Chapter 4: The Next All Might
And so All Might told me what he knew about One for All, and more importantly, about All for One. With some gentle prodding and some leading questions, I was able to draw out everything All Might knew at this point in time. All Might had left out the drama regarding his relationship with Sir Nighteye, and there were some things he was yet to discover, such as the vestiges and the fact that One for Allcould only be passed to the quirkless, at least without drastically shortening the inheritors lifespan, but those weren't going to come up in casual conversation. His fallout with Nighteye would be broached in good time, and the other topics could wait until the vestiges reached out to me, or until All Might dug into the lives of the past users.
"Now you know everything. The complete history of One for All, and how I got to this point." All Might finished, eyeing me warily, as if he feared his newly minted successor would flee any second.
I had kept a carefully neutral expression throughout All Might's story, making sure not to show any sign that he was simply reciting things I already knew.
"Thank you for telling me all of that, All Might. Knowledge is power, after all." I said, giving him a grateful smile.
All Might tentatively returned it, before asking hesitantly. "You are still willing to inherit this power? To become my successor, even knowing the threat to your own life?"
I nodded resolutely. "Absolutely. Like I said, All Might, no matter what you had told me the dangers were, I still would have accepted. I do have one question though."
All Might gave another proud smile. "Of course, my boy. What is it?"
"You said that you killed All for One, but it seems like you doubt yourself on that. Do you have reason to believe he is still alive?" I asked.
All Might clenched his fists at his side, his features twisted into a frown as he stared out at the ocean. "I don't know. His body was broken and horribly burned at the end of our fight, and his regenerative quirks had been completely overwhelmed. All for One's underlings pulled him away as my mentor Gran Torino rushed me to the nearest hospital for my own life threatening injuries, so we never recovered the body. There has been no sign of him since, and all of his followers appear to have scattered to the wind, forming their own petty gangs or disappearing entirely. There is no reason to believe he lives, and yet…"
"We'll just have to be vigilant. If he returns, we'll be ready." I stepped forward and reached up to place a reassuring hand on All Might's shoulder. "You weren't ready to stand at Nana's side when she faced him, but I will be ready to stand at yours. Together, we will defeat him."
All Might turned to me and blinked in surprise before the proud smile returned to his face. "You remind me a lot of myself at your age, young Midoriya. And you're right, if All for One ever returns, we will both be there to stop him."
Enjoying the sounds of the ocean for a moment, I stepped back and addressed All Might again. "I'm glad we talked about all of this, but I also wanted to discuss my training with you."
If it was physically possible in real life, I have no doubt that All Might would have sweatdropped in that moment. He started to laugh before another hacking cough interrupted and he spit up blood.
At least it's more subdued in reality. If he was coughing up the amount he does in the anime, he'd probably die of blood loss within a day.
Shaking his head fondly, All Might replied in exasperation. "You just never quit, do you kid? I appreciate your perseverance, but you need to go home and get some rest. We've been here for a couple hours already. We'll get into your quirk training regimen tomorrow, I promise."
"Oh no, I'm not trying to start training today, All Might. My questions were more macro than micro." I attempted to reassure him.
It was honestly not a big deal if this portion of the process was delayed by a day, but the sooner I got All Might to work on his part of this, the sooner I could begin my training in full.
All Might studied me for a moment before nodding in acceptance. "Alright, what did you have in mind?"
"Well, I had already been thinking about how to handle One for All before you explained a bit about the transfer. You mentioned that I would need to train my body before you could pass it on to me. I take it there's a very good reason for that?" I answered.
"Yes, I'm afraid that the power stored within One for All is immense, especially after over forty years stockpiling within me. When I first inherited One for All, I was able to wield it at full strength immediately and without issue, but One for All is no longer what it was when my master passed it on to me. I was tall and lanky at your age, though not entirely lacking in muscle. With how strong One for All is now, I doubt my younger self could have handled it at even half strength without breaking something. To be brutally honest, you are of far slighter build than I was. It will take everything we can do to ensure you are able to wield this power at all by the time of the UA entrance exam." All Might stated soberly.
Well, this is new. In canon, All Might pretty much told Izuku to 'break a leg'. This definitely falls in line with the 'reality' changes I have begun to notice. Everyone in the anime always talked about All Might having genius level hero intellect. It actually shows in this world.
I brought a hand to my chin and pretended to contemplate All Might's words. I had already come to the same conclusion about why All Might was able to immediately wield One for All long before I came to this world. Luckily, I had plenty of time to come up with a plan during the walk to Dagoba Beach.
