Chapter 13: Healing Souls

[An extra chapter for reaching 500 collections.

Thank You.]

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"Were you occupied by another business?"

"No…"

"The state of your clothes beg to differ."

Garou and Tsukihana stood in the kitchen preparing their dinner, the first helping the latter prepare dinner at her demand.

"Foooood."

Leaning forward with his chin standing on the kitchen table, Ghin grumbled as his gurgling stomach gnawed at his soul.

"Some hoodlums got in my way. I had to teach them a lesson."

"And that lesson is what, vagrant?"

Garou silently flinched when the white lion choked him with her piercing glance.

Garou wasn't used to this. His parents were ignorant failures, their eyes blind to his plight and their hearts twisted by spiels of false justice. They cannot see past the cover, the filth hiding behind the gilded shell. When they sided with Tacchan without a second thought, Garou no longer saw them as his parents.

That was why he trekked to Bang's dojo atop the mountains in his adolescence to break free from the shackles of helplessness. He did not regret leaving them.

This woman, however, was the opposite. She was sharp, perceptive of Garou's trails, always wary to defend her adopted child. She was more of a parent than his ever was.

"…do not touch my things."

Garou felt a little jealous, but he had no right to be so since Ghin's parents died under the care of heroes. He still couldn't believe that guy allowed his parents to die under that rubble. Hell, he should've done more to him when he twisted him into a pretzel the second time.

"They're not yours, vagrant. Don't act like they are." She said while stirring the curry in the metal pot.

Garou continued chopping the carrots to paper-thin segments, sliding his finished work from the wooden cutting board to the bowl before moving on to the next.

On his person were a tight, white short-sleeve T-Shirt and loose, casual trousers. His masculine form was displayed for public sight, slim yet condensed with a heavily defined purpose.

She glanced at his arms and chest, sometimes distracted by his fit figure.

"Ghin told me you're a martial artist. What is your art?"

Garou's cutting speed and precision was so fast that he had already prepared the vegetables in separate bowls in less than three minutes, which was abnormal even by Quirk standards.

"I doubt you'll believe it's a martial art." Garou scoffed as he placed the knife down, took a bowl of scallions, and sprinkled the contents into the curry pot.

"Ghin told me you founded the style, despite you being eighteen, which is impossible even for Intelligence-enhancing Quirks."

The woman still cannot take in Garou's actual age. His visage belonged to a man in his twenties or thirties, yet he was just a teenager entering adulthood.

"Got a problem with that?" Garou's brusqueness did not do justice in earning Tsukihana's approval. He sounded like a thug more than a martial artist from time to time.

"You have the mien of thugs that scurry the alleys." Tsukihana pointed out the obvious.

"Bite me, woman. I can eat them for breakfast with my fists."

Garou huffed as he placed the lid on the pot after dumping the rest of the ingredients inside. The aroma started to drown the kitchen and spill into the other rooms. Ghin's stomach groaned louder when the fragrance touched his nose.

"Are you sure you're a vigilante?" Tsukihana asked.

"Yeah. Why?"

"I don't think any vigilante I knew would act as a violent thug."

"Screw you."

Tsukihana only pursed her lips as Garou started taking out the race from the cooker, releasing an explosion of steam from within that splashed Garou's face with hot vapor as he smelled the scent of his daily diet.

"Is it doooone?" Ghin whined from the table.

Normally, the boy would cook for Garou and himself, but he couldn't do so as long as his Aunty was present, and there were times even he wanted to be spoiled by his elders.

"Almost done, sweety~" Tsukihana assured in her mother-voice.

Garou did not find that voice suitable for the woman. It was like hearing a dragon pretending to be a caring angel to her cub - before munching on the said cub.

Tsukihana turned to Garou, seeing his staring at her as if looking at a different animal. Her mother-mode instantly switched to her usual persona.

"I take it you have a vexation with me?"

"No. Your 'mother-mode' looks terrible."

His response was a kick to his shins by the landlady. It did not hurt.

