Chapter Text
Izuku Midoriya wasn't having a good day.
Actually, he would have considered this to be a particularly bad day. His bullies had been particularly brutal today since Kacchan seemed to be particularly enthusiastic about teaching him his place.
Apparently, he was going to make sure not to get in any trouble next year since the U.A. entrance exams would be coming up, so he needed to train. So he said now was to make up for “future lost time.”
Not that that ever stopped him, it never stopped him. Izuku was the perfect dummy to train his Quirk on, and he wouldn't dare deny Kacchan that, he was going to be the Number One Hero!
All that meant was that Kacchan wasn't minding his words anymore, and he could hear those words echoing in his mind as he walked home.
“If you want a Quirk, then there's an easy way for you to get one. Just take a swan dive off the roof and hope you get one in your next life!”
It was harsh, but true. Maybe Kacchan was right. Maybe a useless Deku like him couldn't be a hero. Not without a Quirk. Maybe it would be better if…
A scream broke him out of his grim thoughts. Someone was in trouble! And that usually meant a chance to see a hero up-close!
Discarding his previous train of thought, he ran forward, wondering who could show up.
Maybe it could be a local hero like Death Arms, or maybe one of the higher ranked heroes! I didn’t hear about any of the top ten in the area, but Mirko doesn’t really have an agency so she might be around here. It could even be All Might!
Glee ran through his mind at even the possibility that he could meet, no even just see, his idol in person. He continued rushing forward, waiting to hear the sounds of combat or even that boisterous laugh that he had heard so many times.
However, as he got closer, he only heard the screaming. Where were the heroes, shouldn’t they have arrived by now? He saw an alleyway where he heard the screaming coming from, so he peeked around the corner, trying to see what was happening.
His eyes widened at what he saw. A woman was backed against the wall of the alleyway as someone, a villain, was towering over her. Izuku’s eyes scanned the scene. Nothing indicated a struggle, and the woman was obviously frightened. She was gripping her purse tightly as the villain sneered at her. The villain himself was terrifying. A massive man with what seemed to be a wolf mutation quirk. His teeth were bared at the woman while his claws hung sharp and ready.
Izuku gulped. This woman was in trouble. She needed help! He turned back to the street, trying to spot any heroes, but none were there. Why weren’t they here yet, surely they had heard her screaming? He prepared to run, to find a hero. If he could just find one, they could help her.
Death Arms’s patrol route is pretty close to here, but he isn’t supposed to be in the area for at least another hour. Maybe I should just call the police? They could probably help.
He started fumbling for his phone in his pocket before he startled as the villain yelled.
“I already said to hand it over bitch! What don't you understand!”
He looked back around the corner to see the villain’s claws were now right above the woman's head. He watched as the claws cut her forehead, causing blood to begin to trickle out. The woman's eyes darted around wildly before she soon saw him. Her eyes locked on to him, as if pleading for him to help.
He froze as she looked at him. He couldn't help her! He was just a Quirkless Deku!
I should just call the police. They'll know how to handle this… They could stop the villain. But…
He looked at her again. Even if he called the police, they might not get here in time. She was already being hurt, what could happen if the villain didn't stop? But what could he do? He couldn't stop him, he didn't have a Quirk!
His mind flew through a thousand plans, all would fail the moment the villain saw him. Except one.
He gulped as he prepared to move. Kacchan always bullied him whenever he could. He could probably take the villain's attention off of the woman at least. Maybe she could even escape.
And if not, then at least he helped stop her pain for at least one moment. Better him than her. After all, a useless Deku like him was better off dead. Maybe this would even be it…
Toshinori sighed as he jumped from rooftop to rooftop. Nezu's offer was interesting, teaching at U.A. to find his successor. He just didn't know if the world was ready to lose its Symbol of Peace.
If he was ready to accept that Mirai was right. That his strength would fail him. That that monster had been able to crush his dream just as he had crushed Nana.
