__________ POV Narration__________
"Damn~ I guess you got a lot better at making tea in your spare time Toshi~" Beru spoke as some steam escaped his mouth.
He was currently sitting down inside Nezu's office with the man/rat himself and Toshinori, drinking tea.
"Well, I seem to barely be able to get any hero time in these days." Toshinori didn't look too disconcerted when speaking about it.
"At least the next generation is already looking pretty swell~ Izuku's pretty much already surpassed you, with all the other quirks and all~" Toshinoiri nodded with a proud expression.
Izuku, or Deku, had already discovered and mastered the other quirks hidden within One for All. The quirks of all the other users of the inheritance quirk. He was now considered the strongest hero in Japan... Bar All Might and Beru, of course.
All Might was pretty much retired at this point though. Toshi could barely keep his muscled up form for more than 40 minutes. And that was with him forcing himself to his limits.
Izuku wasn't the only hero around though. Bakugo or Dynamight was also considered Deku's equal.
He only had one quirk, but his talent in fighting and the simple raw power behind that one quirk carried him to be the number 4 on the leaderboards. He wasn't exactly satisfied with that though.
Todoroki followed right behind him, as the number 5, he didn't seem all that interested in becoming number one though...
The current number one spot was heavily contested. All Might and Beru were already both legendary figures in the eyes of the public.
"It's rather nice to see how much they've progressed... There aren't even all that many threats around Japan for them to combat though..." Nezu spoke, Beru almost laughed as he felt the slight disappointment in the principal's voice.
He was likely rather sad that his school's star pupils barely had the chance to show what they could do. But he wasn't exactly outright sad at the lack of crime.
Well, there were still plenty of criminals, but it was nowhere near as bad as before. It was as if Japan had gone back into All Might's golden age era.
"Heh, I bet you'd wish for more villains to show up, right Beru?" Toshinori was, at this point, comfortable around Beru at all times. Comfortable enough for such jokes to be made.
"Meh~ They'd all be weaklings anyway~ It'd just be more chaos in the streets~" Beru's words made the skinny looking blonde man shrug.
"... I've been thinking of announcing my retirement. At this point, there's barely any reason for me to keep up the charade, there are already others prepared to pick up my mantle." Toshinori spoke with a smile, yet his words were rather sad to hear.
Still, there was no reason to be sad. All for One was gone, his successor was already at a stage where he no longer needed guidance, Japan was now one of the safest places on earth...
But something about the way he spoke, gave Beru a tragic feeling.
"A prominent figure retiring... This signifies an end of an era." Nezu sighed as he sipped from the still-warm tea.
"No... My era has already ended years ago. I've just been hanging onto what remained of it... Enji is already retired, I should've followed his example back then, but it's better late than never." Toshinori spoke with melancholy.
It was so strange, to see a man reach that point in their lives. Beru could only follow Nezu's motions and sigh at that scene.
For all intents and purposes, All Might had achieved his goal. He had become the great Symbol of Peace, ushering in a new era for the citizens of Japan.
It was during his time that All for One met his demise. All Might may not have been the one to take down his archenemy, but he had been the one to weaken him considerably, to the point where All for One had become a pathetic joke to Beru.
All Might was the one to render All for One to that state. Beru was just the final bullet to the head of an already crippled evil mastermind.
Unfortunately, All Might was in no better state than his former archenemy. His injuries were already catching up with him, his years were numbered.
"The public isn't going to take it well~" Beru's words weren't of discouragement, he was just stating facts at this point. He respected All Might's choice, they were friends after all...
"They already have other heroes to keep the villains at bay. I've already technically retired for a while, I just didn't announce it to the world yet." Toshinori seemed to already have thought everything through.
"So... How do you wish to do this? Do you want to give an anonymous announcement and just let the image of All Might fade as it is?" Nezu's question was what truly intrigued Beru.
"That's what I'm planning to do... There's no reason to break the image of the Symbol of Peace-" Toshinori spoke in a sad tone this time, but Beru didn't let him finish or ramble on for too long.
"Nah~ Fuck that~ You are the symbol of peace, YOU~ Not your muscles~ Your actions and feats are what painted the image of the symbol~ That ever-shining smile shows just as well in this form~"
Toshinori's eyes widened a bit when hearing Beru's words, Nezu showed a large smile as he put his teacup down.
