Jet Set Go! (2)
In the forty years since he started his career to become the world's Symbol of Peace, Yagi Toshinori had been through a variety of events that one would could call abnormal in today's already colorful society of quirks and super heroics.
Today was to be his day off after another rough week of pushing his already strained limits to make each second of his patrols count. The roaring flames of One for All pulsed strongly within him, but his weakened form, the container, no longer worked as well as it used to. Now he was working off of 3 hours a day, hoping that no crime would arise once his time was up.
Yagi was aware that he was past his prime and knew the consequences of his continued reign as the world's Symbol of Peace would lead to him dying a dog's death. This was just the price to pay for finally vanquishing the Symbol of Evil and Fear, All for One. No longer would anyone have to live in fear of the Demon Lord as his reign had finally come to an end.
But with THE demon lord fallen, there could only be a power vacuum that would one day create a new evil that would terrorize society. That was why he ignored the warnings of his mentor and sidekick. Sure, the two of them and his old principal had a point about finding a successor that can carry on his work, but without a pillar to support society until then, then who would alleviate the fears and worries of the nation?
No.
No matter what, he will still work to save the day with a smile.
His fractured respiratory system and destroyed stomach may have put a damper on his mood, but that didn't matter. The people deserved their hero, and he will make sure that they will receive until the time comes for his untimely death.
"Quick someone grab that person, he just made off with that ATM's cash!"
"Gyack! Can't he's made out of some sort of liquid!"
"Gyahahahahaha! Come on, fuckers! Just go ahead and try and catch me! If you even can, that is!"
It was supposed to be his day off, but Yagi didn't hesitate to throw caution (and his groceries) to the wind. Being a hero was never meant to be convenient for him, so he took the leap and began chasing the vile Sludge Villain across the city of Musutafu. The cretin was slippery as expected of someone with their intangible form, but he's dealt with this type of Mutant quirk before. He just had to restrain himself from throwing a SMASH otherwise he could risk harming citizens and destroying the buildings around him.
And so he kept tailing the villain on a hot goose chase for hours, and he was worried that he'd reach his limit for the day before he had finally finished tailing the villain through the sewers and emerged to stop them from assaulting an innocent middle schooler.
"Have no fear, young lad, for I am here! TEXAS SMASH!"
One Texas Smash later, and All Might was able to use the wind pressure of his all mighty strength to blow away the villain and simultaneously collect them in two empty bottles of cola that he drank up during the long chase. He turned around to make sure that the middle schooler wasn't too rattled by being next to his strike, but strangely enough, he looked fine.
Odd, but considering the lad's sturdy build, Yagi's disbelief was dispelled.
"Forgive me, young man. I've been chasing this particular villain for hours. Are you harmed? Do you need to be taken to the hospital?" All Might cheerfully smiled and checked the boy over for any injuries. The boy shook his head and smiled.
"No, I'm fine, sir. Thanks." That is a relief.
"TERRIFIC!" All Might laughed. "Then this is farewell, young man. I'm off to deliver this perpetrator to the authorities. When next we meet, I may even be saved by you once you've made your own debut onto the hero scene!"
The boy's eyes widened. "Wait, how would you know that I was going to-?" Yagi had to suppress his amusement. With broad shoulders and muscles that could barely be hidden by that gakuran uniform, he'd be hard-pressed not to notice. A heroic build like that was only the standard for current heroes entering the field, and the minimum requirement to inherit One for All.
...Wait…
In fact, he was young enough and seemed to…
No, he shouldn't trouble this young man. Besides, to simply just entrust his quirk to a boy he'd just met would be a grave mistake and lack of foresight on his part.
"Hrck!" He coughed into his hand and slightly grimaced at the blood in his palm. 'Running out of time' Yagi thought.
No better time than now to leave. "When you've been in this line of work for as long as I have young lad, you start to notice these kinds of things. Now, if you'll excuse me. I. AM-!"
"Wait, sir, I have something important to ask you!" Yagi heard the boy's sudden shout but did his best to focus on centering his strength to his core and legs.
'Sorry kid, but I'm afraid that I'm all out of time. Save them for me when you finally reach the stage of heroism."
