Chapter 10: Progress


After they had, had their moment, Izuku and his mother had found their way home. Izuku had began working on applications to potentially get into one of the other Hero schools while he still had the chance. He might not be able to get into UA, but he could maybe get into Shiketsu or-

"Izuku!" His mother said opening the door holding out a letter. She had just come back from the grocery store and must have checked the mail. "It came!"

Izuku's mouth became a thin line. It was time…


He could hear his mother pacing outside his room, eager and just as nervous as he was to learn how he did. He saw the UA crest sealing it shut and suddenly Izuku didn't feel good. Was this an omen? Apprehension racked his mind as he began to worry why the school would send such a clunky letter.

'I won't know how badly I failed if I don't open it up!' Izuku thought. 'That sounded wrong… maybe I shouldn't open it… but if I don't I'll never know if I actually succeeded? Who knows? Maybe I got into the Gen Ed group or the support group… No… My grades weren't high enough for that… and I think I only got an eighty-eight on that math quiz. You need at least an A- to get into the support group… Wait- no! Snap out of it! You've faced down a giant crab guy, a slime guy, and even a giant robot! What's a letter that could potentially crush your hopes and dreams, eh? Gosh dang it! Just open the letter! -and I probably shouldn't just rip it in half like that… um… how to open it?'

Izuku focused the warmth in his bones to flow down his arm, piercing his skin and forming into a thick blade. Izuku winced from the pain and used a tissue paper that he kept near his desk for… reasons! He used the tissue to wipe the blood off before using the blade to open the letter.

There was a thick metal looking disk- wait was that a holodisk? Those were super expensive! Why would-?

Izuku's train of thought was cut short as he accidently pressed the 'on' switch on the disk and it started to play.

'Booyah! I am here as a PROJECTION!' All-Might's holographic image said with gusto causing Izuku to nearly fall over backward in surprise.

"All-Might?! Wait- is this live?!" Izuku yelped trying to hide his mode of dress. He was still in a stained shirt and-! "Wait a minute… this letter came from UA?! Is that why you wanted me to apply there?! Because you'd be teaching there?!"

'Hehe… I actually came to this town because I got a job offer to work at UA to train the next generation of Heroes!' All-Might said, confirming Izuku's suspicions. 'Sorry I didn't get back to you! I got caught up having to grade papers and I dropped my phone on the bathroom tile somehow shattering the screen!' A hand appeared in the shot waving at All-Might. 'Huh? You want me to speed things up? Wait- I have to do how many of these things?! Ahem, well apparently I should just get to the point!'

Izuku gulped as he waited for the verdict.

'Izuku Midoriya, you passed the written exam, but you only got seven Combat Points total in the practical exam. Combined with the score you got on the written exam, your grade was not high enough to make it into the Hero Courses or the Support Courses.'

Izuku looked down in shame. He knew it… He wasted All-Might's time and he'd probably have to give back the Quirk All-Might passed down to him. He'd see about getting into Shiketsu to see if he was still able to become a Hero some other way-

'That is… if combat was only thing we graded you on as a Hero!' All-Might said, surprising the young man. 'Take a look at this video!'

Izuku's attention was directed to a screen to All-Might's right and a video began to play showing-

"The nice girl I saved?! Wasn't she freaked out-?!" Izuku asked to nobody in particular.

'Um… excuse me…' the girl said still holding a plastic bag to vomit in if she needed it. She looked nauseous. 'The boy that got carried away on a stretcher… is he okay? He kinda jumped under a giant robot… um… anyways, I overheard that he didn't get too many points. He was trying to help but… I only twisted my ankle.'

"Wait-WHAT?!" Izuku said standing up. "She could have-?!"

'Still, he jumped in only because he thought he was trying to help me and-' The girl continued obviously trying not to hurl just thinking of him. 'Ugnh… ended up… as… hamburger… oh go-GGHLCK!'

