Hope you enjoy this one! ESPECIALLY the second half...
And here I thought I stopped dreading these meetings.
Toshinori was outside of a two-story building, built in a time when quirks were newer, and nigh unbreakable buildings were the ethos of the day, before the more fragile but easily repaired buildings of today came and replaced them.
It was funny, once, the mere mention of this man terrified Toshinori, but now he relished the chance to sit with him and reminisce about their glory days. Sadly, they couldn't do that this time. This time was business.
Toshinori knocked on the door, and soon a young woman opened the door and gave him a polite smile. "Mr. Yagi. It is good to see you again."
"Thank you Ms. Nemoto," Toshinori said. "How have you been?"
"I've been good," Nemoto said. "He has been better behaved than usual." Her smile slipped and she muttered. "Better being the operative word."
Toshinori chuckled as he stepped inside. "He always was difficult, wasn't he?"
The nurse nodded. "Yep. He's in his room. I'll let you catch up."
Toshinoir nodded, then walked passed her toward the bedroom. He took a deep breath and knocked on the door. "It's me."
"Toshinori? Come in!" a familiar voice said.
Toshinori entered.
"What brings you here today?" said Gran Torino, walking over on his cane.
The years had taken a toll on him, much as they had Toshinori. Only ten years ago, his mentor could run around as well as most Heroes, now he could barely walk without a cane (moments where he tossed it aside to fight like a demented Yoda notwithstanding).
"I needed to ask you about something," Toshinori said. "Something about the past."
Gran sighed. "Did All for One return from the dead again?"
"No, something else. I assume you're aware of the evacuation in Tokyo?"
Gran Torino nodded. "Yeah, I've heard of it. I assume you've been helping?"
"How did you-?"
"Those shadows around your eyes may hide those bags from others, but they don't fool me Toshinori. I can see when you haven't been sleeping much.
Toshinori sighed. "Fine…I have. I know you want me to rest, but this was too important."
"Of course it was…"
"They've enacted Emergency Protocol 13-F and-"
"13-F?! What the blazes could be bad enough for that?" Gran shook his head as he took a cup of tea from his desk and began to drink.
"That's what I came to ask you about." Toshinori. "Are you familiar with Godzilla?"
Gran stiffened. He stood still for several seconds, cup of coffee still in his mouth. He swallowed and slowly turned toward Toshinori. "Why would you need to know about that?"
"He's coming to Tokyo."
Gran's eyes widened. "So…he's finally returning." His voice sounded eerily empty. Not even All for One's return had shaken him so.
"You know him then?" Toshinori said.
"Of course! The only people my age who don't are actually senile! Godzilla… he's destruction incarnate. 13-F was written explicitly for him."
"So I've heard," Toshinori said, thinking back to Young Midoriya.
Gran sat down and swirled his tea, "How much do you know about the Dawn of Quirks? Or the Century of Hell as it used to be called?"
"It was a time of crime and chaos, when quirks ripped the fabric of a society already hanging by a thread, setting the species back generations," Toshinori said, sitting across from him. "Villains ran rampant, crime was at an all-time high, and chaos ruled."
Gran Torino nodded. "That's what they say now. But it wasn't all. You see, these days we focus so much on the villains from back then that we ignored the other major threat. Kaiju."
"Kaiju?"
"Giant monsters. Made up of quirked animals, ancient species, mutants, and forgotten myths. They were around before quirks of course, but after…" Gran shook his head. "When I was young, the adults feared them more than they did Villains."
Toshinori felt cold. "They did?"
Gran nodded. I was born in the tail-end of that era. By all accounts, we had it relatively easy. By the time I was twelve, the worst hadn't been seen in years, while technology and quirks had evolved enough to challenge many of them, even killing a few. People thought the nightmare was finally ending." Gran let out a humorless chuckle. "How foolish."
"What happened?"
Gran's expression darkened. "First we started to lose. Bigger kaiju survived attempts to kill them, destroying our precious superweapons. Then..." Gran's hand began to shake. "Then, our worst nightmare returned."
"Godzilla…" Toshinori whispered.
