Gohan sat in the waiting room of a normal-looking office building, his leg crossed. Dressed in his purple gi, Gohan stared at a slim smartphone in his hand as the sound of cheering echoed around the waiting room. A young blue-skinned woman walked over to Gohan, leaning down to speak quietly to him.
"Hey, Sayiaman, do you want to go ahead and knock on the door? Sir Nighteye is inside his office."
"I'm fine, ma'am," Gohan said with a gentle smile. "I'm only going to wait another ten minutes before I leave, so whether I meet with Sir Nighteye or not is entirely up to him. He requested this meeting, not me."
"If you're sure…" She considered Gohan for a moment before straightening up. "I'll just go remind him that he has a visitor waiting for him." She walked quickly to the office door around the corner, the clacking of her heels echoing in stark contrast to the cheering coming from Gohan's phone. She tapped a little harder than necessary on Nighteye's door.
"Enter," Sir Nighteye said. He looked up as the door opened. "Bubblegirl? What do you need?"
"Sir, you need meet your appointment," Bubblegirl said in a strained tone. "I know you're trying to prove some kind of point, but it's not working. Sayiaman is in the lobby waiting for you. He's already said that he's going to leave in another ten minutes."
"What?" Sir Nighteye said, standing up quickly and knocking his chair askew. "What do you mean, he's going to leave?!"
Bubblegirl blinked at him, then frowned. "He's been waiting for half an hour, Sir. He's been patient. I know I would have left by now if you'd left me waiting like this."
Sir Nighteye's hands balled up into fists and he slammed a fist into his desk. "Dammit." He stared down at the desk for a moment. "Fine. You said he's in the lobby?"
Bubblegirl nodded, wide-eyed at Sir Nighteye's outburst. "Yes, Sir."
Sir Nighteye swept out of his office, stopping briefly to slick back one piece of hair that had fallen out of place. He stalked down the hall, frowning heavily. He reached the lobby, stopping briefly to hear Present Mic's voice crowing about something. Sir Nighteye resumed his walk to Gohan, his frown deepening as he saw the young man on a smartphone, watching videos.
"Son-san. I was expecting you to come back to my office and knock, not wait in the lobby."
Gohan sighed and put his phone away. "And I did not want to be here today. My students are competing in their first Sports Festival today and I should be there to support their efforts. You requested me to be here, Sir Nighteye-san." Gohan stood as he spoke, turning to look up into Sir Nighteye eyes.
Sir Nighteye narrowed his eyes. "It was recommended that I request you. Nezu-san told me that you had a run-in with a group of Quirkless terrorists a couple of weeks ago. I read the incident report from Ingenium, but I wished to ask you about your experiences in the incident. Your report was… lacking in some ways."
Gohan blinked and tilted his head. "If that's all you want, I can certainly tell you anything I know, though I don't know a lot. However, I don't understand why you want me in particular or why Nezu-kouchou was so insistent that I come to this meeting." The young man followed Sir Nighteye back to the office.
Sir Nighteye sat behind his desk as Bubblegirl closed the door and Gohan took a seat in front of the desk. "Nezu told me that you had a direct interaction with one of the Quirkless suspects. I need to know as much as possible about anything she might have told you."
Gohan sat with Sir Nighteye for a while, relaying as much as he could remember about the incident. Sir Nighteye stayed silent while Gohan spoke, hand taking notes while his eyes remained fixated on the younger hero. When Gohan finished, Sir Nighteye sat back in his seat and tented his fingers in front of his nose.
"And you're sure that's all you remember?"
"That's everything, Nighteye-san. What I don't know is why Nezu-kouchou believed I should come here to discuss this when all of the information I gave you was in the report he had me file."
Sir Nighteye sighed. "Principal Nezu has some concept that you will be able to aid in the investigation. He is rarely explicit in his reasoning and I'm not sure how you could help in the larger case."
