A/n: And we're done with the Internships. Sorry Izuku's part came out so late. There is A LOT of exposition! It took FOREVER to write. And on top of that, I think this is the longest chapter yet.
Hope you enjoy it and it isn't too much talking! Let me know what you think! ;p
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The Internships: Izuku
After the police finished getting their statements, Aizawa instructed Izuku to call his mother. Unlike Todoroki, who technically didn't have a guardian at the moment, and Kacchan, whose guardian was Aizawa, Izuku needed permission to stay and finish the work-study and he dreaded it.
Head low and eyes on the ground, Izuku used his crutches to move down the hospital hallway. His cell phone's battery had died an hour ago, so he'd have to use the phone at the nurse's station. His heart pounded with anxiety as he remembered the last conversation he'd had with his mom. What would he do if his mom said no?
"Can I help you?"
Izuku looked up and saw he was already at the nurse's station. He gave a wane smile. "I'd like to use the phone please."
"Of course," she said with a distracted smile. "Press nine to make an outside call."
He almost felt like he was going to be sick as he dialed the number. As the phone began to ring, Izuku realized with a spike of nerves that it was half past three in the morning, but despite that the line clicked open after only two rings.
"Hello?"
"Hi, mom," he said as evenly as possible. His hand gripped the counter so hard his fingers blanched white. "It's me. Sorry for calling so early."
"Izuku? Are you okay?"
"Yes. I'm fine. I have a cut on my ankle with a few stitches, but that's it. Kacchan and Todoroki are safe, too. The only one who got hurt was Iida, but they say he's going to make a full recovery."
"Oh, Izuku…" she said anxiously. "Have you seen the news? Hosu looks like a war zone."
Guilt made tears sting his eyes, but Izuku did his best to swallow it down. "The danger is over. All Might and the other heroes stopped the attack."
"Are you coming home?"
Izuku bit his lip. "Actually, I was hoping you'd let me finish the work-study? I promise I'll be super careful."
There was silence on the other side of the line. Izuku's stomach plummeted to his feet and his blood pumped loudly in his temple. Then, finally, his mother said a quiet, "If that's what you want, Izuku."
"Thanks, mom. I'll call you as soon as I arrive at Gran Torino's," he said with desperate relief. "I love you."
"I love you," she answered sadly.
Izuku hung up the phone with a trembling hand. He was going to have to resolve things with his mom when he got back, but honestly he was glad he could avoid it for a few more days. He just didn't know what to say or how to fix things between them. He loved her so much and he hated that he was hurting her, but this was who he was and he'd made the decision to stop looking back!
Upset but trying to hide it, Izuku used the crutches to return to the hospital room only to find that it was still empty except for Iida sleeping on the bed. Frowning, Izuku turned to go look for Kacchan and saw All Might walking toward him in his deflated form. He had their suitcases and rolled them along behind him. He looked exhausted and there was terrible bruising on his jaw.
"Are you okay?" Izuku asked in concern.
"I am well, young Midoriya," his mentor answered with a tired smile. "Superficial wounds only."
"Is it okay for you to be here?" Izuku darted an anxious glance at Iida. No one from class 1-A besides Kacchan had seen All Might in his true form.
"He shouldn't wake up for another hour or so. They gave him strong pain killers to help after his surgery." Toshinori gave him a serious look. "Did your mother give you permission to go to Gran Torino's?"
Izuku gave a nod. "Yes, sir."
"Then we should be off." Toshinori gestured to the two suitcases. One of them was Izuku's. "The first train will depart in forty minutes. Traffic is likely going to be challenging."
"One minute." Izuku turned awkwardly and crutched over to where he'd left his papers. He shoved them in his pocket. "What about Kacchan and Todoroki?" He asked as he returned to All Might's side.
"They've already left for the Endeavor Agency," Toshinori explained. "I'm sure they will contact you after they arrive."
It had been ten hours since the attack and things at the hospital were beginning to calm down. Nurses and doctors walked around normally instead of running, and there was no longer the sound of crying and hysteria coming from the waiting room.
They called a taxi and rode it to the station. As the sun began to rise, Izuku looked out the car window, feeling like more than glass separated him from the scenes outsides. People walked around looking at all the damage or just stood in small groups. It was as if everyone was in slow motion. Even the train station was quieter than normal when usually at this time it would be packed with people heading to work. In fact, they were the only two on their train car.
Underarms beginning to chafe from the crutches, Izuku took the seat closest to the doors. Toshinori heaved the suitcases up onto the rack above their seat and sat next to him. He stretched his long, thin legs out in front of him as the train pulled away and began to accelerate down the track. The city of Hosu soon disappeared, replaced by the rice farms that surrounded it.
"How are you holding up?"
Izuku blinked his eyes a few times, pulled from the hypnotic sight of the country passing by. "What?"
Neon blue eyes watched him solemnly. "How're you holding up?" All Might repeated. "We haven't had a chance to talk after everything happened."
Izuku didn't feel much at the moment. Numb really. And tired.
"Are you angry at me?"
Izuku frowned. "Why would I be?"
"I sent you on ahead even though I knew it to be dangerous."
Izuku shook his had rapidly. "No! Of course not! Those nomu were destroying the city! People were in danger!" His shoulders straightened and he met his hero's eyes. "You made the right call. Together, Kacchan, Todoroki, Iida and I were enough to handle the Hero Killer."
All Might's eyes widened and he smiled. "I"m glad to hear you say that."
Izuku reached forward to put his hand on his mentor's. "I know I've been full of doubts lately, but I made a promise to stop looking back. I'm going to move forward from now on. No matter what."
All Might studied Izuku's eyes for a minute before his expression softened into a look of affection. "I'm sure you will. I'm proud of you. You've come a long way."
Izuku ducked his head, his cheeks flushing at the praise.
All Might pulled his legs toward himself and planted them firmly on the floor. He leaned forward, bracing his forearms on his thighs. "I've been meaning to speak with you, young Midoriya." Taking a deep breath, he turned and faced Izuku. "It is time you learned how our quirk began."
Blond hair hanging long beside his thin face, All Might began a dark and tragic story.
"The story begins more than two hundred years ago, back when the first quirk manifested itself. At first, society didn't know what to do. They studied the children with quirks, and some more rigid and fearful countries even had them killed, but the change was coming and there was no stopping it. To make matters worse, some of those children became criminals and were nearly unstoppable. Society as a whole began to breakdown.
"Into this chaos, a certain boy was born. He had the most extraordinary quirk the world had ever seen. He was able to take quirks from others and use them as his own. He was also able to give quirks to those who didn't have one. Because he could wield an unlimited amount of quirks at the same time, he took the name All For One, and he became a symbol of unity by removing powers from those who did not want them and giving powers to those who did."
All Might's voice dropped and became ominous. "But All For One had ulterior motives. While he spoke about acceptance of those with quirks and a new society where all could co-exist, behind the scenes All For One encouraged the fear and paranoia of society. He wanted quirk users to be forced to flee to him for safety, all so he could collect more interesting and powerful quirks. Those who resisted his will were killed."