He shook his head as he continued to leap around. His time as All Might was shortening. He had only 4 hours a day, but that was still enough time to get in a quick patrol of Musutafu. Nezu had let him keep his small form during the meeting anyway.(He winced as he remembered Shuzenji's cane hitting his shins, telling him to stop straining himself so much.)
The world needed to see its Symbol of Peace was always ready, always present, even if he wasn't.
He stopped as heard a faint scream, his honed instincts telling him of danger. He leaped toward it, ready to help.
His feet touched down on a rooftop as he searched for the source, then he saw it. A woman cornered by a villain in an alleyway. He scoffed, how cliché.
He prepared to leap into action, but stopped as he heard someone yell.
“H-HEY YOU. ST-STOP!”
He looked down to see a skinny kid, probably not even out of a middle school yet, call out to the villain.
Everyone at the scene turned toward the kid. He could see the villain smirk as he began talking to the kid. But Toshinori wasn't even listening, he was just staring at the kid. Even from a distance he could tell that the kid was shaking in fear, his head of green curls quivering in fear.
The kid's terrified. His arms are like noodles. He sounds like he hasn't even gone through puberty yet. But he's still standing up to that villain. He almost kinda reminds me of…
Toshinori's thoughts were halted as he watched the villain charge the kid, pissed off by something he said.
Crap I got distracted! I need to…
Before he could jump in though, he was stopped as the kid suddenly grabbed something from a nearby trashcan and threw it at the villain's face.
The villain scowled as it broke over his face, revealing… beans?
“What the hell kid!” The villain screamed out. “The fuck is this shit!” The villain gripped his his snout as he tried to wipe some of the food off.
Meanwhile, the kid yelled to the woman. “P-please! Get out now!” His eyes burned with determination as he looked at her. Toshinori knew that look well. It was the look of someone who wanted to save people. The look of a hero.
The woman was shocked at the kid's action, but remained frozen. The kid grimaced as the villain growled again. “You little shit! I'm gonna kill you for that! I'll rip your head off!”
Toshinori flinched as he realized he had been waiting for far too long. Too entranced by the peculiar kid in front of him. He leapt into action.
“Missouri Smash!” He yelled out as he chopped the villain's neck. He landed and watched as the villain's eyes went white and he was knocked out. Quickly, he turned around to the woman.
“Fear not, for I am here! Young miss, are you okay?” He asked her. She nervously nodded at him while he checked her over. Besides a scratch on her forehead, she seemed fine. His gaze drifted to the kid, who had stumbled to the ground and was backed against the wall, stars in his eyes.
Ah, a fan. Well, he certainly wouldn't be the first.
“Young man, are you oka-”
“OhmygoditsAllMightIdidn'tthinkhewouldactuallyshowupIcan'tbelievehe'sactuallyhereIneedtogethisautographhejustsavedmylifeAllMightjustavedmylifeKacchan'sgonnabesojealouswaitwouldn'tthatjustmakehimmadeatmeIdon'twannapissoffKacchananymorewaitdidheseemefighthatvillainamIintroubleforvigilantism-”
The boy seemed to continue muttering without stopping. It was… kind of impressive.
He just keeps going! When was the last time he took a breath?
Toshinori coughed. “Excuse me young man. I asked if you were okay?” He repeated. The kid seemed to jolt after realizing he had been mumbling.
“O-oh sorry sir, mister, A-All Might. I-I'm fine.” He stuttered out.
Toshinori smiled at the boy. “I saw you from a distance young man. That was very brave of you, but also quite reckless. What possessed you to intervene like that?”
“O-oh.” The boy seemed to deflate at his words. “I-I just… I just didn't want her to get hurt. Even if I couldn't do much. I'm sorry…”
He was confused why the boy was apologizing, he had done a great thing. Rushing into danger to help another, the true essence of being a hero! He should be proud!
