Setting takes place after the Stain arc and All Might revealed the origin of One For All. From here, the story takes a different path.

Updates will vary.

Chapter lengths will vary.

It will contain original characters, but they are not the main focus of the story.

There will some deviations/alterations from the main story, obviously.

Feel free to offer criticism.

Disclaimer: Boku no Hero Academia/My Hero Academia is owned by the Kohei Horikoshi. I own nothing except the original characters and the story. No copyright infringement is intended.

Enjoy.

[8][8][8]

We have arrived, at Hosu City.

The train screeched to a halt once it entered the station. Once the doors opened, a blur of green hair was the first to run out of the train.

Young Izuku Midoriya panted as he ran out of the station and darting through the crowds of people to navigate his way to his destination.

Many pedestrians who saw the young hero in training run like this believed he was running late and in a hurry. They thought wrong. It was not lateness or worry that compelled the boy to run.

The only thing he felt was impatience and excitement.

He's impatient because he could not wait to arrive to where he was heading. And he was excited because of what will happen when he reaches there.

Nine minutes and two red lights later, Midoriya stopped running. He felt no exhaustion from his run thanks to his training. Instead, he smiled in awe at the sight before him.

Heroes, many of them were walking into Hosu City's Hero Center. And it was not just Pro Heroes who came, representatives from other hero related companies were also making their way into the building. News reporters, who are restricted from entry, were gathered at the entrance, hoping to get some information about the event that was to occur.

"There's so many Heroes!" Midoriya squealed happily. "I can barely contain my excitement!"

"Young Midoriya, you made it!"

Midoriya turned around to see a familiar skinny man dressed in an oversized brown suit.

"All Might." Midoriya greeted quiet enough for only the two to hear it.

"Thank you for coming all this way, young Midoriya." All Might ruffled the boy's hair.

"Actually, I should be thanking you for letting me attend this event!" Midoriya exclaimed. "I can't believe I'd get the chance to come to one of these conferences."

All Might chuckled. "Always spirited when it comes to heroes…"

"I should have elaborated further. But I brought you here more than just for your enjoyment."

Midoriya looked at All Might confused. "Huh?"

All Might waved his hands as he reassured Midoriya. "Ah! Don't get me wrong! I'm glad you're happy to be here. But there is something important I want you to learn from this conference."

Midoriya looked down momentarily in thought, before looking up to All Might to say, "Does it have to do with my Quirk?"

"In a sense. But more about what it means for you being my successor." All Might explained. "I once told you to try and tell the world: 'You are here' at the Sports Festival. This conference relates to that."

Midoriya remembered what All Might asked for him back at the Sports Festival. But he was still confused. "What do you mean exactly?"

All Might slapped his forehead. "Right, I forgot you don't know what this conference is about. But that's my fault for giving you the gist of the information at the last minute. Still, I think when you see it yourself, you'll understand."

All Might pulled out a card from the inside of his jacket and handed it to Midoriya.

"This is your special guest pass. Keep it on you at all times so they will know you are qualified to be here."

Midoriya took the red card, reading the letters that read in golden words: "Hero in Training Guest Pass."

"Right! Thank you! I will try my best to learn something from this." Midoriya proclaimed.

All Might smiled. "I'm sure you will. Now then, let's go inside, shounen!"

[8][8][8]

When they entered the building, All Might led Midoriya to the room the conference was being held. All the while along the way, Midoriya stared in awe at the different heroes and representatives that were present in each room they passed. All Might left Midoriya at the door and walked away to prepare.

Midoriya now sat at the third top row of the large auditorium. The room was crowded with the company representatives sitting closer to the top and the Pro Heroes sitting at the bottom rows. There were no news reporters.

Midoriya looked at the clock and saw it was 11:58 AM. Two more minutes before the conference begins. The room was close to being packed.

As the world around him continued moving, Midoriya sat on his seat, thinking back on All Might's words.

'This conference relates to what All Might wanted me to do at the Sports Festival.' Midoriya thought. 'Tell the world I am Here. Sell myself. Know why I am doing this. Could this conference have to do with recognition?'

Midoriya shook his head. "No, I don't know much of what's happening. I should watch the conference first."

11:59. The doors of the auditorium closed. The murmurs and chattering of everyone inside faded as a middle age woman in a dark suit walked to the center stage.

Midoriya's eyes widened with vigor upon recognizing the woman.

"T-That's the president of the Public Safety Commission! This is my first time seeing her in person. A-Amazing!" Midoriya exciting whispers, apart from the startled people within two seats around him, went unnoticed from most of the audience.

