Witness Testimony
We’ve all had a common dream at one point or another: become the most famous person ever! We all had different ideas of how we were going to get to that point, but we were sure we would get there at some point or another!
Sometimes, those dreams go on to just be flashes in the pan, being just fancies of young imaginations as they settle into mediocrity later in life… But sometimes, those dreams push people to make them realities.
And here we have two gentlemen who have put to use two particular traits of theirs to push themselves into the center of the public eye: their raw strength and epic achievements.
Saxton Hale, the thrill-loving Australian CEO of Mann Co…
…And All Might, the number one hero who wields One For All.
It is our sworn duty to see which of these bruisers would come out victorious in a gruesome battle to the finish, and we will see this duty through to its end.
…Uh, in other words… we’re going to see whose time in the spotlight will end in this episode of Courtroom Conflict!
When you think of scientifically enhanced wars with mercenaries and robot armies, you would probably think of such a thing as taking place in the distant future. But no, instead we’re turning our attention to the past, specifically the mid-1800s, to investigate the curious case of the Mann Co. organization.
The company’s CEO at the time, Zepheniah Mann, had made a huge financial commitment at the insistence of his two sons, Redmond and Blutarch. What was this commitment, you ask? Oh, nothing much, just BUYING the ENTIRE STATE of New Mexico for the two of them to fight over. That’s not a normal purchase, that’s a transaction error in capitalism or something.
Zepheniah didn’t have much longer to enjoy his richer-get-richer lifestyle, though, since he eventually passed away. Though he didn’t kick the bucket before handing the reins of the company over to one of his most trusted advisors: Barnabus Hale. This would lead the company through a line of CEOs sharing the Hale name, lasting over a hundred years with the company still going strong on pumping out munitions and gear for the Mann brothers’ conflict.
How were they alive for that long, you ask? Well, they made life support machines powered by an element called Australium, a rare metallic substance that can easily change its shape and provide substantial physical benefits to living things. As for where it came from… well, you get two guesses.
Zepheniah didn’t have much longer to enjoy his richer-get-richer lifestyle, though, since he eventually passed away. Though he didn’t kick the bucket before handing the reins of the company over to one of his most trusted advisors: Barnabus Hale. This would lead the company through a line of CEOs sharing the Hale name, lasting over a hundred years with the company still going strong on pumping out munitions and gear for the Mann brothers’ conflict.
Because it was the prime source of the illustrious Australiam, the country of Australia prospered greatly, becoming one of the manliest countries on the face of the planet. And few embodied this change more so than Mann Co.’s newest CEO: Saxton Hale.
Yeah, if you couldn’t tell already, Hale is basically the poster child for TF2’s modern Australian macho man. He believes that he was born to fight, and he kicks that destiny up to 11 with his love for brawling with animals. The dude’s been wrestling bears and turning them into rugs since he was in diapers! And if you’re one who thinks subtlety is a virtue… Saxton Hale’s chest hair begs to disagree.
As you probably guessed, Saxton’s preferred method of combat is good-old-fashioned fist-fighting. His usual punches are enough to tear most living things apart, but when he’s fighting a particularly resilient enemy – say, for instance, a Yeti-
Wait, what? Yetis?
-he’ll really let ’em have it with his Heavy Punch, which throws Hale’s full strength into a single strike that’s sure to end any fight he’s in. Pretty much nothing can hold up in the face of this outback brawler’s sheer might.
Impressive though they may be, Mr. Hale isn’t solely limited to his fists when he jumps into the fray. He’s armed with weapons like a traditional katana and the Twin Forces of Nature, which is a club-like tool made from two Force-a-Nature shotguns welded together at the barrel. If it wasn’t obvious from the design, it’s… not ideal for use as a firearm.
But by far his most interesting power is his… awareness, for lack of a better term. You guys can’t see it from here, but he’s actually been trying to break down the walls of the page since we started this episode. I’m pretty sure he already broke his analysis title card, too.
We’ve paid our fourth wall insurance for the month; I think we should be okay. But yes, it’s as she said; Saxton Hale possesses a sort of sixth sense that allows him to be aware of the fact that he is a fictional character occupying a specific medium, be it a comic book or a video game. He can even break through the barrier separating the real from the fictitious to speak to the reader directly.
If you’re wondering how that’s any different from what we’re doing, our method involves a lot less… destruction of public property. He does know that he’s disturbing the other shows being recorded in the studio, right?
That kind of disregard for anything besides himself is pretty consistent with the rest of Saxton’s accomplishments. He’s slaughtered 64 gorillas at once with his katana, made a species of sharks and all the Yetis on Earth go extinct, fought lions while getting a haircut, and ate a whole ostrich. Yeah, when we said this guy has a penchant for killing animals, we weren’t kidding.
It should also be noted that Hale is far above any of the TF2 mercs in terms of physicality. This is important, seeing as how even weaker classes like the Scout can survive a triage of rockets to the face all at once. Also, it was stated that the final Yeti that Saxton killed couldn’t have been stopped by anything on Earth, and he still reduced it to a bloody smear.