"Didn't anyone realize what he was doing?" Izuku asked, wide-eyed.
All Might shook his head sadly. "When All For One suddenly had an amazing quirk and the original user went missing, they just assumed he'd been asked to take the quirk so the person could live a normal life."
"That's terrible!" Izuku whispered.
All Might's neon blue eyes met his own and pierced Izuku to the core. "But there was one who caught on to All For One's murders. His younger brother."
Izuku gasped, his heart suddenly beating faster. "Daisuke," he breathed.
"Yes." All Might gave him a fond look. "Although, we did not know his name before you recovered it."
Izuku smiled, tears forming in his eyes, glad he was able to bring that knowledge back.
"When Daisuke confronted All For One and demanded answers, All For One revealed his plan to become a god on Earth. He believed it was his destiny to bring order to the world and he needed as many quirks as possible to do that. Those who died, well, in the great scheme of things, they didn't matter, did they? Only power mattered. Daisuke tried to make All For One realize how evil such thinking was, but it was useless."
All Might turned sorrowful eyes out the window. "You see, All For One believed that without power, one did not have the right to assert their ideals, and it just so happened that his little brother was quirkless. In All For One's eyes, his brother's opinion was worthless because of this. Daisuke tried to appeal to his brother's sense of justice, but All For One did not believe in justice or morality, claiming those concepts were nice philosophies, but they didn't actually conform to reality and so were not practical."
"Justice isn't practical?" Izuku repeated, unable to wrap his mind around that idea.
All Might sighed and turned tired eyes to Izuku. "Remember All For One was born about ten years after the first quirk manifested. Only a quarter of the population had quirks. As you experienced growing up, those without quirks are at the mercy of those who did. It isn't fair, but that is the reality. This led All For One into believing that the only truth in the world is power, the having of it or the not having of it, and he possessed a quirk that granted unlimited power."
Izuku swallowed hard. Back before Kacchan was his friend, he'd been powerless in a world where everyone he knew had amazing powers. It hadn't stopped him from trying to reason with the bullies who used that power cruelly, but if it had actually come down to a fight, Izuku never won. He'd always ended up on the ground with cuts, bruises, and burns. It wasn't until Kacchan stood at his side that the bullies had melted away, unable to match Kacchan's strength or ferocity.
Power did matter. If you wanted to make a difference, you had to have it, but it was also true that there are different types of power, and power without justice was empty. It was a show of strength with no connection to anything substantial. Power without community was insignificant because it didn't create anything that would last.
"All For One became obsessed with obtaining as much power as he could," All Might continued, voice low and intense. "He was unable to resist taking a quirk once it piqued his interest, much like a hoarder, and with all the quirks he possessed, there was no one strong enough to stop him. Even if someone had a powerful enough quirk to try and stand up to him, All For One could just take their quirk for himself and defeat them easily. He was invincible, but his younger brother continued to try and stop him."
Izuku braced himself, knowing something terrible as coming. "Did All For One kill him?"
All Might shook his head. "No. All For One did care for Daisuke, albeit in a condescending manner. He forced Daisuke to take on a power accumulation quirk. He told him, 'Maybe someday this will give you the strength to stop me. Until then, be satisfied.' He said this thinking his brother could never accumulate enough power to defeat him." All Might grinned, fierce and proud. "Little did he know that his little brother already had a quirk and it was similar to All For One's. Daisuke didn't have the ability to take quirks from others, but he did have the ability to pass them on. So when All For One gave Daisuke the stockpiling quirk, it merged with Daisuke's transference quirk, creating One For All."
"But how could Daisuke know he could do that?" Izuku asked, wide-eyed. He was hanging on All Might's every word.
All Might looked thoughtful at this. "Well, it's hard to know for certain. Maybe you can ask Daisuke yourself one day, but I always thought that he could feel it. It's possible it was just a miraculous fluke, though."
Izuku frowned, his analytical mind racing. "You mean, he could have accidentally passed it on?"
"This story has been passed down from user to user, so it may have gotten distorted in the telling, but the story as it was told to me was that Daisuke worked hard to become strong, driven by his brother's words: 'Maybe someday this will give you the strength to stop me.' Meanwhile, Daisuke was forced to stand helplessly by as All For One accumulated more quirks, gained followers, and killed more people.
"Then, when Daisuke was almost out of time due to an illness, he challenged All For One. He was beaten down, but he refused to yield. In disgust, All For One tried to take back the quirk he had given his little brother, but he was unable to do so. Because Daisuke's transference quirk gave Daisuke the ability to pass on his quirk, it blocked All For One from taking it by force. It could only be passed on when Daisuke activated the transference."
"That means that One For All is possibly only quirk in existence All For One can't take, which means the person with One For All is the only person in the world who has a chance at actually defeating All For One," Izuku reasoned.
"Exactly," All Might said with a proud smile. "All For One realized Daisuke's new quirk was a threat to him and tried to kill his brother, but Daisuke was driven by a new goal. He had to pass on his quirk. He was not strong enough to stop his brother, but someone else might be. Somehow Daisuke managed to escape that fight, and he found someone who believed in justice as much as he did."
"What happened to him?" Izuku asked in a whisper, already guessing the answer.
"Whether it was due to the wounds he suffered in his battle with All For One or the act of giving away the strength he'd stored within his quirk, Daisuke died after transferring One For All to the second holder."
Izuku closed his eyes tight. "He was so young. He fought so hard."
All Might continued, tone heavy and his expression grim. "All For One realized what Daisuke had done and devoted all his power to tracking down the second holder. He eventually found him and killed him, but not before the second holder had found a successor of his own. The second holder fought All For One as hard as he could, but he was killed.
"Believing he had put an end to One For All, All For One gave up the search, and the third successor was able to train in secret. In that time, he found the fourth successor. When he felt he was ready, he passed on One For All and then attacked All For One. For the first time, All for One was injured, but the third successor was not strong enough to win and he was brutally killed."
Izuku's heart began to race and his tears dried up. When All Might had begun the story saying this took place two hundred years ago, he had thought this was a story about the past, but as he looked into All Might's eyes, he began to realize that this wasn't the case.
Seeing the understanding dawn in Izuku's eyes, All Might gave a slow nod. "One For All was passed on from one person to the next and with the quirk three missions were handed down to each successor. The First: never let One For All end. It must be passed on without fail for it is the only hope of Justice surviving in the world. The Second: build up One For All, cultivate it, for Justice must be protected with Strength. The Third: defeat All For One no matter what it takes." All Might sighed and held Izuku's eyes. "And now I am entrusting you with these missions."
"But how is he still alive?" Izuku demanded.
"It can only be assumed he's come to possess a Longevity quirk of some kind. He stopped aging in his thirties."
Izuku felt faint.
"All For One has been behind great evil. He has killed hundreds of people, stealing as many quirks, and he has nearly toppled the government. After his plan fell apart because of the third holder, All For One disappeared for awhile, working underground to achieve his goal. He has been the mastermind behind dozens of criminal organizations. Almost all of the One For All holders have tried to stop the villain, but all have failed."