"You're right. My frame does limit my ability to wield One for All, but I think I have a solution." As I was about to present my plan, the words caught in my throat as I realized one glaring flaw.
Shit, this will be expensive. I totally forgot that while All Might has contacts, niche specialities like this won't be something he can call upon easily.
"What is it, young Midoriya? It seems like you just realized a problem." All Might asked worriedly.
Well this will be kind of awkward.
"Oh! It's just that… Well, I came up with an idea that could mitigate the risks and provide other benefits as well, but I didn't even think about the cost, and my mom and I don't have that much money…" I trailed off uncomfortably.
I know All Might won't mind, but I still hate to impose on him like this. Once I go pro, I'm definitely going to pay him back. Maybe some kind of crazy advanced stomach and lung reconstruction surgery? All Might did say it couldn't be fixed, but you never know. Maybe I can have Hatsume turn him into a cyborg.
All Might released a bark of laughter which immediately segued into another bloody coughing fit, but quickly recovered and flashed a bright smile. "Young Midoriya, you are my chosen successor! You don't have to worry about anything like that. If you need anything at all to help with your training and development, just let me know. Even recreational items you may want, but those will have some price limits and will only be for things like your birthday or Christmas. That means no motorcycles in order to impress the girls in your class, young man." He finished with a teasing grin.
I laughed and waved off the offer of luxury items. "I really appreciate it All Might, but I'm going to be terribly uncomfortable even asking for the necessities. I could never ask for something just because I want it."
All Might nodded in approval. "I fought Nana every time she tried to help me out financially as well. You really are just like I was at your age." A fond smile came over him as he looked into the distance, no doubt reminiscing about simpler times long ago.
Snapping himself from his memories, All Might motioned for me to continue.
"Right. Well, I was going to ask if you knew anyone who had a quirk that could increase height? The more size I have to work with, the more muscle I'll be able to pack on. It will also help with my image." At that, All Might gave me a slightly concerned look and I quickly hurried to reassure him. "I'm not self conscious about my height or anything! I just figure that if I am going to be your successor, I'll need to be larger than life! That's easier when I am literally bigger than most other people. I'd like to be a fair bit taller, but it doesn't have to be anything too crazy. We also don't know if my body will react to One for All in a similar way as yours did and make me grow an extra foot like you do in your muscle form."
I noticed All Might straighten himself and his demeanor brightened slightly when I mentioned his muscle form. It puzzled me for a moment before I remembered that he always referred to it as his 'hero form'.
Without thinking, I gave him a soft smile and voiced my thoughts. "You're always in your hero form to me, All Might."
God, that was so fucking cheesy. Why did I say that? Izuku's adoration is showing.
While I flushed in embarrassment, All Might flashed the most grateful smile I'd ever seen.
"Thank you, young man." he replied sincerely.
Nodding in acknowledgement, I stood there awkwardly as All Might smiled at me for a few moments before he appeared to remember the purpose of the conversation.
"Right, the height increasing quirk! I don't know anyone with a quirk like that, but I'll reach out to some of my contacts and see what I can find. Even if Japan doesn't have someone with that type of quirk, there's bound to be one somewhere on Earth. That's a good idea, young Midoriya!" All Might said.
"Thanks. In addition to that, I was also thinking about other ways to speed up the process. I know you probably won't like it, and I'm not saying I'm committed to the idea, but I figured we should talk about using enhancers, whether they be quirk based or medical, to improve my musculature. Once I've reached the level of other aspiring heroes my age, we would of course end it there, and I'd continue a standard exercise regimen throughout." I continued warily.
Knowing All Might, he would likely be completely opposed to any type of strength enhancer. Generally speaking, I was as well, but there were multiple incidents early in the school year where it would be nice to be able to use more than five percent of One for All without my bones starting to fracture.
All Might frowned and rubbed his chin in contemplation, giving the idea some thought before replying. "I don't think strength enhancers would be a good idea. Quirk based strength enhancers that affect someone other than the wielder are rare enough as it is, but the few I have heard of are temporary. In addition, they take a significant amount of time to get used to. The same will of course be true for your height, but it will be a boon throughout your career as a hero, so I'd say it is worth the temporary drawbacks. Strength enhancement on the other hand will likely mean you can't train for weeks, perhaps months. It just isn't worth the delay in developing your own routine, not to mention naturally developed musculature will always be superior to artificially provided strength that will be applied on a more general level.