And yet for all his strength, stamina, and exorbitant wealth, Saxton Hale does have a few chinks in his armor, so to speak.
Ooh, I think he really didn’t like that one. That last hit could probably be felt on the other side of the studio.
Let’s get this over with before he gets too angry. His options in battle favor up-close brawls over ranged battles, meaning he doesn’t have many ways to catch a foe who keeps their distance. Furthermore, his confidence is greatly inflated due to being so far above everything else in his own world, and he has some odd and situational personal rules that he obliges himself to follow, such as not harming children and passing the status of Mann Co. CEO to anyone who can beat him in a fight.
Sounds like that’ll keep him quiet for a while… Anyway, no Mann, merc, or machine can hope to stand a chance when they’re up against the one and only Saxton Hale.
Saxton Hale: The name’s Saxton Hale! CEO of Mann Co.! And the man who is gonna burn this place to the ground!
The phenomenon of Quirk development in humans was one that had obvious ramifications the second it began to spread across the globe. As the powers that manifested in humans diversified and grew stronger, it was only a matter of time until people tried to use their Quirks for evil purposes. And as things would naturally go from there, society soon found itself engrossed with iconic superheroes and terrifying supervillains.
The life of a superhero in this Quirk-based society wasn’t always a glamorous one. Hero work entails a lot more than beating up bad guys with flashy moves: sometimes it’s as menial as rescuing a cat or putting out a fire. The importance of these tasks can vary depending on what you think a hero ought to be, but it’s necessary for beginners so they can work their way up the popularity charts and make a name for themselves.
While many up-and-coming heroes may lose sight of themselves in this pursuit of fame, there are some in the big leagues that have the virtue and heart to use their power and popularity for good. And standing as the pinnacle of heroism with equal parts strength, fame, and integrity is the number one hero: All Might.
Real name Toshinori Yagi, this flashy beast might seem like he was always destined for his place on top, but the guy actually started out on the bottom of the world. He didn’t even have a Quirk of his own! But he still held on to his dream of becoming number one, not for glory or power, but to become society’s “symbol of peace” and give everyone a reason to feel safe. And thanks to pro hero Nana Shimura, he found his ticket to the top in the form of the Quirk known as One For All.
This Quirk is special not just in its functionality, but in its origins: long before All Might’s time, the villain All For One was beginning his time as a criminal by stealing the Quirks of others. Along the way, he forced a stolen Quirk upon his younger brother, and this power stockpiling Quirk merged with the brother’s latent Quirk, which allowed him to pass it to others through DNA. Thus, One For All was born, and its journey through several heroes across generations was started with one goal: cultivate it into a power that could end All For One’s tyrannical plans.
As the eighth user of One For All, All Might inherited quite a lot of power when Nana passed the Quirk on to him, and he makes good use of that stockpiled strength when thrashing villains. He can throw hundreds of punches in the blink of an eye, move faster than the eye can track, survive attacks that wipe out chunks of a city in one blast, and call upon his special techniques, which he refers to as Smashes.
Smashes take advantage of All Might’s raw strength and channel them into a variety of attacks, allowing him to mix up his approach to combat is the usual fists won’t cut it. These attacks are mostly named after American states and cities, because apparently All Might is self-aware enough to appeal to Western audiences without effort. And the devastating nature of most Smashes don’t come from All Might’s strikes themselves, but rather the sheer air pressure he creates from his movements, which can whip up huge gusts and rip apart entire buildings.
Just to name a few, Detroit Smash sends a huge shockwave at an enemy with a punch, Missouri Smash karate chops the enemy from above, Carolina Smash is a cross chop attack, Oklahoma Smash grapples enemies before throwing them away, and New Hampshire Smash uses the force behind All Might’s punches to blast him through the air at high speeds, turning himself into a living, muscular projectile.
His list of special moves is varied and devastating, but even those pale in comparison to his most impressive move of all: the United States of Smash, which pours every ounce of his strength into a single blow that can rip apart everything around it with the air pressure it generates. In fact, when he used this attack to defeat All For One later in his hero career, the resulting twister picked up entire buildings and cratered the ground around him.
If by “later” in his hero career you mean right at the end of it, sure. See, United States of Smash uses up all of One For All’s power that All Might has within him, and that’s a finite resource after he passed it on to his student and successor, Izuku Midoriya. Past users of the Quirk only passed it on at death’s door to keep it out of All For One’s hands, but All Might did it much earlier for a very good reason: he’s not as strong as he used to be.
This is because an earlier battle against All For One, All Might suffered a grievous wound to his stomach that couldn’t be operated on. The lasting impact of this injury resulted in his form no longer being able to consistently maintain One For All’s full strength, and his use of its abilities was put on a daily time limit that usually ranges from a few hours to fifty minutes. Pushing himself past that risks further damage to his body and even further reduction of the time limit.