"Did you fight him?" Izuku asked, intuitively knowing that this was the fight All Might had kept secret, the fight that had nearly killed him and had given him the debilitating wound in his side.
All Might leaned forward again, a terrible look of anger on his face. "The seventh user, Nana Shimura, was my mentor. She came closer than anyone to defeating All For One, but in the end All For One killed her." All Might took a long breath, pain in his eyes. "After her death, I made a vow to be the one to finally stop him. I could never forgive him for killing her."
All Might sighed and rubbed at his face. "Six years ago, I was at the peak of my strength and I thought nothing could beat me, so I went out to challenge All For One and finally take my revenge. But I broke the first covenant of One For All and did not pass on my quirk before the challenge. I was very, very lucky to escape that fight alive. I honestly thought I killed him. I was bleeding out, dying, but so was he. I passed out, and when I woke, I was at a hospital. They went to look for the body, but the building we had fought in had exploded from the damage. We thought the body had been destroyed in the fire and didn't think much of it. I'm still not sure how he survived his injuries."
Izuku stared with wide eyes. "Then why do you think he's alive?"
"Never before All For One has a person been able to wield more than one quirk, and yet that is exactly what these nomu are able to do. There is something unnatural about them, and I sense All For One's hand at work."
All Might turned so he was facing Izuku and placed his hands on the teen's shoulders. "I know this is a heavy burden, and I had hoped that the holder of One For All could continue on into the future without this weight, but All For One must be stopped. He is an extremely dangerous villain with immense power. His end goal is to rule over this country and then the world." Voice rough, All Might's hands tightened on Izuku's shoulders to the point of leaving bruises. "As the next holder of One For All, you too will have to face him."
Izuku's heart raced in his chest. He waited to feel the anxiety and panic he'd felt when All Might had ordered him to show the world that he was here at the Sports Festival, but it never came. Subconsciously, he reached his hand into his pocket. The feel of paper against his fingers made adrenaline dump into his veins. The conviction he found with Iida, Kacchan, and Todoroki burned in his chest.
All Might's expression creased with curiosity as Izuku pulled out the pieces of paper he'd grabbed from the hospital room.
Izuku stared down at the image he'd sketched and felt calm. His heartbeat slowed. Lifting his eyes, he met his mentor's gaze. "I'm not afraid. All For One sounds really strong, but I knew there were strong villains out there when I chose to become a hero. All For One doesn't change that. It's my duty to stand against evil no matter what the form and to keep people safe. Daisuke, and all the holders…" Izuku hesitated, looking up at All Might carefully, "… even you… Everyone has fought alone." Eyes glinting with determination, Izuku declared, "I am not alone. I have you and Kacchan and everyone else. Together we can do anything. Even stop All For One."
Tears glittering in the corner of his eyes, All Might pulled Izuku in for an awkward hug. "You never cease to impress me, kid." Pulling away, he ruffled Izuku's wavy hair.
Izuku blushed and looked up at him shyly through his bangs. "Thank you. For trusting me. I'm really glad we don't keep secrets from one another anymore."
All Might gave him a tired smile. "Get some rest. We still have half an hour before we get to Gran Torino's."
Izuku nodded. He put the tattoo sketches back into his pocket and curled up on his seat. He was exhausted, but true sleep alluded him. All For One… Daisuke… Izuku remembered Daisuke telling him he'd been a bad younger brother, that he hoped he'd be a better older one. How painful had it been to see his older brother go down a terrible path and not even realize it was terrible? How hard was it to devote himself to his brother's end regardless of how bad that brother was?
Izuku's hands curled into tight fists. He had to master meditation. He couldn't let Daisuke stay alone in the dark, not when he finally was able to communicate. And if they were going to take on All For One, then Izuku had to get stronger. He wasn't alone, but that meant he had more to protect, too. He had to get much, much stronger!
…
One hour later, Izuku was sweating from effort as he used his crutches to swing down the street. He had a crumpled hand-drawn map in his hand. All Might had given it to him and had sent him on ahead. He said he had to pick up a few things from the grocery. Izuku paused to look at the map again.
"Maybe I read it wrong?" he mumbled and looked up at the building.
The building he'd come to was four stories. It had three rows of five small square windows with a cross-work of dark black metal bars over them. The railing at the roof was broken and hanging down. The grayish paint covering old red brick was peeling and coming off. In fact, more brick showed than paint.
A yellow construction barrier served as a type of fence around the building. Six steps led up to two wooden front doors. Above the front doors was a sign that read Hero Agency, but it was also half falling down and broken. There was even some rude graffiti along the first floor walls. If it had been dark, Izuku would have been too scared to enter and would have waited for All Might.
Izuku looked again at the map, but no matter how many times he looked, it seemed this was the place. Taking a deep breath, Izuku carefully crutched his way up the stairs. He knocked on the door and then carefully pushed it open.
"Hello! I'm here from UA High. My name is Izuku Midoriya…" he called nervously. "Nice to meet… you…"
His eyes fell on a small form crumpled on the ground. The room was dark, so he flung the door wider open, letting sunlight pour in, and saw a white and black checkered tile floor, a small old man with gray hair in a yellow cape, and a pool of red blood under him.
Izuku flung his crutches to the side and put himself against the wall, eyes darting around. One For All filled him and his skin took on a pale yellow glow with red glimmering veins snaking over him before it faded into green static that ran over his body.
Izuku couldn't hear or see anyone. He rushed forward, staying low. He kept his attention on the room as he reached down to check on the old man. His senses registered the tangy sweet smell of ketchup just as his hand touched a surprisingly hard, warm shoulder.
The old man bolted up, screaming, "I'm alive!"
Izuku leapt away from him in reaction, heart slamming hard against his chest. He stared, wide-eyed, his quirk still activated as Gran Torino slowly got to his feet. Izuku saw now that the man was wearing a hero costume. Large yellow boots that went up to his knees and a white spandex suit with a yellow belt, large yellow gloves, and yellow cape. He also had a black mask that covered the top half of his face like Kacchan and a wooden walking stick. His voice shook with age when he spoke.
"When I was carrying a string of sausages with ketchup poured over them, I fell!"
Izuku frowned, but he slowly let go of One For All. The old man walked, trembling slightly, to the wall and flicked on the lights. Izuku saw the room was large with walls painted green. Old fliers and papers hung on them. On the floor, right in front of the front door, was a large red smear of ketchup, a few links of sausage, and broken glass.
"Who are you?" the old man asked.
Izuku came to attention. "I'm Izuku Midoriya from UA."
"What?" Gran Torino lifted his large gloved hand to his ear.
A little louder Izuku yelled, "I'm Izuku Midoriya."
Gran Torino nodded and set both hands on the top of his walking cane. He gave Izuku a smile, trembling, and asked again, "Who are you?"
Izuku's eyes narrowed in suspicion, but before he could say anything, Gran Torino fell backward onto his butt. Izuku instinctively moved to his side, reaching out to support him.
"I want to eat," the old man said carelessly.