"OFF!" In one giant leap, All Might was soaring through the sky. As he searched for just the right place to land and hide himself for his eventual "time out" to Toshinori Yagi, he felt the heavy weight of One for All slowly slipping from his grasp weigh him down. Particularly on his right leg…
…Wait a minute!
"Kid, what are you doing!?" The boy from earlier was clinging to his leg, unfazed by the sheer wind resistance of the hero's massive leap.
"I've got something important to ask you, sir!" the middle schooler said, stubbornly puffing out his cheeks in defiance.
"There's a time and place for things, young man and now isn't the time! You have to let go!" All Might tried his best to pry the boy off of him, but the lad had a steel grip that refused to let him go. The young man blankly looked down then back to him.
"But sir…if I do that then I'll fall to my death."
…
…
"YOU'RE RIGHT!"
"Eh, you just pieced that together, sir?" All Might willed himself not to look at the disbelieving stare the boy was sending him.
But could you blame him for his lack of foresight.
"Hrck! *COUGH!* Shit… *COUGH!*" He was running out of time in his form. Now, he had to hurry up and find a place to power down AFTER dropping of this sudden problem child. The nearest rooftop served as the perfect place as a few alleyways were conveniently placed to hide himself. Heh, to think that the Number One hero was now relieved to sequester himself in damp and dirty alleyways just to find some peace for himself.
Yagi was sure that All for One was laughing at him from his grave.
Plopping the young man down onto the concrete flooring of the roof, All Might quickly strode to the far end of the roof. "Hmph! You should be careful next time young man. You could have placed yourself in fatal danger by pulling a stunt like that."
"Sorry about that, sir." The boy sheepishly rubbed his head and chuckled.
"As you should…now I'm off." For real this time because the hero could literally feel his power slipping through his fingers.
"But WAIT! I still have that question I wanna ask you, sir! It'll be real quick!" Ugh this again?
"Look, young man, I don't have time, so I really mus-!" Huh, Yagi staggered back as a powerful gust of wind followed by the boy's sudden materialization in front of him, had his heart jump for a second. "When did you-?"
"Fast! So fast…' All Might gaped in astonishment. 'Was that his quirk?'
"I'm real sorry sir, but I have to ask you this question…" The boy solemnly bowed his head before looking him in the eye with a determined gaze. "Do you think it's possible for a different Symbol other than the Symbol of Peace to better the world?"
"…!" That was not a question that Yagi would have expected. Yeah, he was expecting something along the lines of the boy asking for pointers, answers to rumors about his identity or even his powers. But nothing like that.
"A different Symbol, young man?" Yagi coughed up, his surprise blinding him to the ebbing flow of One for All finally beginning to cease. Shit, no…!
"Yeah, and this isn't to discredit you sir. Having a Symbol of Peace has done wonders for our society and has made Japan a safer place. Less than 6% of crime occurs thanks to you being around, but…having a single pillar there to carry the burden of a whole nation much less the world seems too impractical." The boy scratched his head and frowned. "No, not impractical. You've proven that its possible, so the right word would have to be draining."
"Being there to be relied on is the true essence of a hero, but if we just keep relying on you then what will happen when you don't show up? Or what will happen when a problem happens in front of us and we just choose to wait for you or some other hero to arrive when something could be done to fix the issue? A society where we are rewarded to turn a blind eye to the plight of another is one that I can't stomach."
"Which is why I want to ask if…if you believe if its possible if a Symbol of Inspiration can fix one of the problems that I see in our society. That it could push others to take action, even if said action ends in failure. To know that everyone had at least tried their best rather than stay complicit, holding out for a miracle to come and save them every time danger looms around the corner. So, Mr. All Might, what answer would you ha-eh?"
"…Ah." Yagi could only blink as the last of the smoke emitting from his body revealed his skeletal and shriveled body for the surprised young man to see. "I…hrck!" He coughed up some blood and quickly wiped his lips. "That's a bit much for a simple question, young man…"
The young man blinked, looked him up and down once, then shrugged. "So, what's your answer, sir?"
