Emma was NOT happy that I wanted to discuss a situation where she left Taylor alone.

She didn't seem to actually HATE Taylor though. Rather it was that she hated what Taylor represented to her NOW. What do you know? Sophie CAN be a little empathetic.

So, I asked if she would make up with her former best friend if she proved to be strong.

That actually had caught her off guard. And she was distracted, almost as if she was no longer standing in front of me. As if looking at a scene that I could not see.

And she gave me her word.

Odd, but workable.

Now I just had to figure out what Taylor could do to fix this...

Why did I have a sinking feeling that this wasn't going to end well?

Regardless, this was a thought for later. I had somewhere to be.

When the bell rang to end school, I couldn't see Taylor in the throng of teens itching to go home, so I sent her a text and took off jogging. She and her dad didn't have cellphones for some reason when I had first met them. It took convincing, but I talked Danny into getting one for him AND Taylor, on my dime if only so that I can rush over to them in an emergency.

Actually, I think maybe it was the last bit that made him give the ok.

Weird.

Regardless, a few blocks away, I ducked into an alley and got to turn into All Might before leaping into the air.

I didn't whoop like a hooligan. (Not out loud at least. But seriously, flying through the air by your own merit, even if it WAS super strength mixed with vector control shenanigans, was just THE COOLEST thing.)

I caught sight of a floating neon green balloon, so I readjusted my flight path and landed in a burst of cushioning air and made a small (30 feet distance, 20 foot high) hop over to a crying boy and his mother.

"Hey what's wrong kiddo? This yours?"

The waterworks stopped at the sight of the balloon. A quick pat on the head, a thank you from the mom, and a small wave later, I hopped off again.

"Make sure to hold on to it nice and proper this time!"

Then I was lucky enough to be nearby when a honking truck almost ran over a college girl on her phone not paying attention to the noise. I think she was playing Angry Birds. But with chibi-fied Heros launching into Villains. Huh. Actually I need to look on the Bing App Store (fuck that's a MIND TRIP. Pft. Bing.) for that. Actually seems like a decent time waster.

Still, distractions aside, I landed in front of her, flipped the truck up into the air and over the VERY shocked girl, letting the metal vehicle bleed of some of the momentum before jumping after it, getting underneath before I landed, absorbing all the shock with my body. My bones ached and muscles complained about the shock, but it was better than that happening to either driver or pedestrian.

"Is everyone ok?!" I made sure everybody involved could hear me clearly. "I'm going to put the car back down. Please don't push the gas."

The driver was ok (a blue collar worker from Ethiopia with a VERY light accent) and claiming some young E88 punk was messing with his car earlier today. Thought he was only trying to break in, but it might have been an initiation thing that they do to murder a person of color. Cheeky punk slashed the break line open and the car lost the ability to properly slow down.

The girl was more than willing not to make a fuss for a selfie while I flexed my arms for her and autograph her wallet.

Is it weird that I don't understand selfies to this day? I mean regular photos are a thing.

Then there were two purse snatchers that I stopped and tied up for the police before I arrived at PRT HQ. What was wrong with this town? It's been a constant flow of small crimes and other shenanigans for the past few days.

"Excuse me? I believe someone from PRT requested me?" I said to the woman at the front desk, a young late 20s brunette with a ponytail and slender neck. "My name is-"

"All Might! Hi! I- My name is Hillary. I'm a fan! And you do have an appointment, let me just send a message up the ladder."

I nodded, "Not a problem. Thank you for your help, Miss Hillary."

She giggled faintly. Then asked for an autograph.

I signed it, feeling a little awkward inside. This whole celebrity treatment wasn't for me. Although I was happy to make someone's day, I suppose I'd never considered that somebody would, you know, LOOK UP TO ME like that. Even though I was aiming to live up to my namesake and be a Symbol of Peace, I guess I didn't think about the fame that would come with it.

I'm just... me. Normal everyday Joe. Or was... normal could no longer describe what I had become and... that was kind of sad when I thought about it like that.

An elevator opened in the lobby and metallic footsteps clunked on the ground.

"All Might. I am Gallant. Follow me."

Dude didn't even wait for a response before turning and walking back.

Come on dude, I ain't making moves on your girl. Fuck you jumping to conclusions for? Shit, what you don't have any female friends?

I kept the grumbling to myself as I walked to the elevator.

Once I was there I tried being friendly again.

"Hey, didn't get a chance to in the lobby but," I held my hand out, "I'm All Might. Nice to meet you."

The metal helmet of his reminded me of a sci-fi version of a visor, the slit that was supposed to be for his vision was glowing a soft neon blue making me think of Iron Man. Power armor was fucking cool as shit.

"...Gallant. Member of the Wards. Nice to meet you."

See? There. We can get along. It's a misunderstanding from your end anyways. Sooner we get this shit behind us, the better.