As for the medical steroids, that is a more realistic possibility, but even then, they can cause issues, and we have no idea how they may interact with One for All. If we had more time, I may be more open to the idea, but as it stands, I do believe natural development is your best bet. That said, this will be your quirk, and if you think enhancers are right for you, I will ensure you have the best available."
All Might is so fucking awesome.
Unable to contain my smile, I nodded along with his assessment. "You know far more about this kind of thing than I do, All Might. I gladly defer to your expertise and experience on this."
All Might smiled at my reply and clapped his hands together. "Great! With that squared away, did you have any more questions or ideas for your training over the next ten months?"
Taking a moment to think of anything I might have missed, I shook my head. "No, that's all I was able to come up with."
"In that case, I will see you here tomorrow at 5:00am sharp. That is when your journey to become the next Symbol of Peace will begin." All Might finished warmly.
Chapter 5: A Change of Plans
Three days. It had only been three days, and already I felt like I was going to die.
How the actual fuck did Izuku do this for ten months? Even inheriting his unyielding will, I can still barely get myself out of bed. On the bright side, I won't have to worry about messing up my own development by overworking myself like he did. I can barely keep up with All Might's program, let alone go beyond it.
Taking another gulp from my water bottle, I emptied the last of it over my head, shaking the droplets out of my hair as I stretched under the morning sun.
" You've started out well, young Midoriya! I wasn't sure how you'd acclimate to my Aim to Pass, American Dream plan, but you seem to be off to a great start! " All Might praised as he stood beside me in his muscle form.
I smiled as best I could through my exhaustion as the number one hero let out a booming laugh at my pitiful state. I may not have been crying and whimpering like Izuku had his first few days, but I was still scrawny. The lack of strength had honestly taken more getting used to since I came to this world than the height issue.
Sliding off the hood of the truck All Might used to ferry garbage I dragged over from the beach to the dump, I addressed my mentor as I started with cooldown stretches. "So I've been thinking, All Might, about my role as your successor, but more importantly, about your role as my mentor."
That seemed to catch All Might off guard, as he blinked in surprise. " Is there something wrong with my approach, young Midoriya? I admit I am quite new to teaching. I haven't had many sidekicks over the years, and the few I have had were already strong heroes in their own right when they joined me. So if you have any concerns or suggestions, I will gladly hear you out."
Hurrying to assuage All Might's concern, I continued my line of thought. "No, that's not it at all, All Might! You're doing an amazing job, especially since I'm your first actual student. I just had some questions for you, as well as some potential changes to our plan going forward."
Relaxing at the reassurance that he hadn't made any mistakes in his teaching, All Might gestured for me to continue.
"Well, first things first, you moved into the area from your usual proving grounds in Tokyo. That in itself isn't too strange, but you mentioned that you had been searching for a successor when you came here." I ignored All Might's muttered curse at his own slip up and continued. "I trust it's no coincidence that you moved your base of operations to the region surrounding UA right as you were searching for a successor."
All Might hesitated briefly before confirming. " Yes, I came to Shizuoka Prefecture so that I could scout the promising young heroes at UA for a potential successor."
Alright, time to secure the true game changing information that will allow me to alter the fate of this world forever.
I looked All Might dead in the eye for several long moments, waiting until he began to squirm slightly under my scrutinizing gaze before going in for the kill. "You're going to be an advisor at UA next year, aren't you, All Might?"
A deliberately incorrect guess, but close enough to the truth that he'll give me the correct information anyway.
All Might sighed before shifting back into his skinny form. He stared off into the distance for a moment before turning to me and answering. "I was supposed to keep this a secret until the school announced it, and I had hoped to surprise you, but I should have known that you would manage to figure it out, at least in part. I will be at UA this coming year, but not as an advisor. I'll be teaching the Heroics classes. Some of them at least."
Feigning surprise, I blinked and then cracked a wide grin. "That's amazing! It will be awesome to learn about heroics directly from you, All Might!"
The sentiment is real, even if the surprise isn't.
All Might smiled sheepishly and rubbed the back of his neck. "Yeah, but like I mentioned earlier, I haven't taught anyone before. I'm a bit nervous to suddenly be teaching so many aspiring heroes, especially at my alma mater."
"Don't worry about it, All Might. The important thing is that you stress the values of heroism to the next generation. Many of the students will no doubt be there with aspirations of fame or fortune, and that's fine, but it's your job to impress upon them that while riches may be the end goal, getting there will require them to give their all to save as many lives as possible. You are an inspiration to everyone, not just the idealists of the world. You'll be a great teacher, just make sure to be yourself. Don't try to be something you're not."
