Successor

Spider-Man, Captain Britain, and all associated character, are property of Marvel. My Hero Academia and all related characters are property of Kohei Horikoshi

/+/+/+/+/

Toshinori Yagi stood atop a building outside the Musutafu precinct, hidden in the shadows of the setting sun. That…sounded sinister. It wasn't! He was just waiting for a very special boy to exit the building so that he could have a very important conversation about that boy's future…Okay, that sounded a little bad, he could admit.

He shook his head; the boy—Midoriya Izuku—would probably be a while still. The other victim of the slime villain—Bakugo Katsuki—had already been sent home, but Midoriya, but virtue of being Quirkless, was most likely held back to 'set him straight' in light of his status as a Quirkless individual.

Toshinori sighed deeply at the thought; yes, the boy had acted recklessly, but to pile onto the idea that he's powerless and must accept that as gospel truth was a bit much. He loved Japan, he really did, but sometimes…He pushed away such thoughts, focusing on the present.

He pulled out his phone, starting a four-way call with some of his oldest friends.

David Shield picked up first. "Toshi?" his friend asked, brow furrowed and a mug of steaming coffee in his hands.

"David!" Toshinori smiled. He then noted the bags under his friend's eyes, and the five-o'clock shadow covering his face. "Long night?"

"Like you wouldn't believe," David groused, taking a long sip of his coffee. "Got maybe two hours of sleep looking over the latest grant proposals—should have spent more time negotiating the corporate policies when me and Peter split off from Horizon Labs. Mole men popped out of every patch of dirt in Manhattan, that

should constitute extensions!"

"There was a mole man invasion?"

David rolled his eyes, "Actually, they were fleeing from some mutant worms A.I.M. lost track of back in the eighties, but still!"

Toshinori clicked his tongue, "Isn't there anyone that can help you?"

"Melissa and Liz—bless them—wanted to help. But there's this spa weekend that they've been planning for the past three months tomorrow—er, today—and I didn't want to take that away from them."

"David," Toshinori gently admonished, "you're work ethic and altruism are astounding—always have been. But there are limits."

David sent him a flat look, "I don't need to hear about limits from you Mister 'Plus Ultra'." Toshinori had the grace to blush. "Peter said he'd swing by around noon to help me knock this out." The phone screen suddenly split in two, half of the screen being black with a white circle rotating in the center. "Ah, speak of the devil."

Peter Parker—with a much cleaner appearance—popped into view. "Heya Toshi, Da—woah." The American vigilante's eyes widened. "David, are you okay?"

"Peachy." Suddenly, he leaned forward, pressing a bloodshot eye against the screen. "And you better show up at noon! Don't want any excuses of villains keeping you away."

"Yeesh," Peter rolled his eyes, "you sound like MJ on date nights."

"Is she wrong?"

"I mean…not necessarily." He blanched, "Course, if I am late—don't give me that look!" he said above David's glare, "…If I'm late, you better not expect me to make it up to you in the same way I do with her."

David and Toshinori gagged, the former dropping his head and running a hand through his hair, "Oh, it's too early in the morning for your particular brand of nonsense."

"Then go to sleep," Toshinori chuckled.

"Later," David lifted his head up, "you wouldn't have wanted to call us unless it was important." That wasn't wrong, per say.

Just then, the screen split into thirds.

"Ah," Toshinori nodded, "there's Brian."

Peter and David frowned, the latter saying, "Isn't it three in the mor—"

He was cut off when Brian's grumpy, drowsy visage popped up on the screen. "What?" he rumbled.

Toshinori, having quickly realized his error, blushed. "Er…you know what, you can go back to sleep, Brian. I can always—"

"Oh no," Brian coolly replied. "Go on, say what you wanna say. If, however, I decide that whatever spills out of your mouth wasn't a good enough reason to drag me out of bed at this ungodly hour I'lll…hmm…" he trailed off eyes drooping down.

"Put him in a stockade and pelt him with fruit?" Peter supplied.

Brian jerked back, "Hm, yes, yes! I'll do that. Thanks, Peter."

Toshinori grimaced, "Yes, thank you, Peter."

"Always happy to help!"

"You had something you wanted to tell us?" David—bless him—prompted

"Right," Toshinori nodded. "It started a few hours ago."

/+/+/+/+/

"Thank you, come again!" the clerk cheerfully chirped as Toshinori collected his bags. The off-duty Hero just nodded, exiting the store. He looked down at his purchase—two large bottles of soda and an assortment of easily made meals. Not the best food, but he just needed something to tide him over until the weekend.

"Good god!"