"Greetings to you all, Pro Heroes and hero company representatives. On behalf of the Hero Public Safety Commission, I want to thank you for coming to Hosu City." The President, now facing the entire audience, spoke loud and clear for everyone in the room to hear.

"I would like to ask all of you to not record any of what you will be seeing and hearing today. As of right now, we have yet to go public with this." She continued. "But I am sure you all have questions as to what this conference is about and why are we holding it? The answer is simple. We didn't want any information leaking out early to create unnecessary attention until we believed it to be appropriate and completely certain with the potential results. I can say for certain we are ready to go public soon."

"But before we get to the main discussion, a little backstory would be necessary." She raised her hand that held a remote. "I'm sure most of you remember what had happened in this city."

She clicked the remote, and the screen above them started showing a news article. Several members of the audience gasped at the picture of an infamous individual they recognized.

"Two weeks ago, in this very city, we have had multiple attacks from the Hero Killer, Stain. Fast forward a few days later, the Hosu Incident happened."

The picture changed to the Winged and Black Noumu reeking havok in Hosu City.

"Thanks to the combined efforts of Endeavor and every hero participating in that incident, we were able to stop the situation from escalating further. They even managed to capture Stain. But what we did not expect was the aftermath from all this."

The picture changed again. This time showing a low quality recorded video.

"Some of you maybe familiar with this video. It garnered a lot of popularity. It had also been uploaded and taken down on the internet several times."

She clicked the remote once more. The video began playing.

Midoriya remembered watching this video after he returned home from his training with Gran Torino. The numerous comments from social media had brought this video to his attention. The video detailed Stain's background and reason for his violent crusade.

Even though Midoriya disliked Stain's methods, to a degree Midoriya understood what Stain was trying to accomplish.

"Bring it on, you fakes!" the video had reached its conclusion where in a moment of bloodlust, Stain declared his ambitions to the Pro Heroes on scene. "The only one worthy of killing me, is All Might!"

The video ended. Some of the audience began talking amongst themselves.

"That was rather haunting." "Even just watching it on the screen, that felt scary." "He's just another insane murderer that deserves to rot in Tartarus." "Despicable."

These were what Midoriya could hear from where he sat.

"There have been rumors of villain activity springing up from different prefectures all over Japan. These rumors even reached the ears of the public, and there are some who feel insecure about our jobs to keep the peace within the cities. And add the connection between Stain and the Noumus from the League of Villains who attacked U.A., this has become a strong influence for the villains amassing in groups to challenge us."

Midoriya gulped. 'I didn't think the situation would be this bad. Is this what you wanted me to know, All Might?'

"As such, it is our job to fight this, which is exactly why we are here. To show this country, no, show the world, that Stain's ideology will not hinder our hero society. Just how Stain has ushered an influence for villainy. We will do the same with the next generation of heroes." The President finished.

"And that is why. I. Am. Here …"

Midoriya smiled with anticipation.

"Coming through the door on cue!"

The entire room erupted into claps and cheers as the Symbol of Peace, in full costume, walked through the stage door that was behind the President.

"All Might!" "Even he came for this event!" "Aaahh! He's so Cool!"

All Might laughed cheerfully. "Yes! As an alumni and teacher of U.A., I must show my support for this event!"

"And yet Endeavour couldn't make it." Midoriya heard one of the business representatives mutter. "Hey now, not even Best Jeanist and Edgeshot could make it. The three of them are most likely dealing with some cases as we speak." One representative argued. "Still …"

"I'll leave the next part of this conference to you, All Might." The President stepped back, and all attention focused on the Number One hero.

"Thank you, President. Now then," All Might began.

"It is our job to ensure the influence of Stain does not continue stretching as much as it already has. And for that to happen, we need to show this country that heroes will always be capable of dealing with any threat."

All Might took a moment to pause before deciding to say his next line. "If I want to be honest with you all, Hero Killer Stain and I, we share similarities that make us influential to heroes and villains."

The audience members looked at one another in confusion and shock at the remark.

"Similar? What are you talking about, All Might?' Midoriya thought.

"Just like how I brought in a generation of peace for the public and fear among the villains, Stain has done the same but the other way around. Both of our appearances happened during the right time to cause the amount of influence to spread. I brought peace during a time where crimes were not decreasing, and Stain stirred the villainous intent from others when they were feeling oppressed from the Heroes who challenge them."

There were some amongst the audiences who agreed with All Might's explanation. Others were more skeptical with his logic.

Even if he wanted to argue against the idea of any resemblance between the Hero Killer and the Symbol of Peace, Midoriya could not help but fall into the former category.

