The day Toshinori met Izuku Midoriya, a bell started to ring in the very depths of his mind. Something about him was familiar, but he couldn't quite place what it was. So, he ignored that little bell as he told the boy that he couldn't become a hero. He had been quirkless himself and knew that despite all his best efforts, it could never be done. He also ignored that bell when he found that same curly, green haired kid fighting off the sludge villain he had lost to save a classmate. That boy raced forward, knowing he had no extra power or chance at even winning, but tried anyway. In that moment, with the bell ringing, Toshinori realized that this would be his next successor.

As Young Midoriya worked on his American Dream Plan training, that bell would frequently go off. It was annoying by this point and frustrating that he didn't know how he remembered; so, later on that night, Toshinori made it his personal assignment to figure it out. He looked through file upon file to check the names and images of every single person he had saved. Some went unnamed, obviously. In certain scenarios, it was just impossible to get them all, but not once did the name Midoriya come up. How did he know this kid?

There were other possibilities too. Over almost thirty years of hero work and being the Symbol of Peace, it was common for Toshinori to meet fans wherever he went. Some were at conventions that he was invited to. Others saw him on the streets during his patrols. Some even came as a coworker's child who was absolutely obsessed with him. Any of these could be a possibility but the best way he could check to see if Midoriya qualified for any of them was to simply ask.

"I am here, to ask Midoriya about his fanboy experiences!" Toshinori shouted as he landed on the sand of the beach. The boy was making a lot of good progress here, having cleared almost a tenth of the are. Someone could probably have a picnic in the space he's made, but likely nothing else. Still, for a boy without a strength quirk, clearing those large boxes and cars were difficult. He was proud already,

"Ah! All Might! Where did you come from?!" The boy shouted, surprised by his sudden appearance. He was wearing an T-Shirt that read 'flannel shirt', ironically. Another bell rang.

Toshinori released his form and spoke through the blood in his mouth, most of his spilling out onto the sand. "Ghak-I wanted to ask a few questions about your experiences as my Number One Fanboy." The little nickname made the boy flush several shades of red.

"M-My experiences? How so?" The boy rubbed at his freckled cheeks in a sad attempt to erase the blush.

"Well, you know. Conventions and signing booths for heroes. They're pretty popular and I meet a lot of people there...so, have you been to any?" Toshinori likely already knew the answer. Midoriya must've gone to one, with how much he loves heroes. He was sure that was it.

"Oh, yeah! I went to a few when I was younger but haven't gone to any lately. Mom's been a little tighter on money since I started middle school...but that's probably more than you want to know!" The boy blushed again. "Why?"

Instead of answering, Toshinori "Have you ever been to one when...I was there?"

Midoriya took a moment to think but shook his head. "No, sadly. Those were a lot more expensive and even if I could go, Mom wouldn't let me. There are so many kids that go missing in those conventions especially and she was always worried."

Drats! "Well, what about in passing? Or anywhere else at all?" His hope was starting to lower.

Midoriya shook his head. "I hadn't seen you in person, let alone met you, until the sludge villain thing. Your agency is centered in Tokyo, although you used to have one in Mutsusafu a while back. It was around your bronze age when UA really started to change. The old pricipal handed over the school to Nezu, a mouse, bear, dog mammal with a quirk. It's actually pretty rare to see quirks in animals but he managed to get a teaching lisence by-"

"Kid, you're rambling." Toshinori suppressed a sigh. If he hadn't met Izuku through hero work, fan meetings or even coworkers, than why were these bells always going off? Instead of listening to the boy apologize for muttering again, he tapped at his chin to think. Midoriya. Did he have to go further back to figure this out? Maybe it was a relative. He's never met the boy's parents -or maybe he has and just needs to see them- but he doesn't remember ever seeing the last name Midoriya anywhere. Maybe, this was something he had to take to the people himself.

The next week, Toshinori told Midoriya that he wanted to meet the boy's parents. Of course, he was flustered and asked millions of questions. Why did he want to meet his mother -was the father in the picture?- and why so suddenly? Was it about their quirk? Was this going to be a dinner thing? Was he in trouble.

All Toshinori said was to inform her that he's training the boy and suggest that they meet. Of course, it wasn't so easy. Upon arriving, Toshinori realized that she didn't know about their training and though that he was working up her son to fail. He was quirkless and couldn't even apply to UA. It was a rule that Toshinori hadn't really thought about before then, but now, he thought it was stupid. Why not let a quirkless child into UA? They could go to the general studies course at very least.

"I apologize for keeping this a secret from you, , but I think that your son has great potential. He's very intelligent and has a high chance of getting into the police department at the very least. They always work with quirkless people who want to do hero work. They're very safe." That last bit wasn't a complete lie.

"But I don't even know who you are!" The woman looked frantic at the thought of some creepy, old, homeless skeleton of a man training her son on a beach.

"I'm Yagi Toshinori." He offered his hand to shake. "I'm a licensed trainer and work with other kids like Izuku often." The licensed part might've been a stretch and he didn't technically work with young heroes yet, but he wasn't here to tell her the full truth. "I promise that all of the training your son has been doing is safe and secure. I've done it myself, actually."