Toshinori looked up at the commotion to see a crowd of people scramble for the sidewalk. Seconds later, a humanoid pile of green sludge shot down the street.

"Outta the way assholes!" the sludge exclaimed as yen bills trailed after him.

"What's his problem?"

"Gotta be a villain!"

"Yeah, what respectable person would run away with cash sucked into his body?"

"Where's a Hero when you need them?"

Toshinori hummed, leaning over to get a better look at the fleeing villain. He also scanned the rest of the street and the rooftops—no other Hero in sight. He clicked his tongue, reaching into his back pocket; he'd plan on taking the day off, but when duty called…

He pulled out his pain meds, popping two in before surging One for All through his body, ignoring the pain lancing through his chest.

/+/+/+/+/

"Are you kidding me?" Brian deadpanned.

"Toshi," Peter sighed, pinching his nose, "c'mon, man, you're smarter than this. Strange's instructions were very clear."

Toshinori harrumphed, "You're the last person I want to hear that from, Peter."

Peter had the grace to blush, though David picked up the slack. "He didn't have to have every organ in his chest cavity—along with his chest—magically reconstructed."

"It wasn't every organ," the Japanese Hero mulishly replied, patting his midsection. "And besides, I was fine. Now, where was I…Ah! So, I chased the Villain into the sewers—boy, did that bring back memories…"

/+/+/+/+/

"At least there aren't any giant lizards lurking in the shadows," Toshinori thought optimistically as he chased the sludge Villain through Musutafu's sewer system—easily the best part about living in Japan. The Villain was a deceptively fast being, doubly so when he leapt into the sewage and travelled like a wave on the water. Even tried to give Toshinori the slip by slinking through sewer grates. But Toshinori wasn't the top Hero in Japan for nothing! It was easy to keep track of the Villain from the yen that trailed after him.

And then the Villain leapt out of a sewer grate and tried to take over the body of a child. Toshinori didn't even want to think of the logistics of such a thing.

"Fear not, child," he said instead as he glared at the Villain, relieved to see the boy's green eyes widen, relief and awe shining through, "for I AM HERE!" He drew his fist back, pushing One for All into is. He took a deep breath, "Texas…," and with a stomp forward, shot his arm out like a bullet, "SMASH!"

/+/+/+/+/

"You still do that?" Brian teased.

"It's a legitimate strategy!" Toshinori defended with a small glare.

"It's a marketing ploy," David countered with a cocked brow.

The Japanese Hero blushed, looking away, "…It can be two things."

"Can we get back to the story?" Peter drawled, "I'm putting off breakfast for this."

"Oh, do forgive me for preventing you from stuffing you face," Toshinori huffed, earning a laugh from David and Brian. "Anyway; I beat the Villain, and collected him in some bottles I had to empty—what a waste of good soda—and I dragged the child to safety. Even signed his notebook," Toshinori frowned, "it was a beat-up little thing, though—looked like he dropped it in a furnace."

"Tell him to go digital," Brian said.

"I did just that, actually…"

/+/+/+/+/

"…and while I personally believe penmanship is becoming a lost art, you really should put do your school reports in digital format." Although, for what could only be a class project on local Heroes, it was surprisingly in-depth. Even had some notes on that new Hero, Mt. Lady. And the kid—Midoriya Izuku, his notebook was penned—was too busy bowing like it was going out of style and talking a mile a minute. Good lord, even Peter took a second to breath.

"Well," Toshinori turned around, patting the soda bottle containing the Villain in his pockets, "I'd best be off. Have to drop this slimy miscreant off at the authorities.

"Hm?" The boy stopped, eyes widening, "Oh! W-Wait a minute—"

"Take care on your way home," Toshinori said, crouching down and tensing his legs and pushing One for All through his body, "It's said lightning never strikes the same place twice, but I can empathically disprove that notion." He would have said more, but his heart skipped a beat. "Damn," he thought, "Shouldn't have dragged out the chase for so long." Thus, he shot into the air like a missile with a quick shout of, "Take care!"

Toshinori let the wind whipping through his hair soothe him. It was always nice, floating among the clouds. Brian had confided that, more often than not, after a tough day he'd fly over to Wales and just mill about the tops of the mountain ranges.

Unfortunately, the weight of the present returned him to reality. And it was situated on his calves.

With a blink, Toshinori craned his head down. He was met with the windswept face of Midoriya, clutching to his legs with an iron grip as the soared through the air. "Of all the—!" He lost his balance, flailing in the air. "While I appreciate all my fans, there is such a thing as taking it too far!"

