Good In Evil
By: SomeRandomPerson648
Chapter 14: The Truth
The air was unnaturaly cold within Toshinori Yagi's office space, a strange sentiment hanging within the air itself. By all accounts the crisis of the villain attack had been prevented, the only remains of the attack now were bits of gossip and a shaken yet strong faith in the school. But he sensed a strange dread crawl inside of him as he stared blankly at his computer. His productiveness hit a standstill when he realized what time it was, leaving him to wait for a strangely nerve-racking phone call
Eventually the device vibrated and before it could ring he'd already answered with a nervous "Hello?"
"Hey, I was able to look through records of what you might be looking for." Detective Naomassa answered, seeming quite drained
"Please tell me."
"There isn't much to go off on without more information." He sighed. "There are a lot of teens with green hair and greens eyes. Are you sure you weren't able to get anything else? Quirk? Maybe a name?"
For a second Toshinori closed his eyes and began recalling the image he saw. During his battle with the creature he caught a glimpse of something, a fighter opposing Mirio. Things were far too hectic to properly identify the fighter, but of the glimpse that he caught he knew this person, no, kid had green hair and green eyes from the torn mask he wore. Even with his years of honing his sharp eyes it was a miracle he could make anything out let alone get enough for a search to go on. Of course one of the students would have tried to ID the villain, namely Mirio, but it was best he make sure he looked into it himself, it was dangerous to leave such matters to chance
"Sorry but that's all I can recall. Things were a bit of a blurr at the time."
"I'll say, I'm surprised that you saw anything at all. And how could you tell he was a teenager?"
Sighing to himself Yagi spoke up. "Even with most of his face covered inexperience is a very hard thing to hide. I could see it in his eye, the way he carried himself as though he were fighting for the first time. And besides that his body and height made him smaller than a regular man, about as tall as the students."
"Heh, guess you learned a few things about deduction from me Yagi."
"Yet not enough..."
...
"How's the investigation going?" Yagi asked, shifting the conversation to something less worrying
"Its not going as well as you'd think." Naomassa sighed as well. "None of the criminals we interogated could tell us about their recruiter, and none of them knew what they were getting themselves into past getting paid for attacking heroes."
"And the 'Nomus'?"
"They refuse to talk, and quite frankly we're certain they lost the ability when they underwent the process of becoming... whatever the hell they are now."
"No leads then." Toshinori concluded
It didn't take long for the small talk to die down and lead to the end of the phone call. It was safe to say that the new threat would appear again in the future, likely even to attack the school. If that were to happen Yagi knew he couldn't make the same mistake of leaving the children unattended. Just the thought alone of one or more of them getting hurt under his watch made him sick to his stomach. Luckily for him Mirio was able to take care of things as well as he could
The mention of his pupil made Toshinori recoil in realization. It's been two days already since the attack and he had yet to talk to his student. Talks with the staff, principal, press and police have kept him far more busy than normal. However, thinking back to Mirio he felt the full weight of having left something out for too long
Before he could even begin to digest what his next steps were he recieved another phone call, one he hadn't planned on getting. However, when he saw the caller ID he knew just what was bound to happen
"Yagi."
"Sasaki."
"I can assume you know what I'm calling you for?" Sir Nighteye questioned
"Yes, I'm aware."
"Then what is your response?" He prodded
"I... I still don't know."
"But you at least owe him answers after what happened. You called me and told me as much when you revealed your true form to him."
"And I haven't been able to pay him proper attention as of late." Toshinori lamented. "But I still don't know if he can handle it yet."
"It's no longer a matter of if he can or can't Toshinori." Mirai lectured. "You've made him your pupil, you revealed your true form and you've lost time on your powered form. What is causing you to hesitate so much?"
"I just... I don't believe a boy his age is ready to bear so much responsibility so early. The amount of pain and hardship I and the holders before me had to endure is not something I can pass off without a guilty conscious. And as great of a student he is he still has a lot to learn about the world, let alone about being the world's support."