"Okay," Izuku agreed calmly before reaching into his pocket for his phone. "Let me make a call first."
The old man laughed. "Can't get much by you, can I? Guess Toshinori wasn't wrong when he picked you. Not bad, kid. You've done everything right. Except you let go of One For All. I could be the villain, you know." Standing, Gran Torino got nimbly to his feet and discarded his cane. He was no longer shaking. "All right." He gave Izuku a sharp look. "Fire off One For All. I wanna know how well you can handle it."
"I can't attack you without knowing your abilities, sir," Izuku countered, still wary and worried about the man's mental health.
"In that case…"
Gran Torino sucked in a huge breath of air and then was airborne. He bounced off the walls with incredible speed. He was so fast it looked like there were more than one of him. The old hero created a lattice work of blurred after images around the room as Izuku stood there gaping. Then, with an abrupt stop, Gran Torino hit the wall above the front doors and hung there.
"Come at me with everything you have," the old man said, voice steady and ominous. He gave Izuku a terrifying grin. "I watched the UA Sports Festival on TV. You were good, but you were also clumsy. The way you used your power was so limited. Toshinori is called the Symbol of Peace and the Number One Hero, but that justice-obsessed boy is worse than a novice when it comes to teaching. So I'll teach you. Now, come at me."
Izuku gave a closed-mouth smile, heart thumping with anticipation. One For All filled him with power, green static covering his entire body before fading into a faint glow. "Is it really okay?" he asked, making sure. "If I connect, I don't want you to get hurt. And what about the building? Walls and furniture won't stand up to One For All's power."
They were standing in a pretty open space, but not far from them was the sitting area with arm chairs, couches, and a tall bookcase filled with books. There was also a small kitchen area in the corner with cupboards, appliances, a table, and chairs. All of it could be broken.
"Good grief. You worry too much." Gran Torino took a deep breath and launched himself into the air again. "I'm losing patience."
Izuku was flung forward as Gran Torino launched a kick to his back. Izuku hadn't even seen him coming! Izuku rolled forward, his ankle giving a scream of pain. He'd have to be careful not to tear his stitches if he hadn't already. The sound of Gran Torino bouncing off the walls filled him with adrenaline as he came up on a knee, trying to track the hero's movements. A gloved hand slapped him across the face. It stung.
"I can't believe the ninth holder of One For All is such a wet blanket," the old man taunted. "All Might really is terrible."
Izuku ignored him. He'd finally figured out the pattern! Izuku grit his teeth and spun around just as Gran Torino was coming for his back again. He lashed his hand forward, hoping to grab hold of the old man's arm to stop his movements, but Gran Torino somehow dodged in midair. The old hero kept coming forward and a yellow glove filled Izuku's vision as Gran Torino grabbed him by the face and slammed him to the floor onto his back.
"Good analysis and prediction," Gran Torino acknowledged. "However, you're stiff and limited in your thinking. That's why it ended up like this."
"I thought I had you," Izuku admitted. The gloved hand still pressed into his face and the back of his head throbbed from hitting the floor.
"The way you used One For All in the calvary battle and the tournament, and the way you used it now, is stunted. Your admiration for All Might and your sense of duty are like shackles." Gran Torino lifted his hand and poked Izuku in the cheek. "Do you understand?"
Izuku sat up as Gran Torino backed off.
Gran Torino crossed his arms and regarded Izuku solemnly. "Time and enemies won't wait until you get stronger. You have to utilize the strength in your grasp now at one hundred percent, but you don't. You're thinking One For All as less than it is."
"Then what should I do?" Izuku asked desperately. "Help me."
Turning his back, Gran Torino walked to the front door, picking up his walking stick on the way. "Think about the answer yourself. I'll go buy some grub." He left, closing the door behind him.
Izuku sat near the puddle of ketchup and stared at his hands. "I'm thinking of it as less than it is?" Confusion welled but Izuku took a deep breath and closed his eyes. He could figure this out. He could!
At first, he'd only allowed One For All to fill one part of his body: his arms and legs. Because that's how he thought All Might used it, but he'd figured out that he was thinking of it wrong because of Daisuke's help. He'd learned to let it flow through his entire body, but maybe he hadn't taken that thought far enough? He still mostly favored All Might's fighting style. All Might was his hero, as Gran Torino had pointed out. Was that still effecting how he saw One For All?
Izuku got to his feet, hand lifting and pressing to his lips. Limping, he made his way to the kitchen to gather cleaning supplies to clean the floor with. He always thought better when his hands were busy.
Shackled by his admiration for All Might? Okay. He had to break it down, then. Why did All Might have super strength? Toshinori said he'd been quirkless before accepting One For All. It was a stockpiling quirk, right? The only reason All Might had super strength was because all the strength of the previous users were trapped within One For All, so when All Might activated it, all that strength flooded into him. But could seven people with normal strength really add up to the sheer force All Might was able to create? Izuku didn't think so. So what did that mean?
Wincing as his ankle gave a nasty twinge, Izuku got up from the floor. The ketchup was mostly cleaned up. Hobbling over to a kitchen chair, he sat down, mind still racing. What else did he know about One For All? Strength - Stockpile - The sudden image of the moon came to him. It had boosted his birth quirk, too!
All Might's story came back to him. All For One had given Daisuke a quirk. It had merged with Daisuke's birth quirk and created One For All. Izuku's eyes went wide, his mouth fell open. It merged with Daisuke's birth quirk! That's it!
To create the power All Might displayed, a strength quirk had to have been merged into One For All! And that quirk had gotten boosted just like Izuku's birth quirk! That's why All Might was so strong. That meant there might be other quirks inside One For All that he could learn to use!
"The expression on your face says you've come to an answer," Gran Torino said with a doubtful look. "But is it the right one?"
Izuku looked up to see the front door had opened and Gran Torino had returned without him noticing.
All Might was standing behind his former teacher with a sheepish smile. "Sorry if he scared you. He demanded to test you."
Ignoring this, Izuku blurted out the answer he'd come to, mind still racing. "There's more than just super strength in One For All. Right? I still think of All Might when I think of One For All, and I shouldn't because there's more than just strength inside the One For All quirk."
Gran Torino grinned. "You're a quick thinker, I'll give you that." He hit All Might with his stick. "You're a much brainier successor than I expected Toshinori to choose."
Toshinori grimaced down at his previous teacher. "I chose the most worthy as I was instructed to do."
Izuku knew better than to argue or dwell on the topic of worthiness. A big part of him still believed he didn't deserve it, but he wasn't going to keep looking back. Worthy or not, he held One For All and he was going to give it his best. "But how am I going to know what those abilities are, let alone figure out how to use them?" he asked, looking from one man to the other.
"Meditation and hypnotherapy," Gran Torino answered and jerked his thumb up at Toshinori. "Something this one is utterly incapable of."
Toshinori ruffled his blond hair sheepishly.
With a roll of the eyes, Gran Torino returned his attention to Izuku. "The strength facet of One For All came ridiculously easy to him. He hardly even needed to train, but he was never able to access any other quirk no matter how hard I tried to teach him."
