Chapter 8: An Allmighty Meeting
"To see so many heroes in action all at once, can you believe it?! And one of them even having their debut at that! Seriously, how lucky can we be?!" Izuku said excitedly.
"Well, at this point, if I didn't know better, I'ld almost say it has to be a secret quirk of yours, Izu. You're something of a trouble magnet." Mikumi teased.
Izuku turned to his sister with an unimpressed gaze. "Like you're any better, miss clanger."
She laughed and replied "Better than you? Always! And who do you call a clanger, you clanger?" She followed up by her stretching her tounge out. A reaction that Izuku mirrored immediately.
On their way to Aldera this morning, Izuku and Mikumi were fortunate enough to run into a the fight between huge villain and several heroes: Kamui Woods and Mt. Lady were keeping the villain in check while Death Arms and Backdraft made sure no civilian got involved. Naturally, Izuku couldn't possibly miss this opportunity to expand his ever-growing library of hero analysis, something that got him a few well meant chuckles from other observers.
"I still can't believe how that lady presented herself. What a stage hog …" Mikumi grumbled
"What do you mean?"
"… are you serious?"
Izuku blinked few times, not having a clue what his sister was talking about "Uh … yes?"
Mikumi facepalmed. She had known her brother for four years now. Four wonderful years that more than compensated for her life as waif. The siblings were all but inseparable ever since they met, which is why Mikumi knew Izuku in pretty much all his facets and vice versa, his almost sacrificial level of selflessness and top-class analysis skills easily being his most prominent ones.
… the latter, however, seemed to come and go as it pleased because Mikumi swore that boy could very well be the very personification of obliviousness from time to time.
"Nevermind, Izu. Just … nevermind. I just hope you caught everything you need, because this whole thing almost made us come late."
Izuku laughed sheepishly "D-Don't worry, usually we are early, so this should more or less cancel each other out."
"I sure hope so, I don't want to loose our chairs to any of our classmates."
"You and your chairs." He laughed "I think none of our classmates will try and take it from us. Well, more like, from you. After what happened last time someone did …" Izuku digressed
"Hey, that goon had it coming! Not getting the memo and trying to impress Bakago by pissing me off …"
"You didn't have to chew him out and insult him on so many levels. You almost reminded me of-"
"Of whom, huh?"
He immediately cut himself off from making this particular comparison at seeing Mikumis piercing, predatory glare. While Mikumi was almost always a friendly and rather shy girl, Izuku experienced it first hand how she could turn into a fury if someone - especially him - pointed out that notable similarity. That or trying to insult her based on her upbringing or appearance. Words like 'rabid' and 'skunk' especially triggered his sister.
The only thing that could set her off even worse than insulting her was to insult him. While pretty much putting Katsuki into his place back on her first day in class caused most of the other students to stop harassing him for his quirklessness, it didn't stop altogether. There still was the occasional moron that tried to tempt fate by doing just that … and swiftly got taught a lesson or two by his dear sister.
"L-L-Like a, uh, uhm … FEROCIOUS! Y-Yes, you were like a ferocious warrior maid." He sweated bullets and put on a forced grin, hoping she would not explode on him for his near slip up.
She kept her eyes narrowed for a few agonizing seconds before shrugging dismissively "Fair enough. Now let's hurry up already!" she started to jog with a head start, Izuku struggling to catch up.
They arrived at Aldera shortly before the first bell rang. As Izuku predicted, the seats they had occupied the previous years were still free, much to Mikumis elation. They weren't exactly special, not in the foremost row, nor on the window side, but both Midoriyas were, if nothing else, creatures of habit. Once they entered the classroom, both of them sat down and prepared for the first block.
Much to Mikumis charging, Katsuki was once again in the same class as her and Izuku. When he entered, Katsuki shot both of them a hateful glare, which Mikumi returned with the same intensity. Izuku, however, despite having grown less and less afraid of his former friend turned tormentor, still recoiled from Katsukis glare out of instinct. The atmosphere crackled with tension until the glare was broken when Katsuki sat onto his seat, which also was the same as one he occupied the years before.
Once Mr. Igarashi entered and the bell rang, homeroom began with an announcement. "Now that all of you have become third year students, the time has come for you to start thinking about your future. I'll distribute the forms for your career aptitude test now … but I can pretty much guess what all of your dream job is: HEROES!!"
Immediately the class exploded in cheers, each student showing off their quirks. The only ones not partaking in this fete where Izuku, who kept quiet due to his still somewhat prominent insecurities, Mikumi who was trying to get him to be more confident, and Katsuki who simply didn't deem these 'extras', as he liked to call his classmates, worthy of his attention.
The teacher clapped a few times to restore silence "Alright, alright! I know that you all have remarkable quirks, but remember: You are no professional heroes yet! Therefor public usage of quirks is still prohibited. So get a hold of yourselves."
Katsuki snorted and began to gloat. "Tse! Don't place these extras on the same level with myself, teach! I will become the next number one hero while they would be lucky to become a footnote in my memoirs!" The class raised a hue and cry in response.
"Well, you've got your work cut out for you, mister Bakugo. From what I know, you plan to attend U.A. High after finishing Aldera, am I right?" Mr. Igarashi commented, to which another uproar erupted.
"Damn straight, teach!" He climbed onto his desk "U.A. is the best hero school there is, and only the best is good enough for me, because I am the best. Period! All the mock tests I aced were a joke to me. I am the only one at this school with the chance to be accepted! I will climb the rankings and kick All Might from his throne as the top hero! My name will be engraved to the history books!!"
"Yeah, as the worst dickhead to have ever lived, Bakago!" A voice interrupted his monologue. Turning around, he focused at the source that comment originated from. »That insolent goddamn stepsister of Deku!« he seethed mentally. She as well had gotten onto her desk, returning his glare in kind. "All you can achieve with this false bravado of yours is to write history as the fastest kick-out from U.A. once they see your attitude! Because an asshole like you has more chances of becoming a fucking villain rather than a hero!"
