. If that kid decided to use his fire, too, he'd be a truly terrifying force to contend against. Most first years wouldn't know what to do against someone like him, especially as he had such a cool head. (Pun not intended.) Tokoyami Fumikage was also promising. His Quirk was powerful and versatile, though potentially dangerous in dark places with no light, if Toshinori understood it well enough. Though perhaps the boy could work on relying a little less on the power of his Quirk. Hand to hand was also important. Ashido Mina also had a rather dangerous Quirk, given how deadly acid can be, and Yaoyorouzu-shouji's was beyond incredible, if she manages to use it right.
Quite frankly, Toshinori worried about Midoriya-shounen. The boy was still far from being able to control One For All, didn't even think of it as his own Quirk but rather something that could go away at any point in time. He didn't feel it, couldn't connect with it like how his classmates naturally did after at least ten years of honing their own, but Toshinori had been born Quirkless, too, and received One For All at roughly the same age as his protege. He'd never struggled with using it. The Quirk even used to come to him a bit too eagerly, but he eventually learned how to control his power fully.
However, young Midoriya-shouen was going at his own pace and it was surprising just how slower it is than Toshinori's own had been. Perhaps the Quirk had grown too powerful? Stockpiling Quirks of any kind were troublesome, but One For All stockpiled pure power. Toshinori was unsure of how to teach his successor when it had all come so naturally to him. He'd learned how to do everything by feeling. He didn't overthink things like Midoriya-shounen did. Sure, it worked for the boy, but would it be enough for him to control One For All? Quirks aren't exactly about thinking unless they're mentally controlled ones, like telekinesis, telepathy or other such Quirks. Everything else works on feeling. And Midoriya-shounen relied too much on thinking. Toshinori had given him what advice he could, but he wasn't exactly an experienced teacher.
So he asked for help from the one person who he could that actually knew about their true predicament. He hopes Gran Torino will know how to help his student.
And then the Sports Festival was underway and Midoriya-shouen was actually doing really great between his own ingenuity and the friendships and alliances he seemed to be making with the ease of breathing. All Might sort of envied that ability, a bit. The kid was, in truth, as socially awkward as Toshinori was, but they each wore it in a different way. On Midoriya Izuku, it was adorable and endearing. Perhaps it had been like that with him, too, once, but now it was just, well, awkward. And it had never actually helped him make friends.
All Might made friends and those friends accepted awkward Toshinori as a part of the package, as though that was a side identity and not his true self. Mirai, for certain, saw All Might first, saw the symbol before the man. Dave, too, to an extent worried more about the loss of the Symbol of Peace and the power he held than the man that actually wields that power. Naomasa may have met All Might first, but he definitely befriended Yagi Toshinori, though their friendship stayed awfully formal most of the time. They actually rarely saw each other outside of work or things even remotely work-related.
Midoriya-shouen made friends for all his awkwardness and enthusiasm and nerdiness and fanboying. The power he now carried only came as a plus, not as the first thing that caught someone's attention. And that made Yagi both incredibly glad and maybe a little irrationally jealous of his successor because he'd never managed to make friends like Iida-shouen and Uraraka-shouji are to Midoriya-shounen.
Then again, he guessed he was also a bit jealous of the very man he's been worrying about for days now, especially since he escaped Recovery Girl's care despite his injuries being far from healed. Eraserhead, despite being 'a wanted criminal' due to his nighttime vigilantism, actually had quite a few close friends among Heroes and even a couple of police officers. He knows Present Mic, Midnight, Fat Gum and the Wild Wild Pussycats are always trying to drag him out to do stuff together. Ms Joke and Ingenium, too. No matter how many times he turns them down or the fact that they're supposed to be 'enemies', they're all good friends, even when they can't really hang out with each other.
Yagi, on the other hand, couldn't make friends as Yagi because people, even his new colleagues who knew his true form and about his injury, always saw All Might first.
He feels selfish and despicable throughout most of the Festival, especially when he feels a bit disappointed when Todoroki-shounen wins despite it being clear that the boy had really needed to hear whatever it is that the green haired boy had told him in the second round of the one on one matches. He is selfish, isn't he? Wanting Midoriya-shounen to inherit the Symbol of Peace like he had inherited One For All so Toshinori could finally rest a little. He'd put so much pressure on the boy that Midoriya-shounen had ended up irreparably damaging his own hands. He'll have scars there for the rest of his life. A reminder against recklessness. A reminder of what Heroes do to achieve anything and how much it could cost them.