Instead, the silver-haired lawyer dropped on her sides from the pain.

"Agh! God… ugh!"

Her pain pleased Garou. His lips slowly widened the more he watched her squirm.

"You… fffffffffff-ugh!" She shot a burning glare at the silver wolf, seeing his daring smile.

"You didn't tell me you have an enhancing Quirk."

"I don't remember ever wanting to share." Garou delightfully reminded.

"Touche. Now you're banned from the apartment for the night."

"Nooooooooo!" Ghin whined at the unwanted banishment. "Let him staaaaay!"

Tsukihana flinched from hearing Ghin's favoring of Garou. Garou's grin only grew wider when she leaked her inner thoughts through her reactions.

"Don't worry. I can sleep outside. Wanna come stargazing at the roof?"

Tsukihana stared at Garou, now secretly panicking inside. Just how far did he corrupt her nephew?

"Yay!"

"No, Ghin! Sleeping outside is dangerous!"

Tsukihana chastised.

"No, it isn't! I have a bodyguard!" Ghin smile was painful to see.

Tsukihana fell into half-despair as Garou brought the plates of rice and curry, already taking out the dishes while the lawyer fooled around.

"Alright, time to eat. The lawyer will not join us today due to her injuries."

Several veins popped under Tsukihana's skin. The more words that came out of his mouth, the more she hated the man that intruded her house.

"Oh, you little…"

Ghin was sheepishly grinning at the interaction. His life became twice as fun. Garou's communication with Tsukihana was comedy gold - no, platinum.

And to think he was afraid of Aunty banishing Garou the moment she laid eyes on him.

"What? Should I call the hospital for you?" Garou thew the verbal lighter.

"Not. Another. Word."

Tsukihana forcefully stomped towards their table as Garou laid the plates down.

Ghin smiled happily, this time, all three residents seated at the same table instead of the usual lonely two.

Tsukihana looked at Ghin eating his dish, spoon shoveling curry rice into his mouth. He was more energetic than she saw before. Ghin was happy.

She smiled slightly that his mental health was improving. She frowned when the source of his happiness was from the insufferable man right at their table, even more so when she realized that the man had marked his fair share of living space through her nephew.

The fact that she could do almost nothing to kick him out infuriated her. But even so, she must protect Ghin from the corruption, to prevent him from falling into a dark path - for her sister's sake and his.

However, when she sat on the table, tension started to tickle the air.

"Hm?" Tsukihana looked at the source, discovering it to be Ghin and Bang staring at each other for a moment. She caught her nephew stealing glances at the second helpings of curry rice the table.

"I call dibs!" Ghin shouted, resuming their nightly battles.

Two pairs of hands blurred, and sounds of chomping filled the kitchen, the wolf inhaling his dish with gulps while the cub nibbles his plate clean in piecemeal with lightning-swift finesse.

Before Tsukihana could pick up her chopstick, their plates were licked clean. Not a single stain remained on their plates.

"Eh?"

The fact that the two fought each other for seconds confused the poor lawyer. She couldn't even see when the two jammed their spoons into the curry rice.

All she saw was the food melting away, leaving only empty plates.

"Nooooooo!"

Little did she know that Ghin failed to get a single bite or that Bang fended off Ghin's spoon while hoarding his total share in that interim.

---------

At the crack of dawn banishing yesterday's night, the master of the hunt, his top half-naked with glistening sweat, renewed his daily routine atop the roof, flexing arm and leg with each transition while bathing in the orange light of the rising Sun.

The day was Wednesday, a school day for Ghin. The boy already left by school busy, leaving the Hunter alone with the silver lioness.

The woman yawned by the doorway, watching Garou with interest despite her lethargy weighing down her body.

When she woke, she failed to find 'Bang' in the apartment. However, when she arrived at the roof to train, he caught her interest with his form.

She almost recognized some of his stance forms. One represented a swooping crane diving into the waters when he stood on one leg with one hand facing the sun and the other held at a slanting low.