"Well," Gohan said, "what exactly is the larger case? I know about the incident I was involved in, but Ingenium mentioned this was becoming a pattern."
Sir Nighteye sighed. "Around six months ago, there was an uptick in violence committed by Quirkless individuals. Normally, the number of Quirkless people who commit violence is statistically insignificant, less than a hundred cases per year in the whole of Japan. It makes sense, given that most Quirkless people are elderly and they only make up around twenty percent of our population. In the last six months, however, there have been over three hundred acts of violence committed by people who claim to be Quirkless." He handed Gohan a tablet from his desktop.
Gohan furrowed his brow at the information, quickly scrolling through the pages of text on the tablet. "From what little I know about being Quirkless, most try to stay below the radar. It doesn't make a lot of sense for a upswing in violence from a group that wants to stay hidden. Did anything else change six months ago? A new law, any major incidents? Anything that might account for the change?"
"No, nothing. There were some rumors of a proposal for a law to strike down some of the laws protecting Quirkless people, but that ended up being just a rumor. It wasn't even a rumor of a law, just a rumor of a proposal for a bill that might become a law."
Gohan's brow furrowed further. "Based on my grandfather's lessons, just rumors might be enough to push people forward."
Sir Nighteye conceded the point. "No one knows who might have proposed the legislation," the older hero said while shuffling through papers on his desk, "though the rumors came through some groups associated with the Hearts and Minds Party. As I said, those rumors were the only thing that the rise in violence could have coincided with. But would that have caused that much shift?"
"Possibly, especially if it exacerbated existing issues under the surface. What did the perpetrators say when they were caught? Could they be connected to each other in any way?"
"No, nothing seems to connect any of them. Only a few suspects live near one another, none appear to have any friends or family in common outside of the standard deviation for Japan. At least, any outside of the norm for a list this large." Sir Nighteye rubbed the bridge of his nose. "The worst part is the lack of resources. The HPSC isn't willing to assign any more heroes to this case and the police are almost as reluctant to help. I only have three officers from different departments who are willing to help with this investigation."
"Why are they so reluctant?" Gohan mused absently as he continued to scroll through the incidents. The crimes ranged from simple assaults to large scale terrorist incidents, happening completely at random.
"Quirkism, mostly. Most people would rather pretend that Quirkless people don't exist and do not care if they're injured. Unfortunately, it's an attitude which has infiltrated the upper ranks of both the police and the HPSC. With that attitude, they refuse to lend more resources to a bunch of "relics killing themselves". Their words, not my own."
Gohan grunted, but kept looking at the tablet. Something this wide-spread couldn't be spontaneous. Someone or something was organizing everything. A thought occurred to him.
"Have you checked their online stuff? I think it's called… social media? Tweet-tik or something? Maybe they used one of those sites to coordinate with each other?" Gohan looked up at Sir Nighteye. The older hero blinked at him a couple times, then banged his head into the table.
"BUBBLEGIRL!" Sir Nighteye's voice was slightly muffled the desk.
The young heroine rushed in, the door banging against the wall behind her. "Sir! What's wrong!?"
He raised his head to look at her. "We may possibly have a new lead on our cold case. Go through all of the social media of the suspects."
"A-all of them?" Bubblegirl's eyes widened. "Sir, that's over three hundred people! That is a ton of data to go through!"
"It's only one account per person, correct? Just search for any key words that relate to terrorism," Sir Nighteye said. Gohan raised an eyebrow at him.
"Even I know that most people have at least four accounts on different platforms," Gohan said as he pulled out his phone. "All Might made me get a HeroSocial account after my licensing exam and some of the UA students convinced me to set up a PhotoNow account. But most of my students have at least three accounts on every platform they have and most of those use four platforms. Just a basic search would involve looking at over a thousand accounts, more than likely. But a group this organized couldn't be found with just a simple search. Even if the police were reluctant to help, they should have run this sort of search."
