Water droplets trailed behind an arcing bare foot. Seamless, their unfaltering technique. Smack. Catching a tilted chin, raising the moisture from the opponent's skin, flicking, and dispersing it into the dense rain falling upon them. Thud. Downed. "Thanks for your co-operation, I'll be taking your wallet now." Kneeling down, their reflection was projected in a shallow pool of water on the blood-stained concrete. Tired features, chapped lips, matted curls of black hair clinging to their pallid face. I'll be able to eat tonight, and they will also. Rummaging through the unconscious person's wallet, they produced a few bank notes which they shoved into their dishevelled shorts. "And thanks for the meal." They propped the person against a wall, moving them out of the rain. "Yeah, I found an unconscious person, he's still breathing. You should get here quickly before they freeze to death." Click. Closing the phone in their hand. As they moved to leave, their pupils constricted. Brightness hit them; it came from a silhouette stood before them at the end of the alley.
Burly, to the point of being grotesquely muscular. "Tragic." Those shadowed eyes peered out briefly, they were deep blue yet illuminated the alley wholly. "It's tragic you had to be forced into such measures... No need to fear boy, All Might is here." All Might's polished teeth had equal brilliance to his eyes. "You're that hero on TV. " With parted lips, trembling eyes. "It's the dead who should be pitied, not those who survive." Level, the boy's tone. "I refuse to be labelled a tragedy." All Might's perpetual grin faltered somewhat. "Even with that being said boy, I can't allow you to victimize innocent people." Snicker. It was a reflexive response of the boy whose body now shuddered. "I'm a victim too. Or is it that there are those born to be innocent, and those born to be victims? Hell, I even left them some cash for the ride home. Though, I can understand getting mugged like that would piss anyone off." One step forward, All Might moved closer. "Do you want others to suffer like you, or do you wish to be like others?" The boy's quivering eyes narrowed, pressing out the tears on the precipice. "I've listened to enough of your words old man." An outstretched hand hung infront of the boy, prompting him to let out a stifled gasp. "I don't want redemption… I don't want to live this way." Slapping it away wasn't an option, it was more akin to a steel beam. "I'm not here to redeem you, I'm here to give you an alternative. I also apologise for my shortsightedness; surviving is a triumph." Their hands met. "But the end goal of survival is life, you'd like to live yet the circumstances deny it. Why do others get to live while you don't?" In unison, "It's unfair." All Might pulled the boy closer, forcing him to step. Step into that warm glow. "I know it is." The boy's whimpers were muffled by All Might's body. "I'll rephrase. Do you want to change the world?" Gritty, the boy's voice escaped as a coarse stream of noise. "I'll turn this world upside down, then turn it back over!" Tears leaked out from between his clustered lashes.
They separated after some time in embrace. "Go ahead, show me this alternative All Might." Whining sirens came within earshot before flashing red lights came into view. "I'll put up with it for as long as I have a roof over my head." All Might patted the boy's back, finding that his hand slipped off without any resistance. "What's your name boy?" The boy scratched his head. "Hideaki Mori." Click. Cuffs bound his hands together. "I'll see you on the other side." All Might's brows curled. "As in on the other side of the bars." Creases formed between them. "You have a strange sense of humour, Mori." Sounds faded in, rain, exhaust, radio chatter. In sight, a crowd of pedestrians who were passing by, blocked off by the police vehicles and a lone ambulance. Mori was shipped off to a police station, being ushered into a room containing a camera and measurement board against which he stood. "Look into the camera." Flash. The image captured contained a scruffy youth with a neutral look holding a placard inscribed with details. 'Hideaki Mori, 14. Quirk: Frictionless. Type: Mutant.'