His next transition was a swinging mantis pouncing at a phantom prey, emulated by swinging both arms down while lunging forward with a broad step.

After that, his next routine was him free-forming in her eyes, but she corrected herself when she realized that he was practicing against an imaginary foe invisible to all but him.

The atmosphere around Garou tensed with friction and intensity only seen during clashes of Heroes against Villains.

"How long do you usually train?" Tsukihana asked. She looked at her time, seeing that he trained for almost thirty minutes nonstop.

"How long are you gonna watch?" Garou shout back without giving her a greeting glance in his routine.

"My choice is pending. Although, I must ask, why do you train this hard even though you have a Quirk?"

Most heroes do not exert themselves this much in self-improvement after their graduation. Quirks cannot evolve through training for most, after all.

Exceptional cases might exist where a Quirk would mutate or develop under certain conditions, usually through extreme psychological stress, but those were rare.

After all, Endeavour could not improve himself to surpass All Might despite his efforts; otherwise, he would match All Might at this day.

"Like hell, I'll rely on something so useless." Garou retorted, pulling a quirked brow from Tsukihana.

"You consider Quirks 'useless' even though you have one yourself?" Tsukihana queried Garou's logic.

"Look at the heroes today. Garou managed to hunt so many do them down because their fangs have dulled. Their reliance on their Quirks is the source of their weakness."

Tsukihana hummed at his explanation. Now that she thought about it, Bang never used any semblance of a Quirk during his routine.

"Despite your contradiction, your logic is peculiar, yet intriguing. I do not understand how you acquired such a notion, but I can see some truth in it. However, there's a reason why heroes refrain from further honing their skills once they enter the professional world."

"Then they should retire. Those who do not change themselves in the face of adversity don't deserve the right to remain as defenders."

Tsukihana sighed as she rolled her eyes. This man's logic was somewhat twisted, something born and bred under the laws of the jungle.

"No one starts strong, Bang. I don't think most of those Garou hunted would remain stagnant as you think."

"You're not wrong. But you're also wrong. They can never reach Garou's level," Garou replied.

Tsukihana would not admit that.

"…do you think All Might can beat Garou?" Tsukihana asked.

"No."

"Your answer is quite swift. What's your evidence in that claim?"

"Simple. All Might has never saved the day ever since Garou debuted."

His answer robbed Tsukihana of any retort. The man used All Might's enigmatic nature against her as his edge in their verbal debate.

"...are you sure you're a vigilante?" Tsukihana was more convinced that he was a villain than a rogue defender of justice.

"Who knows? But I'm damn sure I'm better than them."

Tsukihana hummed in thought. She could not track his movements no matter how much she strained her eyes. No matter what, Bang escaped her dynamic without effort, even the slightest twitch of his muscles failed to register in her eyes.

The man was strong; she knew as a fact.

"…why did you volunteer as my nephew's guardian?"

Garou ceased his activities the next second, his body stiff as a statue.

She watched as his eyes veered earthward, staring at the concrete floor but not looking at it at the same time.

His gaze was focused on the fog, known as his mind.

"…I won't force you to answer. At least you proved that your intentions are pure." She sighed, shaking her head.

"I don't know what you did to brighten his demeanor, but… please. Don't lead him down the wrong path. He clearly looks up to you, so I only ask you to become a worthy role model."

Or at least someone that won't look like a violent thug picking on people in the streets.

She turned back, yawning once more as she scratched her hair. It was still early in the morning.

She was late for her daily coffee, her precious, delicious coffee.

"…learn to wear some modesty when you wake up."

Garou referred to her shorts and a sleeveless, casual tank top. Much of her skin was exposed from her knees down and her stomach and the tank top barely covered her torso, the tight cloth accentuating her two mounds and hourglass figure.

"So?" Tsukihana stretched her arms overhead, twisting her waist left and right before turning back inside the building.

"I'm your landlord. I do as I please in my own home."

"Shrew."

"Dog."

"'Aunt-lion.'"

That shot drew the last straw of her temperance.