The silence that followed seemed to give Nighteye time to digest his words, but when he spoke again he spoke in an odd way, both a blend of his normal, logical self mixed with a level of compassion and care that he didn't often hear in him
"I'm aware that there is a legacy of hardship behind One for All but you can't keep holding onto that burden forever, especially if there is a new generation that is willing to learn and handle it. And like you and those before you he needs to take on this power, to make his own mistakes and learn his own lessons and to pass on those teachings to someone else. He may not be ready now in your eyes but in his he's more than willing to do what's right for others. Just give him the chance to prove you wrong."
It took a while for Yagi to fully process the well oriented speech. He knew that he was being quite unreasonable but his heart overrode his own head. He knew that he needed to pass on his power but the thought of it locked him in place. But as his former sidekick advised, he needed to put faith in Mirio. Otherwise the power of One for All would not make it past his own failing body
But in mulling over the speech he recieved a flash of an image, the young boy from months ago that talked to him in his true form. He rememberd discouraging the teen for wanting to endanger himself without the ability to save himself, to protect himself like he should. And yet in repeating the words he heard and remembering his own made him frustrated by his foolishness
"Give him the chance to prove you wrong... Maybe I should have done so with the young boy..." He wondered before going back on topic
"Alright, I'll talk with him today after class. If he accepts then... the rest will be on him."
"Good, that is all I ask for."
Unlike the last phone call this one ended without the polite small talk, both men being too busy in their own right to keep things up. Without any more distractions the number one hero was left to his thoughts again
Even with the mountain of logic and reasoning behind his newfound decision his heart fought him bitterly, trying its damndest to convince him that he's making a mistake
He knew what he had to do. He'd accepted it already but he just couldn't find it in him to agree with himself. Leaving the burden of the world itself wasn't any easy decision to be fair, and part of him felt guilty that he couldn't sustain it any longer. Were it not for his injury he'd continue to hold onto the power and do as much as he could if not more, making absolute sure that the world was safe
Except it wasn't, not with the looming threat of the League of Villains led by a young man. No one knew what his purpose was or why he was here, but if the Nomu's he was using were of any indicator... Maybe...
The messy haired man shook the thought away. There was no way that he was still alive, not after what happened. He was more than certain that his greatest adversary was dead and buried. And yet with these creatures holding more than one quirk... There were possibilities, no matter how impossible they seemed
Worse was his inability to keep fighting like he once did. Were he still in his prime he'd have defeated the Nomu and the group of villains in one go. But he wasn't, and they got away
But All Might found that he no longer had room for lamenting, a poor habit of his that stuck with him ever since he received One for All. No matter how strong he was he always needed to be stronger... maybe that would be a struggle for his student as well...
Toshinori stared at the ceiling, lost in his own thoughts. But eventually he grew frustrated of his own inaction, his reluctance to do the right thing. He jumped from his chair and called upon his quirk to inflate his body, gaining the confidence he needed to proceed without a shadow of a doubt, even if it was momentarily
The large man shouted, raising his fist to the ceiling. "The future is today! For I, no... He will be here!"
The ringing bells of UA resonated throughout the school and signaling the end of the day. Droves of students made their way home, retreating to prepare for the next day and its challenges. But as they left the speakers called upon a student, Mirio Togata of class 3-B
The surprised young man soon departed with his friend and made his way to his teacher's office, anxious to speak with him. It had been ages since their last talk and the teen was desperate to get his answers. What happened to All Might? Why was he so skinny? Was he imagining things?
