Inquisitor

- Chapter: 14 -

The manhole cover flew into the air. A man crawled out of the hole holding a grocery bag. He was dressed in a white t-shirt with green cargo pants. His blond hair formed a V shape and a smile was plastered on his face.

"Fear not kids!! I AM HERE!" The man spoke in a huge booming voice, naturally  drawing all attention to himself. The two kids and the villain looked at him in surprise. He reared back his fist reading a punch "TEXAS" his fist flew forward creating such a powerful gust of wind that the sludge villain was blown into pieces "SMASH".

Aizawa flew sideways into the wall, hard enough to get knocked out. Midoriya was knocked over onto her back sliding a few feet. The slime man was in pieces flying in the air as the man dumped out two soda bottles. Before the sludge hit the ground the man turned into a blur moving around, catching all the slime in the bottles.

Midoriya sat up holding her dizzied head. She looked up to see the man lightly slapping Aizawa repeatedly in the face. 'What just happened? Who is-' Midoriya's eyes widened as she realized who had saved them. The number 1 pro hero, All Might.

Katsuo POV

I felt a light repetitious slapping on my cheek along with someone say 'Hey' over and over. I felt like I just got hit in the head with a brick. I opened my eyes and saw All Might standing over me. He lifted the hand he was using to slap me upright as he said "Thought we lost you there!".

I stood up and looked around and saw Izumi standing to the side shaking like... I don't know, something that shakes a lot? She didn't look injured just stunned by All Might, but I wasn't going to take any chances so I ran over to check on her. I heard All Might say "Aren't you energetic?" as I got up.

I grabbed Izumi by her shoulders and shook her to draw her out of her daze and asked "Are you all right?" She looked at me then jumped back yelling slightly.

"Um, ah, I'm n-not hu-hurt." She spoke in a stressed out voice although I couldn't blame her. I sighed relieved she wasn't hurt and turned to All Might.

"Thank you very much for saving us." Bowing as I speak. He replied with boisterous laughter.

"All in a days work! Sorry for dragging you two into my villain hunting, this is a strange land to me. I'm also off camera! But my success is all thanks to you! I've contained the villain!" He held up the villain in two soda bottles.

'How did he fit him in there?'

Izumi seemed to remember something as she started digging around in her bag. I was wondering what she thought of when she pulled out her analysis notebook and held it out to All Might. "Can I get an a-autograph?"

'Of course that's what she wants.'

All Might quickly signed her notebook then readied to jump. Izumi asked if that was all and he replied saying "A pro battles not only enemies but also time! Until Next time..."

'Oh yeah he has a-' I didn't finish that thought as a saw Izumi grab onto All Might's leg before he jumped. I blinked a few times not quite believing what I had just seen. I rubbed my eyes and looked around. 'Did Izumi just grab All Might's leg? What about our training today?... I guess I'll look around for her.'

I then started walking in the direction that All Might jumped. Wondering why Izumi had to be this way...

Izumi POV

Before All Might jumped away I grabbed onto his leg. I still had questions I had to ask him. I felt bad for leaving Katsuo... but then the wind hit me.

"HEY NOW! Release me, such enthusiasm as a bit much!" The wind was so strong my face was being warped by the wind.

"If I... let go now... I'll die...!" I yell hoping he can hear me. Luckily he does and stops trying to push me off him. "I... need to ask you... so many things... you..."

"Okay, okay! Just do me a favor and close your eyes and mouth!" I listened and put my face down so it didn't get warped by the wind. A few seconds later we landed on a rooftop.

When we landed I had to catch my breath. That was a really scary experience.

"Of all the... ! Hopefully the people downstairs will help us get down. I've no time though! Truly!" 

When I realized that All Might would be leaving, again, I started to stand up and called out to him. "Wait um..."

"NO!! I will not wait!"

"Even without a quirk... can I still become a hero? Can someone without a quirk... become a hero like like you?" I looked down at the ground as I continued. "Because I don't have a quirk, well, maybe that's not the only reason... But I've always been picked on... That's why, maybe that's why... I think that saving people is just about the coolest thing someone can do." I looked up with a smile on my face thinking of all the cool heroes I know about. "The way you save people with a fearless smile! I want to be the strongest hero, just like-". My mouth stopped when my brain realized what I was seeing.

All Might was gone and in his place was a skinny man that looked like a skeleton with smoke trailing off him. "WHAAA, You're all shriveled up! Huh?! Were you... a fake?! An Impostor!? So thin!!"

The All Might impostor looked me in the eyes and said "I am All Might" with blood spewing out of his mouth.

"No way!"

"You know how people hold in their gut at the pool? It's like that."

"No way!"

All might sat down with his back against the guard rail. "A fearless smile huh? You've seen the real me kid. But don't write about it on the internet, okay?"

"No way!"

He then lifted his shirt, revealing his chest to be horribly scarred. "Five years ago... an enemy did this to me. My respiratory system was nearly destroyed, and my stomach was removed. I've wasted away because of the after effects of those surgeries. I can only do my hero work for about three hours a day now."

'Five years ago?' "Was that when you fought Toxic Chainsaw?" My inner fan-girl spoke for me.

All Might clenched his fist, "That lowlife? He could never do this to me! This was never made public. That is, I asked that it not be made public." He looked up at me with sunken eyes, burning seriously. " A symbol of peace who saves people with a smile... must never be daunted by evil. The reason I smile... Is to stave off the overwhelming pressure and fear I feel."

I took an unconscious step back, realizing what he meant.

"A pro should always be ready to risk his life. Without power, can one become a hero? No, I should think not."

'No... no... no...'

All might stood up and walked to the door. "If you desire to help people, becoming a police officer is always an option. Those villain custody officers are often mocked but that too is admirable work!" He open the door and went through, finishing his talk. "It's not wrong to dream. However, you need to be realistic, kid."

I was left alone on the rooftop. 'Even... All Might...' I started to cry, falling over and crawling up into a ball. Clenching my eyes shut to try and stop the tears, 'Why... why did I have to be born quirkless?'

'Why...? Everyone... my Mom, Kacchan, All Might... my teachers... other students.... they all knew... Why didn't I realize it sooner? How didn't I understand... that me... being a hero... is impossible...?'

"No, it's not impossible"

I opened my eyes, remembering the first time me and Katsuo had a conversation.

"You can be a hero. You just need to work two, maybe three, no ten times harder than everybody else."

I stood back up, wiping the tears off my face. 'Katsuo would laugh at me for crying if he saw me. Especially over something that he's already told me I can do.' I laughed a little bit at the thought of him lecturing me. 'So what if even the number one thinks it's impossible? I'll just have to prove them wrong, and show that Katsuo's right. I'll become a hero, no matter what. Haven't I already decided that?'

I checked my backpack to make sure that nothing had fallen out when I was in the air with All Might. I sent a text to Katsuo to tell him that I'd head to my house. Then I started walking home.

That's when I saw a crowd gathering.