"You're begging for instant eviction."

Further sparks abladed the air, the rivalry between the predators intensifying to new heights.

---------

During the days of woe, when Garou hunted heroes left and right without fail, those pursued in Hosu congregated to one hospital above all else - before they commissioned out back into the field… or to retirement.

Here, heroes from the horrendous manhunt rested in serried beds, one of whom Garou fondly dubbed 'Mummy.' Ironically, bandages wrapped around 'Mummy' to the point where he looked more like an actual mummy.

"Nii-chan!"

Barging through the door with the glass pane, Tenya Iida visually scrubbed the room for his brother, Ingenium. Following him were their parents, both rushing towards their eldest son but at a pace slower than Tenya.

As for the patient in question, the wounded Ingenium raised his hand, one of which a cast encapsulated from the wrist to the elbow without hindering the protruding engine exhaust tubes at the end. More bandages ensnared his torso from the neck down along with a neck cone, but his legs were free from the white cloth.

"Brother!" He grabbed Tensei's nearest hand, tears of worry starting to stream behind his glasses as stifled sobs choked his words.

"Tenya-kun. Don't worry. None of us are disabled… physically at least." Tensei sighed as he remembered how he and the rest ended up here. It was a miracle that the police didn't join them in their attempt at rescue.

Tenya, on the other hand, clenched his teeth between the sobs. He was worried that his brother would end up behind Garou's crosshairs once more, but not like this - not when he threw himself into Garou's notice.

"Please, don't worry about me too much. You'll make our parents worry, too, if you keep this up."

Tenya's sobs slowed after some heavy breaths. He nodded as his heart steadied, but his fingers tightened around Tensei's.

"...what happened, nii-san? How much did he hurt you?"

Tenya's eyes almost twisted in anger upon imagining the horrors the Hero Hunter subjected him to.

"Well, I was knocked out near the end, but not that much. I look messed up, but the doctors told me I'd be decommissioned after a week or so hahaha." Tensei laughed, his voice muffled by the annoying cone, trying to downplay the magnitude of his current state.

"B-But…" Tenya gestured to Ingenium's current state. He looked like ground meat the doctors barely patched together with white linen and needles.

"I know. I'm surprised Garou didn't do much worse. He probably would if the police didn't step in. Like him." Tensei pointed at Eraserhead's bed, which was right beside his.

When Tenya and their parents turned to them, the sight pried their eyes open like dinner plates. Bandages wrapped that patient's body from head to toe, not a single skin exposed through the gaps.

Tensei heard about how Garou reacted when he nearly stepped on the groceries.

At first, he laughed when Garou defended his groceries with the zeal of a wolf protecting his cub. Then his laughter died upon seeing Eraserhead's current state.

At first sight, Tensei already imagined himself in a similar state, probably decommissioned from his duty for good.

When he asked the doctor about Eraserhead, he divulged Eraserhead's injuries.

He was lucky his skull didn't crack like an egg. Eraserhead suffered the most damage amongst the heroes, broken arms, fractured ribs, and more.

Eraserhead would live, able to return to his active duty as a hero, but his spirit was another matter.

Their bodies survived the beatings, but, like their predecessors, their feelings of pride were scarred. The heroes could sympathize with Garou's victims, but experiencing it was another matter entirely - even more so when they learned that Garou was Quirkless. The mere fact that a Quirkless damaged the hero society this much aroused much self-reflection on their ideals and beliefs.

What was the point of their efforts, their meticulously nurtured confidence in their abilities, if they were crushed like a bug under the heel of someone without any inborn abilities in the first place?

They still could not believe that reaching that level was within the realms of possibility.

"…" The visiting Iida family stared at the mummy, unsure of how to distinguish the patient's identity.

"Oh, right. The patient next to me is Eraserhead. Try not to stare at him too much. He… is kinda sensitive about it."

The mummy groaned an incoherent jumble of words at Tensei, almost as if he was trying to curse him for that jibe.