"B-But what if they don't accept me in this form? All Might has always been the hero to save the day, the strong hero that could always show up in time, it's not fitting with my current form... What if I ruin that former image?" The old Symbol may have been moved by Beru's words just then, but he was still rather unconvinced.
"Are you really stupid?~ I've known you to be somewhat slow for a while~" Toshinori winched at Beru's insult.
"The people don't venerate you for your raised up hair or your muscle form~
You are a symbol~ It is your back that has carried countless people to safety~ Your arms that have crushed the evil in this country before I was even born~ Your smile that has given hope to countless others~
Nothing, and I mean NOTHING, would ever be able to erase that image from the public's eye~"
To Beru, it was preposterous to even think that anyone would start rejecting the Symbol of Peace over such a reveal.
Now, if Beru's previous words had moved Toshinori, these ones made his heart burn. He remembered his glory days, he remembered who he truly was.
He had no reason to be lacking in confidence, he was, after all, All Might.
"Beru is right... There's no way any backlash would arise from doing this. Even if some outlets try to paint you in a bad light, that wouldn't matter at all." At this point, Nezu's smile was already looking as bright as possible.
"All right... I guess showing my face to the public for one last time wouldn't hurt anyone." Toshinori was filed with confidence at this point.
He knew that his true form would likely cause some issues, but he also knew that he had no reason to fear anything... Why? Because he IS All Might.
He had lived in fear of showing himself to the public ever since he had gotten injured, but now he was determined to finally show his true self to the public.
"Should we arrange a press conference? Make the official announcement of your retirement at the same time you show yourself to the world?" Nezu suggested as he almost prepared to make the phone calls necessary to set up such an event.
"I think calling a meeting with all of the new generation of heroes and televising it would be a good move~ You can also show your students in person that way~" Beru's suggestion also sounded rather decent to Toshinori...
"Or, why not just combine the two? Make a press conference and a meeting with all of the great heroes of this new generation.
Announcing my retirement and passing on my mantle in the same move."
Toshinori made up his own plan though, and both Nezu and Beru found it to be the best fitting for the retirement of the Symbol of Peace.
Also, Beru was rather glad to hear Toshi call it 'my mantle'. Toshinori had been putting himself down a lot since he had gotten that injury, now he finally had the confidence to call that mantle his own.
"Well~ Let's get to it~!" Beru said as he got up from his chair.
"I'll notify the teachers and set up the date for this conference, I'll notify all big outlets." Nezu also got up and started walking towards his desk nearby.
"Let's make it in a few days. I would want to make a proper speech to go with it." Toshinori's smile seemed to light up the room too, regardless of his skeletal appearance.
"I'll gather the younglings~ Gotta make this one count~," Beru said as he prepared to warp himself off.
"Do try to give them some sort of message first before the event starts, try not to take them by surprise too much," Nezu said while preparing to start making phone calls.
"Yea~ Yea~ Toshi~ Ya need a ride?~" Beru asked the one member of their group who was still seated.
"Well, I'd appreciate being dropped off at my apartment, still have a speech to write." Beru only nodded, extended his mist to also cover Toshinori.
The two of them disappeared from the room after waving goodbye at Nezu.
And so, the end of an Era was approaching.
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___________ POV Narration___________
The days rolled by quickly, so quickly in fact that Beru barely had enough time to contact every single young hero.
The venue for this huge event was the largest building in UA, the auditorium could house thousands of people, and it was now filled to the brim.
Countless faces, both familiar and unfamiliar gathered there, many were curious about what All Might, the number one hero had to say.
No one dared to speculate his retirement, after all, he was basically an idol, believed to be an everlasting icon, a Symbol.
That was the reason Toshinori didn't want to do this at first... But that wasn't a good thing, letting people live with that delusion was simply not a good thing.
All Might was putting all of those expectations on his back and carrying them without any hesitation. In his prime, doing that might've been possible, but now it was not even an option.
So, the most logical conclusion was to give way to the next generations to replace him... To give out the mantle.
Usually, Nezu would've discouraged Toshinori from revealing his true identity, an argument against it would be that villains would grow more brazen with this reveal...
But such worries were a bit strange to have. All Might was a name that put fear in the hearts of villains, that took the wind out of their sails... But Beru, well... That was something else entirely.
The very mention of his name was enough to terrify any villain that lived in Japan and even beyond.
Even if All Might was to reveal his secret, nothing would change. Why? Because Beru was still there.