Mirio had been patient for so long, following the wishes of his mentor and giving him space on his busy days. But now that the time was here he couldn't help but pick up the pace, jogging to his destination until he finally reached it... All Might's office
Tempering his anxiety Mirio took a deep breath of air before sliding the door open, entering to see his master once again looming in front of the window that overlooked the city. Silently the boy closed the door and soon stood behind the titanic man in a yellow suit, the legend himself
"Young Togata. I fear I haven't been the most honest man with you." All Might began almost too dramatically, turning to look down upon the teenager
"I-I guessed so." Mirio responded, trying to remain lighthearted
"First of all," He began, "the things I'm about to tell you should stay between us. Very little people know of these secrets and as my pupil I believe you should be one of them. Can I trust that you won't tell anyone?"
For a second Mirio couldn't register the words he was hearing, disbelieving in the mere notion he was hearing. And yet despite fogginess of his brain and static in his stomach he nodded along, silent as the large man dropped his shoulders
Steam began emitting from the body of All Might, incasing him in vapor before there was a small explosion of smoke. The blinding cloud dissipated quickly, revealing the new form of the great All Might. Now standing before him was a man only a fraction of the size he was a second ago with deep, sunken eyes and long, lanky limbs that barely filled the wide suit. The teen gasped from the shock, now learning the truth of what he saw. On one hand he was glad to know he wasn't just hallucinating from exhaustion that day but on the other... he didn't think he wanted to know why the number one hero was like this
"This is my true form. And my real name is Toshinori Yagi." The stranger introduced himself, his sharp black and blue eyes staring deep into Mirio's soul. At least in part he could recognize the resemblance between him and All Might but... the differences were drastic
"This is who you really are?" The boy asked, his voice almost cracking
"Indeed. This is me without the power of my quirk."
"...How?"
As an answer the man lifted up his suit jacket and shirt, revealing a hidden red mark that spread like a virus across his body. His chest and stomach contained red and purple cracks and splinters originating from a single indent on the side of his chest and the teen convinced himself he was staring at a broken window made of flesh, a part of an object rather than a part of a person. The fact that the man could breathe was a surprise considering what he saw, his imagination running wild with thoughts of what may have happened
"I was injured after a brutal battle. Because of it I have a time limit on how much I can use my power. And to be frank my fighting days are getting shorter and shorter."
"So when you fought the Nomu..."
"I reached my limit and lost my form." He answered sharply. "And now I have even less time than before."
The chill silence gripped Mirio by the heart and prevented him from breathing. The image of the number one hero he knew for all his life was shattered in an instant and in its place was the true man behind the legend, a broken person who seemed fraile compared to the brick wall he was before. For a second Mirio thought he'd ask another question only to feel his willingness disappear, instead staring at the hole for a while longer
"This is the reason why I wanted to become a teacher." Toshinori continued, dropping his shirt and suit jacket. "My time won't be long from now and I need to make sure the next generation of heroes can take my place. But I wanted to have a pupil for a different reason, one that is less straightforward than what you may think"
"And what is it?"
"You see the real name of my power is One for All, a quirk that was passed down from person to person, generation to generation, growing in power for each person that holds it. I am the eighth holder of this power and as such it has grown exponentially. I've used it to change the world just as the original intended to, but with my injury it's time that I find a new host. Which is where you come in, Mirio."
"One for All? Me? That's..." Mirio stuttered, taking a step back. Yet the man who spoke did not waiver in his resolve
"Mirio, I came to this school to find a new successor to this power, someone who's responsible, brave and heroic enough to take my place. And your actions a few days prior, standing up to that creature that vastly overpowered you and holding your own despite the odds... I can think of no better person to gift this power than you."
Quietly Togata contemplated his answer as All Might looked out the window, seemingly contemplating his own response. With his expression the young boy couldn't tell what he was thinking but the words that soon came gave him his answer
"...I know I'm asking a lot from you, and quite frankly I'm not sure if I can-"
"I'll do it!"
"What?" The man asked, turning to look at the bright faced boy
Mirio had to recollect his own courage when he saw All Might with his dumbfounded expression but when he did he found the words he needed to say
"I know that this might be a lot to handle, and really I can't even imagine what might happen to me... But, I know in my heart that it's the right thing to do!"