Toshinori actually paled as he remembered those training sessions. He forced a smile and tried to pretend he hadn't just started sweating. "But I'm sure you'll get it, young Midoriya! I have faith in you."
Izuku got to his feet and gave a nod, his green eyes shining. "Yes, sir! When can we start?"
Gran Torino laughed. "Go put everything away, Toshi. The young one and I are going to begin."
Izuku was taken to the third floor of the building. The room was filled with a large square pool. It was ten feet by ten feet, lined with tiny white tiles. The sides of the pool was only two feet tall and came to just above his knees.
"This is a sensory deprivation pool," Gran Torino explained. He went to a white cabinet on the wall and took out strange headphones and a muzzle that would cover his mouth and keep his jaw from opening. "You're going to strip and put your clothes here. Then I'm going to give you a paralytic and get you set up in the pool. The paralytic will keep you from moving, but your thoughts and sense of your body will be left completely untouched. This will help you push past your consciousness and will make it easier for you to slip into a deep trance."
Izuku stared at him with wide eyes. "Okay," he said, trying to be brave.
Gran Torino gave him a very serious look. "It's going to be weird at first, and it's only going to get more terrifying as you go. I'm not going to lie. This is often used as a torture technique, so be prepared. It's not uncommon to hallucinate or have flashbacks as your brain struggles with the lack of stimulus. It's okay to scream or cry. No one is going to judge you."
Izuku swallowed hard.
Softening, Gran Torino offered him some comfort. "I've been told you've been able to reach a deep trance before, so you might be able to do so again and it won't be so bad. We've only got three days, which is why we must go to these extremes. You need to be able to enter a deep trance at will and we only have three days to lay a strong foundation."
Izuku braced himself. "I understand. I'm ready," he said quietly.
"Then get naked."
Izuku took off his clothes and folded them with shaking hands. He remembered being in a fever dream after Hitoshi had brainwashed him. He had been desperate to get into the dark closet, so he knew blackness had to be a legitimate way for him to learn how to go into a trance, but it was still terrifying.
Gran Torino had him sit on the edge of the pool and gave him two pills. Izuku hesitated, but then he swallowed them dry. He sat still as Gran Torino strapped the white muzzle to his face. It was soft and supple, feeling like leather but also not. Once it was on, Izuku could only feel it touching his face when he tried to open his jaw and couldn't.
"Once you're in the pool, I'm going to step outside and monitor you from another room. I can't stay in here because the lights will be shut off to blind you and I need to be able to see. Don't worry. You'll be safe. I won't let anything happen to you. You have to have trust, Midoriya."
Izuku gave a nod, and without drawing things out further, Gran Torino put the headphones on his head. Instantly all sound was cut out. Izuku's heart raced in his chest. His breathing came loud and fast through his nose. Sound wasn't just muffled. He was completely deaf.
Gran Torino gave him a minute to adjust, but then he pushed insistently. Wide eyed, trying to take in as much as he could, Izuku let himself sink into the pool. The water was exactly his body temperature, neither hot nor cold. It was very hard to sense it around him, and as he was guided to float on his back, all sense of gravity disappeared.
The feeling of nothing to hold on to made his limbs flail, but Gran Torino held him still. It didn't take long for the paralytic to kick in. Izuku couldn't move even if he wanted to. Gran Torino let go and left him. Tears streamed from Izuku's unblinking eyes as they darted this way and that, but all he could see was white. White tile, white water, white ceiling… and then the lights went out. Utter blackness.
Izuku screamed and flailed, but his body didn't react to his panic. He was utterly trapped - blind and deaf - with no sense of body or direction. It was like falling through a void with nothing to hold on to, but panic could only last so long. Eventually, Izuku's heart began to slow. His soundless sobs gentled into whimpers as his breathing evened. He was alone. No one was there with him. Nothing was touching him. There was no sound or sight or touch, and suddenly Izuku found that as a comfort. No one could hurt him in this empty place, and as he sank into the lack of sensation, he remembered what he'd come for. Daisuke. All For One. The secrets of One For All.
His brain spat out spasms of color. Memories flashed brightly behind his blind eyes, the phantom sound of waves crashed in his ears like static, but Izuku pushed those away and sank backward, looking for the black door. He found several and each opened to a memory or some imagined monster. Izuku screamed in frustration. Where was it? Why couldn't he find it? He tried to curl up, but he couldn't feel his body. Frustrated and alone, he began to cry. He cried for hours until finally even his brain went silent. It felt like dying.
Arms wrapped around him. "Izuku? You feel different."
Izuku jerked, disconnected in his own body, and blinked wide, staring eyes. "D-Dais-suke?" he stuttered in a confused whisper.
More worried now, Daisuke held him tighter. "I'm here. What happened?"
Izuku tilted his head back and saw the thick, white hair of his friend, the curve of his jaw and lips. "Daisuke…" he whispered in soul-deep relief. "Daisuke…"
"I'm here, Izu. I've got you," Daisuke promised, cradling Izuku's body to his chest.
Izuku wept. His arms were jerky and stiff as they clumsily lifted to hold Daisuke back. Eventually, his tears came to an end and he pulled back to look into Daisuke's face. "I found you," he rasped hoarsely, trying for a smile.
"What happened?" Daisuke asked again, lips turned down into a frown. His hair fell over his forehead, hiding his eyes mostly from view. Izuku only caught glimpses of pale green.
"Training," Izuku said simply and pulled away completely. "Trying to learn how to go into deep trance on command."
"That takes years, Izuku," Daisuke scolded. "There's no reason to push yourself this hard."
"But there is a reason," Izuku argued. "All For One."
Daisuke went still. "Toshinori told you, then."
Izuku nodded. "You couldn't talk about it until he did, right? It's like there's a limit to what we can talk about. Only if I have the conceptual map for it to begin with can you say anything. That's why the other holders can't talk to me. I don't have the context to understand."
Daisuke whole body posture went limp with relief. "I was afraid you would think I betrayed you or was keeping secrets or manipulating you."
Izuku flung his arms around his friend. "Daisuke! I would never think that! Even if you were manipulating me, I would know it was because you were trying to protect me. You've always taken care of me. You could easily have manipulated me then, but you didn't. You helped put me back together." Pulling away, tears in his eyes, Izuku gave the young man a big smile. "I'll never doubt you. We're brothers, remember?"
Daisuke reached up to brush away tears of his own. "Thanks, Izuku."
"So tell me about All For One now that All Might's told me about him." Izuku sat cross-legged in front of his friend and gave him his full attention. "It must have been really hard."
Daisuke sighed sadly and folded his legs under him, his butt resting on his ankles. He lowered his head so most of his face was obscured. "Quirks weren't common when I was alive. Many people were scared of them. There were whole groups who thought people with quirks weren't human and called for their imprisonment and extermination.
"My father had a quirk. He could manipulate people's energy levels. He could make them feel super energetic or make them really tired. It was an easy quirk to hide, so no one outside our family knew, but he was always afraid of being discovered. Add on a sick kid who was expensive and needy and it was too much for him. He left us. He just never came home from work. Sosuke was ten and I was only four. Mother had to work to support us, but it was barely enough and we were very poor. Because she was working, I was left in Sosuke's care."
