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Chapter 7: After the Fall
🕑 Added 2024-02-26 15:32:01 +0000 UTCLast week's chapter was rather explosive, if I do say so myself. It was a long time coming, but I handled it well. A storyline where All Might, after all this, wasn't able to stand tall in the end, which, as you can imagine, will have massive effects going forward, not to mention he wasn't the only top hero who was severely injured in another costly battle that wrecked entire sections of a ward, which of course comes after the much larger incidents that were the USJ, Hosu and then Dagobah.
Chapter 7: After the Fall
2 days after the newly coined Kamino Incident, the police and pros were still hard at work. It might have been the middle of the day. Still, nobody in the boardroom at Tokyo Metropolitan Police Headquarters felt calm in any way. One only needed to look at how most had prominent bags under their eyes, slouched in their chairs, or brought in a coffee machine to pour their own as that was faster. Most had barely got any rest since the country and the world watched their Symbol of Peace fall, alongside many others.
Now, as they waited for the report of the findings of their investigations to be read, they all felt anxious, waiting for the other shoe to drop. "The Nomu we captured are just as unresponsive as the last ones, mindless puppets. Sadly, the warehouse they were kept in was completely destroyed. Our teams combed through the wreckage with fine tooth combs and two extra sets of eyes, but we thus far have little to show for it." The suit-wearing officer reported to them, the screen behind him displaying the aftermath of the warehouse the morning after, dozens of police on the scene.
It then changed to show the bodies of a couple of the Nomu, namely the ones that All Might, Mirko, Mt. Lady and Nejire-Chan had handled, as Endeavour's Nomu was little more than ash. In the footage, the remains were being loaded into transports under heavy guard lest the League attempt to recover them. "However, did manage to recover the corpses of the stronger Nomu, and Central Hospital is putting them through every kind of test they can think of, except have also been flown in from France and Australia to aid them in this."
The chief of police in Kanto block was far from impressed with this, as it was little more than peanuts for that was lost. “And the bar?”
The officer giving the report narrowed his eyes, not out of annoyance with the current company but more because he was the bearer of bad news. "It wasn't completely destroyed, but it's clear that the League had been tipped off about the attack with enough time to clear it of any useful evidence. Other than some discarded personal items and clothing, we have found nothing worth the time to find it.”
Another of the men present summed it up. "We managed to capture or put down most of the Nomu, sure, but Shigaraki and the bulk of the League were gone before we arrived. Even though we finally captured All for One, this entire thing was a messy draw."
“Are you an idiot?” The Kanto chief asked him. "We sent in 80 policemen in that raid, and so far, 50 were either killed outright or have since passed from their injuries. Only 6 managed to walk away without needing a doctor. 25 local pros brought in to aid in the operation, and 7 are dead with 9 being severely injured." The rest fell silent at that reminder, as the news had been talking non-stop about it, some agencies more than others, as this was seen as another blunder from law enforcement and heroes alike. One that most of Kamino paid the price for.
That wasn’t even the whole of it as the chief picked the report, smacking it in his hand. "That doesn't even get to the worst part of it. This operation was meant to be a crippling blow against the League, a means to show that we won't let them continue with their crimes, so we brought down the full force of the heroes, the top 20 pros. And what happened instead? A complete humiliation." He threw it back down, the room as infuriated as he was with how abysmal the operation had gone.
More so for the fact that they had concluded early that even if the League out a scout that reported to them, they would have at most 30, maybe 40 minutes to pack up and get out of there. Still, from how the Bar was when they had the chance to look it over, it was clear they had an hour and a half. There was only one way they could have done that: they either hacked their systems or had a spy.
It was never pleasant to suspect one's colleagues of such a serious thing, to internalise that someone you've worked with for years, whom you should trust with your life, could turn around at any second and stab you in the back. They were still carrying out an intensive search of all communications and other systems, but it would take longer to clear everyone who could have possibly known of the operation beforehand.
One of the other people present, a woman in her late 50s with red hair that had started to lose its colour, spoke up, messaging the bridge of her nose to try and relieve her migraine. “As depressing as that statement is, it’s not inaccurate.”