"Eh? You're not even going to question why I'm…" Yagi gestured to all of himself. "Like this?"
The young man shook his head and frowned. "I only came to hear your thoughts on my question. It wouldn't seem right to pry when this is obviously a personal matter for you." Yagi sighed in relief but the middle schooler continued while locking gaze with him. "Still, this proves what I'm saying is correct. You look tired and burdened with the weight of keeping all of us safe. It isn't fair that you take up the slack for all of us."
Yagi bitterly laughed. "Fairness has nothing to do with it, lad. I willingly chose this, and I'd gladly keep putting my life on the line to ensure that everyone can go on to live safely and enjoy mundane lives without waves of villains ruining their lives."
"Yeah, but on your own though?" That question gave Toshinori pause for being so poignant. He gave the young man once over and really peered into his spiraling green eyes. Perhaps, that earlier thought of his could bear fruit in regards to choosing his as his successor.
"…You said that you wanted an answer to that question, kid?" Toshinori coughed up. "Then here is what I think of your idea of a "Symbol of Inspiration"…It could work." Toshinori trudged on with his answer before the boy could get too happy about his agreement. "It could work, I'm not blind to the flaws that my reign as the Number 1 hero has wrought on hero society, lad. There are those who work just as hard as me, and still prove to be viler than some villains. There are times where I wish I could every where at once but have to stomach the limiting reality that I'm still only human. There are even times where I wish that the people stand up in the face of a crisis so that my worries can be relieved."
"When I sought to become a Symbol of Peace, my goal was so focused on bringing about said peace that all that came after it seemed inconsequential." Toshinori Yagi grinned at the boy. "Which is why I'm glad that there are those in your generation who can think as you do and plan for a future that I can't make. So, yes, I do believe that a new Symbol could be the solution that the world needs, but only ask that you and your like-minded peers keep an open mind for problems that come with cementing the symbol in the hearts of the public."
The young man blinked for a while before a big smile grew on his face. "T-Thanks, sir."
"Don't mention it…also please don't mention my current state. I wouldn't want the public to panic about how their number 1 hero looks like a decrepit zombie."
"Sure, but…"
"Heh, I appreciate your concern, young man. You even reminds me of my old sidekick, but I can't stop even when I'm like this." Yagi decided to just spill his situation since the boy wasn't even trying to drag it out of him. Pulling up his shirt, Yagi explained his injuries, the cause (excluding All for One), and the time limit said injuries have been imposed on his hero work.
"The world needs a hero, and I need to make sure that everyone's free of fear with my presence."
The boy nodded, "I get it…so how do I help?"
"Eh?"
"How can I help you, so you don't have to suffer like this along, sir?"
Toshinori was not expecting such a whiplash of an offer.
"Young man? You want to-?"
"Just a bit earlier, a close friend of mine forewent their dream of being a hero because her current status without a Quirk had limited her options. So she chose to help me with my line of hero work after I graduate since she wants to technically still be my "hero" after being her hero." The boy explained then laughed with a wide smile. "So, lets just say that I wanna follow her example and be a "hero" to the hero whose suffering in silence. The best I can do is try to make sure you smile."
…
…
'This kid…' Toshinori Yagi's eyes widened. 'He truly might be the one, I've been searching for.'
Yagi chuckled. "You're friend must truly be an outstanding person." It took guts for someone to recontextualize their dreams like that, especially for a young child who must have idolized hero work like the rest of children in this day and age. Being born quirkless himself, Toshinori couldn't help but respect the young man's friend.
The boy swooned. "She sure is…"
"It sounds like you're completed smitten with her too, Young…um…?" Yagi sweatdropped. "I don't believe I ever got your name."
"Mugen Abbot, sir." The boy saluted.
"Abbot? Hm, do either of your parents come from America?" Yagi held out a hand for the young man to clasp into a handshake. Wow was the kid's grip strong.
"Both of my parents actually. They just chose to raise me here." Mugen smiled before it slowly fell upon some realization dawning on him. "Oh, uh, right…here, Mr. All Might." The boy's monkey tail slowly raised two bottles into the air right in front of him. "You almost dropped this guy."