Strikes that target the weak point on his stomach will hurt him far more than ordinary punches, to add to its debilitating effects. But weakened or no, All Might’s power is nothing to take lightly. Not only can One For All easily level city blocks, as we mentioned before, but he was considered to be on par with the villain Gigantomachia in his prime, and this particular giant blasted a massive hole in the side of a mountain. Assuming pulverization for the calculation, such a feat would require power equal to over 8 megatons of TNT.
Not only is he wicked strong, but his durability is impressive to match! He can shrug off Katsuki Bakugou’s strongest explosions without effort, power through the attacks of an amped-up Wolfram, endure beatings from a Noumu that could match his strength, and even rebound after being blasted through buildings by All For One’s compressed air blasts, the likes of which could easily blow away heroes as impressive as Endeavor!
That kind of strength is at the core of All Might’s heroic identity. During his time as the number one pro hero in Japan, the mere possibility of an encounter with him drove Quirk-related crime to impressive lows, and the public felt safe knowing that the strength of their top hero could obliterate any obstacle. Even after sacrificing his power to stop All For One once again, his legacy carried on and inspires heroes of all kinds.
The impact that he’s left on hero society is one that can never be minimized. After all, the people of the general public know for a fact that there’s no need to fear… when All Might is here!
All Might: Listen and listen well. There’s a difference between those who always aim for the top and those who don’t. It may feel slight at first, but it’s those slight waves that make the biggest waves in society!
Cross-Examination
It looks like that’s everything they have and can do. Are we ready to start the fight now?
We sure are! Time to watch a brawny beat-em-up!
Tallyho!
Setting: Sports Festival Stadium, Recovery Girl’s Wing
The sounds of medical equipment beeping and humming echoed through the mostly quiet impromptu medical facility on the inside of the sports stadium. From her seat at her computer, Recovery Girl monitored the states of the two current patients entrusted to her care: Izuku Midoriya and Little Mac, both of whom were pretty badly beaten up from their earlier battle in the UA Outsider Battle Medley. Both of them had a broken arm, as well as several other assorted injuries across their bodies.
Recovery Girl: I suppose I won’t harp on him this time since he wasn’t completely destroying his body like in the Sports Festival… But I’m still rather disappointed to see him back here, Toshinori.
Standing behind Recovery Girl was the addressed Toshinori Yagi, who watched the boys’ vitals on Recovery Girl’s computer monitor. He sighed at her slightly chastizing words, his voice low and plain-sounding in his scrawny form.
Toshinori: He was just doing whatever he had to do to win. That’s the way young Midoriya has always been.
Recovery Girl: Perhaps. At the very least, I’m glad to see he’s found a safer outlet for his quirk.
Toshinori nodded, agreeing with UA’s top nurse. Gran Torino’s training seemed to be paying off handily for the fledgling hero.
Toshinori: And how is Little Mac? I’m surprised Jerome wasn’t already down here to be by him.
Recovery Girl hit a few keys and pulled up Little Mac’s medical analysis to show Toshinori.
Recovery Girl: His elbow was broken from the impact of their punches meeting at the end of their fight, and he’s more likely than not going to get a nasty concussion from hitting his head. Otherwise, nothing too bad – he’ll recover, I’m sure.
She then pulled down the reports to continue the vital monitoring.
Recovery Girl: And Jerome was the one who carried him all the way in here. I assured him I would take care of him, and I believe he left to go watch the rest of the matches.
Toshinori nodded and turned back to look at the unconscious Izuku. He had passed out from exhaustion on the way to Recovery Girl’s wing, but thankfully he wasn’t hurt too bad. He had done very well in his fight against the Bronx Bruiser, and Toshinori couldn’t help but feel a bit of pride over his pupil.
Toshinori: ‘The kid still has a long way to go… But he’s already well on his way to becoming the next Symbol of Peace.’
The silence in the room was abruptly cut when the door opened, revealing Principal Nezu, who walked into the room and addressed both faculty members present.
Principal Nezu: Hello, Recovery Girl, Toshinori.
Recovery Girl was too absorbed in her medical monitorings to acknowledge the principal’s arrival. Toshinori, on the other hand, turned and raised a hand in greeting.
Toshinori: Principal Nezu, good to see you. What brings you down here? There’s still fights to be watched, I’ll bet.
Nezu nodded and approached Toshinori, his hands behind his back in his usual polite manner.
Principal Nezu: Yes, certainly. However, there’s a slight… problem going on.
Confused by Nezu’s vague answer, Toshinori arched an eyebrow.
Toshinori: Huh? What’s the matter?
In response to Toshinori’s inquiry, Nezu picked up the remote to a small TV sitting on top of a stand between the two medical beds. Pressing the unmute button, he revived the sound that came from the television, which began to pour out the sounds of the sports stadium arena. On the monitor, Toshinori could see a burly middle-aged man in a safari hat and ripped tan pants standing in the middle of the stage, his hands moving around wildly as he shouted to the crowd.
???: -I don’t CARE if my entry request wasn’t processed! Saxton Hale is NOT leaving this stage until he gets what he’s askin’ for!