Recovery Girl definitely chewed them out for that, demanding of Toshinori to find a way to better and more safely train Midoriya-shounen and soon.
He spent the rest of the first day of the Sports Festival in a sort of guilty haze that had Nezu asking him if everything was alright and if they should change the awards ceremony, but Yagi just waved him off. He was just thinking. Besides, he didn't want to deprive his first ever students of congratulating them in person like that. He even planned on hugging them!
But things didn't exactly go to plan, as Bakugo-shounen wasn't cooperating and the kid was put in Quirk-suppression shackles and a muzzle of all things. Then again, the ash-blond was really scary at the moment, trying his best to escape his restraints. All Might figured he would apologize to the boy later. It was horrible, what was done to him, but it was better than the alternative if he showed to the world just how foul his language could be and how bratty he can act. People were already critical of him because of how 'villainously' he'd fought against Uraraka-shouji and all his other classmates, as though this wasn't a competition where they actively encouraged these kids to go all out.
No single Sports Festival had ended with a quiet battle. It was simply how things were.
(Ha! If only he knew!)
As he finished congratulating Tokoyami - and the absent Iida - and Todoroki and finally placed the First Place medal on Bakugo-shounen - after a brief struggle because the boy really didn't want it after Todoroki refused to use his fire on him in the final match - he turned to give a speech to the crowd when he saw a black blur in the corner of his field of vision. Before he could really react, it was already too late as Eraserhead made his first appearance since USJ by dropping down onto the champions' podium into a graceful crouch, causing Bakugo-shounen to stop struggling and the other two boys to widen their eyes.
"Sensei!" Called out every single member of Class 1-A in surprise at the sight of the Vigilante. The crowd suddenly went deathly silent, only occasional murmurs emerging here and there as Eraserhead rose to his full height in one fluid motion. He looked to be doing good, no visible injuries left, which meant he probably got treatment, which was honestly a great relief to the Number One Hero. His goggles, hair and scarf-like weapon still did an astonishingly good job at hiding most of his face, even in the absence of his beloved shadows to protect his identity.
"This is disgraceful," the Vigilante said, hand reaching out to take off the cuffs from Bakugo-shounen. Toshinori had no idea what the man did, but the cuffs were remote-controlled and only Nezu had the ability to take them off. Yet he heard the clear ping of them turning off and suddenly Bakugo was free. "To treat your own Sports Festival champion, your student, in such a way. Not very heroic of you, let alone Plus Ultra." Yagi cringed when the man looked in his general direction over his shoulder, though he could have been looking at all of the teachers and not just him.
"How did you get in here!?" Vlad King demanded but Eraserhead only snorted, like it was far too easy to do it and he didn't feel up to explaining such mundane things. Which really shouldn't be possible with how tight security usually was when the Sports Festival was happening, let alone now, after USJ.
"Eraserhead-san," Principal Nezu called out cheerfully, though Toshinori could hear a dangerous note to his voice. "What, may I ask, has brought you here?"
"Nothing much," replied the black-dressed Vigilante. "Came to see how my kids were doing, to make sure there were no lasting consequences from USJ, see how much they'll kick ass, cheer them on. That sort of thing, since they insist on calling me Sensei and gossiping about me." He nodded at Mic when he said the last one, as though to indicate how he'd found out that piece of information. "I thought they would be safe in your hands, that you'd treat them accordingly, especially after what happened. Guess I was wrong," he continued as he lifted the handcuffs up to make a point. "I thought you, of all people, would be against such things, given your own past with human cruelty. How very disappointing. Also, stop letting my kids get hurt."
"Your kids?!" Demanded Sensoji-kun with a scuff.