For one last push Mirio placed a hand on his chest and gazed back at the black eyes that witnessed him, cementing his courage before it had a chance to waiver. "I won't let you down!"
For a moment the skeleton of a man was shocked to look back at the boy, now standing just as tall as he is. But eventually he chuckled to himself, smiling with a sincerity that could not been seen during his normal heroic escapades
"Then you're ready." He smiled, pulling a single strand of hair and outstretching towards his student
"Eat this!"
"Huh?"
It wasn't until later that the young Togata met back with All Might, this time inside gym Gamma, the large warehouse-adjacent building with massive stone pillars that towered over the ground. He was glad he had a chance to separate from his teacher otherwise the awkwardness would've consumed him
"I can still feel it in my throat." The teen complained, walking towards the entrance of the gym with his hero suit. He knew it was a simple training exercise that he was going into but the prospect of his gym clothes falling through him in front of All Might was... haunting
At the oversized double doors Mirio entered with the same static in his stomach as before. He looked on to see the great All Might, who stood with his arms crossed while wearing his signature smile
"Are you ready young Togata? I won't be holding back for this exercise." The man boasted, flexing his arm so as to taunt him
Before Mirio could regret it the large man flicked his finger at him, initiating the scuffle with a blast of forced air. The student managed to react and activate his quirk, the air passing through him like a phantom as he rushed forward
Of course his ability to close the distance did not match his ability to deal any damage, running forward to throw a lunging strike but feeling only hard muscle reject him. Luckily he was able to dodge the counterattack in time but not without being swallowed by the earth below. When he resurfaced a was met with a fist that cracked the floor he came from yet did not manage to hit him
Rising from the ground Mirio used his skills to land a blow as he flew and another as he fell, neither doing anything as All Might whipped around to smack the boy, again only passing through air
This time he changed things up, hopping backwards to goad the titan into attacking. In response the still giant finally moved from his place, lunging forward to attack again. Yet the trap was sprung. Mirio sidestepped from the path of the fist and instead it crashed into a pillar, impaling the hard stone and lodging his fist in place
For a precious few moment Mirio was free to attack, landing a series of ineffective blows to the face before the larger man ripped his hand from its cage and used it to attack once again. Rather than use his quirk Mirio fell backwards, avoiding the attack and using his arms to handspring away and create distance. Upon landing however he looked up to see the man he tried to avoid breathing down his face, preparing his arm for yet another attack
With speed and quick reactions Mirio phased through the attack and began another series of attacks. He dodged in and out of the many punches coming his way and launched an abundance of counterattacks that met their marks. But the interaction was more like a mosquito pestering a human, each punch either barely missing their target or flying through uselessly. The astonishing amount of skill needed to avoid him for so long was impressive were it not for the fruitless attacks
"Where's your new power young Togata? Scared to use it?" All Might taunted as his whirlwind of punches only fanned his opponent
As a response Mirio jumped back and rushed in once more, delivering a powerful lunging strike yet again, using all the force of his body in the attack. However, just like last time nothing happened, and as a result the boy was open to his first attack
The blow came crashing into the boy with the more suddenness and force than he ever expected. For a moment even his brain froze as the arm clotheslined him, launching him backwards like a paper in the wind yet hitting the pillar behind him with far more impact. The wind from his lungs was knocked away twice, leaving him gasping on the floor. He kneeled over the floor, shaken by the singular attack that went through all because of his failed effort
"Looks like One for All hasn't set in just yet. I guess we'll have to postpone this for later." All Might lamented, crossing his arms and shaking his head in dissatisfaction
"...No."
"What was that?"
"No!" Mirio yelled as hard as his wheezing lungs could allow. Reluctantly slowly rose from the floor, hunched over yet standing as he gripped his injured chest
"Really? Then show me what you've got!"