"That is why," All Might pointed a finger upward. "I will continue my duty as the Symbol of Peace to uphold the virtues that I have fought for. However!"

All Might's finger moved to pointing at the door he had walked through.

"I will not be doing it alone!"

On cue with All Night's words, the door burst open. Everyone gasped in surprise as a blur of blue flew into the room. A girl wearing a blue skin-tight suit that matched her equally blue hair floated in the air through some energy she was giving off from her feet. She gave the crowd a big smile.

"Hi, everyone!" she exclaimed.

Midoriya stared at the girl in awe and surprise. She had such a cheerful expression and the way her hair flowed as she hovered. He found her actions rather cute, causing a small tint of pink to form on his cheeks.

She lowered down on to the stage. Just as her feet met the floor, a blur of white and red jumped out from the stage.

"Power!" the blur of white screamed as it landed beside the girl. It was a young man with blond hair shaped into a cowlick and an unusual simple face who looked to be close to the girl's age. He had a white costume with blue pants and a red cape. Across his torso, the number 1000000 was sprawled bright and proud, just like his grin.

Then came one more costumed young man, who just walked through the door like a normal person. His desert coloured hood covered his face as he stood to the left of the 1000000 man. And unlike the two, he said nothing.

The entire room of spectators stared aghast at the arrival of the three young heroes(?). Midoriya, too, had his jaw dropped from everything he saw.

'Who are these guys?!' Midoriya thought to himself. 'And why do I feel like I've seen one of them before?"

"Surprising, no?" All Might brought everyone's attention back. "May I present U.A.'s upcoming graduates and strongest students out of all the current students in U.A.: Nejire-chan, Lemillion, and Suneater, the Big Three!"

'The Big Three?" Midoriya stared with intense curiosity at the three. 'These are U.A.'s strongest third years? But I don't remember any of them from the past Sports Festivals."

"Some of you may not know who they are, but I can assure you: their abilities are no joke. They are the top candidates capable of exceeding even the highest of Pro Heroes. Even those in the top ten."

Those words from All Might caused murmurs of disbelief.

The President, who was standing to the side for most of All Might's speech, walked to All Might's side and took over.

"We have taken into account their Quirks, physical capabilities, and charisma. From what the Commission has researched, the estimates of public reaction are expected to be very positive. Factoring All Might's continuing support, the response would be strong to combat the ideology Stain has left behind."

All Might continued from there.

"Just like how I became the Symbol of Peace in a time of chaos: It is time for the world to know these heroes are here to counter the rise of villainy. To let them know, that I don't stand alone. That new heroes will always be there to get them out of the pinch."

There was silence after All Might made that bold proclamation. Finally, someone began clapping. Then another. Then two became four, and then eight, until the entire room started applauding for the Big Three and All Might.

Midoriya also joined in the clapping. His cheery disposition was evident on his face, yet his mind had a nagging sensation that he was missing something from this presentation.

[8][8][8]

The conference concluded with the Big Three each giving their own words to the crowd.

"Hey! Hey! Just watch me! I will show you all what I can do!" – Nejire-chan.

"The path ahead is full of hardships! But that just makes me push harder!" – Lemillion.

"So many of you … A lot of expectations … I … will do my best … too." – Suneater.

The room was close to empty, save for a few who stayed behind to talk with the five presenters.

Midoriya had also left the room, his mind processing everything that had just happened. Overall, he felt happy and excited at what he saw. The only thing bothering him was the continuous feeling that he was missing something when thinking back to All Might's words.

"Is All Might trying to show me the expectations of everyone when I become a pro hero?" Midoriya wondered. "As his successor, it is inevitable I have to be the next Symbol of Peace. So, would I have to reach to the Big Three's level of strength?"

"Young Midoriya." Midoriya turned around to the approaching All Might.

"All Might."

"Did you enjoy the conference?" All Might asked.

"Yeah! It was really thrilling! Getting to meet the Big Three was really something!"

All Might laughed confidently. "I knew you would like them. But, there is more for us to discuss. Follow me, young Midoriya."

All Might led Midoriya to a locked door. Using his access card, All Might unlocked the door and Midoriya followed him inside. The door locked itself once they entered the room.

"Have a seat." All Might sat down on one of the couches.

Midoriya followed suit, sitting on the couch across from All Might's.

"So, have you thought about what I said?"

Midoriya knew All Might wanted to ask him about that.

"I … I think I have some idea of what you were saying." Midoriya began. "Heroes have to be able to meet society's expectations to continually promote their presence to comfort them against villains."

All Might nodded. "Um-hmm. Anything else?"