The class gasped on hearing Mikumi swear like that. Katsuki was really mad now, and would have loved to put her into her place like he did with everyone else. But, as much as he hated to admit it to himself, after what happened the last time they had fought shortly after they met, he was afraid of her. Knowing that she in theory could strip him off his precious quirk sent chills down his spine every time they made eye contact.
"Mister Bakugo. Miss Midoriya. Get down from your desks before I give you both detention, or worse." Their teacher interrupted their face off. Still growling, they did as demanded while the teacher checked his notes.
Izuku leaned to his sister and whispered "Should I stock up on chocolate again?"
With her eyes going wide and her cheeks blushing for a second, she turned to her brother and lunged to give him a brief hit on the head, which he evaded. "W-Why you- Shush!"
"Oh, would you look at that." began Mr. Igarashi bewildered. "Mister Midoriya has expressed the desire to attend U.A. as well."
This caused everyone, even Katsuki, to focus on Izuku. He sat up as stiffly as a flagpole upon suddenly being the center of attention, which prompted most of his classmates to explode into laughter.
"Are you serious?! Him?!"
"His sister I could imagine, but him?! He doesn't even have a quirk!"
"Exactly! Noone can get into the hero course by studying alone!"
"Can quirkless even apply?!"
Izuku swallowed his nervousness "Y-Yes! U.A. got rid of that rule some time ago!"
"That's right!" Mikumi crossed her arms and smirked "Izuku will be the first quirkless Pro Hero, just you wait!"
Their classmates slowly fell back to a dismissive mumbling, not particularly caring for their delusions. Everyone but Katsuki, that is, who was giving both a stink eye. Then they returned to the lesson.
The rest of the school day passed as slowly as it usually did. By the end of the last lesson, everyone was mentally exhausted and just about done with the day. While Mikumi was busy packing her bag, Izuku gave the latest entry in his Hero Analysis Notes #13 the final touch. Both were so focused with their respective activities that neither noticed how Katsuki downright lunged for Izuku and his notebook.
"We're not done talking yet! I've had it with you, Deku!" He slammed his palm onto the other boys desk and his notebook, causing Izuku to recoil in shock and Mikumi to turn around. Katsuki looked down onto what he caught in his palm. "What the fuck is this, huh? 'Hero Analysis for the Future'? Are you seriously still stalking others and taking notes on how to be a hero?!"
"G-Give it back, Kacchan!!/Give him back his notebook, Bakago!!" The Midoriya siblings bellowed respectively.
Katsuki took one last glance at the notebook before he smirked and exploded it in his palm. Then he threw the scorched notebook out of the window.
"What the hell, Bakago?! What do you think you're doing?!" Mikumi shouted as she walked around her desk and towards him.
"Showing that damn nerd his place, dammit!!" He shouted back "This quirkless freak and his obsession with becoming a hero despite being a good-for-nothing pebble makes me sick!"
"What even is your problem?! There's nothing wrong with having a dream and working hard to achieve it!"
"PAH!! You wanna know? Fine, I'll tell you what pisses me off about you and that fucking nerd! They say that most top heroes already showed potential early on, from their school days even! That the people around them already knew back then that they were destined for greatness!"
Mikumi crossed her arms, positioning herself between him and her brother. "So? What does that have to do with you being an asshole? All I know is that you're a top tier douche-bag!"
Gritting his teeth in anger, he continued "I'M gonna be the ONLY student from this garbage school to get into U.A., you got that?! The people will realize that I'm the next big thing. The next number one!"
"… That's it? That's what all of this is about?! YOUR FUCKING EGO?!"
"IT'S NOT EGO IF IT'S THE TRUTH! I AM THE BEST, GOT IT YOU STRAY SKUNK?!"
Suddenly the entire classroom froze in place, not the slightest noise sounding. And Izuku was even more scared than he's already been up to this point.
Mikumi, in turn, slowly uncrossed her arms "… What … did you just … call me?"
Katsuki smirked like a madman. Internally, he knew and feared what he could be facing in response. But at this point, he didn't care. He wanted to reclaim his status as the king of the class. »It's high time to show her who's really the boss here!« "I said … you are a fucking retarded …" Mikumi started trembling "… rabid …" she clenched her fists "… STRAY …" she bared her teeth "… SKUNK!!"
Her self control having snapped like a strap of rubber, Mikumi let out a bloodcurdling scream and jumped at the cursing blonde like a predator off the leash. She shoved him against the wall and they started to exchange punches while their classmates - safe for Izuku - cheered them on. Katsukis blows were harder, especially when he boosted them using his explosions. But Mikumis came swifter, and in contrast to Katsuki, her regeneration quirk almost instantly erased all traces of wounds or bruises she received. Not that she cared for that anyway. She saw red. And unlike last time they were fighting, she had vastly improved both her overall health and stamina. As the pummeling continued, Katsuki found himself on the losing end, as his stamina was drying up faster than he'ld have expected, while the berserk in shape of a girl just kept on going and going and going. She was just about to break his nose with a final punch when they were interrupted by a teacher storming into the classroom.
"What in the world is going on here?!" He asked before spotting Mikumi, towering over Katsuki with a reeled back arm. He had slumped to the ground in exhaustion during the fight. "MISS MIDORIYA, REMOVE YOURSELF FROM MISTER BAKUGO THIS INSTANT!!!"
Having come back to her senses, Mikumi did as the teacher said, albeit reluctantly. "M-Mister Okabe, I-"
"I don't want to hear any excuses, Miss Midoriya! Detention!"