"Yes, my kids. Did you see the state of Midoriya's hands? Or the cramps Bakugo was suffering because none of you gave him adequate medical treatment for Quirk overuse? Also, someone tell that flaming rooster calling himself your Number Two Hero to stop yelling and distracting kids from their matches, especially when fire is involved. It's a fucking safety hazard. And while we're at the topic of the Pros in the audience acting inappropriately, show me where the man who'd started that whole booing Bakugo thing because he was going all out at an opponent. Does he really call himself a Pro? Because he's clearly blind to both of those kids capabilities and tenacity. Bakugo wasn't being cruel or abusive. No, he was fighting with all he's got against an opponent he recognized could take it and give back as good as she got. Uraraka may seem cute and frail but she's not weak. Anyone who says otherwise can meet me outside and I'll show you a fragment of what she's been through, like every other student of 1-A when the villains attacked them. If you're all really that shortsighted, you should consider looking for a new job."
"Ouch! Eraserhead's roasting the crowd!" Yamada-san crowed from the commentators booth, only to shut up when the man looked up in that direction.
"You're no better, either. We all heard you 'kind of' agreed with them. Do you, like these simple-minded fools, suggest he should one day go easy on a villain just because they're female? I've just got one thing to say to all of you: get that sexist bullshit away from my very capable female student. And if you're out to boo a child for doing their best in a competition, you should do it elsewhere, preferably somewhere far away from me, where I can't hear you. You won't like the consequences if I hear you."
"Are you threatening us?" Someone asked incredulously in the crowd and Ms Joke laughed loudly, as though that's the funniest thing she's ever heard.
"Trust me, you'll know when Eraserhead threatens you."
"What are you all even waiting for!?" Endeavor suddenly yelled at the entirety of the stadium full to the brim with Pro Heroes and security personnel. "Just arrest him already!"
Eraserhead snorted at that and looked at Endeavor. The man's fire-beard, mustache and eyebrows suddenly went out and he tripped on his way down the stairs in surprise, eliciting a choked giggle from the man's own son. Instantly, the whole stadium was on their feet, trying to use their Quirks, only to find them unavailable.
Eraserhead turned around to face the UA teaching staff. "I'll be taking these. I have just the guy in mind that I'll need 'em for. Now, don't do anything I wouldn't do and we won't be seeing each other in this context again, hopefully." Then he turned once again towards the three boys. "Congratulations on your winnings. Tokoyami, practice hand to hand combat more. Preferably start utilizing a close range weapon for self defense. Todoroki, as Midoriya said, it's your power. Fuck Endeavor." Todoroki choked on another incredulous surprise laugh and Toshinori had to put a hand over his own mouth not to cough up blood in his own shock. "Bakugo," the man finally said, focusing on the champion.
"What?" The teen asked a bit snappily, but it was nothing like how he acted with just about everyone else. That was cause for more surprise than anything else that could have happened. Sure, they'd known 1-A liked Eraserhead more than Hero Course students probably should a Vigilante, but they'd never thought he had this amount of respect from them!
The long haired man took the medal and placed it correctly over the explosive blond's head. "This isn't the end of your journey. One unsatisfying match doesn't determine how the rest of your career will go. Take this medal home with pride because you've earned it. Battles don't depend solely on strength or wits. Luck and one's own mood can be just as much of a factor. And don't ever disregard your classmate's mental state, no matter how angry you are. You've all lived through hell and came out of there together. You share an experience that will help you get better, that will motivate you to always strive to be better so something like it can never happen again. This medal is yours today, but there are still two more years ahead of you. Next year, you protect this platform, which means you cannot hate it today." Eraser then stepped away, head tilted down as though his eyes were still locked onto the medal. "To win the Sports Festival of UA is no small feat. Hold your head up high and honor all of your fellow competitors' efforts as the best UA has to offer this year. You're not the first nor the last who will stand there, so stand there today with honor and uphold the tradition of this school. Plus Ultra."
The Vigilante avoided a net-bullet Snipe shot at him easily and jumped up into the air. The capture weapon unraveled from around his neck and shot up to wrap around the railing of the seating area and propel himself further upwards, repeating the process until he was all the way up on the mobile roof of the stadium.
"1-A!" He called, instantly gaining a ready "Hai!" and soldier-rigid postures. But he didn't say anything else. The cameras just zoomed in on his smirk before he disappeared from sight.
The second he was gone, the stadium went wild.
No Pro could follow him for half an hour.