Nezu gently set the remote back down and commented on the TV’s display while Toshinori watched it closely.
Nezu: He just suddenly dropped in after the last match and has refused our requests to leave. He threatened to fight some of our staff when we tried removing him with force.
Toshinori frowned, turning his attention away from the TV briefly to look down at his fuzzy academic superior.
Toshinori: Well, what’s he so insistent on?
Nezu sighed and looked up at the scrawny man.
Nezu: He says he won’t leave the stadium until he’s traded blows with the Number One Hero.
Toshinori blinked, realizing what Nezu was implying. With a sigh, he nodded and turned to go to the door.
Toshinori: …I understand.
Principal Nezu: What are you going to do?
With his hand still resting on the doorframe, Toshinori stopped at Nezu’s question. Although he did not respond at first, his grip on the doorframe began to tighten as small wisps of steam began to rise from his skin, his body shape growing and strengthening as he began to take on his heroic form.
All Might: Grant him his wish.
—
Setting: Sports Festival Stadium
Kamui Woods: GAHH!! S-stop this at o- OWW!
The pro hero known as Kamui Woods cried out in pain as small twigs protruding from his wooded body were plucked and snapped off by the large burly Australian known as Saxton Hale, who had the hero bent over his knee. This punishment came as a result of Kamui Woods trying to eject the intruding man from the stadium for interrupting the Battle Medley. When the very last twig was snapped off the side of his head, Woods was tossed away dismissively with a grunt, and the burly man stood back up, folding his arms in front of his Australia-shaped chest hair pattern.
Saxton: Tch! I uprooted sturdier trees in the Outback in my youthful days.
Growing irritated that the tournament was being delated for so long because of the blowhard occupying the middle of the arena, the crowd had started to boo him and shout for him to leave. Saxton puffed out his chest pridefully and smirked at the booing crowd, misconstruing the message behind their jeers for better or worse.
Saxton: I know, I know, you’re all hungry for some action! Well, so am I! My gullet’s been hankering for a good fight since I left for this hero hole, and I’m just waitin’ for the right guy to show his mug!
As he continued speaking, Saxton flung his arms out wide, bending over backward to look up to the sky as he shouted loudly in his burly voice.
Saxton: So COME ON THEN, NUMBER ONE HERO! SAXTON HALE AIN’T LEAVIN’ UNTIL HE’S HAD A PIECE OF YA!
Suddenly, resonating over the shouts from the stands, a loud, booming voice answered Saxton’s declaration with a challenging tone of its own, resonating from high above the stadium seats.
All Might: BARGING IN ON A PUBLIC EVENT, LOOKING FOR A FIGHT… CERTAINLY NOT A VERY HEROIC THING TO DO.
The whole crowd gasped and turned their heads to look up, and Saxton turned his head to look towards the loud shout. He could see a tall, muscular man standing on top of the press box high above the stage, the sun beaming down from behind him and casting a shadow over the front of his figure. The whole crowd knew the man on sight and began cheering at the arrival of the greatest hero in modern society: All Might.
With a powerful jump, All Might leaped from his perch, flipping a few times in midair as he descended towards the ground with great velocity. Saxton smirked at the appearance of his intended opponent, straightening his posture and folding his arms in front of his chest. All Might came crashing down to the ground, sending fractures and cracks jutting through the stage at the point of his landing. Slowly, he rightened himself, and stared down the Australian with his steely glare, his trademark smile ever present on his chiseled features.
All Might: So, you came to fight me, huh, tough guy? You must have a lot of guts to intrude on a UA festivity.
Tilting his head to and fro to pop his neck, Saxton scoffed, his arms staying firmly planted in front of him.
Saxton: Not my fault I sent in an application like a good bloke and never heard back on it. And ya could do better with your security than hiring walkin’ toothpicks.
All Might stared down the well-built man steadily, mentally sizing him up for the battle ahead of him.
All Might: ‘His pose and demeanor are that of a cocky, self-confident brawler. No doubt he thinks we’re evenly matched… Perhaps even that he’s above me.’
Giving his opponent a slight hmf, All Might slammed his right fist into his left hand, a shockwave rippling from the impact.
All Might: If you’re so dead set on having your fight with me…
In the middle of his own statement, the hero brought his mighty fists up in front of him and dashed towards Saxton, throwing a punch. Saxton, in response, threw a punch of his own, colliding with All Might’s fist in the center of the stage. The crowd erupted into cheers, excited to finally get another fight underway.
All Might: …Then let’s not waste any more time!
Saxton: Heh. Get ready for an Australian-style beatdown!
As their battle began, All Might and Saxton reared their fists back again, trading punch after punch with each other. Both felt the other’s strength in the hits, quickly realizing just how strong the both of them were. After trading a few more punches with Saxton, All Might switched up his approach my slamming his foot onto the ground, making the concrete fracture and spring up from under Saxton’s feet.
Saxton: Woah!
The Australian brawler lost his balance for a key few moments, and All Might reared up his fist, delivering a powerful strike to his enemy’s jaw.
All Might: TEXAS… SMASH!!