Daisuke took a deep breath. "I felt so guilty over breaking up our family. I really tried my best to be obedient and pleasing, but I think I went overboard. When Sosuke saw the protests and debates on tv, he got these radical ideas and I never really addressed it. I just agreed and went along, and that gave him more and more confidence. Only a few years after father left, he realized he could take quirks for himself." Daisuke fell silent, lost in memory.
"How?" Izuku asked softly, knowing the story had to be told.
"Sosuke had always had a sense of who had a quirk and who didn't. We were at the park and Sosuke saw these three teens. He just knew one of them had a quirk. Sosuke was always so fearless. He overheard them bashing quirk-holders and asked the teen with a quirk why he'd do that when he had one, too."
Izuku winced and Daisuke nodded.
"It didn't go well. The guy was furious. He called Sosuke crazy and pushed him down. I was so scared he would really hurt Sosuke that I put myself between them. The guy pushed me down, too, and my arm broke when I landed badly. Sosuke knew I was hurt and he got so angry. He shoved the guy down with this sudden strength and leapt on him. He put his hand over the guy's face and said, 'You don't deserve to have a gift,' and suddenly the guy arched his back. Sosuke's whole face went slack. Back then I thought he was in shock or in pain, but now I know it was pleasure that flushed his cheeks. It was over in a few seconds. Sosuke got up and wind whipped around him and blasted the other two teens, nearly knocking them off their feet. He'd taken that boy's quirk and used it so easily.
"Of course word spread. Some people actually sought Sosuke out, asking for their quirks to be taken. At first, Sosuke kept what he could do a secret, but the more quirks he took, the more he wondered why he should be the one in hiding. I saw what was happening, but I was too scared of making him mad or hurting his feelings. This was the brother who protected me and took care of me. I was genuinely in awe of his ability and power.
"Sosuke enjoyed collecting quirks. It was like playing with new toys, but by the time he went to college, he was beginning to grow bored. He began to actively seek out people with more powerful quirks. He was supposedly recruiting them to his equality campaign, but he'd subtly emphasize how hard it was to have quirks in a society that feared them and they eventually gave them to him. When they didn't… Well, I didn't realize he was killing people until he'd graduated college."
Izuku watched helplessly as tears dripped from Daisuke's jaw.
"By then, Sosuke was obsessed. There was no turning him away from his path. He was handsome and charismatic, and his platform was picked up by a politician. He was given funding to research quirks and to help integrate quirk users into an equal society. He began to give quirks to others who would be loyal and useful to him. He was creating a movement and he was rising in power.
"Then our mother died in a robbery by a quirk user. I moved in with my brother, and he took up my medical bills. I was so grief-stricken and apologetic, but he acted like the bills were nothing, and he was very casual about Mother's death. He even said something like 'she wasn't strong enough to fight back, so of course she died' as if it made sense to him. I grew suspicious and began to actively try and figure out what Sosuke was doing. He kept as much secret as he could, but I began to catch on that he was actually behind a lot of those crimes."
Daisuke's hands fisted on his knees. "He was using the funds to help his campaign. I confronted him. I demanded to know if he had organized the bank robbery that Mother had died in, and he admitted that he had. He hadn't known she'd go to the bank that day, but he couldn't regret it. She was a part of the society that kept quirk users down. 'Only the powerful survive', he said. I asked him how I was alive, then, as I was the weakest of all, and he told me that it was his will that I live and he was powerful enough to enforce that will, so I did not need to be afraid. That was the right of the powerful."
Izuku closed his eyes, struck to the core.
"I didn't know what to do. I didn't know how to help him," Daisuke rasped, heartbroken. "I knew fundamentally my brother was wrong. That his thinking was evil. He'd killed our mother! But he still loved me. In his eyes, he needed power to justify his position as leader, to earn the right to enforce his will, which gave him the ability to protect me. It was all so twisted! When I realized he was killing people for their quirks, I knew I had to do whatever it took to stop him."
Tears ran freely down Daisuke's cheeks. "I confronted him again. I told him that he was evil and cruel. told him that I would do whatever I had to to stop him. That's when he gave me a stockpiling quirk. He told me to get stronger and see life from the top and then tell him that he was wrong. He thought for sure I'd see things from his point of view, but I couldn't accept his cruelty or his obsession with power even as I grew strong for the first time in my life. I learned to fight and grew as strong as I could, but even though I felt better, my disease was still working against me. I waited as long as I could and then I attacked him."
Daisuke lowered his head even further. "He was so betrayed and heartbroken, but I refused to back down. Of course I stood no chance, but I had to make a stand. I didn't have much time left. In a fit of rage, he tried to take back the 'gift' he had given me, but he couldn't. I felt him try to take it, but he could not. He was shocked. There had never been a quirk he hadn't been able to take. Even ones he had given others he could always take them back again without problem. That's when I realized, deep in my core, that the quirk was mine now, that something inside me had changed it, and only I could give it away.
"Because he was distracted, I was able to escape. I spent the last few weeks of my life searching for someone I could pass on all the strength I'd accumulated to. By that point, there were others who were suspicious of my brother. It was among them that I searched for my successor, and once I found one I could trust to do the right thing above all else, I told them my story and gave my successor everything I had. Literally everything. It cost me my life and, somehow, along with the quirk, my soul was passed on as well."
Daisuke's head came up, pale green peeking through the white of his bangs. A half smile rested on his lips. "At first, it was like dreaming. I only caught flashes of the lives of my successors, but as One For All was passed on and on, bits of each holder's spirit was passed along as well. It bolstered my own and I grew more aware. I began to know things as experiences and memories bled from my successors spirits into my awareness. Then Toshinori passed on One For All to you."
Daisuke's smile was bright with happiness. "No one before had possessed a psychic quirk, let alone one that resonated with the energies of the dead and dying, that reached across time. It created an anchor and a bridge, linking my mind to yours. In a way, it has granted me a second life."
Tears burning his eyes, Izuku smiled back. "I wish I could do more."
Daisuke shook his head. "No. No one should cross that line. My human life is over, Izuku. I'm grateful that I am able to be a part of your life. It is more than I could ever ask for, and I am so sorry that I have passed on the burden of Sosuke to you."
Izuku shook his head hard and flung himself forward, wrapping Daisuke in his arms. "No! I'm the one who's grateful! You saved me, Daisuke! I would have gone crazy from my visions if it weren't for you. You put me back together when I've literally fallen apart. Even with your help, I'm a mess, but I can't even imagine what would have happened to me without your support."
"To be fair, you only had a handful of visions a year, and they were spaced out," Daisuke corrected, holding Izuku secure against his side. "It is because of the amplification of One For All that you have dozens in a single night now. No one's sanity could withstand that. Even you who were born with this ability."
Izuku nodded. "I know, but think of all the people it's been able to help, Daisuke. I don't regret that."