“Crust, Kamui Woods, and Mt. Lady were all injured, but it was minor, and they'll be back in action in a day or 2. Endeavour will be laid out for another 8 days at least while Mirko lost her leg, and even if we rush through a costume order prosthetic for her, the time it'll take for it to be produced and for her to learn how to use it will be at least 3 months." Their guest, a representative of the HPSC, stated that the mood in the room only fell deeper into a rut.
While the HPSC rep was just as happy as they were, they had to continue reporting what was happening. "Best Jeanist lost a lung, and the doctors are still not sure if he should return to active service." That was one of the most concerning, as he was, frankly, lucky that he wasn't downright killed by All for One; from what the doctors say, he used his quirk instructively to layer his clothing into that spot, creating a multi-layer web to try and catch the coming blast and weaken it.
Thanks to that and the fact that his costume was made from the strongest denim materials he could find that saved him from having a hole blasted straight on through. But he was still the lucky one, as one other top pro hadn't been as fortunate.
“Then there is Shishido,” The occupants in the room bowed their hands as they knew this was the most likely outcome, but it was still a bitter pill to swallow. “Killed in action for all the world to see, a death that is only made worse because All Might was exhausted and fell. He may still be alive, but the truth is out that he’s no longer the invincible hero he once was.” The commission rep nearly slumped into their chair, just as exhausted as they had been while not in charge of the investigation. They had been leading the P.R.P.R. management in the aftermath of the attack.
They already had 3 press conferences to address public concerns. They had to organise and threaten news agencies that were too negative while ensuring they didn't come off as heavy-handed lest they be thrown into the fire approaching their feet. Those owned by or controlled by Shoowaysha were the worst, as even when they threatened legal action, they didn't back down and threatened they'd get their lawyers involved.
Even after all that, while they didn't show off footage of injured or killed pros and law enforcement, they didn't change their tune, spreading mistrust and fear, questioning their current order as if it couldn't prevent this or stop it once it happened, what good was it.
People were starting to listen and ask those same questions, and with little more than Nomu and the villain they hid any news about from the public, it wasn't like they had much to show for it to dissuade such unrest.
“His time has been cut down to what? 20 minutes, less?” The Kanto chief asked, to which the commission rep nodded, getting an irritated, tired sigh from the chief. "I see; well, I can agree with the commission that he should retire while he still has the same faith from the people."
"How much faith can that be? I fear it's lower than we fear, as that last incident has the highest casualty count. As of 6am this morning, we've confirmed the deaths of over 760 people, with another 1200 wounded or still missing.” The officer that had been giving the report asked the damning but necessary question.
"Then there is the ever-growing headache of insurers; damages from the entire farce have been calculated to be at least 338 billion, and they're holding off any work to clear away and rebuild till we fork over 40%.” Another police head, a blading obese man in his late 40s, asked.
It was also crucial as ever since the rise of villains and the heroes created to stop them, many industries had been threatened by the constant risk that it took only one person to destroy something important. The insurance market had been one of the most affected, as they were losing billions in pay-outs to clients when a villain destroyed a vehicle, a home or a business if not outright killing someone that, if not caught in the attack, could have lived a long, happy life.
To combat this, insurance companies worldwide started rapidly increasing their prices, which blocked out more people from them and only fuelled the pre-All Might world's chaos. So, to combat this, governments like Japan stepped in and drew up new deals with insurers. They'll come up with new maps and criteria for judging risks, and should it fail, they'll cover 40% of whatever pay-out was required to clients. But this entire year had been a mess, and how they were on the hook for over 135 billion for this one incident. They would need to find money from somewhere, and somewhere, quirk.
“And what do we have to show for it? Some more Nomus and their leader, though with how that encounter went, I'm not sure we can take credit for it, as he could have fled with the rest of the League if he wished.” They all nodded at that statement, which was why most were nervous. All for One never moved without reason; he was crafty and intelligent and could spot a bad situation and avoid it most of the time. So why would he remain?
"A league with at least one of those superior breeds of Nomu, the female one, if Mirko and Ryukyu's reports of it vanishing are accurate." The commission rep added.
"This only adds to the idea that we dreaded, that our earlier profile of Shigaraki as a temperamental man-child with no real talent for planning was false. He's evolving with each attack, everything the League appears. They're smarter, stronger and even more ruthless." The Kanto chief noted before he went on to add.