"Eraserhead? The Eraserhead?" Tenya's mood shifted from shock to wonder upon seeing one of the teachers of U.A. here.

"But…" Their father was more concerned with his condition. "What happened to him?"

Tensei's smile faltered upon recalling that disaster.

"…he gave his health heroically to stop Garou."

"Did he erase his Quirk?" Tenya did not understand how they managed to fail despite having Eraserhead in their arsenal.

Tensei grimaced. Garou reemerged in his thoughts, his laughter, and his anger.

"…his Quirk didn't work," Tensei revealed.

"D-Didn't-I thought his Erasure can shut down any non-mutant Quirk." Tenya was sure that he could shut down Garou's Quirk.

He was sure that Garou wasn't a mutant Quirk user, at least… he hoped so.

"That's the problem… I didn't think it was possible, but Garou has no Quirk. Eraserhead did not even slow him down."

The Iida family trio froze like static.

Tenya Iida especially when the words 'Hero Hunter' and 'Quirkless' came together.

"I… he's…"

"The Hunter Amongst Villains has no Quirk since the start. It is not possible no matter how I thought this through, but reality cares not for our common sense…"

Tenya wanted to become a hero like his brother. He tried to live up to his brother's legacy and uphold it with honor and valor. He has a similar Quirk to his brother, the Hero Ingenium, but hearing that a man could become even stronger without a Quirk shattered his views of the world and centuries of nurtured common sense.

"…say, Tenya-kun." Tensei did not smile this time.

He looked serious, eyes staring at the tiled ceiling as if he was in thought.

"Should I continue my work as a Hero?"

---------

In another room, however, Gran Torino rested alone, all four limbs encased in casts awhile bandages mummified his body from the neck down. Looking at the ceiling while emotionally distressing memories of facing Garou, Gran Torino recalled the horrific memory of Garou pummeling them like helpless sandbags with Eraserhead as his weapon.

It was humiliating and painful.

Still, Gran Torino could not believe that he escaped the pile.

Entering the room, All Might and Sir Nighteye joined the injured hero, the first looking at his former instructor with sadness while the latter hid his distress behind his stoic mask.

"Here to pity the old man?" Gran Torino asked the two visitors. He couldn't crane his neck to look at them, but he knew from the feel of their presence alone.

"...you know me well enough to know that is not why I'm here." Toshinori Yagi shook his head.

Once upon a time, he was in a bed similar to Gran Torino's.

"I, for one, would like to confirm some inquiries about your encounter." Sir Nighteye pushed his glasses up, but he could not defeat the corner of his lips from twitching with frustration.

"If you wanna hear that Garou is Quirkless from me, my answer is 'I have no idea, you imbecile.'" Gran Torino replied with sarcasm.

Yagi shook his head out of nostalgia, remembering the fond memories of his days as a trainee.

"...how is Garou, by the way?" Yagi asked.

"You mean you're not surprised that he is much stronger than when you fought? Or the fact that he can somehow copy and use your moves of all things and made it much more lethal?" Gran Torino gave All Might the same treatment.

Toshinori was not surprised. He expected it, but hearing Garou mimicking his moves and reforming it to his needs nearly instigated a life-ending heart attack.

"That did not answer my question. Are you sure that Garou has no Quirk?" Sir Nighteye asked, his stoicism crumbling into a trembling mess.

Gran Torino paused to gather his thoughts. Eraserhead could not shut down Garou's power, and Garou wasn't a mutant-type Quirk user since he bore no mutant-like traits, But despite all that, Garou could perform feats that only those with Quirks can match after years of harsh training.

"I don't know what I should say, sonny. I've met some people who can beat most of the heroes up Quirkless, but I have never seen anyone fend off countless tranquilizer bullets with their bare hands. That should be impossible without a Quirk. He said it's all 'technique' somehow."

The old hero added emphasis on that term especially. In all his years, he had never encountered such a technique that could cut buildings with blasts of air, catch bullets, or beat up heroes left and right without resistance.

