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Cole Victory
The church was gone. Not crumbled, not destroyed. Gone. It simply didn't exist. It's presence in the physical world was reduced to that of atoms. Smoke rose from the crater that stood in its place, lightning sparkling within the crowd. Cole MacGrath warily, exhaustedly, pushed himself to his feet. His three broken ribs, his three remaining ribs, ached in protest. He could feel a craving for electricity, for power, as his body demanded to heal.
At the opposite side of the crater, he could see All Might. Smoking, bleeding, smouldering, but standing, breathing. Cole used his Radar Sense, the exertion needed giving him a migraine, and just behind the towering figure was the RFI. All Might loomed, blood leaking between his cracked teeth. He took one step forward, then another. Then finally fell backwards in finality.
Cole let go of a breath he didn't know he'd been holding, and finally let himself fall to his knees. He remained hunched over for a solid ten seconds as he felt his ribs begin to heal. His body gradually putting itself back together. Cole made eye contact with it. The RFI. Pulsing just out of reach. He forced himself to his feet, legs straining to sustain his body. Just as he walked past Yagi's fallen body, a meaty fist gripped his leg.
Before Cole could process the feeling, he found him flying through the air. Meters, kilometers, he soon lost track. The crater below became a speck beneath the clouds. Cole hovered on instinct, but that proved to be a mistake as a large shadow appeared above him.
CRACK!
His shoulder dislocated, his spine nearly cracked. A double overhead smash had sent him hurtling back to earth.
BOOM!
The crater widened, causing buildings to collapse in towards it's center. Cole spit out dirt, ignoring the throbbing in his skull as he turned himself around. All Might's outline glowed, blue eyes piercing darkness. His fight shackily raised overhead one last time.
"The United States..."
Cole threw up his hands towards the sky, shoulder popping back into place as he did so. Lightning coursed through his arms and the sky.
"Of..."
Clouds smothered the sun, the sky became a light with thunder.
"SMA-"
All Might didn't finish. Lightning cracked into his back, sending him hurtling towards the Earth even faster. Just before collision, Cole could see the lightning actually pierce All Might's gut.
"BOOM!"
An explosion of sound and lightning shook New Marias, nearly uprooting its foubdation. Smoke obscured the final scene from view.
Cole breathed. Rigidly, coarsely, but he breathed. All Might deflated into bones. Tricks depleted, bag empty, strength gone. Cole shoved Yagi off of him. Toshinori wheezed and coughed out more blood, his skin pale, almost rotting. The two just sat there in shared pain for awhile. Neither one said anything for awhile.
"...She would've liked you." All Might commented. "My mentor, I mean. Passionate, fearless. You stand up for the little guy." For just a moment, the weren't dying in a hole. For just a moment, they were back on the rooftops with tea and beer. Discussing friends and lives in limited free time. "Yeah. I honestly could say the same thing about you. You didn't need a push, you didn't need bad shit to happen to you. You're just a decent guy." All Might coughed out a laugh.
The two looked up at the infinite horizon.
"..I think I can see her now. Welcoming me home." All Might said.
"...Yeah. I can see someone too."
Even as All Might departed, Cole sat there awhile. Spending some time with an old friend, pretending the world wasn't ending.
~
Cole didn't talk as he walked out of the smoke, the RFI strapped to his back and All Might in his arms.
The crowd hushed solemnly as the Saint walked through, gently placing his friend out on the roof of a car.
"Is that... All Might?"
"He looks like my grandfather."
"I can't believe this."
"He died trying to save us, right? To save us from The Beast."
Cole looked out at the last voice in the crowd. "He died a Hero." He said.
Cole took a step back, pulled out the RFI, and closed his eyes, ready to see Trish one last time.
~
The called it the Focal Point.
The end of all Heroes, the destroyer of the Eastern World. In the eyes of Humanity, it had been a tragedy. An unbearable loss as countless thousands died.
The People of New Marias would grant them that, but they would remember it differently. They would remember it as the last act of their two greatest Heroes.
"I love you brother. And I sure am gonna miss you."
~
Wind blew in the quiet scene just outside St. Cole's church. A mural celebrating the city's two heroes was painted across the side.
"Hi. It's me again. I know you guys are probably getting tired of me dropping by. Here comes that kid again who just stammers a whole bunch and then runs off, but this time, I actually have something really important to ask you. Now, I don't suppose I can blame you for laughing this off. All my friends, or my one friend, always told me it was stupid. But, well, I feel like I owe it to you guys to at least try."
The green haired boy took a deep, steadying breath.
"Do you think I could be a Hero?"
A man in a red beanie, with a blue phoenix on jacket, stood right next to him. He pondered the question he overheard.
"Yeah, I wonder."
