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It all came down to this last fight. Everybody around the world was watching him- No, watching them all. It had only been a year and yet they all felt like family. From behind himself, Izuku Midoriya could hear the cheers, cries and screams of those he had touched deeply within. His smile never faltered. His heroic charm was no copy of an idol, no fabrication to try and act like another. All that was left was one final punch. A final smash to send Zen Shigaraki to the grave, permanently… And he did it. Of course he did it. With a little help from his friends, Izuku Midoriya finished the terror that All for One had been spreading for two hundred years. His classmates, who paved the way through to Zen for Izuku, cheered him on and have been on record praising their friend, their beacon of hope. They often think back on that day, on their thoughts in the moment. Whilst they were all hopeful, deeply personal and full of heart, those watching Deku run into the fray all shared one similar thought… That the One For All Hero: Deku is like no other.
Inside U.A, Izuku Midoriya was looking over some files, marking some papers and doing all that juicy teacher-y things. Hizashi Yamada swung the door open and made his presence known, with Shota Aizawa walking in behind the louder of the two.
“HEEEEYYYY, MIDORIYA! CHECK THIS OUT! It’s specially made for you, so you have to watch it, right Shota?”
Erasure Head sighed at the enthusiasm, but he nodded and smiled ever so slightly. He sat beside Deku, with Hizashi on the other side of him, and Mic turned on his phone for Izuku to hold and watch…
“He is a light for me, as I am for so many others…” Mezo Shoji stated simply, just a single tear in his eye. “He is the reason I can keep going. He empowered me. The reason I can help so many people in the world, especially those who are discriminated against for their looks… He always protected me, kept me grounded when angry. He just has a way with words that is hard to describe… Perhaps just his pure optimism. I will be forever grateful for that, Izuku.”
Beside Shoji was Koda, who nodded fiercely. He didn’t talk much, but decided to add onto Shoji’s statement a little.
“Izuku is my friend, and he cares just as much for us as he does for you.” Koda smiled, a little shaky, but that made sense. “He cares for the little ones as well… Every animal and insect is important to him. He really is my favourite Hero for that… Th-Thank you, Deku!” That was probably the first time many people had heard Koda speak so loudly while not commanding animals.
They were playing interviews with the now Pro Heroes of UA all over Japan, the big screens were flashing with many familiar faces either alone or in groups. It was hard to fully understand their appreciation, but you could clearly see they all meant their words to be absolute. There was no way to twist them.
“Deku, huh? Man… He really showed me what it was to be a Hero, y’know?” Those words came from Class 1-A’s favourite phone charger himself. Denki smiled under his hero glasses, not a cocky smile, nothing creepy at all. Just a genuine smile.
“I don’t know what it was exactly, but he just really put in his all. I mean, he started out by breaking his fingers to throw a ball pretty far, and then… We were in a war.” Beside him were fellow Pro Heroes Earphone Jack, Tsukuyomi and NightHide. Jiro put a hand on Denki’s shoulder to comfort him… “I fought hard alongside him, and I even… I had no hope. Even in him, with his shining smile, I had no hope. I was suffering in despair and I just. Thought we would lose… But my body kept fighting. It was like I had no control anymore. I always regretted how I felt that day. How I thought it was all over, but I know that deep down somewhere he made me realise this was it. And it really was legendary. Thank you, man. Thank you, Deku.”
They had all gone through quite a lot during that war. Jiro then spoke up. “He is much more than just a Hero like most Pro’s are. Yes, he punches hard and fast, he saves many lives a day… But he also cares and nurtures those lives. He and many of my friends saved a little girl, and…” Jiro sniffled a bit, thinking about Eri. How far she has come, how she has already been noticed in the music world and has started recording her first album! She shook her head and LOCKED in. “Like Pika- um- Chargebolt said, he really taught us all a lesson in heroics, in being a decent human… Thanks a bunch, Izuku.”
Tokoyami and Shinso nodded, agreeing with their friends' statements. Dark Shadow even popped up to agree, recounting the many times Izuku would care for Dark Shadow like he was just another student, a friend.
“A true warrior of the Dark Arts, a companion to Dark Shadow and I forever. We will not tolerate anything said against him. He took time out of his day to talk to us, to engage more than most do. He accepted me for how I look, talk and dress. And I thank him for that the most.” Tokoyami lowered his head with a small smile. Very rare indeed for the Jet Black Hero! Beside him, Shinso sighed. Clearly he was annoyed at his past actions…
“I antagonised him initially, I thought he was just like the rest… An arrogant wannabe Hero who wanted money, fame or power… I was sorely mistaken, and for that I atone each day by being the best Hero I can. I do it for you all of course, but for Izuku as well. Thank you, my Hero, Deku.”