Sir Nighteye clenched his teeth and clicked his tongue, frustration now spilling through the broken dam.

"Damn it, damn it, DAMN IT!" Sir Nighteye banged the rails of Torino's bed. His aggravation was now plain to see.

However, Sir Nighteye felt a hand on his shoulder. Turning to the source, he saw Toshinori Yagi gazing at him with assuring eyes, shaking his head to say 'don't be frustrated.'

"I can understand how you feel. We are dealing with a special case." Toshinori huffed.

Gran Torino could not even move his head, but he could mentally picture their actions.

"'Special' my old rear. I'm not sure if Garou is even human."

The room remained silent as the solemn air weighed their hearts. It was as if even uttering Garou's name alone had power over them, one that now carried despair to all it reached.

"...what do you think? You traded blows with him before. You think he's human?" Gran Torino asked Yagi, banishing the awkward air around them.

Scenes of their bout screened through the Number One Hero's mind. He remembered it all as clear as day, Garou's tactics, cunning, skill, all of which his experience as a hero could not amount.

"...Garou fought above the realm of what heroes can perform, something that lies beyond the realm of 'villain.' However, I know that his fighting style comes from human origins. He is shaped with discipline, unlike the others."

"Discipline?" The image of Garou smacking Midnight arose. "The guy that smacked most of us with a hero like a blackjack was shaped by discipline?"

Toshinori stiffened at the image of that debacle.

"...well, maybe if you push him hard enough…" Toshinori avoided veered away from further eye contact, even though Gran Torino was still stuck gazing at the ceiling.

"Then we are screwed. Before, Garou can match you in strength. Now? I don't know. I think he can face you in your prime at this point."

Gran Torino did not mince his words. Right now, Garou did bear the semblance of a man that could take on the greatest of heroes or villains. He could tell from Garou's demonstration of might when he used his aura to oppress him and the standing Police Force. It was as if a giant was toying with an ant with his foot, not even applying his weight in the step.

"...really?"

"Really."

"...he really meant that?"

"Meant what?" Gran Torino asked.

Toshinori's face only invited further confusion from his cohorts.

"…he said he wanted to face me in my prime before he left…"

Sir Nighteye and Gran Torino finally remembered that tidbit. In fact, they completely forgot about that since their imagination cannot hold the thought of Garou growing stronger.

"…well, we're doomed." Gran Torino summarizes their situation.

"H-Hey, don't say that…"

"I suggest you transfer One For All into another vessel. A more worthy one." Sir Nighteye suggested out of the blue.

Gran Torino and All Might both threw their heads at the former sidekick out of shock - the first failed to inch his head, however, so he threw his eyes down instead.

"Oi, oi. That's not an option. You can't just force someone to surrender their Quirk. That's not how we do it."

Gran Torino may not be a hero by choice, but he at least valued his departed friend's legacy.

The times might be desperate, but to cross the line without a second thought will arouse antagonism.

"Do not tell me whether it's an option or not. If we don't raise a strong enough hero, Garou will continue terrorizing Japan unobstructed. Who knows what kind of damage he would bring should he break the ceasefire?"

Sir Nighteye aroused a valid point. The government of Japan might've agreed to Garou's demands, but they had no real incentive that Garou would uphold his end of the agreement.

However, Toshinori Yagi cannot picture Garou breaking a promise. Then he recalled the… comical turn of events that lead to the bargain.

"...should we threaten his groceries again then?" Yagi joked as he stifled a giggle.

His reminder defused all tension between Gran Torino and Sir Nighteye. They almost forgot how the team managed to survive Garou's wrath.

"Ah, Yes. Almost forgot about that… huh, now that I remember it, it's quite humiliating."

Gran Torino chuckles. He wondered how he should narrate this to Nana Shimura when he joined her in Heaven.

"…Indeed." Sir Nighteye sighed, exhaling his stress upon remembering that information.

"Heh. I don't blame you for forgetting. I mean, it's the first time I've seen a guy that treated food like his treasure, haha! I would laugh at that if I weren't in Garou's crosshairs at that moment."