Daisuke smiled and kissed the top of Izuku's head. "I know you don't. That's what makes you more heroic than anyone I know." He gently pushed Izuku away and gave him a smile. "So how did you manage to enter a deep trance so fast? It usually takes years of mental training."
Izuku made a face. "Sensory deprivation."
Daisuke stiffened. "That's dangerous, Izuku. Yes, it's easier to enter a deep trance when you weaken your hold on reality and your sense of consciousness, but too much mental damage can render you literally insane. Some damage is irreparable, and your psyche struggles under a great burden already."
Izuku's stomach dropped. "All Might's teacher Gran Torino recommended it. He said it's crucial for me to learn to access the other quirks within One For All because All For One is gearing up for something really big. All Might thinks he's behind the nomu and the League of Villains."
"That's not good," Daisuke agreed, but he took Izuku's face in his hands. "That doesn't mean you should shatter your mind trying to stop him. I don't want you sacrificed unnecessarily. When I passed on One For All, I knew it would take decades for One For All to be able to match the unlimited power of my brother. Confronting him every generation was never my intention. I want good people to build up the quirk's strength, to create more facets, and then when it is all that it can be, One For All can finally challenge All For One and win. Your life is precious, too, Izuku."
Izuku bit his lip. "But he's hurting people."
Daisuke sighed and dropped his hands. "I know, but what does going up against him and dying do for anybody? Preparing One For All is just as worthy a goal."
Izuku lifted his chin. "I'm not planning on rushing out and confronting All For One right now, but I'm going to be a hero, Daisuke. That's always been my goal - All For One or not. Because people are going to get hurt if we don't help them. People who can't or don't know how to fight back. They need us, Daisuke, and we're going to be there to help them as much as possible."
Daisuke lifted his head enough that one pale green eye peeked out at Izuku and it shone with admiration and affection. "You're amazing, you know that?"
Izuku flushed and ducked his head shyly.
Standing, Daisuke reached down and offered his hand to the teen. "Come on. We need to work on getting your mind flexible and focused enough to reach a deep trance without such extremes. A totem might help."
"A totem?" Izuku took his hand and stood. As he followed Daisuke into the dark, he had no idea where they were going or even if they were going anywhere. They could be walking in place for all the difference it made to Izuku. They were surrounded by perfect blackness.
"Yes. You learn to focus on that object to the exclusion of all else, which helps you break away from your consciousness. It takes longer than sensory deprivation, but there is a lot less risk of shattering your mind completely."
"I really didn't know it was that dangerous," Izuku protested.
"You trusted your teacher," Daisuke acknowledged, but his tone wasn't happy. "I'm sure he's monitoring you."
"He is," Izuku assured him.
It was clear Daisuke wasn't satisfied with that meager protection. Izuku squirmed, but Daisuke had mercy and changed the subject. "Of course, just making it to the deep trance isn't enough. There are levels to your subconscious and this is just the surface. If you want to reach the spirits of the other holders, you're going to have to meditate on who they were and what they believed in. Then you're going to have to try and resonate with those ideals if you're going to be able to tap into their abilities."
"What about All Might?" Izuku asked curiously. He loved studying the mystery of quirks. "Gran Torino said he was never able to go into a trance or learn to meditate."
"Your subconscious is constantly working whether you visit it or not," Daisuke answered with a laugh. "Toshinori's spirit already resonated near perfectly with the spirit who had the strength enhancer quirk. They were very similar people. Very flashy and dedicated to saving people no matter the risk. For them, the world is very black and white." Daisuke looked over at Izuku. "You're similar, especially your passion to help everyone, but you don't see everything as black and white as they do. You understand the complexities of the world, so you're not quite a perfect match. That explains why you're not able to wield as much physical strength as Toshinori. Of course, your body isn't fully prepared to channel such a physically demanding quirk, either, so that's a factor, too."
This made sense to Izuku. "Then why did it come to me at all?"
"Well, like I said, you are similar enough to resonate with that quirk, but more importantly, you saw All Might using that strength and expected One For All to perform the same for you. That expectation made your subconscious work on accessing that aspect of One For All."
Suddenly they were in an open space. Izuku realized he was in a round room. The same room he'd seen before. The images and two shadows of the eight holders of One For All stood before him, all smiling slightly.
"I have another holder in mind for you." Daisuke guided him over to a tall, muscular man who looked to be in his thirties.
The man had a square jaw, small eyes, and no eyebrows. He was bald, but he had a very short black beard cut close to his jaw. His hero costume consisted of dark leather clothes and stylish goggles that he wore on his forehead. The leather jacket hung open over his chest, revealing he was shirtless and only wore a bandolier underneath, which was basically a strap of bullets that ran diagonally across his chest.
"I can't tell you what you don't already know or can extrapolate yourself," Daisuke explained. "So I can't tell you his name, but he was the fifth holder and very much like your Kacchan." His lips quirked. "But a bit less angry."
Izuku smiled, warmth rising to his cheeks as he thought of his boyfriend.
With knowing eyes, Daisuke continued, "I feel like his personality would be very understandable to you. He focused more on immobilizing the enemy while simultaneously increasing his own mobility, which I think resonates very well with you. You're very flexible and already use the strength aspect of One For All for mobility more than Toshinori did. In that sense, Gran Torino will also be a big help."
Izuku nodded and looked up at the muscular man. He was taller than Daisuke by several inches and taller than Izuku by almost a foot. "Hello," he greeted and gave a respectful bow. "I'm Izuku Midoriya. I look forward to working with you."
The man gave him a grin and reached forward to clasp Izuku's forearm in a tight grip. "You better not use my quirk the wrong way," the man taunted. "It's a kick ass, top notch quirk. So you better use it to it's fullest potential!"
Izuku held his dark eyes and gripped the man's forearm back. He recognized a challenge when he was given one. This man may say it with a smile, but he could hear those same words coming out of Kacchan's mouth accompanied with a glare, and he knew exactly what Kacchan would expect him to say in response.
"I'll work my ass off to deserve it," he promised.
The man laughed and Izuku had a brief flash of black tendrils lashing the air. With a gasp, Izuku staggered backward. Daisuke put his hands on Izuku's shoulder to brace him.
"You okay?"
"Yeah," Izuku answered, but his head was pounding painfully. Black spots streaked across his vision as he tried to catch his balance. He lifted his hand to his nose expecting to find blood, but there was nothing there.
"Time for you to go," Daisuke decided and took him by the hand. He led Izuku back into the darkness, away from the other holders.
"Good luck, my young friend!" the fifth holder called out and tossed him a cocky wave.
Izuku smiled and waved back. "Thank you!"
…
"… doriya! … Midoriya!"
Izuku blinked open his eyes and groaned as a stab of brutal pain skewered his brain.
"What were you thinking?!" All Might yelled from right next to him, making Izuku curl up into an agonized ball. "He's just fourteen! You can't put him into a deprivation pool without any training!"
"Shhh," Izuku begged, covering his eyes.
"My deepest apologies, Izuku," All Might said in a bare whisper, but tension still ran through his voice. "Are you well?"