"I-I-I-I-I neeeeeeed too a-a-a-ask y-y-ooooouuu—" the boy garble through flapping lips.

"Stop that!" Toshinori said. He sighed, scanning the rooftops below, "Just…keep your mouth shut." He soon found a large enough area to land. He angled himself downward, tucking his legs in and grabbing the boy, forcibly tearing him off Toshinori's legs and cradling him as they landed.

He deposited the boy with a huff. "Honestly!" he grumbled, walking to the edge of the roof. "Hopefully the door is open, otherwise you'll have to grab the attention of someone down the street." He looked down nodding at the fair number of people walking up and down the street.

"W-Wait!" the boy exclaimed.

"I think not!" Toshinori replied, not turning around. "I have places to be and things to—"

"I don't have a Quirk!" the boy suddenly exclaimed. "O-Or any other special powers." Toshinori stilled at the declaration—the non-powered people of Japan were considered a nonentity by the population at large. What was going through this boy's head? He then gasped, a spasm rocking through his body.

"Dammit!" he cursed beneath his breath.

"It's just…all my life, I've wanted to be a Hero like you!" the boy continued. Toshinori was only half paying attention, trying to stymie the pain shooting down his nerves. Ah, and now his body was steaming. Great.

"—you've always got this wide, fearless smile on your face. And, sure, some of it might be due to your awesome powers, but I know that outside Japan—oh my GOD!" the boy screamed as Toshinori's hold on his Quirk finally went away."

/+/+/+/+/

"This kid saw you transform?" David incredulously asked. "Is that why you wanted to talk with us, damage control?"

"Why not just lead with that?" Peter said with a roll of his eyes.

"That's only part of it," Toshinori replied. "Let me finish…"

/+/+/+/+/

Toshinori groaned, sliding down the wall and reaching into his back pocket and popping a couple pills. He'd pushed his body pretty far, so they wouldn't do much, but it was better than nothing.

"A-Are those," Midoriya began hesitantly, not really keeping eye contact—not that Toshinori would blame to boy, "pain meds?"

"Yup." Toshinori sighed.

The boy gulped, "A-All Might…what happened? I didn't hear or read anything about…" he trailed off.

Toshinori looked down at his shirt, debating. In the end, he said, "Do me a favor, don't mention this to anyone."

"O-Of course not," the boy mumbled earnestly, if shocked.

Smirking grimly, Toshinori grabbed his shirt by the hem, lifting it up. "It was about five years ago now." He looked down at his chest, which was far paler than the rest of his body. Other than the ugly black scars, centered just under his left pectoral, lancing all across his body. "Got into a fight with a," he grimaced, dark memories bubbling to the surface of his mind, "…a tough enemy."

"Five years," Midoriya started to tremble, "That…Toxic Chainsaw did this to you?"

Toshinori laughed, "That punk? Good lord, no! No, the fight that lead to this injury—to say nothing of the injury itself—was kept out of the public eye." He sighed, tilting his head up to the sky, smiling mirthlessly, "Can't have Japan's Symbol of Peace get knocked off his pedestal, after all." He looked back down, forcing a smirk at Midoriya, "I can see you've done your homework, though."

The boy blushed, looking down at his feet. "W-Well I've always admired you, All Might. You're my f-favorite Hero. I even looked up old stories from when you were based in America." Now that was a surprise; most of Japan ignored the start of his career. "And I know that America has countless Quirkless or otherwise powerless Heroes; Hawkeye, Black Widow, Captain America, Iron Man—though I guess you could argue that he's got some kind of intelligence Quirk—"

"Kid."

"—considering the armor he's been able to make over the years—Daredevil, Dr. Strange—does he count? I mean, he can use magic, but was he born with the ability, or was he trained for it?"

"Kid."

"Can only certain people be trained—I searched for a long time for a definitive answer, but I wasn't ever able to come to a meaningful—"

"Young man!"

"Eek!" Midoriya flinched, blushing heavily.

Toshinori stared wide-eyed for a moment, before breaking off into a chuckle. "Excitable, aren't you?" He could swear the boy started to steam from the top of his head. "Hmm…a Hero without a Quirk, huh?" He ruminated on the idea. "It is true that with the correct training and equipment an ordinary man or woman may be able to become a Hero." Midoriya's eyes lit up, which made what Toshinori had to say next all the harder. "Unfortunately, such a thing is impossible in Japan." The boy's mood crashed to the ground, and Toshinori averted his gaze. The truth hurt, but sometimes it was the only thing that could be said. "The amount of people with powers—Quirks, specifically—is much higher in Japan than the rest of the world. As such, the number of Villains with powers is higher as well. In America, the majority of Villains lack the fantastical powers of those in Japan." He left out that those with powers tended to be very grave threats. "To allow someone without powers to be a Hero…" he trailed off, leaving the rest unsaid. He rose to his feet, unable to look at the boy, "Your desire to help is admirable, but you have to be realistic."