"W-W-WHAT?! But he started it!! And he-"
"All I'm seeing is a boy beaten bloody and you standing over him without having any traces." At this moment, Mikumi loathed her alibi quirk like never before. "You will stay until dusk for the next 3 weeks and write an essay about strength and how not to abuse it. And it better be at least 40 pages long by the end!"
Cursing under her breath, she unpacked her bag again while Katsuki was lead to the school nurse by one of his goons, despite his protests about being able to work on his own.
"I-I'm sorry, Mikumi." Izuku said as he walked by her. "Now you're in trouble because of me."
She turned to her brother with a sigh and a smile. »This boy, I swear …« "Ok, first off: It's NOT because of you. Bakago is the only one to blame here. No, scratch that: He's always at fault." she put one hand around his neck and gently poked him on his chest with a finger. He was a head or two taller than her by now, but she still made it work "Second: Don't apologize because I had to defend you. You've done the same for me several times. That's what family does, after all." then she hugged him, which he returned without hesitation. "And third: If anything, Ihave to say sorry for not being able to save your notebook. I just hope it didn't fell into the fountain …"
"You and me both …" Izuku sighed and ended the hug "I'm gonna ask mom to put your lunch into a bento for when you get home."
Mikumi beamed "If nothing else, Izuku, you're thenumber one brother! See you at home!"
"See you!" He waved and left the classroom. Outside at the schoolyard, he searched for his notebook and, after some time, found it. To his great relief, it barely missed the fountain, so it was not soaked, but the cover and the first few pages were scorched and partly crumbled.
»Well, at least it's still readable … so not a total loss …« he thought and carefully put it into his schoolbag before he made his way home. Izuku was absorbed in his thoughts, partly still in guilt for what happened between Kacchan and Mikumi, partly because of his own self doubts. He had worked so hard on his confidence ever since his sister came into his life. With at least some success, too. Yet, she still had to fight his battles for him and constantly got in trouble for his sake.
He was halfway through the tunnel he and Mikumi tended to use as a shortcut when he suddenly heard something disturbing from behind. Gulping and sweating bullets, he slowly turned around … and what he saw made his blood run cold.
Sludge. A massive wall of a squirming, sickeningly dark green sludge emerged from the sewer lid in the middle of the street. It kept growing in size, its shadow shrouding the tunnel in darkness. And if that wasn't frightening enough to Izuku, it suddenly popped out eyes and a mouth, which was curved into a mad grin.
»Is-Is-Is-Is that a v-v-villain?!«
The Sludge Villain started chuckling "Well well well, what a stroke of luck. A neat, medium sized flesh cloak …"
Hearing that and knowing what it implied, Izuku tried to make a run for it, but the villain caught up with him effortlessly and encased the poor boy with his slimy body. Izuku immediately attempted to free himself, clawing with all his might to free himself, but he couldn't get a hold on the liquid body that was cutting off his air supply.
"Don't worry." The villain began "I'm just gonna take over your body. Stop resisting, it'll only hurt for a short time. Soon it will be over …" he laughed like a madman, almost in joy "Thanks for your serving as my ticket to freedom, kid. You're my personal hero. I'ld never have thought he was in this city, I have to get outta here ASAP."
»I-I can't … breath …« he gagged »My body is … getting weak … I … I think I'm dying … this … this can't be the end … I can't leave Mikumi and mom … please, somebody … anybody … help …«
And as if his prayers were answered, just before Izuku blacked out, the sewer lid shot out the ground and embedded itself in the ceiling. Startled by the ruckus, the villain twisted his eyes backwards and spotted the one who pursued him all day.
"Have no fear, young man …" the newcomer began as he emerged from the sewers. "Everything is alright now … Why? Because I AM HERE!"
"Oh shit!!" Panicking, the villain lashed out. But his chaser effortlessly dodged and prepared his counterattack.
"TEXAS SMAAAASH!!!!" With a mighty punch, he unleashed a powerful blast of air. The wind pressure shredded the sludge villain into minuscule splotches, releasing Izuku from his death grip.
Barely conscious, Izuku opened his eyes and managed to catch one last glimpse at his savior.
»Is that … All Might? …« Izuku thought before he inevitably passed out.
He wasn't sure how long he was knocked out, but at some point he was waking up to rapid cheek slaps into his face.
"Hey …" a voice said "Wake up … HEY!!" The last slightly stronger slap finally brought Izuku back to the land of the awake. "Oh, good! Though I lost you there, young man."
Blinking a few times, trying to regain his focus, Izuku got the shock of his life when he saw that it truely was his idol All Might who saved him. Old habits immediately kicked in and he quickly reverted into his fanboy mode.
"UAHHHH! A-A-A-A-A-ALL M-M-M-M-MIGHT!!!!" he exclaimed and jumped to his feet.
"Well, I'm glad you're okay and moving around all right! Sorry about getting you caught up in my villain fighting back there, I don't usually make mistakes like this. But this city's sewer system is pretty difficult to navigate through."All Might finished his explanation with a booming laugh, Izuku meanwhile struggled to find his voice and form words. "Anyway, you were a big help, thank you! I've captured him safely!" He said, presenting him two bottles with the sludge villains remains contained within.
»I-I-I can't believe it!! All Might! The most amazing hero in the entire world! H-He's the real thing, standing right in front of me! In the flesh! He looks completely different in person, so much cooler!« He mentally gasped »A-AN AUT-AUT-AUTOGRAPH! Holy crap, I gotta get an autograph! Where's my notebook?! It's gotta be around here somewhere.«He frantically looked for his notebook and spotted it after a few seconds. Opening it on the first empty page he could remember, he found it already signed »AAAAAH! He gave me his autograph!!!«
He turned back to his idol and started bowing profusely "Th-Thank youso very much, All Might! I'm gonna make this a family heirloom! A treasure to be passed down to future generations!"
All Might gave him a thumbs-up "Alright, you do that! Welp, I need to take this guy to the police so they can take care of him. See you again on the other side of the screen!"