Gran nodded. "It burned its way across the country, eventually ending up in Tokyo and laying waste to the city. If it hadn't been for the Heroes' evacuation, the casualties would have been catastrophic. Even with them it was bad. We lost, our weapons were destroyed, and many of our finest, Heroes or otherwise, were dead. I saw it on TV, but Nana…she lived it.
"She did?"
"Yes. She was sixteen at the time, a student. She helped evacuate civilians, one of which would become her husband. Funny how that turned out."
"She told me she met her husband during an attack, but she didn't give me any details ," Toshinori said. "I figured the memories of her husband were just too painful..."
"It wasn't her husband," Gran said, "It was him. We gave up killing the kaiju after that battle, deciding to just keep them away. With the kaiju gone, people focused on the more present threat of Villains and memories of the kaiju faded. It helped that the older generations refused to talk about them. Especially Godzilla."
"They were that scared of him?" Toshinori said.
Gran gave him a look. "If you'd been alive then, you would be too. I don't think even you could have beaten him in your prime."
Dread filled Toshinori. So many Heroes, his students were going into battle against something like that?
"What about All for One?" Toshinori said. "If Godzilla was so powerful, why didn't he try to use him against me?"
Gran shrugged. "If I had to guess, he knew better than to even try. Unless he could control Godzilla, that beast would be as much a threat to him as it would be to you."
Toshinori gripped his cane. "Young Kirishima is incommunicado in Hokkaido right now. The Commission didn't ask him to help. I'll speak with Young Koda and-"
"Godzilla isn't easily controlled Toshinori," Gran said. "They've tried. As for your successor…he's probably better off far away from here…"
Toshinori stood up. "Thank you, Gran. I need to go. Please, take care of yourself."
"I'm a senior, not an invalid!" said Gran. "You take care of yourself too. You'll need it"
Toshinori nodded.
"And get some sleep you moron!"
Toshinori smiled. "Yes sir." He left the building, bidding goodbye to Ms. Nemoto on the way out.
Was it too late to stop this nightmare?
If so, could he at least mitigate it?
Izuku stepped onto the flight deck, utterly focused on his goal. He had to do this now. He might not get a second chance. He'd finally, officially, forgive Kacchan.
Two high speed drop planes had arrived, courtesy of the HPSC. One to take Kacchan to the front, his radiation-proof Hero costume already stored inside, and the other to take the rest of the Heroes to a secure location to get their gear. This meant that for Izuku, it was now or never.
Izuku neared the cluster of Heroes as they spoke nervously amongst themselves. Nearby, several of the AMF were standing to watch them leave, including his team and Sakaki's. Then again, maybe Sakaki's was just there so there wasn't a repeat of the "incident" last night.
"WHAT'D YOU JUST CALL ME?!"
"YOU HEARD ME BLASTY!"
"I'LL KILL YOU, YOU INSUFFERABLE JACKASS!"
"GO AHEAD AND TRY! TOUGHER THINGS THAN YOU HAVE TRIED YOU FOUL MOUTHED SON OF A BITCH!"
"LEAVE MY MOTHER OUT OF THIS YOU BASTARD!"
Izuku and every person nearby ran to stop the inevitable fist fight. As he ran, Izuku wondered why had so many angry assholes in his life?
And why was the one who tried to incinerate him on a regular basis his favorite?!
Izuku shook the memory away. He waved his hand, calling, "Kacchan!"
Kacchan turned toward Izuku, the usual resting death glare on his face.
"Kacchan," Izuku said. "I've been thinking over our little conversation back on the island. And about your apology."
Kacchan stiffened.
"Since me and the others will be fighting Godzilla tomorrow," Izuku said. "I just wanted to say…" He took a deep breath. "I forgive you. And-"
"What do you mean you'll be fighting him?" said Kaminari. "Didn't you hear the news?"
Izuku's focus was shattered. Turning to Kaminari, he said, "What news?"
"Oh right, you don't have Heronet do you? The government decided the AMF shouldn't fight that big monster after all!"
What.
"Instead they got us to do it."
WHAT.
"If we fail the army hits him with all they got and kill him."