All Might blinked in surprise before replying. "You don't really act your age, you know that?"
You have no idea.
Resisting the urge to smirk at how accurate his comment really was, I merely shrugged my shoulders. "Well, all that sentimental stuff aside, you should think about taking some teaching classes for the non-heroics related aspects of the job. While most of your time will be spent teaching us about fighting villains and saving bystanders, there will also be times where you have to help a student who is struggling, not just physically, but mentally. You'll also need to manage conflicting personalities in your classes. It's important that students learn that they may have to work with other heroes they don't like in order to save innocents or to defeat a villain. They need to understand that petty rivalries can get themselves and others hurt, or even killed."
All Might was listening to my words with rapt attention, and I suddenly became all too aware of the irony inherent in me giving my mentor teaching lessons.
"Obviously, you're really busy, but during your recovery time, or when you're supervising my training, it couldn't hurt to read some teaching books or listen to some seminars on YouTube. Not to mention the heroes at UA. I'm sure principal Nedzu and the others would be more than happy to help make sure you're as ready as you can be before school starts next year." I suggested.
I hadn't really given much thought to All Might's teaching since I arrived in this world, but he had definitely experienced some growing pains when he first started out in canon, only coming into his own after he had lost his quirk, ironically enough.
All Might had been listening studiously, and when I finished, he drifted into deep contemplation for several minutes, only emerging from his thoughts as I finished my stretches.
"Thank you for your advice, young Midoriya. You are truly wise beyond your years. I see it every day, and yet it still surprises me." All Might said.
I nodded in appreciation. Unfortunately, all that comes from experience garnered through the mistakes I made in my previous life. Not to mention that I've seen the results of All Might's canonical failures, and therefore know how to prevent them in the first place. Still, it's always nice to get a compliment from the number one hero.
"Anyway, I'm glad you told me that you're going to be a teacher next year. That actually makes what I wanted to talk to you about even more important." I began again.
"Oh? What is it, young Midoriya?" All Might asked curiously.
"Well, there's a couple pieces to this, so hear me out. First, I'm planning to drop out of middle school." I began.
As expected, All Might's eyes nearly bugged out of his head, but I hurriedly continued before he could interject. "I don't mean entirely, of course, just out of Aldera. I rank top five in the school academically, and if I'm being honest, I could learn the necessary material far faster outside of that environment. Besides, UA doesn't have any rules against admitting home schooled students. As long as I pass the written and the practical, where I went to school previously is irrelevant."
"Well yeah, but what about-" All Might began imploringly.
"All Might, I don't have friends. Most of the students either ignore or outright bully me. The teachers don't exactly foster what I would call a nurturing environment. If I drop out, that's seven hours per day I have to work with. Of course a good chunk of that will just be spent doing schoolwork at home, but an extra three or four hours, as well as the ability to exercise during my study time, could make a massive difference." I argued.
All Might became downcast at the mention of my school relationships, but nodded despondently before looking at me with renewed vigor. "It saddens me that you feel your education will be more beneficial at home than around your fellow students. I promise you, young Midoriya, I will speak to principal Nedzu and see what we can do about keeping something like that from happening to anyone else."
I smiled in appreciation. It was unlikely they would be able to make much headway given the setup of Japan's hero centric society, but if anyone could figure out how to make things at least a little bit better, it would be Nedzu.
"Thank you, All Might." I said sincerely.
"Of course, young Midoriya. But there was more you wanted to talk to me about, right?" All Might asked.
Nodding, I continued to present my plan to my mentor. "I will be miraculously acquiring a quirk at fifteen years old. That is exceptionally rare. Late bloomers aren't common, but there's still thousands every year. Unfortunately, almost all of them awaken their quirk when they hit puberty. Midnight's quirk awakened when she was twelve for example. My quirk would be awakening at fourteen if you passed it on to me today. We will need a reason to explain why that is the case. We could always just say I'm a really late bloomer, but that would draw significantly more suspicion, especially from people who know me well." I began, struggling to constrain Izuku's instinct to start a mumble storm.
All Might nodded sagely and replied. "That's a good point. I'm sure you have a plan in mind?"
"I do, but it goes hand in hand with the other half of this process. You, All Might." I declared with a pointed look at my mentor.
"Me? Young Midoriya, it would be prudent for us to keep a professional distance between us, so that no one grows suspicious." All Might countered, having realized where I was headed.
