Back during my prime I'd "fly" everywhere. I say fly but it's more that I'm just jumping really far. I could kick off with a force that would send me great distances through the air. I just had to be careful not to crack any pavement (admittedly I messed this up more times than I care to count). However with my stamina dwindling these days I couldn't afford such a luxury of using my muscle form for transport. I had limited time I could spend beefed up and I couldn't justify it on simply getting around. With this in mind, I catch the train to Might Towers each day. Sure it was slow but it was anonymous.
I'd been living in my new apartment for a little over a month now. The commute wasn't bad from here, only a little under 45 minutes each way. Sometimes on my way in I'd run into Kiritani. This had been unsettling at first. She had no shortage of questions for me. Always asking me if I was well and how I was settling in... even if I was eating enough. At one point she'd ask about where I was going. In a panic I said I was visiting a friend. Initially it looked like she wasn't buying it but she never questioned it beyond that which was a relief. It seemed she took it at face value with a smile as we carried on, parting ways at the end of our street.
Each day I'd enter Might Towers like any other employee would. In my skeletal form I was meek looking. I didn't draw attention. I could sneak in with relative ease. That is with only a few exceptions though. I hear heavy steps behind me.
"Yagi-san!" I hear my name called out. I turn to see my friend Tsukauchi. I slow down allowing him to fall into stride with me.
"Good morning, Tsukauchi-san. I haven't seen you all week," I say, greeting the young man. Tsukauchi was a detective with the police. He worked regularly at Might Towers but it wasn't unusual for him to spend time at other agencies working with the staff of other heroes. It was largely dependent on the cases he was working on.
"Yes, I've been out working on a case at Musutafu Fire Department. Backdraft reported a few unusual happenings... can't reveal much about it yet," Tsukauchi explains. For the most part we keep our relationship professional. Tsukauchi is an honest and hard worker who abides confidentiality and gag orders where he can. Only if needed does he share details of his cases.
"Understood. Just let me know if you need any assistance," I reply. He smiles pleasantly at me.
"As it happens I do want your opinion on a few other incidents if you wouldn't mind. Do you have some time?" he asks, patting the satchel he carries. I nod.
"Of course," I say. Together we head up to my office. We sit down and he pulls up his laptop. He showed me some cctv images. Allegedly he was tracking a villain that he believed I may have encountered previously.
We went over the images and what was known about the villains quirk.
My attention was taken away when my phone's notifications began going wild. Tsukauchi watched me retrieve it, opening it to view the incoming barrage of help requests. There'd been an incident. I studied the address, it was a construction site not far from my apartment.
"Ah... apologies Tsukauchi-san," I say look up to my friend. He gave me a small smile and a nod.
"No need. Lets catch up further tomorrow," he said. He snapped his laptop shut as I started rummaging in my desk draw for my costume case. He exited with a small wave. I quickly got changed and transformed into my muscle form before exiting to the buildings balcony.
I kicked off. The air rushed past me. Still after all these years the feeling of soaring through the air was elating. The speed in comparison to the train was incredible. It felt powerful. I landed on a nearby building only to immediately kick off again. I should be nearly there.
In the distance I see a trail of smoke and dust flying into the sky. That must be it. As I near I quickly make out the figure of the villain. He appeared to be a young man. His hands had morphed into clubs. He was screaming incoherently, bashing the supports of the half constructed building. Workers clung to the scaffolding as it shook.
Civilians were being herded behind barricades by police. Laying unconscious on the ground was another hero. Blood trickled from their ear. I clenched my jaw. They'd evidently taken a hit to the head. From what I can see though it seems the villain is working alone though.
"YOU'VE RUINED MY LIFE!" the villain shouted as he hit the building again. From this I deduce he isn't attacking indiscriminately. He's got a grudge against someone in particular.
"Calm down, Gondo-kun! C-can't we talk about this," a man shouts from up the building. He was gripping onto it tightly. The villain hit the building again. I watched the man slip.
I soared down, catching him in my arms. I landed hard on the ground below. The man looked at me dazed before I placed him down. He seemed unhurt.
"I am here!" I shout my signature catchphrase. The crowd of civilians nearby cheer. Shouts of relief can be heard from the workers in the building above.
The villain paled, staring at me wide eyed before collapsing to his knees. He didn't put up a fight, quickly acknowledging his defeat. I was grateful. The guy wouldn't stand a chance against me and even I upheld a standard of only hurting people when absolutely required.
As per the typical process, I was swarmed by the media. An ambulance arrived for the injured hero. The blood I'd thought was coming from their ear was actually from a wound on their head. They'd regained consciousness and was ultimately not badly harmed.
As I spoke to the journalists, my eye was caught by the police officers who took over handling the villain. I see the familiar face of Kiritani. I was taken aback slightly. I hadn't ever seen her in her police uniform before. Her expression was also different. She seemed somehow downcast.
As I answered questions asked by the reporters as I watched her kneel down next to the villain who was now cuffed on the ground. She reached out patting his shoulder, talking to him. His eyes were flooded with tears. I watched him nod in response to her. Once he was secure, she was whisked away to help with the crowd control.
Upon further inspection I could see that the villain was indeed quite a young man. I thought back to what Kiritani had said about trying to keep kids on the right path. I guess this was an example of where one had strayed. She looked genuinely sad about it.
It must be difficult. Kiritani is so passionate about looking after the youth in this community. To see a young person end up like this must be disheartening. It left me feeling compelled to do something about it.
I dismissed the journalists. With a grin stretched out on my face I made my way over to the villain who was being distantly guarded by the remaining police. They watched me surprised as I crouched down before him.
"Hey, how old are you boy?" I ask. He looks up at me, stammering and wide eyed.
"I... uh... I'm 21, All Might sir," he squeaks, probably shocked to have been addressed by me directly. I feel Kiritani observing me curiously from afar.
"You're young with a great quirk but it is also dangerous if used for the wrong reasons. You're lucky that you didn't seriously injure anyone today. Take advantage of that and use this as a learning opportunity. I'm sure you can put that quirk to good use in the future. If you try hard you can turn your life around," I say, flashing him my signature mighty grin. I leave the kid speechless. He nods hesitantly. I see Kiritani beaming off to the side.
I wrap things up with the police, giving my statement. Several of the construction workers offer me their thanks. I start to stretch, readying myself for take off. Just before I do though Kiritani approaches me directly.
"All Might, wait!" she calls. I look down at the small woman. She looks up at me with a nervous smile.
"Yes, officer?" I say, keeping up the façade that I don't know her. She bows politely.
"I-I just wanted to say thank you very much for your advice to Gondo-san. I never knew you so considerate of our young citizens who have fallen off the right path. I won't forget that. Your words have left an imprint on both of us," she says, placing a hand over her heart. When she looks up I can see her eyes glistening. I'm overwhelmed by her unabashed empathy for the young villain. And to approach me with that specific feedback must have been an intimidating task. Kiritani is a good and strong woman.
"Ah, well he just seemed like a kid with strong quirk who was misdirected and getting into trouble. I hope I've been able to steer him in the right direction," I reply with a sense of déjà vu. She looks at me curiously, as if thinking hard about what I said. Her face switches back to a normal smile.
"Wonderful! B-best of luck, sir," she says, bowing again. I take off, back towards Might Towers.
It occurred to me that perhaps what I had said was too close to the sentiment of her conversations with 'Yagi'. A wave of anxiety briefly struck me. She didn't make the connection, did she? I reassure myself she couldn't have. After all, no one knew who I really was. The leap in making the connection was too far.