The powerful strike, followed by the huge ripple of wind pressure, sent Saxton flying across the stage. Managing to flip himself around in the air, he positioned himself in such a way that his feet were the first things to land against the inner wall of the arena ring, and he flung himself back towards All Might without a moment’s hesitation, surprising the pro hero with his tenacious rebound.
Saxton: Snack on this!
A powerful strike to the chin sent All Might staggering back, a stinging pain left in his jaw. Following up the strike, Saxton wrapped his arms around All Might’s chest. Accompanied by loud grunts of effort, he managed to lift All Might up into the air, and he let himself fall backward, slamming All Might face-first into the floor behind him. The crowd watched excitedly, and Saxton drank their cheers up like fine wine. Hastily, he rightened himself before leaping into the air above All Might, positioning his elbow below him so as to drop it onto All Might’s back.
Suddenly and unexpectedly, All Might rolled over chest-up with his fists brought back, facing his opponent as he was in the air. Saxton’s eyes widened in surprise, and All Might forcefully thrust his fists upward, generating a huge wind current.
All Might: Got you!
The mighty gust sent Saxton flying into the air, disrupting his form and making him tumble high above the ground. He put one hand over his hat to keep it from flying off his head as he began to fall back down to the stage below, and suddenly that arm was in the grip of All Might as the pro hero leaped up and grabbed ahold of his opponent.
All Might: OKLAHOMA…
All Might began to flip and spin around rapidly in the air, rotating so fast that he and Saxton appeared as nothing more than a blur to the audience. Then, All Might released his opponent just as he was bringing him around to face the ground at a ridiculous speed.
All Might: …SMASH!!
Saxton broke through several sound barriers before painfully slamming into the stage, eating a faceful of concrete upon landing. Fighting through the intense pain, he managed to roll out of the way before All Might could land on top of him, recovering to a standing position with his fists still raised. Heavy breaths escaped his lips, accompanied by a small trickle of blood from his mouth, but he was still grinning enthusiastically. All Might, standing tall before him, reassessed his opponent.
All Might: Any ordinary man wouldn’t be able to stand up right now. You’re tougher than I thought, Hale.
Saxton smirked and spat a wad of spit and blood onto the fractured floor, his stance unfaltering.
Saxton: Saxton Hale don’t go down easy, chum!
All Might’s smile widened ever so slightly. Perhaps this would be more interesting than he’d imagined.
Bringing his hand up in a position as if he were carrying a tray of food, All Might launched himself forward towards the waiting Saxton, swooping in for a mighty chop.
All Might: MISSOURI… SMASH!!
Just as the hero went in to deliver the strike to Saxton’s throat, the Australian ducked under his arm swiftly, dodging the attack and getting close to his stomach, where he planted his fist in a solid punch to All Might’s gut.
Saxton: EEEEEEEEEXPLOSIPUNCH!!
The strike was surprisingly powerful, and it was a direct hit on All Might’s solar plexus. The resulting feedback in his body was the wind being knocked out of him, and this gave Saxton an opening to slip around behind All Might, climb onto his shoulders, and grab his long, pointy hair strands.
Saxton: Get along big fellah! YEEEEE-HAW!!
Saxton pulled hard on the long upright hair strands, making All Might grunt in pain and stumble backward in the direction Saxton pulled them. As he made his opponent stumble around, Saxton took the liberty to deliver repeated slams of his boot’s heels into All Might’s chest, repeatedly stinging the hero with the tough boot bottoms. However, Saxton was getting a little too carried away with his toying with the pro hero, and he released one of his hair strands to lift off his hat like he was a rodeo rider, waving it around in the air. This gave All Might just the opening he needed, and he reached over his shoulder and powerfully grabbed his enemy’s face in his large hand.
All Might: Have you had your fun? I hope so…
Bringing Saxton over his head, All Might drove his foe into the floor yet again, fully shaking him off.
All Might: …Because I’m not playing games anymore!
Releasing Saxton’s head and clenching his fist once again, the sound of a high-pitched whine of power building up in All Might’s arm rang out. Saxton, winded from being humbled so easily, pushed himself up on his elbows and prepared his next move.
Saxton: Right… Here goes.
His power charged up, All Might swung his fist towards his grounded opponent with full force.
All Might: DETROIT –
That’s right, you devilishly handsome reader! Hope ya don’t mind if SAXTON HALE steps off the page for a brief moment…
Ahhh… There’s a good stretch. Number One Hero packs a good wallop, don’t he? It’s not over yet, though. I’ll put a good hurtin’ on him yet.
But this stadium is too restrictive. Too dull! Not enough room for this kinda hoedown. The crowd’s a nice touch, but still not enough! Hmm… Lemme see here…
OI! Shrimpy author bloke with no life and no friends! Shove off an’ gimme that keyboard!
Setting: Test City B
Theeere we go. Much roomier!
Well, what’re you sittin’ on the floor for? Close that jaw up! This fight’s still needin’ to be written! Get back into it, ya pansy!