"W-Wait, you're leaving?! Already?!"
"Afraid so! Pro Heroes have to constantly fight both enemies and the clock."
Izuku took a hesitant step forward »Wait … He can't go yet. … There are still … so many things I have to ask …«
"Well then …" All Might crouched down, preparing to jump off "I'm counting on your continued support! Now stand back, I'm gonna take off. Thanks for your continuous support!" and with a mighty jump, he was midair in an instant …
… Meanwhile in a certain classroom …
Mikumi was currently writing on the 15th page of her 3rd attempt for her penalty essay when strange feeling overcame her out of nowhere. »… why do I suddenly get the feeling that Izuku did something insanely reckless and stupid?« She blinked a few times before shaking her head and returning to her work.
… Back to All Might …
"Huh?" He felt something clinging on his leg and looked down, only to see the boy he just saved holding onto his leg for dear life, the wind deforming his face into a hideous grimace.
"Hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, what do you think you're doing?!" He said in shock and tried to shake the boy off "Let go of me! I love my fans but your fanaticism is way too much!"
"No way! If I let go now, I'll fall to my death!"
"Oh …" Good point …"
"I-I-I j-j-j-j-j-just h-have so many things I alw-w-w-w-ways wanted to a-a-a-a-ask you in p-person! You're my m-m-m-most favorite hero of all time, All Might! PLEASE!!!"
"Okay, okay, I get it, geez! Just shut your eyes and mouth while we're midair for goodness' sake!"
Not one to argue, Izuku did as ordered and buried his face in All Might's leg, who in turn grabbed ahold of him. Without Izuku noticing, he coughed up a small amount of blood. »Shit … I have to make this quick.« He thought and headed for the closest building to land on.
Once they arrived, Izuku let go and took some deep breaths "Th-That was scary … My whole life just flashed before my eyes …" »… and it was terribly boring …«
"Good grief, kid, that was a very stupid move."All Might sighed "Bang on the door for a while, I'm sure someone will let you in. Now I seriously have to go. See you!" he turned and walked towards the edge of the roof.
"W-Wait, not yet!" Izuku reached out "One more second!"
"No! I will not wait!"
"WAIT, I HAVE TOO KNOW!" He desperately shouted, flashbacks from past conversations flooding his mind. Of the doctor who diagnosed him as quirkless. Of his mother who cried rivers and apologizing several times over. Of his classmates - especially Kacchan - calling him worthless and making fun of him …
… but at the same time he recalled memories about Mikumi. How she always stood up for him. How she cheered him on, no matter what … how she called him his hero, while simultaneously, she was his hero as well …
»Sometimes, despite everything, I still feel like I'm a failure … But even so, I'm not gonna give up. Ever! After all, I promised her!« Clenching his fists and steeling his resolve, he spoke up. "Is it possible for someone to become a hero? Can they, if they train hard and dedicate themselves to it? Even if they don't have a quirk?"
All Might stopped in his tracks.
"Can even someone quirkless … s-someone like me … become a hero like you?"
For several seconds, not a single word was uttered. The only noise that passed both the ears of Izuku and All Might came from the occasional breeze blowing across the roof. Izuku whimpered and looked down, nervously waiting for an answer from his idol.
After what seemed like an agonizing eternity, All Might finally spoke. "… becoming a hero without a quirk?" Before he could say anything else, he felt a familiar ache in his side and vapor started to emit from all over him. »Oh fuck … No, not now, not here …«
Taking that for his signal to continue, Izuku started rambling and fiddling around with his hands. "Y-You see … other people tend to think that I don't have a chance at achieving my dream. That not having any kind of power makes me a weakling. U-Useless even." he sighed and looked down "For most of my life, most of my classmates like to make fun of me … some still do … b-but at the same time, I have people that believe in-in me despite everything. A-And you know what? That fact alone makes me all the more want to prove all of those disbelievers wrong!" he clenched his fists "For as long as I can remember, saving people in distress has in my opinion been the greatest thing anyone can do. I want to do the same you do. To show my fearless smile, to make people feel safe when I'm around and to be the kind of hero everyone looks up to for both guidance and hope! Just like you!"
The moment Izuku finished his speech, he looked up again, expecting to see his favourite hero in front of him … but instead of seeing the Symbol of Peace, he saw a scraggy husk of a man barely resembling All Might. His hair looked disheveled, his eyes were sunken almost all the way into his skull, and his clothes were way too big and hung loosely on his skeleton-like body.
Shocked to the core, Izuku screamed at the top of his lungs "UAAAAAAAAAAAA! How?! … I … wait … who … What happened?! You deflated! Where did All Might go? You … you're not him. You can't be him! You're a fake, you have to be! IMPOSTER!"
The man sighed in defeat "I can assure you that I really am All mi-uaaah!" he suddenly spit out a mouthful of blood, startling Izuku even more "Well, do you know how some people at the pool are sucking in and flexing, trying to hold their buff? It's the same for me, basically."
"No … no, that can't be true. I must be dreaming … or rather, having a nightmare …" Izuku argued with himself in vain "The hero known as All Might is a colossus of a man. Someone who saves everyone, who overcomes all obstacles despite the odds and saves the day with a fearless smile."
"'A fearless smile', huh?" the gaunt man sighed "There's nothing fearless about that smile, young man. In fact, there's plenty of fear behind it, let me tell you." he began to say as he slowly slid down the balustrade. "I'm counting on you to keep your mouth shut about what I'm going to tell you next. So don't post this online or tell your friends or family or whatever, you got that?"
Izuku wanted to ask what he meant by that, but before he even could utter so much as a single sound, All Might lifted his shirt and exposed something that would haunt the boys nights for the rest of his life: Covering the most part of the mans left abdomen was a gruesome scar. The skin and flesh surrounding it looked like they were warped and sucked into a single spot and fixed in place with lots of stitches. It was like something had sucked out his guts, and it almost caused Izuku to spill his own.