The sludge villain! Toshinori must have almost dropped him when the lad had gripped his legs. Now that would have been disastrous.
"You have my thanks, Young Abbot." Toshinori bowed his head, but the boy quickly waved his hands in denial.
"No no no no! It's my fault for almost creating a mess by wanting to talk to you. If anything, I should be apologizing to you, sir!" The boy deeply bowed his head.
"Hahahaha! Considerate, earnest, and honest too." Yep, Toshinori felt great about this kid. He certainly possessed the right mental and physical qualities that he's been searching for. "As expected of the one who'll become my successor."
"Oh, uh, thanks for the compliment, sir and…wait, hold on…successor?"
Toshinori, no, All Might grinned as he prepared himself to make his pitch to the befuddled young man. He'd have to apologize to Principal Nezu and Mirai after the day is over, but for some reason, he couldn't help but feel right about this young man.
After all, after seeing him at his lowest, the young man's first response wasn't to recoil back in horror that Japan's number 1 hero was essentially near death's doorstop. No, instead his first reaction was to genuinely show him concern and empathize with his plight, and those were just the right qualities that a hero needed.
POV: Mugen Abbot
Mugen had to resist the urge not to throw up.
…But he did it.
He had managed to earn All Might's favor to become his successor and prevented the Sludge Villain from going on a rampage. Okay that last part would have been on him, but he chose not to let that course of action go further because canon can go screw itself with a rusty cheese grater.
Yup, he definitely made the Sludge Villain stayed contained to reduce the damages he would have made had it try to assimilate into Katsuki. It totally wasn't because there was likely chance that Izumi would have ran out to save Katsuki and potentially get her orifices violated by the liquidly bastard.
Yup, Mugen's intentions were completely pure.
Well, Mugen's intentions with stating his dream for creating a proper Symbol of Inspiration was true at least. He wanted to at least inspire others the same way that Izumi inspired him to be more proactive and less jaded when tackling hero society. If he can inspire more heroes to take up the reigns to ensure that there'd be more than one pillar of peace, then his hard work and gratitude toward Izumi would be paid off.
After accepting the offer to become his successor and sitting through an hour of listening about All Might's quirk, One for All, and its history of being passed down from user to user, Mugen went through embarrassing progress of having to strip himself down to just his boxers while All Might verified his physique. Heh, he was cleared of having a body that was more than capable of containing the sheer might of the quirk.
"Now eat this!" Mugen paled upon remembering the skeletal man presenting a strand of his hair to digest. Blech! He'll do his best to suppress the memory from here on out, but…for now, he can safely say that he's now doubly strong with his Ki and an actual quirk.
From what All Might told him, the quirk was simple enhancement of the user's strength with all of the power the quirk had stockpiled over the years. It would be a breeze to mask it underneath his vague "quirk" of Energy Manipulation documented in his Quirk registry. Plus, he won't even have to worry about dying early due to technically being quirkless himself.
The real fun would be trying to unlock the other six quirks within One for All that will make him more of a Jack of All Trades.
But that was for later.
"Urm…Young Abbot, are you sure about this?" All Might in his normal (skeletal) form nervously looked around the homey front entrance to Mugen's family home/dojo/diner called "Abbot Time!". His dad didn't want to invest in three different businesses at once and crammed them together. They did get some customers, so Mugen decided to question it.
Right now, he was here to help his new mentor with his lack of a stomach and deteriorated respiratory system.
"Of course, sir. Even if I'm you're successor, I'll do my best to ensure that you stay in the game for as long as you can." Preferably more than canon if his father's tales of the My Hero Academia manga were to be precise. "Besides, Mama Ames is literally the best when it comes to patching guys up."
"A healing quirk? I'm sorry if I'm skeptical lad but even the best surgeons in Japan could fix what was done to my organs." All Might sighed dejectedly.
"Which is to be expected because they aren't one of THE best medical practitioners in the world. Those rights go to Mama Ames and Mama Riles." Mugen proudly nodded and crossed his arms.