I held up a hand to stop All Might before he could continue. "Just hear me out, All Might. People are going to notice the similarities between our quirks, especially as I get stronger and begin to approach, then eventually surpass, your own power. We can't avoid the rumors that are going to erupt, and especially if our goal is for me to succeed you not only as the wielder of One for All, but as the Symbol of Peace, it is better for us to face them head on. It will be even more obvious with you teaching at UA, because let's be honest with ourselves, there's no way you are going to be able to avoid watching my progress in particular. I trust you to do everything you can to help the other students, but it will be obvious from a mile away that I'm your favorite."
All Might looked pensive for a moment before tentatively nodding for me to continue.
"Both halves of this plan are crucial. If you just take me on as your protege, officially or unofficially, out of nowhere, we're just asking for the secret of One for All to be discovered. The absolute best case scenario there is that people assume I'm your bastard son or something." I remarked with a dismissive wave of my hand.
All Might spluttered a bloody cough in surprise. "Right, and we would prefer to avoid both of those outcomes." He said after wiping his mouth with a handkerchief.
I nodded in agreement. "So we need there to be a reason why you would take some random kid on as your protege. You've never had an intern or a work study student, so the circumstances need to be extraordinary. Luckily, the foundation of those circumstances has already established itself."
All Might's eyes lit up and he interjected before I could finish. "The sludge villain."
Honestly, All Might will probably realize where I'm going with this before I even make it half way. The series would've ended in like season four if they had had this All Might.
"Exactly. Now, I propose this. The story we tell the world is that I was born with a dormant super strength quirk. Because of the sheer power contained within, my quirk has an inbuilt self preservation mechanism that prevented it from activating until I was strong enough for it to not instantly kill me." I continued.
"So you want to use the sludge villain's attack as the catalyst for your awakening? Because I've already met you via the sludge villain attack, I can take notice of the similarities between our quirks." All Might extrapolated, tapping his chin as he thought through the potential outcomes.
I tilted my head and gave a 'so-so' gesture with my hand. "Sort of, but I don't think that will be enough to dispel suspicion entirely. Since we won't be able to hide our relationship once school starts, it's best for it to be out in the open from the beginning. That said, it won't be fully public information at first, especially before the school year starts. I have a plan that will hopefully throw anyone off the trail, and make a plausible scenario that everyone will believe."
All Might gave me an expectant look, and I took a deep breath before continuing. He isn't going to like this part one bit.
Steeling my resolve, I looked All Might dead in the eye and told him his part in this scheme. "I need you to shatter my arm."
Silence reigned for several long moments as All Might gaped at me. For a second, I thought I may have crashed his operating system, but then as if a switch had been flipped, my mentor coughed up a disconcerting amount of blood.
"You want me to do what?!" All Might cried in alarm.
Yeah, that's about what I was expecting.
Waving my arms placatingly, I attempted to get All Might to calm down. "I know, I know, just hear me out for a second!"
After about a minute of him freaking out, All Might finally settled enough for me to continue. "I know how bad it sounds, and don't get me wrong, it will suck for both of us, especially me, but it's crucial for this plan to work. I can't wield One for All at even a fraction of its power right now, but the world has to believe I have an amazing super strength quirk if our cover story is going to work."
All Might was still looking at me like I was crazy, but after another minute of his disapproving glare, he finally spoke. "I'm listening."
Chapter 6: Second Thoughts
" I want to emphasize that I do not approve of this plan." All Might said warily, his smile beginning to falter.
Trying not to puke up my lunch as I peered over the edge of the high rise office building we currently resided atop, I cast a withering glare over my shoulder. "Yeah, well you're not the one about to be yeeted off a fucking skyscraper right after the strongest guy in the world turns your arm into silly putty."
All Might winced and took half a step back at my biting comment, holding his hands up placatingly. " Uh… Right, sorry."
Part of me felt bad about snapping at him even though this was my idea, but now that the time had come for said plan to be put into motion, I was beginning to have second thoughts.
No, I can't turn back now. This will guarantee that no one will question my relationship with All Might. It will be the second time that All Might has saved me publicly, and the third in total. This time it will be a direct result of my quirk awakening. A quirk that just so happens to remind All Might of his own.
Of course, that was just the reason I gave All Might. While it was certainly a secondary objective, and a failsafe in case the increased realism of this world resulted in higher scrutiny of my quirk and its similarities to All Might's, the primary reason was one more personal in nature.