"They WHAT?!" Sakaki roared, lunging forward. His team reacted instantly (good reflexes, useful in the coming battle), covering his mouth and holding him back.
"Midoriya!" the porcupine haired one (Belu something?) said as he desperately held Sakaki's mouth with Tani, her arm coated in metal. "Diplomacy!"
Diplomacy? Oh right.
Izuku turned back to the Heroes and took a deep breath. He smiled.
Katsuki resisted the urge to take a step backwards from Izuku's "smile". It was lifeless, a hint of desperation in there along with…something else. "I see," the nerd said. "Red Riot will be joining the fight then? I mean he's the strongest Hero they have, there's no way they'd do this without him. Right?"
Katsuki shook his head. "No. He's in Hokkaido tracking a Villain group that stole confidential information from the government. The HPSC thought that, due to the importance his mission, along with all of the top Heroes already converging on the city, his presence was unnecessary."
"I see," said Izuku. "Then you must have some sort of special quirk prepared that can defeat any foe regardless of how strong? An ace in the whole for an instant win?"
Katsuki shrugged. "Haven't said anything about that to me, so probably not, no."
"I see," Izuku said. He smiled kindly. "I just have one more question."
"Ok, what?"
Izuku slammed Katsuki into the side of the plane, his forearm pressed against Katsuki's throat. "ARE YOU FUCKING KIDDING ME?!"
Katsuki stared at Izuku's eyes, which blazed with pure fury. The AMF backed away, even the angry one from before going still at Izuku's rage.
"You're about to go into battle against Godzilla," Izuku said. "The most powerful and dangerous creature on the planet, one of the three most deadly kaiju to have ever existed, counting Ghidorah, and your plan is to hit him really hard?!"
"Actually," said Pikachu (the idiot), "That's the army's plan. We're going to get into teams and-"
"Oh! Group up and hit it til it dies!" Izuku said. "Great plan! Wonderful! No one in all of human history has even come close to the strategic brilliance of you people! Truly, your tactics are a marvel to behold!" He turned back toward Katsuki. "This is easily the second worst anti-kaiju plan I've ever heard of and easily the dumbest! And that includes the time the Chinese thought using a smog cloud that sprouted eyes as a bioweapon was a good idea!"
"Hey man, take it easy," Pikachu said.
"Easy?" Izuku let out a mirthless laugh. "You Heroes are about to get slaughtered, put thousands if not millions of innocents in danger, and you want me to take it easy?! You have zero chance of beating him! Forget this stupid plan! Go back to evacuation!"
"We don't have a choice!" said Ponytail 2. "The decision's been made. It's out of our hands now."
Izuku glared at her. He let Katsuki go.
Katsuki messaged his throat and glared at Izuku. "I never back down from a fight, Izuku, and I never lose. This thing may be tough, but it's not invincible. I'll -"
Izuku glared back. "You're an artillery shell trying to upstage a hydrogen bomb. You're outmatched."
Katsuki groweled
Izuku turned until his side was facing Katsuki. "Do you remember all those times you told me that I couldn't be a Hero just by wanting it hard enough?"
Katsuki opened his mouth.
"You were right."
The words turned to ash in Katsuki's throat. Izuku glared at Katsuki one more time.
"I couldn't become a Hero just by wanting it hard enough. And you can't beat Godzilla just by wanting it hard enough."
Izuku turned around. "Good luck tomorrow. I hope you survive. But if you do fight him, Godzilla will win."
Izuku stalked away.
Hope you enjoyed Izuku's reaction! I've been waiting to write that for a while!
Yep! Kirishima has One for All! I actually wasn't going to have OFA be passed down when I started posting thanks to certain revelations in the manga, but became indecisive around the Scaris arc. This kept me from giving OFA to my preferred candidate, Kendo, but it did allow me to write Kirishima out of the arc so I could give it to him. Eventually I decided to pass it down after all, OFA since I wanted a quirk that can give Godzilla a decent fight. (He won't be in THIS fight mind you, but he will show up in a later one.)
Next chapter we get some character development between Izuku and his foil!