"I know, pretty gross, am I right? A remnant of a big fight from five years ago. My respiratory system got all but destroyed, my whole stomach ripped out. I had countless surgeries which have pretty much worn me out. But despite all efforts, it can't be fixed. Nowadays, the time I can do hero work is limited to 3 hours a day at most … and the rest of the time, I look like this."
"… N- … No way … Wait a second, did you say five years? You mean Toxic Chainsaw did this to you?"
"Huh, you know your stuff. But no, that punk couldn't bring me down even though he did land some hits. No, most of the world has never even heard of the fight I was talking about. I did everything I could to cover it up and erase all information about it to make it this way. After all, I'm supposed to be the guy who always smiles. The symbol of peace, right? People around the globe see me as unwavering. Have to, even. But to be honest, that smile everyone sees as a beacon of safety is really just my way to cover up my fears and self-doubts. It's just a brave face I put on when everything is at stake. A mask, for all intents and purposes."
He paused for a second, giving Izuku the chance to process it all.
"This job is far from easy, kid. Pro Heroes risk their lives at any given moment. And some villains just can't be defeated with smarts, skills and brawn alone. So as much as it hurts me to burst your bubble, but no. I don't believe you can be a hero without having a quirk. Even if you would train your body and mind to what is humanly possible."
Hearing those words, from his idol no less, utterly shattered all the fragile confidence Izuku had rebuilt to this date. "I … I see …"
"Look, young man …" he said as he got up and walked to the roofs door "There is nothing wrong with wanting to help people. And I don't say you shouldn't, absolutely not. But you should pick a way that's more realistic. Doctors, for example. Or police officers. Sure, ever since heroes came into play and started to take care of criminals and villains alike, they have more or less faded into the background, but it is still and always will be a highly regarded profession." And just like that, he vanished into the stairwell, leaving the devastated Izuku behind.
Closing the door behind him, All Might exhaled in frustration and walked down the stairs. »Way to go, Toshi. Way to go …« he began to berate himself »There he is, a boy pouring out his heart to you and you destroy him, saying the one thing he probably has heard so many times over …« he facepalmed and ran his hand through his hair »As much as I wanted to make sure he doesn't get himself killed fighting the odds, I probably should have said it differently. In a less scorning way … right? Or was it not serious enough?« ruffling his hair frustration, All Might stopped half a floor down the stairs »Argh, that is driving me nuts! How do teachers deal with this every day?! I really have to pull myself together, sooner rather than later, if I want my plan to wor-blagh!« He coughed up blood and quickly wiped it off before sighing »Whatever, no need to get myself worked up so much about this … besides, I still have to get this vill- huh?!«
The number one hero reached for the bottles he had detained the sludge villain in mere moments ago, only to discover that his pockets were empty. "Oh no …" he started to hectically look around for them … until he heard a large explosion and saw a menacing plume of smoke in the far distance. And quickly connecting the dots, he paled as he was overwhelmed with dread.
Barely registering that All Might had left, Izuku lost himself in his personal abyss of despair. »… So … even All Might tells me to give up, huh? … to let go of my dream …« he chuckled humorlessly as he approached the balustrade »And here I thought I could prove them all wrong … that I could make up for my 'birth defect' by learning and through exercises …« He gripped the rail with both hands to the point his knuckles went white. As he looked down the building, a faint voice that strangely enough sounded like Katsuki encouraged him to jump. And he had already lifted his onto the rail when another voice stopped him in his tracks, accompanied by flashes showing his mother and sister smiling at him. »What the hell was that? … Did I really just thought about … jumping? he slapped himself »Idiot. Don't you start seeing yourself as a useless Deku now, too … If not for your sake, then because of Mikumi. Remember how the saying goes?« "'Falling down is allowed, getting up is mandatory'."
Before Izuku could argue further with himself, he was literally shaken out of his thoughts by the loud bang of a detonation. He spotted its origin immediately, straight ahead and far away in the distance. "That must be another villain!" he concluded and went for the exit "I wonder which heroes are gonna face-" he stopped mid-step, All Mights words rearing their ugly heads and echoing through his mind once more, reopening the fresh wound he just had stitched together. Shaking his head to dismiss the negativity, he kept on going.
»HOW COULD I BE SO RECKLESS?!« All Might chided himself, running as fast as he could in his deflated form, his one left lung burning like a furnace. »I paid so much attention to that boy and had only eyes for my time limit! So much so that I didn't even notice dropping these goddamn bottles on the way!«
After arriving at the crime scene at long last, he had to grab on a lantern pole to steady himself and to catch his breath. In front of him, a small crowd had gathered, watching the events unfolding inside the alley. Stretching his neck to look over them, All Might saw how the sludge villain and a student he must have taken hostage were surrounded by several fire walls. There were other heroes present, but they didn't move so much as a finger to save the hostage, even though he could see it in their body language that they clearly wanted to, as well as by what he overheard them saying.
"There's nothing we can do! We lack the right quirks to take on this villain."
"All we can do is damage control until we get a hero with a more suitable quirk help!"
"Blast it! With enough power I could sweep that bastard away!"
»'With more power', huh? And here I am, with enough power but unable to act! And right after lecturing this young boy about the very same situation I find myself in now! … I'm such a hypocrite …« He held his scar, clenching his hand around it in frustration.
