PRT vehicles crashed across the road, and screams echoed out over the chaos as the top heroes of the Protectorate engaged the enemy. Alexandria chased after the striped woman, trying to scoop bystanders out of her way and catch the vehicles the villain was tossing with casual ease. Eidolon was teleporting in and out to move people out of danger. Legend hit the woman with a battery of lasers, but nothing was having an effect on her. And Toshinori watched from the rooftop, getting a gauge on the battlefield.
He swallowed the lump in his throat as he watched the Siberian run through Eidolon's field of altered time unhindered. This would be his first test as a hero in America – to face down the woman who had just killed the Hero, if what the PRT agents at the perimeter had said was true. He had hoped to make his debut under less dire circumstances. He wanted to be the kind of hero that saved people with a smile on his face, a symbol to bring them hope in their darkest hours, but it was hard to smile on so bleak a day, when so much had already been lost.
He didn't feel ready for this.
"Toshinori," the voice of Nana Shimura echoed through his mind. "This power has been passed down through generations of heroes, entrusted to you. Now it's your turn."
The words of his mentor made him stand a little straighter.
"You are the bearer of One For All," she said. "You carry our hopes with you. You are ready."
"Give 'em hell, kid," another voice added, a male one, accompanied by the image of a smile.
"You got this, Yagi," said another man.
"Show them what Japan's top hero can do," said a third.
"Do your best, Toshinori."
To a chorus of encouraging voices, Yagi Toshinori smiled, despite the grim situation. A fire stirred in his heart, burning the fear away. He could do this. He would stop this madwoman in her tracks, and he would avenge Hero. This was his purpose as the bearer of One For All. This was what he had to do to become the Symbol of Peace he strived to be.
From a kneeling position, All Might sprung forward off the building, his hair and his colourful blue cape fluttering in the breeze behind him, until he crashed down in the street in front of the Siberian. His fist hit the pavement, spraying concrete debris her way as she engaged with Alexandria.
Both capes looked his way momentarily. Alexandria used the distraction to land another punch to the side of the Siberian's face, which she ignored completely to direct a sideways kick at him.
Danger sense flared, the tenth user's power in action, and he leapt back with superhuman reflexes. It was weaker and slower than it had been in Shinomori's lifetime, but it was still perfectly effective against physical dangers, and that included the Siberian.
"Who are you?" Alexandria called out between punches.
"Alright kid," said the rugged voice of Blackwhip, the eleventh user. "Be smart. Wait for an opening."
"All Might!" Toshinori answered Alexandria in a booming voice, dodging a series of punches from the Siberian as she closed in on him.
"Rule out the obvious first," said the sixth user. "Alexandria's strength doesn't affect her, but does One For All's?"
He saw his opening.
"There!" said Fa Jin, the third user.
"CRUSH HER!" the seventh roared, as loudly as the mental landscape allowed.
One For All's collection of powers included standard super strength from the sixth, tenth, and thirteenth users, plus a little strength of Toshinori's own. The ninth user's power also gave him a small boost from the other heroes' righteous anger, and he augmented it with the stored up energy from Fa Jin's ability. But the real kicker was the original user's power. Not super strength, but direct kinetic energy manipulation. The only power of One For All which did not grow weaker after inheritance, but stronger with each new parahuman it inhabited.
"I am here to put a stop to this villain!" All Might announced, curling his fist. "DETROIT... SMASH!"
Wind blew like a storm around his fist as he struck the Siberian in the face with a haymaker that could have sent Behemoth reeling, and which had before, in his predecessors' memories.
The energy dissipated against her skin, the force of the impact dispersing instead of conducting through her as he'd intended. The Siberian was unmoved, and immediately counterattacked, forcing All Might to dodge back, dancing between her strikes at super speed.
"Shock absorption?" the fifth user suggested, her voice more mature than the others.
Her partner, the sixth user, answered with a mental impression of a headshake.
"Shock nullification," he said. "'Absorption' implies a limit. Physical damage isn't going to do anything here."
"We can probably rule out my power too, then," the second user grumbled.
The Siberian disengaged, leaping away while Alexandria tried to strike her in the back, and dashed past All Might to grab a nearby civilian vehicle. She tossed it carelessly over her shoulder, and it rolled across the ground towards them in a crash of broken glass and flying metal.
All Might jumped over the thankfully empty car and charged after her, Alexandria flying closely behind him. Eidolon floated above, waving his arms down in a dramatic gesture as thunder struck at the invincible woman, unsurprisingly doing nothing.
Alright, thought Toshinori. Let's throw everything at the wall and see what sticks!
He reached out both hands in front of him as he ran, pushing energy through them and towards the Siberian as he hit her with an invisible pain blast, another of the original One For All's powers.
She didn't visibly react.
"No luck," said the first user, Shigaraki. "Not surprising, but worth a try."