Katsuki will be by far the most skeptical when it comes to how I got my quirk. The manner in which All Might saves me isn't particularly important. The important thing is that I have a broken arm. I can't avoid Bakugou much longer, and there needs to be visible evidence of damage if he's going to believe that I have a quirk.
The school had given us both a few days off after the sludge villain incident, but that reprieve was at its end. It had been relatively easy to convince Inko to let me drop out of Aldera, but the paperwork to start homeschooling after the school year had already started would still take a few more days, as would arranging the tutors All Might insisted on paying for.
The plan was for All Might to shatter my right arm. Then, he would punch the rooftop fire exit with enough force to effectively collapse it and launch me off the side of the building with the wind pressure. All Might would then jump faster than the eye could see to another rooftop a few blocks down. From there, he would loop back around and catch me just before I hit the ground in the busy street down below. I didn't doubt All Might's ability to catch me in the slightest, but basic human instinct to not fall off a building was naturally going to prevail over my sensibilities.
Once he caught me, I would need to fight to maintain consciousness as All Might asked me what happened. By the time he helped me onto my own two feet, there would doubtless be dozens of phones out recording, so all I would need to do is tell him that my quirk appeared to have activated. All Might would mention how this was the third time our paths had crossed in only a few days and then feign interest in my super strength, before offering to take me to UA so that Recovery Girl could take care of my injury.
All in all a simple, but effective, plan. It had taken some time to get All Might to agree, but he hadn't been able to come up with a reason not to go through with it. In an instant, we would eliminate all doubt as to how All Might and I came together. Even he couldn't deny that.
The damage that would be caused to my arm from a head on blow would be somewhat similar to One for All's recoil, but any X-ray would show that it was an outside force that caused the damage. Therefore, we would have to utilize Recovery Girl's quirk in order to complete the deception. All Might had told me about everyone that knew of his quirk the day we arrived, so it made sense to have Recovery Girl tie up a potential loose end.
The look on Toshinori's face had also been priceless when I mentioned how we would both be punished for this when Recovery Girl eventually learned the truth of what had happened. Though I had to admit I didn't know how to feel about All Might's resistance to the plan briefly increasingwhen it was also his ass on the line.
Going through the last checks in my head to see if I had missed any potential variables, I took a deep breath and turned to All Might. "Alright, let's do this."
My mentor looked at me concernedly for a moment before finally giving a reluctant nod. I placed a roll of gauze in my mouth and bit down hard before holding my arm out with my hand clenched in a fist.
Standing before me, All Might lowered himself into his fighting stance. For the first time since I had come to this world, his smile faded entirely, and he hesitated until I gave a reassuring nod.
" I'm sorry, young Midoriya."
With that, All Might punched my arm.
Ow.
Chapter 7: Worthless
My arm hurt. My head also hurt.
I had a pretty strong pain tolerance in my previous life, despite having avoided serious injury up to my death, and Izuku's was quite strong as well from all his bullying over the years. Even so, having your arm smashed in by fucking All Might of all people was an exceedingly unpleasant experience. I hadn't passed out or anything, but I was very much not having a good time when All Might brought me to the nurse's office at UA.
At first, Recovery Girl had been extremely kind and welcoming, rushing us in so that she could fix my arm as soon as possible. Unfortunately, All Might and I's hope that she would just heal my arm without a second glance went unfulfilled. Mentioning how the damage was severe enough that she didn't want to risk bone fragments in my ligaments, Recovery Girl insisted on an X-ray.
Recovery Girl took it about as well as one would expect. The following hour had been most unpleasant, as Recovery Girl took turns beating each of us over the head with her cane.
At first, she had only gone after All Might, believing that he had somehow managed to hurt me by mistake. Unwilling to let my mentor suffer alone when it had been my plan that brought us to that point, I had told Recovery Girl the truth. She had listened patiently throughout, about how All Might and I had met, how I was chosen to become the successor, and finally about our plan to set myself up as All Might's protege. Almost as soon as I finished, she proceeded to beat All Might even harder, lambasting him for not stopping me from going through with such a reckless plan. She then rounded on me, smacking me upside the head repeatedly.
When I asked why she hadn't at least healed my arm first, she had bluntly replied that the healing was likely to put me to sleep, and she wanted to make sure I felt the pain of her assault.
I now understand why All Might fears Recovery Girl.
The famous healer had even refused to heal my arm entirely, leaving me in a sling for the next two weeks.
'Punishment for such a reckless and deceitful plan.' She had said.