Meanwhile, as he walked through the streets without a particular destination in mind, Izuku browsed through his scorched notebook. The voices of his classmates and pretty much everyone else who ever had told him to give up ringing through his mind … including All Mights … in constant dispute with the voices of his family. Every insult and discouragement he recalled was swiftly sniffed out and replaced by Mikumis words of confidence. Her declarations of how she believed in him despite all odds being against him, and how she'ld box him through any obstacle if she had to. Shaking his head for what must have been the hundredth time within the past half an hour, he did his best to solely focus on the latter and washed away the tears that were in the process of forming. »No giving up now, Izuku. Mikumi believes in you with all her heart! If I started to listen to them now I'ld betray all the faith she has put into me.« he thought as he put on a determined face and kept on walking.
That's when another explosion jarred the surroundings, Izuku turned towards its origin instinctively. As it seemed, he had involuntary walked towards the site he had spotted from the roof earlier. His curiosity getting the better of him as usual, he joined the crowd to watch the events … and as he spotted the sludge villain, it left him horrified. »Wait a second, that can't be right! This is the same guy All Might saved me from earlier. He had him in his bott- … bottles …« A flashback ran in front of his inner eye, showing him the empty pockets of the deflated form of All Might. »No … he … he must have dropped them when I …« the realization hit him like a freight train, causing him to drop his notebook as he grasped his hair in shock. »It's … it's my fault … all of this happens because of me!« He almost lost himself completely in his self-dispute again, if it weren't for the bystanders constant commentaries.
"The heroes are just standing there doing nothing, why?!"
"They can't do anything because of the hostage, I think …"
"Wait a second, I know this guy! That's the villain All Might has been after all day!"
"Well where is he then?! Why is he not intervening?! What is he waiting for?! It's already been close to 20 minutes!"
Hearing all of these exclamations rattled Izuku even further. »That poor hostage has been struggling this whole time?! I couldn't even bear it for a single minute! And the heroes … standing there, waiting for help to arrive … help that won't come because All Might has spent his time limit rescuing my sorry ass!! … Guess what All Might said was true. Even with a quirk, they are helpless … what chances does someone quikless have?«
Unbeknownst to Izuku, All Might found himself in a similar state of mind. »What kind of hero am I … a citizen in danger, and all I can do is watch …« He clenched his hands into fists »I'm pathetic … a disgrace of a hero … not worthy the name at all …«
Both kept looking at the unfolding scene, completely frozen in place because of fear and self-loathing. But then, by chance, Izukus eyes crossed with those of the hostage. Eyes that he recognized all too well … because they belonged to his former sandbox friend, Katsuki.
»… Kacchan? … KACCHAN!!!« And before he even thought about it, Izuku dashed forward through the crowd, past the heroes and towards the sludge villain.
»Wait, am I running?! … I'M RUNNING!! WHY AM I RUNNING!! WHAT AM I THINKING?! AND WHY CAN'T I STOP?!?!« Everyone behind him called out for him to turn around before he got himself killed, but he ignored them all, focusing solely on the sludge villain who had by now taken notice of him as well and prepared to swipe him away. »Ok, ok Izuku, Think! THINK!! Whattodo,whattodo,whattodo?!« His brain went into overdrive, scrolling through his memorized notes until he found a suitable solution. »THAT'S IT!!« Swinging his backpack off his back, he threw it towards the only part of the sluge villain that he knew was solid: His eyes!
"Take this!!" he shouted as the backpacks' contents spilled out and hit their mark, causing the villain to flinch away and loosening his hold on Katsuki, who took a deep breath and coughed. Using the villains moment of distraction, Izuku started to try and dig Katsuki out of the sludge.
"DEKU?! WHAT THE HELL DO YOU THINK YOU'RE DOING?!"
"I HAVE NO IDEA!! I JUST MOVED WITHOUT THINKING!!" He kept trying, but no matter how much sludge he moved away, it was no use. "BUT I COULDN'T DO NOTHING!! YOUR EYES SCREAMED FOR HELP, AND I JUST HAD TO ANSWER THAT CALL!!"
But before Katsuki could respond to that, the recovered sludge villain sucked him further into himself and lunged for Izuku. "YOU HAVE BEEN A PAIN IN MY ASS FOR WAY TOO LONG, BRAT!! DIIIIEEE!!!!"
Upon witnessing the boy - the very same boy he had told earlier to let his dream go - found the courage to do just that, which even the Pro Heroes present were not willing to risk, All Might could feel determination sparking within his heart. »No! I can't let that boy get himself killed for doing my job!« He sucked his breath in, buffing back up into his hero form in spite of the excruciating pain that flooded his system. »I won't let this happen, to hell with the consequences!!«
Time froze as Izuku saw his imminent doom. All the heroes who were previously idly standing by reached out to safe him, but to no avail. The punch hit and a loud bang rushed through the alley as a dust cloud enveloped the scene. And as it settled, everyone expecting the brave but stupid boy to have been crushed instead saw All Might protectively standing in between Izuku and his attacker.
"Goddammit, kid … you really showed me my place, huh? … There I am, berating you of what it takes to be a hero … and then I fail at standing up to my own advice …" All Might grunted, steam still emitting from his body. Izuku could only stare in awe at his idol saving his life for the second time that day. Then he grabbed Katsukis wrist. "The very essence of being a hero … is to always risk their lives!" And with one mighty pull, All Might released Katsuki from the sludge villains grasp before finishing it off with one single punch. "DEEETROOOIIT SMAAAASH!!!!!"
The resulting gusts not only scattered the villains' sludge across the alley and almost blew away both the onlookers and the other heroes, it also caused the weather to change into a downpour, which quickly extinguished the remaining fires. And once everything calmed down, the crowds erupted in cheers. The police arrived soon after, collecting every single piece of sludge left and secured them within dozens of trash bags. While All Might was interviewed by the reporters and Katsuki celebrated by the Pro Heroes for his strength, bravery and endurance, Izuku got lectured for his recklessness. At least, until a certain greenette decided enough was enough.