/+/+/+/+/

"Oh my god," Peter groaned, hanging his head.

"I know," Toshinori growled. "There's no excuse for my words."

"Well—"

"No excuse, David," Toshinori cut his friend off.

"What happened to the kid?" Brian asked.

At that, Toshinori's mood brightened, "That's actually the reason I called you all." He then grew bashful, "You see, uh, while young Midoriya was latched onto my leg, our struggle made me lose that Villain I'd captured, who immediately started stirring up trouble…"

/+/+/+/+/

"You damn fool," Toshinori berated himself as looked over the heads of the crowd. There, just down the street, was the sludge Villain from before, loosed on the streets once more, this time due to his own incompetence. And once again, a child was caught in the crossfire. There were other Heroes around, but they were all either preoccupied with the fire that the Villain had somehow caused, either putting it out or rescuing those trapped by the flames, or unable to damage the living slime.

He looked down at his hands. He clenched his fists, summoning One for All. Only to stagger and gasp as his blood started to boil, his lungs catching fire. No, he'd pushed himself too far already; and he couldn't take any more pills without risking an overdose. What had he been thinking, earlier? He shouldn't have interfered.

"Hey," someone from the crowd said, "wasn't All Might chasing that guy before?" Toshinori's heart seized at the reminder.

"Yeah, I think you're right."

"Well, that means All Might's gotta be nearby, right?"

"Hey, you've got a point!"

"Yeah, where is he?"

Toshinori chuckled hollowly at the irony before him. Yes, he was here, but he couldn't do anything. Might as well be—

"H-Hey! What's that kid doing?!"

Toshinori lifted his head up, sucking in a breath at the sight of Midoriya Izuku barreling past the crowd towards the Villain, throwing his school bag at the Villain's face and clawing desperately to free the hostage.

Toshinori's world froze. This kid…this Quirkless kid just…ran ahead…like a real Hero.

"…What the hell are you doing, Toshinori?" he growled to himself. Ignoring his body's objections, he called forth One for All, letting it course through his veins as he dashed forward.

And the rest, was history.

/+/+/+/+/

"You should have seen him," Toshinori said, voice tinged with awe. "The way he moved ahead without any regard for his own safety, wanting to help that poor boy…it was—"

"Reckless," Peter deadpanned.

"Now, now," Brian coolly replied, "Toshi's got a point, Peter. Kid's got heart; how long did it take you to act like that without thinking, with your powers?" Peter clicked his tongue, saying nothing.

"So, that's what you wanted to talk about," David said with a smirk. "You want to see if one of us can get the kid set-up outside of Japan, right? It would be a waste to see that drive go to pot."

Toshinori blinked, "Oh, no!" He chuckled, "That didn't even cross my mind. I was actually thinking about passing One for All onto him." Silence reigned following his confession.

And then the dam burst.

"What?"

"Are you serious?"

"Are you dying?" Brian and David's expressions grew stern, after which Peter held up his hands. "It's a legitimate question!"

"I'm fine, guys," Toshinori said. "But…I won't be forever." He looked down, tracing the scars beneath his shirt. "Sooner or later, I'm going to hit a wall."

David bit his lip, "I've actually been wanting to talk to you about that," Toshinori cocked a brow, "but it can wait. Are you…have you thought this through, Toshi?"

The Japanese Hero huffed, "I may not be a genius like you three, but I've got a decent head on my shoulders."

"No one's saying you don't," Brian replied. "But…to give away One for All to a kid you barely know…"

"It's what Nana did for me?" Toshinori countered. "And you and Peter were given your powers by chance as well."

"Yeah," Peter scoffed, "look how well that turned out."

"Married to gorgeous women and blessed with wonderful children?" David said with a snort.

Brian smirked, "He's got us there."

"Ugh, you know what I mean." Peter grunted. "You really want to bring this kid into the fold?"

Toshinori nodded, earnestly, "Yes." He smiled proudly, "I believe he can go on to do great things."

"Then you need to tell him about All for One."

And just like that, the mood dropped.

David sighed, "Peter—"

"He could still be out there," the American Hero quietly affirmed.

"Peter," Toshinori scowled, clenching his fist, "All for One is dead."

Peter smiled wanly, "I thought Osborn was dead—even went to his funeral. And the he showed up a few years later, killed my brother, and tried to kidnap my literally newborn daughter."