Torino's joke brought a small smile to Sir Nighteye's face, but it quickly vanished the next moment.

"Yes, I… had forgotten about that. Ahem, anyways, then we can withhold the transfer for the moment."

"I don't think you can send spies to Hosu at this point. We have seen how attuned Garou's senses were. It's too risky, brat."

Gran Torino would not allow Sir Nighteye to give Garou a potential Casus Belli. It would end in disaster should he uncover them.

"I do understand your fears, but we must do something to keep a leash around that monster. There is so much we don't know about Garou to resist his advances."

"The scientists can't gather much from his blood?" Gran Torino hoped that Garou's blood drawn from his bout with All Might could divulge some insight to his origins at this point. They were lucky enough to retrieve a single drop from Garou, but even in this day and age, analyzing a person's blood for the presence of Quirks was arduous.

"Not much that we do not already know. However, they do confirm that Garou is Quirkless and… human. At least, they think so." Sir Nighteye sounded concerned.

"'Think' so?" Toshinori asked with curiosity.

"That is my opinion. Even I find it hard to believe that anyone without a Quirk can defeat All Might, weakened or not."

Sir Nighteye turned to the door, proceeding to exit the room with calm, controlled steps.

"I must take my leave. There is much I need to do."

Sir Nighteye then disappeared around the corner, leaving Toshinori and Torino alone in the room with only the heart monitor droning alongside the monotonous silence.

"…your inheritor has his work cut out for him," Gran Torino spoke.

Yagi did not need more reminders of the disparity between Garou and Midoriya. He was guilty enough as he was.

"Please, Sensei. I understand this all too well."

And that didn't count the dangers of potential villains waiting to sprout in society. At least Garou was busy preying on them to sate his bloodlust.

"…sorry for my asking, but I must hear your opinion. How dangerous would you label Garou in terms of potential?"

The fact that Garou copied his Smash Techniques from their bout brought much concern to the Number One Hero. In his long career, he had never met anyone else capable of such feats, save for All For One. However, unlike the ageless Quirk thief, Garou allegedly had no Quirk.

"I've no damn clue. He is beyond my field to decipher, so I expect the worst. Common sense does not apply to the monster."

Not even his years of experience could help. Garou was a creature like no other, something that shouldn't exist.

"I see…" Toshinori looked at his hands.

He wondered… if Garou achieved such power without the need of Quirks, he pondered if he could as well? In fact, could Midoriya also accomplish that level of might?

The question was, what was the secret behind his power?

"If you want my honesty, that guy still has potential to grow. I don't know how strong Garou would become when your brat finishes mastering One For All. I am afraid that he will dwarf even that ageless monster with enough time."

Gran Torino knew. He had not yet encountered another individual that played with his life like a ball of yarn other than All For One.

"…is that so?" Yagi clenched his emaciated hands. He must do something at least, to resolve this crisis before the vestiges of One For All fade.

"What will you do? If this continues, Midoriya might have to follow your path earlier than expected." Gran Torino referred to Yagi's leaving for America once upon a time when he was still weak when All For One still ruled Japan from the shadows.

All hope at this point was seemingly lost. However, Yagi recalled his time interacting with Garou.

"…maybe not through battle." An epiphany struck him. The idea was so brilliant that the shock nearly reduced him into a coughing mess.

"Oh? What clever idea bonked your sorry head this time?"

Toshinori Yagi turned to Gran Torino, a smile slowly stretching his emaciated features.

"If Sir Nighteye needed a spy, there is one he could use." Of course, why didn't he thought of his earlier?

He had already acquainted himself with Garou shortly before he fought the Hunter.

"Who on this green earth can slip through Garou's radar?" Gran Torino could not imagine anyone capable of stealing a glance off Garou's personal life.

Toshinori pointed at himself.

"You're looking at him."

If Garou still avoided civilians and cops throughout his hunts, then Toshinori Yagi, not All Might, could survive.