The church was gone. Not crumbled, not destroyed. Gone. It simply didn't exist. It's presence in the physical world was reduced to that of atoms. Smoke rose from the crater that stood in its place, lightning sparkling within the crowd. Cole MacGrath warily, exhaustedly, pushed himself to his feet. His three broken ribs, his three remaining ribs, ached in protest. He could feel a craving for electricity, for power, as his body demanded to heal.
At the opposite side of the crater, he could see All Might. Smoking, bleeding, smouldering, but standing, breathing. Cole used his Radar Sense, the exertion needed giving him a migraine, and just behind the towering figure was the RFI. All Might loomed, blood leaking between his cracked teeth. He took one step forward, then another. Then finally fell backwards in finality.
Cole let go of a breath he didn't know he'd been holding, and finally let himself fall to his knees. He remained hunched over for a solid ten seconds as he felt his ribs begin to heal. His body gradually putting itself back together. Cole made eye contact with it. The RFI. Pulsing just out of reach. He forced himself to his feet, legs straining to sustain his body. Just as he walked past Yagi's fallen body, a meaty fist gripped his leg.
Before Cole could process the feeling, he found him flying through the air. Meters, kilometers, he soon lost track. The crater below became a speck beneath the clouds. Cole hovered on instinct, but that proved to be a mistake as a large shadow appeared above him.
CRACK!
His shoulder dislocated, his spine nearly cracked. A double overhead smash had sent him hurtling back to earth.
BOOM!
The crater widened, causing buildings to collapse in towards it's center. Cole spit out dirt, ignoring the throbbing in his skull as he turned himself around. All Might's outline glowed, blue eyes piercing darkness. His fight shackily raised overhead one last time.
"The United States..."
Cole threw up his hands towards the sky, shoulder popping back into place as he did so. Lightning coursed through his arms and the sky.
"Of..."
Clouds smothered the sun, the sky became a light with thunder.
"SMA-"
All Might didn't finish. Lightning cracked into his back, sending him hurtling towards the Earth even faster. Just before collision, Cole could see the lightning actually pierce All Might's gut.
"BOOM!"
An explosion of sound and lightning shook New Marias, nearly uprooting its foubdation. Smoke obscured the final scene from view.
Cole breathed. Rigidly, coarsely, but he breathed. All Might deflated into bones. Tricks depleted, bag empty, strength gone. Cole shoved Yagi off of him. Toshinori wheezed and coughed out more blood, his skin pale, almost rotting. The two just sat there in shared pain for awhile. Neither one said anything for awhile.
"...She would've liked you." All Might commented. "My mentor, I mean. Passionate, fearless. You stand up for the little guy." For just a moment, the weren't dying in a hole. For just a moment, they were back on the rooftops with tea and beer. Discussing friends and lives in limited free time. "Yeah. I honestly could say the same thing about you. You didn't need a push, you didn't need bad shit to happen to you. You're just a decent guy." All Might coughed out a laugh.
The two looked up at the infinite horizon.
"..I think I can see her now. Welcoming me home." All Might said.
"...Yeah. I can see someone too."
Even as All Might departed, Cole sat there awhile. Spending some time with an old friend, pretending the world wasn't ending.
~
Cole didn't talk as he walked out of the smoke, the RFI strapped to his back and All Might in his arms.
The crowd hushed solemnly as the Saint walked through, gently placing his friend out on the roof of a car.
"Is that... All Might?"
"He looks like my grandfather."
"I can't believe this."
"He died trying to save us, right? To save us from The Beast."
Cole looked out at the last voice in the crowd. "He died a Hero." He said.
Cole took a step back, pulled out the RFI, and closed his eyes, ready to see Trish one last time.
~
The called it the Focal Point.
The end of all Heroes, the destroyer of the Eastern World. In the eyes of Humanity, it had been a tragedy. An unbearable loss as countless thousands died.
The People of New Marias would grant them that, but they would remember it differently. They would remember it as the last act of their two greatest Heroes.
"I love you brother. And I sure am gonna miss you."
~
Wind blew in the quiet scene just outside St. Cole's church. A mural celebrating the city's two heroes was painted across the side.
"Hi. It's me again. I know you guys are probably getting tired of me dropping by. Here comes that kid again who just stammers a whole bunch and then runs off, but this time, I actually have something really important to ask you. Now, I don't suppose I can blame you for laughing this off. All my friends, or my one friend, always told me it was stupid. But, well, I feel like I owe it to you guys to at least try."
The green haired boy took a deep, steadying breath.
"Do you think I could be a Hero?"
A man in a red beanie, with a blue phoenix on jacket, stood right next to him. He pondered the question he overheard.
"Yeah, I wonder."