Toshinori smiled. “Oh don't worry about it young man, you did great. Although, you should've used your Quirk to defend yourself at the very least. I understand the vigilante laws only apply to Quirks nowadays, but use of a Quirk in self-defense is perfectly fine in cases like these.”
For some reason, the boy flinched as he mentioned Quirk. He raised an eyebrow as the bow began to speak. “W-well. I couldn't use my Quirk. Because… I-I'm Quirkless.” he sadly remarked.
Oh… then he rushed in without even a means to defend himself.
For a moment, Toshinori thought to reprimand the boy for that. For rushing in when he was so helpless, so weak. But then he remembered his earlier thoughts.
He reminds me of… me. Back before I had One for All, before I met Nana.
He stared at the boy. The scrawny, Quirkless boy. The boy who had rushed into danger to help another without a second thought.
Slowly, a grin spread across his face.
Sorry Nezu, but I think I already found who I'm looking for.
Izuku panicked silently from his place beside All Might, but not for the reason he thought he would.
Because of course anybody would panic if they were in his position. He was standing next to All Might, the coolest hero in the world! The Number One Hero! Anybody would freak out, even Kacchan.
But that wasn't why he was panicking. He was panicking because All Might probably hated him already. Why wouldn't he? He had gotten in the way of the arrest of that villain. He had skirted around the law against vigilantism. He probably freaked him out with his muttering. And then, he told him he was Quirkless!
After he told All Might that, the hero had simply just straightened up and told him to wait for a moment while he called the cops so they could come pick up the villains. But he knew what was really happening.
The cops were coming to pick him up too. To arrest him. He was going to jail! His mom would be so disappointed in him. Kacchan would too, being friends with a criminal wouldn't be good for a hero, let alone the future Number One.
He watched as the cops arrived. He closed his eyes as he waited for them to take him. He waited, and waited, but nothing happened.
He opened his eye slowly and saw that the police were cuffing the villain into their car as he snarled at them. They were also helping the woman out as they loaded the villain.
He looked over and saw All Might waving at them before he grabbed onto Izuku's shoulder.
His idol smiled at him. “Alright young man. Let's go. I've got something to tell you.”
Oh that was it. All Might was telling the truth. Of course All Might was telling the truth. He was the Number One Hero, he would never lie to a civilian. But that didn't mean Izuku was out of the woods just yet.
He's probably taking me somewhere so he can scold me in private. Good, I wouldn't want his reputation to go down because he was seen scolding me. That's all I do, hurt other people-
His thoughts were cut off as All Might suddenly grabbed him and jumped away. He screamed as they flew through the air.
“Oh sorry kid. Thought you were ready for that.” The Number One Hero said.
Izuku grimaced as they kept moving. He looked down and almost passed out. They were above the buildings, with All Might leaping from rooftop to rooftop. It was terrifying being this high above the ground, knowing that he could fall. But he knew he wouldn't because All Might was carrying him.
Not only that, but it was also kind of amazing. He was getting to jump around the city like All Might did! Granted it was because All Might was carrying him around to reprimand him, but it was still cool.
Soon, they landed on a rooftop and All Might put him down.
Huh, an empty rooftop. It makes sense I guess, All Might wouldn't be seen around here.
Immediately, he sighed and moved away from All Might as the hero dusted himself off. He bent down into a bow as he closed his eyes, tears already beginning to build.
“I'm sorry All Might! I got in your way during that villain attack and was disrespectful to the law! I know I was just in the way and I should have just let you handle it and that I can't do anything and that-”
“Woah woah woah kid! Why are you apologizing? You didn’t get in my way… Quite the opposite actually! You showed great heroic spirit in saving that woman. Great work young man!”
Izuku blinked as he processed All Might’s words.
He doesn’t want me to apologize? Is he not just here to tell me how stupid I was… Wait did All Might just tell me I was heroic?! He’s gotta be talking about someone else right? What did I ever do that was heroic? All I did was get in his way-
A cough startled Izuku out of his thoughts as he looked back to All Might who was looking nervously at him. “Well kid, I was talking about you.”