For a moment Mirio stayed still, contemplating his next course of action. With the injury he'd still have enough energy and stamina to bob and weave his way into landing more attacks but the uselessness of the strategy was proven already. Even when he tried to attack with all his might he couldn't do anything to the walking tank
"Then... I'll have to go beyond what I'm capable of..." He thought, standing tall and ignoring the crippling pain in his chest. "I need to do what he does. Throw everything I have into one attack bar the consequences. I'll have to risk it all if I want to do anything."
Luckily for him his method was looming over him, raised nearly to the roof of the gym
Still facing his opponent he used his quirk to step backwards, lodging himself inside of the large stone pillar and deactivating him to shoot him sky high. In seconds the boy was thrown to the roof many yards above before he finally detached from the pillar. At the apex of his rise he managed to flip over, hitting the roof with his feet and pushing himself to boost his fall
Like a missile from the sky he shot towards his mentor, preparing himself for his most dangerous attack yet. He noticed All Might prepare himself, smiling widely as he cocked back his fist
"I have to do this! For the people I protect! For the world I live in! I have to prove myself that I'm capable!!" Mirio screamed at himself mentally, feeling a surge of energy boost him, forcing a smile from his face as he too cocked back his fist
"Take this!!" He yelled, the fire in his stomach and heart course out into his whole body as it braced for the impact
With a prepared fist he struck All Might as he too punched upwards, their attacks striking against each other. However, to Mirio's astonishment he was not blown backwards but instead met All Might with the same force as he creating a resonant clap of air. As if the force of his own punch was able to break his fall he dropped to the floor, miraculously landing on his feet as he caught a glimpse of the stunned titan
But within himself he felt the same surge in power course through him once more, electrifying him as he gazed at the exposed hero with a sense of rare opportunity. His legs moved on their own, jumping forward with a speed faster than he expected and cocking back his other arm for his true final attack
"That's not all!" He screamed, watching as All Might tried to face him at the last second. With the swing of his fist he landed a punch square on All Might's stomach, this time not feeling the resistance of steel but that of a tough cushion
That attack pushed back the large back, his feet dragging through the ground and halving the distance he traveled until his back hit a pillar of rock, stopping him. Yet he was not knocked down, remaining on his feet even as steam hissed and his form gave out, leaving Toshinori Yagi to cough up blood from the strain
"You've finally done it Mirio... You've become the next user of One for All!"
For a moment the boy was confused, having forgotten the entire point of the exercise in favor of defeat his mentor, which in reality he didn't even do. But upon self reflection he realized just what he accomplished
The blonde teen looked down at his arms, both shaking rather violently from the force of the impact yet remaining unbroken. The numbness in his hand was not only from the muscles nearly giving out but also from the foreign power he accessed, resulting in his arms sparking with blue lighting. Despite his body's inability his heart felt more than capable even with the little control he had
Rather than worry over the lack of sensitivity he had over his fingers he smiled, his chest burning up from the results
"I'm... the next holder of One for All."
Soon after the training ended the master and student duo checked in with the school nurse, getting an earful for the recklessness. As opposed to All Might's expectations Mirio's arm was not obliterated by using the new quirk but was instead sprained, an injury that was fixed semi-quickly. With a day or two of rest the limbs were expected to return to full power, to the thin man's great relief
Now, many hour later night befell the city, citizens all over taking the moment to rest and repose for the next day. All except Mirio, who remained active throughout much of the night despite his injuries
Silently the teen exercised his body until it could no longer stand the strain. He did every exercise he could think of that didn't involve his arms until finally he laid tired on the cold apartment floor. Yet the energy and adrenaline remained, forcing him to jump to his feet in spite of the pain. He held more energy in himself than he thought imaginable, like he could run a mile just out of his nerves and willpower alone. But his body argued otherwise, yelling at him to stop the abuse and leaving him only capable of pacing around the room. He argued with himself over and over again until finally he realized he shouldn't continue, yet the decision was made after much debate
With no other reasonable option left the boy took to staring out the window, contemplating thoughts that have only festered in his mind since he met with All Might in his office. He looked deep into the darkness that was obscured not just by the bright lights of reflecting from his apartment but also by the lights of the grand city he so happened to live in. He was clueless as to how far into the night he managed to slip into by the sheer brightness of his apartment which seemed to house him in a bubble of light
Despite normally being a calm and collected person Mirio found himself losing his composure as he peered out the window, the myriad of problems from before finally catching up with him in his moment of repose. To begin with he still couldn't handle calling his mentor by his real name, which was the first of many things he carried doubts over. And yet every subsequent problem only grew in severity the more he thought about it. Can they hide his new secret forever? What will everyone think? What happens to All Might now that he doesn't have One for All? What happens to the world?