"Try my power," said Berserker, the ninth user. Hers was the only voice which spoke in English. "Making her angry won't help much, but if master effects work on her, then that's something Eidolon can use."
"Stand clear!" All Might called to the other heroes. "I'm going to try something different!"
Alexandria turned to him for a moment, before answering with a nod and flying back. Eidolon let up the lightning storm for a second and also moved clear. Good. This power had a shorter range than the pain blasts, but its effects were indiscriminate. It wouldn't help to hit his allies with it.
Reaching through space, All Might willed himself to move, and his body snapped through the route he had created, closing the distance and appearing at his end destination in a fiery explosion. The sixth user's power caught the striped woman off-guard, and she blindly swung a fist at him. He dodged with his danger sense and reflexes, and then hit her up close with Berserker's rage aura.
He felt for the telltale power boost he usually got when people in his radius became angry, but there was nothing there. No effect.
Damn. He dodged between more swings. That would've made everything much easier.
Waiting for another opening, he struck back with a few punches of his own just to keep her engaged, but it was like hitting a brick wall before he'd had powers. Nothing he did was even budging her. All Might fought to keep the worry from showing on his face, drawing upon the memories of his predecessors to keep his composure.
"Alright, try mine next," said the fifth user. "Perhaps some biokinesis will work. But be careful. Don't get reckless now."
All Might held steady, readying her power. On his next strike, he let it loose. In the brief moment of contact, he tried to reach through into the Siberian's body, seeing what he could read and what he could do to her. But to his surprise, he didn't detect any cells at all.
"Trump effect?" the second user suggested. "A power cancelling field around her body throwing off our readings? Might explain why nothing else works."
"Power cancelling through her whole body?" the eighth user responded. "Inside and out? For any attack, direct or indirect?"
"And immunity to physical damage too?" Nana Shimura added. "What are the odds of that?"
"Use my power," a low voice growled in the back of Toshinori's mind.
All Might backed up again as Eidolon hit the Siberian with increased gravity, which she completely ignored. He paused to consider. The fourth user rarely ever spoke, but when he did, it was always with purpose.
"We can hardly use your power on her if she doesn't bleed," Fa Jin said dryly.
"Not that one," the fourth user responded. "The bloodsight. If she doesn't show a circulatory system, then she's either immune to all powers, or this isn't her real body at all, and I'd bet more on the latter."
All Might retreated further, keeping a combative stance in case the Siberian came after him again. It wasn't a bad suggestion. Stain had triggered with a relatively weak power when he was alive, so he'd had to be smart and strategic about fighting other parahumans. His instincts when it came to facing tougher opponents were usually on point. After all, he'd successfully taken down the third user, and only been beaten by the fifth because the voices of the other users had worn him down in the end.
All Might's eyes flickered as he switched on his bloodsight, scleras turning black, while his pupils glowed bright blue. Immediately the cardiovascular systems of Alexandria and Legend lit up clearly in his vision, as well as a few other distant shapes visible through the buildings, all overlayed with faint colours denoting their blood types. Eidolon's blood was also visible, but colourless, and fuzzier than the rest. He could tell that it was there, but not much else, which wasn't too surprising; he'd heard that Eidolon could throw off thinker powers.
The Siberian, though... nothing. She was unchanged. A blank spot in his bloodsight's vision.
"Eidolon generally interferes with thinker abilities, but even he's still partially visible," Shigaraki observed. "Her, though..."
"Stain is right," Blackwhip said confidently. "That bitch is a projection, one thousand percent."
"So where's the master?" asked Shimura.
All Might grinned, and launched himself into the sky. At the apex of his jump, he activated his mentor's own power, suspending himself in the air.
"Eidolon!" he called.
The other hero turned towards him, and quickly flew over to his side as Legend tagged in, hitting the Siberian with another barrage of lasers as she leapt up to the rooftops.
"What?" he snapped.
"The villain is a projection," All Might answered, again drawing on the memories of his predecessors' experience to project confidence. "She doesn't have blood, nerves, or a brain that I can detect. Even you don't nullify my thinker abilities so completely."
He still didn't have much personal experience with English, but with the guidance of the ninth user's memories, his words came through in a clear American accent which suited his strong and commanding voice.
Eidolon paused, floating silently in the air before him.
"You're certain?"
"As certain as I can be," All Might nodded. "The master must be somewhere nearby. I can help locate possible targets, but you can narrow them down much faster than I. If you have a power that can identify parahumans at a distance, that would be ideal."
Eidolon straightened, turning away from All Might to scan the surrounding streets.
"On it. What have you got for me?"
Toshinori switched on his bloodsight again and looked in the same direction. The voices in his head quickly identified and listed the most prominent for him, and he repeated their words.