Did I… say all that… out loud?
“Yes, yes you did kid.” All Might replied as Izuku began to blush.
All Might just let out a chuckle as he once again took on his signature smile.
“Don’t doubt yourself now young man! You showed great heroism back there. Greater heroism than most show nowadays! Rushing into danger, your body moving before your mind can even think, that shows the true spirit of a hero! So now young man, I must ask… Do you want to be a hero?”
Izuku’s heart stopped at those words. Those words which had been uttered to so many. Those words which promised a dream, a dream held by so many people. Those words which hadn’t been spoken to him in years except to mock him.
He looked to his idol who was asking him that question. All Might, the Number One Hero, the man who he looked up to, had just told him that he possessed the spirit of a hero. And now… with that question?
He has to be joking right? He knows I’m Quirkless. Doesn’t he think that…
Izuku gulped and shut his eyes as he began to answer.
“I-I…Of course I want to be a hero. I’ve always wanted to be a hero, ever since I was kid. I wanted to be a hero like you All Might, someone who saves people with a smile on their face. A pillar of hope for everybody. That’s why I want to be a hero, even if I’m Quirkless.”
Izuku waited with bated breath for a response. He waited for All Might to smile before discouraging him. For his hero to encourage his safety. To not be a hero without a Quirk. To be disgusted that a freak like him couldn't ever even think about being a hero.
But those words never came. He cracked his eyes open and looked up to see All Might smiling down at him. If anything, his smile had only seemed to have grown.
“That's exactly the answer I was looking for young man. And now, I must make you an offer.”
An offer? Does he want to take me as an intern? Would I get to intern at the All Might Agency?!
His thoughts were interrupted again as All Might's face seemed to turn a bit more grim.
“I'm sorry to ask this of you, Young…” All Might trailed off.
Izuku gasped. He hadn't even told All Might his name! This was so embarrassing!
“Midoriya! Izuku Midoriya sir!”
All Might's grim expression turned slightly lighter. “Young Midoriya… As I was saying, I'm sorry to ask this of you. But you will need to keep everything I tell you from this point on a secret. You cannot tell anybody about this. Not even your closest friends and family.”
Izuku gulped before hesitantly nodding. All Might was entrusting him with a secret? This was such an honor! It would be hard to hide something from Mom, but if it was All Might he was sure she would understand right?
As All Might saw his agreement, he nodded.
And in a puff of smoke, Izuku's entire world shattered.
Toshinori coughed as he finally let up his hero form. He thankfully hadn't been pushing his limit, but it was always a relief to let off some steam.
Quite literally in my case.
He looked over at Young Midoriya, who was staring at him with wide eyes.
“Wh-who are you? What did you do to All Might? He questioned.
Toshinori sighed, that was to be expected.
“Relax kid, it's me. I'm still All Might. This is just what I look like most of the time these days.”
The boy looked shocked, terrified even. Toshinori wouldn't have expected anything less. If this kid was as big a fan as he thought he was, he was probably horrified that his idol had been reduced to this.
Toshinori stared at the boy as he began to explain.
“Five years ago, I got into a fight with a villain. He injured me pretty badly. Got half my respiratory organs and my entire stomach.”
“Five years ago… wasn't that your fight with Toxic Chainsaw?”
Kid's well informed. He really is a fan boy.
He smiled grimly. “Right you are, but a punk like that couldn't do anything like this. No… the villain I fought for years ago… he was…
Horrifying. More monster than man. Evil incarnate itself.
“Strong… too strong. It wasn't made public at my request. I didn't want the world to see their Symbol broken.”
To see that I was scared.
“As of now, I can't be All Might for more than four hours a day. The other twenty, I look like this. And that time is only getting shorter.”
Toshinori saw tears begin to well-up in the kid's eyes.
“Y-you mean that All Might… that you won't be around anymore.”
Toshinori's gaze locked onto the boy.