"AT LEAST I DID SOMETHING!" He suddenly snapped, taking the wind out of their sails. "HOW COME THAT I - A QUIRKLESS BYSTANDER - ACTED WHY ALL THE PRESENT PRO HEROES HESITATED?! 'UNTIL A MORE SUITABLE QUIRK ARRIVES'! ARE YOU KIDDING ME?! WHILE YOU WERE KICKING YOUR HEELS, THE HOSTAGE COULD HAVE DIED!!" Izuku didn't wait for a reply and just ripped his backpack - or what was left of it, at least - out of the speechless heroes' grasp - Death Arms, as his mentally ingrained hero trivia so unhelpfully provided - and departed before anyone could stop him.
It wasn't until sunset that Izuku calmed down enough to think straight again. He wanted to apologize to All Might for the trouble he caused, as well as thanking him for saving him again. But if he remembered correctly, the reporters had him surrounded for the entire time. "Well, there is still his homepage. I can just post my message there … although after everything that happened today, I doubt he'll respond … or he will choose to straight up ignore me from berating the other Pro Heroes … even though they had it coming …"
"DEKU!!!"
Hearing his unfortunate nickname, Izuku turned around to see Katsuki running after him. "Kacchan? What do you want?"
Katsuki took some deep breaths once he caught up. Then, he started to growl out what he wanted to say. "Clean out your ears, Nerd, because I'm only going to say this once … Just so that we are clear! I never asked for your useless help, got it?! I didn't need it! I had him exactly where I wanted him and could have freed myself anytime!! And it was All Might who saved me in the end, not you, dammit!! So don't think even for a second that I owe you anything!! And don't you dare brag about it to anyone, especially to your sister! No way in hell am I gonna be looked down on like that, let alone by a pathetic, quirkless bastard like you, Deku!!" and with that, he turned around and stomped his way home.
Not even surprised by this reaction, Izuku only sighed and got back on track. "Even tho I didn't accomplish anything in the end … I at least tried. I didn't run away or sat idly by, but actually rushed in to help. That has to count for something, right?"
As if to answer his question, All Might chose this very moment to come sliding around the corner out of nowhere, startling Izuku half to death.
"I AM HERE!!" he said, followed by a booming laughter
"What the- ALL MIGHT?! Where in the world did you come from? Weren't you swarmed by reporters up until now? How could you shake them off so fast?"
All Might kept laughing "Oh that? That's one of my easiest exercises, kid. After all, I am ALL MI-BWAARGHH!!!" He deflated mid sentence and spilled a mouthful of blood, startling Izuku for the umpteenth time that day. "Sorry about that … and speaking of apologies, young man … I owe you both an apology and my gratitude. For showing and reminding me of my own words and actions. What you did there, running into danger without hesitation, despite the risks … it inspired me. Without you doing my job for me, I would probably have stayed with the crowd until it was too late."
"I-I inspired you?! Nononono, if anything, I just made up for my mistake. If it wouldn't have been for me, you would have gotten that villain to the police right after saving me, and the whole disaster wouldn't have happened in the first place …"
"Maybe, maybe not. He might have escaped at a later time, during relocation to the prison, or maybe even in mid-air. But the what ifs and maybes don't matter. What happened, happened. And what did happen was that a fearful, quirkless boy which I had previously scolded and told to abandon his dream for that very reason … proved that he had more courage and was more of a hero than every other Pro Hero present, myself included."
Izuku stared at his idol in disbelief, not able to utter a single word.
"You know, kid … legend has it that most heroes who achieved greatness and inspired generations to come, have one very particular trait in common: Whenever they saw an act of injustice or a life on the line, they didn't think before helping them. No … they just did it, without hesitation. Their bodies moved all on their own … just like with you today, am I right?"
Slowly, it dawned on Izuku what All Might was implying. At first, he was in denial, refusing to believe it. But step by step, clarity set in and filled both his heart and soul with warmth. A warmth that he only ever felt once before, when a certain girl entered his life and devoted hers to his happiness.
"Young man, what I told you back on the roof … was wrong. The wrongest thing I have ever said out loud … and I am here to tell you what I truly believe, with all my heart …"
Clutching his heart and crying tears of joy, Izuku fell to his knees as he heard the words he longed for from his parents for so long.
"… you CAN become a hero."
He wasn't sure how long he stayed like this. A few seconds, a few minutes, or even a few hours. All he knew was that all these voices that used to haunt him day after day, saying he should give up, finally faded away for good. Those few words, spoken from his idol, were like a lifebelt which pulled his drowning self into safety, and taking an insane amount of luggage off his shoulders.
"And not just any hero. No kid, you have what it takes to become the number one hero of your generation. To take my place."
Izuku slowly looked back up "T-To take your place? B-B-B-But how?!"
"By passing on my torch to you. I have made my decision, young man. You shall inherit my quirk."
There was a long pause after All Might said this, as Izuku had to deal with what had to be the worst case of a mental vinyl scratch in history.
After a minute of unnerving muteness, All Might got worried that he may have broken the poor boy. He stepped forth, knelt down in front of him, waved his hand and snapped a few times without getting any kind of reaction out of him "Erm … I know that this is a lot to take in at once, but … uh … are you alright?"
Slowly, Izuku.exe rebooted and he was able to form coherent words again. "You … Are you saying you can give your quirk to someone else?!" he exclaimed, only to immediately be shushed by his favorite hero.
"Not so loud!! That's not something you should shout out aloud!!" He whisper-shouted and quickly looked around to check if anyone heard them. Fortunately, nobody had. "Listen … uhm, what is your name by the way, young man?"
Realizing that he never formally introduced himself, Izuku jumped to his feet and made up for his omission. "I-I-I'm sorry!! I'm Izuku M-Midoriya! It's-It's an honor to o-pficially meet you, All Might!!"
Chuckling about the boys reinvigorated zeal, All Might too stood back up. "I'm happy to meet you too, young Midoriya. And please, while I'm in this form, call my by my civil name, Toshinori Yagi."
