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Chloe Cerise never thought she'd get to this point.
Before coming to Japan, she was just a Quirkless girl in Vermillion City, unsure of what to do with her life, even if people told her that she should pick a career involving Pokémon.
Now, she not only held one of the strongest Quirks in the history of the world, but she was being trained to control it by Gran Torino, the teacher of All Might, the Number One Hero.
And before you ask, no, this wasn't a dream: she had already pinched herself a dozen times to verify.
"Alright, I think that's enough for now," Gran Torino spoke. "Let's take a break."
Chloe hit the ground, catching her breath as the pink lighting surrounding her fizzled out of existence.
She and Gran Torino then sat down at the couch, eating some takoyaki in a carefree manner.
"So, what do you think, kid?" Gran Torino asked. "Enjoying your internship so far?"
"I guess," Chloe shrugged. "It's not really what I expected, though."
"Well, too bad 'cause you're stuck with me until the weekend."
"Yeah, I know, that's not what I meant," Chloe sighed. "I-I meant... should I really be here?"
Gran Torino faced Chloe while having half a takoyaki on his mouth, which he swallowed as she looked at her palm.
"One for All is a Quirk that can be passed down. Not only that, it's a Quirk built to combat the greatest Villain in the world. Every previous user was a famous Pro-Hero."
Chloe clenched her fist.
"So why... why was I chosen to wield it?"
Gran Torino sighed. "Truth be told, I asked myself that question too when I first heard about it. Toshinori has hold the power of One for All for so long, it's... odd that he finds a successor so abruptly."
Then, he reached and grabbed a newspaper.
"But then, I saw this."
He put the newspaper on the table, and Chloe's heart skipped a beat as soon as she saw the front page cover.
"That's you on the main page, isn't it?"
Chloe lowered her eyelids and nodded. The article talked about how Chloe, only called "middle school student", pushed another student out of the way, just in time to avoid the Sludge Villain, as he was called, from taking control of her.
"You risked your life to ensure a Villain wouldn't take over that student. And as sources confirmed, the student possessed a powerful Quirk that would've made the Villain stronger than most Pro-Heroes."
Chloe shook her head. "I didn't know that. I didn't know anything, in fact. My body just-"
"Moved on its own?"
Chloe turned to Gran Torino, who sported a smile as he added:
"Well, guess what? Toshinori said the same thing when I asked him why Nana chose him as her successor."
Chloe's eyes widened, and she hummed as the retired Pro-Hero continued:
"Besides, none of the previous users were Pro-Hero material when they got the Quirk. They were just random nobodies who just so happened to meet the current user while they were at death's door. And since desperate situations require desperate measures, they inheritted the Quirk, and got a career in Heroics."
Gran Torino sighed. "Even when Nana decided to train Toshinori, he still only got the Quirk when she was about to die."
"And now, I have it..." Chloe scratched her cheek. "Does that mean... All Might's going to die soon?"
"I can't really say. I've seen people in worse condition than him still alive, and I've seen people healthier than him dying an untimely death. All I can really say is that, now that he gave you the Quirk, he can help you reach its full potential. Even if he lives on borrowed time, I'm sure he'll spend that time well."
Gran Torino faced Chloe. "Besides, let's not forget the progress you've made."
Chloe put the takoyaki down, and opened her palm before focusing some of One for All's raw energy in it.
Pink lighting surged across her fist, sparks resembling petals flowing across her hand as she flashed a smile.
"Just like cherry blossoms..." then, she got an idea. "Hey, I think I know what to call it now."
"Call what?"
"My form when I spread One for All's energy across my being!"
"I see. And that would be?"
Chloe clenched her fist, and threw it to the side, releasing a small gust of wind that sent the petal sparks across the room.
"One for All: Cherry Blossoms!"