Many people watching in the streets nodded, cheered and agreed with Shinso. I mean, Deku was the reason they were eating right now. The reason they were going on dates, seeing movies and driving their cars. He was the reason you could wake up feeling safe enough to go to work, to have a drink afterwards and perhaps sing some karaoke. Deku was the name uttered to bring a smile and some hope to anyone who heard it.
“I had some personal problems to figure out at UA, and Izuku really helped me~ What a wonderful man I can call one of my closest friends! I may have taken some time off for myself, but I am so happy to work alongside Toru and my other friends to help you all now. Just like he helped me… Thank you, Izuku Midoriya, from the bottom of my heart, you will never stop twinkling!”
Aoyama stood up in his interview, which Toru, Ojiro and Mineta were also present in. Toru giggled a bit, Mineta sighed and Ojiro looked… Well, just happy really. He always had problems accepting himself, but…
“With the help of Izuku, I realised I am much more than just my Quirk, my tail. I thought I would be useless without it, lost behind most others for having a simple, not very flashy Quirk. And he… He trusted us enough to tell us his past. Knowing what he had gone through pushed me to be better myself, to not rely on it and to work on myself in many other ways. And in doing so my Quirk was stronger too. Thank you, Izuku.” Ojiro bowed a little and Mineta spoke up, somehow saying something nice and not perverted for once.
“Deku is the name of a man that showed me how to be a better man myself. I wasn’t the best kid, you know… Well, everybody who is anybody knows this.” He laughed and so did the others, even Toru, who patted him on the back. He had clearly grown from this. “But… He really showed me what I should be, a Hero. A true man who would save those in need and leave before taking anything for it. I know now that I would be a Hero fully masked and unknown if I could’ve been, because Deku for so long was not seen… And he has always been a Hero. So… Thank you, Deku!”
Mineta almost had a tear come to his eye, just like Shoji before him on another screen. It was pretty obvious the class had talked before their respective interviews about Deku, and had thought more and more on the topic of their green haired friend. Because they all seemed to agree with each other.
“I don’t know how to add onto that, Mineta… Because you are sososo right! I never felt seen myself, I mean, look at me! But- Well, I made these jokes to fit in, to be all ‘haha you can’t see me’, but it hurt. Deku would enter a room and always ask ‘Hagakure, are you here?’ just to be sure, in case it was hard to see me. He is a true gentleman and should always be seen as the greatest Hero. Thank you, Deku.”
The interviewer almost welled up in tears himself, seeing these four talk so highly of a friend, a friend who helped them out in many ways, so many being so personal. It was just the true essence of a Hero. Many applauded after each of them spoke as well, it seemed they may know some stories, namely the confusion and rumours around Aoyama’s departure from UA initially. Many people theorised, but was never truly on point with it.
“You know… Despite the fact that I ALONE BROUGHT THE HEROES TOGETHER-” Neito Monoma, the Number 10 Hero, the Stealer of Hearts Hero: Phantom Thief, was sat with friends and fellow Pro Heroes Comicman, Battle Fist and Real Steel. The other three stared at Monoma as he started his loud speech… Until his voice lowered, into a regretful tone. Their faces lightened quickly. With Manga’s bubble reading ‘Mad respect for you, bro.’
“…I failed and watched my friend almost die… But you know what? We made it, we made it together. I played my part, and I supported Great Explosion Murder God Dynamight, Deku and everybody who fought that day. And they succeeded. WELL DONE MY FRIENDS! YOU SETTLED IT THAT DAY! HAHAHAHAHAHAAAA, ALL FOR ONE? YOU MUST BE BURNING IN HELL, LOSER! I AM SUPERIOR TO YOU-”
His loud rant got cut off by Kendo’s enlarged hand, knocking him down and he simply raised his thumbs up and quietly said: “Thank you, Deku… Ow…”
The other three 1-B members sighed, but they too nodded and thanked Deku. Kendo and Tetsu spoke about the camp attack and how Deku defended them all from a terrifying villain, with Tetsu complimenting how Kendo fought off Mustard as well. Manga’s face read ‘Big love to you!’ and he thanked Deku for all he had helped him with too, remembering the days they would both nerd out about All Might and his comics.
On another screen was Creati, the Everything Hero. She smiled when asked the same question they all were being asked: “What would you like to thank Deku for?”