It wasn't completely debilitating, as she had fixed most of the damage, and I had intended to wear a sling at school the next day regardless for my discussion with Bakugou. I could still run and do other leg workouts, but it was nonetheless a significant damper on my progress.
But even Recovery Girl hadn't been able to eclipse Inko's reaction. When I finally got home, my mom had swapped between freaking out that I had gotten a quirk, freaking out that I had gotten hurt, and freaking out that I was more or less okay. While the woman wasn't able to flood a building with her tears like in the anime, it was still scientifically fascinating just how many tears she was able to produce.
Shaking myself from my recollection, I sighed as I struggled to finish packing books into my backpack with only my left hand. Mercifully, one of the girls that sat nearby offered to help, and I gratefully accepted.
As I slung my backpack over my shoulder and thanked her again for her help, my thoughts began to drift. Most MHA fanfics I had read saw Izuku using apathy against Bakugou. Whether it was a Bakugou punishment or redemption fic, it usually had Izuku cutting Bakugou out of his life entirely, if only temporarily. I had originally planned something similar, but now that I had had more time to think, and more importantly access to Izuku's memories, I wasn't sure that would work. Bakugou's inferiority complex meant that apathy would almost certainly be misinterpreted as superiority, which wasn't the message I was trying to get across.
Settling on a course of action, I made my way to the lockers.
"Katsuki, do you have a minute?" I asked dryly as I came up behind the blonde.
In a motion that felt far too familiar, Bakugou slowly turned to regard me with a look that somehow combined disdain, surprise, and disgust into one pissed off expression. For their part, his lackeys seemed similarly surprised that I would seek Bakugou out, but quickly recovered and began taunting me. I tuned them out, maintaining my eye contact with Bakugou, who looked like he was split between telling me to fuck off, and being confused that I had maintained eye contact for more than an instant. Finally, after a few seconds, his gaze flicked to the sling on my right arm.
"Tch. Whatever." He agreed dismissively.
Waiting for him to finish gathering his belongings, I suppressed a smile as he told his 'extras' to fuck off. We walked towards his house in silence for a few minutes before he finally slid off into an alley, keeping his back towards me. Following behind him, I came to a stop a few meters away.
Before I could begin, Bakugou spoke first. "The fuck did you do to your arm? Probably some stupid shit trying to stalk a hero. Fucking creep."
That means he hasn't seen the videos of All Might rescuing me yet. That will make this easier.
I scoffed lightly at the veiled concern before biting back. "Nobody else beat me up, if you're worried someone is trying to take your job."
Bakugou whipped his head around, the confusion from my unexpected retort melting into his usual scowl as he leveled a glare at me. "Tch. Whatever, loser. What the fuck do you want, Deku?"
Alright, the moment of truth. I'll have to keep him reeling, otherwise he'll interject and I'll lose control of the conversation.
"I'm sorry, Katsuki." I said softly.
Bakugou turned to face me completely with a bemused look. "Huh? And why are you calling me Katsuki? What happened to that stupid nickname you always call me?"
Taking a deep breath, I looked up at the cloudy sky above us. "For so long, I thought that… I don't really know what I thought. I guess I believed that even after everything that's happened, we were still friends. That you were still my best friend, Kacchan. But I understand now. We aren't friends. Maybe we never have been…"
I looked down to see Bakugou staring at me like I had just grown a second head. "What the fuck? You're just now getting that!?"
I released a short, self deprecating chuckle. "Yeah, I guess so. It took me a while, but I finally get it."
Bakugou gave me a bewildered look, but recovered quickly, a disdainful sneer returning to his features. "You were always chasing after me. I couldn't get rid of you. No matter how hard I tried, you kept coming back. It's about fucking time you got it through your God damned head."
I let him enjoy his perceived triumph for a moment, letting the silence hang over us before I said anything.
"Have you always hated me?" I asked miserably, Izuku's emotions beginning to seep into my voice.
The unexpected question erased his smirk, and Bakugou stared at me bemusedly. A dozen emotions flashed across his features as his inner nature battled his crippling insecurity. Confusion, guilt, and anger battled for dominance, but it was unsurprising when the latter won out.
Before he could answer, I continued. "I guess it doesn't matter. You got your wish. I'm dropping out of Aldera. I'm starting homeschooling next week."
My declaration caught him off guard, but the anger returned almost immediately. "What, you're too fucking good for us? You're so fucking amazing that you don't have time to be around us extras? You've always been so high and fucking mighty! It's obvious you've always looked down on me, Deku, even when we were kids! You always treated me like some kind of fucking charity case! You think you're better than me!" Bakugou roared, his own pent up resentment beginning to boil over.