But the abundance of minor and somewhat major problems paled in comparison to his own self realization, one that silenced the many voices in his head as he stared at his own reflection upon the glass
What was he now?
The boy raised his right arm and observed it vibrating, still numb from the earlier strain. For a moment he toyed with his quirk, using it to phase his arm through the window and deactivating it at the hand to feel the cool night air pass from his fingers. He observed his own hand through the glass, flexing it and pretending as though it were an alien object rather than a thing he was controlling, staring at its every detail
The boy likewise toyed with his hero name, thinking it in his mind and repeating it out loud for his ears to hear. Yet now the name seemed alien as well, having changed its meaning since the first time he created it. Back then his ambitions seemed grand, saving one million lives? He didn't even know enough people to make one hundred. But now he held the power of the man who not only saved one billion lives but changed the world as he knew it, lowering crime and bringing in an age of peace. By comparison his own goal seemed... insignificant
For a moment he called upon the power of One for All, gathering the electric feelings from before in hopes that his hand would look the same as it did before. But to his surprise his whole arm was rejected by the glass, shooting it upwards and making him stumble backwards. The suddenness took the boy for a loop as he stared at his whole arm that now glowed a feint white and sparked blue electricity
"That's... weird..." Mirio stated, watching the lights drop as he let go of the new power
Now curious the teen activated his original quirk, using it to pass his hand through the other to confirm it worked. He felt the natural emptiness of his arm pass through the other like a ghostly limb with the only way of knowing it was there was looking at it directly, confirming its existence. He'd long since settled with the feeling of emptiness it brought and waved the clump of nonexistence around
Then came the experiment. He activated the power of One for All on his other arm and watched the miniature lightning crackle. But to his surprise his body reacted forcefully, taking in a breath and feeling the static crawl within his arm. In doing so his opposite hand gained its presence, lacking the emptiness from before. To confirm his suspicions his hand no longer phased through the other like before
In response he tried again, holding his breath and feeling the emptiness return to the hand. But in doing so the tension within his other arm disappeared, deactivating the power it held
The strange occurrence seemed to happen again and again the more he tested it. He couldn't use both powers even if they weren't on the same limb almost like trying to breathe through the nose and mouth at the same time. The calmness that washed over him when using his quirk clashed with the tension and electricity of the other quirk. The result was the same every time, his whole body forcing him to choose one power or the other
The discovery left an odd taste in his mouth, tempering his excitement that powered him since training. Yet the rising headache he felt only stacked on top of the other headaches he had to deal with and in the end Mirio took a deep breath to bring back order into his mind
Again the teen couldn't help but look out the window, staring at the uncertainty that was masked by the light around it. He observed how the bright lights seemed to neuter the effects of the absolute darkness, baring it from consuming anything. He could still see through the city semi-clearly, noting its every detail
Upon his strange observations his smile returned to him, clearing his mind. For the moment he was incapable of answering the slew of new questions but their effect was now minimal
He'd get to them, someday. Tomorrow or the next day. But for the moment his heart swelled with the new responsibility that tensed his shoulders, the weight of not just the city but the world beyond
For he... was All Might's pupil!