"Mama Riles?" All Might snorted in amusement. "Then tell me, Young Abbot. Why aren't we also going to this other mother of yours?" Mugen had already explained the specifics of his home life and All Might didn't seem fazed by it. Quirk Marriages were a thing and even some of the strongest heroes seemed to possess two or three significant others now and again.
Before the Symbol of Peace's reign had begun, the rise of villains had really kicked Japan's birth rates in the ass, so there were some laws that encouraged raising the birth rate. Especially for the birth rate of star heroes who could produce infants with strong and useful quirks.
"Oh, you don't want that. If you went to see her, then she'd probably cut you open and make you into a cyborg spider or something."
"She would WHAT!?" All Might gaped in horror/disbelief. "You're kidding right?"
Mugen simply smiled and cupped his hands together to scream out, "I'M HOME AND MAMA AMES, I NEED YOUR HELP WITH A FRIEND OF MINE!"
"Young Abbot, I'm afraid I'll need an explanation abou-!"
"Nii-chan~!" Rushing out of the hallway leading to the home's living room was an adorable, white-haired little girl with white horned nub on her head, and innocent red eyes. She came rushing out wearing a red sweater, skirt, and socks while carrying a lazy black and white stripped cat that hung from her arms.
"I'm home, Eri~!" Mugen laughed and lifted the girl and cat into his arms. "Have you been a good little, girl?"
"Mm! Eri has been super poggers!" Mugen reminded himself to beat the shit out of Uncle Natsuki for teaching his little sister that accursed urban terminology. "So has Sibby, too."
The lazy "feline" yawned in his sister's arms and lazily regarded him, and All Might with a lazy yellow eyed gaze. All Might seemed to stiffen as the cat focused on him before tiredly licking their paw. Sweet, looks like Mugen won't have to tell his dad that Sibby wasn't allowed to treat his new mentor as her newest scratching post.
"That's great. I'm so happy the two of you have been on your best behavior. Hey, do you wanna say hi to my newest teacher?" He turned around to make Eri be faced with an off kilter All Might. "Mr. Yagi say hello to my little sister, Eri Abbot. Say hi, Eri."
"Hello, Mr. Skeleton!" Eri cheerfully waved.
"Say hi, Sibby." Mugen chuckled.
*HISS~!*
"Aw, she likes you~!"
"Ahem, yes, I…Good evening, young Eri and…S-Sibby…"
*Hiiiiiiiiiiiiiisssss~!*
"Young Sibby!"
*PURR~!*
Good, looks like All Might was figuring out the pecking order quite fast.
"Tch! Can't even get some rest after being pulled in to another one of Caenis's spats with that damned Rabbit girl…" Next to emerge from the hall was a fairly attractive, yet tired looking brunette in a doctor's coat with a smattering of freckles that travelled down from her face to her body.
"Welcome back, ya little shit. You bring in another stray for me to heal or did you actually manage to find someone tough enough to actually damage you?"
"Swear!" Eri cutely accused and pointed at the woman. Sibby the cat followed along and did the same.
Mama Ames rolled her eyes. "I'll add my 1000 yen to the jar later."
"Another stray to heal, Mama Ames." Mugen chuckled and gestured to All Might who tilted his head in question from being called a "stray".
"Superb…" The woman sarcastically drawled as she approached All Might, who could not be any more out of place by their family's eccentric dynamic. "Name and issue?"
"Y-Yes, young lady, I-."
"Huh…haven't been called young in a long time…" Mama Ames rubbed the back of her neck sheepishly.
"Huh?"
"Nothing, go on."
"Y-Yes, my name is Toshinori Yagi, and my current medical issues are-hmmph!" Mama Ames forewent listening to the man's explanation in favor of grasping his narrow boney face in her hand.
Mama Ames shot Mugen a deadpanned stare. "Where the fuck-." "Swear!" "-did you even find this guy, Mugen? He shouldn't even be alive, much less breathing without a mechanical ventilator strapped to his side."
"Oh, a bad guy messed up his guts and so we need your help getting him back to full health." Mugen nodded.
Mama Ames regarded him with an unamused look before shaking her head. "Why not use Eri's rewind?"
"I don't want to push her. Also, dad banned her from using her quirk after reverting all of the beef patties in the kitchen into actual cows."