Sir Nighteye looked at Gohan impassively, his eyes hidden by a glare on his glasses. "Bubblegirl. Please notify Mirio and Centipeder that they are to be assigned to assist you in your search as their own caseloads permit. I'm sure Sayiaman will pitch in as necessary as well."
Bubblegirl nodded, throwing a relieved smile at Gohan. "I'll let them know, Sir, and get started on the names. Is there anyone I should start with?"
"No, start where your instincts point you. You know that I am less than useful when it comes to social media. Thank you." Bubblegirl giggled a little to herself before leaving the office, tossing Gohan a thankful wave on her way out.
"Thank you, Saiyaman-san. Now," Sir Nighteye said as Bubblegirl left the room, leaning forward. "I have a few additional questions about a somewhat related matter."
"Alright, so long as this goes quickly. If I hurry, I can make it back to the Sports Festival for the third round."
"Of course. I have reviewed both these reports and the reports available from the USJ incident extensively. Something stuck out." Sir Nighteye looked directly into Gohan's eyes. "You have inherited the power of All Might."
Gohan blinked. "What?"
Sir Nighteye narrowed his eyes. "I said: You have inherited the power of All Might. It is obvious."
"I'm sorry, I'm not quite following here." Gohan said with a tilt of his head. "I've inherited what now?"
"All Might's Quirk! One For All! The super strength, the speed, your sudden appearance in the Provisional Licensing Exam! Even the fact that Endeavor seems to actively dislike you lends credence to my conclusion!" Sir Nighteye stood, hands slamming on the desk between them. "It all makes sense!"
Gohan stared at Sir Nighteye. "I think you're going to have to break this down more. I don't have All Might's Quirk. I didn't even know you could hand off Quirks like that."
Sir Nighteye froze as he processed Gohan's words. "But, but, your strength! Your speed! Your closeness with All Might and special position at UA! They're so similar to All Might's, you must have inherited his power!"
"Sir Nighteye, I have already said that I don't have Toshinori-san's power." Gohan squinted at the older hero. "Do I need to call Recovery Girl? Does Bubble Girl know that you are having these delusions?"
"I… What? No! This isn't a delusion! See, even your casual use of his name reveals your closeness!" Sir Nighteye spluttered, eyes wide and panicked. He lunged across the desk at Gohan as the younger man pulled out his phone. "NO!"
Gohan pulled back from Sir Nighteye's lunge, pushing back with his chair to avoid grabbing hands. "Sir Nighteye, I'm going to call Toshinori-san. You seem to be under the assumption that I have something to do with his power deteriorating, so maybe he can clear this up." He placed the phone on his ear. "Toshinori-san? Sir Nighteye is accusing me of having your Quirk." Gohan snatched a seal thrown by Sir Nighteye at his phone and glared. "I know, I told him I have no clue what he's talking about. Yes, I can give him the phone." Gohan crushed the seal to dust as he handed Sir Nighteye the phone, maintaining his glare.
Sir Nighteye looked flustered as Gohan handed him the phone. "I- Toshinori-sama! No, I- Well, yes, but…! Yes. Yes. Are you sure, sir?" Sir Nighteye shook his head and sighed. "Yes, sir. I understand. You want to speak with Gohan again? Alright, here you go." He handed the phone back to Gohan, head hung low as he retook his seat.
"Thank you, Toshinori-san. Are my students doing well? Good! Hopefully, I'll be out there soon, maybe I'll catch the end of the second stage! Yes, I can meet you on the top deck of the stadium when I get there. Good bye, sir." Gohan hung up his phone, the slight smile on his face fading as he looked at Sir Nighteye. "I really do need to leave, if there is nothing else about the case."
Sir Nighteye waved his hand, eyes vacant and distant. "Yes, there is nothing else at the moment. I will let you know if something else comes up soon."
Gohan shrugged and left the room. If he hurried, he could get to the stadium in time to see his students compete.