"This and that aren't the same thing," Toshinori tiredly declared—they'd had this argument countless times. "Where Norman was stabbed through the chest, I caved that monster's head in myself."

"Did you see the body?"

"It was burned while I was in recovery."

"Did you see it?" Peter hissed through clenched teeth.

"…No," Toshinori admitted.

"Then you can't be sure, can you?" Peter grew silent, before shaking his head, "Whatever, we always go in circles about that. Going back to the kid, it's just good practice. I was honest with Mi—," he coughed, cutting himself off, "with the kid that fell into my lap a few months ago." Toshinori nodded at the reminder of the new Peter's strange encounter. Peter refused to say who he was, though; at the insistence of the boy's parents. Toshinori supposed they wanted some form of a safety buffer in case the budding Hero decided to turn his back on their lifestyle.

"Regardless of Peter's…caution," Brian carefully said, "he's got the right of it, Toshi. You can't just bring the kid in blind."

Toshinori looked at his friends, before hanging his head with a sigh. "Yes, yes I suppose you're right." He hummed, "Looking back…there are some things I wish Nana had been honest with me from the beginning." Like her son. Sometimes, he wondered he was doing Did he know that Toshinori had trained under her? Did he know that Toshinori had avenged her death? Did he have a family of his own?

Turning away from those tumultuous thoughts, Toshinori asked, "What if he declines, then?"

"Well…" Brian trailed off.

Only for David to pick up the slack, saying, "Send him over to the States." When all he received was blank stares, David shrugged, "I wasn't kidding before. If you think this kid can go places, I say let him. So long as his parents or legal guardian agrees, at least."

"Oh," Toshinori blinked, "I hadn't even considered Midoriya's parents…" he hummed, "I suppose I'll have to inform them as well."

"Better than having them accidently come across their kid's bloody, sloppily-bandaged body passed out on a bed," Peter said grimly. Toshinori winced, remembering the story of how Peter's Aunt was finally clued into the other part of his life.

"How is Aunt May," Brian asked softly.

"She's fine," Peter sighed. "Getting older, you know? But she still knits a mean sweater!" He laughed, but it was more somber than he'd come to expect from his old friend. Peter cleared his throat, "But, uh, yeah. If the kid rejects One for All, by all means, send him to us. We'll whip him into shape."

"Wait a second," Brian frowned, "Why are we automatically saying this kid's going to the United States? Why not come over here?"

"Because you deal with magic malarkey," David chortled, "we want to help the boy, not send him spiraling into madness."

"Yeah," Peter smiled, mood lifting, "Let him learn about things that make sense, like flying octogenarians and mole people."

"Ah, piss off, all of you," Brian groused, but he wasn't quite able to hide his smile.

Toshinori laughed heartily, until a flash of green entered the corner of his vision. He looked down at the police precinct to see Midoriya Izuku exit the building while escorted by a police officer, gaze cast downward.

"Hm?" Brian grunted, "Toshi, what's up?"

"Oh, the boy—Midoriya—has just exited the precinct."

David blinked, "Wait…you were waiting across the street for this kid to leave police headquarters?"

Toshinori blushed, "I'm not on the street. I'm, uh, looking down at him from a rooftop."

His three friends stared blankly at him. Finally, Brian said, "Oh my god, you're stalking him."

"On second thought," David winced, "Maybe don't approach this boy with any offers."

"You should probably just turn yourself in now," Peter supplied.

"Oh, shut up!" Toshinori barked, frowning sternly. He kept it up for another moment, before breaking out into chuckles, the others quick to join him. "Hah," he sighed, smiling fondly at his friends, "Thanks, guys, I needed this."

"Take care of yourself," Peter replied.

David added, "Let us know what the kid decides on."

"Just be more conscious of the time zones before you come seeking advice, alright?"

Toshinori nodded, "Of course, Brian. See you all later." He sent his friends a wave and ended the call. He pocketed the device, feeling lighter than he had in hours. He looked down at Midoriya—steadily making his way home, no doubt—and the lightness increased.

"Well," he said to himself, "suppose I should put my best foot forward." He rolled his shoulders, testing One for All. When he only felt a dull pain spread across his body, he smirked. "Prepare yourself, young man," he said to Midoriya's fleeting form, "your life is about to change."

/+/+/+/+/

A/N: So, I'm still not entirely sure how my amalgam Marvel/MHA universe works…eh, I'll figure it out. But I will say that the nature of Toshinori's injury and recovery is different than in canon. Be sure to leave a review. Later.