But think of the NTR memes we could mak-

Shut up, that's shit fetish and you know it.

Weird that some of the best hentai art is FOR NTR though.

Seriously, right? And shut up if you're not gonna say anything positive or important!

"So what's it like, being a Ward?"

Gallant seemed to ponder it before he answered.

"It's complicated. Less training than we'd like and more publicity stunts than we're comfortable with sometimes. Patrols are ok, but we don't usually get to do much."

I nodded, "Sounds rough. At least you get to be around peers though. That's good. They should probably let you do more on patrols though. Especially with the small stuff. Good training on the field while limiting the damage and dangers. Would certainly help dealing with a panic situation."

Gallant shook his head.

"I suggested that once. The higher ups denied it. Youth Guard would have a fit."

"Youth what?"

Gallant's armor shifted as he turned to me.

"How do you not know what the Youth Guard is?"

His plate mail had more of that soft neon blue underglow.

Again. So fucking cool, I'm jealous!!!

"Did they not tell you? I'm a Case 53."

That took him by surprise as he jerked his face up as if staring me in the eyes.

"What?"

"I look like a normal human on the outside, sure, but inside I look like a Rue-Goldberg machine. Or more accurately my organ systems look totally different." I shrugged. "Hell my heart's like a second brain."

"Oh... uh. I'm sorry to hear that."

I shrugged.

"I've had a little time to come to terms with it. Plus there's more important things worth my time." I said as the elevator doors open up. I stepped out to the other side. "Like saving people."

I waited a few seconds as Gallant followed me out. He began quietly leading the way into the maze of corridors with practiced ease (or maybe a map in his visor) before stopping.

I moved to open the door only to be stopped by Gallant's hand on my forearm.

"...You do know why they're asking for you, right?" He said, a hint of guilt laced his voice, "You know that they... they're not trying to help. Not this time."

"...Yes. Yes I do."

"Then why..."

"Because I do not intend to let my conscience die. Because my convictions exceed my fears. Because I can no longer compromise for the things I truly believe in. Because what I desire is to bring hope. To the weak. To the unbelieving. To the every-man. To the strong and the powerful. Because things can't go on like this. So I will declare that hope is here. That it is worth believing from every perspective.For I am here.Because if nobody else would, I will fight. Because with great power comes great responsibilities and I have not forgotten my responsibility to protect those who have truly lost their voices.Because it is not wrong to save people."

Because I am a weeb with power and a cause. With chuuni dreams and mottos that I always wished I could follow but was powerless to do so.

Because now... now I had achance.

"And because if my arms cannot protect what they can reach... what were they good for in the first place?"

Even though I had my doubts, I just had to keep moving forwards. And pray. Pray that I could be enough.

I entered the room and closed the door behind me, leaving Gallant silently on the other side.

POV: Gallant

When I saw the picture, Victoria and I were at a low point in our relationship. Again. We're young and willful... and are also teens with superpowers. I donno, take your pick.

I knew that it probably not what itlookedlike, but there was a photo of Vicky laughing that just... got to me. It was one of her reallygenuinelaughs where she really shone. Full dimples, beautiful smile... I love her, you know.

That's probably why I... overreacted.

Technically, I wasn't in the wrong. Reporting stuff like this was part of the job. Stuff in the contract that you sign when you join the PRT. Squealer was a Villain. You report that stuff.

There must be law. There must be order. Or the world falls apart.

These are words my father passed down to me.

It made sense, I guess. And he's my dad. Of course I trust in what he's teaching me.

That's why when I confronted Vicky about the photos and she told me about that All Might guy looking for a lawyer for Squealer, I didn't even think.

I made a phone call. That was my job. That's what I was supposed to do by law.

But Vicky overheard, I guess.

And... god... She had never looked so... disappointed in me. Or upset. Like I had betrayed her trust.

Why?

Why?!

She JUST MET THIS GUY ONE TIME!!!

I boiled over inside. Refused to apologize. She stomped off.

Whatever. We both need to cool off. Then she'll come back. We can talk it out once we both got our heads clear.

And usually that was me.

But she came back first.

She pulled me away from everyone to a private place. I was both confused and oddly excited. I guess my hormones were still worked up from my temper. I was stupid.

It was weird.

She slapped me across the cheek, then BIT me IN THE ARM. What was that even about?!

Because she began DIGGING into me.

I guess I just always bought into the fact that Squealer was labeled a villain.

That All Might guy didn't.

He had been gathering evidence and information proving that she had been drugged and pressed into service for the Merchants. Her parents (father dead from drug overdose) had sold her off for more drugs and had ADMITTED to it. Accounts of the terrible things that had happened to her under her shitty parents and the even shittier things that had happened to her when she became a part of the Merchants against her will.