"And with it being made apparent to the public and other villains, you can raise hell with just a dozen criminals. The League can only grow from this as they'll be washed with new recruits eager to get their slice of the pie, and with All Might no longer a factor, we've lost our single largest deterrent to crime."
"You sound like you're suggesting this was part of the League's plan." One of his colleagues stated, his arms folded.
“That seems like a bit of a leap, don’t you think?” Usually, he would agree with that and cut up his statement to paranoia and stress. Still, too many pieces were falling into place.
"It would hold water, explaining why someone as cautious and crafty as All for One remained when he knew what would happen. He wished to ensure that All Might would fall." His statement allowed the room to pause and digest them, as they couldn't dismiss it even if some didn't buy it.
Which led to his belief that things needed to change. "Regardless, we as police must be more active in this battle against the League. We aren't just glorified backup and cheerleaders."
The commission rep also cleared her throat at the end of his statement, their attention shifting to them. "We also need more capable heroes on the street, as with so many losses, both in number and public approval, we need some young blood to revitalise the system."
“Is this about your proposal?” The Kanto chief asked, which was part of why he assumed the commission had requested a seat at the table.
The commissioner nodded, giving each of them a portfolio containing what the commission hoped to see done. "It is, while it could easily be considered a risk, one of U.A.'s 3rd years performed remarkable during the incident and helped to both handle Nomu and save lives. So, having more students like that in the field, fresh faces with clean track records would make sense.”
Line Break
At the same time as the meeting with the police was happening, another was taking place in a hospital room. Inside were the three occupants, Gran Torino, detective Tsukauchi and All Might. The two heroes were in hospital robes, but Gran Torino had only minor injuries; his stay in the hospital is primarily thanks to his old, making those around him eager to ensure he was fine.
In contrast, All Might was a wreck. Laying in his weakened form, his arms tightly wrapped up, same as his chest, thanks to the many injuries he suffered in his final fight. Looking at his bandaged hand, he tried to call upon the power he had for over 40 years now, only to feel nothing there. "The embers inside me have burned away. All Might's time has ended, but before anything else, there is something I need to do."
Leaning on his cane, Gran Torino grunted as he knew what the man wanted to know. “Nana’s grandchild. I already know what you wanted to ask, Toshinori, and the answer is yes. She did have a child."
At that admission, the reveal that there was something so important to his master that he didn’t know made his heart ache, but he pressed on. “Why?”
“Because,” Gran Torino had to stop for a moment, feeling like his age due to how heavy this as a topic, the memories it dug up. “Because she was grieving him. Shortly after meeting you and passing on One for All, her husband died in a villain attack. As far as we knew, All for One had nothing to do with it, but it scared her. So, to ensure that he could never harm her child, she gave him up, changed his name and swore me to secrecy. She even doctored the records to hide who his biological parents were.” He answered, keeping things brief as they didn’t need all the details.
“So, she didn’t tell me about them…to keep them safe?” All Might, Toshinori asked, and when Gran Torino nodded, he let out a defeated sigh. "And yet, that bastard has her grandson; he's made him into a monster that serves his bidding."
"She must be rolling in her grave to know that, in the end, this was the result." Gran Torino was in agreement; this was a cruel twist of fate.
Tsukauchi raised his hands to them, as there wasn't solid evidence yet. "Now hold on, the only proof we have is All for One's statement. I wouldn't trust anything out of his mouth, especially when he could have said it to rattle you."
As comforting as that was over the idea that his friend’s blood had been twisted into everything she hated, Gran Torino wasn’t naïve enough to buy it. “All for One is many things, but he’s no liar, not with a straight statement like that.” He hated that bastard and everything he represented, but he would be a fool to just throw his statement out for that. All for One didn't lie in the traditional sense; that's one of the reasons he was so dangerous.
"And it was my actions that led us here," Toshinori uttered, thinking back to All for One's mocking words to him.
“Toshinori.” Gran Torino spoke up, but the new retired number one shook his head.
“We can’t deny it, Gran Torino. By becoming such an encompassing symbol, people might have to depend on me and believe, but they also become lazy. I've seen it many times, how little some pros seem to work, how so many don't even try anymore because I was seen as a mountain that could be conquered. I just," He stopped, needing to collect himself.