SAXTON HAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA-
Saxton: -AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAALE!!
Flying in from the sky out of seemingly nowhere, Saxton drew his katana and came slashing down on All Might’s back, the cold steel slicing through the hero’s costume and digging into his skin. All Might cried out as Saxton landed a few more cuts, and once he had inflicted sufficient lacerations he kicked All Might away. Recovering after stumbling a short distance, All Might grunted as he felt warm blood seep from the wounds on his back, turning to glare at Saxton, who was cleaning the blood from the edge of his blade. It was then that All Might noticed they had somehow traveled instantly to one of the training cities on UA’s campus.
All Might: What… How did you…
Saxton smirked and struck a pose with his sword over his shoulder, flexing his muscles and puffing out his chest.
Saxton: That’s for me to know and for you to get used to!
After twirling the blade in midair in a showy fashion before pointing at the bleeding hero.
Saxton: My name is Saxton Hale! And I’m the man who’s gonna run your shiny spankin’ reputation into the ground! Because there ain’t nothin’ I love more than a good fight and climbin’ to the top!
All Might grunted as his expression shifted at this proclamation.
All Might: ‘So… That’s his game, huh…?’
Saxton laughed out loud and charged at All Might with his katana raised, intent on weakening his foe further.
Saxton: Now, then, All Might… Let’s keep this show goi-
In a blindingly fast yet eerily casual move, All Might brought the back of his fist up, colliding it against the flat end of Saxton’s katana. The metal blade completely shattered in the face of such a powerful blow, leaving Saxton holding just a handle with some broken steel shards attached to it.
Saxton: Oh. Well… Shit.
All Might: You’re a fool if you think I’d give up that easily!
Lunging forward and upward, All Might delivered a powerful strike to Saxton’s chest, sending the Australian reeling. Repeating the movement, All Might slammed another punch into Saxton’s burly midsection, worsening the pain that jolted through his whole body. Then, he delivered a brutal chop to the side of Saxton’s head, the edge of his hand hitting him squarely in the temple.
All Might: MISSOURI SMASH!!
Saxton, dazed and stunned from being struck in the head so powerfully, smashed through the base of one of the buildings of the fake city, landing in the alley behind it.
Saxton: Unnf… My bloomin’ head…
Saxton, thinking fast before All Might could find him again, took out the Twin Forces of Nature, holding the handle of one of the guns as he faced the junction of the alley. He could hear his foe approaching rapidly, and when All Might exploded around the corner, he swung the dual gun at his head.
All Might: I AM HE-
GONG!!
All Might: OW!!
The sudden weapon had caught All Might by surprise, and he covered his nose as the sting of the impact welled up. Saxton pressed his attack, slamming the conjoined weapons against the pro hero’s head before freeing one of his hands, forming a fist, and plowed a Heavy Punch directly into his chest with a loud grunt of effort. All Might went flying back, tumbling onto the main street once again. As he got back up, the blood from the cuts on his back stayed on the pavement, and Saxton charged once more with the Twin Forces of Nature raised over his head to strike again.
All Might: Not this time!
Grabbing the handle of the opposite gun, All Might intercepted the attack and pulled upward on the gun while Saxton pushed down on the other. The opposing forces caused the guns to break apart, the welding seal shattering as the guns separated. All Might smirked and Saxton’s eyes widened, but both of them realized they were both left holding one half of the now broken double weapon, and they both shifted their grips to the barrel of the shotguns, beginning to duel each other in the middle of the street. As the two Force o’ Natures met each other in their clash, the two burly brawlers stared each other down.
As their duel raged on, Saxton realized his Force o’ Nature was getting close to breaking, so he quickly thought up an idea. Shoving All Might away with the gun, he took off his hat and flung it in All Might’s face, temporarily blinding the hero as it covered his field of vision.
All Might: Gah!
Dropping the Force o’ Nature and charging in, Saxton let loose a furious shout as he began barreling an onslaught of strikes into All Might’s chest. Hammering every punch in with his full strength, the impacts rang out across the empty fake city, and by the time he finally pushed out the final mighty punch, he was breathing heavily from the immense exertion of force. Only now did he notice, however, that All Might hadn’t even flinched from the punches. His hands were planted firmly at his sides, and the gusts of wind from Saxton’s punches blew his hat off of the hero’s face, revealing the intimidating downward stare he was giving Saxton.
All Might: …Are you done?
Saxton couldn’t muster a response. He just stared up at the hero as the realization dawned upon him.
He was out of his league.
All Might: DETROIT… SMASH!!
All Might delivered a fierce punch to Saxton’s face, knocking him far down the street and whipping up air currents so powerful they tore up the city blocks around them. Wasting no time, All Might dashed up to meet Saxton mid-flight and drove his knee into his chin, sending him flying into the side of a tall building. Then, All Might jumped high up to be level with Saxton and brought his fist back in the air.
All Might: NEW HAMPSHIRE… SMASH!!