Izuku groaned in answer.
Eventually Gran Torino and All Might were able to get him off the tile floor next to the pool. Izuku threw up twice, but eventually he was taken down to the second floor and tucked into bed. A towel had been thrown over the bedside lamp to dampen the glow. He was given a cool glass of water and ice was placed over his forehead and eyes. After a while, Izuku slept. When he woke, All Might was still sitting next to his bed.
"All Might?"
Toshinori put aside his book and knelt by his bed. He put a gentle hand on Izuku's head. "I'm here."
"He was trying to help, and it worked. I saw Daisuke. I talked to him about a lot of stuff."
Toshinori helped him sit up and handed him another glass of water. "It was unnecessarily dangerous," the hero stated firmly.
"Daisuke told me a little more about his brother. His name is Sosuke. And he explained how the quirks in One For All work. When someone passes on One For All, a bit of their spirit is captured as well as their birth quirk and is transferred over. If you resonate with that spirit's personality, then you're able to tap into those quirks. He also said I should try mediation with a totem. He wasn't too happy about the sensory deprivation pool, either," Izuku admitted sheepishly. "And he said I should ask Gran Torino to help me with my mobility."
"That's a good idea," All Might agreed. "But we can do that when the sun comes up. You should rest, Izuku."
"But I leave soon," Izuku protested.
"You were only in the pool for six hours. It took about an hour to bring you around and you've been sleeping for less than four. Not to mention you hardly slept in Hosu and had a very draining fight with a super villain. I am not asking you. I'm telling you. Go back to sleep."
Hearing this accounting made Izuku feel suddenly very tired. "Okay," he said and fell almost instantly back to sleep.
…
"It's all about being creative," Gran Torino announced.
The three of them stood at the mouth of an alley. The sun had risen barely an hour ago. Izuku had one full day and half of the next before he had to return home. He was determined to make the most of it and practically inhaled breakfast.
"Thank about all the surfaces around you. Gauge your strength! Landing or pushing off too hard will break your surface, which will likely piss people off, but it will also throw off your trajectories as well as potentially trap your foot inside something."
Izuku nodded. "Got it."
"Then try and keep up, you newbie," Gran Torino said with a grin and launched into the air. He bounced off the walls of the alley in a zigzag back and forth, increasing his speed and sending him flying over the rooftop.
One For All singing in his veins, Izuku took of in pursuit, leaving All Might behind.
Izuku was used to launching himself off the ground, so the concept wasn't too foreign, but walls and pipes and billboards were all a lot less sturdy than the ground. Izuku create craters, snapped pipes, and launched himself straight through a billboard. Gran Torino screamed at him in frustrated rage.
"Softly! Be precise! Concentrate!"
By the end of the fourth hour, Izuku began to get a handle on things and Gran Torino stepped up the pace. Not only did he go faster, but he started to launch himself off of even weirder things. All concept of up and down began to disappear. Izuku began to see the world in terms of surfaces he could use and manipulate. Signs, cars, walls, ceilings, roofs, ledges, pipes, poles, trees, doors - anything with a solid enough structure was fair game. By dinner, Izuku was flying around the city, swinging off things, leaping off walls and flipping through the air like some kind of monkey.
"You did good," Gran Torino acknowledged as they landed on the stoop of his rundown agency.
They found All Might in the kitchen.
"Did you hear that?" Izuku asked, buzzing with adrenaline. His whole body ached from the work out, but he felt amazing! "Gran Torino said I did good!"
"Good work, young Midoriya. It is not easy to win Gran Torino's praise," All Might acknowledged, setting the last plates on the table.
"Maybe not for you, but your successor is not so inept," Gran Torino grumped.
Izuku grinned as All Might shook his head with red staining his cheeks. "Yes, sensei. Now come on. It's time for dinner. Using your quirk all day is hard work and you need the calories."
"Thanks, All Might!" Izuku practically fell on his food. "You should've seen us! We swung around this flag pole and landed on a roof peak only a few inches wide to launch up to the top of a movie theater!"
"You've mastered the basics," Gran Torino admitted. "Not bad for a single day's work."
"Thank you for everything," Izuku said sincerely and then grinned. "I can't wait to show Kacchan everything I've learned."
All Might actually winced. "Can you please make sure he doesn't destroy a gym as he tries to keep up."
Izuku laughed.
That night as he got into bed, he saw that Kacchan had texted him. About five hours ago, Todoroki had also texted, asking about a tattoo for himself. Izuku left that unanswered and sent a text answering Kacchan. He kept the deprivation pool a secret. If Daisuke and All Might were upset about it, Kacchan would blow a gasket. Izuku would save talking about that for when they were in person. Besides, he wanted to know more about Todoroki, anyway.
.
Kacchan
It's pretty messy over here
People're treating Stain as some kind of hero
Ran into a group wearing red scarves today
Fucking idiots
Because of them Candy Cane can't tell the fucking truth about you know who
.
Izuku had seen more people than normal wearing red scarves, but he hadn't known it was about Stain. He quickly searched up the Hero Killer and found thousands of hits. He watched one of the shorter videos and felt a tired sigh escape his lips.
On the surface, Stain wanted heroes to be held accountable, which was admirable. Heroes like Endeavor should never be able to get away with doing such horrible things, but hunting down and killing heroes who were on duty and trying to protect people wasn't right, either!
And it wasn't just the heroes. Society held some of the blame for always looking away just because they 'liked' that hero or were 'fans'. The whole system and everyone involved need to make some changes, but most of the people supporting Stain wouldn't want to acknowledge their part and wouldn't be willing to make changes.
Of course, Kacchan knew all of this, and Izuku felt an ache of sympathy, knowing how frustrated at the futility and hypocrisy Kacchan must be. He wished he was there. He'd wrap Kacchan in a tight hug and cover his face in kisses. Instead, he had to settle for a text.
.
Izuku
I've seen a few people wearing them
We have to remember they don't represent everybody
Most people are just trying to live their lives peacefully
and are counting on heroes to help them do that
They're still people out there who're grateful for what heroes do
.
There was a long pause that sent anxiety spiking through Izuku's stomach. He always worried deep down that Kacchan would get sick of trying to be a hero for such a selfish, broken world, but then Kacchan surprised him and asked for a tattoo. Kacchan tried to play it off as wanting to be cool, but Izuku knew better. First of all, Kacchan honestly didn't care what people thought of him. He didn't care if he was cool. Kacchan wanting a tattoo was way more serious, but when Izuku pressed for the truth, Kacchan answered with a simple,
.
Kacchan
Tell you later
.
Izuku smiled at that promise, feeling warm that Kacchan trusted him so much, and typed back an easy, Okay. Love you.
Izuku shut down his phone and turned off the light. They would see each other tomorrow afternoon. Izuku grinned into his pillow. He couldn't wait for Kacchan to see what he could do now. A giggle escaped his lips as he imagined the murderous glare was going to get followed by a scorching kiss. Izuku really couldn't wait!
Chapter end
A/n: Well? Too much talking? And also the next chapter we have TATTOOS! Woot! XD