His feats were a grizzly reminder that not all heroes played nice, and his power was an immense detriment to any villain that had more than a brain cell left.
The rest were simply too stupid to even be considered a threat. And they were usually dealt with swiftly.
Still, All Might was beyond anxious. There he was, wearing his Golden Age Costume and looking at the stage with uncertainty.
He was still in his skinny form, as he was out of sight from the crowd that awaited him. His costume looked to be a few sizes larger for his skinny form.
Toshinori was unsure, moments before heading onto that podium, he was starting to reconsider things.
But a large, brooding figure appeared behind him. An inhuman feeling hand pushed him forwards. Toshinori was forced to take the first step.
Looking back, he could only see a tall shadowy figure looking at him.
"This is important Toshinori~ People have relied on you for far too long~ It's time you give a chance to the next generation too~" Beru's words were softer than usual, his tone less amused and sarcastic.
Toshinori sighed a bit, unknowingly, a smile appeared on his face, as his form grew and stretched out the costume he was wearing.
He rose to a size similar to that of Beru in a second, his smile looking confident and prepared.
"Thank you, Beru!" Toshinori had stopped calling Beru 'young man' for a while now. It just didn't seem to fit with how the insectoid carried himself sometimes.
The Nr.1 Hero stepped onto the stage, the crowd was instantly filled with cheers and applause, many were already starting to take pictures.
Many spoke of his costume, the 'Golden Age Costume', it represented the era when All Might was most active, the era when the public's last worry was villains.
The Hero approached the podium with that same smile on his face.
In the crowd, many of the students he had tutored were present... All of them in fact. Beru didn't joke when saying he would invite the younger generation here, he literally invited every hero that graduated from UA in the last three years.
The students were also present, as they were also part of the new generation.
Everyone seemed to be rather excited to hear what All Might had to say, was he formally announcing that he would become more active once again?
The only person in the crowd without such delusions was Izuku(and the teachers, obviously). The green-haired young man looked at his mentor and teacher with both concern and expectation.
Izuku hoped that his mentor would finally rest, that he would try and spend his last few years in relative peace without having to worry about the public.
In a sense, he already knew what was happening. The embers of One for All were already running out inside All Might, Izuku could easily tell.
"It is a pleasure to see so many people gathered in one place! You all are a direct look at the promising future of our country." All Might said while looking directly at the crowd of young students and heroes.
The reporters were quick to start writing what the Symbol was saying. Praising the younger generation was a good start for what was to come.
"Thanks to all of the people that took some time off their day to come here too." He didn't let the reporters go unnoticed though, they were still people after all, and they were all fans of All Might. Like most people in the country.
"Now, you all may be wondering what brought the sudden need for such a large gathering. Aren't you?" All Might's shining smile had already captivated everyone in the building, but it was time to skip the pleasantries.
"Today is a big day, for today is the day I formally announce..." The hero took a pause as if letting the drums beat, countless hearts beat in anticipation for his upcoming announcement.
"MY HEROIC RETIREMENT!" He quickly raised his arms and did his usual strongman pose, his large arms flexing as his muscles seemed to almost rip through his hero costume.
In an instant, the hall was filled with both shocked exclaims and panicked voices. The cameras flashed as the reporters finally realised that the news they were reporting on was a lot more important than they had initially expected.
Izuku was the only one to heave a sigh of relief when hearing those words, it obviously went unnoticed by everyone, as they were too preoccupied with their questions.
"W-What spurred this sudden decision, All Might?!" One of the reporters at the front managed to recover quickly enough in order to ask the question on everyone's mind.
"Sudden? What might you be talking about dear civilian... This has been a long time coming." All Might said as his smile seemed to look a bit amused now.
"It's obvious to everyone that I'm no longer as active as I once was, I am only growing older and older as the months go by. I simply see no reason to keep up the charade." All Might put his arms back on the stand in front of him and sighed a bit.
"S-Still, there are many heroes older than you that are still active!" The one that spoke this time was one of the students at UA, yet another person that idolized the Symbol of Peace to no end.
"Not that many of them, and most only take up inactive roles, like teaching and other things of that nature, which I will keep doing, by the way!" All Might didn't quite seem to be shocked by the exclamations and questions he was getting, he had already rehearsed everything.
"Besides, there is another, even bigger reason as to why I'm retiring right now!" There it was, the big reveal... Just how would the people that blindly idolized him take it though?
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