Chapter Text
The resentment over his father’s absence had completely taken hold of him. Was he really so pathetic that his father still wouldn’t pay attention to him? Was that two‑faced, dim‑witted kid truly better than him?
With every negative emotion, every tear, every question about his father’s absence that arose in his mind, the flame grew larger and larger. It reached a point where Toya was completely engulfed in fire, and the forest around him began to burn as well. Pain spread throughout his entire body — every part of him suffered from his own flames. Toya tried to stop, but by then it was already too late.
“Why won’t it stop?! Stop it! Enough! It hurts!”
He tried to shake off the flames, but his emotions only grew stronger, and the fire expanded along with them.
“Someone, help me! Please!.. I don’t want to die! I DON’T WANT TO DIE! HELP ME!”
Toya squeezed his eyes shut and grabbed his head. He wanted the pain to stop; he wanted to be saved.
*«Dad’s a hero, so why isn’t he saving me? Where is he?.. Why isn’t he here?.. Dad… Mom… Natsuo… Fuyumi… Someone, please…»*
Suddenly, he stopped feeling the ground beneath his feet. He was still burning, but the fire was being fanned by a strong wind. Startled, he opened his eyes. The sight of the forest consumed by flames disappeared — instead, there were only ghostly outlines of a landscape dissolving at speed. The strong wind lashed his face. The boy’s thoughts were confused by the rapid change of scenery, but then he realized: he had been saved. He was alive. Someone had come for him. Dad. He had come for him after all!
So he had just been busy with some villain apprehension. He did care about him! Overjoyed that his father had saved him, he turned to look at him — but didn’t immediately realize it wasn’t Dad.
It was All Might. Damned All Might. Japan’s number‑one hero, his father’s number‑one rival. The man he was supposed to defeat. (This goal had already been passed on to Shoto.)
«How… How is this possible?! Why is he here?! He shouldn’t be here! Where is my father?! Why did his sworn enemy save Toya instead of him?!»
Stressed and confused about what All Might was doing there, the fire on Todoroki’s body flared up again. He started struggling to break free from the hero’s grip.
«Hey, kid, you’d better not move when we’re at this height. I don’t want you to fall.»
All Might’s loud voice rang in Toya’s ears, making him even angrier.
«Shut up! Let me go! You shouldn’t be here! My dad should be here instead of you! Leave me alone!!»
Toya struggled with even greater force, but once he finally managed to break free, he started falling from a great height. The boy screamed — his flames scattered in all directions because of the wind caused by his rapid fall.
He squeezed his eyes shut, preparing for the impact, but All Might managed to catch him just in time.
«Be careful, kid.»
The teenager didn’t say anything, but his flames kept burning, causing him pain.
All Might sighed.
«Well, kid, I think we need to get down. It’s safe here now.»
Say gefter this, the hero descended to the ground and sat the white‑haired boy down on a tree stump. He placed his hands on the boy’s shoulders, trying to calm him down and extinguish the flames at the same time.
«Kid, please, look at me.»
All Might’s voice became much calmer and softer than usual. Toya flinched but still didn’t look at the hero in front of him — instead, he muttered quietly:
«I don’t want to…»
He averted his gaze, deliberately avoiding eye contact.
All Might sighed, seeing the boy’s stubbornness.
«Alright, you don’t have to look at me, but then try to focus on some other object here.»
Even though Toya didn’t want to do what All Might said, he still focused his attention on another tree stump to the right of “dad’s number one enemy”. The flames started to subside gradually.
«That’s it, young man, well done! Now try to breathe deeply and slowly. Come on: inhale and exhale, inhale and exhale.»
Maybe fatigue got the better of Todoroki, or maybe he just didn’t care anymore — but he did as All Might said and started breathing deeply. After a while, the fire on him died down.
The silence between them felt deafening.
Toya’s thoughts tangled into a confused knot, becoming more and more chaotic. But amidst this chaos, one thought stood firm, weighing heavily on his shoulders: he had let his father down.
He failed to control his quirk, which was why All Might — his dad’s rival — had to save him. His dad considered him a waste of time. He hadn’t bothered to train him because of how weak and worthless he was. And here he was now, sitting in front of All Might — his dad’s rival — crying?
He never thought he could be so pathetic, yet that was exactly where he found himself. Overwhelmed by the realization of his worthlessness and uselessness, he started crying even harder; eventually, his sobs grew louder. Toya tried to wipe away his tears, but they wouldn’t stop.
All Might studied the boy carefully. He couldn’t fathom why the youngster seemed to dislike him, but the boy’s wounds—though not life‑threatening—needed prompt attention. Yet given the youth’s fragile emotional state, getting him to a hospital would be no easy task. What if his flames erupted again? It was a miracle they hadn’t flared up just now.
«Dad definitely won’t want to train me now… I’ll never become a hero…»
All Might’s thoughts ground to a halt at the sound of the boy’s quiet, trembling voice.
«Do you… want to become a hero?» he asked gently.
«It doesn’t matter anymore. I can’t be one.»
«Why do you say that, young man?»
«Are you kidding? You saw what happened when I used my Quirk!»
«So what?»
Toya just stared at him, silent and unmoving. Realizing his blunt response might have stung, All Might cleared his throat awkwardly.
«Ah, the fire… Yes, it was undeniably dangerous—and unwise—to train your Quirk alone in a forest where everything could go up in flames. But!» He straightened, voice firm with conviction. «I’m sure you’ve learned your lesson and won’t repeat that mistake. If you enroll in a hero training school, I have no doubt you’ll succeed!»
«You don’t understand! My own Quirk hurts me! My body is too weak for it—it’s immune to cold, not to heat. What kind of hero could I be if I can’t even…»
«Young man, listen to me.»
All Might crouched down, bringing himself level with Toya so he could meet the boy’s eyes directly.
«When I was young, I had to train relentlessly to use my Quirk without injuring myself. It took years of hard work. But I did it—so I could save people with a smile on my face.»
«Really?.. But… that’s still not the same! You can build up your muscles, but you can’t develop immunity to fire!»
«Consider this: someone without your natural fire resistance would have suffered far worse burns in your situation.»
«But… It’s still not enough for my fire!»
«Don’t forget about the inventors working tirelessly to support us. At U.A., they’ll have devices that can help you manage this challenge!»
«But—!»
«Kid, what’s your name?»
«…Toya.»
All Might struck his signature pose, radiating unshakable confidence.
«Young Toya, you can become a hero!»
Todoroki’s breath caught. All Might himself believed he could be a hero? A surge of awe and pride washed over him.
«But!» All Might continued, tone turning practical. «To be a hero, you first need to heal those burns. What do you say?»
«Uh… Yes, all right!»
«Great! Let’s fly!»
All Might lifted Toya once more and soared toward the hospital. This time, the boy didn’t resist. Instead, he turned All Might’s words over in his mind:
«You can become a hero.»
If All Might believed in him, maybe his father could believe in him too.