“All the money in the world couldn’t have taught me a thing like Izuku did, no education could show me how to think for myself, to trust in my instincts and plan ahead well. I owe that to so many of my classmates and fellow Pro Heroes. But Izuku was always there for me, even when all hope was lost… He always pulled through and showed me to think outside the box. Which not only helped my Quirk a lot, but… Has inadvertently helped me save many more people from harm. Thank you, Deku.” Beside Momo was Froppy and Red Riot, who nodded in agreement. Kirishima’s nod was firm, and with his arms crossed it looked like he was ready to speak.
“I LOVE YOU, MAN! I REALLY MEAN IT! Everyone from U.A is my bro, especially you, Brozuku! You helped show this manly spirit how to articulate himself, how to announce his arrival and show those in need that I AM A SAFE PERSON! THANK YOU DEKU, YOU REALLY MEAN THE WORLD TO US ALL, MYSELF INCLUDED!” Kirishima was now kneeling towards the camera recording the three, head down to show his appreciation.
Froppy was silent for a minute before opening her mouth. “We were famously attacked early on in school, as most of you all know…Ribbit.” The other two nodded and looked like they were in deep thought about that day. “Deku, Grape Juice and I were together during that. He kept me and him safe, and together we helped everyone else… I was hesitating too much and he is the reason I can act without needing to think anything over now. He even got inspired by my own fighting style, which was really a high honour… Thank you, Deku, ribbit!”
A duo interview now showed the Number 13 Pro Hero, Ingenium, and the Number 2 Pro Hero, Shoto. Wow. Shoto Todoroki, known widely as Icy-Hot, Half ‘n’ Half, and the Son of Endeavour… He was popular with all sides of people, from men, women, those in between and indeed outside the binary, so many people would fan over his presence. Many people also knew of his fathers scandal which was incredibly true and incredibly horrible. So most interviewers would ask Shoto about his childhood, his abuse and most of all: The Blue-flamed Ashtrail named Dabi.
But this time the questions were lighter, more about Shoto and his time at UA. Of course, Deku’s name came up. “Ahh… Izuku Midoriya? Where could I begin? And where could I end? He has been a true friend- no, my best friend ever since I could remember, he helped me truly realise my own power… And together we have done great things. I owe it all to you, my wonderful friend. The world owes so much to you. Thank you so much, Deku.”
Tenya closed his eyes and looked down as Shoto spoke. They felt like a perfect trio of friends, ignoring their more… Explosive ally in that group. Katsuki was a friend of course, but they all felt a little tense around him even now. Tenya’s eyes welled up and he looked into the camera with a great big smile.
“I can not say any more about my friend, Izuku. I have said all there is to say… And that is that he is the greatest Hero to ever… to ever Hero!” Tenya and Shoto laughed at how he spoke, clearly the two were emotional over Izuku and how much heroism he showed that day, hell, that entire war… For months he was on the move and risking his life for the wellbeing of Japan… And the world.
“You are my friend and my mentor forever and always, Izuku. You showed me how to really use my legs. Thank you my friend, Deku.”
Next, a screen showed Pinky, Sugar Man and Cellophane. The three looked tight, they hung out a lot in school and seemed to work a lot together these days as well. There were rumours of Pinky and Cellophane dating, but no one would confirm it. Sato spoke first.
“After seeing his power, his speed and technique… I felt over-shadowed. But he never tried to be superior to me, to any of us. Red Riot and I would have lots of late night talks about this… Heck, so did Uravity and Cellophane.”
Sero chuckled a bit, the implication of Black Whip being a better Tape, which people would debate and not give the Spider-Man-Like Hero enough credit for. The man was born to pack Amazon packages and turned himself into the Number 36 Hero. Sato continued though.
“We all have our strengths and he showed us that. Whilst we could help him hone his new skills… He opened our eyes up to so many more possibilities. He truly is a Hero and teacher to be proud of. Thank you, Deku!”
Sero nodded and added onto that. “Seriously, the man really showed me the heart of a Hero, y’know? Uravity, Deku and I found each other during our licence exam. We came up with a great plan together, that brain of his is arguably stronger than his fists. You rock, man! Thank you, Deku!”
Mina giggled and then she serious’d. Looking into the camera she squealed out: “We love you, Deku! Thank you for being super cool, and, um… Sorry for kicking you off the dance team! Thank you for saving us Deku!”