"Three people running north next street over, nine o-clock. Group of five moving east, four o'clock. Two people in apartment ahead, third floor, second window from left. One hiding in basement, same building. Another crouching by the window, second floor, fifth window from left. One in a vintage car, not moving, eleven o'clock... Crowd running south... too many to count."
"Keep looking," Eidolon growled. "Anyone suspicious? Any women of similar build?"
"Nothing obvious," All Might said, frowning as continued to scan the buildings. "Some that might fit, but I can't be sure."
"Got it," said Eidolon. "Power detection."
Eidolon turned back to All Might, and seemed to recoil, flying slightly back.
All Might tilted his head, and smiled to cover up his nervousness. "Is there a problem?"
Eidolon shook his head. "It's nothing. Weird interaction with your power."
He looked around some more, first back down towards Legend and Alexandria's fight with the Siberian, then back across the city, and finally past All Might, over his shoulder.
"There," he said.
Eidolon rocketed past, not even waiting for him to respond.
"Follow him, Toshinori!" said Shimura.
With a grin, All Might turned and launched himself after him, following the glowing green hero across the rooftops. Shimura's power kept him airborne, and he used some stored up energy from Fa Jin's power for an extra burst of speed, quickly catching up.
"Alexandria! Legend!" Eidolon shouted into a hidden communicator. "She's not a brute, she's a master! The woman is a projection! I'm going after her controller now!"
All Might kept close behind. When Eidolon abruptly stopped mid-air and dived into the street, Toshinori arrested his own momentum with Blackwhip's power, shooting out a tendril of darkness to grab the edge of a nearby building. He swung down on the tendril, letting himself fall to street level and hovering just above the road as Eidolon floated over a nondescript grey van.
With a wave of his hands, Eidolon telekinetically ripped open the back doors, revealing a bewildered, greying, middle-aged man inside.
"Manton?! " Eidolon shouted, his voice seeming to break in equal parts rage and disbelief.
Before he could do anything else, the Siberian appeared in front of them, crouching slightly in the back of the van with her hands to the walls. The vehicle turned monotone grey at her touch, and the man – Manton, apparently – took cover behind her as Eidolon unleashed a barrage of crystals. They shredded the pavement below, but the van itself remained as untouched as the Siberian.
"She can spread her physical immunity to the environment," the eighth user noted curiously.
"Why?! " Eidolon raged, so furious that All Might could feel his anger boosting his own strength and speed. "Why did you do it?! "
"...But not to Manton himself," said Stain, accompanied by the image of his predatory grin.
"Eidolon! Stand back!"
Eidolon seemed hesitant to move, keeping up his barrage for a few more seconds, before letting out another furious scream and flying straight up.
The Siberian glared his way for a moment, before All Might used his rage aura again. This time, with an actual human target, it struck home. Manton snarled in unison with the Siberian, and the striped woman pounced towards him, leaving the man and van vulnerable.
Danger sense let him dodge out of the way. A flare of the twelfth user's power sprayed a thick cloud of purple smoke in all directions around him, covering the street and blinding both the Siberian and himself. Stain's bloodsight switched on to let him see through his own smoke and identify Manton, and All Might charged through the smoke to grab him.
Finally, with the man in his grasp and separated from his projection, he drew on the fifth user's power. Biokinetic striker ability, able to rapidly speed up natural bodily processes. Healed any properly treated wounds that were capable of natural healing. Caused unclean wounds to rapidly fester. Could speed up cell division for instant cancer, or accelerate natural wear and tear for rapid aging. Recovery's power was ridiculously versatile, even as weakened as it was from when she was alive. But Toshinori's personal favourite application of it was accelerating mental exhaustion to instantly put his target to sleep.
"Nighty-night, dear," Recovery said in a sarcastically sweet voice.
Manton slumped in his arms, and Toshinori gently lowered the sleeping man to the ground. Without Smokescreen's power actively producing more of it, the purple cloud around them began to fade. When the streets were clear, the Siberian was gone, and Eidolon floated silently overhead, staring down at him impassively through his mask. Right behind him were Legend and Alexandria, each wearing a look of utter bewilderment.
"We have caught him," All Might said solemnly, standing up to face them. "Hero is avenged... I am... sorry I could not arrive sooner. I wish I could have saved him. I am very sorry for your loss."
Eidolon and Legend slowly lowered to the ground, coming to stand in a circle with him around Manton's sleeping body. Alexandria calmly touched a finger to her ear, relaying the situation to the PRT and calling them in to collect their prisoner.
As Legend stared down at Manton, Eidolon faced All Might, arms folded.
"What did you say your name was again?"
"All Might."
"That was an impressive display back there, All Might," said Legend, looking up at him. "Are you a new hero?"
"Not completely." All Might gave a small smile. "I've had my powers for a year. But yes, this is my first outing as a hero in America."