Midoriya paused for a moment, his fingers cupping his chin as he thought. "You want me to be as inspiring as not just you, but also take in example of the Big Three and understand why Stain had such an impact. So that when I introduce myself to the world, everyone will have another shining example to look up to."

Midoriya finished with an expectant look towards All Might. All Might in turn was thinking over everything Midoriya had said.

"Hmm. You seem to have grasped most of what I wanted you to think about." All Might pointed at Midoriya. "Do you believe you can accomplish all that?"

"C-can I?" Midoriya stuttered nervously. He looked at his hands that rested on his lap. "Honestly, it sounds quite heavy. But I think I can do it. When I master One For All, I feel like I would be able to accomplish more once I unlock my full potential."

"Honest, but optimistic. I like that, shounen!" All Might gave Midoriya a thumb's up.

"But it is not just your Quirk, people will also think about the kind of person you are. Who are you? What pushes you? Can the public leave their trust in you? You must show the world that you can answer all these questions without compromise. Your actions are what will define people's expectations, whether you go beyond or not. Though it would be preferable if you could."

"Beyond, huh?" Midoriya quietly lingered to that word.

"Still, you have some time before the next Sports Festival and before you graduate. For now, focus on your mastering One For All. I would still like for you to take what we have discussed today as you keep training yourself." All Might paused briefly before asking. "I would also like you to do something else."

"Wha-What is it?" Midoriya asked.

"Now that you had the opportunity to see them, I want you to get to know the Big Three." All Might proposed. "I feel you can learn more about 'going beyond' from talking with them."

"O-Oh! Okay …" Midoriya agreed, though hesitantly.

"Ha ha. Don't worry, shounen. They are very friendly. I'm sure they will get along with you nicely."

The sound of knocking from the wooden door interrupted their talk. Midoriya, with a bit of worry, turned to see the door open slightly.

"Hello? Anyone in here?" the familiar voice of Lemillion called out to the room.

All Might stood up. "Young Togata! Come in!"

"Ah! The President said you'd be in one of these rooms."

The door opened fully. Midoriya gulped nervously as the Big Three entered. Now that they were up close, he could feel a strong sense of power oozing from their presence alone. Or that could just be him being intimidated by their status. Midoriya always had a strong reactionary first impression toward people.

"You. Are. Here!" Lemillion laughed. "The Commissions President is taking care of the remaining guests. She should be with us shortly."

"Excellent! So how do you all feel?"

Lemillion gave a thumb's up. "I feel Plus Ultra!"

"It was very exciting, wasn't it?" Nejire-chan chirped.

"It was more than I can handle. I almost ran out after standing there for a minute." Suneater lamented. "I'm surprised I lasted that long. But, I need to lie down. Let me go home already…"

Lemillion slapped Suneater on the back with a confident laugh.

"Come now Tamaki. It wasn't that bad!"

"I wish it was Mirio. I really do…"

Midoriya, who had been silent and for the most part ignored, watched the Big Three. His mind thinking of ways to approach them.

Which ended up being unnecessary when a pair of blue eyes met his green ones.

"Oh! You have a guest All Might?" The two boys of the three turned to what Nejire was referring to. Midoriya shrunk back into his spot on the couch when he became the center of attention.

"Uh… hi?" he said softly.

Mirio was the first to move. In a flash, he had slid his way to Midoriya with a goofy grin plastered over him.

"Hello!" he said enthusiastically. "Sorry for ignoring you until now."

"N-No. Really it's fine." Midoriya replied.

Nejire walked around the couch to get a better look at Midoriya.

"You look familiar …" she wondered aloud. "Do you go to our school?"

"Y-Yeah!" Midoriya exclaimed. "I-I am Midoriya Izuku, f-first year student of the Hero Course! I-It's an honor to meet you all!"

"Oh? I didn't know a student from our school was watching the presentation." Mirio raised an open hand to Midoriya.

"You already know my hero name. But I want to formally reintroduce myself, as Togata Mirio. Nice to meet you, Midoriya!"

Midoriya shook his hand. "L-Likewise, Togata-sempai…"

Nejire-chan leaned closer to Midoriya's face. Midoriya yelped, backing up a little in nervousness.

"I'm Hadou Nejire. You already know my hero name is my first name, so feel free to call me either that or my last name." she offered.

"U-Umm, sure. Hadou-sempai…"

Hadou's eyes brightened. "Oh! I remember now! You're the boy who broke his arms during the Sports Festival!"

In an instant, Midoriya felt what dignity he had left getting crushed by that remark.

"It's sad you didn't get to continue, but that's quite the Quirk you have there! Is that a permanent drawback? Can you improve on it?"