Izuku broadly smiled with stars in his eyes after learning the actual name of his most admired hero "G-Got it All Might! AAHH, I MEANT, uh, Yagi-sama! NO WAIT, Might- no! Wait! DAMMIT! MISTER YAGI, err …" He groaned and facepalmed in embarrassment "… moron!"
All Might, however, took Izukus flounder in stride and laughed in amusement "It's alright, young Midoriya. This will take some getting used to, I'm sure." Calming down from his laughter, he got serious again. "But to get back to the point: What I'm about to tell you is one of - if not THE - most closely guarded secret in the world. And it absolutely MUST stay that way, understand?" Izuku nodded, understanding what All Might implied. "Ever since my debut, journalists and quirk-scientists alike have wondered just what my quirk is. Super-Strength. Invulnerability. An overall Enhancer. People have made up a wide variety of theories and rumors about it. But as you probably know very well, whenever someone asked me about it, I never answered them but instead distracted them and dodged the question."
Izuku knew exactly what All Might meant. He himself had spent quite a lot of time theorizing about his idols quirk and scoured the internet for hints and theories, to no avail.
"The reason for this is that my quirk truly is one of a kind. Not comparable with other peoples quirks and defying all the established theories of what quirks are in general. Because, you see, calling this quirk mine is actually wrong. It was given to me, I wasn't born with it."
Hearing that made Izuku go slackjawed. »No way … All Might … the greatest hero in the world … was born without this quirk? But would that mean-« holding on to that thought, he quickly shook his head "H-HOLD ON A SECOND!! If … if you were born without thisquirk, then does that mean you were born … QUIRKLESS?!" Rage started to monopolized his body, visibly so. "YOU BECAME A HERO DESPITE BEING BORN QUIRKLESS AND THEN HAVE THE GULL TO BERATE ME FOR WISHING TO DO JUST THAT?! TELLING ME THAT IT'S UNREALISTIC DESPITE YOU YOURSELF BEING THE LIVING PROOF OF THE OPPOSITE?!"
All Mights eyes widened like saucers, and he actually started to feel really sheepish about it "Erm, w-well if-if you put it in that way, I … I do appear like a hypocrite, don't I. But in my defense, I couldn't exactly tell you about a secret of that magnitude out of nowhere?!"
"You told me about your big fight and showed me your scar not even a minute before! That was a huge secret, too, was it not?!"
"Uh, another fair point, but it's not the same! You saw my true form. You left me no choice but to tell you."
»He's … not wrong there.« Izuku sighed, trying his best to calm down as he understood where All Might came from. "Alright, s-sorry for my outburst. I just felt … betrayed, to be honest."
"I get it, kiddo. Trust me, I feel really bad about what I said. It's just that, if the public would get wind of this, their trust in me would be lost for good and society as we know it would most likely collapse." Briefly shaking his had, All Might got back on track with what he actually wanted to tell the boy. "But that's in the past now. You've proved me wrong in the end, that's all that counts. And now, please listen closely …"
Izuku put on a determined face, ready to memorize every single word of what the number one hero was about to tell him.
"It is true what I said before. I can transfer my quirk to someone else, granting them all of my abilities. But there's more to my quirk than just that. One person inherits it, nurtures it, and hands it to another one. And every time this quirk gets passed on, it becomes greater. Stronger. Filled with the hopes and devotion of its owner. This quirk is the very manifestation of justice, the combined effort of all those which came before me. And the name of this quirk, this beacon of heroism … is ONE FOR ALL!"
"One For All …" Izuku repeated in awe "… and you … now you want to give this quirk to me?".
"Yes. Ever since my injury, I have looked far and wide for a successor, but none caught my eye like you have. Not even close. When you acted where nobody else dared to move, even when you were terrified, I finally saw the very spark within you that I have desperately searched for in others."
"That's … I don't know what to say … b-but am I really doing justice to that? It sounds like it comes with a great responsibility …".
"As it always does with great powers … However, I am not forcing you into a destiny you might not want. I'm merely suggesting it to you. In the end, the choice, young Midoriya, is yours. And only yours."
Taking a deep breath, his eyes welling up with tears again, Izuku didn't even have to think it through. The choice was clear. "How could I say no to this? It's what I have been praying for all my life. If you really deem me worthy of becoming your successor, All M- err , mister Yagi, then, yes … I accept!"
All Might smirked "Full of determination, and not a hint of hesitancy. That's exactly what I was hoping to hear, young Midoriya! Although we definately have to work on your waterworks, young man." He let out a booming laughter that Izuku joined in with an embarrassed chuckle "Alright then, now that you have accepted, there is a lot to prepare."
"Prepare? How so?"
"Well, young Midoriya, before I can give you One For All, we have to get you ready for it. Do you know where the Takoba Municipal Beach is?"
"Uh, yes?"
"Perfect! Meet me there on Sunday at 5 in the morning. And just to make sure, one thing has to be absolutely clear, I will say it again: No one, and I mean NO ONE, must know about One For All. Especially not your family."
Izuku gulped at the serious, almost threatening tone in All Mights voice "Y-Yes, sir! I won't let you down!"
"Never crossed my mind!" All Might laughed "But speaking of family, yours must be worried sick about you by now. So better rush home!"
Looking up to the sky and realizing the sun had indeed sunken very low, Izuku was overcome with panic "OH NO, YOU'RE RIGHT!!! THANKSFOREVERYTHING,ALLMIGHT!!SEEYOUONSUNDAY!!" He shouted in one breath while dashing down the road in a speed that would make the likes of Ingenium jealous.
All Might looked after him, smiling. »He's a dork, alright. But has his heart in the right place.« Then he turned around and walked down another road … only to stop in confusion after a few steps "Now where have I parked that stupid pickup? …"