Sending his own bulky body flying through the air with the force of his punch, All Might’s hips crashed into Saxton’s chest with unbelievable power. In fact, the momentum behind All Might’s bulk was so strong that they went crashing through the full bodies of three buildings before they began to lose speed. All Might grabbed the metal framework of one of the buildings as they crashed through its walls, stopping his movement and letting Saxton smash into the top of a smaller apartment building, tumbling across the rough roof until he came to a stop. Slowly, he coughed up some blood and stood up shakily, looking up to see All Might looking down on him from above.
All Might: You wanted to fight me at my fullest potential…? Feel every ounce of my power at once?
Launching himself off the building he was hanging from, All Might flew at Saxton with one fist brought back. The building All Might had used as a launching point couldn’t take the power of his leap, and its entire structure shattered, collapsing into fractured brick and broken glass as the hero hurled toward his enemy. Saxton growled and jumped up to meet All Might in midair, whirling around to deliver a second Heavy Punch. The two fighters traded hits in midair, with All Might’s fist colliding with Saxton’s face and Saxton’s punch connecting with All Might’s chest. All Might grimaced at the pain of the strike, but shrugged it off, becoming more serious by the second. His eyes flashed blue, and his punch suddenly increased in power, sending Saxton flying into more empty buildings that smashed apart as he flew through them.
All Might: Then I hope you’re ready!
With a single bound, All Might leaped through the collapsing buildings that he had smashed Saxton through, coming down from above with his arms crossed in an X-shape over his head as he prepared to strike. One For All surged through him as he approached Saxton in midair, who was helpless to avoid the incoming attack.
All Might: CAROLINA… SMASH!!
Dropping onto Saxton with a mighty cross chop to the midsection, All Might drove his foe straight down into the ground with unbelievable force. The concrete framework of the street below exploded with splinters and cracks as Saxton’s body smashed into it, and then cracked more as All Might landed next to him.
Saxton: Urrgh…
Saxton tried to sit up, but the pain in his body was too much for him to overcome, and he fell back onto the splintered concrete with a defeated grunt. It wasn’t over for him yet, however, as All Might grabbed him by the face, lifted him up easily, and began walking towards the nearest building.
All Might: If your idea of being a hero is fighting senselessly and never losing…
Painfully slamming Saxton back-first into the building’s lowest wall, All Might glared directly at him, charging up his immense power in his legs.
All Might: …Then you’re no better than the children I teach!
With a mighty grunt of exertion, All Might sprung skyward, his great momentum and his iron grip dragging Saxton through the outer facade of the building as he flew up. Several broken window shards and ruptured steel framework of the building cut into the Australian’s back, and he yelled out in pain, triflingly punching All Might’s arm in a vain effort to free himself. After he was dragged through the entire outer shell of the building, All Might planted his feet on the edge of the roof, propelling him and the held Saxton higher into the air. As they flew ever skyward, All Might brought his arm back one more time, One For All’s power welling up within it.
All Might: REAL HEROES FIGHT TO PROTECT THE INNOCENT… AND TO MAKE THE WORLD A SAFER PLACE! TO GIVE PEOPLE A REASON TO SMILE IN THE FACE OF ANY EVIL!!
All Might’s fist slammed shut as he concentrated his full power into his arm. Saxton, staring at the hero’s drawn-back fist, stopped resisting his grip… and smiled.
Saxton: ‘Heh. This was the best fight I’ve ever had. Good on you… Hero.’
All Might’s grip on Saxton’s face receded, and All Might began to throw the final punch.
All Might: NOW LET ME SHOW YOU… THE POWER THAT GIVES THIS WORLD THE SAFETY TO SMILE!!
GO BEYOND!
PLUS…
ULTRAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!
All Might’s fist connected with Saxton’s chest in an absolutely brutal strike, a loud sonic boom exploding from the impact as Saxton was sent rocketing through the air. The sonic boom rocked the artificial city below All Might, shattering the windows on buildings and whipping up huge winds that blew debris from their battle in every direction. All Might dropped down from the air onto the street below him, panting from the exertion of the mighty blow.
Meanwhile, back in the stadium, the scheduled fights were resuming as they had originally been planned. However, the attention of the crowd was suddenly diverted from the current fight at hand when they saw Saxton Hale go flying over the stadium in a rapid blur of movement high above the ground. Had the cameras been fast enough to track him, they would have seen an unconscious Saxton with a fist mark singed into his Australia-shaped tuft of chest hair careening through the sky. Everyone began clamoring as he sailed out of view, and they all began cheering as they realized who the victor of the faraway fight was.
From the training city, All Might could hear the crowd’s celebration as Saxton flew overhead and out of sight into the distance. His smile widened ever so slightly, and with great leaps and bounds across the broken cityscape, he began to make his way back to the stadium.
All Might: Whew… That certainly took a lot out of me! Hopefully, I’ve got enough time left in this form to make an appearance at the end of the festivities…
A grunt escaped his lips as the stinging of the slashes on his back resurfaced. He reached around to feel them instinctively, and his hand came away with blood on it.
All Might: …Although perhaps, a visit to Recovery Girl is in order first.