Apparently All Might had looked into some REALLY good detectives and gathered a LOT of photographic and witness evidence that nobody would have thought existed.

An innocent person forced into a bad place with nobody to help her.

"What if that was me?!" Vicky had said.

And the rest of it was a blur.

I hadn't ever looked at things aside from Hero versus Villains. The world was supposed to be simple like that.

I couldn't be near her right now.What if it had been her?I told the office I was sick and left early, heading for PRT HQ.

And the feeling like a rock had dropped into my stomach felt heavier.

I don't think I've ever been more glad that I couldn't see her emotions. To see EXACTLY how much I had disappointed her.

I sat in my suit, glad for the familiar faint hum of the power armor.

Now I was Gallant. Now I was strong. A hero.

It wasn't long before I was given an alert by the PRT through the suit's HUD.

All Might had entered the building.

I sighed, forgetting that when I made the call,Ihad been the one to ask if I could bring him up. When I made the call, I had wanted to see... I don't know. Something. Anything to assure myself that he was someone I could dislike? I don't know anymore.

An endless sea of stars, shining brighter than anyone that I had ever laid eyes on. Like a million galaxies burning,burning into a single flamethat was contained by...what could contain that?It wassomething that couldn't exist.Yet it did.It burnedbrighterthan amillionSUNS BEYOND EVEN-

I closed my eyes and shuttered as I breathed. I was tongue tied. Stupefied.

I was only supposed to be able to see a person's emotional state... so why was it that when I saw him...

He was flame. And he was mighty, but did not hold himself above me. He doubted himself, but chose to smile in the face of his own fears. He did not wish to offend me, did not wish to cause waves. But his presence alone was like a black hole that shined with stars enough to light all of mankind. Existing without presence. Presence beyond my ability to sense? I couldn't comprehend it.

That fire existed beyond a realm that I could comprehend.

And it was like the vial formula within me burned.

What was this? Why did I yearn to understand this?

"...Gallant. Member of the Wards. Follow me." I said before turning around and walking back to the elevator.

I shivered.

It was like I had seen the light for the first time. Like a deaf man hearing Mozart. The blind seeing Picasso. Nothing made sense.

But he was bigger than me. Bigger than life.

And he made small talk to me. Like it was normal. Like he wasn't an infinity of exploding, screaming systems of stars in perpetual rebirth.

I HAD PISSED THIS GUY OFF?!?!

I was fucked. So fucked.

But...

"How do you not know what the Youth Guard is?"

He still baffled me.

"Did they not tell you? I'm a Case 53."

WHAT. That didn't make any sense.

"What?"

He looked like the pinnacle of human fitness. Was it the physics defying V for Victory hair? Was THAT the Case 53 part aside from the eyes? I thought the eyes were just because of his powers.

"I look like a normal human on the outside, sure, but inside I look like a Rue-Goldberg machine. Or more accurately my organ systems look totally different." He shrugged. "Hell my heart's like a second brain."

"Oh... uh. I'm sorry to hear that." Was that why he could burn so bright? Heart like a second brain?...

The origin of the flame that was the solution to... solution to what? Like there's something my instincts are screaming, but I can't make sense of the noise.

"I've had a little time to come to terms with it. Plus there's more important things worth my time." He said as the elevator doors opened up and stepped out to the other side. "Like saving people."

I took a breath, barely daring to breath. As if the flame would suck the oxygen from my lungs. Then I walked forwards and past him. I dared not look straight at him. Like Icarus with wings of wax, rising towards the sun.

In no time at all, we had arrived.

He moved to open the door... and my body moved without thinking. Because I had something to get off my chest.

"...You do know why they're asking for you, right?" I asked. I was guilty. I was wrong. "You know that they... they're not trying to help. Not this time."

"...Yes. Yes I do."

"Then why..."

"Because I do not intend to let my conscience die. Because my convictions exceed my fears. Because I can no longer compromise for the things I truly believe in. Because what I desire is to bring hope. To the weak. To the unbelieving. To the every-man. To the strong and the powerful. Because things can't go on like this. So I will declare that hope is here. That it is worth believing from every perspective.For I am here.Because if nobody else would, I will fight. Because with great power comes great responsibilities and I have not forgotten my responsibility to protect those who have truly lost their voices.Because it is not wrong to save people."

...I felt so fake. Begging my dad to buy me my powers. Going around pretending. Merelyplayingat being a hero...

"And because if my arms cannot protect what they can reach... what were they good for in the first place?"

I watched silently as he entered the room.

Power flooded me. As if with those words he left a piece of his flame behind in me.

I had duties to rethink. A girl Ilovedto apologize to. And.. a new example that I had to follow.

Because even if I was just a fake. Even if it was merely a beautiful, fragile lie...

I, too, wished to be a Hero.

I bit back the urge to recreate the I am Walking Through The Door Like A Normal Person scene.