There it is. I wouldn't have asked if he hated me if I thought I was better than him, but he can't handle the idea that he may have been wrong, so now, he's lashing out.
I stared dumbfounded at Bakugou as he took deep breaths, his anger barely contained as explosions began to ripple across his palms.
"Is that what you really believe?" I asked incredulously as I lowered my head.
Bakugou's anger didn't dissipate, but the question caught him off guard and stopped him from hurling more accusations, or worse, abandoning discussion for violence. If only momentarily.
"I worshipped you, man." I said dejectedly.
Bakugou furrowed his brow in confusion, but held his posture. Looking back up to meet his baleful gaze, I started to lose control as Izuku's emotions finally broke through.
"You were so cruel, and I hated that, but you were also so confident, strong, and fearless. Everything I wasn't. I wanted to be just like you." My voice choked up as tears clouded my eyes, but I kept going, unwilling to give Bakugou a chance to interrupt. "I admire All Might as much as anyone else on Earth, but when I close my eyes and picture what victory looks like, I see you. I see you from that day when we were little and you beat those two older kids all by yourself. All Might may have been the Symbol of Peace, but you were the one actually in my life."
Wiping away the tears, I saw Bakugou staring at me wide eyed in disbelief.
"Ever since that day when I was told I would never have a quirk of my own, no one has believed in me. My teachers, my classmates, you… my mom. All of you told me I could never be a hero." I continued.
The floodgates were open now, and I cursed my inability to control the overflowing emotions. This was a particularly sensitive subject for Izuku, so it made sense, but Bakugou was still extremely immature at this point in time, and the perceived weakness could derail my plan entirely.
Thankfully, Bakugou still seemed frozen by the sudden revelation of Izuku's idolization of him, so I was able to compose myself somewhat and press on. Taking a deep breath, I prepared for the coup de grace.
"Do you remember what you told me the morning of the sludge villain attack? What you said about getting a quirk?" I asked quietly.
He didn't reply, but the flash of recognition in Bakugou's eyes gave me the answer to my question nonetheless.
"It wasn't the first time you've said something like that. I still remember the first time, actually. We were at the park, huddled around one of the older kids who had the live news feed on their phone. All Might had just stopped a villain, and while we were all celebrating, I talked about how I was going to be just like him. You mocked me, and said a quirkless deku could never be a hero, but maybe if I took a swan dive off a roof, I could be born into the next life with a quirk. All the other kids laughed with you." A melancholic smile crossed my face at one of Izuku's most painful memories. "We were eight."
Turning my eyes back to Bakugou, I found him staring at me with an expression I surprisingly couldn't place. It certainly wasn't anger, but it wasn't guilty or sorrowful either. He was just listening.
I suppose that's something in itself, but it's time to drop the bomb and get this over with.
"I think about that day a lot." Izuku's emotions surged as one of his most painful secrets was dragged into the light. "I've even thought about following your advice a few times since then. Not because I thought I'd get a quirk, but maybe then I… Maybe then my mom wouldn't have to worry about me anymore at least, you know?"
By the time I finished, my voice was little more than a croak and the tears were falling hard. It was hard to speak at all through the constriction in my throat, but my attempts to regain control and separate Izuku's emotions from my own were fruitless. Wiping away the tears, I saw what I was hoping for.
Bakugou looked mortified.
Katsuki is an enabled little shit with half a dozen complexes, but there's a good person in there, and someone he's known his entire life, someone he envies deep down, just told him that he had almost convinced them to kill themself. I'd be far more concerned if he didn't look like he was about to throw up.
"Then, the other day, someone finally told me what I'd been so desperate to hear for so long. They told me I could do it. They told me I could be something in this world, that I wasn't worthless." I said, finally finding my voice and pushing down the tears. "I don't know if they're right, but I'm going to do everything in my power to earn the faith they put in me." A wistful smile crossed my lips, and I held Bakugou's gaze. "The real reason I asked to talk to you, is because I wanted to tell you before anyone else. I don't know why, to be honest. Maybe it's spite, or maybe it's for the sake of the little kid who never stopped chasing his best friend, his first hero."
Bakugou winced at my final words, but cautiously waited for what I had to say.
I turned and began to walk out of the alley. "You asked how I hurt my arm." Turning my head to look at Bakugou one more time, I answered. "My quirk activated."