And just like that, All Might had taken off for the stadium to tend to his wounds and restore his energy. In his wake was the completely decimated training city, its ruin a testament to the raw, unstoppable power behind the Symbol of Peace.
—
Setting: Recovery Girl’s Wing
Interviewee: It was incredible! He… he just went flying over the whole stadium like he was… Like he was shot out of some kind of cannon!
The sounds of the bewildered witnesses’ recountings of what had happened earlier that day played from the TV sitting between the two medical beds. The nosy reporter shoved her microphone in the faces of several patrons at the UA Battle Medley, asking them what they had seen in regards to All Might’s battle against Saxton Hale. They all spun the same thread of seeing the Australian go flying over the stadium in the middle of one of the fights, and the reporter was frustrated she couldn’t get any unique interviews.
That changed, however, when the camera cut to live footage of All Might himself standing on the stadium floor, handing out medals to the winners of the most recent fights. The reporter woman scrambled towards the stage, flailing her mic around wildly to get some juicy reporting done.
Sitting on the bed with his head resting upon a pillow, Izuku smiled as he saw All Might’s smile, bright as ever, plastered on his face. He had fully recovered from his battle against Saxton, and it was reassuring to see that his mentor and idol was still okay.
Izuku had woken up from his unconscious state while All Might and Saxton were still going at it in the training city, and he had been somewhat worried for his mentor. Seeing his smile on the TV monitor eased his worries, putting a big smile on the young boy’s face.
Izuku: That’s All Might for you… Always smiling, even after a crazy fight like that.
At Izuku’s mumblings, from the bed next to him, Little Mac decided to respond.
Little Mac: …He really is the strongest in the world, huh?
Izuku, surprised that Mac was talking to him, blinked and looked at the Bronx Bruiser in surprise. Then, relaxing again, his smile returned as he nodded affirmatively.
Izuku: Mm… That’s right. And someday… I hope to be just as strong as he is.
Mac nodded, understanding Izuku’s desire to get stronger. The both of them sat on their medical beds quietly after that, continuing to watch the TV as the news kept its cameras on the Symbol of Peace.
All Might: Well done to all our fighters, and good luck to the rest yet to come! Now, let’s hear it, everybody!
“PLUS ULTRA!”
—
So… is All Might the owner of Mann Co. now?
Technically I suppose he would be, but he doesn’t strike me as the businessman type. He likely wouldn’t take up such an offer.
In any case, a victory was most assuredly secured for the Number One Hero from the start. All Might’s capabilities far outclass those of Mister Hale, and we shall explain why. First, strength. The power of One For All is mighty enough to level buildings and entire city blocks in a single attack. Saxton’s feats, while impressive, do not hold up in the face of such… well, might.
Speed was a pretty easy category for All Might to take in this fight, too! He’s moved faster than the eye could track before, and although both of them can throw punches that appear to be blurs of movement, only All Might can throw three hundred of them in a matter of seconds. Saxton can safely be assumed to be above the main Mercs of TF2, who can all react to rockets, but that’s still no candle held to All Might!
Durability was no contest, either. The most impressive things Saxton has done himself is trade blows with a yeti, smash through glass, and jump out of airplanes mid-flight. This is being put up against someone who can tank being slammed through several city blocks by All For One, entirely shrug off Katsuki Bakugo’s explosions point-blank, and even endure being struck in several places – including his severe stomach wound – by Noumu, the giant genetic experiment made specifically to be All Might’s antithesis. And those aren’t even his best displays of toughness!
This also strikes down the possibility of Hale taking advantage of the weak spot in All Might’s stomach. If he can survive a punch from the monster made with strength equal to his own, a hit from Saxton isn’t going to have nearly as much effect. And that’s even assuming Saxton would know where the weak spot is – which he wouldn’t! Not even his fourth-wall-breaking powers could make up for such a wide stat gap. By the way, if the insurance doesn’t cover it, I am not paying to fix that wall.
Additionally, Saxton might technically have more experience with fighting than All Might, but experience alone can’t hold up in the face of such overwhelming power. Besides, Mister Hale is no strategist in a good fistfight, as he would more likely than not simply relish an even brawl. He is, after all, without equal within the confines of his own world. Thus, he would find more thrill engaging All Might directly in close quarters combat, where he would be at a massive disadvantage.
Even then, he has very few tools to fight at range, so close quarters is really the only option he has – and it is a consequence of this flaw that the advantages All Might held truly blossomed. Through All Might’s displays of decent strategy and weakness exploitation, there’s no doubting he would be able to figure Saxton out and take him down.
Looks like Saxton got put through living… Hale!
Heehee!
The winner of this Courtroom Conflict is All Might.
All Might (Winner):
+Stronger
+Faster
+More durable
+Probably smarter
+OFA wind pressure leads to ranged advantage
+Greater striking power
Saxton Hale (Loser):
+Likely more experienced
+Has weapons aside from his fists
-No way of knowing about All Might’s weak point
-Not strong enough to push All Might past his time limit