There was Armsmaster, Miss Militia, even the power couple of Assault and Battery. All in uniform and looking impressive as all hell.

I politely pretended not to notice the fact that Armsmaster had a halabard in the room.

But seriously, Wildbow had to have been high when he made that couple's Cape Names.

I mean come on. Assault and Battery was a name TOTALLY made for a villain couple. Or maybe that was the point. The irony.

Assault was the first to speak, approaching with a quip, friendly as he stretched out a hand to shake.

"Hey, if it isn't Mr. All Mighty! Put her there! When can we expect the third movie with God Freeman?"

I shook his hand with a grin.

"Ah, delayed from budget cuts, you know how Hollywood is."

"Man that sucks. Hollywood is cutthroat. Freedman is awesome though." Assault's grin grew bigger as he kept speaking, "Good God, it is good to meet a fellow C-Rate movie lover. You should join us just so that I can host movie nights using bonding moments as an excuse. You know we have a private theater that nobody uses? It's actually crazy."

I nodded sagely.

"Savages, the lot of them."

"Ahem." Armsmaster coughed.

Assault and I turned to him simultaneously.

"Yeah?" We asked in sync.

Battery buried her face in her hands.

"Oh no. The world has two of them."

"Hey!" Assault complained, "We resent that." I finished.

Battery threw her hands in the air.

I couldn't keep a straight face and cracked up alongside Assault.

Miss Militia chuckled before speaking, "Alright, that's enough for now. Let's all be mature and deal with the situation at hand."

She gestured to the table and chairs by us and we all took a seat.

We all sat down and Armsmaster in his typical tunnel vision fashion cut right to the point.

"We want you to turn Squealer in to the proper authorities."

Assault facepalmed loudly, getting an annoyed growl from Armsmaster.

"Dude. Ease IN to a conversation." He groaned at his workmate. "I feel like I'm watching a gorilla walk face first into a mirror and howling at it."

"Putting all poor jokes aside..." Battery sighed, "You really should let US handle Squealer. This kind of stuff should be left to the professionals."

Yeah, professional cops and robbers. Except that there's LARGE amounts of money involved. Is this a pro league? ESports? Or just physical sports that isn't broadcasted properly for the entertainment value it really had? Professional heroes of Worm was a joke onto itself.

At least MHA had brought an actual time of real relative peace. Even if it was only for a while.

"Oh, then there should be no problems." I said.

All four other heroes in the room froze. Baffled.

Fucking hilarious.

"...What do you mean?" Miss Militia asked curiously.

I pulled out a USB from my belt (Pocket Room, but 'pulling' things from my 'belt buckle' all the time was funny as hell to me) and asked, "Is it ok for me to, like, borrow a laptop and projector?"

Like I brought a power point for a fucking science fair.

While the lawyer I was working with, Theodore Rookwood, had gotten everything ready to dominate Squealer's court case tomorrow, today. However, MOST of the critical intel we had already finished putting together yesterday.

Man knew some fucking GREAT detectives. One of them was a Thinker Rouge too.

Also, I don't think Sherrel's mother understood that her being so free with the evidence for some cash was also going to probably get her jailed.

Honestly, she might have been the most helpful.

So I revealed everything I had like I was an over achieving nerd giving a presentation that determined his final grade of the year.

"...Fuck." Assault eloquently sighed, "K, I'm out. I ain't doin' this."

He began muttering about how this city ruined innocent people, a frown on his face.

Oh, right. Assault was MadCap or something like that and was breaking people out of jail when he felt they were being imprisoned wrongly or something. Hey, already 1 out of 4! Good for me.

Armsmaster's lips were puckered as if he had eaten something sour. Probably had come to the conclusion that it would take too long to come in with enough evidence to fight my bid on clearing Sherrel's name. Or maybe he was wondering exactly how much time he'd need to fight it.

It was clear he wanted this to become a PRT victory somehow.

"...All Might. This was very impressive. And it must have been very expensive..." Miss Militia spoke carefully, chewing on her words. "Still, it might be best if you let the official authorities handle this."

I shrugged.

"Kind of too late for that. Paperwork's already been approved and the court case has been scheduled."

"What?" Armsmaster's head turned so fast that I half expected it to go flying.

"Yeah. The lawyer that's helping me out pulled a few strings. It'll be a closed court case as per the norm with the sensitivity that is cape civilian identities. A jury is ready and the judge opened his schedule to fit the case in. We have all the witnesses we need so we'll win, so no worries about that." I chirped cheerily with a true Kakashi style eye smile.

I saw Assault begin to make a nod of approval before my eyes closed. Then heard him 'ow' as his wife slapped the back of his head.

"I... when is the court case?" I can HEAR you grit your teeth Armsmaster. Chill fam.

"Tomorrow." I chirped again.

Dude, your poor teeth, nigga chill.

END