"I never imagined the regular people on the street were the same. And because of that, not a single person reached out to that boy till it was too late.” Now he wondered, how many others were like him? How many people needed someone to help them-anyone to help but were ignored because 'a hero would do it' or 'All Might will do it.' How many lives had been ruined, if not downright lost?
Tsukauchi stepped forward and laid a comforting hand on his shoulder, squeezing it a little. "You can't be to blame for how people act. Speaking of which," He told his friend, as this was merely a repeat of how he felt when Midoriya exposed corruption among pros and police. The man put too much weight on his shoulders.
"Can we even collaborate on what All for One said while he doesn't lie, that doesn't mean he didn't leave critical details out?" Gran Torino asked, since he did as Nana said and, when she passed, didn't look into what had become of her son. Until last night, he had assumed that the kid could be one of any face in the crowd, as likely to recognise him as the boy, who would be in his late 40s if he was still around.
The detective sighed, returning to his seat. "That's proving to be an issue. By some miracle, I did find the boy's file. However, he was adopted at 15, and I still need permission to dig into his adopted family, but what I did find wasn't pleasant." He looked at the two, and despite how grim they seemed, neither backed down after his warning, so he continued.
“According to the files, after Shimura gave him up, he displayed a disturbing history of aggression and loner tendencies that the therapists believed stemmed from abandonment issues with special emphasis on what seemed to be what set him off the most. Heroes, perhaps because it was related to Nana, but according to the therapist's observations, he hated all things hero.” Gran Torino's frown grew more pronounced, as she had mentioned she suspected he'd hate her for it. Still, he supposed it was foolish for them to think he would only hate them but instead the lifestyle they represented.
And in a world that, even then, revolved around heroes, it must have meant he was set off a lot.
"I couldn't find much else, not with how busy we are. I can only justify the search to my superiors as us looking into the background of Shigaraki, but we're stretched thin as is." He finished as it took time, far too much than he would usually tolerate. Still, as the orphanage where he had been placed closed 25 years ago, they had to sort through old photos and digital records.
"Still, we need to find him" Toshinori looked ready to get up there and then, but Gran Torino shut it down hard.
“And then what?” His question brought the skeletal-looking man to a stop, as he could admit that he didn't know what he'd do, only that he had to do something, and Gran Torino could see that, so he continued. "You're not thinking straight about this. Despite his lineage, that boy is a ruthless criminal who’s responsible for hundreds of deaths and so much suffering. And if All for One was truthful, you'll be the last person he'll listen to."
“So, I’m supposed to just let this go?” Toshinori growled at him, furious, but it was water down his back for the old man, as he knew that Toshinori was less angry at him and more at All for One, at the situation, at Nana to some extent.
"Yes. Or were you thinking that you'd manage to reform him, and he'd get to walk? No, as tragic as it is, he belongs in a cell alongside his master." Did he like this? No, but he didn't write the rules, nor would he bend them for a brat that, in all fairness, didn't deserve such treatment.
"We'll keep on the League, you return to U.A. and continue to teach. More than that, you must keep training Togata, as All for One might finally be defeated. He casts a long shadow that is only growing larger." He told him, getting up to head back to his room. If all went well, he would be cleared to leave by evening.
Line Break
A rising star lay on her bed as the former symbol came to his new reality. Midoriya, like most of her class, had remained in her room after the night when All Might fought the masked villain to a bloody draw. Many had been stunned, enraged, reminded of past traumas, disgusted or some combination of those base feelings watching it. Watching such destruction. They might have watched Hosu live and known that Iida was in that mess and that he died in it. But Kamino was much worse for no other reason than seeing so many top pros go down.
In the aftermath, the school had given the entire student body some days off to process it, with the therapist bringing it for class 1-A being made available for everyone if they needed it. She didn't know much, but she knew Hagakure escorted Todoroki to speak with them. After all, it messes you up to see your father nearly die on international television as a ward burned around him.
She supposed that with their time off, the class had largely isolated themselves to…decompress. Groups still came together for stuff like making dinner or just to chat, but it was always in quiet, subdued talks that didn't last long before enough went back to their rooms or went out. Yaoyorozu and Asui, the class rep and vice-rep, went around now and then to check up on them, but other than that? They were left to their devices.