"Oh...So, you're the one who gave him that schedule and diet?" She didn't look suspicious, which was a relief. Instead, she looked curious and surprised even. "I have to say, I do appreciate the hope you've given him. I don't think I've ever seen him to excited to go outside and work out ever day. And dinners have been more exciting to say the least."

That was good. "Thank you, Mrs. Midoriya. It's a pleasure to work with him." Now, he had to ask the question he came here for. "I have to ask, though...your son is quite the fan of All Might." He gestured to the home decorations to prove his point. She even had an All Might mug in her hand. It was a bit scary. "Are you a fan yourself?"

The woman flustered, just like her son, but chuckled as she rubbed her freckle-less face. "Oh, I don't know about that. He's a great hero and does protect the people with everything he has. He's pretty handsome too -in an objective sense! I mean, I could look at anyone and admit that they're handsome, especially All Might -or not All Might too! Anyone! And I could say that they're attractive without...well...oh, this is embarrassing."

It was shocking, how similar the two were. Toshinori fought his own blush at being called handsome -even though it wasn't exactly a rare thing- so many times and pressed forward. "Have you ever met the hero? In person?" He was hoping the answer would be yes. He really was.

"Oh no! Never! Those conventions cost so much and all those people...it makes me nervous." The kid sure wasn't lying. "He has visited Musutafu, like he is now, but I've never actually met him. Izuku has, though! He showed me his autograph and told me all about it!"

Toshinori winced at that. "All about it, huh? What...what did he say?"

"Oh, how All Might had been so nice and just as heroic as he thought. He said that he was so nervous, meeting someone so important and famous, but he managed to get the hero alone for a chat. Isn't that so special? A personal talk with your idol. Anyone would pay to get a chance at that experience." The woman seemed to genuinely happy for her son.

It was a surprise to hear it, honestly. Toshinori knew that he had actually ruined the boy's dreams but offered his quirk later, which is likely how he ended up with such an enthusiastic story. That still didn't make up for what he did, however, and Toshinori hopes that someday, the boy can forgive him for that. "That's wonderful, . Has anyone else, besides Izuku, met him?"

The woman looked confused before shaking her head. "Mitsuki mentioned that her son did, but it was more of a saving incident that a real meeting. They didn't talk or anything."

No mention of the father. Toshinori dared to look around the apartment but didn't see a shrine or memorial of any kind. In fact, there wasn't so much as a picture with the man in it. Not too strange, but it blocks Toshinori's chance at knowing the real reason he knows Izuku. As the night draws on, he decides to ignore it for now. He wants to genuinely get to know Izuku's mother -who requested he just call her Inko to make it less confusing- and find out what parts of her he can see in Izuku.

As weeks turn into months, Toshinori slowly begins to forget that the bell exists. He's run out of resources and even if he did a whole background check on the family, it wouldn't be very polite. He doesn't need to know the answer to his questions, so he lets them be. That is, until he find out.

It was his first lesson at UA. He was straining and struggling to figure out how best to word ever single sentence. Thankfully, it was a simple team work exerciser. Two villains try to prevent the two heroes from getting the bomb. Simple enough. That is, until he realizes that Bakugou and Izuku have history and a bad one at that. They fight and bicker and brawl as Uraraka and Iida actually do the assignment. It's frustrating to say the least, seeing how this Bakugou kid treats Izuku and how the poor boy gets so nervous around him, until he doesn't.

It's during that fight that he hears it and the bells finally stop. "Deku."

He knows that name. He remembers hearing it as he was training with Nana every morning. He remembers hearing it as he learned to use One For All. Deku was the name of the hero who saved him from the foster system. Deku was the name of the hero who worried for his well being despite it not being his business. Deku was one of his inspirations, but never returned after the fight with All For one.

Deku, was his own sucessor.

...

Gran Torino figured it out much faster than Toshinori had.

"So, that kid was the time traveling hero. Pretty strange to say the least." The old man spoke from the other side of the phone. It was the first thing he said after just receiving Izuku for his internship training. Or some version of it, at least. It was all new to Toshinori.

"Yeah. How did you know?" Was it because the boy sighed up as Deku? That would make sense.

"I knew before I saw him. He said he was the Ninth holder, Toshinori. How did you forget that?"

How had he forgotten that?

"Besides." Gran Torino continued. "He's still the same overthinking fanboy he was back then. Doesn't look too different either."

Toshinori nodded slowly. That would make sense. It's just been so long since he even though about that. Turning a page in his old sketchbook, he saw the illustration of Deku. The graphite was a bit smudged from the previous page, but it still looked just like him. Warmth filled Toshinori's chest as he looked at it. He could look forward to seeing this boy grow into the hero he knows he'll become.

Author's Noted: Yes! It's been quite some time since I did anything for this fic, but since it's kinda popular, I was thinking of fixing some of the errors. It was a really rough project and I intentionally didn't really try when it came to research or grammar errors. For now, though, enjoy this added extension chapter.