The girl threw up into the barf bag. Izuku winced, feeling nauseous himself. The poor girl looked traumatized. Was he really that messed up afterwards?

'Ugnh…' the girl groaned. She looked awful. 'I feel bad… I mean, he was only trying to help… so… can he just have some of my points?'

Izuku felt his heart stop beating for a second. "… what?"

'He got really badly injured because of me… Even if I could've gotten away he still tried to save me… so… can you just transfer some of my points?!' the girl asked screwing her eyes shut, forcing herself to speak despite her nausea. All-Might paused the video.

'Your actions, though unnecessary, inspired others to act!' All-Might proclaimed. 'The entrance exam the other day was not graded solely on Combat Points! How can a Hero Course reject those who honestly thought they were trying to do the right thing and help others?! We don't just pay lip service to those ideals! This is a job where you put your life on the line to help another person! We will constantly risk our lives putting those ideals to the test! That's why we have Rescue Points!'

Izuku stood frozen with baited breath as the spark of hope he had held rekindled.

'A panel of judges watched your actions, saw that you were unaware that, that girl could rescue herself and saw how you rushed into action.' All-Might explained. 'They saw your willingness to risk your life on those very ideals they held dear, and saw your strength in overcoming your weakness and fear to be willing to save everyone there! They have decided to award you sixty Rescue Points! The girl you 'saved' similarly acted and got you to safety and we rewarded her with forty-five Rescue Points! You both made it!'

Izuku could barely comprehend what he was hearing. He… made it? He didn't let All-Might down…?

"This is too crazy…" Izuku breathed.

'Young Midoriya! Welcome to your Hero Academia! You have made it into Class 1-A of the Hero Course! You'll learn new things, make new friends and associates, and most of all-!' All-Might said and Izuku felt like this time, the smile plastered on All-Might's face was just for him… 'You'll make us all proud! This is the first step in you journey to become an amazing Hero!'

Izuku felt tears come to his eyes. Yup, he was bawling. All of the stress and anxiety he had felt, all of the pain and struggling he had done all his life… all of it, it seemed worth it just then. All of his blood, sweat, and tears… He did it… He made it… He was good enough.

"I swear I'll make you proud All-Might…" Izuku said getting up and wiping the tears from his eyes. He was going to show the world that he too could become a splendid Hero! "I won't let you down!"

'You will report to the school in two weeks! Send in your designs for a Hero Uniform to the address on the letter this came in and we will send you an official school uniform! You earned this kid!' All-Might said. And with that the hologram message ended.

Izuku poked out one of his bones, feeling the bone pierce his skin confirmed that, no, he wasn't dreaming… This was… real… The boy sucked the bone back into his body and wiped up the blood.

"Mom!" Izuku cried.


Later that week, Izuku got a text from All-Might telling him to meet at the beach again. His cast was finally off and he told his mom he was going for a walk down to the beach. She hesitantly allowed him to go on his own, trusting that he'd be back before curfew at nine.

The boy was surprised that the beach was occupied now. Since he had started cleaning up sections of the beach, more and more people had begun showing up. Now, this place that used to be cluttered with trash was soon filled to the brim with young couples wanting to get away from the city and stare at the ocean. Izuku was just surprised the place had become so popular since then. It had only been a few weeks since he had finished cleaning the trash.

'Mr. Toshinori' was standing by himself looking out onto the starry beach, sticking out slightly amongst the various young couples now walking up and down the beach. Sensing someone behind him, the older Hero turned and smiled.

"You made it kid! Took you long enough!" All-Might said ruffling the boy's hair. Izuku just smiled. "Sorry again I didn't get back to you, between the office work and my physical therapy I didn't have a whole lot of time."

"Definitely had time to knit some hats though." Izuku muttered impishly. All-Might sighed.

"You got me there… I think I told you I broke my phone… Still, sorry I didn't get back to you." All-Might said rubbing the back of his head. "I just figured you should know that I didn't pull any strings to get you in. You got into UA on your own power. It was your selflessness that convinced the judges, never forget that!"