Gohan pushed himself to fly faster than he had allowed himself to go since the USJ incident. 'There! That's the stadium!' He dropped out of the air, catching himself just before hitting the concrete upper deck of the stadium.
"Good afternoon, Toshinori-san!"
The skinny giant jumped and spewed blood as he screamed in surprise. "Young Gohan! Please don't sneak up on me like that. My heart can only take so much."
Gohan winced as he saw Toshinori clutch his chest and wipe away the blood on his lips. "Sorry. I didn't think it would scare you so much."
Toshinori waved him off. "It's fine." His eyes narrowed, the usual cheerful gleam in his eyes gone sharpening. "Now, what did Nighteye tell you about my Quirk?"
"Not much," Gohan said, shrinking a little under Toshinori's sharp look. "He said it was named One For All and he thought you passed it to me, somehow. What did he mean, anyway?"
Toshinori stared at Gohan for a few moments before relaxing. "Well, I've trusted you with my successor. I guess I can trust you with my secret." Toshinori spent the next several minutes explaining One For All. Unlike his discussions with Midoriya, the older hero told Gohan as much as possible about his Quirk and the circumstances around its' legacy. "Can I trust that you will aid Young Midoriya as he continues to grow, protecting him if I fall to All For One?"
"Of course," Gohan said. "He's a good kid, all of them are. He won't stand alone against that monster, you have my word as a martial artist. I won't leave you alone to fight, either. If you fight that bastard again, I'll be at your side to make sure he stays down."
"Good," Toshinori said, smiling and turned back to looking over the field. "I'm certain that you would tip the scales on any future confrontations. Although, I believe you two have been keeping some secrets from me this time."
"Oh?" Gohan said with a tilt of his head.
"Last I checked in with Young Midoriya, he had very little control over One For All. You missed the last event, but he seemed to control his Quirk fairly well. He hasn't broken a single bone yet." Toshinori turned his head to see a grin spread across Gohan's face.
"Oh, that. Yeah, he just needed a little control. Luckily, I have a lot of experience in controlling internal energies that can destroy you." Gohan's grin widened as he watched the chaos unfold below. "All he really needed was a push in the right direction." His sharp eyes picked out one student wreathed in crackling green energy darting back and forth. "What are they even doing for this round?"
"Capture the Flag. They got into groups of four or five with their points pooled together for a group flag. They have another minute to get the highest score, but Young Midoriya's group has an extra limitation: their flag is an automatic pass for every other team. The dangers of coming first, according to Nezu."
"Ah. Sounds like fun," Gohan said. "I'm a little surprised that Bakugou-kun isn't going for Midoriya-kun at the moment."
"Young Monoma made… poor decisions. He pressed what Class 1A would call 'The Midoriya Button.'"
"You shouldn't press that button. It's not a great button."
"Indeed." A voice came from behind the pair. Both men jumped, one buffing up and the other summoning a ball of light into his hand. "Be at ease, gentlemen." Nezu smiled up at the two men as they relaxed. "I assume your business with Sir Nighteye is concluded?"
"Yes, sir," Gohan said. "I'm going to continue working with his agency on the case."
"Good. Now, I have another proposition to make for you. There are whispers and mutterings from the school board and the HPSC about your fitness to be on staff at UA, due to your own youth and Provisional License. I would like to assuage those fears and put the more dangerous mutterings on notice."
Gohan backed up a little from the grin on Nezu's face. "What exactly did you have in mind?"
"How would you like another match with All Might?"
IT'S DONE! FINALLY! I'm so sorry this has taken forever to come out! I have written, re-written, and re-re-written this chapter about a half dozen times, trying to make it into something I liked that starts leading somewhere. I even added a cliffhanger! Add in regular life stress and, well, you have a chapter that's about four months later than intended. I hope you enjoyed this and continue to follow me! Hopefully it won't be another seven months this time. Be safe and have fun, y'all!