"...But you're not just any new cape, are you?" asked Eidolon. "Alexandria package, explosive teleportation, thinker abilities, the smoke... You must be the new One For All."
All Might couldn't help but grin, despite how bleak the day had been.
"Guilty as charged, Eidolon."
"We had wondered who had inherited the power after Kyushu," Alexandria said evenly, floating down to join them on the ground. "My condolences. I didn't know her well, but Float was by all accounts an exemplary hero. All of the Sentai were."
All Might's grin became a subdued smile as he listened to the voices in his head.
"She says thank you," he relayed.
Legend and Alexandria shared an unreadable look.
"So what brings Japan's top hero to America?" asked Eidolon, gesturing to All Might. "I would have thought that your homeland would need One For All more than ever right now."
The smile finally slipped from his face, and Toshinori sighed.
"You are correct," he said, bowing his head. "But I had to make the choice. Millions fled to these shores after Leviathan's devastation, and my family were no different. I chose to follow them. As much as it pains me to admit it, Japan now is a broken nation. Perhaps broken beyond repair. One hero cannot prop up an entire society, not even One For All. If the Japanese people have a future, I believe it is here in America, where we've made our new home, and I can make more of a difference here than I ever could in the ruins of Kyushu. And so I will fight to protect this land and its people, in the name of peace and justice."
A mix of emotions rose from the other presences in his mind. A mournful sadness from most. A bitter resentment from a few. Most agreed with his words. Some did not. But all knew with a weary certainty that there was no going back now. Japan's hopes were long lost beneath the waves.
America's top three heroes all looked to each other, and Toshinori sensed a silent communication between them.
"You've done good work here, capturing Manton," said Alexandria. "We lost a great hero today. A good friend, and a man who inspired hope for millions. His loss is a tragedy beyond words. But you brought his killer to justice, even when we could not, and for that you will forever have our gratitude. If you think you will be calling America your new home for the foreseeable future, the Protectorate would be honoured to have a hero of your calibre as a member."
Toshinori smiled.
"Say yes," Berserker said encouragingly. "A hero in the Protectorate, with Legend and Eidolon? It doesn't get better than that."
"We need a team," Shigaraki agreed. "One For All has never operated alone."
"Hrrrr... Don't trust 'em," Stain spoke up.
"You never do," Recovery scoffed.
"They will never match up to the Sentai Elite," the eighth user said sadly.
"You believed in me, didn't you?" Berserker prodded. "Believe in them."
"Go on, kid." Blackwhip's mental avatar grinned. "Go for it. Show these yankees how it's done."
"Toshinori..." Nana Shimura's disapproving tone made him wilt. "You know what I'm going to say."
Despite the excitement he still felt, All Might let out a resigned sigh.
"You do me a great honour..." he said, putting a hand to his chest and bowing to each of the three heroes in turn. "But regrettably... it would have to be the Wards I would be joining for now, not the Protectorate."
Legend looked All Might up and down.
"Really? But you're..."
"Should we tell them?" Shinomori asked non-commitally.
"Hell no!" the second user protested.
"No," said Smokescreen. "Definitely not."
"They're the Protectorate," Berserker said insistently. "They're the best heroes in the world. We can trust them with something as small as this."
"I see no harm in it," said Recovery. "Anyone you work with would have to find out sooner or later."
"This is a mistake..." Stain's voice mumbled.
"Go ahead, Toshinori." Shimura gave the impression of a smile. "Show them."
With another grin, All Might released a spray of steam from his body. His tall, handsome, muscular, form quickly deflated into the body of a rail-thin teenager, wearing a costume many sizes too big for him. All Might's strong, manly jawline and pronounced cheekbones gave way to an angular, boyish face, and his swept-back blonde hair curled into an unruly tangle, with its distinctive V-shaped tufts at the front drooping down the side of his face. Taken altogether, he looked like a completely different person.
"Changer ability," Toshinori said, his voice no longer so booming with his new, scrawnier appearance. "Better disguise than a mask. This is my power. Please don't tell anybody."
He instantly burst back to his full-sized muscle form in a puff of steam, and held out a hand to the three heroes.
"Yagi Toshinori. Good to meet you."
Despite all that he'd just gone through, Legend returned his smile.
"Wards it is, then," he said, stepping forward and shaking his hand for the group. "I'm Keith. Welcome to America, All Might."
Author's notes:
Story theme:
Dave Matthews Band - You Might Die Trying.
This story is available on [THIS SITE] under the profile Three Rejects, and Archive of Our Own under the profile DannyJ.
First wrote this as a prologue for a longer story, but thought I'd rework it into a oneshot. Might write the rest as a sequel if there's interest.
Muscular did nothing wrong. Yes, he may have murdered two pro heroes for fun, and then attempted to kill a child while laughing about it. However, I argue that the little shit and his parents deserved it, and that Izuku was the REAL villain for stopping him. In this essay I will—