Izuku nodded but still felt the need to self-depreciate.

"That's not true… Without the hard work and effort you and Simon put into me, I never would have made it." Izuku said. "Honestly, I wake up every morning and think 'I must be dreaming'. A year ago it would have been a fantasy, now, it's reality and I still have a hard time believing it's real."

"Well… as a Hero before me once said 'Believe it'. You really need to stop selling yourself short, young man." All-Might scolded but his smile quickly returned. "Speaking of which, how was your first time using One for All? You gave me quite a scare but boy howdy was that awesome!"

Izuku blushed. "It was… really too much… All I really remember is… well… It's sounds silly, but when I use my quirk it feels like my bones are warm… When I used One for All it felt like I was being electrocuted. It felt like there was raw, primal power in my muscles and it just went- Bwoosh! Or maybe POW? Um… I know! It was like an egg exploding in a microwave!"

All-Might nodded, not remarking on how Izuku described the sacred power. "You have to feel the power! Did you have any trouble controlling it?"

"Uh… yeah…" Izuku said looking at his hands. "It felt like it was too much power all at once… but it reacted to my command instantly. I don't think I'm strong enough to contain it…"

"Well, yeah!" All-Might said, making Izuku sputter. "Even with your healing factor, and your durability, I knew we were doing a bit of a rush job, but if I didn't get you trained up, your arms might've gone flying off after one punch!"

"Eh?! You mean you knew it would damage me that badly?!" Izuku exclaimed.

"Ssh! Keep it down!" All-Might said looking around. Some of the couples were staring at them. "I mean, I had total faith in your ability to handle it, I just knew that there would be a bit of a… learning curve!"

"Recovery Girl said I tore all the muscles and ligaments in both my legs…" Izuku said harrowed. "My bones were fractured in several places, and I was totally torn to shreds… I thought we did all that training so my body wouldn't do that…"

"I wasn't the one that told you to throw yourself at the feet of a giant robot!" All-Might said spitting up blood. He wiped it off with a handkerchief. "You really need to be more careful Young Midoriya. You really did almost die three times while Recovery Girl was operating on you. You are really lucky that you're so durable!"

"I'm sorry All-Might!" Izuku exclaimed feeling bad. All-Might tried to shush him but he was too late this time.

"Did someone say All-Might?" one said. "Where is he?"

"Sweetie! I want an autograph!" another said.

"Quick! Say you made a mistake!" All-Might hissed. Izuku panicked.

"Erm! It looks like I made a mistake! Yup! All-Might isn't here! It's just my… uh…. Uncle! All-Mike Tyson!" Izuku said waving his hands.

"… seriously?" one said.

"Come on honey let's go…" another said.

"Wait did he say Mike Tyson?" another said extremely confused.

Izuku and All-Might stood frozen waiting for the rest of the people to leave. Izuku had his hands covering his mouth looking like he was about to pass out. All-Might slumped. They really needed to work on the kid's anxiety…

"Look! From now on, you are the ninth bearer of One for All!" All-Might said jabbing a finger at him. "I am entrusting you with that amazing power so you can improve upon it, make it your own, and then when the time is right, to pass it on to the next person. You are the embodiment of that trust, so for now, be careful when you use One for All and try to use it as often as you can so you can gain mastery over it."

"But how am I supposed to use it if it keep breaking me?" Izuku asked worriedly. All-Might actually shrugged.

"I dunno. I didn't have any problems using it when I inherited it." All-Might said. "Granted, I was Quirkless and trained my butt off for seven years before I even inherited it so…"

"Seven years!?" Izuku asked. "I barely got eleven months!"