“No, not yet. I will still continue to be the Symbol of Peace for as long as I can, but in the future… I will have to retire.” He said as he looked down.
He looked back up to see the boy looking broken. Distraught at the thought that his hero wouldn't be around much longer. Toshinori took in a breath as he prepared for the second part of this conversation.
His smile reappeared. “But fear not Young Midoriya, for that is why I am here! You see, I come to you with a very special offer!”
The young man looked to him again, confused at what he could possibly offer him.
“Tell me, what do you know of my Quirk?”
The kid blinked as light returned to his eyes.
“Y-your Quirk? W-well everybody says that it an enhancement Quirk that gives you superhuman strength. But since you never said what it actually is in interviews, I guess it's different. Given your current form, it'd be more accurate to see its a type of transformation Quirk. One that lets you shift into your All Might form. Although if your current form is caused by that injury, there's a chance its not a transformation at all, but instead just allowing you to enhance your body back to its prime…”
Toshinori's eyes widened as the kid continued murmuring. He hadn’t caught all of that, but he was pretty sure the kid had gotten pretty close near the end. At least without knowing about the true secret of One for All.
This kid is smart! I only told him about my injury a minute ago and he’s already deduced so much about my Quirk!
Toshinori coughed to catch Young Midoriya’s attention.
“O-oh! Sorry All Might. I didn’t realize much I was mumbling. Please forgive me for…”
“Slow down kid. That was honestly impressive. You got one thing right there. My Quirk is a type of enhancement Quirk. One which allows my body to return to its prime. But there is one more aspect to it. My Quirk is a sacred torch. One which has been passed from one generation to the next.”
“A-a torch? Passed from one generation to the next? Wha-what do you mean?”
Toshinori grinned. “It means that my Quirk has been transferred between users. Building up strength with each user. A crystallization of power that comes to those with courageous hearts to help those in need. And now… it's your turn!”
“And now… it's your turn!”
Izuku stared at All Might. The pieces slowly fit together in his head, but it still didn't make any sense.
“And now… it's your turn!”
My turn? He couldn't possibly mean… No, that's impossible! No way he would ever give his Quirk to a useless Deku like me.
Yet no matter which way he looked at it, the outcome was the same. All Might. THE All Might. The Number One Hero, All Might. Had just asked him to take his Quirk. And he felt like a fraud.
“Sorry, All Might sir, but I think you're mistaken. You just told me to take your Quirk.”
“That I did my boy!” All Might smiled while giving him a thumbs-up.
“B-but you could do so much better. You could give it to somebody with an awesome Quirk! Somebody better than me. I'm just… I'm just me.”
“Young man. I do not tell the secret of my injury to many. I tell even fewer of the secret of One for All. You, young man. You have proven yourself to be a hero, not because of a Quirk, nor your physical ability, but because of your heart. Because within you beats the spirit of a true hero.
I know it may seem like a lot. To feel like you don't deserve this power. That you're not qualified, not strong enough. You've never had a Quirk, so you may feel doubtful for your own ability. But your heart is greater than most I have seen. I will not force you to accept this gift. If you want, we could simply leave it at this. All I would ask is that you never tell anyone of either of the secrets you have learned today.
But know this young man. Whether or not you choose to accept this torch,
You too can become a hero!”
At those words, Izuku felt himself drop to his knees. Tears spilled unbidden from his eyes. Yet, the words he had just heard were the words he had been waiting to hear for so long. From his idol no less.
He looked up, his vision blurry, and saw All Might extending his hand to him.
This was it. The moment of truth.
That hand held so much promise. A hope that he forever carried. A dream he would never give up. A dream now within reach.
There were thoughts that echoed in the back of his mind. That he wasn't worthy, wasn't capable, wasn't special. That he would screw it all up.
But those thoughts faded at the sight of the hand in front of him. It was the hand of a hero, his hero. He couldn't refuse it.
He reached up and took All Might's hand.
“I accept!”