Midoriya, despite being a spy, wasn't any different from them. As she didn't enjoy bloodshed for the sake of bloodshed, she didn't want to kill people without cause, and she certainly didn't want people to suffer for no good reason. Yet all that and more happened in Kamino. And Curious had been silent on the entire thing. Only having her many puppets keeps the wound fresh. She understood it was for the cause, but it still left a bad feeling in her gut as she scrolled through the newsfeed on her zone, the feed for one of the media companies that wasn't in Curious' pocket.
“It’s all they can talk about…” She muttered as this was just another piece of the level of destruction left in the wake of the battle and how people were still searching for loved ones. She was about to turn her phone off and hit the gym as her weights weren't enough to push her anymore when she got a message, one on the encrypted secret app on her phone.
“Finally.” She breathed out, requesting that their agents look up whatever they could find on Aoyama and send it to her. Getting up, she made sure her door was locked before booting up her computer and logging into her email. Like the message, the email she was logging into was hidden in a secret, disguised program and heavily encrypted. Once in, she quickly downloaded the files and logged out, knowing that the system would delete the message and all traces of it being sent.
Opening up said files, everything seemed normal as there wasn't anything sticking out to her in his academic words. However, he was a middle school choir member in his 1st and 2nd years. Grades were above average, the same with his P.E. notes. She went over to his family documents and saw that he was the son of a wealthy banking executive and French citizen. He was born in Toulouse and lived there for the 3 years before they moved back to Japan with his mother applying for dual citizenship; his quirk came in when he was 6…wait.
“Strange.” Midoriya read that part again. According to the files, he had been diagnosed as quirkless at age 4 when he failed to develop a meta-ability, but would he later develop one at age 6? How could the doctor miss that the first time? Looking over the files, they took him to 3 different doctors, one of whom was a quirk specialist. What were the odds of that 3 expects missed that? Pretty low.
She dug deeper into it, learning that his father could produce sparkles around herself and bend light, but only in a limited capacity more akin to a party trick. In theory, those two combined could create Naval Laser, and even if they didn't, it wasn't out of the realm of possibility that his meta-ability was just different from his parents. Eri was prime proof of that, but she couldn't get over that time-lapse. Why did it take 2 years for his quirk to appear? Was the drawback too much for his 4-year-old body, so it had to wait? That seems unlikely as even now, according to the records, his time limit of a continuous blast had only increased from 2 seconds to the 6 she had seen in training.
That didn't make sense? How could, in almost 10 years, his meta-ability only make such a tiny improvement. Bakugo first got his quirk when he was 4, same as everything else, and it went from the tiny fire-crackers he first got to hand grenade levels by when they were 9. She heard similar stories when she spoke with Mina and Yaoyorozu about their meta-abilities. It started out small and grew as time went on. Why was Aoyama an outlier in this?
“When will this madness end? When will he finally be satisfied?"
That was Aoyama's words. Why was she suspicious of him and asked to get his info to look into it? Thinking back, it wasn't the Nomu that set him off but the appearance of that suited man in the helmet. Someone…someone that displayed multiple quirks…
"Is it…possible?" She softly asked herself; it would make sense, but then the idea of passing a quirk to someone else should have been impossible, but them…
“My time limit is only an hour, it’s declined much faster now that passed One for All to young Togata…”
All Might said that he implied that his quirk was called One for All and that he had passed it to someone else. So, a quirk could be gifted to someone. Perhaps the gifted quirk isn't suited to the body, and that's why Aoyama's made such slow progress: he's physically unable to train harder. For example, if Yaomomo and Bakugo swapped meta-abilities, she wouldn’t just gain his reinforced shoulders, shock and heat resistance, or his durable sense of sight and hearing. Same with him, he wouldn’t just gain the mutated fat cells to properly feed Creation.
However, she still needed proof, so she pulled her phone out and requested that they send her everything they had on the League, including that masked man now that he was in custody. She didn't want to make baseless accusations or bird-brained theories to guide her actions. She needed to investigate this and ensure she had a solid case before presenting her findings to Curious.
Because if she was right, it meant she wasn't the only rat in U.A.
And we'll end things here. It's a little short of the standard word limit, but everything else I had planned would have forced the chapter to be longer than I would have wanted to ensure it didn't end on a wrong note. But what I did get is alright by me. It's a good look into the mindset of this post, All Might World, from three different POVs and seeing how the situation, which was already bad, has altered things for them.