"Nuh-uh, Sibby made me do it." Eri accused the adorable cat in her arms, who shamelessly smiled with pride.
Seeing that as a lost cause, Mama Ames tried for someone else. "Riley?"
"Mama Riles…really, Mama Ames?" Mugen deadpanned.
"Yeah, should have known that would have been a lost cause." Breathing in, Mama Ames rolled her eyes in defeat. "Fine, I'll do it." She turned to look up at the boy and asked. "The process will take a few minutes so get comfortable."
"Thanks, Mama Ames."
"Um…excfuze mwe but ken uou take yahr hand off meh fech?" Poor Mr. All Might mumbled with Mama Ames's hands on his.
"Sure, just let me put you to sleep first before I start the procedure."
"W-Whu-!?" And in an instant, Mr. All Might went out like a light after getting his melatonin levels spiked up. His skeletal form never hit the floor as Mama Ames's Primal Shroud absconded in fleshy matter all the while keeping contact with the man's body with a singular hand.
"If you're going to stamp the world's number one hero then do so now." Mama Ames advised, leaving a small opening in her shroud to allow Mugen to do just that.
[Toshinori Yagi / All Might (T7) Captured (71 hours, 59 minutes, and 58 seconds until complete capture) – 120 credits]
"Thanks, Mama Ames!"
"Don't mention it…" In a matter of a single minute, the once decrepit form of Toshinori Yagi was now a bonafide 7 foot adonis with rippling muscles and absolutely radiating true health as any blemishes or signs of malnutrition have gone away. "Done. Now he's no longer going to puke up the soda and cheeseburgers that he ate."
"Whoa, super poggers!" Mugen suppressed his inner cringe and stifled his laughter once Eri began to poke at the unconscious form of All Might's huge body.
"I would have just done the bare minimum by simply using the matter from my Shroud to reform and create organs compatible with his body, but…I decided to take some liberties to strengthen his muscle mass and increase his bone density amongst other upgrades to ensure that Mr. Symbol of Peace is at best superhuman in his base form."
Mugen grinned. "Sweet! Now he can still do his hero work and be ten times as durable while doing it too." Not to mention when the stamp kicks in, he'll still have his version of One for All and be reverted back to his prime physical form with Body Defense II active. "Thanks so much, Mama Ames."
He chuckled as the smoke-smelling woman ruffled his hair. "It's your first capture so of course I'm going to ensure that they're healthy to help you. Would be a pretty shit mother if I couldn't do that."
"Swear!" Eri exclaimed.
"Ugh, guess that's 3,000 yen I'm putting in the jar…" Mama Ames sighed. "Anyways, I would have figured you would have captured that Izumi friend of yours first."
"Oh, I will, and I'm currently in the process of working on that right…" Mugen felt the rushing energy signature approaching their front door. "Now."
*THUD!*
"Please excuse me, and thank you for having me over! Muggy-chan is it true? Did you actually get to meet, All Mi-?" His nerdy girlfriend burst through the door only to freeze upon noticing the giant All Might shaped body on the floor.
"Yep, you want to take a picture together of him unconscious before he wakes-?"
*THUD!*
"-up?" Mugen's smile strained as his girlfriend literally fainted on the spot.
"Nooooooooo! Zumi-neechan, don't die! Please don't die!" Eri wailed and ran over to shake the greenette's twitching form.
"Welp, I've done my job. Good luck trying with your girlfriend, Mugen. I'm off to watch cartoons on twitch with Paimon…" Mama Ames yawned and stalked back into the house.
Mugen groaned and shook his head. "Have fun…"
Well, hopefully he can get a Love Confession capture after she wakes up…
Hopefully…
AN: Have no fear for I AM HERE with another chapter of this side story! Hoped that you all enjoyed it!
Yeah, the Sludge Villain bit was skipped because...why would it even need to happen? It's redundant and we'd just be retreading old ground. Also, this chapter holds a lot of spoilers for the future of the main story based on some characters being mentioned or actually making an appearance.
Anyways, I hope that you all have a wonderful day!
I'm Out so Peace Out and have a lovely day!