Toji in My Hero Academia

Toji walked through the streets of Musutafu, still mulling over Momo's words. "Why did I save her? Am I an idiot or what? Now she's confusing me..." he muttered while scratching his head. He kept walking but had to stop when he saw a large crowd blocking the way. He frowned, annoyed, and moved closer to get a better view. Police and heroes had closed off the area, preventing anyone from passing through.

"Seriously? Tsk, the store's going to close if I don't hurry," he thought irritably, glancing around. Someone in the crowd murmured, "That kid's been stuck in there for a while... he's really got willpower." Intrigued, Toji tried to get a closer look and saw a gelatinous creature—a sort of giant slime—writhing grotesquely in the center of the scene.

"Disgusting..." he thought. Looking more closely, he noticed flashes of light and movement inside the monster; it seemed like a boy about his age was trapped, struggling desperately to break free from the living mass.

"No one can help him... none of the heroes have the right ability without hurting the boy," he overheard amidst the murmurs. He could pull him out in just one move. "Nah..." he whispered. He didn't want to, nor did he like the idea of being a hero. But then, as he turned his head, he saw a green-haired boy running toward the villain. The crowd began shouting for him to stop, but the boy ignored the warnings, moving toward the trapped child, who was looking at him with pleading eyes. Seeing this, he thought again about Momo's tearful eyes and her words.

"...Tsk," Toji scoffed, changing his mind in an instant. He dashed toward the villain and, in the blink of an eye, was beside the two boys. The green-haired boy stared at him, surprised to see him appear out of nowhere. Without wasting time, Toji grabbed the trapped boy's hand firmly, pulling him out and yanking him free of the viscous mass. He hurled him toward the heroes in one swift motion, putting him out of harm's way. Then, using the momentum, he spun around and delivered a kick to the slime monster, tearing apart its entire upper section.

As he was about to launch another kick, he felt a firm hand grab him by the back of his shirt, pulling him away. He turned his head and saw the man holding him. He managed to hear the man whisper something to the green-haired boy, who then shouted, "Detroit Smash!" In an instant, a crushing air blast struck the slime monster, disintegrating it completely.

"Huh?" Toji muttered, confused. "How is that much power even possible?" He noted that the man was incredibly muscular. "Well, if I have a lot of muscle, this guy in front of me is just pure muscle. He must be loaded with steroids," he whispered to himself with a touch of disdain.

As he was about to turn and leave, the man grabbed him by the arm. Toji glared at him, irritated. "Hey, old man, let go of me," he said coldly.

"O-old man?" the man stammered, surprised. Toji noticed his somewhat puzzled expression as he tried to make sense of the two boys who had intervened. Finally, the man spoke, trying to sound firm. "Look, it was reckless to act like that—"

Toji shot him a glare that made the hero step back slightly. "First of all, who the hell are you?" he asked disdainfully.

"I-I'm All Might," the man said, trying to maintain his composure, though clearly intimidated. No kid had ever treated him like that before—he was used to being asked for autographs or something like that. Toji scoffed indifferently.

"Yeah, sure. Look, I saw no one else was doing anything to help, and since that kid over there wasn't much use, I knew I could handle it," he explained, shrugging off All Might's grip. He took a step to leave, but other heroes immediately stopped him, blocking his path.

"That was very careless. You shouldn't—"

"SHUT UP!" Toji snapped, shoving them away in frustration. "Useless heroes, this is why I don't want to be one. They're just a pain," he muttered angrily. He ran a hand through his hair, annoyed, while adding to himself, "Damn brat, why do you have to put stupid ideas in my head?"

But before he could move again, a police officer stopped him, blocking his way. Toji sighed, imagining the consequences of what he had just done. "Ugh... the witch is going to kick my ass," he muttered resignedly, as the heroes and officer watched him expectantly.

After a long, silent wait at the station, Toji's mother arrived. When he saw her walk in, Toji noticed a mix of concern and exhaustion in her eyes, though her posture remained firm and determined. After speaking with the commissioner for a few minutes, her expression shifted from surprise to a smile that, to Toji's confusion, seemed somewhat amused. The officer, on the other hand, looked less pleased.

Finally, she entered the small waiting room where Toji sat with his arms crossed, visibly annoyed.

"Let's go, Toji. We need to talk at home," she said in a firm tone that left no room for argument.

Toji sighed, shrugged, and picked up his backpack from the floor, resigned to follow her out of the station. As they walked through the hallway, he could feel the disapproving stares of some officers and staff, which only increased his discomfort. However, once they finally stepped outside, his mother relaxed her posture slightly and, glancing at him out of the corner of her eye, gave a smile he didn't expect.

"Don't you have to get back to work?" Toji asked, trying to divert the conversation, as if that might avoid any embarrassing comments.

"No," his mother replied with a small laugh, shaking her head. "I got the day off... So, my son decided to take on a villain to save some kids, huh? Hehehe..." She covered her mouth, but couldn't stop a chuckle from escaping.

Toji felt his face heat up and covered it with one hand. "Shut up..." he muttered, clearly uncomfortable, as his mother gave him a few teasing pats on the back.

"So, my Toji wanted to be the hero, huh?" she said with another laugh. "The same one who always complains about moving to get a glass of water? The one who side-eyes every heroic act? Looks like my boy has a noble side after all."

Embarrassed, Toji opted to cover his ears to avoid hearing her teasing, though he knew that would only encourage her more. He couldn't stop thinking about Momo and how her words were now echoing in his head, leading him to act without much thought. "Next thing you know, I'll become one of those pathetic heroes... That brat put these stupid ideas in my head!" he thought, gritting his teeth and swearing he'd get back at her when he saw her.

As they walked, some people on the street seemed to whisper as they passed by, a few pointing at Toji with curiosity and others glancing at him sideways. Apparently, news of the young man who had stepped in to help All Might and another student was spreading quickly. Toji shrugged, trying to ignore the stares and the uncomfortable tingling on the back of his neck.

"Can't you just forget about what happened?" he asked in a desperate attempt to change the subject. "It wasn't a big deal, I just... reacted in the moment, you know."

"Oh, Toji!" his mother responded, almost sweetly, though her sly smile revealed she had no intention of forgetting. "My son, the 'rebel' Toji, moved by seeing someone in danger? Who would've thought..."

"I wasn't moved," he replied, trying to hide his irritation. "I just saw that no one else was being useful. And... the kid was really going to get hurt."

"Ah, I see," she said, feigning innocence. "So that's all it was. Pure logic, no heroism. You know, you can fool anyone, but not me. The one who made you change so suddenly... let me guess, it was Momo-chan, wasn't it? In the end, she managed to get through that empty head of yours?"

He pressed his lips together, avoiding a response. If he said anything, it would prove her right, and if he didn't, it would give her even more material to laugh at him. He decided the best option was simply to keep walking silently. But his mother, seeing his annoyed expression, set aside her teasing tone and gave him a softer look.

"Listen, Toji... I'm proud of you. I know it wasn't your intention, and you probably hate it, but... you did something good, something very few would have the courage to do," she said, looking at him with tenderness and pride. "You might not be a hero in the traditional sense, but you have a good heart, and that's what matters."

Toji just huffed, though deep down, his mother's words had an effect on him. He had acted because he felt he had to, because, at that moment, fear or apathy weren't an option. Although he'd never admit it, something Momo had said seemed to have left a mark. However, for him, acknowledging it was a step harder than any fight or villain.