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Midoriya Izuku had always been a dreamer.
Growing up, his mother nursed him on a constant diet of heroic tales. She told him of better times, of days when neighbors shared what resources they had and friends could be relied upon. Each story had a lesson, and Izuku soon grew familiar enough to recite each legend by memory.
Knowing the stories wasn’t the same as hearing them spoken aloud, each dramatic twist of the narrative made more daring by his mother’s fearful tone.
Each night he begged her to tell him another story, always hoping that she would choose another tale of the oldest and most valiant hero.
All Might.
According to Midoriya Inko, he didn’t just follow the traditional heroic path: he created it.
He navigated the ocean with ease, oftentimes charting paths through unknown waters.
He slew countless monsters, winning battles through strength and wit.
He saved thousands of lives, endangering himself just so that others could escape.
He was the ultimate hero.
“No one has seen All Might in decades,” Inko told her son one night as he snuggled deep underneath the covers. “Some say that he’s gone– that his wits finally failed him, or that he at last bit off more than he could chew.”
“He’s practically invincible, though,” Izuku protested. “Could he really be gone?”
“No man is invincible,” Inko warned, “and a man who picks fights with every beast he comes across will eventually meet his match.” She tugged Izuku close as his eyes began to water, and whispered into his ear, “But that doesn’t mean that All Might isn’t out there, somewhere. He’s powerful, and he loves his kingdom. He wouldn’t go down without a fight.”
“Maybe he’s still killing monsters,” Izuku said hopefully.
“Or maybe he’s waiting for someone to bring him home,” Inko told him, carefully brushing his unruly hair out of his eyes.
“Of course he can come home!” Izuku said, comprehension evading him. “He’s All Might. ”
For a moment Inko hesitated, as if weighing responses in her mind. Finally, she said, “You’re right, honey. He’s All Might. He’ll return when he’s ready.”
Soon after, Inko explained that she had been All Might’s closest friend and advisor, once upon a time. In his absence, Inko had been placed on Ithaca’s throne. She kept his memory alive; she kept his kingdom healthy.
Still, some had doubts in her ability to rule, and thought they were better fit.
When Izuku was younger, some of his classmates would try to befriend him– something he was grateful for until the first time someone let slip that their father had urged them to secure a place at Izuku’s side and an invitation into his home.
After that, his mother kept him home, and Izuku stuck to his own company.
In the mornings, she would teach him how to swim.
In the afternoons, she would teach him how to speak well, and teach him how to fight.
In the evenings, Izuku took to wandering the island, looking for– something.
Even after he had explored every square inch of Ithaca, even as he grew older, he found himself returning to the shoreline time and time again, dreaming about the day that he would get to explore the ocean and fight monsters of his own.
Dreaming about the day that he was as strong as All Might.
Still, for the longest time, Izuku didn’t think he had it in him. Sure, he could throw a punch. Sure, he could come up with logical solutions for any problem Inko presented him with– sometimes thinking of ideas that she hadn’t even thought of.
But what good were those skills when he couldn’t even rid their home of the invasive suitors looking to take Inko’s throne for themselves?
It was that thought that had Izuku sneaking to the shoreline in the middle of the night, searching for the old canoe his mother had shown him one day long ago.
“My mother was the one who hid this boat,” Inko had told him. “In case we ever needed an escape route.”
That same boat would now carry Izuku far from Ithaca’s shores, where he would face his fears, fight his first monster, and find All Might.
He hoped.
Izuku’s mother put on a brave face every day. She stayed strong, she held fast to her crown, and did her best to keep the island of Ithaca afloat.
But Izuku saw how much she struggled, and wanted to do anything in his power to fix that.
Even if that meant leaving her to fend for herself for a few days. He was almost certain that she’d be the only one to notice his absence– Izuku so rarely ventured into town, and he was a scarce presence in his own home during the daytime.
Inko would survive without him while Izuku searched for All Might.
Either his hero would accompany him home and restore the island to its previously peaceful state, or this journey would whip Izuku into shape and give him the strength to keep his mother safe.