Hadou's bombardment of questions was met with a continual response of "um, uh, ehh …" and any other similar hesitating expression that he could mutter.

"Hadou. I don't think he's going to give you a full answer." The third of the three, Tamaki, said.

"Ehh? Aren't you the slightest bit curious?" Hadou asked.

"I'd be lying if I said no … but I don't want to ask." Tamaki lamely said.

All Might had been silent during the entire exchange between the four of them. He only smiled watching Young Midoriya getting along with the third years. He hoped that in the future, they would be resourceful allies to Midoriya's journey.

The door opened once more. And the President walked in.

"Sorry for making you all wait. I was finally able to finish talking with the remaining guests." She continued walking forward. "Let's break down today's conference with –"

She stopped to notice Midoriya sitting on the couch.

"Oh, who might you be?"

All Might decided to answer.

"President, this is Midoriya Izuku. He's one of the first years in U.A.'s hero course. I invited him to see the conference."

The President raised a brow at All Might's response. "Oh? You're the guest All Might talked about? Nice to meet you."

Midoriya quickly bowed. "S-Same."

"Do you have business with All Might right now?" she asked.

"Actually, we just finished. He was just introducing himself to the Big Three."

"I see. Then I apologize if I am being rude, but I have some matters that need to be spoken only between the five of us. I'm going to ask for you to leave us, Midoriya." The President bluntly said.

"Y-Yes, ma'am."

"Also, I know I said this at the conference, but I'd like you to not disclose of any what has occurred today. At the very least, U.A. will most likely make the reveal to its other students soon. But I want to keep this under wraps from the public."

Midoriya nodded. "I will."

Midoriya stood up preparing to leave. "I'll see you later All Might. Thank you for today."

"Of course! See you at school, Young Midoriya."

Midoriya turned to the Big Three. "It was nice meeting you guys."

"Same." Togata responded.

"We'll see each other again at U.A., maybe we'll talk some more, Midoriya." Hadou persisted.

"S-Sure, Hadou-senpai."

Tamaki walked up to Midoriya. "I haven't properly introduced myself. I'm Amajiki Tamaki … I guess I'll see you at school. Maybe."

"Definitely, Tamaki." Togata corrected.

"Right, thank you, Amajiki-senpai."

Midoriya finally turned to the President. "It was nice meeting you."

"Likewise, Midoriya. Best of luck in the hero course."

[8][8][8]

Finally leaving the room, Midoriya sighed. The exhaustion finally caught up to him. It was a very informative and mentally taxing day.

He looked at his phone to see what time it was.

"Still early in the afternoon. Maybe I can buy myself a lunch before heading home."

Nodding at his decision, Midoriya walked to the elevator. The lift finally arrived, and he walked in. Pressing the bottom floor button, the door closed and the elevator proceeds down.

.

.

.

*Rrrr* *Rrrr* *Rrrr*

Midoriya pulled out his phone. The short vibrations it made meant he received a text message. He opened the text. It was from an unknown sender. But the message was surprising.

Answer the coming call.

'What is this?' As the text stated, Midoriya's phone vibrated with the caller also being unknown. Hesitating for only a moment, Midoriya clicked Answer.

"Hello?" He greeted.

"…"

"Is anyone th—"

In an instant, everything goes dark and the elevator comes to a halt. Midoriya, startled, was about to make a move when –

"Midoriya Izuku."

Midoriya's eyes shot wide at the ominous older male voice. He does not recognize it.

"Do not panic. The elevator has only shut down temporarily. It will resume after this call is over."

Midoriya was starting to sweat profusely. "What is this? Who are you?"

"I'm not going to answer that. Yet."

Midoriya was on guard. He had half a mind to activate his Quirk. But given he was locked in a dark box (essentially), he had little to prepare or anticipate.

"But I want to inform you. That your fate will be tested soon. And will be ultimately decided. By my hand."

Midoriya's eyes widened. "Wha-What are you talking about?"

"Ah. I should have probably said this at the beginning. This is VERY important: If you tell anyone, and I mean ANYONE of this little unofficial meeting, the consequences will. Be. HEAVY. So keep your mouth shut."

Midoriya gritted his teeth in frustration. "What do you want?"

"Just be ready, hero."

.

.

.

Kwa!

"Ahh!" Midoriya screamed when the lights returned, and the elevator started moving again.

His entire form was shaking in fright. When the elevator finally opened on the ground floor, Midoriya dashed out. He looked around frantically, only seeing office workers and company representatives who were still here.

The shaking feeling of fear not leaving his chest. Midoriya could only wonder:

'What the hell was that?'