"Well, yeah! But um… It was imperative that I passed along the Quirk as soon as possible!" All-Might sighed looking down. "No matter how you slice it, I only have so many hours a day using One for All. If I waited any longer I don't think I'd even be able to pass it on. Also I had faith in your abilities. Your body is extremely durable. I'd put you at about… three years in. You're about half trained. With One for All now residing in you, your body will become even more durable as you adapt to using it's awesome power. When you are full trained…"

All-Might inflated to his full size. "You will become a Hero that might even one day surpass me!"

"Oh my gosh! Sweetie look! It really is All-Might!" Someone said making both Izuku and All-Might freeze.

"We should see if he is willing to sign my purse!" another said.

"Keep training, tell Simon you are ready for a 'test', and see you in a week! Sayonara!" All-Might said quickly before running like hell, leaving Izuku alone to deal with the now miffed young couples cheated out of an autograph.


Izuku frowned staring at the paperwork before him. How the heck was he supposed to put down that he suddenly had a new ability?! He needed to get his quirk re-evaluated, maybe even re-named. 'Marrow' was good, but it still didn't encompass the new overwhelming power of One for All…

He buried his head into his hands. He was supposed to be figuring out his sizes for a new school uniform and trying to come up with a design for a Hero costume- err uniform… Was it really a costume if it was meant to be your work attire? Hmm…

He needed something that would allow him to use both Marrow and One for All equally without impeding his mobility… He'd also need something that would help him cover his weaknesses. A utility belt was a must… Izuku would prefer if it wasn't super showy… maybe something light, but still offering protection?

Izuku bit the end of his pencil. It was a terrible habit, but it helped him think. All-Might's Hero suit was made of ultra-durable fabric designed by David Shield, one of the world's leading experts on Support Gear and Hero Suits. Izuku assumed the reason for that was because One for All was probably terrible on clothing. The sheer amount of force was insane. And his own Quirk was another mess altogether.

His abilities allowed him to grow bones from his body so naturally, it would need a way to accommodate that skill… Maybe he could learn to more finely control the bone growths, so they only appeared in certain locations? Well… because of the painful nature of his Quirk he didn't have a whole ton of practice with it… Maybe he could make the bones come out of his knuckles like claws- Owowowowow! Nope!

Izuku clutched his bleeding and painful hand trying to coax the bones back into place. Izuku winced, eyes tearing up as the bones slowly retreated. That… was extremely painful… The bones had tried growing from the base of his wrist and out through his knuckles, kinda like that hero 'Honey-badger', but instead of looking like a three year old putting pencils between his fingers as 'claws', the bones tried to grow through his hands. Bone tried to grow through soft tissue, multiple bones in the hand, nerves and other important bits.

Maybe… Izuku focused again and grew bone like claws from the bones beneath his knuckles, making sure they pierced the skin quickly and weren't trying to grow through his hands thank you very much! This resulted in a slightly less painful version of the same effect… except…

"These are really flimsy…" Izuku lamented. The bones jutting out of his hands were attached to the bones just beneath his knuckles but that was it. They felt like they would twist or wiggle if he tried punching with them. "I mean, their probably harder than steel but… I wish I could hold something in my hand normally… It'd be a lot more sturdy when fighting than something like this… Wait…"

Izuku had an idea… It was a really dumb idea, mainly because Izuku hadn't thought about it before. Slowly, he grew the bones already protruding from his hands and then… huh… this was a bit more difficult than he thought… maybe if he thinned it at the base? No… hmm… maybe he could…

For the next hour Izuku played around with his Quirk, ignoring the pain and bleeding as he morbidly found out something amazing.

At age eight, Izuku Midoriya had the ability to freely control the osteoclasts and osteoblasts in his body, the cells that form bones.

At age fifteen, nearly seven years later, he found out that he could form those bones so he could remove them from his body to use as tools.

In Izuku's hands was a knife, covered in blood and it still had a piece of his skin on part of it, but it was entirely removed from his body. His hands were sticky with blood but… he could feel that the knife was sharp and extremely strong.

Izuku could make weapons on command.