This whole time, there he was. Izuku Midoriya, the “You Can Do It!” Hero: Deku, was sitting in the faculty office looking at Present Mic’s phone. The two other teachers were smiling, remembering fondly of the days they had taught Izuku and the rest of 1-A and 1-B. The Hero in question was tearing up at the videos he was seeing. It was a special video created for “Deku Day”, a holiday that was dedicated to him and all the Heroes that fought All For One. Even though it had been a good few years since that day, this was the first of many celebrations for it. They all spoke fondly about him, his friends in his class… Plamo, Mudman, Vine, Jack Mantis, Long Weizi- All of 1-B were also doing interviews and thanking Midoriya for what he has done. Other Pro Heroes like Best Jeanist, Edgeshot, Mt. Lady… And the Number 1 Hero, Lemillion, alongside Nejire-Chan and Suneater were giving their best to Izuku.
The screen changed to show Uravity and Great Explosion Murder God Dynamight, both sat looking calm. Until they too broke down. Ochako smiled through her tears, a hand from Katsuki was now on her shoulder. He was not one for showing emotion to his fans (bar absolute aggression, of course) so he only said one sentence.
“You better keep up with us out here, Deku. You better make some fine Heroes at U.A… AND YOU BETTER SHINE LIKE YOU ALWAYS DO.”
Bakugo quietened down quickly. This was not his time to speak, he thought. Sure, they had their history, and most people decided to celebrate Katsuki Bakugo in Deku Day as one of the greats, alongside Phantom Thief, Invisible Girl and Ingenium: II. Katsuki wasn’t even upset at the name of “Deku Day”, he pushed for it actually… Along with all their friends, even Monoma.
So with his burst of emotion that only Izuku would really understand, he let her speak. She was the final solo message. The most important, he thought.
“Deku… I remember when you decided on your Hero name. I said it was cute, I think… And you liked it a lot more than when someone else used to call you it…” She didn’t look at Katsuki who was sitting next to her, though keen eyes would notice his face shifting a little.
“But you changed it, Deku! Your name gives hope to so many people, you are your own symbol of peace… And we can’t be more proud of you- I can’t be! I could go on for hours about how much you have done for me, how I have seen you grow and how we all grew together… But I don’t want to embarrass you on TV, hehe…”
She stood up and bowed to the camera, Katsuki following suit, both saying softly: “Thank you, Izuku.”
Then, the video split into all these interviews with 1-A, 1-B, older Pro’s and the ex-Big Three, to many random civilians all thanking Deku. Izuku was overwhelmed, especially when he saw the Pussy Cats with Kota and Eri both thanking him as well. He wiped his eyes and through his streams of happy tears Izuku was muttering a thank you to each and every person he could see on screen. Hizashi put a hand on his shoulder and pointed forward, to the doorway of the room they were in…
“You got yourself a visitor, Small Might~” Present Mic chuckled to himself, moving out of the way for Izuku to see Toshinori standing in his classic yellow suit. He was smiling wide, his eyes full of hope and the way he held himself just felt right. He was no longer slouching, even as it got harder and harder to walk for the older man, he was still going strong. He had to. It was all for Izuku now.
Izuku welled up even more. He saw All Might every single day and yet seeing him stood here, smiling for him, after all those messages from his friends and people all over the world… All Might’s smile meant so much to him. Just so much. He stood up and gently dropped into a hug with his mentor, his idol… His friend.
“Young Midoriya, you deserve this praise. You deserve to always be praised for what you have accomplished, what you did for the country- For the world. You saved us from that Demon Lord… And you did it with a smile. You truly are my number one Hero, thank you so much, Symbol of Peace.”
Toshinori hugged him tightly, with Present Mic quickly joining in the group hug, Erasure Head begrudgingly joined in when Mic dragged him into it. They all smiled, even Shota a little, as they all felt so incredibly proud of their students. They raised the perfect Hero Society in Japan… And Deku was passing on the torch.
Outside of the room, Kota, Eri, Koki and the rest of Kota’s class were watching. Eri did not attend U.A, but Kota’s classmates knew her as his sister by now. He was popular with his class, he was so happy to have real friends that cared and loved him. Koki was the same, being initially scared of himself and others scared by him, he was so happy to have his friends… Especially Kota, the two bonded a LOT during their second year at U.A, and now in their third, the two want to start an agency with their two other friends, one of which is DEFINITELY into Kota. But he would deny it at any mention, getting red faced and angry. They loved being at U.A, and can’t wait to become Pro’s.
They all smiled watching their Teacher, their Hero smiling, hugging his mentors and just being a human. Kota accidentally joined Izuku in crying happily now. They were tears of hope. The main thought in his mind?
‘I will become a Hero like you, Deku!’